Sophie Okonedo. It’s a fairly ordinary story, really. The sort you frequently see on Doctor Who. But the telling of it is extraordinarily clever. So much so that you are completely caught up in it. Wonderful.
On the downside, there are several moments (mostly at the start and at the end) that are self-consciously Doctor Who. And they are somewhat off-putting.
It’s obvious that the writer dearly loves the show, so we get lots and lots of attention lavished on the fact that the new assistant is amazed by everything she is now privy to (that’s the start!) and on the fact that the doctor is a nice chap who is horribly lonely (that’s the end!). These aspects are certainly at the core of true Doctor Who. But they work best when given minimal screentime. 8/10
