The Doctor takes Donna to an underwater civilisation only to find that things have changed dramatically – and a lot of people aren’t very happy about that…

Jenny T. Colgan’s tale takes the Doctor and Donna off Earth to a world where changes have been made that are apparently for the benefit of the indigenous population, but in fact are nothing of the sort. It gives Colgan a chance to look at colonialism, racism and bigotry in a Doctor Who context, against the background of a ticking (or in this case, dripping) clock. With space rhinos! (Imagine that in Catherine Tate’s best “I’m not going to be impressed but really I am!” Donna voice – it really doesn’t sound as if she’s been away.)

There’s not a shortage of people for Tennant’s Doctor to get angry with in this – whether it’s the corporation who’s come in and is forcing the local aquatic population to wear special helmets so they can actually work in their own city, or it’s the members of said population who take matters into their own hands. We’re introduced to a new idea for the Judoon that I wonder is a precursor to the creatures’ reappearance in the TV show next year, and gives Nicholas Briggs a chance to do something other with the voice than words that end in an “o”.

Ken Bentley’s smart direction ensures that the tension ratchets up appropriately, with Howard Carter’s sound design subtly altering the atmospherics as the balance between air and water teeters towards catastrophe.

Verdict: The sort of story you suspect Robert Holmes would have penned had he been working on the show in the 21st century – another fine recreation of the period. 9/10

Paul Simpson

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