Doctor Who: Dot And Bubble Review - 5 Ups & 5 Downs

Dot and Bubble takes place entirely within the city of Finetime, a wonderfully realised and distinct setting with its pastel colour palette and horrendously saccharine inhabitants. The vibe is spot on, with the whole aesthetic coming together with some great worldbuilding that tells you everything you need to know about this moral gutter of a city before the opening credits even roll.

I loved the design and effects work with the bubble, which absolutely feels like a believable 'final form' of social media. It's a literal echo chamber (though honestly, to me, this claustrophobic, over-stimulating rainbow prison feels more like a torture chamber).

The wardrobe department also had a field day with the costuming this week, absolutely nailing that quirky influencer look. Another detail I absolutely loved was how much fun RTD had with the sickly-sweet and often terrible character names, poking fun at rich people and their chronic inability to name their children something normal.

The production team nailed it on this one, and once again I have to give credit to director and Doctor Who newcomer Dylan Holmes Williams, who also directed 73 Yards, for giving us the two standout episodes of the series from a production perspective. He can come back next year.

Lastly, I'd like to submit a formal complaint to Russell T Davies, who absolutely ruined my night's sleep because I had 'Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini' on a loop in my head. Like I said, the bubble is a torture chamber.