‘Doctor Who’ Season 1 (2024) Review: A Return To Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey Adventures

Russell T Davies returned ‘Doctor Who‘ to British television in 2005 before leaving and handing over the showrunner role to Steven Moffatt in 2010. Russell T Davies is finally back as showrunner, bringing back to us the show we’ve missed for the past few years. Having already given us the 60th anniversary specials that showed the return of David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor and the wildcard Bi-Generation that brought Nucti Gatwa to our screens as the Fifteenth Doctor, who also had his first episode on Christmas that introduced his new companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson), it was safe to say that we might be in for a good run of ‘Doctor Who’ and these first two episodes of Season 1 prove that I was right to think so.

‘Doctor Who‘ follows a time-travelling alien called The Doctor (Nucti Gatwa), who travels across time and space, usually with a companion in his spaceship called the TARDIS, which is disguised as a blue police box from the 60s. The Doctor gets up to many adventures, saving the day on many occasions, and this season is no different from any other.

It might be slightly confusing for newcomers to ‘Doctor Who‘ as this is titled Season 1, but there is also a Season 1 from 1966 and a Series 1 from 2005. While it can all seem confusing at first, it is a lot with 60+ years of ‘Doctor Who‘ Storytelling for a newcomer to catch up on, Russell T Davies writes the first episode in such a way that anyone can just hop on from this point, which is the reason why this has been titled Season 1 and not Series 15. It’s not only a new start with their partnership with Disney, but it’s a new start with the show overall. The first episode wastes no time in giving all the necessary information and answering questions such as who the Doctor is, where he comes from, why he’s called the Doctor, what the TARDIS is, and anything else that you could imagine that makes up ‘Doctor Who‘. It never feels like a load of exposition is being dumped on the viewer, as this is information that is all being directed to Ruby Sunday, who is essentially an insert for all the newcomers watching.

Nucti is the Doctor and this isn’t to say that any previous actor wasn’t the Doctor but Ncuti brings a little bit of himself to the role. At times, it’s hard to tell whether I’m watching the Doctor on screen or Ncuti. Previous incarnations of the Doctor, such as Matt Smith or Jodie Whittaker, have had bubbly personalities and looked like a joy to be around, but Ncuti takes that personality and amplifies it by a thousand. With how joyous his interpretation of the Doctor is, it might worry some to think that he might not be able to bring that edginess to the Doctor that we’ve seen before with Tennant’s and Capaldi’s incarnations specifically, but I think these first two episodes highlight that he’s very capable of showing that side of the Doctor too. Only time will be able to tell, but with the current storyline they’re telling with Ruby Sunday’s mother and the constant timeless child connections, we’re bound to see a side of Ncuti’s doctor that we haven’t seen yet, and I think he’s going to play it off beautifully like he already has been doing. 

Ruby Sunday is the new companion that we got to meet during the Christmas Special, and she was amazing and fit perfectly with Ncuti’s Doctor like a jigsaw piece. Millie Gibson’s personality also radiates within Ruby, and at times it just looks like she and Ncuti are having the time of their lives. I have to be thankful for ‘Doctor Who: Unleashed’ which will take us behind the scenes and show us the fun that they had. Most companions get a storyline; sometimes it’s a major one, sometimes it’s not all that important to the overarching storyline, or sometimes the companion, unfortunately, becomes irrelevant as there is nothing to help their character become three-dimensional. Ruby Sunday fortunately does not fall into the latter category here and has a major storyline that seems to be intertwining with the overall arching storyline. It’s entertaining, mysterious, and has a captivating storyline that seems to unravel with every episode. There’s so much I’d love to say that I can’t, but I will say that it seems like each antagonist or setting will somehow connect to Ruby’s past.

For fans of ‘Doctor Who‘ who have been watching since the 2005 revival, they might notice some similarities with the Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby’s relationship. Currently, it feels similar to the Ninth Doctor and Rose’s relationship, and while it can seem like Russell T Davies is just treading familiar territory and keeping it safe, I like the comparisons and the callbacks to that first season back in 2005, and there are a few scenes that will feel the same, and it’s those moments that make me feel nostalgic about this show, but it also helps me realise that a whole new generation is witnessing for the first time a Doctor interact with their companion and showing them the whole universe for the first time, once again being an insert for newcomers who have no idea how large the scope of ‘Doctor Who‘ is. I remember watching my first companion, Amy Pond, be shown the whole universe; it’s a special moment that can’t escape the show and, at this point, feels like a ritual.

Chris Chibnall created the controversial ‘The Timeless Child’ storyline, which had fans in an uproar. Though I enjoyed it, I just never thought it was utilised to its best. Russell T Davies has taken this storyline, as we know from the Christmas special, and is using it to provide the Doctor with more depth and also help connect him and Ruby, who have similar backgrounds. Ruby’s storyline with who her mother is still gets touched on, and so far there have been mentions of it in both episodes, showing that this is likely a topic that’s going to find its way into every episode of this first season. Not only that, but initially before watching, I was worried that we wouldn’t get to unfold the mystery behind Ruby’s parents, but with how relevant it is in the first two episodes, it’s safe to say that even if we don’t unfold the whole mystery, something very important will get revealed in relation to it. With the teases so far, there are some guesses I can make as to where it might lead, but unfortunately, that begins to enter spoiler territory. Without stepping into that spoiler territory, it’s nice and sort of refreshing to see those storylines that started within the 60th anniversary and Christmas special are getting touched on and aren’t being forgotten, and though everyone wanted ‘The Timeless Child’ to be retconned (an outrageous thing to want), amazingly, Russell T Davies is taking what Chibnall started and making it an important part of his brand new ‘Doctor Who’ era. 

It’s probably obvious within the marketing for this show itself, but with Disney now teaming up with the BBC, the show looks drastically better thanks to the increased budget. The cinematography has gotten a lot more creative, it’s brighter, and it feels like there is more licensed music along with Murray Gold’s new track, which gives off a sense of discovery and exploration. It felt very similar to the music in a Star Trek show. The sound design quality has also improved immensely, and there’s a moment in Episode 2 where it becomes clear that it might just be the best use of sound within a ‘Doctor Who‘ episode. ‘Doctor Who’ was once a show where it felt very cheap but in a good way as it felt like it was part of its identity, so the increased budget might take a while for some people to get used to, but I’m personally all here for this new improvement, and Disney has made sure that the budget can be seen on screen. 

It isn’t ‘Doctor Who‘ without talking about the aliens and monsters that The Doctor comes across, and from the start of this season, we get to see some weird and funny ones. It’s hard to tell what we’re going to see in the future, but for the first two episodes, we got alien designs that used practical costumes instead of relying on CGI, and this was nice to see as the setting of the episode felt real, though it all took place on a spaceship. The set design was also masterful, just like it was with the 60th Anniversary, and I feel like once again, I’m struggling with being able to tell what’s green screen and what isn’t, and that’s an amazing start for a show that has just always been known for its cheap looks due to the budget.

The Doctor is known for travelling to different periods, such as the Victorian era or the end of the universe. They normally have to fit in with the period if it’s set in the past, so they don’t stand out, but with Ncuti’s first season as the Doctor, it seems like they’ve gone all out with the outfits and the hairstyles. It’s not known if this has to do with the increased budget, but it likely plays a part in the amazing outfits that both The Doctor and Ruby are seen wearing. In just these first two episodes alone, they’re seen wearing different outfits, with The Doctor seemingly having two different main outfits, which isn’t usual to see in just one season, let alone between the first two episodes. The Doctor has also gotten stylish with his hairstyle, which is fitting as he’s now being portrayed by a black actor, so it’s nice to see they’ve incorporated the styling of his hair to match The Doctor’s new body (and actor).

As mentioned previously, there are references to the 60th anniversary and the Christmas special, but as expected with ‘Doctor Who’, there are also references to Classic Who, which might seem confusing for a newcomer. They also take their time to explain the references without taking too much time away from the main storyline at hand. The particular reference that gets made is one that I personally think will be of some relevance later on with Ruby Sunday’s storyline, but it’s hard to tell where it’s leading, though I may have a few theories that unfortunately enter that spoiler territory. It has also been a while since the Doctor Who intro decided to do something creative, similar to how during Peter Capaldi’s second season of The Doctor that turned it into a rock intro, we finally get another creative intro that I could argue is better than what we received in Series 9.

’Doctor Who’ is back in all its glory, and it puts a smile on my face and makes 11-year-old me so happy to know that not only have we made it this far, but that The Doctor even remotely looks like me. It’s a show that continues to be as humane as it can be with all the wacky, wibbly wobbly timey wimey adventures that The Doctor gets up to. The performances from both Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson are amazing, and the chemistry between the two is the perfect chemistry you’d expect from a doctor-companion relationship. 

From the first two episodes of Season 1, Russell T Davies has shown us that he knows how to homage ‘Doctor Who‘ and keep faithful to its identity. It’s fun, scary, emotional, and honestly, just a wild ride with a captivating story that is currently keeping me on my toes with its mystery.

It’s absolutely stunning in visuals, has an enchanting score that sets the tone of the series, and is absolutely mind-blowing with how much they can achieve in just two episodes, making my expectations for future episodes skyrocket through the roof. It’s an adventure with The Doctor that you don’t want to miss, and I can only hope that Ncuti’s time with The Doctor is a healthy and lengthy one. Here’s to four seasons with Ncuti.