Well, I wasn't bored while watching 'Midnight'. But I can't see myself ever sitting down and wanting to watch that episode a second time. And you have to ask yourself how Russell T. Davies is feeling at the moment. [Contains spoilers]

The Doctor is first ganged up on and then rendered helpless. I'd assumed that the alien was influencing everyone's minds, in order to make them all behave so abominably, but in Who Confidential RTD explains that really, human nature in those situations is probably just like that. And that the secret weapon which stops the Doctor's voice of reason getting things back on an even keel is simple mockery. It makes reason seem like posturing and glib humour seem insufferably arrogant. Interesting.

If RTD were making a political point about fear bringing out the worst in us, might he not also have shown us what the alternative was? And hinted at how we could combat corrosive fear? But he explains that the descent into despair that we watch is simply what humans are like and even the Doctor can't cure that. The solution is not a changed viewpoint, a resurgence of empathy, or even reverence for thinking things through: it's solitary self-sacrifice by the one who got the ball rolling with all the hatred. Guilt and a sense of duty are all that prevent tourists becoming a lynch mob in the space of two hours. What sort of writer serves us up a parable about the viciousness of human nature on tea-time TV without even a hint that we can be redeemed? The murderous mob aren't won over, they're merely thwarted.

It was gripping television, but I think RTD might have left his departure a little late. 'Humans are vicious under pressure and no one can save us from that' is not an episode premise dreamt up by a happy man. I tend to think it's not even true either. The exultant Doctor of last week, taking his first steps towards an even more legendary future, was really cut down to size this week. I think once you want to write an episode mocking and abusing your central character until he's fragile and fearful, while drumming it into people's heads that all humans do is bicker and turn on you, it's time to get out of the office for a while and maybe go for a nice walk in the countryside with a few friends.

P.S. Strange that they would use the novel device of endless repetition to scare us in the Library. And then use repetition differently this week to freak us out and depress us. I can't help but think spacing those original ideas out a bit would have been a good idea.