Doctor Who just pulled off its most gloriously bonkers episode yet — and somehow made it work. Last night’s “The Interstellar Song Contest” threw Eurovision into deep space, preserved Rylan Clark in ice, and delivered an emotional gut-punch that nobody saw coming.
Let’s be real: a space Eurovision episode sounds like something dreamed up after too many prosecco-fueled brainstorming sessions. Yet here we are, watching Rylan Clark (playing himself, naturally) get defrosted annually to host the 803rd intergalactic singing competition in the year 2925. It’s precisely the kind of absolutely ridiculous premise that Doctor Who excels at turning into television gold.
The whole concept feels deliciously meta. There’s something perfectly fitting about Rylan — Britain’s beloved broadcasting chameleon — being deemed so essential to the fabric of entertainment that future civilizations decided to pop him in cryogenic storage between shows. One can’t help but wonder if Graham Norton’s preserved somewhere in a backup freezer, just in case.
Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor continues to dazzle, bringing his signature charm to what could’ve been just another romp. Alongside Varada Sethu’s Belinda, they’re tasked with thwarting some rather miffed contestants from planet Hellia who’ve hijacked the competition’s space station. Because obviously, even a millennium from now, Eurovision remains ground zero for interplanetary drama and questionable fashion choices.
But then… that ending.
In a moment that left longtime Whovians absolutely floored, Susan Foreman — the Doctor’s granddaughter and the show’s very first companion — materialized on screen. Carole Ann Ford, now the last surviving cast member from the original 1963 series, returned to deliver a haunting message: “Go back and find me.” Those five words carried the weight of six decades of storytelling, bridging the gap between Doctor Who’s humble beginnings and its current renaissance.
The timing feels particularly significant. As the BBC’s flagship sci-fi series navigates an uncertain media landscape (and that massive Disney+ deal), Susan’s return serves as a powerful reminder of the show’s enduring legacy. It’s not just about space adventures and sonic screwdrivers — at its core, Doctor Who has always explored themes of family, loss, and the long road home.
Between the camp spectacle of space Eurovision and the emotional wallop of that final scene, “The Interstellar Song Contest” exemplifies everything that makes Doctor Who special. Like its singing competition counterpart, it’s an institution that keeps reinventing itself while never forgetting its roots. Douze points all around.
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