SPOILERS AHEAD

I can’t remember a Doctor Who episode like Wild Blue Yonder in my time as a fan. Perhaps the closest thing I can think of is the monumental Peter Capaldi showcase Heaven Sent, which similarly had a barebones cast in a mysterious location with something deeply sinister lurking in the background, with the potential for past memories to show up as nightmares – and nostalgia.

Now I’m not saying that Russell T Davies was trying to one-up Heaven Sent with this episode, and frankly I’d consider him a fool if he was. Wild Blue Yonder is similar in its premise, but completely different in its presentation and tone, and provides a fantastic subversion after the bombast of last week’s The Star Beast.

Wild Blue Yonder had a unique promotional cycle, as I think this is the most elusive and mysterious episode we’ve had since Heaven Sent. From the day these specials got their first trailer, to the day of its airing, we knew shockingly little about this episode going in, with the only footage we had from the trailers being the Doctor and Donna in a small metal room and several glitched-out clips with the word “REDACTED” plastered over them. Of course, this is the Doctor Who fandom we’re talking about. And when we see elusive marketing coupled with a cast list that was entirely redacted apart from two people, our brains instantly make up a cameo-filled bonanza in our heads.

To be fair, the Chibnall era has had that effect on us. Episodes like Fugitive Of The Judoon which had decidedly low-key trailers prove that we’re not entirely wrong in having this mindset. Add to the mix the fanboy haze of a 60th anniversary, and you may inadvertently lead fans to develop unrealistic expectations for an episode to be something it was never supposed to be. Russell T Davies himself acknowledged the dangers of such a secretive marketing strategy in the Doctor Who podcast. I can only imagine the disappointment on some fans’ faces, who went in amping themselves up for Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi, only to realise that the redacted cast members appearing alongside David Tennant and Catherine Tate were… David Tennant and Catherine Tate. Oh, and Isaac Newton.

In a downright bizarre but suitable cold open for such an off-kilter episode, the Doctor and Donna are responsible for the apple falling on Isaac Newton’s head and for his discovery of one of the most important scientific principles of all – mavity. No that’s not a spelling error, Newton merely misremembers a pun that the Doctor and Donna make and concludes that the word they said was “mavity.”

It feels strangely appropriate for a throwaway cold open to change the course of history, as Donna comments on the ship having mavity later on in the episode, showing that the word for gravity has completely changed. I also think that this will play a part in next week’s episode given how Wild Blue Yonder ends by showing Camden in complete disarray, but the random addition of this opening scene strangely fit the rest of the episode, even if it strongly suggests a scene that Russell had no idea where to put. This cold open quickly proves itself to not even be half as weird as to what the rest of the episode has in store, as Wild Blue Yonder reveals itself to be a trip and a half. 

I can definitely see why this episode is very much limited to one location as it becomes apparent that CGI does a lot of heavy lifting. The CGI is a mixed bag – the greenscreen, especially in the long corridor, felt very wonky but all of the weird body morphs and contortions looked suitably garish and cartoony, and quite brilliant, to be honest. Of course you’re never going to get that to look absolutely seamless so the effects artists just didn’t bother, and instead went as outlandish and as freaky as they could, and it’s really disturbing.

David Tennant and Catherine Tate are the only two actors in this entire episode (if you shave off the opening and the last couple of minutes), and it’s only when you remove an entire supporting cast that you realise just how good this duo are together. You know you’ve got fantastic leads when you’d happily hear them read the phone book, and they are just irresistibly good here. 

The opening moment when Fourteen calms Donna down and they set off to explore is a wonderful little moment that shows that this Doctor isn’t just a slightly older Ten, but with an increased emotional maturity and a selflessness that makes this moment all the more heartwarming. Likewise, the two are incredible as the evil caricature reflections of themselves. We know from Jessica Jones and Goblet of Fire that David Tennant can be a sadistic creep, but the little evil inflections that Catherine Tate puts into her smile and her speech in these moments are wonderfully hammy and alluring. She truly knocks it out of the park here.

Now I will say that I can understand some of the disappointment surrounding the lack of cameos or fan service in this episode. When we were introduced to this idea of shapeshifting entities that learn more about the person they’re replicating, I began bracing myself for the entity to begin adopting previous forms of the Doctor. This is one of the few loopholes that would mean you could’ve got previous Doctors in and actually have them woven into the episode’s plot. Plus, having evil reflections of these Doctors means that you’re still doing something new with the previous incarnations, rather than forcing the old actors to do tribute acts. 

It’s also a brave decision to have a 60th anniversary celebratory episode be a stripped-back horror piece with minimal characters. Having been in the Doctor Who community for a while, I know what it’s like when fans who are expecting many surprises don’t get any, and get salty about it.

Praxeus from Series 12 was a really solid episode but since everyone wanted it to carry on from the earth-shattering Fugitive of the Judoon the week before, it couldn’t help but pale in comparison to fan expectations. And that was just a regular series of the show, as opposed to the diamond anniversary that we’re celebrating here.  Therefore, Wild Blue Yonder feels all the more daring as a part of the 60th anniversary line-up, with its trippy and psychedelic visual palette and its focus on just a small slice of the show’s history.

I cannot possibly wrap up this review without mentioning the final scene, featuring the final return of Wilfred Mott played by the late great legend Bernard Cribbins in his final-ever TV appearance. Many fans instantly burst into tears when seeing him, but I was just smiling like an idiot at this joyous reunion. After such a challenging and dark story, it comes as a moment of happiness and euphoria for the Doctor and Donna (albeit short-lived since everything goes to hell once the TARDIS lands). However, for the last appearance of a British treasure, it’s great to see his warmth and soul one more time and, more importantly, for him to be really enjoying himself. Rest in peace Bernard.

So that wraps it up for Wild Blue Yonder. It’ll be interesting to see how these specials flow into each other when watching them as one experience, as this second part feels like a slightly jarring cutaway to something much darker and more ethereal after last week’s crowd pleaser, but it was an undoubtedly unique and thoroughly engaging episode that really took me by surprise. As a subversion of expectations and a confined sci-fi horror, it was an absurdly entertaining watch. As part of anniversary celebrations for a show rich in lore and nostalgia… that’s a bit more debatable. 

Alex’s Archive – Doctor Who: Wild Blue Yonder