Doctor Who Season Two: What Went Wrong, and Can It Be Fixed?

Varada Sethu and Ncuti Gatwa as Belinda Chandra and the Doctor in Doctor Who: The Robot Revolution (2025)

A year ago, I wrote a conclusion for season one of Doctor Who’s new era on Disney+. In it, I expressed frustrations about the show’s handling but, more importantly, offered solutions for how to fix them in Doctor Who season two. With Doctor Who season two over and Ncuti Gatwa out of the show far…… Continue reading Doctor Who Season Two: What Went Wrong, and Can It Be Fixed?

Doctor Who: The Reality War

Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor in Doctor Who: The Reality War (2025)

What began as a bold new era under Disney’s banner ends not with clarity, but chaos. The Reality War, penned by Russell T Davies and directed by Alex Sanjiv Pillai, arrives burdened by lore, expectation, and a 66-minute runtime that it struggles to justify. The episode juggles gods, genetic legacies, and a regeneration, yet fails…… Continue reading Doctor Who: The Reality War

Doctor Who: Wish World

Ncuti Gatwa as John Smith in Doctor Who: Wish World (2025)

At its most potent, Doctor Who weaponises the uncanny. The greatest episodes have often been those where the rules of reality itself begin to warp, where the world turns subtly wrong and no one but the companion notices. Wish World leans squarely into that tradition, attempting a heady cocktail of dystopian allegory, psychological horror, and…… Continue reading Doctor Who: Wish World

The Genius Game

David Tennant as The Creator in The Genius Game (2025)

I’m no stranger to a good social deduction game. Whether it’s The Circle, The Fortune Hotel, or even Tom Scott’s indie gem Money, there’s something uniquely satisfying about watching people try to outthink, out-bluff, and outlast each other in high-concept challenges. It’s not just about strategy. It’s about trust. Misdirection. Reading between the lines. The…… Continue reading The Genius Game

Doctor Who: The Story and the Engine

Aryion Bakare, Ncuti Gatwa and Sule Rimi as Barber, the Doctor and Omo Akiyemi in Doctor Who: The Story and the Engine (2025)

In The Story and the Engine, the Doctor visits Lagos and uncovers a mysterious barbershop powered by stories, where Nigerian folklore and sci-fi collide in a meditation on identity, legacy, and the power of oral tradition. The Story and the Engine is an intellectually thrilling premise, and in some moments, an emotionally moving one. But…… Continue reading Doctor Who: The Story and the Engine

Doctor Who: Lucky Day

Jonah Hauer-King and Millie Gibson as Conrad Clark and Ruby Sunday in Doctor Who: Lucky Day (2025)

Would it be your lucky day to meet the Doctor? For Conrad Clark (Jonah Hauer-King), it was on New Year’s Day 2007. That chance encounter leaves a mark, both figuratively and, as it turns out, literally. Fixated on the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and the enigma of the blue box, a young Conrad grows up to…… Continue reading Doctor Who: Lucky Day

The Government Inspector

Laurie Ogden, Sylvestra Le Touzel, Tom Rosenthal, Lloyd Hutchinson as Marya, Anna, Khlestakov, and The Mayor in The Government Inspector (2025) at Chichester Festival Theatre [Photo: Ellie Kurttz]

Chichester Festival Theatre launches its 2025 season with The Government Inspector, Nikolai Gogol’s blistering satire on institutional corruption, newly adapted by Phil Porter and directed by Gregory Doran. Premiering on the same night as the UK’s local elections, the production arrives with a sharp sense of topicality, but not, unfortunately, with the sharpness of wit…… Continue reading The Government Inspector

Doctor Who: The Well

Varada Sethu and Ncuti Gatwa as Belinda Chandra and the Doctor in Doctor Who: The Well (2025)

Doctor Who’s third episode, The Well, opens aboard a mining colony on a dead planet, where all but one inhabitant has mysteriously died. The Well is a passable, slightly underwhelming entry, co-written by Russell T Davies and Sharma Angel-Walfall and directed by Amanda Brotchie. Revisiting heavily trodden ground, it struggles to reach the lofty heights…… Continue reading Doctor Who: The Well

Doctor Who: Lux

Varada Sethu and Ncuti Gatwa as Belinda Chandra and the Doctor in Doctor Who: Lux (2025)

Lux, the second episode of the series, sees the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Belinda (Varada Sethu) land in 1950s America to discover that the local cinema is chained up, 15 people are missing, and a cartoon character roams free from his celluloid. Taking the form of Mr Ring-A-Ding, a 2D cartoon projection voiced with theatrical…… Continue reading Doctor Who: Lux

Doctor Who: The Robot Revolution

Varada Sethu as Belinda Chandra in Doctor Who: The Robot Revolution (2025)

Doctor Who returns with The Robot Revolution, a bold but uneven series opener introducing a new companion, Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu). The episode brims with ambition but struggles to ground its emotional core or deliver its message. Penned by showrunner Russell T Davies and directed by Peter Hoar (It’s a Sin, The Last of Us),…… Continue reading Doctor Who: The Robot Revolution