I remember strongly disliking this story when it first aired, but I found it much more enjoyable this time around. Perhaps that’s because I take Doctor Who less seriously than I did 11 years ago. This was probably only my second viewing ever, and after a decade, I was pleasantly surprised.

The downsides are fairly obvious. The story doesn’t make the slightest bit of sense. London has been turned into a forest, yet there are no crowds - it’s just the principal cast wandering around. If anyone does appear, they always happen to know the other characters in the scene. It’s hard to imagine the cast walking through places like Trafalgar Square with no other people in sight.

The concept of a natural event that everyone forgets afterwards is something I can accept in Doctor Who. The heavy use of child actors is charming. The school trip idea was cute, and the concept of the forest protecting humanity was a very good one.

Perhaps the oddest thing is the narrative suggesting that children shouldn’t take prescribed medication. That’s an absolutely bonkers message to send. And, even when you try to approach the story without cynicism, moments like Maebh’s sister randomly reappearing in a bush at the end make it impossible to ignore the silliness. The bush vanishes, the sister reappears, and the mum doesn’t say a word - it’s bizarre.

Despite all this, the story has a certain warmth, it’s nice to see Peter Capaldi acting alongside so many children. In a series that’s often been quite dark and brooding, it’s refreshing to have something that feels a bit lighter and less self-serious. It feels good to make room for a more child-friendly story. That said, I’m glad they didn’t repeat this particular experiment.