And you can see his point. To call The Doctor’s Wife eagerly awaited would show little sign of understatement. Neil Gaiman? Doctor Who? An episode called The Doctor’s Wife? It’s as if someone sent a targeted gift to the very heart of Who fandom, one wrapped in incredibly posh paper for good measure, and accompanied by a generous slice of quite delicious cake. Which, of course, brings with it a mountain a pressure. But it’s a mountain of pressure that, for an abundance of reasons, The Doctor’s Wife shoulders with apparent ease. Because this is a great, great story. It’s one that offers plenty for the here and now viewer, for the younger audience, and for those who might not be quite so au fait with the lengthy history of the show. For those who do remember the first visit to Totters Lane, though, this is a gift. A piece of television to cherish. Usually in spoiler-free reviews, I’ll take the story as far as the opening credits. I can’t do that here, because the first few minutes sets up a mechanic that underpins much of the rest of the episode’s story. And it’s a cracking idea it brings in, too, one that goes right back to the heart and soul of the series in some exceptionally surprising ways. All I’ll say is that the Doctor, Amy and Rory arrive at a massive scrapyard. A single word more on the plot, and I fear I might spoil it. And you don’t want The Doctor’s Wife spoiled for you. In the scheme of things, this a standalone episode, at least with regards much of this season’s narrative arc (there are moments that tie things into the broader series themes, but they’re not the main emphasis). But it’s a standalone episode with many ramifications, and entirely welcome ones. It also gives Matt Smith his deepest work of the series (and that really is saying something), and he’s in quite, quite brilliant form. His Doctor goes to some uncharted places here, and Smith turns in brilliant work. Gaiman’s script leaves room to spend quality time with Amy and Rory, too, and I maintain that Arthur Darvill is really coming into his own this series. He and Karen Gillan are making a complicated, intriguing pairing, and there’s space in the episode to build on that, too. But I wanted also to take a moment to salute the production design and the direction here. Because, making no bones about it, the episode looks stunning. In fact, from the first scene, post-credits, there’s a cinematic feel here, and clearly lots of money and effects work has been invested in The Doctor’s Wife. It puts the look of many feature films to shame, for starters. I appreciate I’ve done little to dampen the enthusiasm of many of you looking forward to The Doctor’s Wife, and I also appreciate that there will be people out there who don’t warm to it. So be it. Me? I loved it. Just loved it. Intelligent storytelling, bold decisions, superb direction and the acting quality to match it all, I can say with some confidence that we’ll be referring back to The Doctor’s Wife for many years to come. It’s exquisite television, and not for the first time this series, a massive testament to a show that can still tell a masterful story in 45 minutes after all this time. Just make sure nobody spoils it for you. Our spoiler-filled review will be live once The Doctor’s Wife has aired on Saturday 14th May.
