Well, that was a fantastic episode! We had guests over on Saturday and all seemed to enjoy it, my wife is now a confirmed fan of this new Doctor Who series. She was genuinely scared during The Empty Child and quite annoyed that it's a two-parter as we're kept waiting for a week to discover the conclusion! She's also desperate to get tickets to the special BAFTA showing of episode 13. If the show has been able to pull a casual viewer such as her into the fold then it really has succeeded.

The Doctor and Rose find themselves in the middle of the Blitz on London, he following some suspicious children and she ending up clinging to a rope of a barrage baloon. Rose is rescued by the dashing Captain Jack, who turns out to be a time traveller himself. Quite who the "time agents" he speaks of are we don't yet know but it's all intriguing. Rose obviously takes to him and I have no doubts we'll see more of this character.

Meanwhile, the Doctor finds that the children are apparently homeless and ingeniously waiting for air rades to enter homes of families who are packed into their Anderson shelters in order to eat. But one child, always wearing a gas mask and asking for his mummy isn't allowed in the house. He also appears to be able to make any telephone ring, even the disconnected one on the outside of the Tardis and the Doctor is warned not to touch him.

It transpires that an alien vessel landed nearby, mistaken initially for a bomb, and it has caused strange casualties. The Doctor visits Albion hospital where he finds an ailing doctor tending patients who show no signs of life. All appear to be wearing gas masks, all were "infected" by the alien object and when startled all sit up despite fatal physical injuries. The hospital doctor himself has become infected, and in an excellent use of CGI his whole face sprouts a gas mask! We must assume that some alien is now living inside the victims, and that it needs the mask to filter the air though this has not yet been made clear.

The whole episode was paced well, dialogue was good and the special effects, while not an intergral part of this story were great when they were needed. The atmosphere was very dark and scary, very in keeping with mid 70's Doctor Who. The new character has truly swept Rose off her feet and is a very interesting addition to the mix.

I only hope that "The Doctor Dances" keeps up this excellence, and that the Doctor himself is able to resolve the alien goings on rather than one of his sidekicks. If so this could well go down as an absolute classic Doctor Who story, truly one of the very best.

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.

Just when you thought it couldn't get any better, along comes The Empty Child to raise the bar even higher. They must be putting something into the water in the BBC Production offices, because Doctor Who has to be one of the most consistently entertaining shows on television.

I've always loved Who stories set in the past, because when they're done right, they capture an innocence and offer a glimpse into a world that (to most of us) is long gone and nothing but a memory. The Empty Child does just that.

Rose's subplot had the potential to be more than just a bit silly. Being dragged over half of London by a barrage balloon? It's the Mill's spectacular special effects that save the day. The images of London during the Blitz are absolutely breathtaking. These are big-budget sequences worthy of any Hollywood movie.

Captain Jack (as played by John Barrowman) gives a good first impression. What's interesting is the juxtaposition of Captain Jack versus The Doctor. If this series had been made by Hollywood producers, Captain Jack Harkness would've been the lead heroic character. It's interesting comparing Jack's mercenary attitude with the Doctor's more humanitarian one.

The B-plot (Captain Jack and Rose) is very amusing and entertaining, but the main A-plot is the more interesting. Along with the Gelth (from the Unquiet Dead), I can now count the Empty Child as one of the creepiest creatures that I've ever watched in Doctor Who. And Doctor Constantine's horrifying transformation is definitely the single most disturbing sequence ever put into a pre-watershed timeslot. Yikes, just yikes.

But the best part of the entire episode (for me) was Florence Hoath's performance. She is obviously one of the main protaganists in this story. Part of the reason why this episode worked so well for me was purely through her convincing and deeply sympathetic performance. And I agree with many others, Florence Hoath's would make a perfect companion for the Doctor.

I am a long lapsed Doctor Who fan. We parted ways some time in the Tom Baker era. Nothing personal Tom В– you may well have been the best - but I was getting older and my interests were wandering elsewhere.

Occasionally I crept back for a peek. Each time, each reincarnation, reconfirmed my opinion that the Doctor was no longer worth the candle. I enjoyed the movie. Mr McGann did fine and I was left thinking I may have dismissed poor old Sylvester just a little too lightly. But then the Doctor was gone for good, and I felt no serious loss save for that nostalgic tug we always feel when some piece of our youth disappears forever.

But now, remarkably, the Doctor is back. And even a lapsed devotee like me is going to be curious enough to sit and watch, despite all the hype.

I have endeavoured to maintain a cool and critical view of this unexpected rebirth. But I had to admit to liking some of what I was seeing. Then В“DalekВ” came around and I had to struggle to maintain my glee В– after all what would my wife think. I had never admitted to any kind of Sci-fi weirdness. She knew I watched STNG, but only if there was no washing up to be done.

But now В“The Empty ChildВ” has aired. My wife is figuratively, if not quite literally, behind the sofa and even I might have succumbed to a very uncharacteristic case of the creeps if I had not been overwhelmed by a much stronger emotion of simple joy.

Why had I been so reticent? After nigh on a decade when the broadcasters have seen fit to churn out bilge in place of entertainment on a Saturday evening, why could I not have been quicker in embracing the jewel in its midst?

I had always thought of Steve Moffat as a good comedy writer. Clearly he is simply a good writer. And I can only assume he is a Doctor Who enthusiast. This was a Doctor Who of the old school. You could imagine this story being told thirty years ago. Maybe not so slick back then В– production values are two generations further on and steeped in CGI. Maybe no so graphic either В– eight year olds are two generations further on and horror has suffered from inflationary pressure just as much as cash. But В“The Empty ChildВ” is old fashioned, creepy, claustrophobic, classic Who. The fact that it shines so brightly now is proof that good stories and good storytelling are the ultimate measure of good television.

It was an excellently told story, well directed and well acted. The whole thing was a pleasure form start to finish. This whole series is a triumph, make no mistake.

I see criticisms, but only from those who study episodes like documentaries В– introduce something new by all means, but if you dare create any inconsistency with three hundred previous episodes then a plague on your house. Sorry folks, but this is drama. Invent anything you like В– if it works itВ’s good. If you can please an old Pertwee era enthusiast like me and still show millions of new viewers for the next couple of generations that quality television is not В“Big BrotherВ” or В“Pop IdolВ” then you deserve an unqualified В“Well DoneВ”. Or more to the point В“Encore, EncoreВ”.

I haven't enjoyed a Doctor Who story this much since The Robots of Death in 1977 when I was 12. What made The Robots Of Death special was that the design was great and it combined horror and science fiction brilliantly. The Empty Child manages to achieve all this and more.

The whole show looked fantastic (I'd better calm down with the superlatives here, I've already used fantastic and great), from Rose hanging from the barrage balloon to the gothic beauty of Albion Hospital. But what about the zombies! The gas masks give them a really freaky appearance and Doctor Constantine's transformation into one of them must be the best special effect I've ever seen on Who.

The two part format has given enough time to flesh out Captain Jack's character a bit and also given us two cliffhangers (Nancy in the house and the rest in the hospital). Superb use of multi layered dialogue gives the show something for adults and children alike. The little boy's reply to the Doctor's question about why they weren't outside London living as evacuees ("There was a man") lent a darker side to the script. So although the special effects were magnificent the script more than matched them, and the acting wasn't bad either.

Richard Wilson gave a fine cameo and keeps up the high standard of guest performances this season. It almost makes up for Beryl Reid in Earthshock (but not quite). The directors have also been able to bring out super performances from the less well known performers. Florence Hoath as Nancy is a moving and believable role. Captain Jack is something of a new direction for male companions on the series and not an unwelcome one. There hasn't been a believable male companion since Troughton's time. Harry Sullivan had all the charisma of a week dead stoat and the only reason that Peter Davidson kept Adric on the Tardis was so that he could slap him if he was feeling bored.

I thought that the director was saving money when Captain Jack explained that his spaceship was invisible (cheap prop) but it looked smart when it actually appeared. There were plenty of nods to popular culture and digs at Star Trek ("Go on do a scan for alien tech") and also some digs at the Doctor's amateurism ("at last a professional"). Rose fell for Captain Jack like a ton of bricks as soon as she saw him, obviously being a war hero and having your own spaceship is something that women find attractive! I will be interested to see how their relationship develops.

Can't wait for the next episode The Doctor Dances, which dance anyway: foxtrot, tango or pogo?

Anyway, enough of this review, I'm off home, Mummy, Mummy, let me in.

The preview promised thrills galore, with SFX coming into their own with stunning imagery. The Blitz backdrop just had to work В– as it is such an extreme time for all involved. BBC would get the period feel spot on. Captain Jack looked sufficiently heroic in an old fashioned way (Doctor Who acknowledging its adventuring roots?). Looked brilliant, expectations very high.

Upon first view those expectations went through the ceiling! What a magnificent episode!

What struck me throughout was mood В– the attention to detail in creating the atmosphere of War torn London. All aspects of production clicked into place to produce excellence. From the shadowy lighting to the SFX blitz bombers В– this just reeked of the period. You felt right there, and as the bombs dropped, you really had no idea who and where would be hit.

Christopher Ecclestons Doctor, in his U-Boat outfit (liked that line) was brilliant here, even though so much was happening all around him. I like this Doctor more and more В– and even though he is only with us for 13 episodes, I look forward to the extra stories that feature him.

Billie Piper was charming as Rose, again! Her lovely attraction to Captain Jack was delightfully played. Captain Jack also put all his credentials on the table, and I for one am intrigued where this new regular Character takes us. The story is also blessed with wondrous supporting players. The lovely Florence Hoath, as Nancy, as especially good В– and it was great to see Child Acting of the highest calibre. Richard Wilson had a fairly brief role, as Dr Constantine, but itВ’s also great to see actors of his calibre joining the fold.

Steven Moffatt has written a peach of a script here, with the assistance of Russell T Davies. Bubbling with humour, yet profoundly horrific too. It is by turns the scariest script, and also the wittiest. The wonderful scene around the dinner table, when Nancy finds a dinner ready and waiting В– and then invites the homeless children in В– was a real stand-out. What a delightful, yet daring, idea! A fully cooked meal mixed with the possibility of devastation any moment. I canВ’t think of one thing wrong with this script В– and the most wonderful thing about is that we get more next week! Out of all the episodes this year this is the one I wanted more of В– and thatВ’s exactly what we are going to get.

How authentic did it all look? Extremely authentic. From Bomb Shelters through to dining room/kitchen utensils, this was totally World War Two. Then thereВ’s the magnificent contrast with the TARDIS and Captain Jacks ship. Both time ships are lovely designed pieces of technology.

Where this story panned out was glorious. The dark alleyways the Doctor and Nancy roamed. The smoky nightclub where the Doctor puts his foot in it. Captain Jacks time ship attached to Big Ben В– how iconic are the images being used in this series В– how British is this series turning out to be! I also loved the gloomy Albion Hospital В– a marvellously creepy place.

Of all the different aspects of production though, it has to be the SFX that stands top of the pile here. How brilliant was the scene where Rose is carried on a rope from the dirigible! How brilliant was Captain Jacks and Rose smooching near Big Ben! How fascinating was Dr Constantines change! How scary were the Gas-Masked people/aliens (we still donВ’t know).

There are a good many questions here too, particularly concerning Captain Jack. I donВ’t recall many Time Agents in Doctor Who before, they usually pop up in Star Trek. Typical of DW to knock Star Trek to the floor, in making this Time Agent so fascinating and personable. We donВ’t really see how the Doctor will react to this fellow Time Traveller, and just what is Jacks agenda? Who are the gas-masked creatures В– they appear human, yet I reckon they are something very different. The line that has stuck with me is fascinating В“They just donВ’t dieВ”.

I really thought Unquiet Dead couldnВ’t be bettered, I said as much in my review of that story. I was wrong, gloriously wrong В– Empty Child is the best episode this series has produced. Right up there with the very best Who has ever produced. I canВ’t wait for next Saturday! 10/10