Doctor Who has once again regenerated. And no, we’re not just talking about the arrival of superstar actor Ncuti Gatwa in the iconic role of the travelling Time Lord from outer space. No, this time Doctor Who itself has regenerated, now retooled for the streaming age under the guiding hand of returning showrunner Russell T Davies (and with a healthy dose of Disney cash behind it as well). But following three very successful 60th Anniversary Specials last year, how well does this new era of Who hold up now that we’re through the post-regenerative side-effects?

Christmas Special The Church on Ruby Road is a good indication of a show in rude health, kicking things off with a solid introduction to companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) whilst setting out the show’s stall for the foreseeable future with a focus on more supernatural threats (in this instance, mischievous Goblins) and a vast number of ongoing mysteries centered around Ruby’s birth. It’s a light and breezy introduction for the new Doctor (following his brief appearance in The Giggle) and whilst it won’t set the world alight in terms of it’s story, it proves a wonderful showcase for the show’s new leads, who immediately wow with their excellent characterisation and chemistry.

The series itself is a tale of two-halves though, book-ended by the weakest stories in the series. The season start off with Space Babies, a light and fluffy tale that feels rushed in places and lacks genuine peril, before swiftly following it up with the musically-tinged The Devil’s Chord, a rather uneven, overtly silly tale about music being stolen (though featuring a delightfully camp guest appearance by Jinkx Monsoon). On the back end, we get The Legend of Ruby Sunday and Empire of Death, a terribly uneven two-part conclusion which wraps up a number of ongoing story arcs in the most deflating, anti-climactic way imaginable.

Thankfully things kick up a gear in the middle layer of the season with a terrific run of episodes. Bonafide Doctor Who legend Steven Moffat makes a welcome return to the show with Boom, a painfully tense adventure that sees the Doctor unable to move after stepping on a landmine in the middle of a hostile battlefield, whilst Russell T Davies serves up a blinder of a story with the experimental 73 Yards. The undeniable highlight of the series, this strange and twisty folk horror shifts the focus onto Ruby and provides a welcome showcase for Millie Gibson’s talents in this deeply unsettling, unorthodox tale of fairy circles, folklore and far-right politics.

Continuing the Doctor-lite/experimental trend, Dot and Bubble offers up a story with a deliberately toxic protagonist, social media analogies and no easy answers. It’s a tough story on a re-watch, and its themes are muddled in the translation from script to screen but it remains a solid episode nonetheless, one that should be lauded for its exploration of some uncomfortable truths. In stark contrast, Rogue provides a more standard adventure after a run of experimental Doctor-lite episodes. The script from Loki director Kate Herron and writing partner Briony Redman has plenty of great ideas, mixing a new romance for the Doctor in with a plot about cosplay-obsessed alien birds playing murderous games in the Regency era. It’s slightly rushed in places (a criticism easily applied to most of the stories this season), but it makes up for it with charm and wit, as well as superb guest turns from Jonathan Groff and Indira Varma.

The common theme throughout all nine episodes is the sheer magnificence of Ncuti Gatwa‘s Fifteenth Doctor. Immediately charismatic and confident, Gatwa strikes an enormous presence from his first appearance, and gifts us with a Doctor that is open, emotive and flamboyant like never before. It’s a rush to watch him onscreen, and he proves more then up to the task of fronting such a long-running series with a refreshing energy that is nothing short of infectious. Equally, his co-star Millie Gibson proves more then capable of matching Gatwa tooth and nail, serving up a wonderfully-rounded and engaging character who steals our hearts from the off. The two of them are a definitive dream team from minute one, and even if this first full season presents a mixed bag in terms of stories, its onto a winner in terms of its two lead actors.

Doctor Who‘s big regeneration may not have lit the world alight as it did when previously re-imagined back in 2005, but this latest run of episodes still feels fresh and exciting in a way we haven’t felt for some time. Bolstered by the presence of its two new leads and at its best when reveling in experimental storytelling, there’s definitely life in the old show yet. Despite a few wobbles and a touch of memory loss, this latest regeneration is certainly shaping up to be (to misquote a previous incarnation) a whopper!

Special Features

Video commentaries are available for The Church on Ruby Road, Boom and Empire of Death, which all feature Davies in the company of various cast-members and producers. Sadly none of the other episodes come with commentary, which is a shame seeing as there’s little else exclusive to this release, besides a few very short scene breakdowns (roughly between 4-6 mins each).

There may be a severe lack of new special features here, but it is plentiful nonetheless. Every episode is accompanied by an installment of BBC Three spin-off Doctor Who Unleashed (30 mins each), as well as a brief behind the scenes featurette (approximately 10-12 mins each) and various short bonus clips from the show’s social channels, which range from set tours and interviews to video diaries and general behind the scenes silliness. When viewed together, these provide a comprehensive insight into the making of each episode, though it’s still disappointing to see very little bonus content unique to disc (pretty much everything here is available on iPlayer or YouTube, aside the Scene Breakdowns).

The inclusion of the Ncuti/Millie fronted Tales of the TARDIS – Pyramids of Mars is a welcome inclusion here though, not just because it offers a chance for new fans to enjoy a classic tale from the show’s golden age in gorgeous remastered HD (complete with new effects), but also for its additional scenes featuring the definitive highlights of Season One – Gatwa and Gibson – together for just a little bit more screen time.

Doctor Who: Season One is out now on Blu-ray, Limited Edition Steelbook, or DVD