The Girl in the Fireplace

Episode 4 of this season, sandwiched as it was between the return of the iconic Sarah Jane Smith and K9 in 3 and the equally-iconic Cybermen in 5 and 6, was clearly going to be a tough gig for any writer. Which is presumably why the boss gave it to his star striker! And did Steven Moffat, the Thierry Henry of the Doctor Who writersВ’ line-up, deliver for Russell T Davies (and the rest of us)? Never doubted him, never will . . .

MoffatВ’s critically-acclaimed Doctor Who writing debut with The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances last season was always going to be a difficult act to follow but, not only did he reach those high standards again, he cranked the bar up a notch.

And this is why Davies employs writers the quality of Moffat. He wants his show В– В“ourВ” show В– to be the very best it can be, in all aspects, but particularly the writing, because if thatВ’s no good, youВ’ll be gone before you can say K9 & Company. No need to worry (if you do worry В– you donВ’t give that impression!), Russell. It is the best.

It was a very different episode. Normally, you can say В“that was a little bit like . . .В” but The Girl In The Fireplace as a whole was like nothing else in Doctor Who history, although there were still plenty of elements within which could only belong in one show.

Another great pre-titles sequence drew us nicely into the story. I know thatВ’s what theyВ’re supposed to do, but a beautiful 18th-century Frenchwoman looking into a fireplace, summoning help from The Doctor? Classic Who in anyoneВ’s language. Even those who donВ’t seem to like anything about the show must concede that. Or perhaps thatВ’s asking too much?

The link between the spaceship and the 18th century worked superbly well. As did the clockwork droids. They have the kind of В“clownВ” vibe, which a lot of people find scary. And thereВ’s been plenty of (to utilise the oldest Who clichГ© of them all) В“behind the sofaВ” moments in this series. The werewolf. Children being devoured by bat-like creatures. And now these malevolent droids. The one under the bed of the little girl and then appearing behind her was quite chilling, and really well done. Hopefully, the nightmares will only last a few years, kids!

The great effects highlight, though, was The Doctor on a white horse bursting through a mirror from a spaceship into an 18th-century French court . . . as he does. WeВ’ll no doubt find out in time that this was a logistical nightmare, but it was worth the effort В– terrific stuff. However, virtually the only thing which irked me about the whole episode was David TennantВ’s wildly-exaggerated wink to Reinette В– a knowing smile or a flick of the eyebrows would have sufficed. But that shouldnВ’t distract from what was a memorable scene.

And then there was Sophia Myles as Reinette. DidnВ’t think Lis Sladen would have any competition for В“guest star of the yearВ”? Think again. Myles was given a generous amount of script time and had a superbly-written character, but she did justice to MoffatВ’s words with a performance of sumptuous quality.

SheВ’s a beautiful woman in a stunning array of period costumes with the central role in the script, which isnВ’t a bad starting point, but she really brought character to life. The viewer really cared about her, which is a great achievement in just one episode, and you shared The DoctorВ’s utter sadness when she had gone.

I liked her, in case that wasnВ’t clear . . .

. . . although not quite as much as The Doctor did!

HeВ’s doing OK for snogs this season, is Mr Tennant. Some serious mouth-to-mouth action with both Billie Piper and Sophia Myles in the space of just four episodes? And they call this work! Some of his predecessors in the title role must be more than a little peeved В– three years and a peck on the cheek was the previous average . . .

Winking aside, Tennant was excellent here В– The Doctor was put through the emotional wringer here, but Tennant answered every call. There was strong back-up from Billie Piper and Noel Clarke, but this was Tennant and MylesВ’ episode. Their В“mind-meldingВ” exchange was a great moment. I'd love to think Sophia Myles could come back one day.

Oh, and did The Doctor В“danceВ” with Reinette? Well, seeing as the euphemism was coined by the same writer in The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, I donВ’t think the dots are too difficult to join! Some fans donВ’t like the idea of The DoctorВ’s perceived asexuality being compromised and, while this probably wouldnВ’t have sat too well in the old series, it works beautifully here.

В“Perceived asexuality being compromisedВ” В– must use that in conversation more often!

The Doctor fell head over heels in love with Reinette (the grown-up version!) the moment he saw her. Beautiful, sexy, intelligent, funny В– and youВ’d think much more his В“typeВ” than Rose, who is all those things as well, but the sexual chemistry which existed between the ninth Doctor and Rose no longer exists. And never really has done since the regeneration. Would the previous Doctor have left Rose behind on a spaceship to go to the rescue of another woman?

Having had her confidence shaken by SarahВ’s appearance, and now seeing The Doctor obviously fall В– and fall quickly and totally - for another woman, Rose must feel her relationship with The Doctor has developed too far to be anything other platonic. Although at times this season, there has been almost a lack of warmth there (principally from The DoctorВ’s side). ItВ’s a fascinating change in dynamic В– but it can change again if Rose and The Doctor find something to bring them together again, and that canВ’t happen while Mickey is on board the TARDIS, which is why I suspect he wonВ’t be for much longer. Indeed, Mickey may be the element which brings them closer together again. In some way . . .

As long as Doctor Who continues to grace our screens, and that is going to be for many more than the three seasons which have been commissioned thus far, the В“Moffat episodeВ”, which will surely become a staple В– whether heВ’s too busy or not! - is going to be a big highlight of the series. Frankly, anyone who writes the line, "I'm The Doctor, and I've just snogged Madame de Pompadour" should be in line for beatification for that alone . . .

Fabulous stuff, and the series just keeps getting better episode by episode. So, whatВ’s in your locker, Mr MacRae? Something with a big, silver helmet, you say . . .