Doctor Who: The Lodger ( review with spoilers )

This week's incredibly late Doctor Who review asks the question "Would you want this oddball as your room-mate?"

He thinks football is played with sticks, has an inappropriate penchant for air-kissing, carries wads of £20 notes in a carrier-bag and builds strange "art installations" in his bedroom. He doesn't even have a real name - just "the Doctor" - and introduces himself as

"Less of a young professional, more of an ancient amateur. But frankly I'm an absolute dream."

Just don't call him the rot-meister.....

Gareth Roberts' newest Who confection is a fun, if lightweight, episode which revolves around a sweet love story between Craig ( a surprisingly likeable James Corden ) and Sophie ( the quirkily lovely Daisy Haggard ) , two unfulfilled twenty-somethings who find that their lack of direction isn't as scary as "some bloke" in the flat above. He turns out to be the latest "automatic alien computer-programme which routinely kills humans" and is a relatively lame menace, assisted only by some Psycho-esque music and a spooky silhouette.

This story is the most "domestic" Who episode we've seen since Season Two's Fear Her, but is much better than that dreary non-event. Roberts' dialogue is reliably funny, the 3 lead characters are warm and believable, and we get to see the Blue Peter competition winner's alternative Tardis. Not sure about all the head-butting though.....

Matt Smith's Doctor is as fantastic as usual: cooking Craig the best omelette ever, rewiring the flat while Craig and Sophie try to "destroy their friendship", showing off his football skills, talking to cats, and looking childishly overjoyed at the prospect of living a normal life. Unfortunately, Amy's sidelined in this episode - reduced to stumbling around the time-loop-locked Tardis and shouting for the Doctor. This will obviously be rectified next Saturday when the season-long arc plot ( hopefully ) pays off, and the Pandorica opens.....

Three Out of Five Bow Ties.