Doctor Who, Revolution of the Daleks review: Everything about this festive special is superb

Well, everyone’s been hoping that 2021 might be a bit of an improvement on 2020, and in its own small, intertemporal way, the Doctor Who festive special is an encouraging start to a better future for Earth, menaced as it has been by a virus every bit as lethal as the Daleks.

Everything about this Doctor Who is superb. Jodie Whittaker is a fine Doctor, growing nicely into her persona, administering a judicious mixture of eccentricity, scientific brilliance and, crucially, tenderness towards her human companions. In return, her posse are intensely loyal to her. As Time Agent Captain Jack Harness (John Barrowman) declares: “How many people in the universe get to meet the Doctor, let alone travel with her? We’re the lucky ones.”

Whittaker is the match, at least, of her 12 predecessors, and I can’t see what that fuss about a female Time Lord was all about; it’s just as believable as having two hearts or a sonic screwdriver. And, of course, she’s not afraid of the Daleks, who are invading Earth. Again.

This time, the race of mutants have found themselves a couple of traitorous human accomplices. One is a Trumpian American tycoon named Jack Robertson, played with just the right amount of swagger by Chris Noth, who says things like “here’s the deal” and is thinking of running for president. It’s a nice satirical touch, and not so clumsy as to be distracting. Robertson acquires a “dead” Dalek to convert into a sort of robocop. He’s given a contract by a sinister populist British prime minister (Harriet Walter), who wants to deliver law and order at no cost to the taxpayers. Just think of what Priti Patel could do with a personal army of Daleks who’d obey her every whim and would never need to be sworn at.

Anyway, it all goes horribly wrong. Daleks, we know, can never be wiped out because the BBC’s merchandising department will never allow it. So the Doctor has to use all of her considerable ingenuity to meet the latest challenge. And in one of the most thrilling of the many enthralling special effects sequences, we see a whole Dalek death squad lured into a “spare” Tardis where they are sort of crushed and dispatched into The Void. It is spectacular.

Every detail, and every theatrical touch from the steampunk switchgear in the Tardis to the squidgy, octopus-like Dalek bodies, is testament to the craft and fastidiousness of the production team, and in particular the director Lee Haven Jones. They’re still running around space and still being shaken around the Tardis as it escapes with moments to spare, and they’re still pacing it just right.

Most deserving of praise, though, is Chris Chibnall’s writing, which is as witty and mischievous as a Doctor Who script has to be – carrying all its generations of fans along on another incredible adventure.

Alas, we are saying goodbye to fellow travellers Graham (Bradley Walsh) and Ryan (Tosin Cole), but we know that the Doctor is still with us, and always will be. If only she was a member of Sage.