First broadcast 22 May 2010.

One of the more restrained elements of 21st century Doctor Who was how it spread out its use of returning elements from the original series. The Daleks in Season 1, the Cybermen in Season 2, then the Master, the Sontarans, and the Time Lords. This tradition was kept up in Season 5 by new showrunner Steven Moffat, with his eighth episode – written by Chris Chibnall and directed by Ashley Way – reviving the Silurians, an ancient civilization of Earth-based reptiles not featured since 1984.

In terms of repeat appearances the Silurians were hardly a top-league enemy to reintroduce. Created by Malcolm Hulke in his 1970 serial “Doctor Who and the Silurians”, they received a tangential sequel in 1972’s “The Sea Devils” and then a fairly poor return engagement in 1984’s “Warriors of the Deep”. That third serial presented a rather dreadful misunderstanding of the Silurians’ strengths as antagonists. What made them work so well in their initial appearance was that they were not alien invaders: they were indigenous inhabitants of the Earth from millions of years in its past. They were not innately warlike or violent, and conflict between them and humans represented more a failure of humanity than aggression by the reptiles. If there is one thing to particularly appreciate in “The Hungry Earth”, it is that Chibnall understands and appreciates the Silurians much better than Johnny Byrne did back in 1984. It is a well-considered return appearance, and a deeply worthwhile one.

In “The Hungry Earth” the The Doctor (Matt Smith) has aimed the TARDIS for Rio and wound up in near-future Wales instead. It is 2020: ten years into the original audience’s future, but of course five years into the past and counting for those of us watching now. A nearby scientific project is drilling more than 20 kilometres beneath the Earth’s surface. Something has woken up beneath the ground. Amy (Karen Gillan) is dragged below, and before the Doctor and Rory (Arthur Darvill) can mount a rescue the drilling project and its crew come under attack from Silurian warriors.

The most striking part of “The Hungry Earth” is just how old-fashioned it all is. The Doctor arrives at a scientific base. That base soon falls under siege from an alien foe. The Doctor wants to negotiate but both the aliens and the humans want to fight. He uses gadgets and technology to defend himself and others, and he uses talking as a weapon instead of a gun. Remove Matt Smith, Amy and Rory and drop in Tom Baker, Sarah Jane and Harry, and you’d barely need to change a word. It even ends on a cliffhanger.

What makes all of this particularly interesting is that Chris Chibnall ultimately took over from Steven Moffat as Doctor Who‘s executive producer, and with the benefit of hindsight we can recognise a lot of Chibnall’s three years at the helm all the way back in 2010. There is a much more traditional idea of the series than what was overseen by Davies and Moffat’s house styles, and a focus on adventure over character. The plotting is much simpler here, and the two-part story structure allows everything to be slowed down and given room for the narrative to breathe for once.

Older viewers familiar with the Silurian’s 1970 debut can be forgiven for feeling a pronounced sense of deja vu, since much of the plot elements here reflect those of Hulke’s original serial. The Silurians themselves have undergone a significant redesign, which is unfortunate, but it enables the tightly budgeted episode to afford more Silurian characters. As a hardcore fan I cannot help but be disappointed, but as someone reasonably familiar with television production – and the hefty drop in budget Doctor Who suffered after Russell T Davies’ departure – I completely understand.

Neve McIntosh is impressive as the Silurian warrior Alaya, coming across as someone from a distinctly different culture and not simply an English woman wearing a rubber mask. She will return to the series several times after this, not as Alaya but as fellow Silurian Vastra from 2011’s “A Good Man Goes to War”. Meanwhile Arthur Darvill settles in nicely in Rory’s new position as second companion, taking a bit of a lead early on and playing solid support to the Doctor. Amy is separated from both of them fairly early on, and her scenes down in the Silurian colony give the episode a nice horrific edge that ratchets up the tension. The guest cast are generally strong, particularly Meera Syal as geologist Dr Nasreen Chaudhry. She makes such a likeable impression that I’m a little sad her character has never returned.

Much like Chibnall’s later episodes as producer, “The Hungry Earth” is amiable and entertaining while perhaps showing a slight lack of ambition. It does, however, continue the season’s general strong streak, and offers huge potential for a conclusion in the following week’s “Cold Blood”.