Doctor Who: All 40 Steven Moffat Episodes Ranked From Worst To Best

If you were paying astute attention to the Moffat-standard story arc up until this episode, then you'd have been well-rewarded with a cinematic and dramatic blockbuster of a mid-season cliffhanger.

It's an action-packed sci-fi extravaganza that starts with a bang when the Twelfth Cyber Legion gets the Doctor's message loud and clear. We have welcome callbacks to the Paternoster Gang, Henry and Toby Avery, Judoons, Dorium Maldovar, Danny Boy and a smattering of Silurians as they heroically and humorously combine to help the Doctor in his "darkest hour" - although that was probably Love & Monsters in all honesty.

Despite the pomp and ceremony and overblown posturing of Colonel Manton and his army, our Whovian instinct tells us that the Doctor is going to win this battle way before he ends up humiliating the colonel by dubbing him "Colonel Runaway". It's during their confrontation that we see Matt Smith for the first time truly exude the fire and fury of a Time Lord; whereas in Victory of the Daleks, his anger came off more slapdash.

The earnest and lovely Lorna Bucket is appropriately clandestine when gifting Amy the prayer leaf with Melody's name stitched on it, which is then nicely used for the stunning revelation at the end. Lorna's thoughtful act of kindness and bravery make her final moments with the Doctor quietly affecting.

And as for those Sith-like Headless Monks, talk about taking the top knot to an extreme level. Yep, just keep thinking that whilst they're sounding their menacing attack prayer.