Series 7 - Matt Smith - The Bells of Saint John

The Bells of Saint John was the modern day Clara’s first proper episode with the Doctor and there is something really special about the chemistry between Matt Smith’s Doctor and Jenna-Louise Coleman as Clara Oswald. The Doctor’s relationships differ from series to series and Doctor to Doctor and that is one of the most interesting things about Doctor Who, the iconic science fiction show isn’t just about monsters and danger, it is also about people, nature and compassion.

There is no denying that seeing Matt Smith with a companion other than Amy and Rory stirred up the audience and probably caused a few raised eyebrows but Clara is so different and refreshing that you’d be hard pushed to resist her charms. The Doctor definitely isn’t able to. The Doctor adored Amy, he doted on her and he cared for her and he did everything in his power to keep her safe sometimes at the expense of Rory and other people who they come into contact with, their relationship is almost paternal in its nature and Amy’s admiration of the Doctor is contagious, childlike and a little sad.

When the Doctor speaks to Amy you remember just how old he really is, with Clara it’s like he’s suddenly a child again, a shy and awkward teenager who just wants to impress her but doesn’t really know how. He’s palpably excited to have found her, he doesn’t know what to do with his hands and he scolds himself for turning up dressed like a monk muttering ‘Right. Don’t be a monk. Monks are not cool’. Clara is one step ahead of the Doctor in all of their exchanges, she’s clever, witty and pretends that she’s not all that impressed by the man in the blue ‘snogbox’ who has decided to guard her while she sleeps.

Even as she pretends though you can see the little twinkle in Clara’s eye that tells you that she really finds the Doctor quite fascinating and she’s not ready to let him get away from her just yet. It’s great to see a woman actually give the Doctor the run around though and, when she tells him to, he obediently comes back to collect her the next day.

The Great Intelligence is the villain of this piece though rather indirectly as it is a sub division of his people who have been uploading the people of the world into the internet in order to preserve their minds forever.  The Great Intelligence is actually a pretty formidable foe who has been causing the Doctor problems since 1967; he has no physical form but can still communicate with others and often uses the art of possession.

In this episode the Great Intelligence is controlling thousands of people across the population of earth using the wifi a scary thought given the heavy wifi presence in today’s society. This urban thriller easily invokes the idea of technology controlling our lives, however the Great Intelligence is a pussycat really and the Doctor finds it quite easy to unravel the well laid plans and avoids losing Clara again. This episode was so much more about character and relationship than monsters and magic and it worked really well.

This episode hosts a series of great location shots of London in which we see the Doctor’s attempt at street performance on the Southbank and a cheeky motorbike drive through the capital which all serve to help him show off in front of his impossible girl.

 A perfect introduction to the real Clara Oswald who’s story still eludes the audience in a perfectly taunting way. BRILLIANT 5/5