The Bells of Saint John

" That wasn’t a leaf. That was page one"

Well, that was fun. A little like The Idiot's Lantern with a wonderful twist at the end (which I won't spoil here). The interplay between the Doctor and Clara was great but I thought the Spoonheads were a little underwhelming. There were some great little touches too like the kid's book being written by one Amelia Williams. And a very familiar looking scarf hanging in the hallway of Clara's house.

While not in the same league as last years opener it was still a fun episode. And it's always great the have the Doctor back.

The Snowmen

First things first - how cool are the new titles? almost like a megamix of everything since 1963.

And while we're on the subject, how bout the new TARDIS interior? Clara enters to the strains of "The Majestic Tale of  Mad Man in  Box" and it's like "Hello Sexy!" (the  TARDIS, but I guess you can include Jenna-Louise in that too!).

But while we're on the subject of the new companion, I think Jenna-Louise lived up to the potential she showed in Asylum of the Daleks. And in typical Moffat fashion he can't just give us a straight-forward introduction to the new companion can he? Hopefully we'll get some answers next year about just who Clara Oswald Oswin really is.

Matt was... well Matt. We all knew the Doctor sulking after the events of The Angels Take Manhattan wouldn't last long and the interplay between him and Jenna-Louise was a joy to behold.

I'm trying to decide if The Snowmen has replaced A Christmas Carol in my affections as the best Christmas special. Maybe not but it was still an enjoyable, action packed hour. Richard E. Grant finally make it into the world of official Doctor Who and it was nice to see (or rather hear) a blast from the past with the Great Intelligence making a comeback (I think there might be some unfinished business there what with the Doctor trying to remember what the intelligence was at the end of the episode. Does that mean the Yeti are making a comeback?). And we get a preview of what next year will bring (for the first half anyway). Roll on April 2013!