The workers in a mining facility on planet 67-67 are dead. Every mirror has been destroyed. There is only one survivor…

From 73 years in our past (no coincidence, surely?) the Doctor’s Vindicator device brings the TARDIS half a million years into the future, to a lifeless planet orbiting a dead star. Inveigling themselves within a troop of space marines, the Doctor and his new allies soon discover Aliss (Rose Ayling-Ellis), who has had to do terrible things to survive. But is she really a danger, or is there someone, or something, else behind the mystery?

The first thing that strikes here is that this story, by Russell T Davies and Sharma Angel-Walfall (Dreamland), has none of the wackiness of the first two episodes, or indeed most of this era. It feels like a bit of a throwback to an earlier era of the show and there’s a good reason for that. It would be interesting to see what newcomers make of this, only perhaps Boom has a similar tone and that still had enough oddness about it to make it fit the current style of the show. This is much more reminiscent of something like 2006’s The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit in look and feel.

Having a troop of soldiers on an alien world allows for lots of box-ticking from your favourite Space Marines movies – all the types are here. Grizzled, hard-nosed veteran with a heart of gold? Check. Gung-ho YOLO who questions authority? Present. Sweet-natured and out of their depth rookie who turns out to be really brave? Here. You get the gist. I really enjoyed this crew, with especially notable turns from Caoilfhionn Dunne (A Thousand Blows) and Bethany Antonia (House of the Dragon/Nolly).

Front and centre of the story is Rose Ayling-Ellis, for much of the UK audience likely as well known as a personality, writer and spokesperson as she is an actor. It’s clever casting, it’s hard not to feel naturally warm towards her and it adds to her character’s sense of desperation, fear and loneliness. Rather wonderfully we have a brief exchange between her and the Doctor in British Sign Language only, with no translation even with the subtitles on. A nice touch, although later revelations here make one wonder how this could have been the case.

It’s impossible for me to go into any real depth here, due to the nature of the antagonist. There’s an early clue for those who know the intricacies of the periodic table, a group which oddly doesn’t include the Doctor, who completely fails to pick up on it until the plot needs him to have it spelled out. A minor gripe to be sure, and for once having the Doctor know next to nothing about the time and place he’s in is refreshing.

Verdict: We dispense with hi-jinks for a properly scary tale which wouldn’t have been out of place during any number of previous seasons. 8/10

Andy Smith