"Boom"

The new Russell T Davies era promises to be different from the first and it has very much fulfilled this promise. He has stamped his authorial authority on this season as he has never done before; except for one slot which he has reserved for his successor. The Steven Moffat episodes were always a highlight in the first RDT era so the first story the former showrunner has written in nearly 7 years is certainly an event.

There are some hallmarks of his style – the ridiculous, yet profound aphorisms ("Everywhere is a beach eventually") the hyper-compressed world-building, tying into the feeling that Moffat is building an enclave Whoniverse of his own (the church militant, Villengard and the holograms of the deceased, which recall the Data Ghosts from the Doctor's adventures in The Library). There is commentary on war, on those that profit by it and the pros and cons of faith. Yet this is anchored by a plot that is simplicity itself – the Doctor is standing on a landmine and has to deactivate it.

Moffat has his own views on who the Doctor is and here we are shown that in the most basic form – the Doctor can solve a crisis standing on one leg. The lines that Moffat writes could have been said by any Doctor, yet Gatwa takes it to another level, showing compassion, fire, authority and humour, with a touch of Kigali patois gilding the Hibernian lily. Millie Gibson complements this powerhouse performance perfectly. The guest cast is small, but impressive, nontheless. Joe Anderson's character is fractured, as of necessity, but the charisma of the character links it all together. However, Oswinning our hearts is the very wonderful début of Varada Sethu and it's good that we shall be seeing more of her. Director Julie Anne Robinson makes this bottle episode a wide-screen visual feast, without losing sight of the eyeball-to-eyeball tension.

Perhaps the only real criticism is that the twist is a bit obvious. But, like Robert Holmes before him, Moffat has crafted a tale that has the quality of his past stories, without seeming like a throwback. Like "Kerblam!" before it, it seems that onomatopoeic explosive titles might be a winner...

NEXT: "73 Yards"