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“THE TIME BALL: EIGHT, JOSIE, AND A LOT OF TEMPORAL WOBBLE”

Set in Greenwich, 1833, The Time Ball sees the Eighth Doctor and his original comics companion Josie Day attempting to return a wounded alien to its home while navigating temporal turbulence surrounding the newly introduced time ball at the Royal Observatory. The problem? The timey-wimey elements are vague at best. There’s talk of time disruption, paradoxes, and ripples, but it’s never quite clear what’s happening, why it matters, or how it gets fixed. Something about the time ball affecting alien tech, perhaps? If so, the script doesn’t make it easy to follow.

CHARACTERS OUT OF TIME

This incarnation of the Doctor, so often bursting with romanticism and eccentric flair, feels strangely underpowered. He goes through the motions with barely a flicker of the poetic, emotionally rich Eighth we know from Big Finish or the novels. Josie, meanwhile, is a bit of an enigma – and not in a good way. Her backstory is left blank, her chemistry with the Doctor is thin, and though her design is distinctive (fabulous blue hair!), she lacks the personality punch needed to carry the tale.

A SETTING FULL OF POTENTIAL

The Greenwich harbour setting and the historical detail of the time ball could have lent themselves to a rich period drama, blending educational whimsy with science fiction – something Doctor Who historically excels at. But here, the setting is more decorative than integral. The historical context is referenced, not explored, and the alien’s predicament, though it drives the plot, never feels urgent.

VISUAL NOTES

The art does its job without truly dazzling. The alien is nicely designed, the historical elements are rendered with enough flair to be convincing, and there’s a pleasant, clean style to the visuals. Still, nothing particularly memorable or dynamic – a serviceable but unremarkable affair.

A WASTED SIGNAL

Ultimately, The Time Ball feels like a story that’s ticking boxes without really doing anything new or memorable. It’s a shame, as the Eighth Doctor and Josie (a rare comics-exclusive companion) could have made a charming pairing with the right script and character focus. Instead, we get a hazy sci-fi plot, muted character dynamics, and a forgettable adventure.

📝VERDICT: 4/10

A story about time that seems to forget to make good use of it. The Time Ball offers a historical curiosity, a mysterious new companion, and a wounded alien – but none of it clicks. The Eighth Doctor is unusually flat, Josie feels like an outline more than a character, and the central time plot is muddled. Nice idea, lacklustre execution.