Beginning with a crash is perhaps not the best start for a new Doctor - its been done twice before, the most recent being David Tennant's introduction. So far, not a great idea - it suggests that we might see a lot more borrowing of past ideas. The Doctor's meeting with Amelia Pond is half and half - the food idea doesn't really work perhaps because its overdone. Initially, with the apple its quite funny but the joke wears thin quickly. Still, Matt Smith's portrayal of the Doctor at this stage is less manic than it would have been had Tennant still been portraying the Doctor. This is not a slight on Tennant - he is a good actor, but there were times when he just seemed to be a bit too manic. With Matt Smith, the energy is still there, but more restrained and that is something to be thankful for. Something else to be thankful for is that despite these initial moments, the performances, the direction, the writing and the dialogue are more restrained, more subtle and less contrived than anything Russell T Davies (RTD) could have managed.

There is a wonderful line of dialogue between the Doctor and Amelia about the things adults tell children. Its warm, its subtle and it made me laugh - once again, I could not imagine RTD ever writing dialogue like that: for me this was the consolidation of my opinion that Steven Moffat is a superior writer. This story, overall, is the best season opener in years. In 2005 I watched Rose and thought "oh dear...". I thought the same in 2006 with New Earth...I was okay with Smith and Jones in 2007...and my thoughts in 2008 after Partners in Crime are unprintable suffice to say that I had not felt such despair since 1987 while watching Paradise Towers. So it was pleasant to find a season opener that was exciting and entertaining, a joy to watch and ultimately left me with the feeling that the floor had been well and truly wiped with RTD.

Matt Smith has proved himself quickly to be a brillaint choice for the role of the Doctor. Karen Gillan also turns in a good performance as Amy - though my main concern would be that she might be too inclined to do her own thing. This may work - obviously the next twelve episodes will allow the viewer to watch both the 11th Doctor and Amy Pond grow as characters. I can only hope that Gillan is given better opportunities than Freema Agyeman.

All in all, a promising start to the new series and for me it seems to be vindication that Steven Moffat is better suited to the show. Given his previous track record I can only hope that Moffat will prove to be better than RTD in every way. My hopes are that we will see more subtle humour, humour that works, better characters and plot structures plus better story development. I can also hope that the little hints dropped in this first story are indications of a much better development of a story arc than previous attempts. Of course, there is always the chance that I may be wrong and that by the season finale I will be shaking my head at what Moffat has done. Until then...

I enjoyed this story: it allows Karen Gillan and Matt Smith to shine in their respective roles; the supporting case are okay; the story plays out quite well; there are nods to previous stories ie Earth being evacuated in the 29th century (The Ark In Space). So why what can only be describe as faint praise? Part of the problem is that so far the new series seems to be following a template - start off on Earth, then next story the future - and not just any future, but a future that looks like Britain now or from recent yesteryear. Similarly, the revelation that the Doctor is the last of his kind...haven't we had that build-up to "the conversation" before a la Rose and Martha Jones? I know that any long running show has to walk a fine line between appeasing new viewers and those who have been watching it since whenever - but it does feel too much like a template for my liking. I can understand the reasoning and the necessity and it doesn't jar as much as it could have done - its just noticeable, as if the whole story is built around these revelations.

Another problem is that it reminds me of the Torchwood episode Meat which I liked - so again, perhaps its a case of familiarity breeds contempt. On another level, this would appear to be one of those stories where no-one dies - so there is no edge to it. Even the sinister smilers lose way quickly - but there are still enough elements to make this a story I would watch again. Matt Smith is establishing himself very quickly as the Doctor and I'm glad to say that I hope he remains in the role for a few years yet. The logic to his choice is sound and he gives it enough weight to make it work - perhaps the only flaw is Amy's solution - all built up rather conveniently. Under Andrew Cartmel it would all have turned up to be something the Doctor planned from the start - here its just rather too convenient. I can't fault it, I just don't find this particular episode fully satisfying.

I must be on of the few Doctor Who fans who has never been excited by the Daleks. One reason for that may be that a lot of the Dalek stories are not that good. Not suprising then that I found this story disappointing. Except that its not only the Daleks that fail to engage my enthusiasm in this story. Had I missed the first two stories and this had been my introduction to Matt Smith as the Doctor then I would have shaken my head and despaired of the series. That's not to say that I would have given up and ignored all subsequent episodes. Its strange - because I've enjoyed Gatiss's prveious contributions to the show - The Unquiet Dead and The Idiot's Lantern. The main problem with this story is that it feels like an overlong prologue. Its building up to something...but has little or no identity itself. In the original run of the series, this would have made for a reasonable first episode of a four-episode story. As a standalone it doesn't work.

Even more interesting is that Matt Smith does not come across as strong in the role in this episode than in the previous two. Whether that lies at the foot of the author or the director or both I don't know. Similarly, Amy is uninspiring and while I can't fault either actor, somehow neither of them really seem to stand out in this story. Its almost as if Russell T Davies has returned such is the ethos of this particular episode.

In short, an okay story, but not one I would enjoy time and again. Nor is it a memorable addition to the Dalek canon.

What can I say? Great dialogue, great writing and great performances - the first episode builds up the tension. While the scene in the ship with Amy and the Angel may be reminiscent of a certain Japanese horror film, this is a wonderful adventure and I am eager to see the next episode. Not only because I want to see how the cliffhanger is resolved but also because I want to see the characters work together. I want to see how this new threat from the Weeping Angels pans out. The dialogue between the Doctor, Amy, River and Octavian is wonderful and well thought out. There are none of the usual dud or ill-thought out attempts at banter and wit that marred some of Davies' material. Once again. Moffat proves himself to be the superior author. Matt Smith and Karen Gillan turn in good performances. Alex Kingston is not as outstanding as she was in Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead but she still turns in a good performance - memories of ER are now well and truly buried.

There are some minor faults - perhaps the most notable is the conversation with Bob towards the end of the first episode. It makes me think of something in a previous Moffat story - but at least its different enough not to be a major flaw.

One final note - why have the BBC jumped on the "in-show promo" bandwagon? What purpose, other than to make people buy a clean print DVD, is served by having an animated promo for the next scheduled programme to obscure the bottom of the screen? Its vandalism. its stupidity - its like watching a film at the cinema and as the final reel rolls, the person in front of you decides to put on their Carmen Miranda hat!

While the second episode does not have the momentum of the first, it manages to maintain the atmosphere and promise of a confrontation with the Weeping Angels. Song's "spoilers" are not as intriguing as they were in Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead although they do pave the way for interesting and possible future events. Once again, Moffat presents a better understanding and better constructed series of story arcs. There are some great performances, mostly from Matt Smith and Karen Gillan, though mention should also go to Iain Glen. Alex Kingston is ok, but I found both her performance and her portrayal of River Song nondescript. As a whole this is a good story and I look forward to Moffat's next story.

It looks nice, it sounds interesting, there is an intriguing beginning and hints of something better. This is one of those steeping stone stories that can be of three things: a below-average story that should have been binned; an average story that is all right to watch but the only really good bits are the glimpses of the bigger story; and above-average - it can be watched on its own again and again. No prizes for guessing which category this story falls into, at 70% I rank this as an average story. The little hints about The Silence are about the most interesting aspects of the story. There is little else that really engages my enthusiasm. At best, its a lot better than most of Russell T Davies' stepping stone stories ie The Long Game or Boom Town. At worst...it might be a while before I watch it again. Though I may do so in order to decide if its better than Victory of the Daleks.

There are some good aspects to the story, Rory is not so much of a wet blanket, though he does need a bit more backbone. Then again, where would the fun be if all those who travelled with the Doctor had brassneck and could win the day. There has to be an element of vulnerability and it works...just.

Now and again, there are stories which veer off the beaten track. Like any such story, it depends upon whether or not you like that kind of story. A lot of fans are very much "meat and potato", preferring the stories to deal with the monster of the week. I like stories which do not follow the usual pattern and it goes wihout saying I enjoyed this story. Not all the time though - as with anything, variety is the spice of life and such stories work best after a stream of standard stories. The only thing that made it less than perfect was the Ledworth incidents: it seemed a bit too silly to me although it has a certain humour to it - how many shows would have a village under seige from killer pensioners?

Toby Jones put in a wonderful performance as the Dream Lord - managing to steer that find course between being humourous and being dangerous without overacting either way. He is a fine actor but sometimes even fine actors get tempted and I'm glad to see that he resisted the temptation. Karen Gillan also demonstrates again that she is an excellent actress and turns in a fine performance, managing effectively an interesting slant on her character. Arthur Darvill is also given a chance to shine though perhaps his character is overshadowed by Amy, the Doctor and the Dream Lord. Even so, he does not play gooseberry and turns in a good performance as the fourth member of the main cast for this story.

As to the identity of the Dream Lord...well, I will say that I didn't guess it...I was thinking he might be a certain foe from the Troughton era. I'm glad to say that I was wrong and the idea has interesting connotations both as a nod to established events and to things yet to happen.

Dare I say it, that this adventure begins with a gripping pre-credits sequence? Although it was shown at the end of last week's adventure as a "Next Time" teaser it is still a good moment and works quite well. It is not long before the episode gets moving along and things start to happen. Once again, Matt Smith excels and if he continues to perform this well and provided he is given the material there can be no doubt that he will rank as one of the best actors to have portrayed the Doctor...if not the best. There is a mix of all kinds of sides to his Doctor - from enthusiasm to controlled anger, from forgetfulness to a sense of purpose. Not only does the story neatly sidestep lengthy references to previous encounters, it also manages to show that while the Doctor is willing to help there is something he wants in return. This is not a Doctor who will take sides, but nor will he stand by and let anything happen...or he will try to rectify the situation with as little bloodshed as possible.

The first episode is quite well paced and it manages to leave me with a eagerness for the continuation of this adventure. It could all go wrong of course, but I'm hopeful and so far there is no sign of a story as bad or as woeful as a certain adventure from 1984...

Then along comes the second episode...its as if someone wrote down a list of ideas for what constitutes a good story and then tried to to turn it into a story. The notions are there but how the story is told just doesn't work. Cold Blood dashes hastily from plot point to plot point without actually checking to see if its working as piece of storytelling. This is also the first episode in which Matt Smith is unconvincing as the Doctor. Frankly, I thought the second half of this story was a mess. It was a terrible piece of Doctor Who - even the ending, obvious from the outset - did not work. If anything, the whole episode comes across as a set-up for the ongoing story arc. Therein lies the problem, after the first episode endeavours to set an agenda and direction for the story, the second episode throws it all away (especially the event that Rory encounters). It will be interesting to see what, if anything connected to the main core of this story is resolved/continued in the season finale - The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang. I would go as far as to say that the only thing worth mentioning about Cold Blood is the object the Doctor retrieves from the crack. That alone, is worth the price of admission.

Richard Curtis is overrated: everyone mentions a lot of his successes - Blackadder (the first series, pure Curtis, while enjoyable is not the best - the series really took off when Ben Elton polished the later shows), Four Weddings and Funeral (quite good apart from the truly awful fourth wedding and the film epilogue), and The Vicar of Dibley (er, haven't seen it and never will). So when this story came along I did not have high expectations for it. Thankfully, its one of those little gem stories - while not a brilliant story, its not rubbish either. There are a few in-jokes, not obvious ones (a passing reference to a certain Don MacLean song) and they work quite well. As to the ending - nicely done although not that well thought out, but I could live with it and it does not detract from the viewing experience.

Tony Curran turns in a good performance as Vincent and Bill Nighy's cameo is subtle and a delight to watch. Not quite up there with John Cleese, but still wonderful. I'm not sure what else I can say about this story. This year's story arc element is delivered more subtely than anything seen in previous years. Between a slip of the tongue and Amy's comments at the start of the story, it works so much better than someone muttering "Torchwood","Bad Wolf", "Mr Saxon" or "there is a darkness coming". In short, I enjoyed this story...but I won't be hunting for screenings of The Vicar of Dibley.

It says a lot about this story that all the best bits tend to be in the background - whether it is the ongoing saga of the Crack or various flyers relating to Vincent Van Gogh. To a lesser degree, but still interesting is the story of Craig and Sophie - their evident affection for one another, but neither willing to take the first step and so falling into the trap of believing that neither wants the other but failing to move on and so on. It is the core story itself - that's where this episode falls down. The mystery of the room upstairs - its interesting to an extent but not that interesting and, as I said, its overshadowed by other elements.

On the other hand, the main thrust of the story could be the relationship between Craig and Sophie and how the Doctor's arrival affects them. In which case, this core story is marred by the background mystery of the room upstairs. In short, this story would have worked so much better as a human story - taking out all the elements relating to the room upstairs. Had it focussed entirely on Craig, Sophie and the Doctor (with some guidance from Amy) then it would have been so much better. Potentially this could have been one of those wonderful little character stories, a tale of lives touched by the Doctor but, for a change, made all the better. Instead, the insertion of the pointless mystery room, dilutes it and leaves the viewer with a weak adventure. What could have been a dazzling gem is instead a piece of sea-softened glass.

The performances of the cast are excellent and its nice to see a comedy actor turn in a good performance rather than turn up for the pay and the kudos. Amy contributes to the story and it is her final scene which reminds us that a bigger story is unfolding and so the scene is set for the opening of the Pandorica...

Slowly but surely, the first episode brings together all the bits and pieces from the previous episodes. To date, the crack in time story arc has been handled better than anything in the last few years and is a welcome use of such a device. Perhaps my only concern is the slow pace of the first half, my hope is that its main purpose was to lay the groundwork for the final episode and that it will rack up the tension and pace. Initially, River Song was not as interesting but as the episode progressed and moved towards the ending she began to become a more purposeful character. The Roman legion, initially an uninteresting addition to the story, also become more exciting towards the end of the first half.

I suppose one way to look at it is to imagine it re-cut in the original series format ie 25 minute episodes - and so episode 1 is okay, episode 2 is much better...so it remains to be seen how "episodes" 3 and 4 will fare. Steven Moffat has built up quite a story and certainly the cliff hanger ending leaves me wondering how it will all be resolved. This will be the true test of Moffat's skill as a storyteller. Had this been a Russell T Davies story, it is likely the next episode would feature at least one, major cop-out. I can only hope that Moffat will have reached a logical and brilliant resolution...or that he will cop-out. My main concern is the crack in time...the foundations for a possible cop-out are there. It may work, or Moffat may have sown the seeds for one hell of a red herring.

I liked the idea of the Pandorica - as soon as the nature of the beast was discussed I had an idea what would be revealed...and before anyone says "yes, I believe you" - I don't mean I guessed that we would see the beast that was revealed, I guessed what the beast would be (anyone who can't understand the distinction email this site).

And so to the conclusion - I had a number of ideas about what might happen and I'll say now that none of those ideas was correct. One involved Toby Young's character from earlier in the series. While satisfying, the conclusion was not completely satisfactory. On one level at least it wasn't an utter cop-out such as having the Doctor waken from a dream, on another level it seems less than I would have hoped for. In some ways, the second half reminds me of a lot of the new adventures that came out during the series' long hiatus. A lot of them were dreary and made for tedious reading and a few of them dealt with "big stories" such as the universe disintegrating and them some solution bringing it all to a neat conclusion. The satisfaction is the equivalent of eating a Mars bars when you are feeling hungry - its nice, it fills the gap but you really want something more substantial - and that's how I felt with The Big Bang: I had been left with quite an appetite after the first episode but the second episode only filled the gap.

Saying all that though, there are a few crumbs left over which suggest that Moffat has not finished with the crack in time story arc. There are elements he has left unresolved and has hinted may be examined later. With more to come, it is always possible that the complete story may work better one all the pieces are in place. I can say that Moffat has handled the story arc more deftly than the clumsy attempts of his predecessor.

Every so often the time comes when long term fans must come to grips with changes to Doctor Who: a new creative team behind the scenes; and/or a new team in front of the camera. Since the series returned in 2005 I have hoped that Steven Moffat would be given the chance to helm the show and in 2008 it was announced that he would be taking over for the 2010 series. So have my expectations been met, has Steven Moffat improved on and/or exceeded the standards set by Russell T Davies?

The 2010 series got off to a promising start, with Matt Smith slipping easily into the role of the Doctor. Karen Gillan, consistently, proved herself an able foil for the Doctor and is one of the best companions for a very long time, certainly this side of 2001. However, this series has been uneven - the first slip being Victory of the Daleks which sounded promising but turned out to be a damp squib. There is so much wrong with it - and it saddens me just as it hits the ground running it then falters and makes a series of missteps. Everything picked up for the next story, but again faltered with The Vampires of Venice. Of course, there are very few perfect series and it is to be expected that the show would follow what a previous producer termed the "W" ie peaks and troughs. Amy's Choice, while quite an odd story and featuring elements which could have been controversial, proved to be an utter delight and a great shot upwards in the stories. The Hungry Earth was a promising start but was followed by a very poor second episode. From that point on the series continued to be uneven, and perhaps, most startling of all, Matt Smith seemed to have become just as uneven in his portrayal of the Doctor.

My overall feeling is that this series could have been better, there is something lacking in the final few episodes, both from Matt Smith and from Steven Moffat. The series finale had a wonderful cliffhanger for the first episode - it was such a pity the second episode was weaker. It will be interesting to see how the 2011 series fares, I can only hope that Moffat will come up with something else as a season finale.