The Doctor, Yaz and Dan travel to 19th century China, where a small coastal village is under threat from both the fearsome pirate queen Madame Ching and a monstrous force which she unwittingly unleashes.

Jodie Whittaker’s penultimate TV adventure as the Doctor takes her, Yaz and Dan to 1807, where a geomagnetic disturbance catches her attention (and earring). By removing a keystone from a statue, Madame Ching (Crystal Yu) has released Sea Devils, and it’s up to the Doctor to get things back on an even keel (ahem!).

Ella Road and Chris Chibnall’s script is fine as far as it goes, but there’s something underdeveloped about it. And there’s nothing about it that suggests it’s special, feeling more like a mid-run episode. To everyone’s credit, the Sea Devils aren’t given the same extreme 21st Century makeover as their cousins the Silurians, with the creature masks embellished by CGI movement. Wisely, their mouths are also static per their previous appearances in 1972 and 1984, and their costume design is far superior to their previous Samurai design.

Surely there will also be disappointment in some quarters about the handling of the Doctor and Yas’ relationship. There’s a mutual agreement that she makes a great date, while clarifying that she can’t attach herself to another. This actually all makes sense, but will no doubt shatter many ‘Thasmin’ wish fulfilment fantasies.

The episode was of course made during COVID conditions last summer, and there’s a real sense that it’s underpopulated for social distancing reasons. Segun Akinola’s score has a few grand flourishes and even a wink or two towards Holst, but as pirate stories go, this just doesn’t have enough swashbuckling, though director Haolu Wang makes an assured debut on the show.

Verdict: An episode that will probably be best remembered for crushing Thasmin, the big reveals in its ‘Next Time’ throw forward and not doing anything exciting with a great, classic monster. 6/10

Nick Joy