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"THE WOMAN WHO FELL TO EARTH: TEETH, TECH, AND A TINKERING TIME LADY”

Chris Chibnall launches a new era of Doctor Who with The Woman Who Fell to Earth, a 60-minute opener that has a lot on its plate – introducing a new Doctor, a full team of companions, and setting a tone for Series 11. Much like previous era openers (Rose, The Eleventh Hour, Deep Breath), this story leans heavily on the companions’ point of view. We’re dropped into Sheffield, where Ryan struggles with dyspraxia and stumbles (literally and figuratively) into something alien. His step-grandfather Graham, with whom he has a strained relationship, soon gets involved alongside Yaz, a young police officer craving more excitement from her job.

It’s a grounded, human way to kick things off – and it works. We meet our leads as they are: ordinary people in an ordinary city suddenly plunged into something extraordinary.

POST-REGENERATION JITTERS (AND JOKES)

Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor doesn’t get the full-on amnesia or coma that earlier incarnations have suffered through, but she’s clearly still adjusting – rambling, inventive, full of spark but slightly scattered. Her entrance, crashing onto a train mid-alien attack, is pure chaos. But the core of her Doctor begins to shine through almost immediately. That famous crane scene, in particular, is her first proper “Doctor moment” – confronting Tzim-Sha (or “Tim Shaw”, as she dubs him) with moral authority, cleverness, and steel.

The Doctor’s Sheffield-forged sonic is also a fun twist – a nice build montage that adds to her image as a tinkerer, someone who crafts her own tools. From the beginning, Whittaker’s Doctor shows a collaborative energy, involving the "fam" in her plans, and leaning into empathy, ingenuity, and leadership.

NEW FACES AND OLD TEETH

Tim Shaw is a memorable foe. A Stenza warrior on a ritual hunt, he’s creepy, unsettling, and sports a striking design – his face literally studded with the teeth of his victims. It’s a disturbing image that sticks with you. The premise – two alien races battling on Earth with humans caught in the middle – is a neat twist on the usual alien invasion formula. And the early mystery, with its gradually escalating tension and piecemeal reveals, helps ground the science fiction in real-world Sheffield.

There’s a solid structure to how the episode reveals its alien elements: strange signals, malfunctioning tech, alien pods… and then finally, Tim Shaw himself. The sense of rising threat is effective.

THE COMPANIONS (AND ONE TRAGICALLY SHORT-STAY)

Ryan, Yaz, and Graham are all given distinctive introductions. Ryan's dyspraxia is handled with care, and his YouTube monologue bookending the story gives the episode a thoughtful frame. Yaz, while perhaps slightly underwritten at this stage, is shown to be curious and capable. And Graham – well, Graham is immediately the heart of the group, trying to be the sensible one even as he gets pulled into the madness.

And then there's Grace. Warm, funny, determined, and brave – she’s an immediate standout. So of course, her sudden death feels like a gut punch. It's narratively effective, if a little abrupt. Her loss is clearly meant to give Graham and Ryan emotional stakes going forward, and the closing funeral scene helps give her passing some weight. It’s rare that Doctor Who slows down enough to show grief like this, and it’s welcome.

Karl, the crane operator targeted by Tim Shaw, is an unexpected addition. He’s a character with no grand destiny, just a regular man caught in the middle, and his awkward affirmations (“I am special”, “I can do this”) make him oddly endearing. His final contribution – kicking Tim Shaw off the crane – is cathartic, even if a little morally ambiguous for Doctor Who.

And let’s not forget the legendary drunk Salad Man: “Eat my salad, Halloween!” – a line so gloriously absurd it feels destined for T-shirt immortality.

SETTING THE TONE, MISSING THE TARDIS

This is one of the rare stories in Doctor Who that doesn’t feature the TARDIS at all, and it’s to the episode’s credit that it doesn’t feel like anything is missing. In fact, the lack of the TARDIS makes the ending – with the Doctor cobbling together alien tech to find it, only to accidentally teleport her new companions along for the ride – all the more impactful.

That final cliffhanger, with the Doctor and her new team floating in deep space, is a solid hook. It’s bold, weird, and makes it clear that Chibnall’s vision for the show may be slower and more grounded, but it’s still very much Doctor Who.

📝 VERDICT: 8/10

The Woman Who Fell to Earth is a confident soft reboot that re-establishes the show’s human core while introducing a new Doctor who’s charming, energetic, and curious. The alien threat is solid, if not earth-shattering, and the character work – especially for Graham and Grace – gives the episode emotional grounding. The companions are promising, the setting refreshingly down-to-earth, and the overall vibe suggests a more character-driven approach for this new era. Whittaker hasn’t fully settled into her skin yet, but she’s clearly got the heart, humour, and fire needed to carry the show forward.

Not a perfect debut – but a grounded, heartfelt, and memorable one.