There was not an unusually lengthy wait for the next Doctor Who episode following "The Timeless Children". However, what came in between those episodes in the real world, made it seem like the longest wait of all, in a time where many thought that the threads that hold civilisation together would snap. Yet, thankfully, Doctor Who was not stopped by the ravages of COVID and the first day of 2021 brought us a brand new episode and, for Chris Chibnall, that means the return of the Doctor’s deadliest foes.

Again, Chibnall decides to crib freely from the past with The Power of the Daleks (via "Victory of the Daleks") being the main source. The Daleks are used as RoboCops to quell civil unrest and there is another internecine Dalek conflict. As a plot, this is perhaps the least inventive script in well over a decade. It hangs together, but there is virtually nothing that cannot be anticipated by the viewer. There is a prologue which adds nothing to the story and, in fact, removes the surprise of the Daleks’ appearance.

Where the script is far better is in the characters. Yas, as befits what the future will be like, is very much the lead companion and her obsession with not only finding the Doctor, but continuing her work, is very much the heart of the story, and we have a wonderful performance from Mandip Gill. We have the last appearance of Ryan and Graham as regulars and Tosin Cole and Bradley Walsh make us truly regret the splitting up of the fam. John Barrowman returns and his chemistry with his oldest friend is instant. Our leading lady is masterful throughout and Jodie Whittaker somehow makes the decades that separated the Doctor from her fam seem evident in her performance alone.

The secondary villains are the legendary Dame Harriet Walter as the ruthless Prime Minister and Christ Noth returning as Jack Robertson. Whilst it is great to see him, he appears to be in a different story to the rest of the cast (a special mention must me made of the great supporting turn by the hugely versatile Nathan Stewart-Jarrett as Leo) which is a rare fault in the otherwise very impressive helming by Lee Haven Jones. We have seen Dalek saucers flying over London before, but Jones makes it seem fresh and exciting. The scenes in the Dalek factory in Osaka are masterfully shot and, again, the scenes with the Dalek out of its case are very eerie. The RoboCop Daleks are a great design, but it’s great to see the bronze ones return.

"Revolution of the Daleks" is great fun, but, again, it is because a rather anaemic script by Chibnall is given an invigorating transfusion by every other aspect of the production. For the sake of the programme, it is to be hoped that the rest of his tenure will show some improvement.

NEXT: Flux

"The Haunting of Villa Diodati"

The meeting of minds that took place in the summer of 1816 at the Villa Diodati would be fascinating enough if it had just been one of those legendary gatherings of the great and good. However, as this summer produced Frankenstein and The Vampyre it is fair to say that Doctor Who itself would not exist were it not for the creativity that that sunless summer spawned. It is bold, therefore for the Doctor to gleefully gatecrash this legendary holiday. We do get the expected story of the Doctor meeting and possibly influencing a great writer. However, this is achieved in an intoxicating, reality-folding horror story, with some genuine shocks and some clever moments. Strangely, there are no really big names amongst the cast of characters in the Villa Diodati, but each actor portrays their role well. Lili Miller makes a very charismatic Mary Shelley and Maxim Baldry a wonderfully grumpy Dr Polidori. As a poet, Byron is a master, but, unlike his daughter, he was far less admirable as a person and the story portrays not only his charisma but, rather than the usual trio of characteristics associated with him, he is also cowardly and callous, brought out in a fine performance as Jacob Collins-Levy. There is also a nice turn from Nadia Parkes as the tragic Claire Clairmont, who is given a good deal of dignity, here. The scenes in the Villa with just the regulars and the historical holidaymakers are, in turns, delightful, funny, spooky and shocking.

However, the story also has to set up the finale, and we have our first encounter with the lone Cyberman. It is here that we have some very woolly writing that could have done with a few more drafts – the nature of the Cyberium, presumably a far-future version of Mr Clever is rather poorly explained and the to-ing and fro-ing concerning Shelley's importance in the timeline doesn't really work. We are helped with a very arresting performance by Patrick O'Kane who memorably chews the scenery. The Cyberman is not one we've encountered before, naming himself as Ashad and being clearly emotional – his declamation of the experience of his killing of his family is suffused with both sadism and pain.

Emma Sullivan again puts fantastic work behind the camera. The scenes progress alternately with snappy urgency and slow dread when required. The cinematography throughout is excellent, so when the sun finally bursts in, it is a wondrous shock to viewer and character alike. The period detail is wonderful, as is the Cyberman, who has shades of Star Trek's Borg about it. The regulars continue to do excellent work, with Ryan being a standout this week. In the face of the Lone Cyberman, Jodie Whittaker has the Doctor seem closer to the Lonely God than she has ever been, but we are also, for the first time, given the Doctor as an object of desire, by Byron, no less – and “Mrs” Doctor is having none of it.

There are some large problems with the script, but "The Haunting of Villa Diodati" is very well made and tremendously entertaining. Of course, some questions might be answered in coming weeks – the materialisation of the Cyberman does seem very familiar...

NEXT: "Ascension of the Cybermen"

"Can You Hear Me?"

There is a great deal to commend "Can You Hear Me?", however the debut script from promising playwright Charlene James (with help from Chris Chibnall) has some problems which stem from one main factor – failure to integrate the monsters of the week with the issue of the week. We have the introduction of Zellin and Rakaya, a sub-group of the Eternals (with namechecks for the Guardians and the Celestial Toymaker) who feed off nightmares. We have the monsters in the shape of the Aleppo nightmare creatures. However, in a coda, we look at how people suffer by keeping their pain to themselves. These low-key scenes are quietly brilliant, particularly Yas’s journey from troubled teenager to promising police officer. This is the kind of thing that Charlene James has excelled at before and it shows. Although this does have a certain connection to Zellin and Rakaya’s parasitism of nightmares, it is not a great one and there is the feeling that it is an attempt to blend two very promising individual stories together, with not entirely successful results.

Whatever flaws there are in the writing, the realisation is astonishingly good and the lack of cohesion between the two main strands in the plot are considerably lessened by the visualisation. The effects are stunning as are the sets, with the harp-like interface for the alien space ship being very original. The detached fingers would be all-but-impossible to ruin as a scary concept, but director Emma Sullivan goes the extra mile in all respects. Particularly impressive is the realisation of the nightmare creatures, who are just another monster on the page and as a CG maquette, but are terrifying in Sullivan's hands, especially when their hands grab someone, in the teaser. The best indication of Sullivan's skill in this area is the realisation of Yas's nightmares – simple, yet unsettling. There is also the great use of animation for the story of Zellin and Rakaya's origin and imprisonment (with a nod, I’m sure, to Sapphire and Steel. The casting of Ian Gelder is key to making Zellin as effective as he is and we have the effortlessly charismatic Clare-Hope Ashitey as Rakaya. Aleppo has recently been in the public eye for being one of the most horrific parts in one of the most horrific places on Earth. It is useful to remember that Syria was not always thus and Aleppo arguably has a history and culture unequalled in the world. Aruhan Galieva portrays Tahira with real passion, making her another inductee into the 'companion who could have been' category. Special mention must be made of Nasreen Hussain as PC Anita Patel, the person whom Yas really needed to meet to become who she was.

The regulars are on fine form, with Yas continuing to impress as it is her story that is easily the most compelling here. Bradley Walsh makes Graham's fear of his cancer returning quietly effective and it’s good to see Sharon D Clarke back. Tosin Cole is not to be overshadowed, though - if there's one thing that shows how delivery can elevate a line, it's Ryan's 'I brought chips though!'. Jodie Whittaker is given rather less inspired dialogue but, again, she really goes to work with what she has.

If there's one scene which shows the main problem with "Can You Hear Me?" it's the Doctor's reaction to Graham opening up to her. Especially after the excellent scenes with Yas and Ryan's friend Tibo, it comes off as clumsily bathetic, which the performances of Walsh and Whittaker can only partly compensate for. There are some moments of true excellence in this story, but it's a pity that they could not have been woven into a narrative that could have produced a true classic.

NEXT: "The Haunting of Villa Diodati"

"Orphan 55"

"It Takes You Away" was a real highlight of Jodie Whittaker’s first series and writer Ed Hime’s return was something I, along with many others, was looking forward to. Strangely, for the writer of an episode that felt like nothing else previously broadcast under the Doctor Who banner, "Orphan 55" is a type of story that we have seen a fair few times before – welcome to the base-under-siege! Although this type of story is nothing like as prevalent and predictable as it was in the middle part of the Troughton era, it is surprising how un-surprising much of the plot is. The roles and motivation of the characters range from the functional to the sketchy – key character Kane seems like the traditional security chief type character, but is she the owner/designer of Tranquility Spa? However, Hime makes sure that there is solid world-building and futuristic incomprehensibility – the ionic membrane, the Hopper virus, the fakations. More importantly, Hime ensures that stock scenes do not unfold in a stock manner – the way in which we are immediately thrown into the action is both thrilling and funny, but not as funny as the scene where Ryan is cured of the Hopper virus. If anything, the story has too many ideas (which can be dealt with) and too many characters (which is detrimental).

Lee Haven Jones directs with great energy and has a great cast to help him. The old couple keeping their love alive is an old cliché, but Julia Foster and Col Farrell are touching as Vilma and Benni. Laura Fraser brings her unique presence to the role of Kane and Gia Ré does very well with the rather sketchy character of Bella - there is a reason that terrorists with mummy issues aren't stock characters! James Buckley brings his cheeky charisma to the role of Nevi and Lewin Lloyd, fresh off of playing one of the most tragic minor characters in modern fiction, is great as his son, Sylas, again, rather basically written. The writing for the Fam, however, is top notch and with Graham’s glee at his free holiday, Ryan’s hilarious reaction to hallucinatory side effects and Yas’s unintended gooseberrying, the Doctor’s companions just keep on giving. As for the Doctor herself, she’s a whirling dervish of solutions and outrage at what her favourite species can do to themselves.

The monsters of the week are the very well-realised Dregs and it turns out that Orphan 55 is not the far-off alien rock we thought it was, with the dregs being mutated degenerate humans, straight out of some of the more depressing chapters of Last and First Men. Some would say that the warnings over the environment are laid on a bit thick but frankly, we are running out of reasons to put our fingers in our ears.

It is perhaps unfair to view "Orphan 55" as a disappointment- it is well made and achieves what it is set out to do and is clearly a lesser script by a very good writer. I’m sure that viewing it in the context of the season will work very well in its favour.

NEXT: "Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror"

Spyfall

Doctor Who returns for the third decade of its revival with this epic action-fest. The name of this two-parter has obvious echoes of the other great British icon that has survived due to the lead actor being changed every few years, but Bond is not the only drawer that Chris Chibnall gleefully plunders from. The various time zones, the Doctor setting up problems and solutions for herself and her Fam in the future, all have echoes of the timey-wimier Steven Moffat adventures and The Fam as fugitives is a situation reminiscent of "The Sound of Drums". There is still a degree of woolliness, but the dialogue is more polished than before and, although it comes close to emulating the pat conclusions of his work for Moffat and RTD, the resolution doesn’t feel like a cop-out.- to be honest, it is probably not too unfair to posit that Chibnall came up with the title and constructed a story from there. A more major caveat it's that Chibnall hasn't fully thought about the full implications of using historical characters - whilst drawing attention to all-but-forgotten women of the past is laudable, using Noor Inayat Khan does raise uncomfortable questions, when one considers how she died in real life.

The slight vagueness, however, becomes a strength when it comes to the story’s realisation. One of the strongest aspects of Whittaker’s debut story was the effectiveness in which it conveyed the alien. The monsters in question, the Kasaavins are visualised as alarming apparitions, like something out of an Usborne Paranormal book and their ‘realm’ is as unexplained at the end as it is inexplicable at the beginning. The use of two directors works in the story’s favour as each episode has a separate pace and feel. The guest cast are first rate with Stephen Fry making an all-too brief appearance as ‘C’ and Lenny Henry being menacing in a very restrained performance as Barton, a very believable character, whose revelatory speech is all-too close to reality. Sylvie Briggs and Aurora Marion are great as Ada Lovelace and Noor Inayat Khan, and we mustn’t forget the brief Lovelace/Babbage double-act! Even the duo who form “O”'s Aussie security detail are fun throwaway characters.

However, the main guest star is Sacha Dhawan for, sooner than I expected, the Master is back. After the revelation of his identity, we are treated to the surprising return of the TCE – but Dhawan is definitely taking the Master into unknown territory. Dhawan burns with a raw fury that exceeds his predecessors. In particular, the moment when he asks the Doctor to kneel and call him by name is truly spine-tingling – although it did seem as if the Doctor was going to launch into a rendition of Metallica's greatest song! Another example of Chibnall not fully thinking things through is the Doctor using the Master's appearance as an Asian man against him with the Nazis – Third Reich pan-Aryan pseudo-anthropology notwithstanding.

Refreshingly, however, Chibnall seems to have ironed out most of the kinks of his crowded TARDIS and the Fam(ily) dynamic works much more smoothly with Cole, Gill and Walsh being more than up to the challenge, their impromptu spycraft being both funny and fun. Our leading lady relishes each challenge – there is betrayal and joy around every corner and Jodie nails every turn. The close-up of her surveying the ruins of Gallifrey is wonderful.

It is true to say that, whilst I enjoyed the previous season a lot, I had resigned myself to the fact that the programme’s best days were behind it. However, the past has been learned from and Spyfall gives us hope that the Chibnall era might be capable of true greatness in its future.

NEXT: "Orphan 55"

"The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos"

And so we come to the end and it is the placement of this story that is a major factor in evaluating "The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos". The storyline seems a bit light, plot wise, for a finale and, again, Chibnall shamelessly lifts from Doctor Who’s past, most especially The Pirate Planet (which covers its concepts with more thought and humour). The Ux are a bit underwritten and don’t come across with the gravitas that they should as a mythical race with god-like powers. The plot progression is very sketchy - the Doctor has often gone for a haphazard, improvised solution, but this shouldn’t appear like a convenience for the script writer – here, we have a long period where the Doctor has a backpack with two grenades stuck to it has her plan. As far as these aspects go, we would probably have been more forgiving, had this story been earlier in the season, but we are dealing with a writer who has often disappointed in the resolution of his plotlines. Happily, Chibnall seems, thankfully to have followed the path of the Torchwood Series 2 arc, rather than the appalling Season 1 arc. The threads are personal, with the murder of Grace by Tim Shaw being the galvanising event for the companions. Tim Shaw will never go down as an all-time great adversary, but the personal stakes give the story what power it has and it is wise that Chibnall emphasised this aspect.

Although, again, the dialogue lacks the zip of RTD or Moffat, it is the performances of Bradley Walsh and Tosin Cole that sell this aspect brilliantly and it is this which papers over the cracks in the dialogue. Samuel Oatley again attacks the role of Tim Shaw with relish. Yas is, again, underutilised, but Mandip Gill remains as likable as ever. We have a nice role for the excellent Mark Addy, and Phyllis Logan and Percelle Ascott do good work in the rather underwritten roles of the Ux. Our leading lady is commanding and lovable at the same time and Jodie Whittaker continues to dominate the story, as is her right. Jamie Childs helms a spectacular looking production with some awesome visuals, most notably, the sight of the floating ship. The design is first rate and the editing sublime.

"The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos" is, without doubt, the least impressive Doctor Who season finale. The script comes off as a rushed first draft, even more so than others this year. However, it is by no means a bad story and perhaps, that is helped by the fact that we didn’t have to wait long for the next one…

NEXT: "Resolution"

"The Witchfinders"

The dour pre-Civil War Stuart period in English history, particularly the Jacobean era, is a ripe setting for drama. In hindsight, it seems that the threads that bound the opulent Elizabethan era were slowly starting to unravel. Whilst this was the age of Shakespeare and Bacon, there was a growing hysteria over the imagined rise of witchcraft and it is in this setting that the Doctor and her friends find themselves.

The setting is vividly brought to life and the viewer is very quickly brought up to speed concerning the facts about witchcraft; that it was often an excuse to settle scores, that unmarried women were often the target and that village healers, invaluable in rural communities of the area, were also suspect. If there is one thing that the story really does excellently, it is to expose the rampant misogyny that allowed this hysteria to proceed unchecked. Very cleverly, the trial-by-water is conducted by ducking stool, a device used to punish gossiping women. The Doctor's new gender means that her authority is not accepted anything like as quickly as it would have been before. It is a bit of a shame that the alien threat is not more closely tied with the gender themes of the episodes, but we have had 7 episodes without an alien race wanting to invade Earth, so perhaps this well-worn route is actually welcome. Joy Wilkinson produces a very good script, although it could have done with a couple more drafts, to iron out the plot.

Of course, key to the Jacobean era is old Jake himself, James I of England (and VI of Scotland). James was a complicated figure, but, in the context of witchcraft, he was obsessed to the point of paranoia. We are treated, here, to a wonderfully ripe performance by Alan Cumming that manages to make the man likeable, despite his beliefs and actions. His flirtation with Ryan is priceless. Equally good is Siobhan Finneran as Becka Savage, the goodwife raised to the landed gentry who becomes a vessel for something alien. Tilly Steele's Willa Twiston is a wonderfully real figure, effectively played. One thing the script does well is make the Jacobean characters all sincere believers in witchcraft – whatever their other vices, hypocrisy is not among them. The Doctor has to fight for her authority even harder and Jodie Whittaker excels, nowhere better than her conversation with King James, whilst being tied up. Although the rough edges of the plot to take their toll on the role of the Doctor's 'fam', the 'very flat team structure' is as engaging as ever. Sallie Aprahamian helms a production that recreates early-Stuart England well and critically, she makes the manifestation of the aliens terrifying, especially the reanimated dead.

Although a few more drafts could have improved it critically, "The Witchfinders"is a very enjoyable adventure, dealing well with its various themes.

NEXT: "It Takes You Away"

"Demons of the Punjab"

"Demons of the Punjab" takes us back in time to one of the critical periods of 20th Century history. The image that most people in the West have of Partition is the lines of Hindus and Muslims passing each other in Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi. What we are shown in Vinay Patel’s remarkable story is how this event affected the history of one family and one person in particular – Yas. The cast of characters is small, but the issues and emotions are certainly not. There is a memorable alien race in the shape of the Thijarians, but it turns out that they are mere observers and not the demons of the title. The demons are those of Dostoyevsky; thoughts native to the thinker that take on a malevolent life of their own and make the thinker do the unspeakable. The partition turned long time neighbours into enemies and turned families against each other and the story of Yas’s grandmother’s tragically short first marriage ads heart to this traumatic background.

Tosin Cole and Bradley Walsh are as impressive as ever, but, finally, Mandip Gill is given the spotlight and she shines in a performance that is funny and heartwarming. This is a key period in history, but its tragedies are all-too universal, so, brilliantly, all the Indian characters are given Northern English accents by the TARDIS – the Yorkshire sadhu in particular is memorable. Shane Zaza and Amita Suman are fantastic as the doomed couple. Hamza Jeetooa is excellent at portraying the conflict between Manish’s love for his brother and his growing Hindu nationalism. It is always good to see Shaheen Khan and, in the present day, we have the invaluable Leena Dhingra as the older Umbreen. The Doctor is the Doctor throughout, being wholly authoritative in her face-off with the Thijarians but her joy at being able to experience female bonding is wonderful.

The direction by Jamie Childs is first rate, with the laid-back compositions for rural India contrasting well with the jarring stabs of the Thijarians manifesting themselves. The aliens are magnificently realised and the sheer beauty of the shot of Prem’s face joining the host that the Thijarians witnessed is wondrous. The moments of Punjabi and Yorkshire domesticity do not clash with this, and the final tragic outcome of Prem and Manish’s relationship is flawlessly executed. Perhaps it is significant that two otherworldly entities witness Prem’s death, as they echo Munkar and Nakir, the angels who judge the dead in Islamic eschatology, and who witness for a Hindu who gave his life for his Muslim love. I must also mention the evocative score by Segun Akinola, whose greatest triumph is the Indian-influenced arrangement of the theme tune, which never moves into parody.

The framing story in the present day, and Yas’s request from the Doctor recall "Father’s Day", but, in the most purely historical story since Black Orchid, we are effectively given the human consequences of historical upheaval, as with The Massacre. In the end, however, the success of this very powerful story, is purely due to its own merits.

NEXT: "Kerblam!"

"Arachnids in the UK"

Undoubtedly the most purely enjoyable story that Chris Chibnall wrote for previous Doctor Who administrations was "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship". Here, we are given a similarly pulpy title, the irresistibly named "Arachnids in the UK" which offers precisely what is indicated on the packaging. Again, there are strong influences from the past, but not the obvious one – rather than being invaders from Metebelis 3, the spiders have been mutated by toxic waste accumulated by an unscrupulous company, which obviously brings to mind The Green Death. The multi-legged menace leads to a simple, yet effective plot with Dr Jade McIntyre’s (played by the brilliantly named Tanya Fear) dialogue consisting almost entirely of exposition. It does looks like we are due for another Chibnall cheat ending, but the very obvious Chekhov’s gun is used well and the fact that, in real life, spiders would not be able to survive beyond a certain size is actually crucial to the plot. Again, there is some clunkiness in the nuts and bolts dialogue – there is no need for a character to say that a room looks like a bank vault when it is immediately obvious to the viewer, for example.

Chibnall’s characterisation is very important in making the story work. Although it pales in comparison to Russell T Davies’s depictions of family life, there is some good dialogue with Yas’s family who are nicely drawn and very well acted – in particular, it is always good to see Shobna Gulati. Again, Bradley Walsh’s depiction of loss is very touching and Tosin Cole makes Ryan hugely watchable – whomsoever had the idea for the shadow puppets deserves a drink! However, we have a boss of the company, rather than a BOSS and we have the surprising casting of Chris Noth, an American actor who is very much still bankable and reminding us how much of a big deal Doctor Who is. I am not a fan of Sex and the City, but I am of The Good Wife, in which he was excellent. Noth pitches the character perfectly, with corporate American bluster moving into gun-nut fury with exactly the right level of scenery chewing. There are parallels with the most vicious, idiotic and incompetent occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, but, then again, Robertson is an intelligent and competent (if amoral and ruthless) businessman who can string a sentence together! In addition, he has genuine concern over his niece’s wife (played by the even more brilliantly named Jaleh Alp). Noth's performance actually works with the deficiencies in Chibnall's dialogue, so good an actor is he – although he is helped by the fact that he seems less cartoonish than the real life former host of the American Apprentice. The budget would probably preclude it, but I would very much welcome a return appearance. The Doctor is confused by basic domesticity, but effortlessly stamps her authority on even Robertson and Jodie Whittaker continues to be a delight.

Sallie Aprahamian makes this into a very exciting and scary romp and the spider effects are excellent, with the lighting perfect. Aprahamian realises that a giant spider the size of a cat is far scarier than one the size of a bath and I’m sure many people were scared to look under their beds. The scene where Team TARDIS decide to stay has some very dreary dialogue, but Aprahamian's direction and the great performances, more than compensate for this.

"Arachnids in the UK" is a very enjoyable romp that harks back to the light touch of earlier eras. Any non-arachnophobes should have a blast!

NEXT: "The Tsuranga Conundrum"