Just so you know where I'm coming from on this I'll digress briefly to present my bona fides. I saw the very first DR WHO way back in 1963 when I was 9 years old. I watched it faithfully through all the incarnations and only really ever took a break when Jon Pertwee was the Dr. We just didn't get on.

When the new series of Dr WHO kicked off it was made by BBC Wales who are based in Cardiff and that's where I lived for 30 years. In fact I was literally a five minute stroll from the headquarters of Torchwood. My front door was even in one episode so I feel somewhat proprietorial about the new series of Dr WHO.

The current Dr WHO ( Matt Smith ) is the youngest ever Dr and he does the job with some panache. He runs around a lot and he's a very talented and gifted actor. The present series ended 2 days ago and I have to say that I'm quite surprised at just how well the series finale left us teetering on a cliff edge. I'm also surprised at how well the programme makers and Steve Moffat, the writer manage to transform what is essentially a childrens show in to a show that can often be very adult in it's themes and storylines.

Within minutes of the opening we had two men on screen who said they were a couple. Now I know Torchwood had openly gay characters but Torchwood is shown later in the evening and it's really quite unusual for homosexuality to be treated this casually at a time when most children are likely to be watching. So a big thumbs up for that. I can't watch any Star Trek or Stargate without wondering where the gay people are. I know there's a lesbian relationship in Stargate Universe but it isn't handled very adroitly, almost like the women are a bit worried about it.

The story itself was really well done, the sets, special effects and costume and makeup all reflect the fact that Dr WHO is a flagship programme for the BBC. In this episode we saw some progtess in the plotline surrounding River, an enigmatic female who has been a bit of a mystery and who may or may not be romantically involved with the Doctor.

There was the issue of a kidnapped companion, Amy. There was the birth and subsequent kidnapping of her baby and there was the death of several characters from earlier storylines. The Doctor had gathered a Task Force to rescue Amy and her baby.

One little gripe I have is that Amy was imprisoned for a month before she was rescued and I just don't see why, if you have a time travelling machine that can go anywhere you can't just rescue her two minutes after she's been kidnapped. It's a tad more complex because in fact she's been there for much longer but she was controlling a clone so she didn't even know she'd been kidnapped. So she was only aware of her incarceration for a month. 

Actually if you consider time travel and mix in the ability to also travel anywhere in space there's pretty much nothing that can stop you. The writers have started exploring time anomalies and seem to be getting it all a bit mixed up to be honest so maybe this is an area where suspension of disbelief needs to happen. 

The Doctor has always been best, in my view, when played as a geek. Scientific and logical thinking coupled with a certain embarrassment and confusion regarding emotions. I think this Doctor is pretty much spot on in this respect and there's no doubt that the whole team involved in making these shows are pushing the boundaries whilst retaining the essence of the franchise. 

Dr WHO returns in September and until then I'll be wondering how all the strands are going to come together.