Doctor Who: The Robot Revolution Review - 6 Ups & 5 Downs

Now, I’m not accusing RTD2 of being a wholesale rip-off of Tennant’s (first) run, but so far there have been a few too many occasions where it’s had that ‘copy my homework but change a few things’ vibe. And the first episode of Gatwa’s second series is giving me ‘Smith and Jones’ (AKA the first episode of Tennant’s second series) in spades.

Allow me to set the scene: Actress who has appeared in a minor capacity in the prior series joins as a full time companion who works in a hospital. Said companion is transported to a different planet against her will by monotonous, plodding aliens who think they’re just doing their job, and is forced to help save the day so she can go home. Sprinkle with a bit of Donna’s essence in place of Martha, and you’ve made yourself a Robot Revolution.

This is an oversimplification, yes, but it leads me to the wider point. I would like the show to look outside the box a little more. What I’m trying to say is that, on the whole, this all feels too safe… again. Say what you want about Chris Chibs, but Flux was a swing and a half. Arguably a miss, but I think he had the right idea. I worry this season won’t do enough to fight off the accusations of the format going stale. Let’s take some risks! Please.