“What’s the point in having a mate with a time machine…?”

Vinay Patel’s episode of Doctor Who is a terrific demonstration of the many different facets that this 55 year old show can produce – in fact, that’s a good summation of Series 11 entirely up to this point. No, not every type can work for everyone (and I’ll admit that last week’s wasn’t totally to my taste) but there are times when Doctor Who can be lyrical and educative, moving and yet grounded.

If like many people you’ve got little idea of the partition of India, and its causes, then this will be a valuable history lesson – radio broadcasts are used to good effect alongside those who are caught on opposite sides of the conflict, shown in microcosm among Yaz’s relatives. It’s not a “pure” historical, but it’s much nearer the Rosa scale than one of the celebrity historicals of the previous showrunners’ eras (and Team TARDIS are put in invidious positions once more at a certain key point). This is a human drama, with some strong moments for Bradley Walsh and Mandip Gill in particular.

Jamie Childs’ direction emphasises the sheer scale of the land – and yet he brings it down to a simple stream at important moments to accentuate the human level of the conflict, and by some considerable distance, this is my favourite of Segun Akinola’s scores: drawing on the local musical roots and enveloping them in a suitable style.

Verdict: This is a different style of Doctor Who – and personally, I love it. 9/10

Paul Simpson