"Rogue"

 For the first time this era, we have writers new to Doctor Who with Kate Herron and Briony Redman's "Rogue". It has to be said that the premise for the story is pretty flimsy; a family of aliens who are obsessed with television costume dramas in general and Bridgerton in particular cosplay their way through the actual period setting which, for a start, recalls the utterly wonderful Galaxy Quest. The Chuldur's motivation is a bit silly (nothing wrong with that) and their dastardly plan rather obvious, but the true meat of the episode is located elsewhere. This is, primarily, a character piece, a Doctor love story, which brings to mind the absolute classic "The Girl in the Fireplace".

With his potential love interest, the title character of the show has the title character of the episode to contend with. Rogue is reminiscent of another dashing LGBTQIA+ man with a gun, a winning smile and an American accent, but Jonathan Groff gives a very controlled and subtle performance. Groff is that very welcome thing, a young American actor with stage training and this, coupled with his natural charisma is wonderful. Ncuti Gatwa is playfully perfect in the usual Doctor way. Already, his playing the Doctor on autopilot is compelling enough on its own, but, in his scenes with Groff, he is on fire, flirting, dancing and reeling him in. we are also given his reaction to the imagined loss of Ruby – quiet tears and cold fury. Gatwa just gets better and better.

Millie Gibson has a ball as the modern girl out of time, something that has been played again and again in the programme, yet, as with all good companions, seems fresh. The guest cast is perfect, with Paul Barton making a wonderfully rakish Lord Barton and Camilla Aiko perfect as Emily Beckett. The effortlessly elegant Indira Varma is a hoot (sorry) as the Duchess, in both versions of her character.

In evoking the Regency and Bridgerton's evocation of it, the production design, costumes, music, and choreography have to be up to the job and, obviously, it is. Ben Chessell directs with real flair, the best scene being the Doctor and Rogue dancing, which reminded me of a similar scene in the best non-RTD episode of Torchwood, "Captain Jack Harkness".

Hopefully we haven't seen the last of Rogue, because this story, which should be utterly superficial kept me watching from beginning to end.

NEXT: "The Legend of Ruby Sunday"/"Empire of Death"

"Dot and Bubble"

"Dot and Bubble" is probably unique amongst Doctor Who stories, in that it's title is also the first line of dialogue uttered. We are sucked into Finetime a world that is recognisable as one extrapolated from trends in our own; from the moment of awakening, a person turns on social media and, in this case, is literally cut off from the real world in an virtual bubble. The individual is even told in which direction to walk and cannot do so unaided, perhaps a commentary on validation in the modern world. Into this social media cloud, the Doctor and Ruby arrive unannounced with a clear warning, yet the reaction is not what is expected.

The episode is reminiscent of Black Mirror, but to be fair Doctor Who has been doing Black Mirror for decades before Black Mirror itself – in Vengeance on Varos for one. However, the bright look and cheerful ambient sounds are immediately evocative of this type of futurism and, after his stellar debut last week, Dylan Holmes Williams continues to impress. The monsters who are devouring these drones are chilling, yet also slightly comical. Yet there is nothing comical about the way that a rogue dot can kill, in a scene that is suggestive of a brutal head-shot, whilst it clearly isn't one. Williams is excellent at shifting tones without incongruity.

As this is an easy week for both Ncuti and Millie, the main character is Lindy Pepper-Bean. Without an excellent performance by Callie Cooke, this deeply unlikable character would be unbearable to watch. Yet this character navigates us through her pastel world with her vapid friends, very successfully. A brief breath of fresh air is Ricky September, winningly played by Tom Rhys Harries. Despite being introduced as a futuristic TikTok star, dancing to the most annoying version of one of the most annoying songs ever recorded, his quiet rejection of the superficiality of Finetime makes one have hope – until his betrayal by Lindy. Lindy's character arc is not the usual one, as her growing knowledge and awareness doesn't make her a better person, but scrapes away the bubbly veneer to reveal the horrible person underneath.

Which leads us to the twist. Finetime is not just an idyllic playground for the rich, it's part of an experiment in social engineering that has some very disturbing undertones. There are hints, such as the lack of diversity in casting and Lindy not immediately realising the Doctor was the same person that she blocked. Even the production team make sure that the blue eyes that predominate are, more often than not, obviously contact lenses. Yet the first time the Doctor's appearance is a plot point, it's not in a historical story, but a futuristic one – a warning that it may not only be the good hopes and dreams that make it to the stars. These spoiled rich kids, obsessed with purity and complaining about the two hours of work that they have to do (in jobs that David Graeber would have had no hesitation in categorising) are loathsome – yet RTD does not say that this should completely condemn them. They are a product of their society and cannot be wholly blamed for its values, although Lindy clearly has other ways to be unpleasant.

However Davies does not forget that, although the Doctor is a black man, he is not a human being of African descent. As Time Lords can change sex and race, issues regarding a person's appearance will obviously not be as pronounced. The Doctor's reaction is not one of fury, triggered by centuries of oppression and marginalisation, but of exasperation that his favourite species can be so resolutely idiotic. Gatwa plays this perfectly and, whilst we may not care that these vacuous idiots are willingly sailing to their deaths, we can see, and appreciate that the Doctor does.

"Dot and Bubble" is a very powerful story that confirms Doctor Who's commitment to keeping one foot in familiar territory, whilst placing the other in the unknown.

NEXT: "Rogue"

"73 Yards"

When talking about certain Doctor Who stories, the phrase 'There has never been a story like...' often crops up. "73 Yards" is reminiscent of several of RTD's previous stories. The most obvious antecedent is "Turn Left", where the Doctor is removed from the equation and we see how the world in general (and the companion in particular) copes with that loss. There are also hints of his BBC series Years and Years in the decades-spanning timeline. Yet, it has to be said, that there has never been a story quite like "73 Yards".

Starting as the kind of disorienting rural horror that periodically trends in popular culture (I was reminded of the pretty dissimilar British film Enys Men) the story has Ruby dealing with the horror that has entered her life which, over time, becomes almost familiar, yet never loses its potency. What it does do is alienate her from her family, potential partners and her potential allies, exemplified by a

very clever use of the welcome return of Kate and UNIT. A crescendo is reached when she uses the presence to stop the ascendancy of a dangerous future prime-minister.

There are no easy explanations and much is left unsaid. You can make your own mind up as to why the Doctor disappeared – maybe he saw this salient timeline as the only way of stopping Roger ap Gwilliam? Maybe he was away having adventures of his own? The fact that there appear to be loose ends may actually work in the plot's favour – the apparition has fulfilled its purpose, but it may have developed purposes of its own. Doctor Who stories always provoke frenzied theorising, but I feel that this story will provoke volumes - for example, with its themes of alienation and an adversary who cannot be approached, is there a subtle reference to social distancing.

There are nice guest turns from the supporting cast, including the legendary Siân Phillips. Aneurin Barnard is low key, which makes him all the more effective in portraying an demonic demagogue. In his brief scenes, Ncuti Gatwa is as compelling as ever. However he is not the lead, this time. Whatever else this story is, in only her fifth episode, Millie Gibson puts in a tour de force performance, effortlessly representing Ruby from her late teens to her early forties, gradually accepting what can laughably be called her destiny. Davies's mastery of blending the everyday with the extraordinary is amplified to new levels by her performance, as she deals with the entity.

The entity. Doctor Who has often been described as scary, yet it is possible that there has never been a story scarier than "73 Yards". Sometimes the most unsettling things are simple, in conception – in this case, a woman whose face you can never see. The effect on people is instant, yet terrifying. Again, the difference between Carla the loving mother and Carla the dispassionate foster carer is chilling. Dylan Holmes Williams is masterly in his début for the programme, making something that would probably be too scary for children, were the number of scary scenes increased, and were it shown in a cinema. Yet in a television episode length it will be the cause of wholesome nightmares.

The true meaning of "73 Yards" may change in the coming weeks, but its status as a great story will not.

NEXT: "Dot and Bubble"