Big fan of this episode, I think it's one of Russell's best. The Adipose won't be for everyone though, and may be too silly.

@FH2104 I’ve ironically been reading The Writer’s Tale for the first time and didn’t realize how long he pushed off writing this script for it to be this good. I’m only around September of 2007 in the book and he had just got around to it

@Dreamleak Interesting I didn't know that. I've not read it. It shows though.

@FH2104 it’s a really good read so far. A lot of it pertains solely to this episode and the previous special. But for this one RTD had been thinking of ideas for it long before series 3 aired but kept putting off the actual scripting so late they had to push it slightly back in the production schedule. The most interesting aspect is reading what his ideas for series 4 were before Catherine Tate expressed interest in coming back, which didn’t change much overall but really affected his ideas for 4.1

@Dreamleak, who would 10 be with if Donna weren't coming back?

@Kevin 'Chalky' Kaiba that part is really interesting to me. The journalist, Penny, who was tied up in Miss Foster’s office was originally going to be the companion, although the plot of the episode was a lot different. It’s lucky we got Donna though, because Russel specified in one email that he wanted 10 and Penny’s connection to be “love at first sight” after the Martha storyline. How horrible that would have been (although this was also before Billie Piper said she could come back for series 4, so he might have ended up scrapping it either way).

@Dreamleak, when presented like that...given that it seems Penny and Martha would be near identical regarding fancying #10, maybe #10 should call Penny "New Martha" (I was watching Family Guy "The Man With Two Brians", and the Griffins adopt another dog, calling him New Brian).

@Kevin 'Chalky' Kaiba haha yes! It also just downplays the Doctor and Rose and makes it seem like 10 didn’t like Martha because she just wasn’t his type😂

@Dreamleak, put a smile on your face, did I?

I wonder how Penny would've worked as a companion.

@dreamleak Penny as a companion with the "love-at-first sight" plot would've been uncomfortable especially after #10's and Rose's emotional goodbye in Doomsday and than having Martha have a unrequited crush on the Doctor all through season 3.

As for something I don't like Penny. That scene in the office flirting with the Doctor just uncomfortable to watch and felt out of place, not much better than that Doctor and Amy scene at the end of Flesh and Stone.