The character's appearance, portrayed by Richard E Grant, in "The Bells of Saint John", was perceived as establishing the Great Intelligence as a prominent antagonist for Series 7. Simon Brew felt that the Great Intelligence's appearance was "very welcome" and compared the character's use to that of Moriarty in Steven Moffat's series "Sherlock". Mark Snow described the Great Intelligence in his review as a "Big Bad" and felt that the character's involvement tied nicely into the Spoonhead plot. Neela Debnath of "The Independent", despite feeling that the episode was a "rehash" of elements of "Blink" and "Sherlock", commented that it appeared to be establishing the groundwork for a battle between the Doctor and Great Intelligence.