Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 7/10

Cast: Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman, Samuel Anderson, Elis George, Edward Harrison, Nigel Betts, Andy Giles, Nanya Campbell, Joshua Warner-Campbell, Oliver Barry-Brook, Ramone Morgan, Winston Ellis, Gracy Goldman, Diana Katis, Jimmy Vee, Chris Addison.

Coal Hill School in the centre of the East End of London seems to be the centre of the known universe when it comes to the stories concerning The Doctor and his fascination/exasperation for his favourite species and their planet. So much so that not only could the Doctor could be seen as the custodian of Humanity’s existence but when the time comes, he cannot keep away from the school in which some of his most memorable companions and perhaps pivotal moments have taken root. The Caretaker he has been and seems to relish in being.

Gareth Roberts latest episode for Doctor Who leads pleasantly enough back in parts to thoughts of previous incarnations of the man from Gallifray, notably Matt Smith in The Lodger, or the huge nod to the great Jon Pertwee’s time in the Tardis and the facial expressions that both actor’s in their performance have employed with great dexterity.

It is this in which The Caretaker’s greatness lays, that and the comedy which is shown flourishing but also the dynamic in the three characters, Clara, who for many was perhaps the most important of all the companions to have stepped into the blue box but who now has come out from the wing of absolute tour de force of nature in which Matt Smith undoubtedly was phenomenal adept at portraying, Peter Capaldi’s older, wiser and more manipulative Doctor, arguably the most Machiavellian since Sylvester McCoy’s time in the Tardis and the ace in the hole in this particular episode, the emergence of Danny Pink as someone who can rub the Doctor up the wrong way.

This is a man who can see past the allure in which Clara and past companions have had for the Time Lord, the sheer concentrated way in which they have become soldiers in a war against all those that threaten Earth, unwittingly, or disturbingly with an air of confidence. For Danny Pink, the ex-soldier who has an issue with what he perceives to be the Officer class, the Doctor is the representation of all that is wrong with soldiering. In a throwback to the First World War, in Mr. Pink’s eyes, it is civilians waiting to be destroyed by an unfeeling and devious leader.

The major scene between the three characters was one filled with great tension, with cunning and control, one in which The Doctor who is not used to be questioned in such a manner gets to see the anger within the seemingly righteous and it is exasperates his sense of being. It is a scene in which brings out the very best in the series and unlike other people who have stepped into the Tardis, Danny Pink is not overawed, not impressed by the man who can push other’s into things they never thought possible. This is a dynamic that has rarely been explored in the history of the programme and one in which Gareth Roberts should be congratulated.

In keeping with the darker aspect to the Doctor’s new persona, the momentum has been seized and is baring incredible fruit.

Doctor Who continues next Saturday.

Ian D. Hall