Forests. There’s something about Steven Moffat and forests. Forest of the Dead, a Weeping Angel-filled forest in Flesh and Stone, and of course, we all know about the only water in the forest…

This year’s Doctor Who Christmas Special doesn’t change the idea of the forest as a place of mystery and lurking danger, but what it does also give us is a wonderfully sweet tale that’s sure to warm you heart faster than indigestion after a third helping of Christmas pud.

Without giving anything away (because you really don’t want to unwrap this present before Christmas Day), the Doctor crashes to Earth in a pulse-pounding opening, and is aided by Madge Arwell (Claire Skinner). But the Time Lord isn’t a man to forget his debts, and years later repays her kindness. What happens next is pure magic.

Last year was A Christmas Carol meets Jaws. This year it’s Narnia meets Captain Planet, with some Star Wars and a teeny-tiny pinch of the Roald Dahl story The Sound Machine thrown in. By the timey-wimey standards of Series 6 it’s utterly undemanding, but that’s exactly what you want on Christmas Day. It’s a different seasonal special to last year’s in both pacing and feel, but has all that Moffat magic, with moments that may leave you even more teary-eyed than last year.

Matt Smith is once more the star atop the tree, illuminating every scene he’s in with a performance that never falters. He’s the bonkers benevolent old man; half 900 years old, half 9 years old, rattling around at a thousand miles an hour. You can’t help but smile. It’s The Doctor. At Christmas. Just sit back with your selection box and watch him shine.

Outnumbered star Claire Skinner puts in a beautiful, painful performance as Madge, the recently bereaved widow trying to give her kids one last ‘best Christmas ever’, while Holly Earl and Maurice Cole are both excellent and more importantly believable as her children Lily and Cyril.

The only people let down by the script are Bill Bailey and Arabella Weir, who could have done with a bit more screen time. It’s no fault of theirs but their characters just feel a bit flat.

A little RTD era cheesiness creeps in toward the end, but if you can’t have that at this time of year then when can you have it? After the twisted darkness of the excellent Series 6, this is a straightforward romp in which we see our Doctor having fun, and it’s as lovely to see as a big gift under the tree.

Airs at 7pm on Sunday 25th December 2011 on BBC One.

> Order the Christmas special on DVD on Amazon.

What did you think of the episode? Let us know below…