The Doctor, Yaz and Dan find themselves in a small village in 1967…

It’s been said multiple times before, but it bears repeating. This is the level of Doctor Who that we’ve been hoping for since the new regime took over. All credit to Chris Chibnall and Maxine Alderton – whose Villa Diodati story was one of the best of last season – and to Jamie Magnus Stone for bringing it all together, and to all the cast (especially Kevin McNally) for making it work.

The Weeping Angels haven’t been used this well for a very, very long time on screen, and the only time that the serial nature of Flux affected things was the need to cut away to the Vinder plotline (and don’t switch off when the end credits begin… they said they were emulating Marvel, but I didn’t think they meant quite like that!). Things are breaking down across the board (look at the logos, the continuity “errors”.)

The need for smaller casts interacting because of COVID became a strength – Annabel Scholey, Whitaker and McNally made a good combination, as did John Bishop, Mandip Gill and Poppy Polivnick. Jemma Churchill and Vincent Brimble were very strong as Poppy’s guardians – the interaction between the two of them was credible amongst the madness of the Angels’ actions.

The revelations about Division and the Doctor’s background are coming thick and fast, and with just two episodes of Flux left to run, I suspect this is going to play throughout the era, right up to the regeneration at the end of the centenary episode in a year’s time, although I’m really hoping that we get some decent tie-up to this six-part portion, not least bringing back the Doctor’s attention to other people rather than just herself…

Verdict: The best Doctor Who episode of the Whittaker era, and with that cliffhanger, I suspect it’s one that will be remembered by young fans for years to come. 9/10

Paul Simpson