Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Cast: Jodie Whittaker, Bradley Walsh, Mandip Gill, Tosin Cole, Jo Martin, Lee Clayton, Ritu Arya, John Barrowman, Paul Kasey, Michael Begley, Judith Street, Katie Luckins, Nicholas Briggs, Simon Carew, Richard Highgate, Richard Price, Matthew Rohman.

When you find yourself in the position of actually being on the edge of your seat, when the moment comes and in which you realise you have stopped breathing and which has been denied you for such a long time, that is the point when some of the bland and uninspiring is forgiven, because you know it has been leading to that feeling for such a long time.

There have been many moments since the long running science fiction serial was brought back in 2005 with Chris Eccleston as the titular hero, however in Fugitive of The Judoon, the drop jaw of surprise was not only keenly appreciated, it finally opened up a can of worms and a nest of anticipation that had finally proved that Jodie Whittaker can perform the subtleties of the role with absolute conviction.

Some of the more memorable episodes of recent times are those which push the Doctor’s emotions to the fore, the viewer only has to think of David Tennant’s performances in the outstanding Midnight, The Waters Of Mars, 42 and The Fires of Pompeii to understand that the character is played best when it has everything to lose, when the anger threatens to overwhelm. As with Jodie Whittaker in this particular episode of Doctor Who, confusion and heartbreak have pushed her incarnation into a desperately dark place, one which adds turmoil to the Gallifreyan mind.

There will be those though that see the episode as a betrayal of lore, the set up that insists on certain aspects of the show remaining canon and with the breath taking reveal of a secret past being carefully weaved into the narrative there will no doubt be some who shout unfaithfulness and treachery from the highest yardarm. Yet in a moment of calculated beauty, Chris Chibnall and Vinay Patel offer an insight that may refer back to the classic series itself, specifically The Brain of Morbius and even if it turns out to be a huge deception, to once more place lore at the centre of Doctor Who is to embrace the show for what it originally was, a mystery wrapped in an enigma.

With the return of John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness and with towering performances by Paul Kasey and the other actors under the Judoon masks, in truth reflecting a deeper menace and conveying brutal dedication than had been noticed before, Fugitive of The Judoon is an episode that captures the meaning of what the hell just happened down to its most brilliant effect.

There is almost nothing better than when a writer can throw in a curve ball with such devastating panache, and Fugitive of The Judoon could just be that one that blows the cannon wide open.

Ian D. Hall