One of the most refreshing aspects about this new era of Doctor Who has been its consistent presence on television. We had a trilogy of 60th Anniversary Specials in 2023, a full season in 2024 (bookended by a pair of Christmas Specials) and now a second full season in the show’s familiar spring slot. This is the first time we’ve had two seasons of Doctor Who airing consecutively since Series 8 and 9 in 2014 and 2015 respectively, leading to what should be a more cohesive and interconnected run for Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor. Opening the 41st / 15th / 2nd season is The Robot Revolution, penned by showrunner Russell T Davies and directed by Peter Hoar — who previously helmed Series 6’s mid-series finale A Good Man Goes to War in 2011, and won BAFTAs for his work on The Last of Us and It’s a Sin. It’s a fun first instalment, prioritising setting up the new central dynamic and teasing a season arc for subsequent episodes to explore.

The Robot Revolution introduces us to new companion Belinda Chandra, played by Varada Sethu, who returns after her guest appearance in last year’s Boom. How can she be playing two different characters? Unlike with Freema Agyeman and Karen Gillan (who both first appeared in Doctor Who playing supporting roles before becoming companions), the episode takes great pains to explain this to the audience. It’s a shame, as it bogs down what should be Sethu’s showcase in the new lead role. Nevertheless, Varada Sethu is undoubtedly the MVP of the episode, delivering a standout performance and terrific first/second impression. Belinda automatically trying to help the wounded rebels in their hideout is a great character-defining moment. After the conflict-free dynamic between the Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby Sunday last season, having a companion who doesn’t immediately trust the Doctor and who doesn’t want to be travelling with him brings a refreshing change of pace. Gatwa’s Doctor mostly charms his way through situations and character dynamics, but his persona isn’t initially clicking with Belinda, allowing Ncuti Gatwa to play a version of the character on something of a back foot. While the death of would-be companion Sasha 55 feels a little hollow in the moment, turning this into the reason Belinda doesn’t trust the Doctor leaves the episode on a different kind of cliffhanger: can they build that trust over the next 7 episodes? There is also the tease that the Doctor has been encouraged to find Belinda by someone from the future – presumably by either of their future selves in true time travel fashion.

Doctor Who has had plenty of robots over the years, and while The Robot Revolution isn’t treading any new ground here, it’s difficult not to love the slightly goofy-looking retro-futuristic Missbelindachandra bots (and live in hope that a toy version isn’t far away). They’re one of the more exciting-looking monsters in this era of Doctor Who, which so far has felt a little underwhelming in this regard, despite the increased budget. The robots not hearing every ninth word feels a bit contrived however, reminiscent of Dot and Bubble’s plot twist that the Dots kill in alphabetical order, and the decision to have monster maestro Nicholas Briggs do the voices does mean that they don’t sound as distinctive as they could have done. The Wizard of Oz influence on the great AI Generator is a nice touch, and the cyborg creature within makes for a nice behind-the-sofa-scary monster reveal. The episode’s big twist – that the AI Generator is in fact the AL Generator, with the robots having kidnapped Belinda’s ex-boyfriend Alan (Jonny Green) – is probably stronger on paper than it is in execution. Perhaps it feels a bit cartoonish on screen, especially when the script touches on the idea that human Alan was quite horrible anyway and then brushes it away for a cheap gag about ‘planet of the incels.’ The psychedelic ‘kaboom’ sequence is a neat visual from director Peter Hoar, with a retro feel that’s in-keeping with the episode’s overall aesthetic. Also, why do the robots not realise that it’s actually the AL Generator rather than the AI Generator? Given that they are robots, it’s not a mistake they’re likely to make, surely?

What’s perhaps most surprising in a Russell T Davies script is how flat the supporting cast are; it’s difficult to find any standouts here as all of the rebels simply blend into the background. Setting up Sasha 55 (Evelyn Miller) as the Doctor’s friend for 6 months (off-screen), hinting that she’d become the new companion and then immediately killing her off comes across as almost comical, but the episode expects the audience to treat this as a great tragedy for the characters. It’s a cheap shot from a writer who’s usually good at getting audiences invested. Manny’s (Max Parker) hostility towards Belinda is touched on and sets up an interesting storyline but the episode doesn’t develop it any further. Throwing in a cameo from Anita Dobson’s Mrs Flood only serves to raise the question of whether her storyline will be resolved in a satisfying way or in the same way as Ruby’s mother last season. Stretching Dobson’s role over two consecutive seasons without a rewarding pay-off may hurt both runs in retrospect.

The Robot Revolution makes for a very watchable romp, even if we have seen variations of this premise before. Series 10’s Smile also featured fun robots revolting against humans on a futuristic world that looked and felt more believable — a large reason being because it was predominantly shot on location at City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia, Spain, while this story appears to have been filmed entirely on a soundstage. Tonally and stylistically, this feels like a leftover script Davies pulled out of a drawer from 2008, with the bombastic Murray Gold score only serving to create the sense that Doctor Who is – for this week at least – still acting like it’s in its late-2000s heyday. At a time when Doctor Who’s future seems up in the air, it’s difficult not to want more from a season opener than what The Robot Revolution has to offer. Perhaps this episode could have used a helping hand from the ‘polish, polish’ robot.

Doctor Who returns to BBC One next Saturday at 19:15

Join us for our series blog review next week