Doctor Who

Series seven, episode nine
The lumbering, rubbery Ice Warriors were one of the more rubbish monsters of ‘Doctor Who’ past, but if anyone could make them credible foes, it’s fanboy and series regular Mark Gatiss. Tonight’s episode relocates ‘Alien’ to a Soviet nuclear submarine at the height of the Cold War when an over-eager junior officer defrosts a mystery creature a little prematurely. Thus the scene is set for a monster hunt in a confined space, with a jittery crew and with global survival at stake.

The scares are resolutely (and understandably) PG-rated and it errs on the familiar side in plot and execution, but David Warner turns in a nice performance as a mad professor with a penchant for ’80s synth pop. And Matt Smith continues to sell everything with just as much sparkle and conviction as when he first donned the bow tie – if, as rumours suggest, he’s off at the end of the year, he’ll be sorely missed.