Dr Who: The Beast Below

So, the Matt Smith Doctor gets into his post-regeneration stories, which is where we start to find out what's different about this Doctor. So far he seems to be odder, more manic and has a bit of a temper. All of which work well. As for the episode itself...

Set on the Starship UK, over a thousand years in humanity's future, everything seems a bit familiar. It's almost a parody of London, taking the most exaggerated parts and presenting them as almost quintessentially British (more on that later).

The setting is good, and the 'villains' occupy more of a moral grey area than usual. It's well paced, has interesting character choices and some genuinely scary moments. It's a lot closer to the Dr Who of my childhood than the majority of the Russell T Davies era episodes managed to be. This can only be a good thing.

Interestingly, the Doctor doesn't actually save the day, and almost does completely the wrong thing. It's a departure, and marks Amy out as something a little different to previous assistants. She doesn't just default to the Doctor and I wouldn't be surprised if that's a continuing plot point.

Speaking of continuing plots, we get to see the Crack In Space again, clearly signposting what we're supposed to be looking out for, much like the Bad Wolf thing. Something slightly more subtle is the very noticeable Britishness of the episodes so far. The first episode was set in an idyllic English village, this one on the Starship UK with a giant Union Jack on it. Next we have Winston Churchill and Union Jack wearing Daleks. Deliberate or coincidence?

Overall, this is the best incarnation of Dr Who since it was revived with Christopher Ecclestone. Hopefully the quality will remain consistent.