The Empty Child

Well, this is the episode that really delivered the goods for me. The mystery ridden Empty Child marks a return to classic Who and contained at least two scenes that will remain forever with the viewer.

The Empty Child sizzled from the start and ensured that the viewer was kept on the edge of his or her seat as the drama unravelled. The point-of-view shots from the ghostly child of the title proved unsettling and the figure's appearance in various scenes were used to great effect.

The skybound scenes of peril with Rose were extremely well executed, with the boys from The Mill producing a visually stunning recreation of the blitz from their electronic box of tricks.

Richard Wilson's unfortunate demise as Doctor Constantine will become forever known as "the gas-mask scene" - possibly the most bizarre "death" scene yet witnessed on Doctor Who, guaranteed to send the adults scurrying behind their settees, never mind the children.

Solid performances from all cast members, particularly John Barrowman as Jack Harness, a stonking great script from Steven Moffat, and fluid direction by James Hawes resulting in 45 minutes of pure television bliss.

Finishing with a rivetting cliffhanger which brought back memories of many Italian zombie movies, The Empty Child proved a stunning return to the haunting '70s earthbound tales and left me gasping for more.