Doctor Who: 10 things we absolutely LOVE about the return of the Timelord in Asylum of the Daleks

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Doctor Who? There's still life in the old knock knock joke yet

Based on overnight ratings, 6.3 million people watched the return of Doctor Who last night and it’s also taken its obligatory number one slot on the BBC’s iPlayer.

Here’s a rundown of 10 things the action-packed season opener showed us.

The Doctor’s joined the A-Team
He may have got himself captured, but what a way to do it.  If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find him - maybe you can hire the Doctor!

From the red skies and acid rain of Skaro to the blue skies and snowy wastes of the Dalek’s asylum, courtesy of Spain, Asylum of the Daleks delivered on it blockbuster promise.

Things look good for next week’s space-bound, dinosaur-filled adventure.

Daleks have a soft spot for 90s game shows
Those TV signals had to go somewhere. Tunnelling out a whole planet is impressive, surrounding it with a force-field even more so, but leaving the on/off switch on the planet itself? It’s a little stupid. 

That is, unless whoever designed the place had been watching a lot of Fort Boyard and The Crystal Maze. 

There was even a special section for Doctor survivors! Dull conversationalists I expect.

Of course, if they have a Parliament, the Daleks have a Prime Minister. And there was no sign of a coalition!  Presumably the Dalek Emperor was on a tour of some remote colonies.  Proof once again that the Daleks are democratic - they can hate anything in any way they want.

Dalek Zombies
Who’s done zombies before, see 2005’s The Unquiet Dead, but Dalek Zombies!? Spin off-show please.

The Doctor may still be a little socially awkward, except that is when he’s flirting with a Dalek, but he certainly had an idea to get the Ponds back together in adversity. 

They’ve been through a lot during the longest human relationship of all time, but one things for sure: Amy has such a penchant for getting into trouble, she needs Rory around when the Raggedy Man isn’t.

Tiny Dancers
The random appearances of France Barber’s Madam Kovarian last year shouted ‘something odd’s going on here!’ - but it looks like things may be a little more subtle this series. 

Oddest of all were the dream sequences: Oswin’s as she held onto her humanity and then Amy’s as she lost hers. 

But why did both contain revolving dancers? 

Was that a young Amelia Pond spinning around in the corridors? 

Perhaps that’s how Daleks see themselves.

Now there’s a surprise, almost immediately we were introduced to the Doctor’s new companion, Oswin Oswald! 

One of the best kept secrets since the show returned and it looks like she’s going to be great. 

…And she’s Dalek!
Of course, we also saw Oswin’s apparent demise. But it’s unlikely that this was her ultimate post-companion fate - it just didn’t have the right emotional clout. 

So expect her to take a clever, timey-wimey route back into The Chin’s affections and TARDIS at Christmas.

One key point: the Doctor never actually saw her…

Dr Who?
As the opening narration reminded us, the Doctor is thought dead throughout most of the universe. But now he really has got something to get excited about:  his greatest enemy doesn’t even remember who he is! 

Dalek history records must be pretty confusing now, so many losses over the years for no reason. 

Of all the questions they’re asking themselves the main one must be: ‘what’s was that blue box in the middle of our Parliament?’

Follow Matt Goddard on Twitter: @JokerMatt