Matthew Kresal The Christmas specials of the Moffat era have been mixed in terms of quality with the great success of A Christmas Carol and the mixed reception to the Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe in 2011. So the two obvious questions overall then are A) How does this Christmas special rank? And B) How does this serve as the effective first story of Doctor Who's fiftieth anniversary year? As a Christmas special, it is certainly one of the best. For the first time since The Christmas Invasion, we get a Christmas special tasked with effectively relaunching the show. There's the new credit sequence with a new theme arrangement, a brand new TARDIS interior and of course what was at least initially billed as the proper introduction to Jenna Louise-Coleman's character of Clara. The Snowmen becomes something more than just another Christmas special: it becomes the bridge between not only the two parts of Series Seven but also parts of the Matt Smith era.Indeed, Matt Smith's performance and new costume effectively introduce a new version of the eleventh Doctor as well. The viewer, through Clara, are introduced to a Doctor apparently still recovering from what still seems to have been recent exit of the Pond's which seems to have been the straw that broke the camel's back and caused him to effectively retire. The eleventh Doctor has often been said to be an old man in a young man's body and perhaps nowhere else to date does Smith's performance bares that out more. It's Smith's performance, as well as the writing of Moffat, that makes the Doctor's journey from a man sulking in a box on a cloud to a hero once more believable. Indeed, if Smith ever needed to prove his acting chops, then his scenes with Richard E Grant's villainous Dr Simeon makes the case brilliantly.Speaking of Grant, the story features a strong supporting cast. Grant, and indeed the voice of Sir Ian McKellan, are effectively used with Grant oozing menace with every line. That said, the two of them are underused due to the focus on introducing Clara though perhaps they are so effective because of they appear so sparingly. The Paternoster Gang of Madam Vastra, Jenny and Strax return and are put to good use with Dan Starky's comedy Sontaran (never thought I'd write those words) being the most effective scene stealer Doctor Who has featured in sometime. Even the supporting roles such as that of the family that Clara works for are well acted.Which leads to the one person who hasn't been mentioned but whom the story centers around: Clara played by Jenna Louise-Coleman. Throughout the new series the companions have been the focus of the show and The Snowmen is no exception. Clara is the heart and soul of the story as it is her randomly striking up a conversation with the Doctor in a London street that sets events in motion. Without Clara, would the Doctor have quite literally come down off his cloud? I'm not so sure. What I am sure about, is the strength of Jenna Louise-Coleman's performance as she holds her own not only as Clara the character but also as a performer alongside Smith. It is in their scenes together that the story really comes alive with the wonderful interplay and chemistry between them. Unfortunately, a last second decision by Moffat undermines all this a bit but he instead offers something else: a mystery that reawakens the Doctor and takes him, and us, on a new journey.The Snowmen also works as the launch into Doctor Who's fifty anniversary year. The Snowmen looks as much backwards as it does forwards. Who or perhaps more accurately what Grant and McKellan turn out to be is a case in point. The story drops all sorts of hints about it from the title itself onwards but it's only really made clear in the final couple of minutes. It's done in a way that hopefully please fans of what came before while thankfully not alienating to those who don't know the old series (indeed, given developments since this aired, one can't help but wonder what Moffat knew and when). The fact that the Doctor has effectively retired and takes convincing to return to what he's always done is an idea that Douglas Adams proposed before he got forced to do Shada instead (something which in turn might explain Adams' attitude towards that unfinished story). Given what would come in the episodes to follow a few months down the road, it's clear that The Snowmen was meant to set the tone for what was to follow and it does so effectively.Yet The Snowmen has an interesting problem. It focuses heavily on characters, especially the journeys of the Doctor and Clara rather than on the threat posed by Simeon and his snowmen. The result is slightly lopsided as it were: the threat appears throughout the story and is certainly built up but that's not what were supposed to really focus on. For a story that makes rather a point of bringing back something from the show's past, it never really puts it to large use. That isn't to say that Doctor Who isn't or shouldn't be about character development, just that the balance here seems a bit off. How much that actually helps or hinders will certainly be a topic of debate I'm sure.In the final analysis then, The Snowmen succeeds. It does so firstly as an effective Christmas special though 2010's A Christmas Carol still ranks as the best of the Christmas specials, this one comes a close second minus a couple of faults which can be forgiven nevertheless. It also works to help launch Doctor Who into a major anniversary year with references to and use, somewhat sparingly, of the show's past without be either gratuitous or alienating to those not in the proverbial know. What more can we ask of it?

Andrew Huggett Good episode – some good jokes, linear in terms of story telling for a change so it was fairly easy to follow although the ending got confusing as they set-up new complications surrounding the Doctor's new companion. I liked the references to the 1967 Yeti / Great Intelligence story and did not see that coming until halfway through. The jokes with the Sontaran and the memory worm were good fun (bit of a Star Trek 'Wrath of Khan' rip off that). Enjoyed the magical staircase to the Tardis in the clouds (a Mary Poppins homage?); I liked the new arrangement of the theme tune, Mat Smith's Victorian costume (especially the hat – Patrick Troughton reference?) and new titles – not so keen on the new Tardis interior. All in all quite a good (darkish) Christmas episode – one of the better ones – all be it much more fantasy than 'hard' science fiction.

doctorwhofan96 I won't lie by saying i wasn't worried because i was, last years Christmas special was abysmal. So i had my doubts. But in the end they were put to rest. With beautiful imagery and scenes, this episode was surprisingly really good. The plot felt a bit weak for me at first but as time went on i got what was happening and loved how once again Moffat used a small detail to make a huge difference (e.g. the memory worm or the fact that the snow 'mirrors'). Speaking of which the 'Great Intelligence' (an old enemy revived for the new series) was rather menacing as the Snowmen with teeth. There was great humour thanks to the likes of Vashtra, Jenny and Strax, one of my personal favourite lines being 'Hello, i'm a lizard woman from the dawn of time and this is my wife', added with Strax' obsession with grenades (how very Sontaran). Then to top it off, Clara, the new companion. I knew she was going to have something to do with Oswin Oswald and as soon as she asked the Doctor if the TARDIS had a kitchen, my suspicions were answered. this topped off the episode and has made me very excited for the next instalment of the series. How can a woman die twice but still be alive (yes Clara dies but i won't explain how), but somehow she's alive again, as was the same with Oswin. How is this possible? I hope we find out soon because i'm full of excitement. You know when you get a feeling that something's going to be really good. I got that.

jonathan-harvey3 A really fun and entertaining episode of dr who, Matt Smith is excellent and the new assistant, soufle girl, looks very comfortable in the role. There seems to be a really good chemistry between Matt and Jenna Louise which bodes well for the future series. I also liked the new interior design of the tardis, quite retro looking which is an improvement on the old fire escape look. Not sure about the new title sequence, should never have changed that anyway. The concept of snow having an alien intelligence is certainly original and having Ian Mckellan as the alien voice is certainly a marvellous bonus. The makeup for the aliens is definitely improving, the lizard woman is very well done.