THOSE events that are the most hyped-up often seem to be the ones that turn out to be about as much fun as pulling teeth.

Never more so than in TV-land, where revivals, comebacks and specials often turn out to be more damp squib than party popper.

So I tried not to get too over-excited about the 50th anniversary episode of Doctor Who.

I kept telling myself it’s just a TV show and it wouldn’t be the end of the world if it was awful, but it’s such an iconic TV show.

One of my earliest memories involves being distraught at the departure of Tom Baker.

But I adored Peter Davison, so I soon got over it. When people ask that “who was your Doctor?” question, he’s the one I say.

I went off the show a bit during the less than classic Sylvester McCoy years, but the revival with Christopher Eccleston was fantastic, and the ethos of giving the audience something thought-provoking and intelligent as well as entertaining has continued.

My efforts to contain my excitement ahead of the weekend’s showing of The Day of the Doctor were pretty much doomed to failure.

And the week of hype and programming centred on the series didn’t help. But this episode really was as special as promised.

It was thrilling, clever and full of respect both for the loyal audience and those people who have worked so hard over the years to make something worthwhile and loved.

The other much-hyped event of the week was the announcement that Monty Python are reforming for a show next year.

Whether that one lives up to expectations remains to be seen. It’s hard to imagine well-established, well-off and fondly thought-of men in their seventies can recapture the rebellious, off-the-wall absurdity of their youth – let alone manage any silly walks – but we shall see.