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.

Doctor Who and the Daleks

"The mysterious Doctor and his grandaughter Susan are joined by unwilling adventurers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright in an epic struggle for survival on an alien planet.

In a vast metal city they discover the survivors of a terrible nuclear war - the Daleks. Held captive in the deepest levels of the city, can the Doctor and his new companions stop the Daleks' plan to totally exterminate their mortal enemies, the peace-loving Thals? More importantly, even if they can escape from the Daleks, will Ian and Barbara ever see their home planet Earth again?"

This was the book that started it all. Originally published in November 1964 (around the tine Doctor Who's second series was starting, and just before the Daleks made their second appearance in The Dalek Invasion of Earth), not only was it the first novelisation published (along with Doctor Who and the Crusaders - also by David Whittaker - and Doctor Who and the Zarbi - aka The Web Planet) but was also the first book published when Target Books began publishing Doctor Who book in 1973 (an association that would continue for twenty years). I have to admit I only recently read it but in another first, not in print form but as an ebook.

In his introduction to this volume, Neil Gaiman points out just how important the novelisations were. And while what happened on the page was sometimes wildly different from what happened on screen (and in this case) back in the days before home video and DVD the novels were the only way you could enjoy the Doctor's adventures again and again.

And for the story itself? It's essentially a faithful retelling of the first Dalek story with a few differences, some minor (the glass Dalek  for example - Davros about then years early?) and some major (with An Unearthly Child not being published until the early eighties, Whittaker comes up with a new introductory scene for main characters). Also Whittaker uses the first person narrative so the whole story is told from Ian's perspective which means a lot of events from the TV series are left out. While it's a little dry in parts Doctor Who and the Daleks, like the TV episodes that inspired it, is one of the most important books ever published beginning a series that lasts to this day.

"I am the Doctor... and I am afraid!"

Cybermen! Ice Warriors (at last)! Clara! And the Doctor's what?

Series 7.2 kicks off on Saturday night (BBC1)/Sunday night (ABC1). Here's a preview.

The Reign of Terror

"The events will happen, just as they are written. I'm afraid so, and we can't stem the tide. But at least we can stop being carried away with the flood!"

This is the first time I've seen The Reign of Terror. It's one of those stories with episodes missing (in this case the fourth and fifth) so it's never likely to get re-screened on TV. For this realise the missing episodes have been recreated using animation, only the second time the range has tried this (the first being the Troughton story The Invasion). While I didn't think the animation itself was terribly successful in parts, it's great that the medium is being used to complete the missing stories. I understand the part four of The Tenth Planet is the next story to undergo this process. I guess they're only using for stories where most of the episodes exist, but I'd love it if it was used for stories such as Marco Polo, The Dalek's Master Plan, etc. It wouldn't be the same as seeing the originally broadcast episodes but at least we'd have a complete run of Doctor Who that way.

As for the story itself it's okay, probably typical of the Hartnell era. I understood it to be the first of the comedy historical (after the majesty of Marco Polo and the Shakespearean tragedy of The Aztecs) but it wasn't quiet what I was expecting though. But still enjoyable.

The Ambassadors of Death

""The man's a fool. How can I possibly tell who the message is from until I know what it says? Let me explain this to you in simple terms!"

In another series The Ambassadors of Death (one of those stories I'm sure I've seen, but have no memory of doing so) would have been a stand out. But with Spearhead from Space and Doctor Who and the Silurians on one side and Inferno on the other, it's the weakest story of season seven. But that doesn't mean it's a dud; far from it. I know I'm critical of the Pertwee era in general but I always like the gritty approach the series took up to The Mind of Evil. So to my mind this is one of the better Pertwee stories.

There is a lot to like about The Ambassadors of Death. Production wise there's a lot going for it with some of the best action sequences seen up to that point. But I was let down when I saw the Ambassadors themselves. After many years of seeing the aliens in all their glory it was somewhat disappointing that all you see of them outside their spacesuits is a brief glimpse of their captain behind what looks like a Venetian blind. It's other problem is that it's about three episodes too long and the story does show signs of perhaps having too many cooks? (despite on-screen credit going to David Whittaker at least three other writers that I'm aware of had a go of knocking this into shape). But it also has one of the best series climax's with the Doctor stating he understands General Carrington's (such as he was as the story's villain) motives and allowing him to keep his dignity.

One interesting bit of trivia in the documentary that accompanies this story: director Michael Ferguson taking claim for being the first person to use the "scream" leading into the closing title music to punctuate the cliffhanger. Unless someone can prove otherwise, we now know who to thank for this tradition.

Planet of Giants

Do you know why I'm a success Mr Farrow? It's because I've never allowed the word "can't" to exist.

Planet of Giants was a story I'd heard much about but had never seen. I left with mixed views about it. The effects used to depict the TARDIS crew in their miniaturised state were very effective. And William Hartnell and company are as good as ever. But the plot itself didn't strike me as being a Doctor Who story. I can also understand why it was edited down from a four part story to a three part one as the plot moves at snails pace. Episode three is probably the strongest of the three for that, being an amalgamation of both the original episodes three and four. It also marked the first time Douglas Camfield directed Doctor Who and you can see his hand at work. But other than that it's a pretty bland story.

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!