"The Return of Doctor Mysterio"

2016 was a very grim year on very many fronts, a grimness that was not alleviated by a new series of Doctor Who being broadcast, with the gap of exactly one year being the longest since the return of the programme. I said, when I reviewed "The Husbands of River Song" that it was a 'carefree romp'. However, although it can hardly be described as a romp, "The Return of Doctor Mysterio" is, if anything, even less concerned with anything other than being thoroughly entertaining.

Initially, the fusion of the world of Doctor Who with superheroes may seem odd – the Doctor's modus operandi is defiantly different from any of the costumed crazies that Marvel, DC and the like throw at us. However, the threats they face are very similar; and this is the stage on which Steven Moffat works his magic. The main influence is, of course, Richard Donner's Superman, a film that, despite its faults, has influenced every single superhero film that followed it. There are scenes which are practically restagings of sequences from Superman, most notably the rooftop dinner scene. And, of course, we have our surrogates – a Superman, a Clark Kent and a Lois Lane. However, this is a Doctor Who story, so as well as the plucky reporter sneaking in and eavesdropping on the villains' plotting, we have the Doctor snacking on sushi, standing next to her. When the villain threatens our heroes with a gun, the Doctor suggests they be shot in the back. Of course, there is a certain metatextuality, as Superman is a known fictional character in the confines of the story, but it is unobtrusive – one can ponder about the super hero as wish-fulfillment and the ins and out of super-puberty at one's own pace.

Capaldi is as bonkers, as dashing, as funny, as powerful as he always is – it is still remarkable how much sadness he can convey through his face alone. Making a surprise return is Matt Lucas as Nardole who fills the companion's shoes very well and shows (as if we didn't know) that he can carry the drama, as well as the laughs. The Ghost himself is excellently played by Justin Chatwin who skilfully keeps the character just on the right side of parody. The very English Charity Wakefield is an unusual choice for our intrepid all-American heroine, but she brings real vibrancy to her character. As the face of Harmony Shoals, Aleksandar Jovanovic is suitably chilling as Dr Sim.

The biggest fear I had, was with the return of Ed Bazalgette. I was very unimpressed with his work in the last season, and his lacklustre work in Class didn't change that opinion. The best that I can say about him is that he doesn't mess any of the scenes up – although if you are going to use the comic panel effect, it's best not to confine in to the one scene that could fit into pretty much any drama or comedy.

This story is hugely enjoyable and, with Harmony Shoals seemingly being set up as a Big Bad (and with the similarity to the name of a character we all want to return). I am very much looking forward for the long awaited return of our favourite programme.

NEXT: "The Pilot"