Doctor Who: 16th National Television Awards

Barking pre-filmed sketch to open the above ceremony, featuring the eleventh Doctor's repeated attempts to transport presenter Dermot O'Leary to the opening on time, via TARDIS.

O'Leary seems a surprising choice of guest-star. Ten years ago I was hearing various negative reports regarding the condescension with which he would routinely introduce any science-fiction show on T4. (Angel, Babylon 5 and Enterprise if I recall correctly) Still, even if merited, those complaints were a decade ago now.

Here he seems to make his peace with the genre however, although one has to wonder just how much of this is down to Doctor Who's return having made science-fiction cool in the UK again. The former Big Brother presenter plays himself extremely well, and there's nothing about him here not to like. This then might just be the first thing he's done that British SF fans have felt permitted to enjoy.

But let's not forget the rest of the creative team here. The frantic pace, smart script and enthusiasm of both leads make these four minutes a rollercoaster of fun, as again and again the bumbling eleventh Doctor drops O'Leary off in the wrong TV show. Even Graham Norton gets in yet again! I'm mightily relieved that, 100 years in the future, BBC Television Centre hasn't been sold off after all.

Although transmitted after A Christmas Carol, at time of writing this entry makes more sense just before it, while Amy and Rory are still away on their honeymoon as per the preceding Death Of The Doctor.

Except of course that this madcap short is obviously not canon, it's all just too silly. Then again, that's what we all assumed 20 years ago about the chaotic telethon sketch Dimensions In Time, and look how prophetic that fuzzy style turned out to be...