It's been a long time coming – and now Peter Capaldi has finally had his official Doctor Who debut. The feature-length episode 'Deep Breath' has aired on BBC One in the UK
The new Doctor and his returning companion Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman) travelled to Victorian London for an adventure that included a dinosaur, some nasty androids and the Paternoster Gang.
Below, Digital Spy presents select reviews from the US and UK media:
Digital Spy
"While 'Deep Breath' is not perfect, I'm still more than willing to follow The Doctor and Clara on new adventures in time and space - the potential's there for the Capaldi era to be terrific, even if this first adventure doesn't quite hit all the marks."
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Variety
"Fittingly, 'Deep Breath' opens and closes with tributes to bygone Doctors. The first plays strictly for laughs as recurring comic-relief character Strax (Dan Starkey) delivers a condensed (and slightly repetitive) regeneration timeline in the style of a roast. By the kicker, the mood has shifted to a more sentimental and highly effective passing of the figurative baton.
"It's a skillful tonal balance that defines the best of Doctor Who, and exemplifies the ethos that keeps the series going strong, nodding to the past with all eyes on the future."
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The Telegraph
"In some ways, this episode resembled Moffat's other show, Sherlock, with its twisting plot, cryptic newspaper ads and London landmarks. Although the pace sagged in places, as a debut for a new Doctor it worked well with some old-style behind-the-sofa scares and sly humour.
"There was even an oblique dig at ITV ('so many advertisements, a distressing modern trend') and a nod to the upcoming Scottish referendum, with Capaldi declaring: 'My eyebrows want to cede from my face and set up their own independent state.' This Doctor might be darker but he's not without wit."
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Forbes
"So to sum up: we spent over an hour on a half-baked plot with no proper climax or resolution, and the only main character who had any proper emotional journey was dreary Clara. And, worse, the Matt Smith cameo laid bare the single, central fact that made it all so dull: Matt Smith was still the hero of this Doctor Who. But now, he was a hero who could only phone in once in a while."
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The Los Angeles Times
"To avoid complete repetition, Smith's Doctor took aboard a couple, Amy (Karen Gillan) and Rory (Arthur Darvill) whose love story, often triangulated by the Doctor (whose heart clearly belonged to Amy), served as painful reminder of what an ageless being cannot have: a long-term relationship with mortal.
"Not this time around, no, sir. Or, at least, so it would seem. For all the running and unflattering commentary about the new Doctor's face, Capaldi is an attractive man, if quite a change from Smith. Still, behind his furrowed brow and tendency to complain roil new and exciting storms, which may tilt the tale away from love and longing and back to adventure. Either way, this Doctor is truly something else again."
What did you think of the return of Doctor Who? Let us know in the box below:
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