"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"