Doctor Who: The Best Episodes From Each Modern Series

"When I say 'fairytale', a better way of saying it would be 'modern fairytale'. It's not that it's like the old fairytales, or that it resembles them, it's the modern equivalent. It's the way we teach our children that there are things in the world that might want to eat them. It just feels like a fairytale: a man who fights monsters but never becomes one."

We see Steven Moffat's fantastical approach to Doctor Who immediately after the opening titles: the invitingly sweeping shot of an enchantingly overgrown and rustic back garden, with pinwheel whirling away, owl hooting, and a swing creakily swaying in the breeze. All musically encapsulated by Murray Gold's wondrous Little Amy.

The episode tagline: "The new Doctor has 20 minutes to save the world, and only Amy Pond - the girl who waited - can help him", is indicative of The Eleventh Hour overall - the 64 minute runtime really does fly by thanks to Moffat's bustling and naturally funny script.

Smith brilliantly banishes away any initial "too young to play the Doctor" fandom backlash with a performance full of energetic eccentricity and engaging idiosyncrasies. Together with Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill, they form a terrific time travelling trio. And, of course, let's not forget the star turn from Olivia Coleman which clearly set her on the way to stratospheric stardom.

When all you have to say is "fish custard" - much like "the Angels have the phone box" - it's testament to its pantheon of popularity amongst Doctor Who episodes.