The Doctor takes Bill for her first proper trip in the TARDIS to the far future – where the robots speak emoji…

It seems as if Series 10 is going to follow the tradition of many of the previous 21st Century series, with the first episode set in the present day and the second in the future. It’s not a bad template to use, showing off the versatility of the show to the audience who hopefully jumped on board last week, and showing the new companion just what she’s getting herself into.

One of the real strengths of this episode is the chemistry between Peter Capaldi and Pearl Mackie (Nardole does make an appearance, but not to the same level as in The Pilot): Moffat’s still using Bill to ask the questions that no one (in the general audience at least) has asked before, and it’s bringing out sides to Capaldi that we’ve not seen during his angst-ridden earlier stories, or in the free-for-all with Clara. This is the Twelfth Doctor that frankly I’ve been hoping for from the start, and let’s hope that this level is maintained throughout this series.

For those wondering if Mr Science goes out the window in this story in the same way that it did in Frank Cottrell Boyce’s first episode for the show, there are certainly some interesting moments, but nothing to the extent of In the Forest of the Night. (No moon equals egg moments either.) The reason for using emojis holds together, although you will get more than a few déjà vu moments from an earlier Steven Moffat script.

It’s one of the most stylish episodes we’ve seen of the series: the location filming in Spain and Wales combined with CG extensions really do give the place a very different look, and there are some really nicely framed shots once again from director Lawrence Gough.

Verdict: A good solid piece of Doctor Who, with some great moments for Peter Capaldi and Pearl Mackie. 8/10

Paul Simpson