Doctor Who The Ghost Monument Review

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Bradley Walsh, Chris Chibnall, Doctor Who, Doctor Who Series 11, DoctorWho The Ghost Monument, Jodie Whittaker, Mandip Gill, Mark Tonderai., TARDIS, The 13th Doctor, The Ghost Monument Review, Tosin Cole

Doctor Who

The Ghost Monument

Review by Paul Bowler

Following its ratings smashing premier episode, The Woman Who Fell To Earth, Series 11 of Doctor Who continues with The Ghost Monument, written by Chris Chibnall, and directed by Mark Tonderai (Gotham, Black Lightening, The Five). After being left reeling from their first adventure, the Doctor (Jodie Whittaker), along with her new companions Graham (Bradley Walsh), Yaz (Mandip Gill) and Ryan (Tosin Cole) must now find a way to survive on a hostile alien world as they strive to solve the uncanny mystery of the planet Desolation…

Partly filmed in South Africa, the second episode of series 11 certainly gives an added sense of awe and spectacle to the Doctor’s companion’s first trip to another plant. The BAFTA winning DNEG team responsible for this new season visual effects also continue to work their magic, and The Ghost Monument is an absolutely stunning looking episode as a result.

Jodie Whittaker continues to excel in her role as the new 13^th Doctor, brimming with fun and sound advice, her incarnations traits quickly make you warm to her endearing characterization of the Time Lord. After being marooned in space at the end of the new series premier, the Doctor and her companions are soon scooped from the void by two pilots Angstorm (Susan Lynch) and Epzo (Shaun Dooley) in their old rickety spaceships taking part in an intergalactic race, but after crash-landing on the barren planet with three suns the stranded group encounter the holographic potentate Llin (Art Malik) and the Doctor is shocked to discover that the objective of the race – reaching the mythical Ghost Monument – is actually the TARDIS which has somehow become trapped out of phase on this worlds surface because of the damage it suffered.

Their quest to reach the Ghost Monument involves crossing a sea contaminated by deadly microbes, exploring some ancient ruins while stalked by sniper robots, facing the frightening cloth-like Remnants, and the eventual discover that this entire planet was used by the Stenza to create weapons of mass destruction.

There is a snappy pace to Chris Chibnal’s scrip for The Ghost Monument that really steps things up a gear for the Doctor and her companions. Bradley Walsh, Mandip Gill and Tosin Cole are all excellent in their roles as Graham, Yaz and Ryan respectively, and its great to see their characters gradually adapting to the Doctor’s madcap world over the course of this adventure with only her promise to keep them alive and get them home to really bind them together – relying on their wits and getting to know each other better as a result along the way.

The subtleties in Jodie Whittaker’s performance as the quirkily fun, clever and practical new incarnation Time Lord also really begins to shine though as both she and her companions start to forge strong bonds, with subsequent events illustrating just how great they are as a team when they get caught up in the episodes powerful allegorical themes of disaster, mass-murder, and ethnic cleansing. The Ghost Monument also gives us slightly more insight to the Stenza from the first episode, especially how they used this planet to make weapons, the sniper bots provide some exciting action, and the snaking cloth-like Remnants (chillingly voiced by Ian Gelder) which emerge at night are also quite unsettling as they use their victims fears against them.

The Ghost Monument marks the debut of series 11’s fantastic new title sequence as well! Featuring a stylish amalgamation of classic and new elements the gorgeously swirly new titles complements the fresh, vibrant tone of the new series perfectly, and together with terrific new opening theme by the series’ new composer Segun Akinola this episode feels extra special as a result.

But that not all. After reaching the Ghost Monument, Angstorm and Epzo claim joint victory, and teleport off the planet, apparently leaving the Doctor and her companions stranded. It is here, in a particularly emotional scene for Jodie Whittaker, that the Doctor coaxes the TARDIS to materialise properly at last and we get our first look inside! While the exterior is a lovely throwback to the early Tom Baker years; I feel the interior may divide opinion somewhat, but I personally thought the new TARDIS interior was spectacular! It looks a bit like a crystalline, steam punk, version of the 9^th and 10^th Doctor’s TARDIS interiors, the console is covered in chunky levers, there‘s a little model TARDIS, one section of the console even dispenses custard cream biscuits, and seeing the Doctor and her companions finally enter the elusive time machine for the first time is a defining moment that really makes the 13^th Doctor’s new era feel complete at last.

The Ghost Monument is a continuation of the set-up for the new series, new Doctor and new characters that began with The Woman Who Fell To Earth. Sure, the plot is a bit frenzied at times, but my only real grip was how much the story went so OTT with the sonic screwdriver – yes it’s that old pitfall of the sonic fixing / saving every situation that New Who so often falls into. However, with the episodes dash of Venusian Akido and its tantalizing reference to the “Timeless Child” I’m willing to let them off the overuse of the sonic a bit.

Along with Chris Chibnal’s strong script and Mark Tonderai’s superb direction, The Ghost Monument delivers blockbusting spectacle and action in equal measure. Jodie Whittaker and the new ensemble cast are settling into their roles nicely, all the familiar elements are now in place, and with their inaugural trip first voyage to another planet under their belt its now time for the Doctor and her companions adventurers in time and space to begin in earnest!

Images and Video Belongs BBC

Watch the trailer for the third episode of series 11, Rosa.

Here’s the new Doctor Who title sequence and new theme!

Check out the New TARDIS | Doctor Who: Series 11!

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Doctor Who The Woman Who Fell To Earth Review

Tags

Bradley Walsh, Chris Chibnall, Doctor Who, Doctor Who Series 11, Doctor Who The Woman Who Fell To Earth, Jamie Childs, Jodie Whittaker, Mandip Gill, TARDIS, The 13th Doctor, The Ghost Monument, The Woman Who Fell To Earth Review, Tosin Cole

Doctor Who

The Woman Who Fell To Earth

Review by Paul Bowler

Finally, after the long months of waiting, speculation, and expectation Doctor Who is back! Series 11 kicks off with the hour-long premier episode The Woman Who Fell To Earth, written by Chris Chibnal, directed by Jamie Childs, and staring Jodie Whittaker as the 13^th Doctor, who, along with her new friends Graham (Bradley Walsh), Yaz (Mandip Gill) and Ryan (Tosin Cole ) team up to face a ruthless alien threat in Sheffield.

Last time we saw her the post regenerative Doctor was sent tumbling from the TARDIS in the closing moments of Twice Upon a Time (2017). Now in the present day Ryan Sinclair, Yasmin Khan and Graham O’Brien lives are about to change forever when a mysterious woman suddenly falls from the night sky. Can they really believe this bubbly, unpredictable stranger? She might not be able to remember her own name, but is seems she’s the only person that could be able to help solve the mysterious events unfolding around the city?

Settling into its brand new timeslot on Sunday’s with ease The Woman Who Fell To Earth begins series 11 of Doctor Who in fine style as Jodie Whittaker’s newly regenerated Doctor crashes through the roof of a stranded train to begin her adventures. She might not have the TARDIS or a even a sonic screwdriver to hand, but once the wry nods to the Time Lords new gender are out the way the 13^th Doctor’s fun, and quirky persona quickly shines though as she embarks on the first of this new seasons self-contained adventures.

When people need help, I never refuse.

.Jodie Whittaker’s endearing performance instantly harnesses the quintessential Doctorishness necessary to make you wholeheartedly embrace this new incarnation of our favourite Time Lord. Jodie brings a breathless sense of heroic energy to the role that makes her Doctor feel exciting, dynamic, and fun to be around. Chris Chibnal’s clever scrip weaves all the classic tropes into the narrative for the new Doctor, everything from meeting her new friends after confronting the tentacle strewn alien probe on the train, to making a new sonic screwdriver from scratch, and the brilliant scene where she chooses her new costume all ensure that Jodie Whittaker’s 13th Doctor instantly becomes a version of the Time Lord that fans old and new will quickly take to their hearts.

So, what of the Doctor’s new friends? Bradley Walsh is great as Graham, brining both a sense of fun and emotional depth to his role. Mandip Gill is also excellent as the resourceful Police Officer in training Yaz, as is Tosin Cole as Ryan, a warehouse worker and former school friend of Yaz’s with Dyspraxia who wants to become an engineer. Walsh’s character Graham is also married to Ryan’s gran Grace (Sharon D Clarke), making him Ryan’s step-granddad. Right from the outset Ryan’s moving opening address on his YouTube channel, along with his determination to master riding a bike with the help of Grace and Graham, movingly foreshadows the episodes underlying themes and events as the young man stumbles upon an alien travel pod and inadvertently activates it. There’s a really fun dynamic between the Doctor’s new companions as well. The banter between them and the Doctor feels very natural and warm, the characters are also instantly relatable, grounded in reality, and even at this early stage its clear they have the makings of a great TARDIS team.

While this episode does begin a little differently than expected – we’ll have to wait until the next episode to see the new title sequence and the arrangement of the brilliant new nostalgically pitched opening theme by the series’ new composer Segun Akinola finally brought together as one – once Jodie’s Doctor has had a little nap and a sprinkle of regeneration energy mid-way through the episode its time for the Time Lord to get on the case of the alien mystery in Sheffield. With Jamie Childs glossy direction Chris Chibnal’s script positively fizzes with vibrant action, with an eerie alien pod set to open at any moment, DNA bombs primed to explode, and a fearsome hunter lurking in the dark. There are slight references to the series’ past, but nothing to overload the script as has sometimes been the case in previous seasons, and I feel that this premier episode is all the more refreshing for it.

Of course you can’t have Doctor Who without scares, weird goings on, and… monsters! The 13^th Doctor’s first adventure certainly has a couple of edge of the seat moments, especially with a bizarre probe and a super scary beast stalking the streets, but the reasons why this dual extraterrestrial menace is happening in Sheffield yields even more intriguing surprises for the Doctor and her friends. The special effects are really impressive as well. Its not long before the Doctor realises the probe is really weaponized bio-tech, gathering coils, used to select victims for a hunt – something which it has evidently been responsible for on Earth before – while the pod is actually a transport device for a second alien, an armor suited Stenza warrior who proves to be a rather frozen, toothy threat in more ways than one!

I’m just a traveller. Sometime I see things need fixing, I do what I can.

As the final showdown unfolds on the cranes at the construction site between the Doctor and the Stenza warrior Tzim-Sha hunting the hapless crane operator (who was also on the train with Grace and Graham when the Gathering Coils first arrived and he unwittingly became the target of the aliens hunt), the Doctor finally remembers her name as she steps up to the plate to confront the alien warrior and dispatches it with ease. It’s a brilliantly staged scene and the defining moment where Jodie Whittaker unequivocally becomes the Doctor without a shadow of a doubt.

With its showcasing of the programmes first female lead in the role of the Doctor, a brand new transmission day, and biggest regular cast since the 80’s (although I don’t see where that’s really that big a deal as there’s often been more than one person travelling with the Doctor since the series returned in 2005) Doctor Who returns feeling fresh and reinvigorated. Sure, I had some minor quibbles, I felt the incidental music got a little bit intrusive at times, sadly we didn’t get to see the TARDIS yet either, and while I don’t regard The Woman Who Fell To Earth as one of the strongest first stories for a new Doctor it was certainly one of the most contemporary and revitalising opening episodes for the rebooted series that I’ve enjoyed since 2005’s Rose.

The simplicity and fun sense of adventure in The Woman Who Fell To Earth reinforces show runner Chris Chibnal’s back to basics approach in every conceivable way, and quite possibly makes it one of the most easily accessible episode of Doctor Who ever. You really don’t need to know anything about Doctor Who to enjoy this episode. It’s the perfect jumping on point for new viewers, and there’s plenty here for long term fans to enjoy as well.

Although circumstances and thrilling adventure brought the Doctor and her new friends together, there’s also tragedy for them to contend with in the aftermath of the events in this episode. This really gave the ensemble cast their chance to shine, with powerful emotional beats that resonate long after the credits have rolled, by which time the Doctor, with the help of her friends, has programmed the remains of the Stenza transport pod to lock onto the energy trail of the TARDIS and transport her to the planet where the time machine is supposed to be. However, as the Doctor says her goodbyes she accidentally ends up transporting them all away – leaving them marooned and floating in deep space!

Right, this is going to be fun!

In short, Jodie Whittaker totally nailed it as the new Doctor! The Woman Who Fell To Earth was a fun, exciting, and emotional start to the new series of Doctor Who. So, as this first episode of the new series closes with a cliff-hanger, we are left pondering where the Doctor and her companions adventures will take them next as we are treated to a glimpse of the galaxy of stars appearing in series 11 and a tantalizing trailer for he next episode. I can’t quite remember the last time I enjoyed an episode of new Doctor Who quite this much and known next to nothing about it, or indeed the series itself, before hand, and I think that’s been the key factor in making this new series feel extra special for everyone. We really don’t know what to expect this time around as everything feel so new and different The universe is calling and it looks like we are going to be in for one fun packed ride!

Here’s the Episode Two Trailer | The Ghost Monument | Doctor Who: Series 11

And Coming Soon in Doctor Who: Series 11…

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