The Doctor: Jodie Whittaker
Companions
Bradley Walsh (Graham O'Brien)
Tosin Cole (Ryan Sinclair)
Mandip Gill (Yasmin Khan)
Others
Julie Hesmondhalgh – Judy Maddox
Lee Mack – Dan Cooper
Callum Dixon – Jarva Slade
Claudia Jessie – Kira Arlo
Leo Flanagan – Charlie Duffy
Matthew Gravelle – Voice of Kerblam
Production
Directed by Jennifer Perrott
Written by Pete McTighe
Script editor Fiona McAllister
Produced by Nikki Wilson
Executive producer(s) Chris Chibnall, Matt Strevens, Sam Hoyle
Incidental music composer Segun Akinola
Length 50 minutes
First broadcast 18 November 2018
The Doctor and her companions travel to Kerblam!, a galaxy-wide online shopping service consisting of automated warehouses, and a mostly robotic workforce known as "TeamMates". Under the guise of being new employees, the group attempt to find out who had sent them a delivery with a call for help. They quickly learn from their new colleagues – Dan Cooper, the company's poster boy; Kira Arlo, a member of the dispatch team; and Charlie Duffy, a maintenance worker who loves Kira – that staff have been vanishing in recent months, and that the company employs a heavy work culture of productivity. When Dan disappears while finding an order, the Doctor suspects something is wrong with the company's artificial intelligence and automated workforce.
Both human resource managers Judy Maddox and Jarva Slade quickly deny involvement when confronted about the disappearances. When Kira is abducted, the Doctor tracks her to the completely automated packaging and delivery floor, leading the group to gain access below. After finding the remains of the missing workforce and an army of TeamMates holding packages, the Doctor uses an early model of TeamMate to speak with Kerblam's AI. She quickly learns it called for her help directly, after suspecting something was wrong with its workforce. When Yasmin, Ryan and Charlie reveal they had witnessed Kira die when playing with bubble wrap, the Doctor discovers someone had weaponised the material, intending for it to be used upon Kerblam's customers.
Charlie quickly admits to being the culprit, explaining that Kira's death was not part of his plans. He reveals his motive was to prevent rampant automation making human workforces redundant. Gaining access to the company, Charlie used the missing staff as test subjects for his weaponised bubble wrap. He intended to use it upon the company's customers, knowing blame for the sudden deaths would be placed upon automation and a lack of human diligence. Realising the company's AI killed Kira to make Charlie understand the severity of his actions, the Doctor re-programmes the TeamMates to deliver to themselves and pop the wrap. While the others leave, Charlie remains and perishes in the floor's destruction. In the wake of the incident, Maddox and Slade undertake to rebuild Kerblam with a mostly human workforce.
Kerblam!