In the glittering, giddy whirl of Doctor Who’s latest escapade, The Interstellar Song Contest—beamed to us on May 17, 2025—this episode pirouettes onto the screen like a sequined comet, all camp and calamity, only to plunge into a darkness that leaves the heart pounding. Set aboard the Harmony Arena, a space station hosting a galactic Eurovision, it’s a riot of colour and chaos, with animation that pops like confetti and a narrative that dares to bare the Doctor’s teeth.
Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor delivers a performance that’s both a revelation and a reckoning, particularly in a harrowing confrontation with Freddie Fox’s villainous Kid. Yet, the episode’s surprises—Susan Foreman’s ethereal return and the Rani’s divisive re-emergence—add layers of delight and debate to this interstellar spectacle. It’s Doctor Who at its most audacious, a high note that occasionally wavers but never fails to thrill.
The visuals are a dazzling triumph, a love letter to Eurovision’s flamboyant excess, reimagined 900 years hence. The Harmony Arena, with its neon-lit stage and alien contestants, is a feast of CGI wizardry. Animated sequences—think Rylan Clark’s cryogenically preserved host bursting from a pod, or Cora Saint Bavier’s haunting Hellion ballad—evoke a Saturday morning cartoon spun through a cosmic kaleidoscope. The animation of bodies floating in space, frost-kissed and silent, is a chilling counterpoint to the episode’s glitter. Director Ben A. Williams wrings every ounce of spectacle from Juno Dawson’s script, blending camp with catastrophe in a way that feels quintessentially Who.
Gatwa, as the Doctor, is the episode’s supernova, burning with a ferocity that redefines his tenure. His Fifteenth Doctor, usually a whirlwind of charm and “babes,” unleashes a darker side that’s both thrilling and unsettling. The confrontation with Kid, a horned Hellion terrorist played with smouldering menace by Freddie Fox, is the episode’s jagged heart. Believing Belinda to be among the 100,000 spectators ejected into space, the Doctor’s rage erupts in a chilling monologue—“You’ve put ice in my heart, darling”—before he subjects Kid to hard-light hologram torture, Gatwa’s shift from nonchalance to unrestrained malice is a masterclass in emotional range, evoking the Time Lord Victorious at his most vengeful, making the Doctor’s moral lapse feel both shocking and earned, a testament to Gatwa’s ability to balance camp with cruelty.
It’s a moment that redefines Gatwa’s Doctor, making him as complex as Tennant’s, and sets the stage for a finale fraught with consequence. Varada Sethu, as Belinda Chandra, remains a radiant counterpoint, her nurse’s pragmatism grounding the Doctor’s fury. Her pained desolation, especially when witnessing the Doctor’s rage, is palpable, and her chemistry with Gatwa crackles. Interactions with Cora (Miriam-Teak Lee), a Hellion hiding her identity, add emotional depth.
The surprise return of Susan Foreman, played by Carole Ann Ford, is a lump-in-the-throat moment for long-time fans. Appearing in visions as the Doctor floats in space, her ethereal plea—“Go back and find me”—is a poignant nod to 1963’s An Unearthly Child. Ford, the last surviving original cast member, imbues Susan with a haunting grace, it’s a magical inclusion, overshadowing the episode’s other bombshell: the reveal of Mrs. Flood as the Rani. Anita Dobson’s bi-generation into Archie Panjabi’s steely Rani, riffing on Kate O’Mara’s camp villainy, is a thrilling twist for some, but for every fan cheering the Rani’s return after 1987’s Time and the Rani, another finds it overshadowed by Susan’s emotional heft, leaving the reveal feeling like a sparkler next to a firework.
The episode’s flaws—a rushed resolution and an overstuffed narrative, as Newsweek and the m0vie blog note—don’t dim its shine. The Interstellar Song Contest is a bold, bruising adventure, with Gatwa’s darker turn and Susan’s surprise return stealing the show. The Rani’s comeback, while divisive, adds intrigue, and Sethu’s luminous Belinda—curves and all—grounds the cosmic chaos. It’s Doctor Who at its most daring, a song that hits both high notes and haunting lows.
Ten Interesting Things from The Interstellar Song Contest:
- Gatwa’s Rage Unleashed: Ncuti Gatwa’s chilling confrontation with Kid, using hard-light holograms to torture, showcases a terrifying Time Lord Victorious.
- Animated Space Horror: The visual of 100,000 spectators freezing in space, rendered with frosty CGI, is a stark contrast to the episode’s camp.
- Susan’s Haunting Return: Carole Ann Ford’s ethereal Susan Foreman, urging the Doctor to “find me,” is a tear-jerking nod to 1963.
- Rani’s Divisive Reveal: Mrs. Flood’s bi-generation into Archie Panjabi’s Rani is thrilling but divisive.
- Belinda’s Emotional Depth: Varada Sethu’s Belinda, stunning in futuristic attire that subtly flatters her form, anchors the episode with pained desolation.
- Kid’s Sympathetic Villainy: Freddie Fox’s Kid, a vengeful Hellion, is charismatic but lacks menace, making the Doctor’s reaction feel outsized.
- Rylan’s Camp Cameo: Rylan Clark’s cryogenically preserved host, quipping “Back from the dead? sums up my career,” is a camp delight.
- Cora’s Hellion Ballad: Miriam-Teak Lee’s somber song, revealing her Hellion identity, is a fairy-tale moment.
- Graham Norton’s Hologram: A hologram revealing Earth’s destruction on May 24, 2025, adds urgency to what is set to be a devastating finale.
- Cliffhanger Chaos: The TARDIS’s cloister bells and exploding doors, post-Norton’s reveal.