Throughout series ten, we’ll bring you a brief, spoiler-free look at the episode to come. This week, Bill and the Doctor find themselves on ‘Thin Ice’.
Sarah Dollard returns with a story just as emotionally charged as her gut-punch debut episode. ‘Thin Ice’ is loaded with character moments that make this a really engaging watch. We see how the Twelfth Doctor has evolved since his early days and how his experiences challenge Bill’s worldview. We would have loved to see a bit more of the antagonist but Nicholas Burns is so engaging in the role it’s hard not to entertained.
The cast is small but effective, including a group of child actors who enhance the stakes without bogging the pace down. Overall, ‘Thin Ice’ uses the monster plot as the backdrop to a very strong character piece. With pithy dialogue and a mature exploration of its themes, this is the story that cements Bill’s place as a worthy companion.
Trivia
- The wardrobe directions the Doctor gives Bill are the same ones the Ninth Doctor gave Rose in ‘The Unquiet Dead’.
- We learn if the Doctor counts his 4 billion year Confession Dial imprisonment in his age.
- Nicholas Burns, who plays Lord Sutcliffe, has appeared in the Big Finish ‘Torchwood’ series. You might recognise him as Nathan Barley.
- River Song previously mentioned visiting the 1814 River Thames frost fair with the Doctor and an oblivious Stevie Wonder.
- Matt Lucas can give some fierce face.
‘Thin Ice’ written by Sarah Dollard (Face the Raven) and directed by Bill Anderson (Mr Selfridge) premieres on BBC One at 7:20pm on Saturday 29th April.
Official Synopsis
In Regency England, beneath the frozen Thames, something is stirring.
The Doctor and Bill arrive at the last of the great frost fairs, and find themselves investigating a string of impossible disappearances – people have been vanishing on the ice! Bill is about to discover that the past is more like her world than she expected, and that not all monsters come from outer space…
Doctor Who stars Peter Capaldi as the Doctor, Pearl Mackie as Bill Potts and Matt Lucas as Nardole. This new series was shot in Cardiff at BBC Wales Roath Lock Studios and is produced by BBC Studios Wales.
Quotes
Dollard has crammed the script with quotable lines but most are so good that including them would feel like spoilers. So here’s a few small ones to tide you over:
“It’s just time travel. Don’t overthink it.”
“I’m your teacher, Telling you things is what I do.”
“My hair is cringing!”
Videos
