Sherlock: The Hounds of Baskerville

Henry: “Mr Holmes, they were the footprints of a gigantic hound.”

Mark Gatiss and 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' should have made perfect bedfellows. His childhood passion for Holmes, his extensive writing experience, and his love of classic horror, should have produced a script beyond compare. Sadly, he was cursed with the misfortune of following Stephen Moffat. Compared to 'A Scandal in Belgravia', 'The Hounds of Baskerville' was less complex, less exciting, and ultimately less rewarding. Conversely, it was beautifully filmed, contained some great dialogue, and perfectly captured the spirit of the original story. And it most definitely had chills.

Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia

Sherlock: “Sentiment is a chemical defect found in the losing side.”

Tonight’s episode was without doubt the most enjoyable ninety minutes of television I’ve seen in years. It took everything that worked about season one, turned the humour up to eleven, added some extra sauce (which caused ructions in the morning press), and chucked in a plot so complex, it would have left even Einstein scratching his head. Seeing the two greatest (albeit fictional) minds of the Western world jousting for intellectual superiority, was like watching Odysseus and Athena do battle. Who won? It’s hard to say—especially when the game may still be afoot.

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.

Misfits: Episode Eight

Rudy: 'Yeah, well, I love a happy ending.'

So do I, Rudy. Shame we didn’t get one. I was blown away by the last 15 minutes of tonight’s episode. To think, I’ve spent half the season worrying about something happening to Seth—only to find out that Howard Overman had something even more traumatic in store for us. The clues were there all along: Iggy dying, Seth becoming a permanent member of the gang, Rachel coming back from the dead. All were precursors to an event so potentially show wrecking, that I can scarcely bring myself to believe it happened. After the news earlier in the week that Misfits has been renewed for a fourth season, tonight’s episode kind of nipped my happy dance in the bud. What a dreadful ending for our heroes. Thanks for ruining Christmas, Overman!

Misfits: Episode Seven

Seth: 'Let’s go resurrect my dead girlfriend.'

Is it too much to ask for one week where everything doesn't go wrong? It was obvious that nothing good would come of resurrecting Shannon, but six dead cheerleaders, an OAP, Seth's neighbour, a probation worker and a zombiefied Mr Miggles seems excessive even by Misfits’ standards. Howard Overman’s return to scripting duties provided easily the most visceral episode of the series. Quite literally—there was viscera all over the place. The last fifteen minutes was a bloody barrage of torn flesh, smashed teeth, exposed arteries, and mullered brain pans—and in the midst of it all, a love story. Awww! And of course... ewww!

Misfits: Episode Six

Curtis: 'I’m pregnant!'

I struggled this week to find a starting quote that wasn’t utterly disgusting. Considering the subject matter, not an easy task. There wasn’t an ounce of flab in tonight’s episode; even the sub-plots were brilliant. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so much at an episode of Misfits. Jon Brown’s script was stuffed to the rafters with coarse wit, bizarre scenarios, rampant promiscuity, and things that made you want to hide your head in shame. In other words: classic Misfits.

Misfits: Episode Five

Rudy: 'Oh, therapy... I love it.'

After the mayhem and time travel of the past two weeks, tonight's episode was more a sedate traipse through character development territory. For the first non-Howard Overman penned episode of the series, I’d say tonight's offering was a success. Rudy's dialogue was as sharp as it's ever been, and provided some much needed relief during the occasional lapse in pace. We also bid a fond adieu to the notorious Shaun. (To his credit, he did manage to stay alive longer than his predecessors.) So, for the most part, I'd say Jon Brown did a competent job. Which can only be good news for next week's similarly Overman-lite outing.

Misfits: Episode Four

Kelly: 'No! You’re not allowed to die.'

Tonight’s episode picked up a seemingly throwaway line from season two and ran with it to incredulity shattering lengths. Last year we learned how Seth sold Curtis’ superpower to some Jewish guy who wanted to kill Hitler—tonight, we got to see how Friedrich Hisch made out. Unsurprisingly, not very well. Instead of preventing the war, his dropped mobile phone gave the Nazis the tactical advantage needed to win, resulting in a poignant, shocking, sometimes hilarious trip through an alternate-history Britain. Oh, and Kelly mullered Hitler.

Misfits: Episode Three

Peter: 'A superhero has to be prepared to die for what he believes in.'

Which is Howard Overman’s not-so-subtle way of reminding us that Simon’s going to die and there’s not a whole lot anyone can do about it. Promising not to travel back in time won't save him—it's already happened. Alisha being alive is proof of that. Simon's story arc is by far the most interesting on the show; the chasm between the man he is, and the man he’ll one day become, is rapidly shrinking. Tonight Superhoodie saved his first innocent, and by way of thanks, Peter laid the foundations for his demise. Now there’s gratitude for you.

Misfits: Episode Two

Melissa: 'You have no idea what it feels like to be a woman.'

I was hoping that with Nathan gone, Howard Overman would spend more time rounding out the show’s characters, and tonight’s episode did just that. For Kelly, Simon and Alisha, community service has been something of a blessing: it’s given them a sense of purpose, some much needed self-worth, and a unique (if twisted) camaraderie. For Curtis, however, it’s been a real step backwards. Before his drugs conviction, he was the only misfit whose life wasn’t an unmitigated disaster. He was someone with real talent. He had a future. In short: he wasn’t a misfit at all.

Misfits: Episode One

Rudy: 'My face. Am I... am I still gorgeous?'

2011 is pretty much a make or break year for Misfits. With Robert Sheehan’s departure back in April, the show lost its most handsome, most disgusting, funniest, most Irish sounding character. Nathan was the hub of the rusted, buckled, sometimes punctured Misfits wheel, so it should come as no surprise that the backlash has already started. Robert Sheehan was trending on Twitter even as the show was airing—which is pretty amazing considering he wasn't even in the episode. Should a show continue once its most popular character has departed? I suspect that’s a question we’ll be asking from now until Christmas.

Doctor Who/Torchwood/The Sarah Jane Adventures Crossover Guide

Doctor Who has spawned three spin-off series' since its return in 2005. Doctor Who sits at the heart of the franchise, with The Sarah Jane Adventures, Class and Torchwood catering for the children, teenager, and adult markets respectively. The question is: how does it all fit together? Below is a chronology of the show's main crossover episodes. It's by no means exhaustive, but what follows should be enough to give the new viewer a rough idea of what to expect, and the order in which to expect it.
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Doctor Who: The Wedding of River Song

Churchill: 'All of history is happening at once.'

You have to admire the ambition of tonight's episode—for fifteen minutes I just stared at the screen, both amazed and befuddled. The visuals were at times breathtaking: from the car carrying balloons, to steam trains exiting the Gherkin, to the vaguely impressive pterodactyls. (Less impressive after Terra Nova's, sadly.) I even liked the weird meld of the Tudor/Roman/post-war eras. True, we ended up with more questions than we got answers to, but this was a remarkable ending to what's been a wholly remarkable season.