doctor who

The Cybermen are back and they have evolved to be almost indestructible. Cybermats have become advanced cybermites. There's a super-Cyberman, a Cyber-Planner, seen before but not as a biped, who is more advanced than the Cyber leaders. And the Cyberiad, the collective consciousness of all Cybermen (a little bit like the Dalek's pathweb perhaps, or more obviously, Star Trek's Borg). While the story had some good points, the Cybermen's new ability to upgrade almost instantly to counter new threats, is frustrating and defeats the tension in the story.

Another episode featuring Vastra, Jenny and Strax, initially told from their point of view. The Doctor first appears as a victim of the Crimson Horror that they are investigating. Eventually, the Doctor is saved and the source of the horror exposed and destroyed. A fair-to-middling episode.

A clever, promising premise, that revealed some interesting information, but ultimately another weak episode.

An attempt to improve the relationship between Clara and the TARDIS ends with the TARDIS ensnared in a tractor beam and about to be salvaged. The Doctor ends up outside the TARDIS and tricks the salvagers into helping him rescue Clara, who is stuck inside.

A claustrophobic episode that centres around a ghost story. The Doctor drops in, apparently to assist, but in reality he's simply continuing to try to understand the mystery of Clara. A reasonable episode, better than the last two anyway.

Clara and the Doctor arrive at the haunted Caliburn House to assist a ghost-hunting professor (Alex Palmer) and a gifted empathic psychic (Emma Grayling) who are searching for the Witch of the Well. Her apparition has appeared throughout the history of the building.

A mixed episode: it was good to see an Ice Warrior back (and very cool to see him without his armour), but what was the point of a story set on a submarine in 1983?

Clara's first trip in the TARDIS as a proper companion was one of the weakest stories in a while. The Doctor also looked into Clara's past, but found everything to be normal, much to his perplexment.

A solid story to kick off the remainder of Series 7. In classic Doctor Who fashion, this episode takes something familiar, in this case, wi-fi, and makes it something to be feared. We're also re-introduced to Clara Oswald in her third (?) incarnation. All up, a pretty good episode.

A very solid Christmas special featuring some recurring characters and a new companion, who is clearly someone special, but it's not clear in what way yet. The Doctor has retreated from his role for some time, but is finally drawn out of it by Clara. The story was pretty good with lots of humour, plot twists and the odd quibble.

This abbreviated series is over before it has even begun. But what an ending! This is one of the best episodes involving the 11th Doctor. The script is dense and superb and the plot is sound. The ending, which we've building up to all series, is desperately sad but plays out well. The overall theme is one of love; the love story between Amy and Rory - a love that has survived so much. They were separated in every episode of this series, but they finish this one together.

A reasonable episode, a little slow in parts, but with lots of interesting bits. There are two themes intertwined: the coming separation of the Doctor from Amy and Rory; and the mystery of the small, black cubes and its resolution.