The Doctor: Jodie Whittaker
Companions
Bradley Walsh (Graham O'Brien)
Tosin Cole (Ryan Sinclair)
Mandip Gill (Yasmin Khan)
Others
Sharon D Clarke – Grace O'Brien
Ellie Wallwork – Hanne
Kevin Eldon – Ribbons
Christian Rubeck – Erik
Lisa Stokke – Trine
Production
Directed by Jamie Childs
Written by Ed Hime
Script editor: Nina Metivier
Produced by Nikki Wilson
Executive producer(s)
Chris Chibnall, Matt Strevens, Sam Hoyle
Incidental music composer: Segun Akinola
Length: 49 minutes
First broadcast
2 December 2018
The Doctor and her companions arrive in present day Norway, landing near a cabin. Meeting its sole occupant, blind teen Hanne, they learn that she and her father Erik moved there following the death of her mother Trine. Her father has since disappeared, with Hanne unable to search for him because she keeps hearing a creature in the cabin every day. Upstairs, the group discover a bedroom mirror with no reflection, revealed to be a portal. The Doctor, Graham and Yasmin enter it. After Ryan remains behind with Hanne, he finds speakers around the house aimed at keeping her inside. His discovery prompts Hanne to knock him out and enters the portal. The Doctor and the others find themselves in the Antizone, a buffer-space between universes to prevent catastrophic damage.
They soon encounter Ribbons, who offers his help for the Doctor's screwdriver, but is eaten by flesh-eating moths when he tries to snatch it. The others evade them by entering another portal, finding themselves within a reflected parallel universe. They soon encounter Erik, who is found to be talking with Trine, with Graham encountering Grace. Although the group know both are dead, both men experience a difficult conversation about the loss they experienced. The Doctor quickly deduces they have encountered the Solitract, a sentient universe incompatible and exiled from the real one, who seeks companionship. Although cut off from their universe, Hanne arrives and recognises Trine is an illusion. Knowing her presence threatens to collapse the Solitract, the Doctor convinces Graham to let go, before asking the same of Erik.
When Erik refuses to leave, the Doctor offers to take his place and give the Solitract her broad experience from travelling the universe. The Solitract agrees and ejects Erik back to the universe, while the Doctor is taken to a white space where it assumes the form of a talking frog. Despite being fascinated with interacting with it, the Doctor explains she can't stay and urges the Solitract to remain interesting. She then makes her way back through the Antizone before the portal to the universe collapses. After their adventure, Erik decides to return to Oslo with Hanne, while Ryan takes interest in Graham's conversation with Grace and bonds with him.
It Takes You Away