For such a prickly, inaccessible incarnation of the Time Lord, Peter Capaldi's first season has been notable for the inclusion of children in his stories. He grilled a young Danny Pink in Listen and the meddlesome Courtney went to the stars in Kill The Moon. Now he has to deal somewhat entertainingly with an entire class of precocious moppets via Frank Cottrell Boyce's high-minded entry. Boyce is one of the few writers selected with bona fide
credentials in kids' entertainment, so the diminutive cast are well-drawn. Arguably a little too articulate to be fully plausible, but this is a tight forty five minutes of TV drama after all. Brilliantly, Boyce creates a nonplussed reaction to the inner-workings of the Doctor's travelling machine.
The concept of the trees being our saviours is one of those ideas that could easily have sunk into sentimentality, and though it threatens to at times this is skilfully-executed stuff. There should be a lot more cars and people around, but overall the freshly-sprouted setting gets handsomely realized. The animal encounters, which appear to be a mixture of live action and CGI, lend a lot to the action.
Danny becomes an official part of the crew with the character proving a vital addition to the mix, boding well for his jumping aboard any future adventures. Another interesting development sees Jenna Coleman send Capaldi away - though much criticism has abounded that the Twelfth lacks pro-activity, that's not the case here. It's a part of his character that he's not barrelling in with his screwdriver out all the time, yet he's still indisputably the Doctor and here comes up with the solution to the situation as well as
saving a few necks in the process. With the season finale imminent, this is a good way to round off a run of thought-provoking ideas featuring strong character development that has been a step up from the rollicking eye candy of previous years.
The Doctor faces an army of lethal Banksys in this imaginative script from Jamie Mathieson, which asks the simple but fiendish question: "What would happen if the TARDIS exterior became really small?" It's arguably the show's best in terms of special effects, with a disintegrating settee and marauding Bacon-esque figures among the highlights. The tone is lean and dark, a good fit for Peter Capaldi's trapped Time Lord.
It's also a rare case of the series attempting to reflect modern life, returning to a council estate environment last seen properly during the days of Rose Tyler. A community service team are the main characters, pilloried by guest star Christopher Fairbank (who
is underused). There's a decent "replacement" companion in Joivan Wade, named "Rigsby" for some bizarre reason. Capaldi and Coleman continue their strong partnership, and while critics of the Doctor's lack of involvement won't be pleased, they can't argue
that Coleman's performance doesn't compensate for a neutered title character. Personally I love the balance - if you hate it don't worry, there'll be another one along in a minute.
As with last week the conclusion is hurried and you could claim the overall concept needed a bit more development before leaving the 2D page. But this is another memorable three quarters of an hour and the latest in a string of interesting ideas that has set Series Eight apart from its predecessors.
THE CALLING
sees Susan Sarandon investigate a string of peculiar murders, the
victims’ faces manipulated into gruesome expressions. Assisting her in
the process is fellow acting stalwart Donald Sutherland, playing a
staple movie role, that of the priest in the presence of evil. It’s the
latest in a long line of meaty supporting parts played by this versatile
and highly-regarded actor, whose distinctive hangdog face can appear
haunted, affable, wily or just plain saucy. With THE CALLING
bringing a chill to cinemas this month, let’s take a look at some of
Sutherland’s other characters from his intense and often skin-crawling
back catalogue...
Strong production design, a reasonably natty concept and a scary monster combine in another quality instalment. The Doctor once visited the Titanic in space for an unsatisfying Christmas episode, now the trick is refined for The Orient Express, which plays host to an Ancient Egyptian curse. The Mummy is rendered here as a classic horror movie creation and the idea of having a countdown to each death is an unusual and memorable one.
New-to-Who writer Jamie Mathieson has created a thrilling story that ends up a bit repetitive and overconceptualized, but still keeps the audiences' minds ticking over. Sadly the ending is rushed and there's a lack of overall explanation. The twist in the tale is exciting and the transformation of a train carriage into a science lab is handled well, switching from mood lighting to stark brightness for the dissection of the threat.
With his foreboding features Peter Capaldi is right at home in this entry and though Jenna Coleman seems a bit of an add-on this week the two stars continue to share their surprising chemistry. Of the guest cast, Frank Skinner is fine, though is better as a comedian than a slightly reserved actor.
A silly idea is given just the right amount of credence in this scary adventure from the imagination of debut writer Peter Harness. You can say a lot of things about Series 8 but you couldn't accuse it of lacking content, especially in terms of the characters' relationships. Whereas previous runs have contained the odd filler episode (still a possibility here with five stories to go) the Capaldi season has been distinctive in that each instalment has carried a fair amount of meat. The moral dilemma and the Doctor's actions in relation to it are nothing new, but are handled in a more satisfying way via this latest team.
Chronically apathetic Courtney (Ellis George) accompanies the Time Lord and Clara this time, a brave gambit that in my view pays off. Harness makes her a central part of the action, in a scenario that would put cushions over many adults' faces, let alone childrens'. Hermione Norris is well-cast as a cynical planet-saving astronaut and the symptomatic "spiders" are rather nasty. The production moved to Lanzarote for the lunar landscapes and while it looks good they've treated it in a way that could have been
achieved in the studio in my opinion. At least the BBC has a bit of ambition, but more budget could have been freed up to realize things like the Doctor jumping into amniotic fluid or more importantly the Moon "baby" itself, eventually seen at a distance.
You may argue the denouement is on the touchy feely side and over-fantastical, but I won't, particularly when it's followed by a great scene where Clara turns on her friend and Danny's instincts prove to be correct. Jenna Coleman is really being tested this year
and she's more than rising to the challenge. As for the title character, this was a splendid demonstration of what Capaldi does best - he's still the Doctor, only different, and sums up what the programme is all about. His predecessor once abandoned his companions to thrash things out with the enemy in Cold Blood. That was a bit feeble. Here we're more in the realms of serious drama and at just past the halfway mark the diverse series is all the better for it.
