The world has gone mad and an ancient threat is using the entire planet as his playroom

I really think there’s no way to review this episode without addressing major plot points, so if you haven’t yet watched it, come back in an hour… OK, here goes. After last week’s ‘bottle’ show, The Giggle is a relentless, epic, breathless hour which deserves an immediate second viewing just so that everything gets a chance to sink in.

If it hadn’t been written by show runner Russell T Davies, it would be described as a Davies pastiche, because it hits the writer’s trademarks and then some, cranking it all up to maximum power. The closest comparison is Series 3’s finale, Last of the Time Lords, complete with big pop number and legacy villain in charge. But then add the arrival of a new Doctor (bi-generation rather than regeneration), the Master contained within a gold tooth (whisked away at the end in another nod to Last of the Time Lords), the return of a companion (Bonnie Langford’s Mel) and a family of creepy puppets.

It was 1966 when we were introduced to Michael Gough as The Toymaker, and Davies makes it clear that the character is racist, though stopping short of the cultural appropriation of his Mandarin costume, instead adopting a stereotypical Germanic accent. Neil Patrick Harris goes for broke with a theatrical performance not unlike his Count Olaf from A Series of Unfortunate Events, and certainly in the same villainous ball park as John Simm’s The Master.

And what of the ending? The bi-generation allows us to park Tennant’s Doctor and Tate’s Donna in a happy place – no need for a death of sorts or the wiping of a memory. This does of course allow the Doctor and Donna pairing to return in a spinoff if required, which is a lovely prospect. And the new Doctor? Ncuti bounces onto the screen in his boxer shorts and immediately glows with joy. What a treat we have ahead of us if this introduction is a taster of what’s to come. Bring on Christmas and the goblins!

Verdict: Spice up your life! The sort of finale typically saved for the end of a 13-episode run, there’s so much to unpack and enjoy. You wouldn’t want every episode to be this big, but this is just what we needed to conclude the 60th anniversary party and set up the new adventures. 9/10

Nick Joy