Doctor Who: Can You Hear Me?
by Charlene James & Chris Chibnall; dir. Emma Sullivan (BBC, 2020)
A dark, genuinely creepy episode whose only real failing is the ease with which Zellin and Rakaya are dispatched (cf. the Krynoid from The Seeds of Doom). Even this serves, in contrast, to emphasise the insidious, less easily confrontable workings of depression.
Doctor Who: Fugitive of the Judoon
by Vinay Patel & Chris Chibnall; dir. Nida Manzoor (BBC, 2020)
Captain Jack’s return is gratuitous, serving mostly to sideline Graham, Ryan and Yaz (staged by Manzoor as a three-person collective). Jo Martin, however, is magnificent as the Fugitive Doctor—both in her own right and shading Jodie Whittaker’s performance with lost-child vulnerability.
Doctor Who: The Woman Who Fell To Earth
by Chris Chibnall; dir. Jamie Childs (BBC, 2018)
The best debut story since Rose. Jodie Whittaker hits the ground running, and Chibnall strikes a nice balance between SF threat, comfort humour and character introduction. All the soon-to-be regulars show promise (while Sharon D. Clarke is immediately much missed as Grace).
Doctor Who: The Power of Three
by Chris Chibnall; dir. Douglas Mackinnon (BBC, 2012)
An important episode in Amy and Rory’s storyline. Gentle humour, endearing character moments, but the ‘stuff of nightmares’ Shakri are brushed aside with laughable ease. Chibnall might have done better to spend less time on Rory’s dad and more on the resolution.
Doctor Who: The Power of the Doctor
by Chris Chibnall; dir. Jamie Magnus Stone (BBC, 2022)
Grandiloquent, saccharine, but something of a wet dream for longstanding Who fans. The plot is bonkers (not in such a bad way) and trades nostalgia for closure. Amidst the series-spanning Easter egg hunt, Sacha Dhawan gives the one performance of independent merit.
Doctor Who: Legend of the Sea Devils
by Ella Road & Chris Chibnall; dir. Haolu Wang (BBC, 2022)
At once laborious and rushed, committing neither to swashbuckling adventure nor to Yas and the Doctor (nor indeed to presaging the upcoming finale). The Sea Devils could have done with more of a revamp, as per the Ice Warriors in Series Seven.
Doctor Who: Eve of the Daleks
by Chris Chibnall; dir. Annetta Laufer (BBC, 2022)
Third try lucky for Chris Chibnall and Dalek specials. The time loop is a winner (explainy bits aside), while the enclosed environment and localised stakes allow the pepper pots to rise above their usual pointlessness. The guest characters have personality beyond function.
Doctor Who—Flux, Chapter 6: The Vanquishers
by Chris Chibnall (BBC, 2021)
The Grand Serpent turned out to be superfluous. Passenger served no purpose except to prove unexpectedly convenient. And the Flux itself was downgraded from universe devourer to infinitesimal matter-snacker. An enjoyable enough finale but something of a disappointment given the intricate build-up.
Doctor Who—Flux, Chapter 5: Survivors of the Flux
by Chris Chibnall (BBC, 2021)
Flux survives its first information dump and reaches the cliffhanger with everything to play for. This instalment sees some powerful performances (notwithstanding a comedy hermit in dubious taste) and portends either an epic final showdown or a damp squib riddled with subplot.
Doctor Who—Flux, Chapter 4: Village of the Angels
by Chris Chibnall & Maxine Alderton (BBC, 2021)
Chibnall has shown himself a past master of raising the stakes. Flux is on such a trajectory, ‘Village of the Angels’ proving creepy and superb. Hopefully it won’t suffer the sort of anticlimactic let-down as befell ‘Spyfall’ and ‘Can You Hear Me?’