Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol (2010)

One of the only programmes I could truly have claimed to be waiting for this Christmas season was the special of Doctor Who. Thankfully the TV wasn't saturated with trails for it as it was last year when David Tennant was bowing out, and also appearing on QI, Buzzcocks, TOTP, The Queen's speech... well maybe not, but it felt like he did. 

Doctor Who has never looked better than A Christmas Carol, with a massive filmic quality to it. Michael Gambon played the Scrooge character who the Doctor must manipulate by interfering in his past in order to imbue him with good will enough to prevent a spaceship carrying Rory and Amy which is currently hurtling through thick fog surrounding this particular planet. This planet also features fish who swim in the air, in a bizarre yet very Who twist on normality. The Doctor meets young Gambon as a 12 year old and older as well as a singing beauty played by Katherine Jenkins. What follows is a touching story of love and loss, and the meaning of Christmas, but not in any cloying way.

Matt Smith is convincingly the Doctor now, and his fast talking, quirky behaviour is endearing. His inability to understand human relationships is also very funny, particularly when his advice is sought on how to speak to crying girls or kiss them generally. Amy and Rory are relegated to the sidelines in this show, and really the star is Michael Gambon, who's performance draws you through the story. It's nice to see Arthur Darvil's name in the opening credits though, this bodes well for Rory being a main character next series. A Christmas Carol lived up to expectations, and surpassed them on several levels, and has certainly whetted my appetite for the Doctor's return in 2011.