The Haunting of Villa Diodati written by Maxine Alderton and directed by Emma Sullivan

Oh Brilliant: Hold the Phone! I have heard people saying that they are waiting for the episode where Whittaker truly gets to embrace the part and prove herself as the Doctor. Frankly, I think she has been more than successfully doing that for this entire season but if you still have any doubts that Diodati should allay any fears and cement Whittaker as a Doctor of some gravitas and standing. She’s electrifyingly good here, bouncing from one scene to the next in a manner that can only be described as pure Doctor. Whittaker has shown darker aspects of her character this year and this is the (so far) pinnacle of that; she’s no push over in the face of a new type of Cyberman and literally spits that she will not lose anybody else she cares about to them. Even better is the scene where she steps out of the shadows of her ‘fam’ and admits that she is ultimately the person who has to take responsibility for their adventures and make the tough choices because she knows the bigger picture and the consequences if she gets things wrong. This is a standout scene with her companions because they are all paralysed with fear when she demands they make the choice about Shelley and she is pretty angry in the face of their impotence. That doesn’t mean there is no space for humour or levity though and the early scenes where they are exploring the villa and she is interacting with Byron are some of finest lighter character moments she has had as well. In the face of the lone Cyberman she is quick-witted, intelligent and brave. In every way, Whittaker impresses. I remember saying to Ludo out loud ‘that was a terrific acting challenge and she aced every part’ towards the end. When the Doctor is banging on about having a quality historical experience (after all Mary Shelley had just screamed in their faces) I thought we were in for another fun but flighty episode of historical high jinks (think The Shakespeare Code, The Unicorn and the Wasp, Robot of Sherwood) with the Doctor playing tour guide. This settles on something much darker and weightier (more The Fires of Pompeii or Rosa) where she has to step out of the shadows and take real accountability. Described as the most baffling creature that Byron has ever been acquainted with. Whittaker’s ‘what happened? They get bored halfway through or something?’ to the half formed Cybermen could only come from her Doctor. ‘Bit embarrassing’ made me laugh out loud. If the Doctor takes the Cyberium from Shelley and gives the Cyberman what it wants then armies will rise and billions will die…but she will save that one life. The Doctor is physically struck by Ryan suggesting that Shelley is only one life against all those others, but ultimately he doesn’t want to have to make that choice. Step forward the Doctor in a hell of a temper, railing against the madness of the universe that keeps making her go through these choices. ‘Words matter! One death, one ripple and history will change in a blink! The future will not be the world you know. The world you came from, the world you were created in won’t exist. So neither will you. It’s not just his life at stake, it’s yours. You want to sacrifice yourself for this? You want me to sacrifice you? You want to call it? Do it now. All of you.’ That happy go lucky wanderer from series 11 has gone. She’s pissed at the universe thanks to the developments this year and sometimes she has to strike at the heart of her friends who don’t understand what is at stake. Of course the Cyberium chose her, she is the ultimate guardian of the universe. Did she make a mistake by giving the Cyberman what it wants? For now, no. But I think there are huge consequences to come. Now she is going to fix the mess she has created – heading to the end of the Cyber War to try and stop the Cybermen from being reborn.

The Fam: So much fun to see them dressed up as romantic heroes of legend. Unlike series 11 which allowed the companions to walk around history in normal clothes there is a real effort this series to let them fit in. Yaz talks about someone enigmatic and different in her life without ever confirming that she is talking about the Doctor. I still have my doubts about this one and that look she gave the Master at the gambling tables in Spyfall. Ryan gets a moment to tell Mary Shelley to stick at what she is good at (against the Doctor’s express wishes) and then truly puts his foot in it when Dr Polidori challenges him to a duel. He once again proves to be a bit of a coward too, becoming something of a shrinking violet when things get creepy whilst Yaz tears ahead. Graham is so relatable; looking for the toilet and happy to stumble across food. He’s who you or I would be in one of these adventures.

The Fam (1816): Byron is one hell of a historical character to bring to life and Jacob Collins-Levy is more than up to the task. He’s utterly self-absorbed, self-centred and ready to woo men and women even when their lives are at stake. You can’t quite hate him because he is charming but he does have an irritating obsession with treating everybody as less than himself. I love how the Doctor has to tell everybody not to snog him and his hilarious insistence on calling her ‘Mrs Doctor.’ We’ve avoided the obvious trap of making the Doctor a sexual figure thus far into Whittaker’s run but if anybody was going to try and break that rule, it was going to be Byron. He takes the limelight away from Mary Shelley slightly because he is a more colourful character but I was still impressed with Lili Miller who is immediately enticing as the creative writer and mother who is look for a little more horror in her life. Trust me she is going to get it. A mention for Stefan Bednarcyzk, who ducks effortlessly in and out of scenes as the creepy butler. I was sad when he bought it because he was often the highlight of any scene he is in (his resigned sigh when Polidari chooses him as his second was hilarious).

The Lone Cyberman: All I have ever asked of the Cybermen is for them to truly capture the body horror that the premise suggests and not just lean on them as stock robots. Unfortunately, the latter has often been the approach taken by the different production teams over the years and we end up with bland automatons like those of The Wheel in Space, Revenge of the Cybermen, Silver Nemesis and Nightmare in Silver. The few times the body horror has been stressed – Tomb of the Cybermen, Attack of the Cybermen, The Age of Steel, The Pandorica Opens – they have been so much more interesting. As a twisted version of humanity that has become too reliant on technology and lost all of its emotions, that is an idea that is ripe for drama that Doctor Who (thanks to its family audience) often chooses to shy away from. Chibnall’s own Cyberwoman from Torchwood shows how comical the idea can be when taken to a childish extreme. Diodati takes its own approach; a partially converted Cyberman who still has half of his face showing and can still emote (mostly hate) and is a remnant of a species that has all but been wiped out. It’s here to find the Cyberium that has been hidden away in human history; all the knowledge of Cyber-technology and development to help them start again. That’s not only a great premise for the rest of series but it’s a brilliant character in its own right. Grisly and half formed, he’s a fine instigator of Frankenstein’s monster. A rusted suit and scarred face – what the hell has happened to turn the Cybermen into this? I can’t wait to find out. The scene where it picks up the baby is a direct steal, and gripping scene. For a moment I thought they were going to go through with it. And then in one of the darkest moments of NuWho the Cyberman admits that as a human he was a monster who killed his own children.

Sparkling Dialogue: ‘One Cybermen, but then thousands. Humans like all of you changed into empty, soulless shells. No feeling. No control. No way back. I will not lose anyone else to that!’
‘Don’t be afraid, little one. You will be like us.’

The Good: A creepy pre-titles with a comic sting for a magnificent episode – hooray! I wish they would keep the pre-titles for every episode because they do give us the opportunity to find a cliffhanging moment in each episode. The establishing shot of the villa on the shores of Lake Geneva sets the scene beautifully, an isolated location being lashed by a storm. The dance serves as an amusing scene in itself but a very clever way of filling in the gaps about the large guest cast without it ever feeling like we are being info-dumped. It’s a gossip palooza and it feels right and proper that this would be happening at a social occasion. Creepy skeleton hands that roam about the house and attack, apparitions that seem very fond of Graham and a house which is folding in on itself…the first third of this story keeps throwing out the scares in very effective way. The haunted house story is so old fashioned by now that to pull it off this atmospherically is a huge feat. Certainly, Hide didn’t have this kind of atmosphere.

The Bad: This remind me an awful lot of The Banquo Legacy from the BBC Books range. What is promised as a pure historical with a supernatural twist becomes a prelude to a much bigger story that will have far reaching consequences for the Doctor. How it twists from something quite contained and claustrophobic to a much more epic tale is very similar.

The Shallow Bit: Percy Shelley. Phewie, he’s hot.

Result: Breathtakingly good, The Haunting of Villa Diodati is further proof that series 12 has been the best season of Doctor Who for many a year (I would say as far back as series 5). An atmospheric haunted house story, a riveting continuation of this seasons arc (and whetting the appetite for the next two episodes), a great character study of the Doctor, fine comic moments, real scares and a feeling that everything is coming together for this production team. In a series that is obsessed in having a large guest cast to make the swarm of regulars even more of a crowd this is easily the best set of guest characters we’ve had (although I would say that Spyfall and Praxeus come close) although they do have the advantage of being hand plucked from popular history. Actually, that might be more of a hindrance because it means they have a lot to live up to but Maxine Alderton (in a stunning debut script) ensures they are both faithful to history and great fun to watch. They are paired off very well with the companions who each get moments to shine as they are spooked the fuck out. I like how the story sets out to promise a haunted house mystery and early scenes of the Doctor and friends exploring allow the clichés to be done extremely well before the whole piece turns on its head as the Cyberman appears and becomes both an influence on Shelley’s Frankenstein and a kick start into the two part finale. There’s a real Ghost Light vibe about the direction (something to do with being trapped in a house in with secrets in Victorian times) which plummets into all out horror in the final act and we’re introduced to the best (no exaggeration) Cyberman I can ever remember seeing in the series. This is the equivalent of the Dalek from Dalek. Half formed, revelling in its own body horror and relentlessly on a mission to save his race, this is one scary brute and it’s out to complete its mission whatever the cost. I was certain we were in for one of those godawful Moffat ‘love conquers all’ endings at one point but in a moment of bone chilling horror it snatches away from that and makes the Cyberman somebody who was a monster long before he was converted. This and Fugitive of the Judoon were the cheapies of the season and it is further proof that Doctor Who does not need a globetrotting budget to tell a great story as they are the highlights in a brilliant season. Given that four of the six episodes this year are two parters it means that the season feels truncated but if that is the trade of for such exceptional quality in the individual episodes then sign me up for this each year. I rate these stories on how I react to them on first viewing because that is the only truly faithful reaction to a tale. If I’m feeling mild indifference, it will get a 5. If I was blown away but it had a few flaws then an 8 or a 9. The Haunting of Villa Diodati kept me on the edge of my seat throughout; thanks to the peerless direction, the twists and turns, the character interplay but mostly for Whittaker’s supreme performance. She owned this and then some: 10/10