"It Takes You Away"

There are some stories where there is a twist in the plot. Then there are stories where you reach the end, look back at the beginning and wonder how you got there. "It Takes You Away" sets itself up as a Nordic noir mystery and then goes to places no-one could truthfully have anticipated. The story is stuffed full of intriguing concepts, but the real success it has in its exploration of more emotional themes. The consciousness that is incompatible with the Universe, so it is rejected, to form its own cosmos is intriguing enough, but when that is combined with the themes of loneliness, the effect is potent Yas describes the Solitract as trapping people, but it is also looking for loss, which is the companion of loneliness. There is even a meditation on when love of one's marital partner and of one's child become dissonant with each other. In the Antizone, we have six-legged rats and flesh-eating moths and the disquietingly named Ribbons-of-the-Seven-Stomachs. Ed Hime’s debut script is full of great ideas and, most importantly, manages to weave them into an intriguing story. And, there's a frog.

Jamie Childs again shows he's a force to be reckoned with. The moths eating Ribbons is very close to the bone (sorry!) but, unlike "The Woman Who Fell to Earth", it does not cross the line, but will cause some healthy nightmares in younger viewers. Sharon D Clarke returns as Grace in a very assured performance, and Christian Rubeck is very effective as a father who needs to grow up a little bit more. The actor Kevin Eldon pours his unique skills into the role of Ribbons, under heavy make-up, which I hope means that we are due for another guest turn from this wonderful performer, very soon, The main guest role is Ellie Wallwork as Hanne, who is astonishing, belying the paucity of her acting CV.

The script makes good use of all the regulars, with Ryan and Yas getting good material, but it is the other two who get the lions share. Bradley Walsh is quietly astonishing as Graham, especially in his scenes with Grace. In looking at more batrachian scenes, it is the other performer who truly makes it work. Jodie Whittaker has the Doctor as brilliant and mad as ever, but it is compassion that is the driving force and it is this which makes the scene with the frog truly powerful, rather than ridiculous. The frog is something that will split viewers. Some were expecting the Solitract to manifest as Susan or River. However, that would dilute the highly emotional appearance of Grace. There are others who just find the idea of a talking frog ridiculous. I am not one of those people, as it forms part of the astonishingly varied recipe for this adventure.

"It Takes You Away" is a truly invigorating story and I look forward to more from the pen of Mr Hime!

NEXT: "The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos"