The Shakespeare Code

Even in 1599, Londoners enjoyed nothing more than running and screaming; and back then it wasn't an unusual sight to see a major landmark light up like a Christmas tree and start spurting pyrotechnics either.? Nice to know nothing ever really changes.

It's almost a clich? now that the BBC do historical better than futuristic, and The Shakespeare Code was living proof of that.? Perhaps the most visually impressive (and flawless) Who to date, this low budget TV drama easily out-gunned major Hollywood blockbusters of the 80s and early 90s in the spectacle stakes.? Compare this with the equally spectacular ? but markedly less convincing ? New New York of the 'next time' trailer.

Despite my reservations about the pattern of the series following an almost identical path to last year, this still must rank as one of the best ever Doctor Who stories ? certainly one of the best two or three of the new series.

All right, let's start with the bad things.? I didn't like the Harry Potter references, they felt like a bit of a sop.? Shakespeare seemed to have a Liverpool accent for some odd reason; it would have felt more authentic if the character had spoken with his actual West Midlands accent.? And the witches were a bit silly, though this was forgivable as the episode was showing us the original of the archetype ? the witch blueprint that we know and love turns out to be based on an alien race.

The writer was clearly having a ball with the Shakespeare timeline, and especially giving us glimpses of the legendary lost play, 'Love's Labours Found'.? I don't know much about Shakey, but I think it must have been a similar feeling for Gareth Roberts as it would be for me to be given the chance to write an episode in which we see The Beatles recording their great lost album (now there's an idea for next year's inevitable Story 2 historical!).? Mr Roberts clearly relished putting words into the great man's mouth and staging the fictitious play.

As with Smith And Jones, the writers have laid off the heart-strings tugging of last year, so while it perhaps didn't have the emotional climax of some recent episodes, it did generally seem more fun and light-hearted ? instead we see that Elizabeth I is the Doctor's deadly enemy from a future adventure (he obviously makes a habit of annoying queens - he's not going to be getting any Christmas cards from Victoria any time soon either), a gag which I don't believe has ever cropped up in Doctor Who before, and Tennant's delighted reaction was a treat.

Rose was a nice enough lass, but I fail to see quite why her memory has such a hold over the Doctor ? I'm undecided as yet how interesting or enjoyable that particular thread is, but we shall see.

All in all, this is much better than I had expected it to be, and combined with Smith And Jones means that Season 3 is shaping up to be the strongest of the new series yet.

And no sonic screwdriver!!!!