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“THE SIMPLE THINGS – DRACONIANS, FOOTBALL, AND A LOT OF WASTED POTENTIAL”

Joy Wilkinson’s The Simple Things sets itself up beautifully. The Doctor, Graham, Yaz, and Ryan head back to 1896 East London so Graham can witness the first win by his beloved West Ham. A time-travel story anchored in a sentimental trip to watch a historic football match? That’s already a winning pitch. Add to that the unexpected twist of a clandestine Draconian warship being built in a nearby shipyard, and this could have been a hidden gem in the Doctor Who short story pantheon.

Alas, what begins with promise ends with a shrug.

A VISIT FROM THE EMPEROR'S PEOPLE

The Draconians are a rare treat in Doctor Who—majestic, honour-bound aliens with a rich culture first introduced in Frontier in Space. Their theatrical grandeur and political complexity make them ideal for thoughtful storytelling. That’s why it’s especially frustrating that here, they’re reduced to a single representative: one unnamed female Draconian who strolls into the story and then quietly watches football.

There’s no sense of why the Draconians are here, what the purpose of the warship project is, or how this ties into any broader galactic politics. The story all but forgets the warship exists. Even the character of the Draconian, potentially a rare chance to explore a seldom-seen alien through a new lens, is never developed beyond surface-level intrigue. We never learn her name, rank, or motivation. It’s a drive-by cameo for a species that deserves more.

GRAHAM TAKES CENTRE STAGE

As a character piece for Graham, the story does slightly better. He’s charmingly enthusiastic about seeing West Ham's first win, and Wilkinson clearly has a good grasp of his voice and character. Yaz and Ryan, however, are mere passengers—tag-alongs with barely a line each, which only serves to emphasise how overstuffed the Chibnall-era fam dynamic could be in shorter formats.

The story ultimately lands on a whimsical note: Graham gets his football moment, the Doctor hands the ball to the Draconians (for reasons never fully explored), and we get a moment of strange cultural exchange between Earth’s working-class sports fandom and an alien empire. But even that feels undercooked. It's a story about the “simple things,” but ironically, it over-simplifies all the potentially interesting ones.

SETTING THE SCENE, BUT NOT MUCH ELSE

To its credit, the Victorian East London setting is effectively sketched. There’s a rough-and-ready atmosphere to the shipyard and the working-class neighbourhood that grounds the story nicely. There’s a definite sense of place, even if the events unfolding within it are less memorable. The idea of alien intrigue being juxtaposed with something as grounded and ordinary as early football has clear Doctor Who potential—it just needed more time and depth to work.

📝THE BOTTOM LINE: 6/10

The Simple Things teases an exciting collision between Doctor Who lore and British football history, but delivers only a faint sketch of both. With an underused Draconian presence and a plot that fizzles out before it begins, it ends up being more of a kickabout than a proper match. Charming in places, especially for Graham fans, but a major missed opportunity for anyone hoping to see the Draconians get the spotlight they deserve.