Dalekrider I can't believe this is by Steven Moffat. I was expecting it would be good! This is not doctor who. I was buying loads of stuff to get more evidence about it and it actually sounded cool. the actual episode was a big mistake. The doctor goes into America and brings a superhero to life. what is this? SUPERMAN???? You can leave this one out guys. It is not what you were expecting it would be.

bob the moo There was really nothing that excited me about the return of Doctor Who for the Christmas special; generally they are only so-so episodes, and too often they overplay the seasonal aspect and throw lots of glitter-like aspects into the mix (by which I mean stuff that looks nice from a distance but is a mess and an annoyance when you get to it – source, I have a small daughter and lots of things with glitter stuck to them, and over everything else). On top of that the promotional poster looked cheap and silly – much like the superhero costume itself; and the title (The Return of Doctor Mysterio) screamed of cheese. So, like Doctor Who generally, I almost come at it now with a much lower bar for what will work for me – ie if it is not awful, then it must be one of the good episodes.And by that yardstick, this Christmas special was quite enjoyable. It featured a topical (if overdone) genre of superheroes, had some sinister creature elements, showed restraint in a lot of areas, and generally was interesting in what it did with the characters. Generally it was greeted by those around me in the same way – satisfied indifference, which I do think is sometimes what this show is happy with – particularly in these big seasonal event shows. However this is not to say that the special is a good watch, because it isn't, and there is a lot to be irritated by. It wastes the aliens – it has some sinister images and ideas but doesn't follow them up, and the invasion plot really has limited menace. It does have a nice romantic plot but it doesn't do it that well, it is very much BBC sitcom level (and that is not a good thing). I liked the restraint it showed regarding the seasonal stuff, and that Matt Lucas was not a big part of it and was really limited in his impact (enough to be a good addition, not enough to be too annoying).In the end it is an okay Christmas special but suffers from the same issue that much of Doctor Who – it really doesn't know what it wants to do, and feels produced by committee. The mix of content doesn't always work, and as usual we end with the Doctor being all dark and alone – something Capaldi can work with, but is never really fleshed out as it should be. In the context of Christmas Day though, it did work well enough to pass muster thanks to the state of the audience, and the low expectations/requirements the vast majority will have brought with them.

jsbailey-88074 I eagerly awaited the first new episode of Doctor Who in a year, and it did not disappoint! While I've never been a particularly huge fan of the superhero genre, I did like the nods to Superman, which I watched from time to time as a child. I never thought that having X-ray vision could be so troublesome! ;)I enjoyed the lighthearted moments in The Return of Doctor Mysterio much as I did while watching The Husbands of River Song last year. It's refreshing to see some humorous episodes after the conclusion of the dark but gripping Series 9. Peter Capaldi is brilliant at comedy--I was laughing out loud at several points in the story. Here's to hoping he stays at least four seasons. Three is simply not enough for one Doctor!

Theo Robertson Okay it's Christmas time so let's tick off the checklistNice Xmas card from Bob The Moo ? Check Ton of food from a kitchen I work in ? Much better than the food at the care home last year . Check DOCTOR WHO Christmas special ? Check Don't get your hopes built up about it ? Check My enthusiasm if not my addiction to the show has become increasingly diluted over the years . This is entirely down to the direction of the show under Moffat and catching a couple of trailers late in the day I noticed thus year's special revolves around superhero mode . Well let's be honest and like them or not Super-heroes are very popular in popular culture but does DOCTOR WHO have to follow trends ? Especially since it has been rewriting icons from the show such as The Master played by John Simm all the way back to the RTD era as literal comic strip characters That said this special remains rather low key compared to many of the other specials and overblown season finales . It's basically a run around type of adventure involving an alien invasion where the aliens have all ready landed and it's up to the Doctor and a masked hero to save the day . There's not much you haven't seen here before but one noticeable thing is that the villain isn't a White Anglo Saxon Protestant type . Foreign type dude wants to destroy New York in a big explosion . Don't worry about any controversy because it's a family show so that makes it all right In all a relatively enjoyable though forgettable special . Of course it always helps that you're not expecting too much of a feast