The Bells of St John Promotional Image

With The Bells of St John premiering only yesterday it's no surprise how many reviews are already up on the internet. It's estimated that about 6.8 million viewers saw the show last night, and with so many sources to view the episode online, those figures might be a bit modest.

In this review roundup, we have 10 different websites who all have very different things to say about the newest episode.

Simon Brew from the "Denofgeek.com" gave a very positive review. He says that this episode was "bursting with ideas" and that The Bells of St. John was "one of the most downright entertaining and rounded Doctor Who stories in a while."

Nabile's Warning Message

In Dan Martin's Blog, from the Guardian, Martin says that although the episode was good, he felt it "constantly misses the mark" and that "part of the problem is that so much feels so familiar." He points out that there are many similarities between this episode's downloading robotic creatures with the ones we see in Silence of the Library. He also says that the episode was too much like The Idiot's Lantern.

RadioTimes writer Patrick Mulkern brings up many interesting questions in his positive review. Including who was the woman in the shop was that gave Clara the phone number? And how much of a coincidence is it that the children's book was written by someone named "Amelia Williams" (aka Amy Pond)? All in all I thought it was great thought-provoking review!

Neela Debnath from "The Independant" wrote a blog post that shows her disappointment with the Bells of St John. She said she felt that "the episode did not live up to the hype and left [her] feeling dismayed," and that "the story felt half-baked much like one of Oswin's souffles."

Clara on the phone with "tech support"

In another corner of "The Independant," Mike Higgins writes his review. He admits that he doesn't watch Doctor Who regularly, but makes the remark "that Jenna-Louise Coleman seems, to me at least, an improvement on the rather stroppy presence of Karen Gillan."

"Why has Doctor Who endured? The simple answer is regeneration. Like the Time Lord himself, the show has adapted to changing times," said The Telegraph's Ben Lawrence, who focused on the show's  development in his review. 

The Mirror's Jon Cooper says in his review that he believes Doctor Who is getting "a series of good ideas whose impact has been blunted by repetition.  He also says that "in many respects, [Clara] is actually rather similar to Amy... Is it going too far to say that she is, in fact, a bit too similar?"

Nick Setchfield from SFX has a few wonderful things to say about the episode in his review. He brings more attention to the book by Amelia Williams, by pointing out it was chapter 11 that Clara tells the boy "you'll cry your eyes out."

Another Promotional Image

Digital Spy's Morgan Jeffery brings up the possibility of the Greater Intelligence becoming another favourite reoccurring enemy for the Doctor to face, and believes the GI is "a complex and interesting yet utilized threat." (Review)

Many reviews pointed out some interesting things to keep in mind, and many more mused over Clara and her obvious chemistry with the Doctor. Over all, it seems most reviews have been on the positive side, but even the most positive reviews have pointed out the similarities between this episode and Blink, Silence in the Library, and The Idiot's Lantern.

Are these reviews to being too harsh? Are they spot on? Let us know what you think and leave a comment!