Doctor Who: The Legend of Ruby Sunday / Empire of Death
by Russell T Davies; dir. Jamie Donoughue (BBC, 2024)
This two-part finale sees a loosely scripted buildup but then a shocking, soul-chilling threat reveal. Unfortunately, Davies then concocts a facile reversal to haul the Doctor back from the brink. Ruby’s big revelation has some merit and yet… doesn’t explain the snow?
Doctor Who: Dot and Bubble
by Russell T Davies; dir. Dylan Holmes Williams (BBC, 2024)
A heavy-handed commentary on social media culture. Davies commits fully to the satire, rather neglecting all other aspects (save for an ending that offers some unexpected substance). Giant slugs and Ricky September notwithstanding, this makes its point without offering much rewatch value.
Doctor Who: 73 Yards
by Russell T Davies; dir. Dylan Holmes Williams (BBC, 2024)
A beautifully crafted Doctor-light episode exploring life after loss. The horror elements are effective and Ruby’s despair, hopelessness and eventual survival all feel very real. A classic, save that a rushed ending glosses over both looping mechanism and the woman’s terrifying effect.
Doctor Who: Smith and Jones
by Russell T Davies; dir. Charles Palmer (BBC, 2007)
A diverting enough romp that throws everything at the mission brief: introducing Martha as the Doctor’s new companion. Freema Agyeman makes a strong first impression. The militant bureaucratic Judoon are sufficiently ridiculous that Davies can take walloping great liberties with the plot.
Doctor Who: Mind of the Hodiac
by Russell T Davies & Scott Handcock (Big Finish, 2022)
This two-parter is rather too long for what it offers, though the female-centric plot is welcome and Colin Baker is once again a delight. Davies and Handcock capture the Sixth Doctor’s personality, yet (as usual) have him largely superfluous to the resolution.
Doctor Who: The Daleks in Colour
by Terry Nation, with new material by Russell T Davies; ed. Benjamin Cook (BBC, 2023)
The colouring works well! However, too much plot has been expurgated, leaving this version frenetic and a good 25 minutes short. Quiet moments, suspense and drama give way to near-farcical, jump-cut action montages and the grandiloquent fanfare of Mark Ayres’ new score.
Doctor Who: The Devil’s Chord
by Russell T Davies; dir. Ben Chessell (BBC, 2024)
Maestro presents as a seriously deranged threat—albeit one that would have hit home harder had (a) Gatwa’s Doctor an established track record (beyond happy-go-running-away), and (b) they not been meekly sacrificed to a larger story arc (plus delirious show-choir song-and-dance routine).
Doctor Who: Space Babies
by Russell T Davies; dir. Julie Anne Robinson (BBC, 2024)
Part exposition for new watchers, part setup for the rest of the series, but mostly just the only story that Russell T Davies could come up with having pulled the title ‘Space Babies’ from a random text generator. Ebullient but rather forced.
Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road
by Russell T. Davies; dir. Mark Tonderai (BBC, 2023)
Davies scripts a bonhomous if heavy-handed, found-family Christmas special that rattles along while re-treading old ground (his own Whoeuvre plus a sing-and-dance tribute to Labyrinth). Ncuti Gatwa takes the Doctor’s zest for life and channels it into a more tactile, people-friendly persona.
Doctor Who: The Giggle
by Russell T. Davies; dir. Chanya Button (BBC, 2023)
Neil Patrick Harris exudes menace as the Toymaker, yet the magnitude of his power (alluded to by the fate of the Master and the Guardians) is undermined by the utterly facile nature of the games chosen. Inexplicably, Ncuti Gatwa debuts without pants.