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“WHAT I DID ON MY HOLIDAYS BY OMO ESOSA – THE DOCTOR MEETS NIGERIA'S SHARPEST BARBER-IN-WAITING”

What I Did On My Holidays By Omo Esosa is a delightful surprise prequel to The Story & the Engine, Season 2’s episode by Inua Ellams. True to form, Ellams injects the short story with warmth, cultural detail, and a strong sense of voice. Framed as a school report written by a young Omo Esosa—the Doctor’s future barber friend—it’s both an evocative period piece and a clever bit of character groundwork for the forthcoming televised story.

Set in Nigeria in 1965, the tale centres on Omo’s summer visit to his grandparents, told in the playful, occasionally chaotic voice of a bright eleven-year-old. It’s a masterclass in tone: charmingly naive yet perceptive, brimming with the character’s personality. The piece feels genuinely like it was written by a child—right down to the refusal to write out his grandfather’s swearing “because I will get an F.”

SUNSHINE, OIL PUMPS, AND REBELLIOUS FRIENDSHIPS

The early sections of the story capture the simple joys and frustrations of rural childhood: heat, boredom, relatives who scold, and the thrill of unexpected adventure. Omo’s bond with Blue—a fiercely independent girl with a revolutionary streak—is a highlight. Their exploration of newly installed oil pumps and their moral outrage at the environmental destruction they cause gives the story an emotional and political spine. Their decision to sabotage the oil operation is impulsive and heroic in the way only kids can be—full of fire, consequence-be-damned.

Ellams draws the reader into the local rhythms and textures of Nigeria with vivid ease. The dialogue captures regional flavour without caricature, using dialect and phrasing that rings true while remaining accessible. There’s a wonderful attention to place and people—Omo’s family, the gossiping adults, the threatening new industrial presence—all filtered through a child’s perspective.

ENTER THE DOCTOR, STAGE LEFT (WITH A FIRE EXTINGUISHER)

Just when things boil over—literally—with the oil pumps catching fire and the forest at risk, in comes the Doctor. It’s a classic entrance, understated but vivid: the Doctor as emergency responder, chaos-wrangler, and cosmic interloper all at once. The brief interaction between the two characters is instantly engaging, and tellingly, Omo doesn’t fall head over heels in awe. His scepticism, even in the face of this strange new figure, is a defining character note.

This moment sets up their future dynamic wonderfully—Omo is clearly no pushover, even at eleven. His questions and doubts hint at the kind of adult he’ll become: curious, strong-willed, and unafraid to challenge authority, even Time Lords. It’s a smart way to give a supporting character from the show a compelling origin that enriches the episode to come.

STORYTELLING ABOUT STORIES AND ENGINES

There are scattered thematic breadcrumbs here for The Story & the Engine, with mentions of storytelling, technology, and the forces that drive progress—or destruction. Whether these are direct links or spiritual motifs remains to be seen, but it lends the short a pleasant sense of narrative foreshadowing. It never feels like required reading, but it deepens the series' world in a meaningful way.

A SHORT STORY WITH BIG HEART

This may be a short piece, but it manages to combine world-building, character development, historical texture, and a hint of sci-fi flair in just a few pages. It’s also notable for how authentically it centres Nigerian voices, history, and culture—without leaning on alien invaders or external threats. The dangers here are all-too-human: pollution, neglect, and the sidelining of young voices. That makes the Doctor’s arrival all the more poignant—a signal that stories like Omo’s matter in the grand scheme of things.

📝 VERDICT: 83/100

What I Did On My Holidays By Omo Esosa is a brilliant little gem—a pitch-perfect prequel that feels both like a standalone tale and a vital piece of the larger Season 2 puzzle. Inua Ellams brings his signature warmth and lyricism to the text, capturing the voice of a Nigerian schoolboy with uncanny accuracy and charm. With rebellious kids, ecological sabotage, a dramatic fire, and the Doctor’s surprise arrival, it’s a fast and engaging read that enriches the upcoming episode while standing proudly on its own. Here's hoping we see more of young Omo’s adventures—or at least hear him brag about them while cutting the Doctor’s hair.

A decent if rather basic Doctor Who story. It takes the form of an in-universe essay by a character who will presumably feature in this week's episode called Omo, and concerns an oil drilling operation in Etsako. What I Did On My Holidays is a story that feels very topical at the moment, with fracking remaining controversial, and the continued move away from fossil fuels.

'David versus Goliath' stories are always interesting, and here we have two kids essentially fighting the Nigerian government, by throwing stones at the drilling equipment and inadvertently causing a fire. Blue is a particularly likeable individual, being the activist who brings Omo onboard with the plan to stop the oil drilling, and I hope we see more of her in Saturday's episode.

The Doctor's appearance is brief, coming at the very end to help Blue after she ends up injured, and using a hosepipe to put out the fire. It's always nice to get some more Fifteenth Doctor content, though, especially as this story is also written by the writer of this Saturday's episode, Inua Ellams.

A lovely little story that does what it's supposed to do: makes me excited for this Saturday's episode!

The emphasis on imminent action to combat imminent danger, the need to protect your home from man-made environmental catastrophe created by corporate greed and enforced by a fierce, child-shooting military - and with fire being in almost every illustration. It's a very powerful image, and one I'm very glad to see after Lucky Day's much more pro-government/pro-military stance.

Well worth a read. 4/5 stars