"The Well"

When it comes to rating the adversaries that the Doctor has faced this century, the Weeping Angels are usually cited as the most memorable. They were original and terrifying; yet there is a school of thought that has one enemy that is even more so. The status of "Midnight" has waxed inexorably since its airing and the unnamed entity in it was nightmare fuel for a generation. Seventeen years later, it returns – twice as long as the gap between Omega's appearances in the 20th century. Although the modus operadi is different from the first outing, it is still inexplicable, with perhaps no actual consciousness, in spite of its intelligence. You speak, it answers. It knows and understands. And yet it cannot be bargained with or appealed to. It Has No Name, after all. Again, the plan is as simple as a game played by an annoying child – instead of repetition, it's hiding behind someone. Again, the consequences are deadly.

The setting might be the same, but the scenario is different. Basically, it is the Marines in Aliens versus the entity and, as in that film, the characters are vivid, but mostly drawn in thick strokes. However, the actors put their all into the roles, making each character seem real. In particular, there are two guest roles that stand out. Rose Ayling-Ellis gives an appealing performance as Aliss, whilst keeping is wondering whether or not to trust her. Her deafness is used to season, rather than drive the plot, with sign language again being used. The role of the NCO is, however, slightly atypically written, in the form of Shaya Costallion, vividly realised by Caoilfhionn Dunne. Amanda Brotchie puts in her second outstanding stint in the director's chair, making the most of the limited setting. Functional script ideas like the holographic subtitles, become effective displays of world-building in her hands. Crucially, again, this is a terrifying story. Some of the nine-year olds who were hiding behind the sofa when "Midnight" aired, will be joined by nine-year olds of their own. The solution to the crisis is simple, effective and, of course, redolent of David Whitaker's alchemical obsession, sixty years ago!

Gatwa is only required to be more generically Doctorish, but carries that out with aplomb. The single tar is becoming something of a motif for this Doctor, yet it's still effective. Belinda Chandra continues to win all hearts, with a very basic 'battlefield nurse' role being vividly realised by Varada Sethu.

The concepts of "Midnight", that of groupthink and intolerance, are even more relevant now, in this post-lockdown world of sealed echo chambers."The Well” may not have the depth of its predecessor, but that is like comparing Aliens to Alien – lesser, perhaps, than the original, but doing something different, so that it's own qualities make it stand out on its own.

NEXT: "Lucky Day"

"Midnight"

There are many Doctor Who stories that have the Doctor turning up to find a crisis, winning over the dissenters, quelling the enemy and saving the day. This is not what happens in "Midnight". The Doctor is on the eponymous planet and decides to take a trip to see its famous Sapphire Waterfall. He makes friends with his co-travellers and everything seems peachy. Then, a threat emerges and the Doctor, to use a bit of an understatement, loses the room. Russell T Davies weaves one of the most frightening tales the programme has told. The threat is inexplicable at the start and equally inexplicable at the end and the way it manifests itself is simple, yet extremely creepy. Banging and knocking is heard outside the bus and the lights go out. When they go back on, the front seats have been ripped up and Sky Silvestry, one of the passengers, is behaving rather oddly. First she repeats what everyone is saying, then speaks simultaneously, first with all of them, then with the Doctor alone. And it has only just begun.

In such a claustrophobic setting (influenced by Hitchcock's Lifeboat) characters are important. What we have here are various types, ranging from a professor and his assistant to an ordinary family. The Doctor, as said before, establishes a rapport with them. But as the entity asserts itself, the Doctor finds out his charm does not work. Instead of being reassured by him, they are annoyed and finally enraged. Instead of them finding the best in themselves, they give way to their worst. The Doctor’s usual tricks do not work; when they are discussing whether or not to throw the possessed Sky out of the airlock, the Doctor’s ‘Could you really do it?’ is answered immediately in the affirmative. In the end, the creature speaks the Doctor’s words before he does and the rest of the passengers are all too keen to believe that the creature has possessed the Doctor- it is easier to deal with a practically catatonic man. It is only the doubts of the Hostess that enable the day to be saved, as she sacrifices herself to launch Sky out of the airlock. The survivors make the return journey in silence. Throughout all of this, one thing is clear- no-one but Sky and (at the end) the Doctor were affected by the creature- all that foulness came from their own frightened souls. These characters are played to perfection by a very talented cast. David Troughton is, of course, one of the finest actors in the country and he makes Professor Hobbes seem at first to be a likeable old academic who then gives way to his jealousy as he finds he is not the smartest man in the room. Lindsey Coulson and Daniel Ryan effectively play a couple who suggest that The Daily Mail is still in circulation in the far-future. Everyone’s favourite jug-eared young warlock, Colin Morgan, plays their son. In the key role of Sky Silvestry, Lesley Sharp is astonishing, even on the merely technical level of her repetition and simultaneous talking. She effortlessly changes her bearing and gait throughout the episode to awesome and chilling effect, making the unnamed creature a truly memorable foe.

Alice Troughton directs with great confidence, squeezing every drop of tension from the scenes. There is a wonderful sequence where the Doctor, Driver Joe and Claude the mechanic look onto the Midnight landscape- and Claude swears he sees a shadow moving quickly towards them. We see nothing, but this simple scene is so well done that we half-remember seeing the shadow. The sound design is exemplary, adding to the sense of claustrophobic terror- and it goes without saying that the matte paintings for the Midnight planetscapes are spectacular.

Donna once said that the Doctor needs someone to stop him. "Midnight" shows that sometimes he just needs someone to help him connect, in a masterful 45 minutes of humour, tension and real scares.

NEXT: "Turn Left"