Doctor Who on Sci Fi channel

Cross-posted from an AMERICAblog open thread:

I'm an old Doctor Who fan ...

Thought the 2000 US episode was disappointing.

Watched the complete new series last year (it was on CBC) and the Christmas Invasion episode. I think it's a great extension of the franchise, as they say. The effects in the original series were cheesy but nobody cared, as with the original Star Trek (which I saw in original broadcast so now you know about how old I am). As you know by now, the BBC has gone all out to use the best effects available. As a former theatrical set designer, my belief is that sets and effects are there to support the story, and that's what "the beeb" has achieved.

Here's what I wrote last year about the first episode in this series:
The Doctor is In

I think The Doctor on the series now on the Sci Fi channel is #8. He regenerates, you see ...

Later in this series, they get into some interesting political parallels to what was / is going on in the world, specifically war and those who wage it, but they also explore the strength and frailty of the human spirit. I don't want to give anything away, but stick with it if you are not impressed yet. There are themes interwoven throughout the season, they bring back or reference many old villians, and the season ends with a bang.

By the way, since I don't get the Sci Fi channel, I would be curious to know if they are playing the "Doctor Who Confidential" companion programs that go behind the scenes. More than just a look at how the effects were done, they go a long way to tie it back to the earlier Doctors.