The Doctor (Smith) almost loses Clara (Jenna-Louise Coleman) when he tries to smooth things out between her and the TARDIS. Written by Stephen Thompson, Journey to the Center of the TARDIS first aired on 27 April, 2013.

In his attempt, the Time Lord decides to show his Companion how to fly the TARDIS, but in doing so, the shields are disabled, and they are seized by a salvage ship overseen by brothers and their android, who they treat less than kindly.

The Doctor recruits the salvagers, with the promise of the tech within his ship, if they will help him find Clara, who is somewhere within the labyrinthine corridors of the TARDIS. But she’s not alone. Something, some strange creature is stalking her.

I don’t care for the brothers’ story mainly due to their treatment of Tricky (Jahvel Hall), which just doesn’t ring true.

I do like the ticking clock idea the Doctor implements, and I love that Clara gets to see some areas of the TARDIS we’ve never seen before.

There are secrets (including the Doctor’s true name), treasures, and echoes oh, and monsters, and I do rather love the reveal of what they are. We also get a bit more of an exploration of the Impossible Girl theme.

I like the way the story rockets along, and I really do love the chemistry between Smith and Coleman, they are such a joy to watch together.

The Crimson Horror was written by Mark Gatiss and aired on 4 May, 2013.

This, for me, is just a fun episode. It features Diana Rigg as the villain, Mrs. Gillyflower, and sees the return of Madame Vastra (Neve McIntosh), Jenny Flint (Catrin Stewart) and Strax (Dan Starkey).

The trio are investigating a series of deaths. The bodies have turned up in the river, their bodies turned red. When they examine the retina of one of the victims they discover that the Doctor was seen and set off to discover to unravel the new twist in this mystery.

What they discover, is not what they expected including, The Doctor is being held prisoner.

What they discover is a gated community, all on the grounds that Gillyflower owns, and she is capturing people, preserving them.

I like the flashback as the rescued and  resuscitated Doctor tells Jenny what happened, it’s scratchy, and plays like an old movie. From that point on, the Doctor and his allies, are looking for Clara.

This is a bit of a shock to Jenny as the last time they encountered Clara, she died.

It seems Gillyflower has a plan to rain down apocalypse on England, and the rest of the Earth using a deadly venom from a prehistoric leech, and keep her selected survivors safe under glass until they can be revived after the apocalypse. The Doctor and company have their work set out for them.

Strax brings some delightful humour to the story, and there is a real sense of mystery and menace going on in Sweetville. In fact, I quite enjoy anytime the Victorian trio show up, they make a wonderful addition to the Who-verse, and I hope we see them again and again!

And of course, seeing Diana Rigg chewing scenery in a villainous role is just a lot of fun!

The ending of the episode is supremely enjoyable as Clara’s time travelling is rumbled by her charges when she returns home, and of course, they want to have a go, and they will, next week when the Cybermen return in Nightmare in Silver.