WARNING: Spoilers within.

Well, this wasn’t a half bad episode, was it? I for one came out of it more than a bit impressed with Jenna-Louise Coleman, and with a newfound appreciation for Steven Moffat’s writing. The episode seemed like a return to Doctor Who of two or three years ago: a fast-paced, monster-based adventure set in Central London. What more could you ask for in a mid-season opener?

Moffat did an exceptional job of re-re-introducing us to Clara: whilst her initial reactions weren’t quite as exciting this time, we still got a sense of her being both similar and different to previous incarnations of herself, and the mystery surrounding her existence deepened. What’s more, the chemistry between Coleman and Matt Smith’s Doctor is as brilliant as ever, and significantly better than what we saw with Karen Gillan. Both Smith and Coleman offered fantastic performances this episode, with almost no faltering whatsoever. I was expecting to mourn Amy’s departure, but Moffat has well and truly convinced me of Coleman’s brilliance with his superb writing of this episode.

Speaking of which, the script really was something special. With an almost perfect mix of tension, humour and mystery, Moffat crafted a gripping tale out of some uninteresting villains. Their gimmick was nothing new or special, but when interwoven with a Sherlock style detective story the WiFi monsters gained an element of horror, helped in no small part by Celia Imrie’s creepy ringmaster (or should that be mistress?). Except it turns out she wasn’t behind it all, as Richard E Grant’s Great Intelligence popped up once again to provide the narrative arc inevitably leading towards the 50th Anniversary. I’m a sucker for these kinds of things, and my head is now whirring with all the possibilities as to what Moffat could possibly have in store for us come November.

It comes as no surprise then, that this episode was one of my favourites of recent Who. The subtle in-jokes that only diehard fans will get, the questions raised (Doctor Who? What should he remember? Who is Clara?) and the tantalising possibility of answers have once again sucked me into the time vortex. I can look past the plot holes and MySpace references, the nonsensical internet logic and the strange new TARDIS, because the BBC now have me well and truly hooked.