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18TH MARCH 2011

(2 4-MINUTE EPISODES)

There once was a time when Doctor Who charity specials were few and far between, but when they did appear, they brought with them 3D specs and everyone from Hugh Grant to Pam St Clement. Since the series was revived in 2005, however, its mini-episodes have become more regular and more refined. Instead of a sensational roll-call of celebrity Doctors or a saunter through the suds of Albert Square, we have short, TARDIS-bound skits intended to be compatible with the episodes that they fall between. The latest such offerings are Space and Time, a brace of four-minute episodes written by showrunner Steven Moffat and broadcast as part of BBC1’s Red Nose Day telethon.

No doubt a few eyebrows were raised at the prospect of a comic Who skit “that counts”, but humour is as integral a part of the series’ make-up as action or drama, and Moffat is careful here to ensure that his humour is borne of his narrative. Indeed, in contrast to Moffat’s previous parody, this story is far from being a send-up - it actually serves as a wonderful little advertisement for the series by showing what it can do even when limited to just one set and the regular cast. Drawing upon the memorable “TARDIS within a TARDIS” imagery of classic serials such as The Time Monster and Logopolis, as well as Castrovalva’s “recursive” theme, in just eight minutes Moffat delivers an astonishingly complex plot not only cogently, but with real sparkle. Despite dealing with convoluted spatio-temporal loops and even cross-temporal meetings, no viewer will have had cause to get lost as everything is explained by reference to things that everyone can relate to, be they beautifully-short Scots skirts or arms dangling through open doors.

Above: What would you do with two Ponds... that doesn’t warrant a slapping?

What really makes this such an endearing little tale though is Moffat’s depiction of the three-strong TARDIS crew and the performances of the actors playing them. Even with no prior knowledge of the series, one could infer that Karen Gillan’s Amy is the smart and sassy firebrand, and Rory her devoted - and often drooling - husband. In an instant Matt Smith’s Doctor is the ultimate fixer - a weird and wacky man who can solve problems even before they’ve happened, and do so with something he calls a “a wibbly lever.”

Of course, one can’t expect a relatively modest, microcosmic offering such as this to stand up against the sensation and splendour of Moffat’s last Comic Relief special twelve years ago, but it still does its job well, complementing the upcoming series as well as its episode titles complement each other. To say that it held its own against the likes of Outnumbered, The Inbetweeners and even Gavin & Stacey’s legendary Smithy is a triumph itself, and if it helped to raise a few quid for a good cause and boost the series’ profile into the bargain, then everyone’s a winner.