The Empty Child

Could anything beat the evocative and excellently crafted "Unquiet Dead"? Well, I wasn't so sure until "The Empty Child" came along. This is Doctor Who at its very best. Steven Moffat manages in one fell swoop to capture essences of science fiction, horror and period drama, distilling them into something extraordinary.

Immediately, from the opening scenes in the dark 1940s backstreets of London, the viewer was subjected to a sort of surrealist horror which has not been seen since the demise of Sapphire and Steel from the small screen. Everything about this episode really hit the spot. From the shock of the Tardis telephone ringing, to the increadibly eerie figure of the Empty Child himself lurking continually in the background, plaintively asking "Where is my mummy?" - all sent shivers down the spine.

Moffat clearly is a story teller of great aptitude, demonstrating the ability to drive a complex narrative forward at a fast pace without leaving the viewer behind. Intriguing new story-arc developments such as the introduction of Captain Jack tease the viewer on multiple levels.

The realisation of wartime London is executed with aplomb, the attention to detail takes your breath away - the scene with the night-club singer being just one example of this. The direction and editing are exemplarly too.

Only two things spoil what might be the most perfect Doctor Who story yet. Firstly Miss Piper herself, who I just cannot warm to, with her incomprehensible and frequent smirching of the Doctor (what is this "spock" that she wants to be given???). Secondly the fact that the episode was 40 minutes long and not 45. Is this really because Captain Jack's bisexual behaviour was cut by the BBC censors as the tabloids suggest?

Nevertheless, this episode takes the new series to an apex point. Can it get even better still? We will have to wait and see. Even if it does not, this one is more than good enough.