Doctor Who: Fugitive of the Judoon, recap: the best episode of the series, with surprise returns and killer twists

"Fo po sho no!” Fo po sho yes, actually. The sci-fi franchise bounced back with the best episode of the series, featuring the surprise return of an old favourite and some killer twists.

Here’s what happened in "Fugitive of the Judoon”…

Space rhinos hit Gloucester in search of mysterious foe

This episode sae the return of rhino-headed space police force the Judoon - old adversaries who first appeared in 2007 story “Smith and Jones” and who have popped up periodically over the next eight years. They were now targeting the slightly unlikely location of 21st century Gloucester in their search for a fugitive. But who could they be seeking in the sleepy cathedral city?

We were duly introduced to Lee Clayton (Neil Stuke of Game On fame) and his wife Ruth (Holby City’s Jo Martin) on her 44th birthday. He worked at Bathrooms 4 U, she was a local tour guide. Surely the Judoon couldn’t be pursuing this seemingly innocuous middle-aged married couple?

Judging by Lee’s shifty behaviour and the wild conspiracy theories of his love rival All Ears Allan (Michael Begley), it seemed like Lee was the fugitive alien in question. The stakes were raised by the Judoon zapping various Glostonians in typically trigger-happy style.

Alerted by the Judoons’ warning transmission and erection of an enforcement field around the city centre, the 13th Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) arrived just as the Judoon surrounded the Claytons’ flat, weapons primed. She and the Tardis team tried to talk both parties into settling this - whatever “This was” peacefully. If only she knew this was just the beginning of a rollercoaster rhino ride.

Captain Jack made a welcome return

They kept this secret well. Space conman, former companion and immortal bisexual Torchwood protagonist Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) swaggered back into the Whoniverse after nine years away by suddenly beaming up the unwitting Graham (Bradley Walsh) to his stolen spaceship.

At first - patriarchy klaxon - Captain Jack assumed Graham was the Doctor and began flirting outrageously with him. “Loving the grey at the temples. Distinguished. Kinda sexy,” he purred, planting a smacker on the nonplussed Graham’s lips.

When Graham set him right and mentioned the Doctor was now female, the delighted Captain Jack exclaimed: “This I gotta see!” He promptly tried to beam up the Timelord herself but misfired again, this time scooping up Yaz (Mandip Gill) and Ryan (Tosin Cole). “Seriously, three of you?” grinned the incorrigible intergalactic lothario. “I had a dream about this once.”

It wasn’t Lee they wanted after all

Back in Gloucester, Lee surrendered to the Judoon so his wife Ruth could escape. A silver box of alien origin, hidden at the back of his wardrobe, appeared to confirm that he wasn’t all he seemed.

This impression was confirmed by the arrival of the Judoon’s superior, Commander Gat (The Good Karma Hospital’s Ritu Arya), who greeted her old foe Lee - and swiftly executed him. Oh.

Before he died, though, Lee managed to send Ruth a cryptic text message: “Follow the light, break the glass.” At which point, she “turned into Jackie Chan”, fighting and disarming an entire Judoon squad in Gloucester cathedral.

The Doctor realised that Ruth was bio-cloaked, with another identity hidden within her. When that mysterious text led her to the lighthouse where she grew up, the Doctor sensed that she was the real target here, so accompanied her on a road trip home. Their destination would be a head-spinner.

Captain Jack issued a warning about the Cybermen

An old friend had a message about an old foe. When the stolen ship’s internal security systems began to attack him, Captain Jack had to make a rapid escape. He just had time to flirt with Ryan (“He’s my favourite!”) and tell the Tardis “fam” to warn the Doctor.

“Beware the lone Cyberman,” he said. “At all costs, don’t give it what it wants.” With that, he beamed the trio back down to Earth and scooted off through space and time. For now, anyway. Nice to see you again, Captain. He was still, as the “fam” agreed, “cheesy but good cheesy”.

Ruth being the Doctor was one helluva twist

Hands up if you saw that coming. In a dizzying development, Ruth turned out to be… well, the Doctor.

Arriving at the lighthouse, the Doctor (our one) spotted something amiss about Ruth parents’ burial plots outside. “Why have a blank gravestone?” she wondered aloud. “Because it’s not a grave.” She started digging and found something spine-tingling buried there - the unmistakeable top of a blue police box.

Meanwhile, inside the house, Ruth broke the emergency glass and hit a button. A glow resembling regeneration energy engulfed her. She emerged with new swagger, sporting a natty outfit - military-style coat and waistcoat over a brightly coloured blouse - and introduced herself. “Hello. I’m the Doctor.” Hang on, what?

BBC wokeness hit new heights

The “Doctor Who’s gone too PC” brigade must have had a heart attack.

We not only had a man-on-man kiss between John Barrowman and Bradley Walsh. We now had a Doctor who wasn’t just female but a black woman.

I imagine showrunner Chris Chibnall, who co-wrote this episode with Vinay Patel, was sitting at home, chuckling with mischievous delight at the reactionary backlash he’d just caused. Write your complaints on a licence fee-shaped postcard.

Two Doctors teamed up. Cue another twist

After some initial disbelief and snappy dialogue where they spoke in unison (“Same brain!”), the two Doctors were convinced of each other’s identities. One had to be a future incarnation of the other - but since neither could remember the other, they didn’t know which. Clear as mud? Excellent.

It turned out that Ruth had used her Tardis’ “chameleon arch” to cloak her Timelord identity, even from herself, and hide on Earth. Lee had been her companion-cum-protector but gave them both away by sentimentally holding onto his medals as a memento.

When the new Tardis was dragged up to the Judoon’s ship by a tractor beam, the two Doctors teamed up and attempted to talk their way out of trouble. The Judoon scanned them and realised they were both “the fugitive”. Commander Gat revealed that she too was a Timelord - but was aghast to learn from the Doctor that their home planet of Gallifrey had been reduced to “ash and bone”.

In fury, she tried to shoot both Doctors - except Ruth Doctor had sabotaged Gat’s weapon, meaning she killed only herself. The Judoon were sent away with a flea in their ears about having no jurisdiction in interstellar space. Ruth Doctor dropped Jodie Doctor back on Earth. Viewers were left scratching our heads but in a good way.

Timeless Child arc returned with a vengeance

After a couple of weeks' absence, the mysterious “Timeless Child” storyline was very definitely picked up again. When the Doctor (our one) was reunited with the Tardis team, they relayed the message from Captain Jack.

“Time is swirling around me,” mused the Doctor. “The Master, Captain Jack Harkness, Ruth... Something’s coming for me, I can feel it.” “Let it come,” replied Ryan. “You’ve got us.”

The Doctor, lost in her own thoughts, downplayed her expectations of the three companions but, in a touching scene, they were insistent: they were family and whatever lay in wait, they would be right by her side. Roll spine-tingles and whooshing closing music.

Belter of an episode put series back on track

Press previews of this episode weren’t released until a few hours before transmission, suggesting the BBC were protecting against spoiler leaks. The Corporation’s caution paid off because this was 50 thrilling minutes full of surprises.

Plot-wise, it was initially reminiscent of the similarly named “Prisoner of the Judoon”, a 2009 serial in CBBC spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures, which mined much comedy from the Judoon getting overly aggressive about minor offences. Yet it soon struck off in unexpected directions all of its own.

Directed by Nida Manzoor and co-written by Vinay Patel (who penned one of the last run's better episodes, “Demons of the Punjab”), it was a breathless, whole-hearted, big-brained ride which recalled the halcyon Noughties era of Russell T Davies. Indeed, the former “Whopremo” got a namecheck in the closing credits for creating the Judoon and Captain Jack.

There was some fizzing dialogue - see “You’re in charge, right?”, “It’s a very flat team structure” and “A platoon of Judoon near a lagoon”, “Actually it’s a canal”. The interplay between Captain Jack and the”fam”, not to mention the two Doctors, was delightfully screwball.

Combining classic “Earth in jeopardy” plotting with rug-pulls and running plot threads, this was the best episode of the series and arguably the entire Chris Chibnall era.

Tardis clocks up airmiles next week

Next Sunday, continent-hopping episode “Praxeus” sees the Doctor and her team facing a deadly global threat.

But what connects a missing astronaut in the Indian Ocean, birds behaving strangely in Peru and a US naval officer washed up on a Madagascan beach? See you back here with a renewed spring in our Whovian steps.