Doctor Who Revolution Of The Daleks review: "The meat ‘n’ veg version of Who"
Kevin Harley
Warning: Spoilers for Doctor Who: Revolution Of The Dalek in our review!
From 2005 to 2017, the Doctor Who Christmas specials were tipsy indulgences, often overblown but fully flavoured. Under current showrunner Chris Chibnall’s watch, the special lands on New Year’s Day, where it docks in 2021 as a more temperate proposal: the meat ‘n’ veg version of Who to the feasts of Steven Moffat and Russell T Davies, solid yet a little stodgy.
Starting where 2019’s ‘Resolution’ left off, ‘Revolution’ chugs into gear slowly. Despite the hooks of new Daleks, companion departures and returning pals, it opens on Chris Noth’s Trump-ish hotelier Jack Robertson, first seen in 2018’s ‘Arachnids In The UK’ and here found spying business opportunities in the Dalek casing left over from ‘Resolution’. The display of his Dalek ‘defence drones’ adds a playful touch, but Chibnall overestimates Robertson’s appeal. He’s a useful plot device, not rocket fuel to launch a special with.