Two words! "Absolutely Brilliant!" ?This has got to be the best episode of Doctor Who since its 2005 return, and probably amongst the top ten ever.

Dean Lennox Kelly played a blinder as William Shakespeare, coming across a bit like Liam Gallagher, "Shut yer fat mouths", and also bits of Giacomo Casanova and Billy Connolly. ?I though it was a nice touch to play him as a really "in touch" character, not afraid to speak his mind, and to have him state categorically that he new that the Doctor was a time traveller from another world and that Martha was from the future was a master stroke. Martha telling the Shakespeare joke to the Bard himself, or should that be "barred" was rib tickling.

David Tennant's Doctor seems to have calmed down his act somewhat, yet without diminishing the spontaneous side to his character. Last season, I felt that he and Rose were heading for a fall, as was the case at the end in "Doomsday". ?Donna (Catherine Tate) was a welcome change at Christmas, although I'm glad she did not become a permanent companion, as she got a bit irritating towards the end.

However, Martha Jones is great, and having watched Freema Agyeman's performance as Adeola over and over again to try and gauge what Martha might be like, I was pleasantly surprised by the difference when I watched "Smith and Jones", but did not write anything about it as I was so bowled over by it that I could find no fault at all, except for the obvious plot holes that come with anything science fiction.

"The Shakespeare Code" was fantastic, and yet some bits had me not knowing whether to cringe or laugh out loud. The conversation with the Doctor and Martha, with the refences to the Doctor having cried and cried when reading book 7 of Harry Potter, and the questions as to whether magic was real were really well done, and then in the Globe Theatre we get to discover that "Expelliarmus" actually worked to defeat the witches, and whatever it was they were summoning up by the utterance of those words and numbers they had made Will Shakspeare write down. It was hilarious, and somehow reminiscent of Rose Tyler that Martha should be the one to suggest the words that ultimately saved the day. Expelliarmus, indeed. When the Doctor and Martha lay side by side on the bed however, I began to worry that another snog was on its way, and was glad when it didn't happen.

Queen Elizabeth demanding the Doctor's head, and appearing to know who he was is a bit of a mystery, and I wonder if we shall learn why or how this is so. And it will be interesting to see next week if the Tardis materialises on New Earth with an arrow still stuck in the door... ?10/10.

Ok, now I'm going to start sounding like a blind fanboy.

I read the reviews last week and a few people said this show was getting worse and worse.? While I could see the point of a few of the reviewers, I still loved last week's episode.? Then we get to a period piece.? While there are obvious exceptions, I personally always liked the aliens and future tech episodes better than the "real history" episodes.? Still, I definately have an open mind when it comes to Doctor Who so I go in with no preconceptions.? I was literally blown away by this episode.

From the minute they step out of the Tardis, the setting is amazing.? The crew must have worked overtime to show us such an amazing glimpse of 1599 England.? The baddies were pretty cool as well.? Witches, of course, but Who always shows that science almost always plays a role.?

Have to throw in something about the Harry Potter references.? If you're not an HP fan, no big deal but if you are...they were brilliant.

Shakespeare was done excellent as well.? I must admit, I know little of the man but after this I would be much more likely to look on his work favorably.? I expected a stuffy Englishman with little sense of humor and theDoctor and Martha simply using him for comic relief.? Nothing could be farther from the truth.? He is played here for the genius he must have been.? Instead of treating him stuffy and full of himself, he is humble.? He makes jokes, goes back and forth with The Doctor a few times, hits on Martha several times, and entertains the masses at The Globe Theatre.? Not only that, but there is an excellent part at the end where he deduces exactly who The Doctor and Martha really are, and even a bit about the witches themselves!? I can't think of any other time this happened, even with the truth smacking people in the face.? Many people finally accepted who the Doctor was or that he didn't belong, but I can;t reme mber anyone simply figuring it out on their own, especially with the style Will brings to the table.

His son was named "Hamnet"! Ha!

Last off, I believe The Doctor and Martha are getting along well.? I'm not one of those die hard fans who think no one is good enough to take "Rose's place" so to speak (how in the world could you be a fan of Doctor Who and get that attached to a companion?? What was she like number 39 or something?).? Still, they are quipping at each other very well, and she does show a strong ability to adapt and contribute something to the team.? I do believe that with some time The Doctor and Martha team will turn into something excellent and I hope she stays long enough for it to happen.

An excellent episode in writing, design and execution.

And next week, I get a alien episode with future tech!? Daleks in Manhattan right after that!!? I don't care what anyone says...this season is cracking up to be the best of the new series yet!

I have slightly mixed feelings about this one. I enjoyed it more than I expected, I think because I had worried that the title might point to the adventure mimicking "The Da Vinci Code". I needn't have worried about that, the plot concerning the alien Carrionites being set free by words was clever and well written. The problem again is the 45 minute format.

This time we did have plenty of build-up, but the problem was the climax was too quick. This is partly because of the format, and partly due to the expense of the CGI Carrionites - which I thought were excellent. Not only did they look alien and somewhat scary, they blended in with the Globe theatre and their surroundings in a way that CGI characters often do not. Full marks to The Mill.

Martha...well she's settling in nicely. Again we have her thinking quickly, she could be the brightest companion in a long time and that is no bad thing. Her character is beginning to develop, and she's another well thought-out companion - very different to Rose but just as good.

So the plot was more clever than in Smith & Jones, the effects were great, the new companion is looking good...why was I left thinking it's not a great story? Perhaps one too many Shakespeare references. I really enjoyed the cameo with Queen Elizabeth at the end. 7.5/10

No, I didn't like it. Yes, I rolled my eyes at the cackling ugly "witches" and the oh-so-witty *koff koff* they inserted lines for Shakespeare to copy from when his idea of a good comeback is "Shut your big fat holes." Ha ha, very funny.

The witches were just utter garbage. There was no redeeming value to them as villains whatsoever. Right down to the broomstick, which about made me shut it off due to the sheer stupidity of it all but Miranda thought it was funny so I had to keep going. And once again, I must ask, WILL IT REALLY KILL DOCTOR WHO TO HAVE ONE "SUPERNATURAL" ENEMY THAT ACTUALLY IS SUPERNATURAL AS OPPOSED TO ALIENSESES?

Words are magick. Oh, wow, how revelatory THAT was. I mean, nevermind that Grant Morrison did an entire comic series back in the 90s called The Invisibles that had that as a major theme, but, er, what is it you use to cast spells? Words? MAGICK WORDS, even? Right...

And for words to have power, how absolutely gawdawful CLUNKY was that spell inserted into the play?

Oh, yes, Shakespeare. Yeah, it might've been amusing for the classic embodiment of a wordsmith to be a loudmouthed boor in "reality," but in Reality, there is still some considerable academic debate over the authorship of those plays, and to not even acknowledge it, even with a Tennantish dismissal, was kinda poor. I thought. And what kind of title is that? "The Shakespeare Code"? Were they even TRYING this week??

Yeah yeah, Ten/Martha chemistry, yessir.

I already know I'm in the minority on this episode, but it just seems to be everything I found wrong with "Tooth and Claw" is back in the forefront with this one, only with less vitriol. I failed to see the wit about most of it, indeed it seemed to be one of those "Merrie Englande" stereotype nostalgia episodes that fail utterly with me. And I never thought much of Gareth Roberts anyway. So, meh. Disappointing, if I had had high expectations of it to begin with.

And hmm, next week features something living at the heart of a mass-transit system. Gee, where have I seen THAT before....

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!!!!

It says something for a series when the not best of episodes are still bloody good telly. The kids will have loved the Witches, but old fans will hate it.

As the Doctor takes Martha Jones on a trip in the TARDIS to say thank you for helping him expose the Plasmavore in last week's opening episode of Series Three, they land in London 1599, where the eponymous Shakespeare is revered for his plays - and portrayed here as something approaching a rock star. This is a man who would have never have had to resort to appearing on Celebrity Big Brother had he been around nowadays.

Of course, not alot is known of the Bard as a person, so far as his personality goes, artistic license is given free reign. Here, the production team have opted to relieve a generation of school kids from English GCSE boredom and given him a new twist - he's a flirt, a genius, sexy, a celebrity and bloody likeable too. Dean Lennox Kelly plays him so convincingly that I don't think I could think of Shakespeare in any other way again. I loved the hints to his supposed bisexuality too.

In New Who, there's something for everyone - for the kids, the monsters and the scary bits, for the adults, the allusions to sex that will pass over their offsprings heads. The Shakespeare Code has plenty of both, from the surprisingly frank pre-credit opener to the Master of the Revels drowning on dry land. And - for adults at least - ?therein lies the problem with this weeks episode. It's New Series by numbers with none of the flair of the best of the bunch over the past two and a little bit years. The writing for the Doctor - apart from the scene in the bed - seemed almost flat, which is a cardinal sin, and despite Martha's wonderful glee at being in the past, and despite the brilliant set pieces of the streets and the Globe, it all seemed rather... ho-hum.

The Carrionites - witches by any other name - are a sure fire way of scaring kids. They're a staple of modern fiction and it's about time they were used. To me, though, their prosthetics looked a little too latex and their conviction a little too cardboard. I found I didn't really care about their evil plan and that the use of marrionettes could have been played upon a hell of a lot more effectively than it was.

What the Shakespeare Code lacks is spookiness to draw in the adults and keep them entertained as well as the younger generation. It's pure comic book Doctor Who, and while there's nothing wrong with that, it irritated me with all the missed opportunities and the too often repeated joke of giving Shakey good lines for his plays. Maybe I'd built myself up for Gareth Roberts' debut a little too much.

So, not the best of episodes then. The old fans will hate it, but the kids will love it. And that's ultimately what counts. Bloody good telly, but must try harder.