"The Husbands of River Song"

After the heady emotion of the past season, Doctor Who returns for Christmas with probably the most carefree romp the programme has had since its revival. This is a jolly tale of a hustle involving a living head in a zip-up bag, the most valuable diamond in the universe and, of course our hero, accompanied for the first time in this incarnation, by his most enduring leading lady. It is very telling that the two major supporting characters are played by comedians. In the role of King Hydroflax, we have (literally) the biggest comedian in Britain, Greg Davies, whose bombastic persona is perfectly suited to to play a ranting oaf of a galactic dictator. Matt Lucas makes Nardole into a very likable supporting role, all the more amazing in that the script never specifies who he is or what he does.


These characters are well suited to the knockabout farce of the first portion of the story. However, there is a more substantial undercurrent running throughout the story. River does not recognise the Doctor, because he does not have one of the twelve faces that his thirteen allotted Time Lord incarnations have. So, for over half the story, the Doctor gets to see what she is like when he isn't around and the difference is marked – an amoral con-artist who is not above killing her (admittedly megalomaniacal) mark and swindling the innocent. The Doctor is aghast, but not a little exhilarated by this revelation, but it is the subsequent one which leads him to refocus his perception of her personality. She may call him 'damsel' behind his back, but she needs rescuing from herself and she suspects, but doesn't care, that her love for the Doctor may not be mutual. The Doctor's co-opting of her catchphrase makes everything slot back into place as we realise that they are heading for their last meeting before his first. The performances of Peter Capaldi and Alex Kingston have to be top-notch to make this work and it is no surprise that this is precisely what we get. From the grumpy Grinch of the early scenes to the man bending time and space to make a date perfect, Capaldi is effortlessly excellent and is matched by Alex Kingston who makes us still love her character, even at her most unlovable.


Douglas Mackinnon helms a spectacular production with the humour of the early sections melding well with the unsettling Scratch characters in the middle and the elegiac romance of the end. There is the expected fantastic design and effects work. Suzie Lavelle does sterling work lensing a visually stunning episode that manages to capture everything from the festive feeling of Mendorax Dellora at Christmas to the beauty of the Singing Towers.


This story seems like a fitting farewell to River Song, but, then again, so did her last one. Let us hope that she will be back for more!

"Flatline"

Jamie Mathieson's second story in as many weeks takes us to the land of trip-hop, where people are being turned into 2-D images. This, of course sounds very familiar. While it was not exactly bad, "Fear Her" was a very flawed story that rubbed a lot of fans the wrong way. To say that "Flatline" learns from the mistakes of its predecessor is something of an understatement...

The key reason for its success is that it is genuinely frightening. Unlike the Isolus, a fresh concept of an alien that was thoroughly explained and given a motivation for, the Boneless remain as inexplicable at the end as they were at the beginning. The Doctor muses as to whether their attacks are merely a means of communication by a race so fundamentally different from us (which recalls such illustrious precedents as Stanisław Lem's Fiasco) but, whether they want to conquer or communicate, they kill to do so and, in the end, they are monsters...and we know what happens to monsters. The way in which the plot unfolds is typical of so many 'using the enemy's power against them' stories – yet, when it is as well done as it is here, the results are joyous. The concepts are, on the surface, simple, yet they are irresistible – a miniature TARDIS with a full-sized Doctor carried in Clara's handbag is an idea for a series in its own right.

Douglas Mackinnon puts in another phenomenal turn in the director's chair with an embarrassment of memorably scary scenes – PC Forrest being flattened is brilliantly rendered. The 3-D realisation of the massive attack of the Boneless, starting with the shock of the giant hand snatching Al away, is awesome with their unsettlingly jerky motion of the shapes of the dead. However, Mackinnon also brings humour when needed, especially in the brilliant scene of the Doctor literally moving the TARDIS by hand, which manages to be both hilarious and exciting. Mackinnon and the production team also manage to convey the inimitable quality that Bristol possesses, a mixture of industrial grime and bucolic cosiness. The guest cast is hugely effective. Joivan Wade is great as tricky kid Rigsy and PC Forrest's awful fate is made all the more poignant with Jessica Hayles's plaintive screams. However, the best guest performance is that of character actor extraordinaire Christopher Fairbank, who makes the loathsome jobsworth Fenton into a truly memorable character.

As he appears throughout the story, it is easy to forget that this is a Doctor-lite story, but Peter Capaldi does not let his confinement to the TARDIS limit his performance – I particularly liked his happy dance when he (temporarily) saved the shrunken TARDIS. This leaves Clara basically playing the Doctor, something that Jenna Coleman does with relish.

"Flatline" is a fun, frightening and phenomenal tale that shows that Doctor Who can scare in a multitude of different ways, without becoming boring.

NEXT: "In the Forest of the Night"

"Time Heist"

Although, I like both of Stephen Thompson's previous stories, the main reason they succeeded was due to the production, rather than the script - "The Curse of the Black Spot" in particular was rather lacklustre. So, although I was not wary of this story in the way I used to be wary of a Chris Chibnall script prior to "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship", I did have some trepidation. However, like Chibnall's archosaurian runaround, the one-line pitch of the story is irresistible and (perhaps due to Steven Moffat's co-writing credit) the puzzle-box nature of a heist plot is executed without the half-baked plot twists that characterised Thompson's earlier work. We are thrust into the story with a teaser than gets the viewer instantly hooked and the cogs of the plot keep turning throughout. There are a few things which could have been more fully explained, such as the nature of the mind link between the Teller and Madame Karabraxos - however, these do not stand in the way of how the plot develops.

The key thing that elevates this above Thompson's previous efforts are the characters. The Doctor's partners in crime Psi and Saibra are well defined characters who are given clear motivations and the appealing performances by Jonathan Bailey and Pippa Bennett-Warner flesh them out fully - I hope they make the return that the story seems to promise. Madame Karabraxos and her clone are brilliantly brought to life by the wonderful Keeley Hawes, radiating classiness and icy sadism. Douglas Mackinnon again does sterling work in the director's chair, giving the break-in sequences a real sense of tension, supervising editing to bring out the time-bending aspects of the plot and giving us some real scares. The fate of the poor shill who is the first on-screen victim of the mind-erasure is truly shocking. The production is of a very high standard, and stunning alien vistas are used judiciously and it was only after I had watched the story that it dawned on me that the corridors were the same corridors with different lighting and that there was only one Teller costume. Speaking of which, the Teller is a masterpiece of design and, under Mackinnon's direction manages to both be genuinely frightening and (later) sympathetic.

This is the type of adventure that would have fitted well with any Doctor since Eccleston, but Capaldi immediately makes it indubitably a Twelfth Doctor story. When he believes that Psi and Saibra are dead, he obviously feels the loss, but doesn't let it get in the way of what he has to do. Psi even gives a fresh reason as to why he's called the Doctor. However, his 'payment' for his part in the heist is the rescue of a creature that has only tried to kill him. This man might be different, but he's definitely still the Doctor. Clara isn't given as much to do as in previous weeks, but Jenna Coleman continues to shine.

"Time Heist" is tremendous fun throughout, a great romp for all the family!

NEXT: "The Caretaker"

"Listen"

One of the many things that I loved about Stephen Moffat’s contributions in the Russell T Davies era was that the plots always unfolded in a completely unpredictable way. As showrunner, Moffat has had to be more measured in his writing, but "Listen" proves, if nothing else, Moffat still has it in him. It seems at the start that we are in for another tale where Moffat exploits a very basic fear – that you are never alone, that there really was something hiding under your bed. The precedents for such a story were clear – Vasta Nerada, "Midnight", Moffat’s superlative Doctor Who short story "Corner of the Eye" and so on. Yet by the end, we are taken in directions that we were genuinely not expecting. The subplot of Clara’s date with Danny turns out not to be a subplot at all, but an integral part of the story. The terrifying presences that pop up during the story may not actually be monsters at all. The settings range from the exotic climes of 1990s Gloucestershire and further forward in time than even "Utopia". And, of course, in one sense, we are taken further back in time than we have ever been before...

Each strand of the plot is given as much attention as if it were a separate story. Danny and Clara’s date is funny, delightful, heartwarming and frustrating all at the same time. The scenes with young Danny (Rupert) and Orson Pink are brilliantly written little horror stories. Director Douglas Mackinnon is fantastic at making these scenes work in subtly different ways. The scenes in Rupert’s bedroom succeed as exploration of a child’s fear in ways that "Fear Her" and "Night Terrors" could only dream of. The Doctor waiting to see what knocks outside Orson’s capsule is reminiscent, yet very different from "Midnight", as Mackinnon has his own ways of mounting such a scene. Samuel Anderson continues to impress not only as Danny, but as his descendant as well, playing the toughness, tenderness and awkwardness to perfection – Danny banging his head on the table will take a long time to get old! as the younger Rupert, Remi Gooding makes a very impressive debut. Mackinnon has a very long history with the programme, but this is his best work, from the astounding opening shot and the following montage to the shot of the firmament reflected in the eye of someone who will know the name of each star…

However, it is the revelation about our lead that is the real heart of the story. In a truly jaw dropping scene, we are taken to a boy sobbing and then being grabbed from under his bed. But it is Clara under the bed and the boy will grow up to become a father and a grandfather, steal a TARDIS and start the greatest journey in the universe. The core of the story isn’t, therefore, the Doctor defeating the monster under the bed. It is how the fear of the monster drove the Doctor’s insatiable curiosity, how the man who is never cruel or cowardly uses his fear and the real difference between bravery and fearlessness. As Moffat says the Doctor would ‘throw himself off a building if he thought it’d be interesting on the way down’. Now we find out why, and why fear is so vital for all of us. Peter Capaldi, so early in his tenure, gives one of the best performances ever in the title role – his burning curiosity combining with his desire to keep his companion safe, his inconsistent comforting of children and his inability to take a hug.

There is a degree of timey-wiminess at work here. Orson is wearing a Sanctuary Base 6 space suit, which may be significant in the future. Then there is the endearing way in which Clara and Danny finally kiss thanks to serious bending of the laws of time. There is the fact that a plastic toy given to Rupert can make it to the end and the beginning of everything. The use of the line ‘Fear makes companions of us all’ from the very first story is not mere self-indulgence, it has truly been earned in a truly wonderful story that will go down as one of the true classics of Doctor Who.

NEXT: "Time Heist"

"Cold War"

Unlike "The Rings of Akhaten", "Cold War" doesn’t have an original bone in its body. The basic premise is exactly the same as that of The Ice Warriors 45 years ago and other parts of the plot bear similarities with Alien, Das Boot and The Abyss and less well known fare such as David Twohy’s underrated Below. As well as its obvious forbear, it is a throwback to the base-under-siege formula that formed the vast majority of Troughton’s second season – a well loved era, but one which has also been called one of the most creatively bankrupt in the programme’s history. However, despite all this, "Cold War" is a joy from beginning to end and shows just how something fresh can be made from an old recipe.

"Cold War" has the advantage over its 60s inspirations, in that it is not surrounded by stories with exactly the same plot. Mark Gatiss trims the plot of every ounce of fat, meaning that the interminable (and sometimes idiotic) longueurs that plagued similar stories forty years ago are not evident.¤ Instead, this is a story with not one second wasted. The slightly different attitude of the revived programme has never been more evident than here - in 21st Century Who, only the Daleks and Cybermen are monolithic adversaries. The fact that Skaldak is a character, rather than just a monster makes the conflict with the crew far more interesting. Gatiss is a fine writer who has never¤ matched the success of his first Doctor Who story, "The Unquiet Dead" – until now. This deceptively simple story shows a great deal of skill in its construction, with Gatiss’s trademark textual depth – Skaldak is the greatest hero of Mars and the submarine commander is named¤ Zhukov, an obvious nod to the most renowned Soviet general of the Second World War. There is a level of cheekiness in the story showing its roots, particularly Alien!

Douglas Mackinnon makes a triumphant return to the programme taking Gatiss’s script and giving it pace and subdued scares when required. There is a level of implied violence that hasn't really been seen since the programme returned, notably the discovery of the dismembered bodies, which Mackinnon handles with just the right amount of shock for a family audience. The look of the episode is phenomenal with great, atmospheric use of lighting. Gatiss takes the stock characters of the base-under-siege story and somehow makes them real, helped by the great cast that Mackinnon has at his disposal. Liam Cunningham has always brought his gruff charisma to every role he plays and Zhukov is no exception. Then, there is the inimitable David Warner who finally makes an appearance on Doctor Who and makes the unlikely character of a septuagenarian Soviet New Romantic geologist seem not only plausible, but lovable. Matt Smith relishes the opportunity to pay tribute to his own favourite Doctor, but it is here that Clara really comes into her own as a character. The scene of her talking to Skaldak is brilliantly played by Jenna-Louise Coleman as Clara's understated trauma after seeing what Skaldak did to the sailors.

However, the big draw of the story was the long-overdue return of one of the programmes most iconic monsters. The redesign is faithful to the original, yet does not seem dated. Gatiss makes the risky decision of taking the Martian out of his armour – indeed this is the first time it has been positively established that it is armour and not just part of the Ice Warrior’s body. The creature is a lot skinnier than expected (although still very strong) but moves like lightning. Wisely, we never see the whole body and the first views of the head are shrouded in steam and the final unmasking is memorable, with a fantastic design.

I have no nostalgic memories of the Ice Warriors, having not even been born when The Monster of Peladon was broadcast, let alone their first story. However, like many others, I have had a fantastic ride and am glad to welcome the Ice Warriors back into the fold.

NEXT: "Hide"

"The Power of Three"

Chris Chibnall has written some of the least impressive stories produced for Doctor Who this century, but I, like many others, was very pleasantly surprised by "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship". However, it could be argued that such a premise would be hard for anyone to dislike, so the question was, could he pull it off again? "The Power of Three" contains some of the faults of Chibnall's previous stories- ill thought out plot points and pulling a rabbit out of the hat to compensate for the fact that he has written himself into a corner- the one here is particularly egregious, which I shall talk about later. Having said that, this is, nevertheless, a story with moments of true greatness and contains some wonderful writing.

The 'slow invasion' of the cubes is an intriguing idea from the start and instantly iconic. The premise recalls Nicholas Fisk's children’s sci-fi novel Trillions and the look of the cubes are like nano-monoliths à la 2001: A Space Odyssey. The changing perception of the cubes from headline news, to novelty, to half-forgotten bric-a-brac is a well thought out part of the plot, as is the fact that every cube reacts differently.

However, it is the people in this story that makes it so compelling. Chibnall has never been subtle in his characterisation, but here, where he has to juxtapose the 'Doctor-life' with 'Pond-life' and he manages to create a believable domestic setting, as well as whisking the Ponds off to spend their anniversary at the Savoy, being waited on by a Zygon Escoffier. Again, we see the Doctor coping in an ordinary domestic setting, but in a completely different way to "The Lodger" and "Closing Time", as he has to live through the boring bits as well. In fact, if you look at it, the Doctor is in a kind of self-imposed exile for a year, shooting off in the TARDIS when the boredom gets too much. In what could be effectively read as a hyper-compressed Third Doctor season, it is fitting that this is the first proper UNIT story of the Eleventh Doctor era. UNIT has changed, led by a woman who has known of the Doctor all her life. The revelation of Kate as being the Brigadier's daughter is perfectly handled, helped in no small way, by an outstanding performance by Jemma Redgrave. The nature of the threat is not, as was thought, an invasion, but of sterilisation of 'the human contagion' by the Shakri, the 'pest-controllers of the universe'. The Shakri is played by none other than Steven Berkoff, who knows how to be menacing in fifty different ways. There is beautiful dialogue between the Doctor and the Ponds- the Doctor explaining to Brian what happens to his companions, the Doctor explaining to Amy why his bond with her is so strong, all of which is brilliantly conveyed by the regulars. Douglas Mackinnon returns to helm a very confident production that seems like a Hollywood blockbuster and a classic afternoon BBC children's drama at the same time- the Shakri porters will feature in a fair few nightmares from now on. In years to come, 'the one with the cubes' will be as much part of childhood memory as 'the one with the maggots'.

The ideas are intoxicating and the concepts are explored well. There is, however, some woolly plotting- why are people being abducted from the hospital and why does the Doctor leave most of them to die on the Shakri ship? Which brings us to the resolution. Restarting the stopped hearts is scientifically stupid on a Gerry Davis/Kit Pedler scale and cannot be ignored- I assume Chibnall is lucky enough not to have known anyone who has had a heart attack. The real tragedy is that it is in no way intrinsic to the plot. If the cubes had released a disease, or evil nanogenes or, indeed, anything plausibly reversible it would have elevated the story to fresh heights.

It is a real pity about the denouement, as it stops the story from being one of the best of the Eleventh Doctor era and a true classic. However, it doesn't spoil a story that has a great deal to offer in so many other areas and actually makes me not dread the next Chibnall script- so long as it goes through a few more drafts this time!

NEXT: "The Angels Take Manhattan"

The Sontaran Stratagem"/ "The Poison Sky"

Helen Raynor’s previous Doctor Who story was "Daleks in Manhattan" / "Evolution of the Daleks", which I consider to be the nadir of the relaunched programme by a considerable margin. So it was with great trepidation that I awaited the broadcast of this two-parter. Happily, Raynor provides a far better script this time. The Sontarans storm back and it is obvious that Raynor and Russell T Davies really understand these monsters. Unlike the Daleks and the Cybermen, these are not creatures who have been altered to remove or restrict emotions, but are merely conditioned to be bellicose from birth (or hatching). This obviously means that they are easier to characterise and Raynor does this excellently- the face-off between the Doctor and General Staal at the climax is brilliantly written. The plot is simple, but not predictable and shows inventiveness . The setting at the Rattigan Academy at first seems like something out of The Sarah Jane Adventures, but is incorporated well into the story. Most importantly the script has coherence and internal consistency, the lack of which damned Raynor’s previous Dalek two-parter. The pseudo science is no less fake than in "Daleks in Manhattan" / "Evolution of the Daleks", but it doesn’t contradict itself and such is the verve of the story that it can be forgiven, even the quite extraordinary method used to disseminate the Poison Sky- surely burning it would use up all the oxygen, asphyxiating the Earth even more quickly? The story is helmed by Douglas Mackinnon who directs with great verve, and energy, effectively dealing with spectacular scenes, such as the appearance of the Valiant, to more intimate ones such as Donna’s reunion with her family.

The characters are also well written. Child geniuses are seldom appealing characters, but Luke Rattigan is very memorable and is excellently played by Ryan Sampson. His arrogance is to the fore early on, but his betrayal by the Sontarans leaves him sobbing like an infant on the floor and his redemption is very moving. This story sees the return of UNIT, led by Rupert Holliday-Evans’s Colonel Mace, who plays the Brigadier role (the real one is mentioned for the first time this century and has received a knighthood- hurrah!) and it is good to see that the non-commissioned end of the ranks is not full of stereotypical army grunts. We have the wonderful character of Private Harris, played by Clive Standen, who discovers the clone in the basement. He acts like a typical squaddie, taunting General Staal about his height, yet displays intelligence and sympathy when examining the clone. Staal is played brilliantly by Christopher Ryan, who makes the character a very believable leader of an army of clone warriors, yet is not above humour. The look of the Sontarans takes the best from their previous appearances (i.e. the Kevin Lindsay versions) and updates them with 21st Century prosthetic techniques with very impressive results.

One thing I was very much looking forward to was the return of Martha. Miss Jones is now Dr Jones and Freema Agyeman effortlessly shows her as being more mature, with more responsibility, but still the Martha we know and love. Her performance as her evil clone is nicely underplayed and all the more sinister for that. Donna is great in this, displaying her ‘supertemp’ skills and it is always great to see her family. Anyone expecting a cat-fight between Martha and Donna were to be disappointed and their relationship is good- although I love their differing responses to the Doctor’s safe return. The Doctor is presented in a way closer to the Jon Pertwee era than ever before and David Tennant plays the part with his usual excellence. Raynor wrote very generic Doctor material in her previous story, but this time she goes for archetypal- the Doctor saves the day by inspiring someone to be better.

"The Sontaran Stratagem"/ "The Poison Sky" is wonderful fun and proves that Ms Raynor had it in her all along.

NEXT: "The Doctor's Daughter"