ItВ’s difficult to sit and write a review of something you adored, because you run the risk of simply gushing out a list of everything you liked about it, which quickly becomes very boring for the reader. If they agree with you then youВ’re simply telling them things they knew anyway and not giving them any reason to carry on reading the review. If they disagree with you then your constant in-your-face trumpeting of everything they disagree with is also going to turn them off very quickly.

Which is why it is a little hard for me to sit here and type this, because I absolutely loved The Girl in the Fireplace. I suspect most of you will either agree with me and stop right there, or wonder how I can possibly hold such an opinion of such a terrible episode not worthy of the diamond logo, and also stop right there. This episode is going to turn out, in the long-run, to be a bit like the film Moulin Rouge, or Apple Macs В– those who love them adore them and canВ’t shut up about them, those who dislike them think theyВ’re a complete waste of time. ItВ’s divisive, IВ’ll give it that, but Doctor Who has always been a series that rises to the occasion when it tries something a bit new and a bit different. And this is certainly rather new territory, Doctor Who as a romance.

LetВ’s get the love story angle out of the way first, then. I say В“out of the wayВ” as if itВ’s something soiled and dirty, which is wrong, not only because itВ’s the very heart of the episode but also because itВ’s rather touchingly written, especially as itВ’s made to seem not all that out of character for the Doctor. I will hold my hand up and admit I am not generally a big fan of love and romance in reality or in fiction, and certainly not in Doctor Who, but with Steven MoffatВ’s skill as a scriptwriter it just seemed to rise rather beautifully out of the situation and fit very well.

This is mostly to do with the main guest star this week, Sophia Myles as Madame de Pompadour. IВ’d never seen Myles in anything before watching this episode, but sheВ’s clearly an excellent actress, and she really makes you believe that this woman is something quite special and remarkable В– somebody the Doctor would be prepared to trap himself in the eighteenth century for. ItВ’s heartbreaking that she doesnВ’t get to see the stars with the Doctor, and only reinforces what he was telling Rose in last weekВ’s episode about human lives being so fleeting, how they pass so quickly and yet he lives on alone.

HeВ’s left alone at the end here, reading her letter in the TARDIS, and curiously for such a modern and up-to-date example of the series in terms of style and execution, I was reminded of the end of The Aztecs, which featured one of the DoctorВ’s previous, somewhat less obvious, romantic attachments, to Cameca. At the end there the Doctor seems about to discard the brooch she gave him, then cannot bring himself to do so and takes it with him into the TARDIS. A subtle and doubtless unintentional thematic link, but the scenes did seem to echo one another to my fanboy eyes at least.

ItВ’s very much, perhaps, the DoctorВ’s episode, and David Tennant is well up to the task. The only time I wasnВ’t completely sold on him was the pretending-to-be-drunk sequence, which wasnВ’t as embarrassing as it could have been but still undermined some of the authority the character usually conveys even in his lighter moments. IВ’m more than prepared to let that pass, however, for some of the nice character moments we got the Doctor. My particular favourite was Reinette reading his mind. IВ’ve probably said more than enough times in my reviews of various episodes that I enjoy it when thereВ’s a bit of mystery and enigma about the Doctor, the suggestion that we know very little about him really. I suspect that Moffat enjoys, or is at least intrigued by, the same sort of ideas, as having Reinette comment on his lonely childhood and the enigma of his name nicely dangles some questions hopefully never to be fully answered.

Unlike last week, however, the appearance of a significant woman in the DoctorВ’s life doesnВ’t take over the entire episode at the expense of the plot. Whereas School Reunion suffered from being purely a vehicle for some В– admittedly excellent В– scenes between the Doctor and Sarah and an exploration of the DoctorВ’s attitudes to love and loss, here similar themes are explored and characterisation created in tandem with the plot, without overloading it or making it suffer. ItВ’s a real step up in quality as a result, and while ReinetteВ’s fate will likely never be as moving for the hardcore fans simply because she lacks the associations of Sarah Jane Smith in our affections, for the general audience I suspect this may well have been even more satisfying.

One of the reasons that Steven MoffatВ’s scripts are always so enjoyable, aside from their sense of fun and his grasp of characterisation, is the fact that the plots always seem to slide so beautifully together. He is obviously a man who takes a lot of time over his storylines and has a great attention to detail which pays off. Purely in story terms, I would say that this is by far the strongest episode of the second series thus far. It just all seems to work В– the reason for the clockwork droids being obsessed with Madame de Pompadeur, the time windows, and organic repairs to the ship. It all comes together and just clicks.

If there is an element of the script that can be criticised, it is probably the sidelining of Rose and Mickey, which does seem a little unfair on poor old Noel Clarke given that this is his first episode as a bona fide companion. Rose gets one great scene with Reinette and MickeyВ’s initial wonder at arriving on the space ship is well conveyed by Clarke, but apart from that both he and Piper are pretty much on a hiding to nothing as they are overshadowed by the Doctor and ReinetteВ’s love story. Which, I have to say on a personal level I didnВ’t mind as I found the story far more interesting than Rose and Mickey, but I can see how shoving two series regulars off to one side could be a little off-putting. But as long as you donВ’t do it every week, I think it can stand to be done, although it is interesting to note that Rose seems far less central to many of the episodes than she did during the course of the first series.

All this appreciation and IВ’ve not even started on the contributions of those behind the cameras other than Moffat. Euros Lyn proves just what a multi-talented director he is, following his hand-held, visceral style of Tooth and Claw, with lots of lovely, traditional BBC period drama swooping pans here. The design was lovely too, across the board В– the space ship in CGI exterior and the construction of the interior sets, the French settings and the exterior they found to represent Versailles looked suitably gorgeous too.

IВ’d better stop, or else there is a danger I will just carry on gushing about how much I enjoyed this episode for far too many pages. There was just so much to love В– the story, the performances, the dialogue, and the knowledge that itВ’s the type of thing only Doctor Who could have done. Where else do you get a Lord of Time riding to the rescue of his 18th century French girlfriend on the back of a horse, crashing through a mirror on the other side of which is a 51st century spaceship.

Barmy. But brilliant. And beautiful.

Episode 4 of this season, sandwiched as it was between the return of the iconic Sarah Jane Smith and K9 in 3 and the equally-iconic Cybermen in 5 and 6, was clearly going to be a tough gig for any writer. Which is presumably why the boss gave it to his star striker! And did Steven Moffat, the Thierry Henry of the Doctor Who writersВ’ line-up, deliver for Russell T Davies (and the rest of us)? Never doubted him, never will . . .

MoffatВ’s critically-acclaimed Doctor Who writing debut with The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances last season was always going to be a difficult act to follow but, not only did he reach those high standards again, he cranked the bar up a notch.

And this is why Davies employs writers the quality of Moffat. He wants his show В– В“ourВ” show В– to be the very best it can be, in all aspects, but particularly the writing, because if thatВ’s no good, youВ’ll be gone before you can say K9 & Company. No need to worry (if you do worry В– you donВ’t give that impression!), Russell. It is the best.

It was a very different episode. Normally, you can say В“that was a little bit like . . .В” but The Girl In The Fireplace as a whole was like nothing else in Doctor Who history, although there were still plenty of elements within which could only belong in one show.

Another great pre-titles sequence drew us nicely into the story. I know thatВ’s what theyВ’re supposed to do, but a beautiful 18th-century Frenchwoman looking into a fireplace, summoning help from The Doctor? Classic Who in anyoneВ’s language. Even those who donВ’t seem to like anything about the show must concede that. Or perhaps thatВ’s asking too much?

The link between the spaceship and the 18th century worked superbly well. As did the clockwork droids. They have the kind of В“clownВ” vibe, which a lot of people find scary. And thereВ’s been plenty of (to utilise the oldest Who clichГ© of them all) В“behind the sofaВ” moments in this series. The werewolf. Children being devoured by bat-like creatures. And now these malevolent droids. The one under the bed of the little girl and then appearing behind her was quite chilling, and really well done. Hopefully, the nightmares will only last a few years, kids!

The great effects highlight, though, was The Doctor on a white horse bursting through a mirror from a spaceship into an 18th-century French court . . . as he does. WeВ’ll no doubt find out in time that this was a logistical nightmare, but it was worth the effort В– terrific stuff. However, virtually the only thing which irked me about the whole episode was David TennantВ’s wildly-exaggerated wink to Reinette В– a knowing smile or a flick of the eyebrows would have sufficed. But that shouldnВ’t distract from what was a memorable scene.

And then there was Sophia Myles as Reinette. DidnВ’t think Lis Sladen would have any competition for В“guest star of the yearВ”? Think again. Myles was given a generous amount of script time and had a superbly-written character, but she did justice to MoffatВ’s words with a performance of sumptuous quality.

SheВ’s a beautiful woman in a stunning array of period costumes with the central role in the script, which isnВ’t a bad starting point, but she really brought character to life. The viewer really cared about her, which is a great achievement in just one episode, and you shared The DoctorВ’s utter sadness when she had gone.

I liked her, in case that wasnВ’t clear . . .

. . . although not quite as much as The Doctor did!

HeВ’s doing OK for snogs this season, is Mr Tennant. Some serious mouth-to-mouth action with both Billie Piper and Sophia Myles in the space of just four episodes? And they call this work! Some of his predecessors in the title role must be more than a little peeved В– three years and a peck on the cheek was the previous average . . .

Winking aside, Tennant was excellent here В– The Doctor was put through the emotional wringer here, but Tennant answered every call. There was strong back-up from Billie Piper and Noel Clarke, but this was Tennant and MylesВ’ episode. Their В“mind-meldingВ” exchange was a great moment. I'd love to think Sophia Myles could come back one day.

Oh, and did The Doctor В“danceВ” with Reinette? Well, seeing as the euphemism was coined by the same writer in The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, I donВ’t think the dots are too difficult to join! Some fans donВ’t like the idea of The DoctorВ’s perceived asexuality being compromised and, while this probably wouldnВ’t have sat too well in the old series, it works beautifully here.

В“Perceived asexuality being compromisedВ” В– must use that in conversation more often!

The Doctor fell head over heels in love with Reinette (the grown-up version!) the moment he saw her. Beautiful, sexy, intelligent, funny В– and youВ’d think much more his В“typeВ” than Rose, who is all those things as well, but the sexual chemistry which existed between the ninth Doctor and Rose no longer exists. And never really has done since the regeneration. Would the previous Doctor have left Rose behind on a spaceship to go to the rescue of another woman?

Having had her confidence shaken by SarahВ’s appearance, and now seeing The Doctor obviously fall В– and fall quickly and totally - for another woman, Rose must feel her relationship with The Doctor has developed too far to be anything other platonic. Although at times this season, there has been almost a lack of warmth there (principally from The DoctorВ’s side). ItВ’s a fascinating change in dynamic В– but it can change again if Rose and The Doctor find something to bring them together again, and that canВ’t happen while Mickey is on board the TARDIS, which is why I suspect he wonВ’t be for much longer. Indeed, Mickey may be the element which brings them closer together again. In some way . . .

As long as Doctor Who continues to grace our screens, and that is going to be for many more than the three seasons which have been commissioned thus far, the В“Moffat episodeВ”, which will surely become a staple В– whether heВ’s too busy or not! - is going to be a big highlight of the series. Frankly, anyone who writes the line, "I'm The Doctor, and I've just snogged Madame de Pompadour" should be in line for beatification for that alone . . .

Fabulous stuff, and the series just keeps getting better episode by episode. So, whatВ’s in your locker, Mr MacRae? Something with a big, silver helmet, you say . . .

I don’t know about anyone else, but it seems to me that each episode this season is better than the last. New Earth was fantastic (flawed, but fantastic). Tooth and Claw just gave me chills that this was the best the series has ever been. Then School Reunion blew me away.

And then came The Girl In The Fireplace.

I have to say, I honestly believe that was the best 45 minutes of Doctor Who I have ever seen. Witty, charming and deeply moving, it was an elegant and beautiful idea executed with such skill and then so fantastically produced that we couldn't help but be completely swept away by it.

Of course, as it lingered in my mind the following day, the little plot holes started to open up, but I am just as sure that Steve Moffat was aware of these holes and knew that the central premise was too good not to bog it down in overcomplicated exposition that could have turned something elegant and simple into something complex and fraught just for the sake of the nitpickers. Yes the throw away line of the TARDIS being out of bounds for saving the day was obviously a plot convenience even greater than usual (I am sure there are plenty of instances in the shows history where the TARDIS has been used in EXACTLY the way the Doctor says it can't here) but it would have severely weakened the premise to allow the Doctor such an obvious and unimaginative way out.

Sophia Myles was a revelation - definitely the first contender for supporting cast member of the season - with a character that, despite her limited screen time, we - as did the Doctor - fell completely in love with her. It's no mean feat to script a relationship from first meeting to final goodbye with a depth and emothion across a timeline that takes less than a day and is fully told in 45 minutes but Stgeven Moffat did it. The Doctor may have only just met Madame De Pompadour, but by the end we feel her death as the departure of a lifelong friend.

The revival of Doctor Who has seen such an emotional awakening int he scripting of The Doctor, in ways that would nnever have been considered in the original run. The idea of The Doctor kissing was the big taboo when it first occurred in the tv moive yet so far he has snogged Rose twice, Captain Jack once and now the Madame, yet we accept it, it sems right and the emotional development of the Doctor has created such a great richness to him that his sense of otherwolrldliness is enhanced even more. Whether he is brooding over the time war or reading a last letter from Madame de Pompadour, these last two portrayals have given us a hero with such depth and range that this series is now capable of exploring all possible dramatic situations.

Of course I have to mention the clockwork robots - such a fantastic idea and so beautifully realised that it is a shame they probably won't return. The set design, the camera work and the costume design is all amongst the best the series has ever produced. The CGI was flawless and all in all I can't think of a single moment that alerted me to a manufactured effect or moment of disbelief.

Finally I have to commend Murray Gold on what is possibly his best score for the series yet. The piano theme he created for fathers Day seemed a little saccharine for me but here he deals with equally emotive scenes with such a melancholic tone that allowed the shots to linger and the audience to hang on the emotion until our hearts broke.

Bravo. I can't say it enough. Bravo.

By the way and as a final aside - did anyone else wonder whether Madame de Pompadour's invitation to the Doctor to dance (considering Moffat's previous useage of dancing as a metaphor for a certain other physical act) could actually have implied the Doctor did more than just get a snog in this episode?

"Doctor. My lonely Doctor. Dance with me."

"I can't"

"Dance with me. There comes a time, my Lord, when every lonely little boy must learn how to dance."

What an odd episode! Stephen Moffat has obviously been worried about doing something as good as The Empty Child. His solution has been to write a story that breaks all the rules. The doc gets pissed (that's as in drunk for our American readers) and snogs the face off Sophia Myles, he jumps through a mirror riding a white horse to save the day and even finds time to create a cocktail. The new Doctor Who however has all been about breaking the rules. One can only guess at what the episode starring Peter Kay will be like!

This episode also played to the BBC strengths in the costume drama department. Get the big frocks out of the wardrobe! As the doc said himself the clockwork robots were beautiful and the eye on the stalk reminded me of something out of the Fifth Element. The whole thing had the feel of The Mind Robber or The Celstial Toymaker about it in its' use of fantasy. The script was light and witty, "France, it's a different planet," etc. OK Mickey and Rose didn't have a lot to do but the 45 minute format simply doesn't allow you to fit in everything. The writers are all exploring the new Doctor's character and with an actor like David Tennant there's a lot of character to explore.

Rose does seem a lot more superfluous in this series but 'twas ever thus. In the original series Ian and Barbara were the Doctor's equals in the first few series. It was only later on in the show were the companions became mere plot devices. Still I hope that Rose is given more to do when the Cybermen appear.

It's a shame we never saw this Doctor dancing but he certainly looked like he could party. His appearance with a tie round his head was brilliant. His advice about always having a banana with you bears listening to. Personally I always go to parties with a remote control Dalek but that's just me. The clockwork robots are a triumph. Why shouldn't writers and designers just go for it. Take risks and be damned. Meeting the horse in the spaceship, and calling it Albert, must have seemed absurd on paper but it worked gloriously!

I Just got interrupted by a 'phone call from my niece saying how much she enjoyed the latest episode. It's great the way the new series can engage adults and children. Anyway the end of the episode was so sad. The Doctor being told by the King that Reinette had 'left for Paris' and then seeing her hearse and reading out her letter begging the Doctor to appear brought a tear to the eye. The last shot showing why the 'thick' robots were after Madame De Pompadour made me smile. Now roll on the Cybermen!

I'VE developed a brand new affliction.

It's not Doctor Who. That's a condition I've had since my mum was painting the living room door (flat on the floor, to avoid any drips) in the spring of '81. Five feet away a four-year old boy was transfixed by the TARDIS shrinking to an nth of its usual size with Tom Baker trapped inside. No, my condition is something I suspect others are experiencing every Saturday night right now. It's called 'Worrying too much about people around me liking Doctor Who to kick back on the sofa and enjoy it for what it is'. I won't bore you with the Latin name.

It's been creeping up on me throughout series two and last night it developed into the full-blown fidgets during 'The Girl in the Fireplace'.

Why I'm worrying, I don't know. I could sit through 'TGI The Fireplace' (Did Billie get that in the divorce?) right now with an inane grin across my face while a certain minister's son from Paisley rightfully took centre stage and his understanding co-star slid into the shadows for the second consecutive episode.

One reason Doctor Who is so successful this time round is that it's only interested in telling stories. That four-year-old boy mentioned earlier was transfixed by a shrinking TARDIS, not block computation thingummies. And this was a beautifully told, beautifully shot fairytale.

The other time the Doc stepped into Once Upon a Time territory was 'The Mind Robber', and there are some similarities between the Clockwork Soldiers who tick-tocked their way through the Land of Fiction and the Harlequin androids which went on a cogtastic rampage through Versailles - and a lot more could have been made of them holding that posh party to siege. They were introduced brilliantly, though. How many youngsters have checked beneath their beds for a Marshman or Melkur in their formative years?

This was the slowest paced episode I have seen for some time, relying on the relationship between Madame De Pompadour and the Doctor to carry the story rather than tense cliffhangers popping up every six minutes or so. This may have been the reason my new affliction hung round my head so easily this time around.

Shame on me. The whole thing was super fun. Even the Doctor getting a bit sloshed wasn't as toe-curling as it could have been, and Mickey is gradually getting more likeable. After Rose's prickliness towards Dame Sladen last week, it's a relief this wasn't cut-and-pasted to her feelings about the other other-half joining her in blue box life.

It's a nice twist that the viewers got to know the significance of Madame De P to the androids' (now we know how Kiss would have looked if a member of the French aristocracy had dreamed them up) plane, but not team TARDIS. I just hope the SS Madame De Pompadour has a twin vessel out there called the Good Ship Parker Bowles. Bet loads of blokes have sailed in that one.

But - where the creme de menthe did that horse come from?

And, I know it wasn't in this episode, but I have to get it off my chest. What's the difference between Torchwood and UNIT? I digress.

At the end of the episode, my fellow viewer turned to me and said: "That was *really* good!" I had to agree, and was thus flummoxed as to why I'd spent the first four-fifths of the episode with a sinking feeling sloshing down my innards.

I've had a lie down. I've taken my pills. By golly, I do believe this new affliction of mine has finally run its course.

The Girl in the Fireplace was given a disappointing preview in The Guardian, billed as 'not one of the better episodes, but pleasingly bonkers all the same'. Bonkers yes, but I'll argue that this was one of the best of the new Doctor Who adventures. Some great performances, another excellent script from Steven Moffat and impressive design and effects throughout.

In my opinion the current series has so far consisted of too much running up and down whilst being chased by monsters of one kind or another. I know that as Reinette in this episode so rightly points out, "where there is the Doctor there will be monsters", but at last David Tennant has been given something to get his teeth into.

This episode sees the flowering of Tennant's Who, with the 'lonely Time Lord' theme being carried on from the Ecclestone season. I was beginning to fear too much gurning, posing with specs and the running around but he's settling in very well. Nice touches, too, such as the lighting of the girl Reinette's candle with the sonic screwdriver.

This episode also sees the addition of Mickey Smith as a regular companion. I'd been worried about this as he's not a favourite of mine, but his inclusion worked very well in this story. Mickey allows Rose to be separated from the Doctor for his (semi) romantic pursuits. As well as giving her someone to talk to, he also continues the "wow!" factor that needs to run through the series. With Rose already seeing it all (last week you may recall she was matching Sarah Jane Smith monster for monster) someone is needed to stay excited by what’s ‘out there’.

As for the clockwork robots, they worked a treat. If Steven Moffat was looking for a new catchphrase to match "are you my mummy?" he may not have found it in "we needed the parts", but the masks hiding the glass heads were as original as the WW2 gasmasks last year, as were the jerky movements and slow, deliberate speech. The episode looked expensively staged throughout, with the period settings as convincing as the future, and the most memorable was the scene shift as Madame de Pompadour stepped between the two. I even found the revolving fireplace convincing.

And what was the deal with the horse? Well, it gave Tennant a chance to do his dashing act, but I also noticed that when the Doctor first meets Reinette as a young girl, a sound of an invisible horse is heard in the distance. As he later watches her coffin being drawn away the same sound repeats to mark her departure. More nice touches.

Well, I sit and wait for the Cybermen next week. Let's just hope they take the baton and run with it.