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

Moffat delivers a fifth series finale packed full of fantasy suspense and fascination by fusing history with a nod (actually more of a bow) to one of the most popular film franchises.

The extended pre-title sequence in The Pandorica Opens engages you instantly with its portent of things to come. Vincent van Gogh's visceral nightmares lead him to paint "even worse than his usual rubbish". Then we're greeted with a brief yet striking musical sound on entering the Cabinet War Rooms. The thunderstorm outside River Song's cell at Stormcage makes for an ideal adornment to our ratcheting up feelings and thoughts of intrigue and eagerness.

The enigmatic and ethereal prehistoric monument of Stonehenge combines with the exciting anticipation of the opening of the Underhenge, a la Harry Potter opening the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. From there, the torchlight of story inspiration passes to Indiana Jones: that first glimpse of the Pandorica echoes that of Indy and Sallah uncovering the Ark of the Covenant.

Your mind goes into overdrive as to what is the most feared being in the universe contained inside. The Master? The Beast... Abzorbaloff? Throw in Handles' psychotic brother, a badass Doctor speech, the emotional heft of Rory shooting dead Amy, and the visually stunning sight of the stars exploding, this makes for a nigh impossible first act to follow.

Therefore, unsurprisingly, The Big Bang fizzles into a bit of a damp squib in comparison, although you still require concentration on Inception-esque levels thanks to the Doctor's vortex manipulator (aka deus ex machina) whizzing through the complexity of it all.