"The Interstellar Song Contest"

Although I have no strong feelings against it, I have never been that interested in the Eurovision Song Contest – in fact the strongest feelings that I've ever harboured against it, is when it has caused Doctor Who to be postponed for a week! So here, for the first time, we have Doctor Who being broadcast on the same day as Eurovision and, indeed, acting as its lead-in. There is a degree of embarrassment in some quarters, when it's announced that Doctor Who is incorporating contemporary popular culture, and yet, in my opinion, the programme has always done so very well. Nevertheless I was expecting a fun, throwaway story as a palate cleanser before the finale, so I was pleasantly surprised to find something more. The script by Juno Dawson has a straightforward plot, very well executed, but she concentrates on how this seemingly superficial event is often used as a political tool - in recent years, two of the most sensitive and controversial issues have been brought to the fore in Eurovision. Here, its Interstellar descendant is hijacked in a more direct way. Demonisation of ethnic groups and corporate greed are explored without darkening the story too much. I am not in Juno Dawson's target audiences, but my first exposure to her work has left me very interested in reading more of her work.

Characterisation is functional, but a very talented guest cast make the most of their roles. The main adversary is vividly brought to life by Freddie Fox, who channels his patrician charm into conveying the rage and pain of Kid. Miriam-Teak Lee portrays someone from a different background who has had to make radically different choices with great skill. The companion roles are filled by the brilliant Charlie Condou and Kadiff Kirwan (star of the hugely underrated Timewasters) as the Gabbastones. For me, Rylan Clark is just one of those famous face that I couldn't put a name to, so I just judged the performance, which was very good.

The script might be more concerned with the political hijacking of the Song Contest, but the production goes to extremely effective lengths to realise the OTT glitz and glamour. Ben A. Williams helms a pacy and exciting story. The production design is flawless. 4K is pretty much ubiquitous for prestige television, but it is rarely utilised to its full potential. Here, every pixel is used to emphasise the scale and vivid colours of the event. Then there is the music with Murray Gold excelling in capturing the cheesiness of the music. There are times when I think that "Dugga Doo" is the very pinnacle of his career.

The Doctor and Belinda are largely separated, which brings new depths to their characters. Belinda's sorrow over the apparent death of the Doctor and her helplessness at her stranding are very well conveyed by Varada. However, the Doctor fighting evil, whilst believing his companion to be dead is a formidable figure indeed. Every beat of this iteration of the Doctor is there, yet Ncuti makes it seem fresh. His torturing of Kid is one of those steps too far that the Doctor sometimes takes and we can see why even his allies are a bit scared of him.

However, mention must be made of the fact that the Doctor is not the only Time Lord. Making many fans choke on whatever they were eating, Carole Ann Ford makes a stunning surprise cameo. And then there's the revelation of Mrs Flood. Bigeneration happens again, and we are doubly introduced to the Rani, with the wonderful Archie Panjabi making her debut.

"The Interstellar Song Contest" is great fun and I eagerly look forward to the latest clash of the Time Lords.

NEXT: "Wish World"/"The Reality War"

"The Story & The Engine"

The issue of the Doctor's similarity to a human being of African descent has been addressed before, but it is explored more fully here than ever before, as we are taken to a place that is very rarely explored in mainstream Western art – the modern Africa. Nigeria has a special part in the broadcast history of the programme – it's continued popularity there led to the recovery of many precious early episodes. one of those influenced being the very talented Inua Ellams. Doctor Who has a wide variety of stories, but it is part of the Western storytelling tradition and, for the first time, we are taken out of that. The plot twists and turns in ways which seem strange, but wrap up, in the end. The victim becomes the villain, but is redeemed by choosing a different path, to journey to the point after the end of his original plan. Men create models and stories that become gods and engines.

The production is perfectly in tune with the concepts. The use of oral tradition is literally illustrated as being a growing, living thing, The title sequence becomes part of that tapestry and the Doctor's illustration is, in stark contrast, a 4K screening - as I have said, he is a black man, not a human being of African descent. Such is the richness of the concepts, the vibrancy of some images, it only occurs to the viewer later, that the vast majority of the story is in the main area of one barbershop. Makalla McPherson expertly weaves the thread together. Murray Gold is the only significant creative who is not of African descent, yet his themes are well-integrated, without ever seeming like a pastiche.

The small cast is perfect, with Sule Rimi offering a very human heart as Omo and Michelle Asante being regal and sympathetic as Abena. The main attraction is the return of Ariyon Bakare, who shows that he doesn't need to be made up as a lion to project authority.

The Doctor's comfort in this setting leads to a subtly different performance from Ncuti as the Doctor has more of an emotional stake in events than he usually does. Rwanda is very different from Nigeria, which adds to the pathos of the outsider being given a warm welcome. Belinda is given her own little story to make up for her lesser role in the main one, and Varada Sethu is outstanding. Of course there's the one shot cameo by, perhaps, Chris Chibnall's only truly great contribution to the mythos. Hopefully, there will be more.

Unlike any story before, "The Story & the Engine" rewards multiple viewings (or should that be tellings?) – as, indeed it is designed to do!

NEXT: "The Interstellar Song Contest"

"Lucky Day"

A week on from the sequel to "Midnight", we have a more spiritual successor, and not just to one story. An everyday man has an encounter with the Doctor as a child and becomes obsessed with finding him, accumulating a group of like minded individuals in his quest to find the Doctor's companion. Despite this being the same premise as "Love & Monsters", the result is very different. Instead of the fundamentally decent Elton Pope, we have the decidedly more malign Conrad Clark and this twists "Love & Monsters" into a decidedly unpleasant shape. Instead of the guilt that Elton feels in his search for Rose, Conrad's manipulation of Ruby is utterly cruel. Instead of finding love and friendship in his search, Conrad finds enablers who match him in malevolence, though definitely not intelligence. "The Well" didn't have the social commentary on groupthink that "Midnight" had, but this is delivered in spades here. Anyone with a condenser microphone and a smartphone can make a podcast and Conrad has weaponised his own resentment. One of the infuriating things about post-lockdown is the lack of nuance in public debate. Admitting that you were wrong is almost unheard of. Changing your mind means that your followers turn against you. Whether or not you know you're wrong becomes irrelevant. Pete McTighe wrote some of the best stories of the Chibnall era and his return is very welcome.  

As with "Dot and Bubble" all of this hinges on a very unpleasant character being brought to life by a skilled performance. Jonah Hauer-King is totally believable as someone who could charm a person into believing that they were a normal lovestruck young man, whilst being a toxic narcissist. The smirk that Conrad gives after he imagines losing subscribers after admitting the truth is perfect. However, the other prominent character is one that we are very familiar with and we have the very welcome return of Millie Gibson as Ruby. Despite the fact that you can buy whiskeys at the supermarket that are older than her, her maturity and charisma is astonishing. There is very little for Belinda to do here, but we are in good hands. Kate returns (with a seemingly very good friend) as we are given a UNIT story where the greatest threat is social media. As with Lindy in "Dot and Bubble", we have some context. Conrad clearly had a troubled childhood (we are shown a child being hit, for the first time) and the fact that he supports his mother can be seen as commenting either on how nuanced familial relationships are, or how toxic relationships can become normalised. Or possibly both.

Peter Hoar returns with a slick production that makes it look like Ruby is the lead in an X-Files type programme, with nods to the brilliant "73 Yards" from the previous season. Like that story and "Love & Monsters", this is low on Time Lords. However Ncuti Gatwa burns in his few scenes. There are no tears here, just kindness and cold fury.

Doctor Who again shows that its days of commenting on current human behaviour are not over. It is wrenching to see some of the very true-to-life behaviour on display. Yet such is the skill of the production, it remains highly watchable.

NEXT: "The Story and the Engine" 

"The Well"

When it comes to rating the adversaries that the Doctor has faced this century, the Weeping Angels are usually cited as the most memorable. They were original and terrifying; yet there is a school of thought that has one enemy that is even more so. The status of "Midnight" has waxed inexorably since its airing and the unnamed entity in it was nightmare fuel for a generation. Seventeen years later, it returns – twice as long as the gap between Omega's appearances in the 20th century. Although the modus operadi is different from the first outing, it is still inexplicable, with perhaps no actual consciousness, in spite of its intelligence. You speak, it answers. It knows and understands. And yet it cannot be bargained with or appealed to. It Has No Name, after all. Again, the plan is as simple as a game played by an annoying child – instead of repetition, it's hiding behind someone. Again, the consequences are deadly.

The setting might be the same, but the scenario is different. Basically, it is the Marines in Aliens versus the entity and, as in that film, the characters are vivid, but mostly drawn in thick strokes. However, the actors put their all into the roles, making each character seem real. In particular, there are two guest roles that stand out. Rose Ayling-Ellis gives an appealing performance as Aliss, whilst keeping is wondering whether or not to trust her. Her deafness is used to season, rather than drive the plot, with sign language again being used. The role of the NCO is, however, slightly atypically written, in the form of Shaya Costallion, vividly realised by Caoilfhionn Dunne. Amanda Brotchie puts in her second outstanding stint in the director's chair, making the most of the limited setting. Functional script ideas like the holographic subtitles, become effective displays of world-building in her hands. Crucially, again, this is a terrifying story. Some of the nine-year olds who were hiding behind the sofa when "Midnight" aired, will be joined by nine-year olds of their own. The solution to the crisis is simple, effective and, of course, redolent of David Whitaker's alchemical obsession, sixty years ago!

Gatwa is only required to be more generically Doctorish, but carries that out with aplomb. The single tar is becoming something of a motif for this Doctor, yet it's still effective. Belinda Chandra continues to win all hearts, with a very basic 'battlefield nurse' role being vividly realised by Varada Sethu.

The concepts of "Midnight", that of groupthink and intolerance, are even more relevant now, in this post-lockdown world of sealed echo chambers."The Well” may not have the depth of its predecessor, but that is like comparing Aliens to Alien – lesser, perhaps, than the original, but doing something different, so that it's own qualities make it stand out on its own.

NEXT: "Lucky Day"

"Lux"

When "Space Babies" aired, I quipped that this was just the sort of Doctor Who story that a Disney takeover would produce. There is, of course a more obvious stereotype – Doctor Who with an animated villain. "Lux" provides us with an adversary unlike any before, but in doing so, takes the programme into areas new, both in terms of plot and concept.

As with the second episode of the previous series, we are introduced to a member of the pantheon, brought to life in a way that turns very simple scientific concepts into magic, in giving us the God of Light. However, despite the fiat to delve into this pantheon, this aspect is only the supporting concept, as we are taken further into the meta than ever before. Even before we deal with the breaking of the black mirror, RTD deals with the fact that events have been compressed to fit in a 45 minute runtime, meaning that motivation has to be accelerated and characters lose depth. These are largely pointed out by the adorable trio of Doctor Who fans who, although they might sometimes be annoying, found the best kind of friendship in their mutual love. There are many stories about the love of film, but this delves into subtly different areas. Photography in general and film in particular meant that, for the first time in human history, you would never forget the face of a lost loved one, because, of course, it makes you immortal. Even the real is fictionalised in memory.

The guest cast is excellent in their (probably intentionally) stock roles. It's unusual that Linus Roache's presence was not made more of a fuss of, but this very fine actor puts real soul into the role of Mr Pye and his yearning for his lost love. Hassan Chowdry, Lizzie Abel and Robyn Gossage are delightfully played by three actors who make these characters another celebration of fandom. The episode is a visual triumph, a celebration of brash Technicolor. The key sequence of the Doctor and Belinda being animated is a keen exploration of the levels of animation – from basic Hannah-Barbera to classic Looney Tunes to Disney feature film. The breakthrough to the real world is so well-handled that I genuinely felt that my living room would be graced with Ncuti Gatwa and Varada Sethu. Crucially, despite all the meta-n they never actually break the actual fourth wall – just the black mirror.

To voice Mr Ring-a-Ding, we have the return of Alan Cumming. It is a delicious performance, but it's only a part of the greatest triumph of the story. It would have been so easy to take the quickest route with an animated character, but Mr Ring-a-Ding is showcased in moving shots, slightly out of focus, all the time with eyelines perfectly kept. I can't think of a better realisation of an animated character in a live action setting. Again, Mr Ring-a-Ding's transformations are a little history lesson. On screen, he's a pre Snow White Disney character, becoming a Golden Age animation once he steps out. As he becomes more real, he moves through every development of Pixar, before becoming a deeply unsettling photo-realistic version. Amanda Brotchie's début in the director's chair is phenomenal.

The regulars have to deal with quiet character moments and interacting with a gangly cartoon pig-man. Gatwa is as astonishingly vibrant as he ever is, but Varada Sethu is fast rising up my list of great companions, making Belinda as opinionated as Donna, but in a very different way. It must also be pointed out that segregation is handled, as it had to be, considering the ethnicity of the leads and, whilst it points out the revolting idiocy of the concepts, it acknowledges that not every white person in segregated states were foaming racists.

"Lux" is something of a triumph for all concerned.

NEXT: "The Well"

"The Robot Revolution"

Doctor Who returns for its 20th year on air in the 21st Century with another bright and breezy opener. Whilst it's not as light as "Space Babies", the brightness of the design matches the broad strokes of the story. Russell T Davies again throws us directly into the life of an ordinary human being who is about to have their life turned upside down. The strange thing is that, were in not for RTD's name on the credits, one could be forgiven for thinking that this was straight out of the Moffat era. Timey-wimeyness is at the heart of the story with a near paradox being the crux of the twist near the end.

However, if one looks closer, this clearly builds on what Moffat added to the programme, whilst being still the work of RTD. There is a reason as to why we are given very little of Belinda as a regular human being, namely that she is not really built up as the companion at all. In the story, after setting up the initial premise, Belinda actually re-enters events in the middle. Usually, the Doctor enters a situation, identifies the enemy and has to win the trust of everyone else, including the new companion. Here, this has been done, with Belinda entering the story where the Doctor is helping the rebels, with the help of his new companion Sasha 55 (winningly played by Evelyn Miller).  Amusingly, this means that population already trust the Doctor, but not Belinda, by the time she enters. However, Sasha is tragically lost, meaning that Belinda has to step up. 

There is, however, more going on than setting up a season in a breezy fashion. RTD makes sure to address his worries about society – in this case,  the directions that gender politics might be headed. There is a lot that the story has to say about toxic masculinity and the fact that  Alan Budd might seem like a nice, sweet guy, emphasises how rampant misogyny can hide anywhere and his fate is both amusing and apt, reduced to his component gametes. Jonny Green makes Alan both chilling and sympathetic in an excellent performance.

Peter Hoar helms a very bold production. The look has hints of Tintin and Dan Dare and the defeat of the villain made me think of The Prisoner, for some reason. However, it has to be said, the effect of the disintegrator ray is chilling, dead cat or no dead cat. As Belinda is de-facto, rather than de jure as companion, she is more of a POV character than even Rose was in her début. Varada Sethu works wonders in the role making Belinda instantly likeable. The Doctor is very nearly peripheral, but Gatwa never lets the camera forget who the star is.

This new season starts with something that seems to distil the very essence of the programme into a very intoxicating dram.

NEXT: "Lux"

"Joy to the World"

For only the second Christmas special of his new era, Russell T Davies hands the laptop over to Steven Moffat and, whilst "Boom" very much has the Moffat stamp, "Joy to the World" feels like a journey back to fifteen years. We have the mind-banding use of time-travel, a mundane observation that opens the door (so to speak) to a deeper mystery the moments of high comedy, and pathos. Tonally, there are similarities to "The Husbands of River Song"and "The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe", in that there is a lightness to the plot, but the characters show unexpected depth. The Time Hotel may not be the most original of Moffat's concepts, but the package-holiday time travel experience is a perfect framework to hang the story on. This heady brew is mixed by Alex Sanjiv Pillai, who manages all of the varying moods and gear shifts with ease aided by a flawless production.

The main thrust of the plot, the detonation of the star-seed is a McGuffin for most of the episode, leaving the dramatic heft to characters. The trips into the past are no more that background details and there is not even an acknowledgement on screen that the mountaineers are Tenzing, Hillary and co. Even a T.rex is not the thrust of the scene in question! Instead the story slows down to highlight the people polulating it. A background character in prosthetics that is never even named (the Silurian manager) is purely a vector for the star-seed in plot terms, but is given a touching death scene. Minor character though he is, Jonathan Aris is still very much recognisable under the make-up. Joel Fry makes a comedic sidekick character into a man who does not let death get away from his purpose in life.

In order to solve a simple puzzle, the Doctor has to live life in the slow lane and in doing to, he must eschew the wonders of the Time Hotel and spend a year in one of its lesser locations, in the company of another manager, Anita. The lovely friendship that blossoms (without a hint of romance, requited or unrequited) is beautiful with Steph de Whalley winning hearts as Anita.

The main support comed from the adorable Nicola Coughlan plays Joy and her wonderful performance elevates the material. Joy is driven by tragedy, a tragedy that many who lived under lockdown shared and her efforts to cope with annually reliving the worst day of her life, at a time when the opposite is expected are easily relateable and very touching.

Loneliness has often been a theme and the Doctor is as isolated as Anita and Joy. However, despite a description of the story indicating that this is would fit into the Moffat era, the characterisation of the Doctor makes it completely a Ncuti Gatwa story. The Doctor's year with Anita is more sedate and kind than his year with the Ponds. The Lonely God and the Madman With a Box have found a happy medium. Even the Doctor berating himself is more advice than self-hatred. Gatwa knocks it out of the park in another performance that firmly puts his stamp on the role.

The star-seed, as said, is a McGuffin, until it blossoms. Joy's self-sacrifice not only saves the world, but brings hope – hope to those people in doubt that the Doctor meets, hope and Joy to her dying mother and, most daringly, hope and joy to the world, with the programme's first direct entry into biblical times. This may not be the greatest Christmas special, but it is tremendous fun, rewarding repeated views with stirring genuine emotion.

NEXT: "The Robot Revolution"