The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Ruby (Millie Gibson) are in early 19th Century England, having a ball (quite literally). Behind the gorgeous outfits, courtship rituals and stifling etiquette, however, something is lurking; and this time, The Doctor isn’t the only person looking to take care of the interlopers. Step forward Jonathan Groff’s brooding, enigmatic Rogue, a traveller from elsewhere himself, hot on the tails of the vicious, deadly visitors, who will get very close to The Doctor before the night is through.

Littered with mentions of another Regency period drama, Bridgerton, it’s somewhat of a relief that that very element factors into the plot of the shapeshifting aliens viciously working their way into polite society.

I’ve previously mentioned that this season hasn’t let us have enough of Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor, but that complaint can certainly not be levelled at this episode, which gives us so much.

His chemistry with Groff’s charming, and yes, very much brooding Rogue is absolutely off the charts, but his screen time here is much more than just the electric bond that he and this new character develop. Gatwa once again demonstrates that he can completely knock it out of the park when it comes to high emotional stakes and the big, dramatic moments.

Even when he’s not around as much, such as in last week’s Dot and Bubble, he’s an incredible presence when he finally appears, delivering knockout scenes of true emotion and phenomenal depth. Here, where his presence is very much front and centre, the effect is absolutely electric; it’s very easy to see why and how Rogue is so drawn to him.

Gibson has a blast with challenging the social mores of the day too, causing excitement and delight with her turns of phrase and unflappable attitude.

It’s an impeccably staged episode with real heart and some genuinely gorgeous, even heartfelt scenes, played to perfection by everyone in the cast. If the alien threat feels a little secondary at times, and a little like comic relief despite their threat level, I’m certainly not complaining, given that we finally get to spend some proper time with Gatwa’s brilliant Doctor, and Groff’s great new character too (oh, and listen out for some fantastic musical moments as well).

Despite what some may call a shaky start to the season with the divisive Space Babies, I’ve enjoyed every episode so far, and it seems that they’re just getting stronger, on a weekly basis.

Though Rogue is certainly not going to cause the same measured, welcome discourse on social media that last week’s Dot and Bubble did, it’s likely that it’ll go down a storm for very different and, perhaps, shallower reasons, but that only goes to show just how wide ranging and diverse the entire concept of Doctor Who can be, and often is.

Oh, and before I go, actress Susan Twist makes another appearance here, because of course she does. And the glimpse at next week’s episode during the end credits does reveal a little more of the Twist at the end; we’ve been set up for what looks like a big finale, and I couldn’t be more excited.

Finally, on a slightly related note, Happy Birthday to the wonderful Colin Baker, who portrayed the Sixth Doctor way back in the mid-80s. I hope he’ll be watching this week’s episode himself; at a recent event I was fortunate enough to see Baker at, he was full of praise for Gatwa, and was very excited for the current season. It looks like that praise and excitement was definitely not misplaced.