Estranged Hatch struggles against the odds to broker a deal with OriGen to access Newton’s tenth patent.

…And lift off. This is what I’ve been waiting for.

Last week The Man Who Fell to Earth started to widen its narrative into fresher territory as it introduced us to the origins of tech firm OriGen, but here, approaching the series midpoint, things really take off. Under Pressure is a jam-packed episode, overflowing with story, revelation, exploration of richer, deeper themes and with an extremely pleasing cameo from Juliet Stevenson to boot.

Arguably, once again, the show is a little over-reliant on backstory, as we learn the disturbing truth about Justin (Naomie Harris) and the reasons she was on her uppers in the series opener. Having said that, it’s a really good backstory, which drives the unfolding plot very effectively, even if holding it back feels overly contrived. This niggle aside, there’s no time to dwell on it, because the pace picks up as all the disparate strands start to weave together.

While Rob Delaney’s Hatch struggles to hold the team together trying to persuade his sister to invest in Faraday’s tech, CIA agent Spencer Clay tracks down one of the characters from the 1976 movie (Stevenson), who has had something of a career change in the intervening half century.

The series still tends to lurch around in terms of tone and story – on the one hand manically surreal, as Hatch’s twitchy cokehead nephew Clive (in an excellent performance by Laurie Kynaston) tries to discover the true nature of Faraday’s identity, and on the other hand genuinely heartfelt, as Faraday’s relationship with Justin deepens via an exploration of the nature of empathy – but the individual elements are all extremely well executed and I find the cocktail compelling.

Verdict: The Man Who Fell to Earth is occasionally chaotic, but in a good way. This is bold, engaging storytelling, and is fast becoming my weekly treat. 9/10

Martin Jameson