Doctor Who debutant Neil Cross' first story of the series has hit the screens as the seventh episode of Series 33. Warning: the following review contains spoilers, don't read if you haven't seen the episode!

When a story written by a Doctor Who newcomer airs, I always try to approach the episode with an extremely open mind. After all, this will be the episode that determines how the are recieved by Doctor Who fans. Apparently Neil Cross is an acclaimed writer, but I hadn't heard of him before he was announced as a writer sometime last year. The Rings of Akhaten is his first Doctor Who script for the series, and the result is something distinctly lacklustre.

The Rings of Akhaten sees the Doctor (Matt Smith) and new companion Clara (Jenna-Louise Coleman) travel to the rings of the planet Akhaten. Considered by the inhabitants of the star system to be a god, and the point of origin for all life in the universe, The Festival of Offerings is an event designed to appease the planet. With the Queen of Years, Merry Galel (Emilia Jones) scared at the prospect of getting her role in the Festival wrong, it is up to the Doctor and Clara to persuade Merry that she will do everything perfectly. Of course, this wouldn't be a Doctor Who episode if Merry didn't make a mistake, and she does, thus creating the complication and threat of the episode.

This episode reminds me a lot of 'The End of the World', where the Doctor takes Rose on her first trip in the TARDIS. There, she meets a variety of alien creatures, etc, etc. The same occurs in The Rings of Akhaten, but this time around, the concept is realised a whole lot better. The set design for the market place is absolutely astounding, as were the alien designs. The whole place was vibrant and felt real, it wasn't difficult for me to close my eyes and imagine myself there. This is what the the aliens in 'The End of the World' and the market place at the beginning of 'Turn Left' should have been like. 

Another excellent aspect of The Rings of Akhaten is the musical element to the episode. The songs the crowd and Queen of Years sing to soothe the 'old god' were phenomenal. Murray Gold is often unrecognised in his muscial scores for the series, but here he has outdone himself. The songs were amazing, and the music astounding. Murray Gold, this is easily you're best work on the series so far. One might note the similarities between Rings and A Christmas Carol. Both featured musical elements, but whereas A Christmas Carol went for the big, beautiful musical piece right at the end, Rings puts it in the middle. Surprisingly, this works really well, and doesn't hinder the episode at all.

The CGI in this episode was also some of the best seen. The shots of the planet Akhaten, it's pyramid, and of course, it's rings were breath taking, so it's a shame that The Mill TV, the company who has provided the computer generated shots for the series since 2005, has had to close its doors. They will be sorely missed.

Clara also plays an instrumental role in the episode, in convincing Merry that she'll be fine during her part in the Festival. This shows us that Clara is made of companion material, plus it was nice having a quiet, character driven moment for once. One must wonder, though, why the TARDIS doesn't like her enough to allow her to open the doors... The prologue depicting the story of Clara's leaf was a nice touch, if rather unexpected, but at least it set the scene for the climax, and gave a (slightly) interesting ending.

Unfortunately, that's the end of the good. While on the outside, the story may seem to be great, it lacks substance. The plot is wafer-thin and incredibly weak, I would have preferred it if we'd just spent 45 minutes watching the Doctor and Clara wander around the market place.

Once again, the curse of the lame villains strikes. We're left with a Kingdom of the Crystal Skull-esque alien in a glass box, some weird servants that can use the Force, and a sentient planet with an evil grin. Not much of a threat if you ask me. And since when did the Doctor have a wand? The sonic screwdriver really is too overused these days, we need John Nathan-Turner back to write it out of the series, or at least limit its functions. On top of this, we have some minor production and continuity errors. Clara's hair waves in the 'wind' while riding the space motorbike, and the TARDIS' translation circuits don't always work.

However, the biggest and most annoying aspect of the episode was the way it shoved the BBC's anti-religion agenda in your face. As a Christian and Biblical Creationist, I've always had to suspend my beliefs while watching the show, a fact that hasn't bothered me greatly, as I enjoy the show immensely, no matter what. However, the scene where the Doctor attempts to convince Merry that her religion isn't real by telling her the 'offical' and 'right' answer as to how we came about grinded severely on my nerves. So much, in fact, that I was very tempted just to change channel until the scene was over. Doctor Who is made for enjoyment, not to encourage atheism and evolution. Yes, put subtle references in by all means, but please, don't force it on us. Young children watch the show, and they're very impressionable. If Doctor Who says this happened, then it must have. No, leave the beliefs to the children's parents, do not preach the BBC's religion to the world. If other religions (Christianity most of all) aren't allowed to do it, why should the atheists? I and others with a faith in something other than atheism and evolution should not have to put up with this preaching in a programme such as Doctor Who. It is an entertainment programme only, not a vehicle for enforcing anti-religion sentiment.

That one scene completely ruined the episode for me. Without it, you have a great episode with only a few minor niggles. The Doctor does a great speech and references his granddaughter, Susan. The songs are great, the basic story elements are great. The ending is boring, all the planet does is eat to much. The enemies are rubbish...and the episode preaches the BBC's anti-religion agenda. Again, without that scene, this episode would have been great, a 7.5/10. However, as the scene was there:

5/10

I absolutely detested that scene. Now, I'm sure that plenty of people will want to comment on my thoughts on the episode, particularly the part discussing the anti-religion theme. I ask that all comments below are kept civil, or moderation will have to occur. If you want to be slightly...less civil, feel free to message me. However, if messages are too nasty, I'll just delete them and move on. I've offered my opinion, respect it and move on, and everything will be fine.

What did you think of the episode? Comment below to let me and others know!