By Paul Bowler.

A new era of Doctor Who begins with an-all-new “Season One” of the BBC’s flagship Sci-Fi show, made in a mega-budget co-production and streaming on Disney + and BBCiPlayer worldwide simultaneously. We also have a new Doctor played by Ncuti Gatwa and his new companion, Ruby Sunday, played by Millie Gibson, embarking on their new adventures fresh from the events of the Christmas Day 2023 special: The Church on Ruby Road. The majority of this season has been written by the current Doctor Who showrunner Russel T Davies, with former showrunner Stephen Moffat writing episode three, and writing duo Kate Herron and Briony Redman providing episode six. There are a galaxy of guest stars lined up for this new season as well along with returning faces Jemma Redgrave as Kate Stewart, Michelle Greenidge as Carla Sunday, Angela Winter as Cherry Sunday, Ruth Madley as Shelly-Anne Bingham, Yasmin Finny as Rose Noble, Bonnie Langford as classic companion Melanie Bush, and Anita Dobson as the mysterious Mrs Flood.

The build up to the release of the new season hasn’t all been plain sailing though. Ncuti Gatwa and Russel T Davies have both ruffled feathers with their outspoken views in the media over concerns about the new direction of the series, and a new release schedule proved somewhat controversial in some fan quarters as Doctor Who attempts to step up with “the big hitters” of the streaming platforms. All that kerfuffle aside, you probably noticed I’ve done an overview of the new season instead of my usual individual episode reviews. This was a choice in part because a dear friend of mine sadly passed away at the beginning of May after a long illness. I’m sure you can understand reviewing Doctor Who wasn’t a priority for me at the time, so I decided to jot down a few of my thoughts about each episode instead. So, let’s dive in shall we?

SPACE BABIES

Space Babies provided a bright and breezy start to the new season. The story is simple and straightforward enough, with the TARDIS arriving at desolate space station for Ruby’s first trip into the future, our new time travelling duo find a Baby Farm that’s run by the sci-fi tots themselves, and the Doctor and Ruby must protect them from whatever nastiness is prowling the lower decks. With a minimal cast, including Brigerton’s Gold Rosheuvell, Gibson and Gatwa’s chemistry lights up every scene, and we are left with no doubt that this season is indeed going to double down on the Timeless Child change in the status quo. Whether that proves for better or worst remains to be seen. It’s clear however with Space Babies that Russell T Davies was going for exactly the same reboot vibe and signposting of Whovian tropes to appease both long-term fans and welcome newcomers as he did with 2005’s initial revival of Doctor Who, although for me personally I found the slapstick silliness of Space Babies a little too much.

THE DEVIL’S CHORD

The Doctor and Ruby travel back to the swinging sixties on the day The Beatles recorded their first album, Please Please Me, at what would become known as the legendary Abbey Road Studios! The Doctor and Ruby are on a fun jaunt to see The Beatles make their new album, even Cilla Black gets thrown into the mix, and RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon also stars as the god-like Maestro, what could possibly go wrong..? Goodness me, where to start? I hate to say it but I thought The Devil’s Chord was dreadful. London might’ve become a battlefield for the Doctor and the Maestro with humanities future hanging in the balance, but the real battlefield was between the threadbare script and cringe inducing musical numbers. The Maestro was touted as being the most powerful threat the Doctor has ever faced, but Monsoon’s ridiculously camp and over-the-top super villain just made me want to switch off. Intriguing foreshadowing aside The Devil’s Chord quickly became an incoherent symphony lost in its own paradox. To be honest, I’ve always been more of a Stones fan really anyway.

BOOM

When the Doctor and Ruby find themselves caught in the middle of a war on the planet of Kastarion 3, the Doctor becomes trapped when he stands on a landmine, and is unable to move for fear of setting it off. Ruby must face untold danger if she is to save the Time Lord, and soon they will meet someone who may well end up changing their lives forever. Now this is a bit more like it! Penned by former showrunner Steven Moffat, Boom is a masterclass in suspense and tension. Having spent the majority of the first two episodes explaining the concept of Doctor Who for its new Disney + audience, Ncuti Gatwa finally gets a script that really lets the 15th Doctor shine as the Time Lord runs a gauntlet of emotions while confronting the knife-edge of jeopardy he faces. Millie Gibson also gives a stelar performance as Ruby must really step up to the plate to help the Doctor. Moffat is firing on all cylinders with Boom, despite a somewhat convoluted third act and syrupy so-so ending. The visuals effects in Boom are stunning as well, most notably for its first use of in-camera VFX to create the episodes impressive alien landscape – a similar process that’s been used in Star Wars TV shows to great effect. Intriguingly. we also got a surprise debut from Varada Sethu as Anglican soldier Mundy Flynn on Kastarion 3. Sethu is set to join the Doctor’s adventures in the second season, however it remains unclear why she’s shown up early like this, but it certainly adds an air of Impossible Girl-like mystery into the mix!

73 YARDS

The TARDIS lands on the west coast of Wales where a chilling mystery awaits the Doctor and Ruby. One where the locals in a nearby pub are fearful of the seeming manifestation of an ancient legend. When the Doctor goes missing, Ruby must confront dire warnings of doom alone as a bizarre mix of myth and magic closes in of her. Whatever power has awoken in this foreboding landscape 73 Yards certainly provides a huge tonal shift for this series. Writer Russel T Davies weaves haunting themes of Welsh folk-horror into the narrative and director Dylan Holmes Williams crafts a haunting atmosphere for this unusual Doctor-lite episode. It’s a great showcase for Millie Gibson as Ruby as we witness her life unfold while stalked by a mysterious woman, Dame Siân Phillips certainly doesn’t disappoint either as Enid, and Aneurin Barnard is very convincing as Roger ap Gwilliam. Jemma Redgrave also returns as Kate Stewart in a tense scene that provides a very effective and much needed bit of world building for this new era of Doctor Who. Oddly enough this episode almost feels like a supernatural retread of Boom. In the end though 73 Yards ultimately falters somewhat because of the frustrating ambiguity of its premise. Davies tries to do too much with too little, and this curious episode doesn’t quite stick the landing as a result.

DOT AND BUBBLE

The blissful world of Finetime in Dot and Bubble hides a skulking terror which preys on the unsuspecting population. However, this high-tech utopia provides Russel T Davies with the perfect backdrop in which to set this stark analogy of digital media addiction. So, with the Doctor and Ruby trapped outside the colony, the episode is fronted instead by Callie Cook who delivers a great performance as Finetime resident Lindy Petter-Bean – a likeable character with a Sally Sparrow vibe about her. So, the circumstances of this Doctor and Ruby-lite episode means Lindy becomes the main focus of this story. The technical wizardry that brings the colony of Finetime to life is impressive to say the least, as are the monstrous slug creatures that stalks the unsuspecting population. Davies parks Doctor Who’s tanks well and truly on Black Mirrors lawn for this cleverly crafted, yet oddly paced story. A brooding sense of pessimism and dark social commentary pervade throughout, but after an impressive start the plot and its shock resolution doesn’t really pay off.

ROGUE

Doctor Who goes Bridgerton with considerable style in Rogue, written by Kate Herron and Briony Redman (Loki, Sex Education) and Briony Redman (Point Brek, Forget-Me-Not), and stylishly directed by Ben Chessell (The Great). The Doctor and Ruby have come to 1813 to enjoy the Duchess of Pemberton’s ball, the highlight of Georgian society. But a hidden shape-shifting alien evil has ingratiated itself and guests are being murdered. Rogue is probably one of the series’ most romantic and flirty episode ever. The Doctor’s rushed romance and same sex-snog felt more like an exercise in box-ticking mind, and a cannon busting Next Doctor-like holographic montage of past Doctor’s got shoehorned in as well. With sumptuous sets and huge attention to detail lavished upon this love-letter to Bridgerton we even got Bridgerton’s choreographer Jack Murphy to craft the classic historical dance sequences. Ncuti Gatwa and Mille Gibson clearly have a ball with this jaunty sci-fi-historical come-murder-mystery, along with the all-star guest cast featuring India Varma as the dazzling Duchess of Pemberton and Jonathan Groff (Glee and The Matrix Resurrections) as the enigmatic bounty hunter Rogue. This episode was both oddly satisfying, in part no doubt to its historical setting, and yet strangely devoid of being anything even closely resembling Doctor Who at all really – despite its emotionally charged resolution.

THE LEGEND OF RUBY SUNDAY & EMPIRE OF DEATH

The Legend of Ruby Sunday kicks off Russell T Davies’ densely plotted two-part season finale with the Time Lord reuniting with UNIT at their HQ in modern day London. Here, the Doctor delves into the secrets hidden in Ruby’s past since she was abandoned as a baby on Christmas Eve – via UNIT’s Time Window. There’s also the mysterious Triad Technology to contend with, and the alien cyborg known as the Vlinx from The Giggle shows up too. Gatwa and Gibson are on fine form as the Doctor and Ruby, their UNIT friends Melanie Bush (Bonnie Langford) and Kate Stewart (Jemma Redgrave) also get a good slice of the action, with guest stars Anita Dobson as Ruby’s nosey neighbour Mrs Flood, Ruby’s adoptive mother Carla Sunday played by Michelle Greenidge , and Yasmin Finney as Rose Noble also featuring. The significance of recurring guest star Susan Twist is uncovered at last (the woman they keep seeing throughout time), appearing this time as Susan Triad, and to top it all off the seasons big-bad is finally revealed as Sutekh, God of Death – voiced once again by Gabriel Woolf, having originally voiced the role in 1975’s Pyramids of Mars. Empire of Death goes on to deliver an epic showdown for the Doctor as he battles the ultimate evil of Sutekh. It was great to see Bonnie Langford become a key player as Mel in her classic companion role in this episode as well. The resolution unfortunately proved anticlimactic with Sutekh conveniently vanquished, Ruby’s underwhelming reunion with her mother, a tearful farewell, and an ominous festively tinged coda from Mrs Flood. Of course the Doctor will be back at Christmas, but I have a feeling the cataclysmic events of Empire of Death will be felt for a long time to come…

So, what’s my verdict on this series you might ask? As you can see, I’ve found this season to be rather a mixed bag. I’m disappointed I didn’t enjoy this new season as much as I thought I would. The fact the Doctor and Ruby are both foundlings though does given them a unique bond and dynamic which we’ve never seen before in Doctor Who. Personally I found the pace of the season was too rushed, however I did like the way it’s focused more around the supernatural and fantasy elements rather than all-out sci-fi.  Sadly I think the potential set up in the 2023 Christmas special was squandered and Russel T Davies relied too much on familiar tropes and recycled plot devices. Ncuti Gatwa still feels like he’s finding his feet in the role, he’s at his best when he dials it back a little. For me Millie Gibson has been the star of the season as Ruby Sunday, especially in the quirky 73 Yards. As I’ve already said this season of Doctor Who hasn’t exactly been a priority for me. The series got off to a shaky start, it gradually picked up despite some dud moments along the way, and just about got its act together for a rather average finale. For now my conclusion remains as mixed as my initial impressions. While Disney Who might be bigger and flashier, it has also become a more generic sci-fi show as a result, and consequently a shadow of its former self.

(Images Belong BBC / Disney)

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About The Author

Hi, I’m Paul Bowler, blogger and reviewer of films, TV shows, and comic books. I’m a Sci-Fi geek, a big fan of Doctor Who, Star Trek, movies, Sci-Fi, Horror, Comic Books, and all things PS5. You can follow me on Twitter @paul_bowler,or at my website, Sci-Fi Jubilee, and on YouTube and Facebook