Friday 8 December 2023

"The Star Beast"

The brief era of the new Doctor with an old face begins with a surprisingly low-key romp, despite it being the first special to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the programme.. However, low-key doesn't mean low-stakes. This story looks back to the past in adapting a 43 year-old comic strip from Doctor Who Magazine. I have never been a regular buyer of the magazine, but Beep the Meep is one of those characters that is popular enough to transcend these origins. However, it is not just the story, but the storyteller that is key in this episode and we have a seismic change in that department. Although it contained some very good episodes, it was clear that the programme had lost something in the Chris Chibnall area. I have written again and again that he is nowhere near the writer that his predecessors are. Now, one of those predecessors has returned and the thought occurs – am I blinded by nostalgia, and willing to forgive faults that I would hold against Chibnall? After watching "The Star Beast", the answer is a clear and resounding "no". The strip is adapted with a deft hand, with the polished dialogue that has become very rare in the past 5 years, with musings about a gigantic sausage roll having more emotional impact that many weightier dialogue scenes scripted by Chibnall. The something that was missing was in the nuts-and-bolts writing, consistency and vibrancy of characterisation and incorporation of themes successfully into the plot.

I raved about how excellent David Tennant was at the time and, although I believe that Peter Capaldi is definitely at least his equal, I would not argue with anyone who still calls Tennant the best. He slips back effortlessly into the role, so much so that is futile to compare the Fourteenth Doctor with the Tenth – it's the same Time Lord after all. It is a true joy to see him climbing on the sets and dashing at speed around the TARDIS again, like it hadn't been 18 years since he first did so. Returning to great success is one of the all-time great companions, challenged since only by the wonderful Ms Potts. The temp from Chiswick is older, with more responsibilities, but is still the same, brilliantly shown by the DoctorDonna being more Donna than ever. Bernard Cribbins is much missed, but Jacqueline King is back with a vengeance. The key new character is Rose, brilliantly brought to life by Yasmin Finney. The theme of gender suffuses the episode and the first trans character played by a trans actor is addressed full on. It is laid on a bit thick at times, but the fact that, in recent times, the most marginalised group in the LGBTQ+ community has been under attack from all areas, means that perhaps it needs to be laid on thick.

We have a new UNIT scientific adviser in Ruth Madeley's sparky Shirley Bingham and in the alien camp, the (understandably) cartoon-like Wrarth are very vibrantly bought to life. The titular beast is voiced by the legendary Miriam Margolyes who gives the cutest psychopath in the Whoniverse real bite. Despite the return of his predecessor as showrunner, it is Steven Moffat stalwart Rachel Talalay who helms this colourful and spectacular story. It's no secret that the involvement of Disney has meant a cash-injection the like of which Doctor who has never seen. Before this, Doctor Who managed miracles on its budget, and it's only occasionally that the increased budget shows - that is, until we see the new TARDIS set, which makes its 21st Century predecessors look like their 20th Century four bears.

There were always differences in quality regarding stories, when it came to their sequencing."Partners in Crime", good though it is, is necessarily lesser than "Turn Left". However, there are very very few stories in the past few years that are of the same quality as this utterly joyous opener. Mr T Davies, I welcome you back with open arms!

NEXT: "Wild Blue Yonder"

Thursday 18 May 2023

"The Power of the Doctor"

"The Power of the Doctor" is one of the longest individual episodes of Doctor Who ever made. As the story was made in the year that the BBC celebrated its centenary the story has one eye on the past, with more callbacks to the programme's 59 year history, than in the previous 17 years combined. This is also an ending, with the final regular appearance of Jodie Whittaker and Chris Chibnall's swansong as showrunner. It is designed to be a spectacular, a brief that it certainly fulfils, with memorable sequences aplenty to feast the eyes on. The problem is, it appears that Chibnall appears to have written arresting sequences – The Master as Rasputin, the raid on the space train, the child/Qurunx, the volcano plot – and then contrived a plot to connect them together. As the Master's Dalek Plan is to blow up the Earth with volcanoes, everything else is really only window dressing. Some sequences are cribbed from better stories produced under the aegides of his predecessors and with less effect.


As a nostalgic look back, the story is somewhat more successful. The return of Tegan and Ace are very welcome – as someone whose memories of the original run are from the 80s, they were my Jo and Sarah Jane. Both Janet Fielding and Sophie Aldred put their all into their roles and it is truly wonderful to see them together for the first time. Then there are the returning Doctors. Colin Baker's role is rather small but Paul McGann again puts more Doctorliness into his performance in a few minutes than he did in his début. The interaction between Davison, McCoy and their old companions is something special. The scene with the companions' support group is sublime and it is a true joy to see so many familiar faces, with Ian being a particularly wonderful surprise. Kate is back, hopefully to be as constant a presence as her father.


The current roster are not to be forgotten. Dan has a more considered version of Tegan's leaving scene and we have a great performance from our other leading lady. Mandeep Gill has taken Yas way beyond the way she was written and the indescribable contradictory feelings stirred up by the shot of Yas and the Doctor eating ice creams sitting on the TARDIS, is a moment to treasure. Sacha Dhawan has an absolute blast as the Master, bonkers plan or not.


The production is startlingly good, masking the haphazard jigsaw of the plot. Jamie Magnus Stone is probably the stalwart director of this era, so it is fitting that he closes it. Rehashed though some of the concepts are, Stone and the production team make them work.


The Chibnall era was not the utter disaster that I was fearing and yet it can't be denied that the programme is not a patch on what it was from 2005-2017. There were some very good stories, but no real classics which, in hindsight, makes one appreciate all the more that in the RTD and Moffat eras, there were at least two stories per series that were amongst the best examples of television produced in that year. This curate's egg of a story is watchable, but doesn't stand up to repeated viewings, which is typical of Chibnall. Plotting is not his strongest asset as a writer, neither in resolving them or keeping an eye on the subplots. His strength was in quieter character moments and, in his choice of lead, he was helped immeasurably. Jodie Whittaker's charisma and talent papered over many cracks and, in her final moments, Chibnall's writing and her performance harmonise to perfection. After a sequence of potential portentous last words, her parting shot is a flippant quip and the gorgeous visuals of that regeneration give the viewer the ASMR it deserves.


However, I look forward to the return of one of the finest writers in the world to the helm, as he steers Doctor Who into uncharted waters with the casting of the utterly unique Ncuti Gatwa – after he goes into very familiar territory with Whittaker's immediate successor!


NEXT: "The Star Beast"/"Wild Blue Yonder"/"The Giggle"

Friday 16 September 2022

"Legend of the Sea Devils"

The sight of the Sea Devils in the trailer for this story made me incredibly happy. I have loved the aquatic saurians (and their land-based allies) since I was a child. The setting for this adventure, the last century of the Qing dynasty, is a fascinating one and, again, we meet a notable figure from that period, Madam Ching. Yet, with these ingredients, the blend is uneasy, due to a script that barely deserves to be called a first draft. This is not the first time in the programme's history that a script has been filmed before it has been properly fine-tuned, but the way in which the plot fails to properly hang together, how the two main journeys – Madam Ching's quest to regain her crew and the Sea Devils' plan to flood the Earth – fail to resonate with each other are a serious problem. Worst of all, we have short-cuts made for the convenience of the writer – Dan scythes through a squad of Sea Devils, like he's suddenly the TARDIS weapons expert. Chibnall co-writes with Ella Road, a promising playwright (although I am unfamiliar with her work) but neither should be proud of what they have written.


The guest cast is good. Amongst the humans, Crystal Yu brings effortless charisma to her portrayal of Madam Ching and with the reptiles, we have the return of Craig Els, but this time as the Sea Devil leader. The regulars do their good work, although their roles in the main plot are very functional. However, in the more emotional scenes, the strengths of the regulars is put to good use. The relationship between Yas and the Doctor is very well written and beautifully acted by Jodie Whittaker and Mandeep Gill. John Bishop's charisma goes a long way to compensating for the very poor character writing for him.


The triumph of the story is in its design. The look is magnificent, redolent of the vivid colours of wuxia graphic novels, with the beautiful blue sky and the green ocean. We have the wonder of the TARDIS on the sea bed and the sight of the Sea Devil ship flying over the sea. the titular saurians themselves instantly impress. Unlike the Silurians, there are only slight tweaks to the look of the Pertwee originals and I love the way in which their moving lips do not seem to be intoning English. However, whilst Haolu Wang makes it look fantastic, there are problems once the shot-length reduces and parts of the fight scenes flow very poorly as if, they too, have suffered under time constraints, as there are some shocking editing failures.


The production of modern Doctor Who makes it impossible for a story to fail in the same way as, to pick a random example, Warriors of the Deep. The script we have is less polished than the one for the Sea Devils' last appearance, although it's refreshing that Chibnall has not applied his palaeontological expertise to the Sea Devils' back story. however, as a whole, the script shows every sign of carelessness and even indifference to its eventual effectiveness. I really enjoyed "Eve of the Daleks" and I find it sad that, in the penultimate story of his era, Chibnall exhibits most of his worst tendencies.


NEXT: "The Power of the Doctor"

Monday 18 April 2022

"Eve of the Daleks"

The Daleks return to herald the new year for the third time. The previous year had seen a rather soulless Chris Chibnall script saved by a very confident production. This time, we have the Daleks and a closing time loop. It's a simple story but one that has, possibly the best script that Chibnall has written to date. There is little fat in the story and the dialogue has a lightness and humour that feel like the effortless sparkle of the Davies and Moffat eras - “Good hearted weirdos are actually the keepers!” is a line truly definitive of Doctor Who itself and one of the finest lines of the era. The Daleks themselves are merciless and constantly adapting and the constant “Daleks do not...” lines go through repetitive to being funny. The events of Flux are dealt with quickly, so we can truly enjoy this episode alone.

There is a very small guest cast, but it is one of the most effective that the programme has ever seen. On paper, Nick seems too bizarre a character to work – a man who hoards his exes' detritus and has an unrequited love could be off-putting, to say the least. Yet Adjani Salmon projects a really likeable sense of naivety that truly defines the good hearted weirdo. However, the main guest role of Sarah is filled by Aisling Bea, one of the funniest, most charismatic and likeable comedians in the world. Bea seems real, sympathetic and hilarious in every second of her screen time. She is so good, that you can imagine a version of the story without the Doctor and her companions, with just Bea and Salmon. 

I loved Graham and Ryan, but the blossoming of Yas has been truly wonderful to behold and the duo of Yas and Dan has succeeded as in a far shorter time than the Fam.  We have a companion in love with the Doctor again, but it's in a more realistic way than ever before – for the first time, Chibnall has handled something better than his predecessors. Dan is the loveable, yet resourceful scamp that he always is. Perhaps necessarily, the Doctor is written rather thinly, but Jodie fills in the gaps magnificently.

The limited locations mean that there is no need for the widescreen vistas and extravagant special effects of past weeks. Yet the production is tight as a drum and even something as mundane as a storage centre is built, lit and shot with care, with Annetta Laufer making something that is, by its nature, repetitive seem constantly fresh. Personally, without being disparaging, 'Beef N' Beans' is one of Chibnall's best gifts to the Whoniverse!

"Eve of the Daleks" was transmitted exactly 50 years after the first episode "Day of the Daleks" and it does its illustrious predecessors proud, a pride that Chibnall has earned the right to feel for himself. I sincerely hope that he won't let us down in the final act of his era.

NEXT: "Legend of the Sea Devils"

Thursday 23 December 2021

Flux

The first full series to be made after the first waves of the COVID pandemic (and the last full series for Jodie Whittaker) was to be one multi-part story which brings to mind the last time such a task was attempted. Although, unlike in 1986, Doctor Who's future is very much assured, the fact that it is not gaining the viewing figures it used to, immediately make one think of the end of the Colin Baker era. Flux is only about 30 minutes shorter than The Trial of a Time Lord, but is closer in structure to its '60s predecessor, The Daleks' Master Plan, in that it is one narrative that has some episodes that form discrete individual stories. Those 20th Century four bears have very different reputations, so to say that Flux falls between the two in terms of quality, is not very helpful! Flux is, however, very much Chris Chibnall's final statement on how he sees Doctor Who, so here we go.

The good news is that Flux contains some of the best episodes yet of the Chibnall era. "The Halloween Apocalypse" sets up things very well, with a wealth of memorable scenes and dizzying concepts and in its follow-up, "War of the Sontarans", we have a fun little alternate history/reality distortion story, where Russia has been replaced by a Sontaran bridgehead, resulting in the Sontarans being the masters of Earth, making the Crimean war a very different conflict. A fortnight later, we were given the pinnacle of Jodie Whittaker's tenure, "Village of the Angels". This story is lesser to the Weeping Angel stories written by their creator, but only by comparison, and is a tense, scary joy from beginning to end and proof that it is possible to make a fresh and surprising base-under-siege story, a story that ends with one of the best cliffhangers in the show's history (not affected by a bizarrely placed mid-credits scene). The remaining episodes are purely part of Flux's narrative. Of these, "Once, Upon Time" is a mind-bending puzzle box but, crucially, expands on the characters with some deft writing and performances that sets up what could be an intriguing finale . However, in the final two episodes, "Survivors of the Flux" and "The Vanquishers" that is not quite what we are promised. Although Chibnall's solution isn't the cuniculus ex capellum plot contrivance that I was fearing, there is the sloppiness in plotting that has been all too common. It seems that Chibnall is sometimes lacking confidence in his own creations; the Passengers are never sold as what they feel like to the viewer – an evil version of the TARDIS, which would have made the solution far more resonant. In addition, as I said, many, many moons ago in commenting on the resolution of "Last of the Time Lords", Doctor Who should be grounded on a contemporary Earth that is relatable to the viewer. Whilst it seems we have this, there is no indication that the effects of the Flux have been reversed. We are left with a universe of only a handful of galaxies and we are explicitly shown the destruction of Jupiter – something that would have cataclysmic effects on the movement of everything orbiting the Sun.

However, something that goes a very long way to compensating for the plot problems is the best character writing Chibnall has done to date. The Doctor's allies are a very appealing cohort. Chibnall has always been keen to bring back more of the educational aspect of Sydney Newman's vision (for history that is; the less said about the science, the better!) and we have appearances by Mary Seacole and, most wonderfully, Joseph Williamson, a person of whom I had not heard, but is integrated into Doctor Who better that any historical figure to date. An outstanding performance by Steve Oram surely resulted in a spike in hits to Williamson's Wikipedia page.

Characters like Bel and Vinder would usually be ciphers in previous Chibnall stories, but they are used well in the plot and brought to life by likeable performances by Thaddea Graham and Jacob Anderson. More sketchily written is Claire, but her plot is fascinating and she is effectively played by Annabel Scholey. Unlike with the previous returnee actor from a 1984 story, it would have been a miracle if this had not been the best Doctor Who story that Kevin McNally had appeared in. Professor Jericho is a truly wonderful character that I am sorry could not have remained as a proper companion. Then there is Karvanista the Lupar. The prosthetics indicate a fun alien, like the Cats of New Earth, but Craig Els makes him so much more. The expression of fury and despair on Karvanista's face when he learns of the genocide of the Lupari is all the more impressive in that it is delivered by an actor wearing a dog mask. I really hope that Karvanista remains a permanent fixture on the programme. Speaking of which, Jemma Redgrave makes a long-overdue return as Kate Stewart and fits into this new era like a glove.

Flux is blessed with easily the most charismatic villains of the Chibnall era, in the shape of the Ravagers, Azure and Swarm. Rochenda Sandall and Sam Spruell thoroughly command the screen helped by the nightmare-inducing prosthetics that they have been given. The Sontarans are back, with a more rugged look, but still with the brilliant Dan Starkey as the lieutenant. Strax became too beloved a character for Starkey to be in command, but we have Jonathan Watson performing admirably in those roles. Hovering between tertiary and quaternary villain status is Craig Parkinson's Grand Serpent, whose louche style always makes for interesting villains.

I love the Fam, but, it must be said that Yaz really shines on her own, and Mandip Gill gives one of the all-time great companion performances. this is helped by the fact that Yaz never states verbally something that has just been shown on screen - a very annoying trait of Chibnall's in earlier episodes. As I am only really familiar with him as a comedian, I was very pleasantly surprised by how effective John Bishop was as Dan and Chibnall cannot be faulted in any way in writing his character arc; of especial notice is Dan's relationship with Di, which is totally convincing and is given a very real conclusion. As with the Fam's Sheffield-ness, the Liverpudlian aspect is really well emphasised, and is brought to a hilarious crescendo, when Dan and his parents are discussing woks, a word that doubles its syllable count in a Scouse accent. Jodie Whittaker is playing against historical figures, malevolent primordial entities, other people inhabiting her form and two different versions of herself and is thoroughly spellbinding throughout. I look forward to seeing what remains of this new TARDIS line-up.

The production has been kicked into overdrive with some spectacular imagery although some cracks show (notably where the Doctor has her astral conference with the Mouri, which is not significantly better than a 70s CSO scene). However, the scenes with the Flux itself are spectacular and directors Azhur Saleem and Jamie Magnus Stone helm a very talented cast and production team. The freeing of Swarm is a masterpiece of teatime horror and there is a refreshing 3-dimensional quality to the space shots – too many films and tv programmes forget that space is infinite in all directions.

Cryptically suffusing this new Whoniverse, is the Division. We are again given a few more scraps of the Doctor's hidden lives and Chibnall provides us with startling snapshots, and a great role for Barbara Flynn as Tecteun, but it's unclear if he will give his rewriting of the mythos the power that it needs; it has the potential to be as existentially diquieting as the theory exemplified as Liu Cixin's Dark Forest. Also intriguing is the concept of the struggle between Time and Space (which brings to mind Sapphire and Steel) but, again, i have some concerns as to whether Chibnall can pull off this conceptual turn.

Despite being considerably better in almost every respect, like Colin Baker's swansong, Flux is less than the sum of his parts. However there is simply too much good stuff to dismiss it in the same way and I keep my fingers crossed for the remainder of this era.

NEXT: "Eve of the Daleks"

Sunday 31 October 2021

"Revolution of the Daleks"


There was not an unusually lengthy wait for the next Doctor Who episode following "The Timeless Children". However, what came in between those episodes in the real world, made it seem like the longest wait of all, in a time where many thought that the threads that hold civilisation together would snap. Yet, thankfully, Doctor Who was not stopped by the ravages of COVID and the first day of 2021 brought us a brand new episode and, for Chris Chibnall, that means the return of the Doctor’s deadliest foes.

Again, Chibnall decides to crib freely from the past with The Power of the Daleks (via "Victory of the Daleks") being the main source. The Daleks are used as RoboCops to quell civil unrest and there is another internecine Dalek conflict. As a plot, this is perhaps the least inventive script in well over a decade. It hangs together, but there is virtually nothing that cannot be anticipated by the viewer. There is a prologue which adds nothing to the story and, in fact, removes the surprise of the Daleks’ appearance.

Where the script is far better is in the characters. Yas, as befits what the future will be like, is very much the lead companion and her obsession with not only finding the Doctor, but continuing her work, is very much the heart of the story, and we have a wonderful performance from Mandip Gill. We have the last appearance of Ryan and Graham as regulars and Tosin Cole and Bradley Walsh make us truly regret the splitting up of the fam. John Barrowman returns and his chemistry with his oldest friend is instant. Our leading lady is masterful throughout and Jodie Whittaker somehow makes the decades that separated the Doctor from her fam seem evident in her performance alone.

The secondary villains are the legendary Dame Harriet Walter as the ruthless Prime Minister and Christ Noth returning as Jack Robertson. Whilst it is great to see him, he appears to be in a different story to the rest of the cast (a special mention must me made of the great supporting turn by the hugely versatile Nathan Stewart-Jarrett as Leo) which is a rare fault in the otherwise very impressive helming by Lee Haven Jones. We have seen Dalek saucers flying over London before, but Jones makes it seem fresh and exciting. The scenes in the Dalek factory in Osaka are masterfully shot and, again, the scenes with the Dalek out of its case are very eerie. The RoboCop Daleks are a great design, but it’s great to see the bronze ones return.

"Revolution of the Daleks" is great fun, but, again, it is because a rather anaemic script by Chibnall is given an invigorating transfusion by every other aspect of the production. For the sake of the programme, it is to be hoped that the rest of his tenure will show some improvement.

NEXT: Flux

Sunday 19 April 2020

"Ascension of the Cybermen"/"The Timeless Children"


For the past two years I have repeatedly made one observation about the current lead writer for Doctor Who. He is following in the footsteps of two of the finest writers in the world and the fact remains that he is not only not in the same league, but has another league in between his league and their league. This will inevitably affect the direction and quality of the programme. The lack of sheer poetry in Chibnall's dialogue, when compared with his predecessors is evident, but not, in the end, too damaging. Critically, however, Chibnall still exhibits a lack of care when it comes to resolving plots, something that was of particular concern when before watching "Ascension of the Cybermen"/"The Timeless Children", because it builds on the revelations of "Fugitive of the Judoon" to form the greatest reformatting of Doctor Who's mythology since The Deadly Assassin, if not "An Unearthly Child" itself.

The driving force is the reintroduction of the Cybermen – bold, considering that the two previous Cyberman stories were the best ones ever made, in my opinion. We see the return of the memorable Ashad, the tortured half-convert from the previous story, who is now the leader. Again, as with the two Moffat Cyber-stories, we have the Master thrown into the mix as well. We are also given the concept of a fugitive remnant of humans fighting extinction. These form a strong framework to hang the story on, which is a good thing, as there is some of the lack of attention to detail that has cropped up before. The characterisation of the remnant humans are sketchy, the Death Particle is a pound shop version of the Daleks' Reality Bomb that is dropped into the plot a bit too conveniently. Critically, we are never sure what the actual Ascension of the Cybermen is – the aspect that seems to point the way to it, the image of the awakened Cybermen made to scream by Ashad's lieutenants is memorable, but unexplained. Most critically, we have the portrayal of our leading lady. The characterisation raises some big issues, most notably the fact that the Doctor is willing to cut a moral Gordian Knot by allowing someone else to sacrifice himself.

And yet , while there are issues with how Chibnall writes the character, he also sets out to rewrite the Doctor's history and that of the Time Lords; and the ideas and de- and remythologisation work well. The new origin story for the Time Lords manages to be memorable, disturbing, and, crucially (and in the best possible way) raises more questions than answers. In revealing more about the Doctor's past, we are left with a figure as mysterious as the one in the junkyard in Totters' Lane. As one of the many people who know what the final revelations of the Cartmel Masterplan were, Chris Chibnall's bombshell is a considerable improvement over what would have been revealed in Sylvester McCoy's fourth season. The, at first, entirely disconnected story of Brendan the Irish policemen shows Chibnall reaching for a Moffat level of conceptual ingenuity – and succeeding to a very welcome degree!

The story is realised with epic flourish, with flotillas of attacking cyberdrones and warping battle cruisers materialising on an immaculately shot battlefield location. The supporting actors make their hastily written characters really work – Julie Graham's character Ravio, realising that she is on the planet where her race originated on is a surprisingly powerful scene. The fam are as utterly delightful as ever, with Ryan finally making the shot that he missed and a wonderful scene between Graham and Yas, showing the difference between Cockney and Yorkshire 'sharing'. The more proactive role that Yas has been taking of late, is wonderful, improving the fam's chemistry, no end. Patrick O'Kane spits venom again as Ashad and his ultimate destruction is unexpectedly sudden. At this point we must address one thing – the Cybermasters. The design is ridiculous, bordering on the New Paradigm Daleks, especially when compared with the other Cyberman designs in the story. It would have helped no end for the Doctor to have pointed out how silly they look.

Sacha Dhawan effectively shows the pain and fury of his new-found relationship between the Master and his best Enemy. The enemy in question, the Timeless Child is a huge task for Jodie Whittaker as an actress and she is more than up to the challenge. After a memorable pep-talk from her unknown former-self, we are treated to the magnificent sequence where the Doctor blows the matrix with her memories, realised magnificently as a drop beat to the Doctor Who theme music. The Doctor is still with us, bigger and more magnificent than ever before.

Chibnall, as I've said before is a lesser writer than his predecessors. Yet, despite its faults, "Ascension of the Cybermen"/"The Timeless Children" show him increasing his reach by striving to be better than anyone thought he could be. He fails, of course, but what we are left with is a very good story, although not the classic that the Chibnall era has been lacking, so far. I look forward to what's coming next.

NEXT: "Revolution of the Daleks"

Saturday 22 February 2020

"The Haunting of Villa Diodati"

The meeting of minds that took place in the summer of 1816 at the Villa Diodati would be fascinating enough if it had just been one of those legendary gatherings of the great and good. However, as this summer produced Frankenstein and The Vampyre it is fair to say that Doctor Who itself would not exist were it not for the creativity that that sunless summer spawned. It is bold, therefore for the Doctor to gleefully gatecrash this legendary holiday. We do get the expected story of the Doctor meeting and possibly influencing a great writer. However, this is achieved in an intoxicating, reality-folding horror story, with some genuine shocks and some clever moments. Strangely, there are no really big names amongst the cast of characters in the Villa Diodati, but each actor portrays their role well. Lili Miller makes a very charismatic Mary Shelley and Maxim Baldry a wonderfully grumpy Dr Polidori. As a poet, Byron is a master, but, unlike his daughter, he was far less admirable as a person and the story portrays not only his charisma but, rather than the usual trio of characteristics associated with him, he is also cowardly and callous, brought out in a fine performance as Jacob Collins-Levy. There is also a nice turn from Nadia Parkes as the tragic Claire Clairmont, who is given a good deal of dignity, here. The scenes in the Villa with just the regulars and the historical holidaymakers are, in turns, delightful, funny, spooky and shocking.

However, the story also has to set up the finale, and we have our first encounter with the lone Cyberman. It is here that we have some very woolly writing that could have done with a few more drafts – the nature of the Cyberium, presumably a far-future version of Mr Clever is rather poorly explained and the to-ing and fro-ing concerning Shelley's importance in the timeline doesn't really work. We are helped with a very arresting performance by Patrick O'Kane who memorably chews the scenery. The Cyberman is not one we've encountered before, naming himself as Ashad and being clearly emotional – his declamation of the experience of his killing of his family is suffused with both sadism and pain.

Emma Sullivan again puts fantastic work behind the camera. The scenes progress alternately with snappy urgency and slow dread when required. The cinematography throughout is excellent, so when the sun finally bursts in, it is a wondrous shock to viewer and character alike. The period detail is wonderful, as is the Cyberman, who has shades of Star Trek's Borg about it. The regulars continue to do excellent work, with Ryan being a standout this week. In the face of the Lone Cyberman, Jodie Whittaker has the Doctor seem closer to the Lonely God than she has ever been, but we are also, for the first time, given the Doctor as an object of desire, by Byron, no less – and “Mrs” Doctor is having none of it.

There are some large problems with the script, but "The Haunting of Villa Diodati" is very well made and tremendously entertaining. Of course, some questions might be answered in coming weeks – the materialisation of the Cyberman does seem very familiar...

NEXT: "Ascension of the Cybermen"

Sunday 16 February 2020

"Can You Hear Me?"

There is a great deal to commend "Can You Hear Me?", however the debut script from promising playwright Charlene James (with help from Chris Chibnall) has some problems which stem from one main factor – failure to integrate the monsters of the week with the issue of the week. We have the introduction of Zellin and Rakaya, a sub-group of the Eternals (with namechecks for the Guardians and the Celestial Toymaker) who feed off nightmares. We have the monsters in the shape of the Aleppo nightmare creatures. However, in a coda, we look at how people suffer by keeping their pain to themselves. These low-key scenes are quietly brilliant, particularly Yas’s journey from troubled teenager to promising police officer. This is the kind of thing that Charlene James has excelled at before and it shows. Although this does have a certain connection to Zellin and Rakaya’s parasitism of nightmares, it is not a great one and there is the feeling that it is an attempt to blend two very promising individual stories together, with not entirely successful results.

Whatever flaws there are in the writing, the realisation is astonishingly good and the lack of cohesion between the two main strands in the plot are considerably lessened by the visualisation. The effects are stunning as are the sets, with the harp-like interface for the alien space ship being very original. The detached fingers would be all-but-impossible to ruin as a scary concept, but director Emma Sullivan goes the extra mile in all respects. Particularly impressive is the realisation of the nightmare creatures, who are just another monster on the page and as a CG maquette, but are terrifying in Sullivan's hands, especially when their hands grab someone, in the teaser. The best indication of Sullivan's skill in this area is the realisation of Yas's nightmares – simple, yet unsettling. There is also the great use of animation for the story of Zellin and Rakaya's origin and imprisonment (with a nod, I’m sure, to Sapphire and Steel. The casting of Ian Gelder is key to making Zellin as effective as he is and we have the effortlessly charismatic Clare-Hope Ashitey as Rakaya. Aleppo has recently been in the public eye for being one of the most horrific parts in one of the most horrific places on Earth. It is useful to remember that Syria was not always thus and Aleppo arguably has a history and culture unequalled in the world. Aruhan Galieva portrays Tahira with real passion, making her another inductee into the 'companion who could have been' category. Special mention must be made of Nasreen Hussain as PC Anita Patel, the person whom Yas really needed to meet to become who she was.

The regulars are on fine form, with Yas continuing to impress as it is her story that is easily the most compelling here. Bradley Walsh makes Graham's fear of his cancer returning quietly effective and it’s good to see Sharon D Clarke back. Tosin Cole is not to be overshadowed, though - if there's one thing that shows how delivery can elevate a line, it's Ryan's 'I brought chips though!'. Jodie Whittaker is given rather less inspired dialogue but, again, she really goes to work with what she has.

If there's one scene which shows the main problem with "Can You Hear Me?" it's the Doctor's reaction to Graham opening up to her. Especially after the excellent scenes with Yas and Ryan's friend Tibo, it comes off as clumsily bathetic, which the performances of Walsh and Whittaker can only partly compensate for. There are some moments of true excellence in this story, but it's a pity that they could not have been woven into a narrative that could have produced a true classic.

NEXT: "The Haunting of Villa Diodati"

Saturday 8 February 2020

"Praxeus"

Pete McTighe's "Kerblam!" was a very enjoyable story and, like Ed Hime, I was keen to see him come back. Like Hime's "Orphan 55", "Praxeus" is s standalone adventure with a strong environmental streak. Unlike "Orphan 55", "Praxeus", is an astonishing example of how fantastic such a story can be. The only villain in the story is short-sightedness – the alien humanoids lack of care in experimenting on Earth and, of course, the main subject of the episodes – microplastic. Like Robert Holmes looking at how many plastic gadgets and products surround the average person and creating the Autons, McTighe and Chibnall look at the disturbing accumulation of the detritus left from those same plastics breaking down, and created one of the most terrifying threats the programme has ever had – the plastic-mutating Praxeus virus. The plotting and pacing are frequently relentless, but the varied locations and adrenaline-charged scenes illustrate that this is a global problem and an urgent one, which is why the Doctor enters the scene running and barely lets up.

The writers have created what is the best use of the fam and their dynamic, yet. For most of the episode, the fam is split into three groups and all three of the fam-ily have their 'Doctor-y' moments – Ryan is the first to appear in the story and that scene has some of the same beats as the Doctor's first appearance in "Rose". Best of all is that, for the first time since "Demons of the Punjab", Yas truly shines – her disappointment at not having discovered an alien planet is hilarious, as is her correction of Graham's use of the scanner. The Doctor is given, perhaps, the most Doctor-y challenge to overcome – saving her favourite species from their own short-sightedness and Jodie Whittaker is on fire. In such a maelstrom, characterisation can suffer, but here, supporting characters are given enough nuances to register, with slightly needy vlogger Gabriela and the Doctor's science crush Suki, who, of course ends up disappointing her. The main support comes from Warren Brown and Matthew McNulty as Jake and Adam, a mismatched, yet wholly believable married couple, which gives the episode its few respites from the breakneck pace.

Jamie Magnus Stone returns to realise this frenetic tale and he uses the vivid locations to paint an epic globe-trotting experience. The most effective sequences are, of course, the manifestation of the Praxeus virus. The flocks of birds are reminiscent of Hitchcock, and all the better for it. The symptoms of the virus are utterly horrifying and very well shot and edited. They are more terrifying than the corpse mutilation in "The Woman Who Fell to Earth", yet, unlike Tim Shaw's trophy hunting, not crossing the line in appropriateness – an important distinction that Chibnall has learnt.

"Praxeus" starts and ends with a David Attenborough-style narration by the Doctor, but the wearing of its environmentalist heart on its sleeve feels far less preachy than in "Orphan 55" and only makes this vibrant story all the more appealing.

NEXT: Can You Hear Me?

Sunday 2 February 2020

"Fugitive of the Judoon"

Seeing the trailer for "Fugitive of the Judoon" led one to have a few expectations for it. A low-key rural romp, with a welcome return for an entertaining, though not scary monster. And, for a while, this is what we get. However, this episode reminds us of something which has been missing from the Chibnall era – genuine jaw-dropping surprise. In this joint script by Chibnall and Vinay Patel, we have the abrupt change in direction of "Utopia", combined with the huge changes to the programme's mythology of The War Games. It is, perhaps, no exaggeration that this could mean a bigger change for the Doctor's character history than the moment Whittaker opened her eyes in "Twice Upon a Time"

As in "Utopia", we are given a perfectly respectable story to be getting along with, with nice small-scale characters in low-stakes conflict – the rivalry between Lee and All Ears Allan is both delightful and funny and the Judoon fit perfectly into this situation. However, the plotline is very similar to "Smith and Jones" and, when we find that there's more to the character of Ruth that we think, it seems that Chibnall is recycling  the plot of his very average Torchwood episode "Sleeper". Torchwood springs easily to mind because, for the first time in nearly a decade, John Barrowman explodes back onto the screen as Captain Jack. He looks remarkably unaged and it is a real joy to have him back.

Yet this shock pales next to the subsequent one – for Ruth is not merely an alien in disguise, she's an alien wanderer in time and space, in a ship called the TARDIS, known only as the Doctor. Jo Martin gives a solid performance as Ruth, but she dazzles as the Doctor, giving further evidence of the theory that half of all British actors dream of playing the part. This brings out Jodie Whitaker's best performance yet as the Doctor. The first shot of her reminds me of a thought I had of her in her debut story, looking like William Hartnell would look like if he were a beautiful young woman. The sheer expressiveness of her face is an asset that has never been put to better use. The fam are with her all the way and each one of them flow with the relentless surge of the story, but are not overwhelmed. The first evidence of this story not being what it appears to be, is the rapid disposal of the supporting characters – however, Neil Stuke makes Lee someone with a past, a mission and a love and Ritu Arya is also memorable as Time Lord badass Gat.

Nida Manzoor is superb at the staging of all these scenes and refreshingly ensures that the major shocks and revelations are realised by moments involving actors. The location filming in Gloucester is great and the space battle scenes are shot with an intensity that belie the few sets used.

"Fugitive of the Judoon"'s true effectiveness can only be truly measured when Chibnall's full plan has been revealed. It has raised the stakes higher than any Moffatt or Davies story and it is a genuine fear that Chibnall will not match what those two, almost peerless writers have done. As it stands, "Fugitive of the Judoon" is thrilling and wonderfully realised, giving real hope for the future.

NEXT: "Praxeus"

Sunday 26 January 2020

"Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror"

It's time for this year's visit to the past and an encounter with a famous historical figure and we have, not only the fascinating figure of Nikola Tesla, but his more famous nemesis, Thomas Edison. This is the debut story from Nina Metivier and her inexperience sometimes shows. On paper, it does feel like the paint-by-numbers version of the Doctor meets a famous historical figure and helps them fight monsters a bit too slavishly and the progression of the solution is sometimes a bit too woolly. However, the monsters in question, the Skithra, tie in well with the central theme of inspiration and inventiveness versus piracy and parasitism although the scenes of the monsters attacking lack verve on the page. One wonders what the considerably greater conceptual ingenuity of RTD and Moffat would have given to these monsters, come rewrites.

However, it is in the characters that the script really comes into its own, helped immeasurably by the performances of Robert Glenister as Edison and, especially, Goran Višnjić as Tesla. Višnjić has always shown incredible charisma, reaching an international audience in ER, a medical drama that was considerably more than the sum of its parts, but his joy at playing someone who is clearly a hero of his, is palpable. Although it was always hugely unlikely that this was going to be the best Doctor Who story he appeared in, Glenister refuses to be outshone. He very interestingly plays Edison with hints of a considerably less intelligent businessman who is currently making an absolute dog's dinner of being the President of the United States. However, Edison is an antagonist, rather than a villain and, despite his portrayal as a ruthless businessman, is shown as being loyal to his employees and his shock and sorrow of the murders on his factory floor are well-conveyed. Behind some heavy prosthetics we have the welcome return of Anjli Mohindra to the Whoniverse. Despite having matured greatly as an actress, the child-like glee she has as the Skithra Queen is fantastic. The Fam are very well written, - Ryan and Graham are their usual cheeky selves and we are treated to Tesla and Yas alternating the role of Doctor and companion in their breakaway scenes. The real Doctor is a champion of inspiration and invention and Whittaker aces every scene.

Nida Manzoor is very good with the actors and the action scenes, but strangely not so sharp with visual comedy – the revelation of Tesla’s bare laboratory could have easily been done better. This is odd, considering Manzoor’s pedigree. However, the whole production has a very cinematic feel, even though – wisely – Manzoor does not attempt to compete with Tesla's unforgettable entrance in Christopher Nolan's The Prestige. A problem with the Skithra Queen is her similarity in appearance to the Queen of the Racnoss thirteen years ago which is unfortunate.

"Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror" manages to overcome its flaws to become a very enjoyable piece of work. However it does show that the pseudo-historical is not as easy to write as it seems – a warning that future writers should take note of.

NEXT: "Fugitive of the Judoon"

Sunday 19 January 2020

"Orphan 55"

"It Takes You Away" was a real highlight of Jodie Whittaker’s first series and writer Ed Hime’s return was something I, along with many others, was looking forward to. Strangely, for the writer of an episode that felt like nothing else previously broadcast under the Doctor Who banner, "Orphan 55" is a type of story that we have seen a fair few times before – welcome to the base-under-siege! Although this type of story is nothing like as prevalent and predictable as it was in the middle part of the Troughton era, it is surprising how un-surprising much of the plot is. The roles and motivation of the characters range from the functional to the sketchy – key character Kane seems like the traditional security chief type character, but is she the owner/designer of Tranquility Spa? However, Hime makes sure that there is solid world-building and futuristic incomprehensibility – the ionic membrane, the Hopper virus, the fakations. More importantly, Hime ensures that stock scenes do not unfold in a stock manner – the way in which we are immediately thrown into the action is both thrilling and funny, but not as funny as the scene where Ryan is cured of the Hopper virus. If anything, the story has too many ideas (which can be dealt with) and too many characters (which is detrimental).

Lee Haven Jones directs with great energy and has a great cast to help him. The old couple keeping their love alive is an old cliché, but Julia Foster and Col Farrell are touching as Vilma and Benni. Laura Fraser brings her unique presence to the role of Kane and Gia Ré does very well with the rather sketchy character of Bella - there is a reason that terrorists with mummy issues aren't stock characters! James Buckley brings his cheeky charisma to the role of Nevi and Lewin Lloyd, fresh off of playing one of the most tragic minor characters in modern fiction, is great as his son, Sylas, again, rather basically written. The writing for the Fam, however, is top notch and with Graham’s glee at his free holiday, Ryan’s hilarious reaction to hallucinatory side effects and Yas’s unintended gooseberrying, the Doctor’s companions just keep on giving. As for the Doctor herself, she’s a whirling dervish of solutions and outrage at what her favourite species can do to themselves.

The monsters of the week are the very well-realised Dregs and it turns out that Orphan 55 is not the far-off alien rock we thought it was, with the dregs being mutated degenerate humans, straight out of some of the more depressing chapters of Last and First Men. Some would say that the warnings over the environment are laid on a bit thick but frankly, we are running out of reasons to put our fingers in our ears.

It is perhaps unfair to view "Orphan 55" as a disappointment- it is well made and achieves what it is set out to do and is clearly a lesser script by a very good writer. I’m sure that viewing it in the context of the season will work very well in its favour.

NEXT: "Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror"