How much you enjoy?a story like "the Shakespeare Code" may depend on how cynical you want to be about yet another foray into the past. You could bemoan the ruthless plundering of a rich vein of material simply because it hadn't been done before?we've done Dickens, now let's do Shakespeare with three witches a la Macbeth and?oh yes, throw in some voodoo toboot. Or you could relax and enjoy the ride. I did, and enjoyed a fine, witty and suitably bawdy script, supported mostly by great performances and truly stupendous special effects, continuing the promise of the season's energetic opener, Smith and Jones (though this was far superior).?

Freema Agyeman continues to impress as Martha, though I cannot believe that her attire wouldn't have caused mass panic in the England of 1599, and certainly not calm acceptance as here. On the Doctor's advice, Rose sensibly dressed herself in suitable attire for Victorian London and surely there was even more of a need for Martha to have worn something suitable for the Elizabethan era. The build up of the Doctor/Martha relationship is being handled well so far by which I mean not rushed and I was so relieved to be able to enjoy some good old fashioned emphasis on dialogue at times in this story, most notably the very well played bedroom scene, rather than non-stop tearing about. I get the impression ? and I could be way off the mark here ? that in the same way the relationship between the Doctor and Martha needs to grow, so too the relationship between Tennant and Agyeman. I don't detect any particular warmth between the two ? but what do I know ? whereas Tennant and Billie Piper seemed very close and I gather they have met socially. As for the location work and effects, these just blew me away ? if you thought the Girl In The Fireplace was good, just look at this ? and you could almost smell that human waste as it cascaded down and narrowly missed our main players. When care and effort on this scale is put in to a production, too much criticism seems unjust. (" But that won't stop me", you may reply, picking up on the Doctor's line in the Girl In The Fireplace).?

Dean Lennox Kelly's Shakespeare suffers by comparison with Simon Callow's Dickens but the star of the proceedings in any event was Christina Cole as Lilith, who frankly dominated every scene she appeared in and who was simply quite superb, a lethal concoction of deadly sexiness. The idea of the Carronites changing the physical shape of the world around them by words is fine, and the title itself draws on contemporary obsessions about hidden messages and meanings, all grounded of course in the traditional Who requirement to provide a scientific or rational explanation for the strange goings on rather than one based on witchcraft and magic.

An excellent, thoroughly enjoyable piece which may yet rival the quality of " The Unquiet Dead" in my estimation on repeat viewings. For the moment, 8.5/10.

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....

I knew we were in for a treat. That Gareth Roberts! It's a marvellous tongue in cheek love letter to Elizabethan England shot through with a meditation on female sexuality, fairy tales and the power of words. Fairly unique for 7.00pm on a Saturday night.

?From the opening gags on recycling, the 'water cooler moment' and global warming (one Roberts even dares to pick back up on right towards the end just to see if we're paying attention) through to the spit and cough Queen Elizabeth epilogue homage from 'Shakespeare In Love', the script is packed with one-liners, sight gags and physical comedy (the gurning witches - thanks Amanda and Linda - and the 'we're going the wrong way' bit).

David and Freema are really beginning to work very well here. Tennant in particular is fast becoming a riveting leading man, commanding the majority of the scenes he's in. The standout scenes must be the Doctor's bedroom tete a tete with Martha, the interrogation of Peter Streete (a lovely, twitchy performance from Matt King) and the joust with Lilith (the spectrally beautiful Christina Cole) where he uses Rose's name to give him the strength to fight back.

Freema is a revelation in her scenes with Tennant in the bedroom. For me, this is now the benchmark for the character of Martha and her feelings towards the Doctor. The crushing disappointment when he finds her lacking compared to Rose is sublimely played. He's so very cruel in that moment and it's written all over Freema's face. A lovely scene and one that I assume will now give the audience a better perception of the Martha/Doctor dynamic as the series progresses. And she's constantly seen asking the right kind of questions and thinking about the situation she finds herself in which is consistent character development.

Dean Lennox Kelly puts in a sparky performance and with the help of Roberts well researched and witty script manages to subvert our expectations of the Bard. The whole perception of him is a delicious conceit - the greatest English writer is nothing more than a clever Bernard Manning. He even starts channelling that erstwhile comedian's penchant for race relations in trying to chat up Martha.

References pile upon references - ?from the lines of his plays being dropped into conversations and showing him up for the magpie writer he might have been, to the cultural nods to Back To The Future (explaining temporal paradoxes), Harry Potter (magic isn't just for children) to the more obscure shot across the bows of academia during the 'flirting' scene. '57 academics just punched the air' indeed! The visual references echo everything from 'Shakespeare In Love' to the 'The Wizard Of Oz'.

It's a dizzying brew with assured direction from Charles Palmer. It may not be as flashy as Euros Lyn's work on 'Tooth And Claw' but it is still dynamic and colourful. The matte work and CGI by The Mill add a richness of tone to the proceedings and the work done to populate the Globe theatre was quite magnificent. The production team were pushing out the stops on this and it does show. It's a very handsome looking episode.

Woven through all of this fantastic wordsmithery is an interesting look at female sexuality, particularly in relation to its opposing/complimentary male counterpart. The three witches could clearly be seen as the the 'maiden, mother, whore' symbolic trinity using their wiles to re-fertilise a womb (male utterances to reactivate the crystal and open the portal).

This blind force of nature wedded to techno-magic is set in opposition to two men who lack or have lost an element of their feminine nature. Shakespeare is suffering from the death of a child, a symbolic loss of feminine/masculine creation and the Doctor has lost Rose, a woman he clearly loved and an essential part of his humanisation over the last two series. Both men must convert this destructive female power in order to retain their own humanity and creativity. It's again odd that Queen Liz marches in at the end and claims the Doctor as her sworn enemy - ?what is it with the Doctor and female monarchy?

There's also a thread running through this, often reflecting this battle of the sexes as it were, to do with the fine line between madness and genius. Shakespeare was nearly driven mad by the loss of his child but overcomes this through the act of writing, the Doctor can tip too far into darkness without the balancing aspect of Rose, Donna or, one would hope, Martha. And an architect is driven mad by witches demanding he builds a theatre to their specific dimensions. It's a fine line indeed.

The power of words and their meaning and double meanings, names as weapons and emblems of salvation are also symbolic of making the unconscious conscious and brought under rational control - ?hence the banishing of the Carrionite and the 'spell' to close the portal are interventions in dampening rampant female power. And let's not forget the power of names wherein Lilith is known symbolically as the primitive feminine principle, one that was rejected and repressed. She's often personified as the enemy of family life and children.

All this is subtly shadowing the riot of activity in the story and gives meaning to what might appear to be on the surface as a bit of jolly period flippancy and provides the driving force of the story. Clever man, Roberts!

Smashing. You can have a laugh, check off the cliches and still find enough substance to think about.