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

After spending 25 minutes following Lindy, it's a massive relief when we're finally introduced to the infinitely more pleasant Ricky September, played by the charming Tom Rhys Harries.

I was fully expecting Ricky, the apex influencer at the top of the social chain, to be the worst of them all, but the episode turns this assumption on its head by depicting the only character in this city that has a healthy relationship with social media.

Ricky is instantly shown to be more grounded and capable due to switching off his Dot and taking the time to educate himself. No points for subtlety there, but RTD has a point. He's also the only character not out for himself, attempting to save Lindy (wouldn't bother mate), and also showing remorse over the fact that people have died (which really shouldn't be something that makes him an outlier). I was a little slow to trust the character at first, but that reaction to losing his planet sold me.

Ricky takes on a very Doctor-esque role in this story, and those scenes where he grabs Lindy's hand and the two run through the streets gave me Nine and Rose vibes, which I suspect was intentional. Sure, he's a little one-dimensional and underdeveloped, but his presence is sorely needed to stop the audience losing faith in humanity.

Ultimately, he has one purpose, and that's to be likeable enough so that what happens later is impactful. And in those ten minutes, he nails it.