It is the year 5 billion. The end of the world is nigh.

Keen to show off his time travelling phone booth, the Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) has taken his companion, Rose (Billie Piper), to a space station on which some affluent aliens are about to watch our planet go out with a bang.

Rose is understandably stressed. Things don't get any better when she discovers that the only other human around is a stretched out piece of talking skin. Besides this human trampoline, the galaxy's elite includes sentient trees, an alien attorney that resembles a cross between Buddha and a slug, and the enigmatic Adherents of the Repeated Meme. And as if that wasn't freaky enough, along come some very mean spiders.

"The End of the World" should convince viewers that the BBC is serious about "Doctor Who." The special effects and alien makeup are as good as anything Hollywood is currently producing. The script, meanwhile, is funny, inventive, quirky and thought provoking.

Of course, it isn't perfect. After events literally heat up on the station, the Doctor must brave the air conditioning system to save the day. It's an impressive sequence, but absurdly illogical. Also, Rose does little but talk to various people and call for help. Nonetheless, her character grows through moments of pathos, which are rare in the "Who" universe.

Eccleston's Doctor develops, too. Initially he swaggers like a big kid showing off his cool toys. But when things happen that are not supposed to, he's the man of action. His anger is unsettling when he finally corners the villain. And the writers suggest a hint of emotional vulnerability in the last Gallifreyan when the topic of his provenance arises.

His fans shouldn't be upset, though. The Doctor's future is in safe hands.

"Doctor Who" is broadcast Canada's CBC channel on Tuesdays at 8 p.m.

Michael Simpson is a science writer and science fiction fan living in Canada.