The Doctor's Wife
‘There are far too many brilliant moments in this episode to mention them all’
The Doctor’s Wife is reviewed by Sunday Simmons
Doctor Who long since embedded itself firmly in the hearts of sci-fi fans all across the globe, but The Doctor’s Wife is arguably one of the most outstanding episodes of Matt Smith’s outing as the much loved Time Lord. Airing on May 11th, 2011, and written by fantasy storytelling guru Neil Gaiman (Sandman, Good Omens), this episode deserves a stand-alone review all of its own.
Following a distress call, the Doctor and his companions Amy Pond (Karen Gillan – Guardians of the Galaxy), and Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill – Broadchurch) are lured to an asteroid named House. All in a day’s work for the madman with a box, until they meet the inhabitants of the asteroid, and a mysterious young woman named Idris becomes the heart of the TARDIS. There’s so much to unpick in this episode, and even the history of its inception is worth noting.
During a conversation over dinner with producer and writer Stephen Moffat (Dracula, Sherlock), Neil Gaiman of American Gods fame suggested he should write an episode of Doctor Who. He had an idea, a darkly fantastic idea the like of which he didn’t believe had been done before – the TARDIS is alive! Sort of.
A few titles were thrown around – The House of Nothing, Bigger in the Inside, but one thing that didn’t change was Gaiman’s love of the idea of the Doctor and the TARDIS finally being able to have a conversation after eons of time travelling together. And Moffat loved the idea of the Doctor’s perfect love story – the companion who never left. Thus, The Doctor’s Wife came to life.
David Tennant (Broadchurch, Jessica Jones) had been in control of the blue police box when Gaiman started writing the episode, and it was written with him in mind. Unfortunately, by the time it reached filming, Tennant had left the role. It would have been interesting to see what he’d have done with this episode, but nonetheless Matt Smith, with his British schoolboy humour and chaotic charm, did a smashing job of it. And every other episode during his run, come to that! The story needed tweaking, characters added, others removed, and filming hit some funding issues, but at last this masterpiece of sci-fi was ready to meet its audience.
So from the lore of the inception, back to the episode. There are far too many brilliant moments in this episode to mention them all. It’s both exciting and touching, an adventure and a love story. Thrilling set pieces, and dark twists. Suranne Jones (Coronation Street) is beautifully cast as Idris, and her interactions with the Doctor are truly heartfelt. ‘I wanted to see the universe, so I stole a Time Lord and I ran away. And you were the only one mad enough.’ remains one of my favourite lines ever from the franchise. The concept of the TARDIS being the Doctors oldest, most faithful companion without ever being able to speak to him, is equal parts genius and heartbreaking.
All in all, this episode is Doctor Who in dark mode, and I’m here for it. And honourable mention has to go to the ever lovely Michael Sheen (Staged, Underworld) as the voice of the House – although he doesn’t sound very lovely when he’s threatening the Doctor’s life! Throw in some of the best one liners of the series, a Time Lord murdering asteroid, a stray Ood named Nephew, and a makeshift TARDIS console made by the winner of a Blue Peter competition, and it’s easy to see why this (rather misleadingly titled) episode is a firm fan favourite.
