An explosive episode awaits…

By George White

Published: Sunday, 12 May 2024 at 19:00 PM


Boom. And just like that, Doctor Who is back – and with a bang. 

With two episodes dropping yesterday (Saturday 11th May), Space Babies and The Devil’s Chord, Ncuti Gatwa’s Time Lord has already been through a lot.

Across a busy double-bill return, the Doctor met Golda Rosheuvel’s Jocelyn and visited an unnerving baby farm, as well as going toe-to-toe with Jinkx Monsoon’s powerful antagonist Maestro.

Yet the Fifteenth Doctor and his companion, Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson), are set to face even more strange shenanigans in next week’s episode – um, Boom. 

John (JOE ANDERSON) & Carson (MAJID MEHDIZADEH-VALOUJERDY) standing together in a war-torn area with fire in the background
Joe Anderson and Majid Mehdizadeh-Valoujerdy in Doctor Who.
BBC Studios/Bad Wolf, James Pardon

Written by the returning Steven Moffat, the episode sees the pair landing on a war-torn alien world, with the Doctor stepping on a landmine – leaving him unable to move.

Exactly how the Time Lord gets out of that one is yet to be seen, but from teaser pictures released by the BBC, it appears that a young girl by the name of Splice (Caoilinn Springall) may hold the key.

In a first-look photo of the character below, we can see her pointing to her temple in an Andor-esque industrial environment.

Caoilinn Springall in Doctor Who in a yellow outfit holding her temple with people running in the background
Caoilinn Springall in Doctor Who.
BBC Studios/Bad Wolf, James Pardon

Could she have some sort of powers that come in handy for our leading duo? 

Outside of Splice, we meet a soldier with the truly menacing name of John (played by Joe Anderson) holding what genuinely is a truly menacing weapon, with his eyes covered by a piece of fabric. 

Joe Anderson wearing a soldier's uniform holding a giant futuristic rifle
Joe Anderson in Doctor Who.
BBC Studios/Bad Wolf, James Pardon

And in this final picture, we see Gatwa standing awkwardly on the landmine, looking understandably shaken. 

Here’s hoping he’s been doing his yoga, as that does not look comfortable… Back problems await, no doubt.

Ncuti Gatwa in Doctor Who standing on a green landmine looking shocked
Ncuti Gatwa in Doctor Who.
BBC Studios/Bad Wolf, James Pardon

Moffat has spoken excitedly about his “dynamite” upcoming return, saying: “It’s a collaboration of enthusiasm… what we’re doing is giggling and laughing and shouting and bounding around the room about how clever and exciting all this is.

“If you’re not doing that on a show like Doctor Who – or frankly any show – what’s the point?”

Doctor Who continues next Saturday (18th May) on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Previous seasons are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

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