Doctor Who: Blink
by Steven Moffat; dir. Hettie Macdonald (BBC, 2007)
No ‘Doctor-lite’ episode should work this well, but Moffat’s script offers an adroit balance of humour, suspense and timey-wimey SF, the Weeping Angels are creepily effective (at least as a one-off), and Carey Mulligan, taking the lead, puts in a virtuoso performance.
Doctor Who: The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe
by Steven Moffat; dir. Farren Blackburn (BBC, 2011)
“This hammock has developed a fault.” With his childlike enthusiasms and underlying vulnerability, the Eleventh Doctor is tailor-made for holiday specials. This one is a near-perfect concoction of whimsy, adventure and rousing Christmas miracle. Holly Earl and Matt Smith are both brilliant.
Sherlock: The Final Problem
by Steven Moffat & Mark Gatiss; dir. Benjamin Caron (BBC, 2017)
A cheerless conclusion to a series already skirting morbidly close to the edge. The scripting remains clever, but at too-distant remove both from Conan Doyle’s stories and from the humour and energy of the first three series. Sherlock himself is greatly reduced.
Sherlock: The Lying Detective
by Steven Moffat; dir. Nick Hurran (BBC, 2017)
At once a small story (Toby Jones proving disturbingly effective as the Jimmy Savile-esque villain) and a larger, lurching, exceedingly dark character piece where the moment-to-moment excellence serves only partially to cloak the too-fast unravelling and resetting of Watson and Sherlock’s relationship.
Doctor Who: Time Crash
by Steven Moffat; dir. Graeme Harper (BBC, 2007)
An 8-minute charity special that should very much be considered canonical. Moffat’s mini-script is first-rate, pairing the Fifth and Tenth Doctors in a humorous yet sentimental melding of eras (thus also director Graeme Harper). David Tennant and Peter Davison work brilliantly together.
Doctor Who: The Time of the Doctor
by Steven Moffat; dir. Jamie Payne (BBC, 2013)
Ending Matt Smith’s tenure with a Christmas special was a brave choice, but one that pays off. The story is chaotic and full of holes, yet Smith himself is quite brilliant as the ancient but ever-young-at-heart friend of children. A fitting farewell.
Sherlock: The Abominable Bride
by Mark Gatiss & Steven Moffat; dir. Douglas Mackinnon (BBC, 2016)
Cleverly executed, presenting initially as a standalone special then morphing into a bridge between series. Gatiss and Moffat indulge in some social commentary while poking gentle fun at the original Sherlock Holmes canon. Cumberbatch and Freeman (especially) revel in the old-fashioned characterisation.
Sherlock: The Sign of Three
by Stephen Thompson, Steven Moffat & Mark Gatiss; dir. Colm McCarthy (BBC, 2014)
Possibly the funniest of all Sherlock episodes, albeit skewed beyond the pale towards character development and adapting little of its plot from Conan Doyle’s stories. While Benedict Cumberbatch brings Sherlock’s misanthropy painfully centre-stage, Martin Freeman and Amanda Abbington are more humanly sublime.
Sherlock: His Last Vow
by Steven Moffat; dir. Nick Hurran (BBC, 2014)
Another inspired reworking of the source material. Lars Mikkelsen turns Magnussen into one of television’s more memorable one-off villains. Amanda Abbington employs consummate restraint in selling Mary’s character development, her inner turmoil matched only by Martin Freeman’s at his subtle, expressive best.
Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia
by Steven Moffat; dir. Paul McGuigan (BBC, 2012)
Sherlock finally hits its stride. The characters are more measured and Moffat delivers a complex, clever script encompassing subtle allusions (Mycroft’s alleged ‘power complex’), bold reworkings (Irene Adler as dominatrix) and overt, rumbustious outbreaks of comedy (most notably the ‘punch me’ scene!).