Probably my least favorite of the 10 historicals, I don't like Rose's antics in this episode very much and it takes a while for the plot to get going

We get the foundation of Torchwood and the reveal that the royal family are werewolves is ok

2025 REWATCH

• I love the whole concept: Queen Vic and a werewolf in Scotland. It is so much fun!
• The energy of this episode is electric and just gets higher and higher. It's gloomy and thrilling. gotta admire the writing and directing
• The CGI itself for the wolf is genuinely not that bad and still looks pretty good all these years later, especially when it crashes through the glass ceiling
• The only issue I'd say is that overly dramatic cold open with the monks. Did they really need to fly through the air just to beat up some farmers? Too much, you could say, but I guess it keeps you watching.
• I genuinely think this shows the perfect dynamic between 10 and Rose, If 'The Christmas Invasion' and 'New Earth' couldn't do it as well, this episode early on does it brillaintly

Perhaps this is a stronger introduction to the season than New Earth. The dynamic between Ten and Rose is enjoyable, outlining how their dynamic will be different to her interactions with Nine. At times, it does become a little irritable, but it's generally ok.

The Werewolf is terrifying, and even though it begins to look dated, I enjoy the work done to make it scary. The setting, and Queen Victoria as a character are interesting, if perhaps a little frustrating.

It’s fine. I’d say it’s a much better opener for this Series, still very cheesy and still not a favorite, but there are a lot more things I enjoyed compared to New Earth. I am not a fan of the Rose/10 Romance and this one continues their flirty banter, which is fine, I just simply can’t care much about it. Some already mentioned that our Tardis Team is quite unbearable, but honestly I think it was an interesting direction to go, maybe not the best in Execution, but hey I appreciate the Idea. The Werewolf and its CGI aged pretty poor, but hey there are some fun parts, such as Pauline Collins, who gives a good performance.

Overall it’s fine, just not a story that I care in either direction, a simple meh.

Series 2 is so far to a bad start with me, so can’t wait for the next episode, where I finally have some praise again!

🙏🏼6/10 = OKAY!

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time!

Ten and Rose in the Scottish Highlands, a real castle setting, a scary werewolf, warrior monks, and Queen Victoria—what could possibly go wrong here?

First of all, the cold open scene of Tooth and Claw is arguably the most awkward in all of New Who. It’s action-packed and cool on a conceptual level, but the editing and stunt work in this fight scene are so horrible. Why did RTD think these warrior monks were a good idea?

RTD writes here an atmospheric ghost story and period piece, mostly relying on the Scottish setting, the presence of the Queen, and the idea of werewolves. The slow build-up of tension and the otherwise palpable atmosphere are constantly undercut with ill-placed humour.

After the fairly lengthy buildup, Tooth and Claw turns to a standard fare but fast-paced chase sequence. The werewolf slaughters people left and right, and every kill is ruined by the weird editing choices. There are some more story-building moments in between chases, but very little of it matters.

This is yet another attempt at taking a classic literary monster and giving it a Doctor Who twist. Big Finish already did this with stories such as Loups-Garoux, and they gave it much more thought, as here there's not enough time to develop things properly.

David Tennant still comes across as smug, and the annoyingly giggling and teenage-y relationship between him and Billie Piper annoys me. Tennant is beginning to show some of his quirky and fun qualities, as well as his alien intelligence and habit of taking effective charge of any situation, though, and Rose is also fending well for herself.

The lovely Pauline Collins makes a memorable turn as Queen Victoria. Classic Who fans will recognise her as the very same Pauline Collins who played Samantha Briggs (one of the best examples of a companion who never was) in the 1967 story The Faceless Ones. Collins makes the Queen a well-rounded and likeable character, but also a badass queen.

The recognisable Ian Hanmore always makes for an effective villain, and I also enjoy Derek Riddell here as a man who is visibly torn between loyalties.

There are some good jokes here: the “I’m attached to my thumb” line or the gag where the Doctor speaks Scottish and Rose tries to mimic him, only to fail miserably. Then there are the cringeworthy lines, such as the running gag of Rose trying to get the Queen to say, “We are not amused.”

The werewolf transformation scene is tense and horrifying, to be honest. Sadly, the werewolf itself is a pretty clunky CGI creation, which removes a lot of its efficiency.

The biggest takeaway here is the final scene, with Queen Victoria banishing the Doctor and Rose from the Empire for all eternity after knighting them and then setting up Torchwood to make sure that they never return, therefore laying the foundation for the Torchwood spinoff. Not to mention the suggestion that this werewolf encounter is the reason that the British Royal Family suffers from haemophilia, essentially making them werewolves.