Doctor Who: Utopia

Hats off to Russell T Davies! With Utopia, tonight's Doctor Who, he managed to turn round what at first glance was a rather tired 'end of the world' yarn with cliched monsters in the form of Mad Max cannibal human degenerates, and pull out the greatest, most bladder-bursting, shocking surprise twists the entire series (let alone this season) has yet seen.

With Captain Jack Harkness hanging on the outside - after a brief stopover in Cardiff - the TARDIS spirals out of control to a devastated planet at The End of The Universe in the year 100 trillion; where galaxies have collapsed, stars have died and a lone space beacon sends out a message to all remaining humans summoning them to 'Utopia', mankind's last hope for survival in the stars.

Utopia sees a welcome return of Captain Jack to the TARDIS - the 'proper' swashbuckling, carefree Jack from season one of new Who, rather than the more sombre and serious Jack as seen in Torchwood - and immediately, much to the Doctor's horror, he's flirting with every lifeform (female, male and alien) with a pulse. Russell also treats us to one of his brilliant 'character' scenes - when the Doctor explains to Jack, while he is sealed in a room full of dangerous radiation, why he left him in the Year 200,100.

Other highlights, without giving away the ending (which, no doubt, will be heavily spoiled across the Internet within seconds), include Sir Derek Jacobi's star turn as gentle, bumbling Professor Yana, struggling to finish his rocket to the stars - the only escape for the remaining humans on this isolated planet. Yana, however, is also unknowingly in possession of a certain rather important artifact that will change the Doctor's life forever.

With the cannibals being a red herring, the last 15 minutes of Utopia will leave you breathless and counting the minutes until next week's episode - The Sound of Drums; you see this season doesn't have a two-part finale as is traditional these days, but a three-parter and this is where it all starts!