World Enough and Time (Doctor Who)

World Enough and Time is the eleventh episode of the tenth series of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on BBC One on 24 June 2017. It was written by Steven Moffat and directed by Rachel Talalay. The episode is the first of a two-part story, concluding with "The Doctor Falls".

Plot

The episode begins with the Twelfth Doctor (played by Peter Capaldi) emerging from the TARDIS onto a snowy landscape, where he begins to regenerate. The narrative then shifts to a massive spaceship trying to escape the gravitational pull of a black hole. The Doctor, along with his companions Bill Potts (played by Pearl Mackie) and Nardole (played by Matt Lucas), arrive on the spaceship after receiving a distress call.

Upon their arrival, they are greeted by Missy (played by Michelle Gomez), who claims to be the Doctor. The Doctor allows Missy to take the lead in investigating the ship. However, they soon discover that the ship is from Mondas, the home planet of the Cybermen. Bill is captured and taken to the lower levels of the ship, where time moves much faster due to the effects of the black hole's gravity.

Bill is converted into a Cyberman, and the Doctor, Missy, and Nardole must find a way to save her and stop the Cybermen from taking over the ship. The episode ends on a cliffhanger, with the Doctor facing a newly converted Bill and the return of the Master.

Cast

• Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor
• Pearl Mackie as Bill Potts
• Matt Lucas as Nardole
• Michelle Gomez as Missy
• John Simm as the Master

Production

"World Enough and Time" was written by Steven Moffat, who served as the showrunner for Doctor Who from 2010 to 2017. The episode was directed by Rachel Talalay, who has directed several episodes of the series, including the series finales for the eighth, ninth, and tenth series.

The title of the episode is a reference to the poem "To His Coy Mistress" by Andrew Marvell, which begins with the line "Had we but world enough and time."

Reception

The episode received positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances of the cast, particularly Peter Capaldi, Pearl Mackie, and Michelle Gomez. The return of the Master and the cliffhanger ending were also highlighted as strong points of the episode.

Continuity

• The episode features the return of the Mondasian Cybermen, who first appeared in the 1966 serial "The Tenth Planet".
• The episode marks the first time that two incarnations of the Master have appeared together on screen.
• The Doctor's regeneration scene at the beginning of the episode is revisited in the following episode, "The Doctor Falls".

See also

• List of Doctor Who episodes (2005–present)
• Doctor Who (series 10)
• Cybermen
• The Doctor Falls