Doctor Who: The Time of the Doctor

Clara: 'And now it's time for one last bow, like all your other selves. Eleven's hour is over now, the clock is striking twelves.'

Like 'The End of Time' before it, tonight's episode had a horrendously complex brief. It had to generate pathos over a festive canvas, introduce a new Doctor, incorporate a surprise cameo, drum up a world ending threat, and then drape it across a yarn worthy of a departing Matt Smith. Unlike its predecessor, however, it worked. The story served the characters (rather than the other way around), the loose ends were tied in a neat(ish) bow, and by the time Matt finally took off his bow-tie, I was in tears.

Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor

Doctor: 'Great men are forged in fire. It is the privilege of lesser men to light the flame.'

A satisfying anniversary episode all told. It had pretty much everything you'd expect from a multi-Doctor episode: a cataclysmic storyline, bickering Doctors, a returning companion (kind of), classic monsters, and a whole slew of sneaky references I'm still mulling over. What I didn't expect was a complete rewrite of the biggest historical event in the show's modern history. Or Tom Baker.

Doctor Who: The Name of the Doctor

River: 'Goodbye, Sweetie.'

I don't think I made it past the cold open before I was blubbing. In fact, I spent a great deal of this episode in tears. It was the absolute antithesis of what I was expecting—and was all the better for it. If this is what Moffat can produce for a season finale, imagine what he has planned for the 50th anniversary.

Doctor Who: A Nightmare in Silver

Doctor: 'The impossible girl. A mystery, wrapped in an enigma, squeezed into a skirt that's just a little bit too tight.'

Well, that'll teach me to get my hopes up. I suppose it was a bit much to expect something equalling the quality of 'The Doctor's Wife', but I expected more than this. It wasn't terrible—but it wasn't overly memorable either. Did Neil Gaiman succeed in making the Cybermen scary again? Not really, no.

Doctor Who: The Crimson Horror

Vastra: 'I was right then, you and Clara have unfinished business.'

When the Paternoster Gang are in town it's always fun and games, but Mark Gatiss excelled himself tonight. This has to have been the high point of the season so far, and what made it so perfect is that it was completely unexpected. Most of us were sat around, biding our time until next week's Neil Gaiman penned episode, yet tonight's offering had everything we could have hoped for: horror, pathos, adventure, humour... sonic screwdriver erection gags.

Doctor Who: Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS

Clara: 'Please tell me there's a button you can press to fix this.'

I think your enjoyment of this episode is pretty much dependent on how interesting you find the TARDIS. If you're a fan of Sexy, then there was plenty of good stuff to gnaw on. Outside of the TARDIS stuff, the story was slightly spoiled by the occasional plot contrivance, and an underdeveloped secondary cast, but had some undeniably great moments. And I'm not just talking about Jenna's dress.

Doctor Who: Hide

Doctor: 'I am the Doctor and I am afraid.'

After 'The Rings of Akhaten' I wasn't expecting much from this episode, so I was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be excellent. At first, I thought we were in for a bog standard Scooby Doo style run around, but somewhere along the way it transformed into a glorious sci-fi/fantasy tale of love lost, love found, mortality and pooper scoopers.

Doctor Who: Cold War

Grisenko: 'I need to know... Ultravox! Do they split up?'

The opening quote pretty much sums up the episode: funny, sometimes clever, often cheesy, occasionally suspenseful, and probably the best Mark Gatiss episode since 'The Unquiet Dead'. (Admittedly, not much of an accolade.) It also had the Doctor kissing a dolly, promising to kiss Professor Grisenko, and Ultravox. Surely the ingredients for a future classic?

Doctor Who - The Rings of Akhaten

Doctor: 'We don't walk away.'

For me, Doctor Who is at its best when it's traversing alien worlds, teaching us about humanity, and telling stories which, although ostensibly other-worldy, resonate with our human hearts. Tonight ticked all three of those boxes, although it wasn't without fault. There's a fine line between homage and derivative. Tonight, I think they occasionally overstepped that line.

Doctor Who: The Bells of Saint John

Doctor: 'Right then, Clara Oswald. Time to find out who you are.'

A typically frantic opening salvo from the pen of Steven Moffat. I wasn't entirely satisfied with the mostly stand-alone nature of the first half of this season, so I was chuffed to see some continuity tonight. Christmas episodes generally stand on their own—but not this year. I think I even cheered when the enemy was revealed. (Albeit discreetly and it sounding like a burp.) Doctor Who's at its best when there's a mystery to be solved, and I'm already loving the detail Moffat's slipping in. The question is: how much of it is relevant?

Doctor Who: The Snowmen

Clara: 'Run, you clever boy.'

Christmas specials are unique. Companions are usually absent (or have diminished roles), the backdrops are as festive as blue baubles balanced on Blitzen's bottom, and the stories generally take place outside of the main season arc. This year, however, the story focused mainly on new companion Clara Oswin Oswald, a mystery which started back in 'Asylum of the Daleks', and apart from the obligatory snow, a whistled carol, and the odd killer snowman, the Christmas elements were oddly low key. The result? Best Christmas episode ever!

Doctor Who: The Angels Take Manhattan

Amy: 'Tell her this is the story of Amelia Pond. And this is how it ends.'

Thus endeth the saga of Rory and Amy. A much better episode this week—in fact, this was my favourite of the season so far. My main gripe with 'A Town Called Mercy' was that it wasted a perfectly good location shoot on a decidedly average story. Thankfully, tonight's story was worthy of Manhattan. Yes, it was a lower key exit than we're used to, and I didn't experience quite the same depths of despair as when we lost Rose or Donna, but it felt right that Amy should finally choose Rory over the Doctor. Like we ever doubted she would.

Doctor Who: The Power of Three

Rory: 'What you do isn’t all there is.'

All week, the press have been touting tonight's episode as reminiscent of the Russell T. Davies era—which, let's face it, is hardly a ringing endorsement. As it happens, they were mostly right. All the hallmarks were there: the urban setting, the amusing parent, the earth in peril, celebrity cameos galore. It even managed to have an abrupt, reset-button style ending, which made absolutely no sense. But, as with the RTD era, when it worked, it felt like the sun coming out.

Doctor Who: A Town Called Mercy

Doctor: 'Yes, I wear a Stetson now.'

If I'm honest, I was expecting Rory and Amy's final adventures to focus more on them, yet despite only having two episodes left, this story could quite easily done without them. That's not to say that it was a dud—it was a typically solid, dependable, Toby Whithouse effort—it just didn't have the shock factor of 'Asylum of the Daleks', or the fun of 'Dinosaurs on a Spaceship'. It did, however, have a horse called Susan.

Doctor Who: Dinosaurs on a Spaceship

Doctor: 'I know! Dinosaurs! On a spaceship.'

A decidedly kid-friendly episode, with something for everyone—providing your interest in Who isn't restricted to Moffat's more adult oriented, time twisting high jinks. This felt like Jurassic Park in space, with lots of running around, ineffectual camp robots, and more ham than the Hammer House of Horror wrapped in bacon. There was some nice foreshadowing regarding Amy's departure, too. Of course, now the Doctor and Rory are kissing buddies, we needn't worry too much about Rory being alone. And I dare say there'll always be a place for him around the Weasley table.

Doctor Who: Asylum of the Daleks

Oswin: 'Run, you clever boy. And remember.'

Well, there goes the fourth wall, and a big hello to television's best kept secret. You remember the horse manure they've been feeding us all summer about Jenna-Louise Coleman's debut being in the Christmas Special? Well it was all a big, beautiful, pepperpot shaped lie. Not only did she turn up within the first five minutes, she also managed to flirt with Rory, poke fun at the Doctor's chin, and then save the whole bally lot of them. Brilliant! Now, if I could fathom out how they're going to bring her back.

Doctor Who: The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe.

Doctor: 'Happy crying. Humany wumany.'

I’m starting to think that Matt Smith was made for Christmas. He’s like James Bond, Superman and Father Christmas all rolled into one. Tonight’s episode had it all: an action packed opening sequence, a cutesy fairy tale middle section, and an ending which could only have left the steeliest heart unmoved. Throw in the Magna Carta, hammocks, a window disguised as a mirror, a mirror disguised as a window, and it pretty much had the lot. Even lemonade on tap.