The Well

What, you think it went for me first? You think it crawled out of hell to get to me? You idiot. I’m nothing. I’m just the only one left.

Alissa Fenly

Synopsis

Far in the future, on a tough, brutal planet, a devastated mining colony has only one survivor. To discover the truth, the Doctor and Belinda must face absolute terror.

Review

I can understand Russell T Davies wanting to revisit Midnight. The tenth episode of Series 4 was created out of necessity, with another story falling through, and turned into a masterpiece of a bottle episode, which is definitely in the top ten episodes of his original run of the show.

The Well brings the unnamed creature back from that episode and evokes the same levels of tension and dread as the original. For the purposes of this review, I will refer to the creature as the Midnight entity. Russell T Davies and Sharma Angel-Walfall both wisely know that there is not too much to be gained from demystifying the entity here, and keep the mystery by ensuring that we are not given a backstory or a clear look at the creature. Ultimately, the decision to have the creature kill anything that goes behind Aliss is a really simple one, but it is nonetheless effective. It’s an idea that feels lifted directly from the playground, and in the spirit of the best ideas Doctor Who presents to its audience. Whilst Lux was the show playing around with more magical and fantasy inspired elements, The Well is the antithesis to this. Part of that is to do with its grimmer and darker tone, but there is also a sense of realism to it too. The ship that the troopers, Belinda and the Doctor jump from will not descend to the planet for another five hours, for instance, or the lift down to the mine having a maximum capacity limit.

There is a cynicism present at the heart of the story too. By setting the story on Midnight, a planet made of diamonds, it is almost an inevitability that this planet will have been mined, and those who sought to deplete its natural resources awoke something that the Doctor describes as utterly vile. The story is tense, which is helped by Murray Gold’s score and Amanda Brotchie’s direction, which adds to an impending sense of dread. Everybody on the mining base is dead, with the crew either left with broken necks or killed by laser fire. This is all topped off with fact that the troopers and Aliss have not heard of humanity nor the planet Earth, which feels contrary to the show’s attitude since the revival that humanity would simply survive and go out into the stars. This all makes it feel grittier and darker.

At its heart, The Well defies the increase in budget that the Disney deal has reportedly given the show, and it is one that could have easily be produced in any era of the show, with limited impact. The main impact would probably be that the number of troopers involved in the operation would likely be reduced, but there is a version of this story that could be told at any time in the show’s history. Ultimately, it does look amazing on screen and it is clear that money has been spent on it though. It might not be so standout as an episode like Lux, but the show certainly shows the lavish production values, from the visual effects to the costumes.

In bringing back a one off adversary, you can either have them do the same thing repeatedly, or try and develop them, giving them new skills. Two examples that leap to mind are the Clockwork Droids, introduced in The Girl in the Fireplace and returning in Deep Breath, and the Weeping Angels, introduced in Blink and returning for the first time in The Time of Angels. The Clockwork Droids have the same motivations in both their stories, whilst the Weeping Angels have different abilities on their return. The Midnight entity has vastly different abilities than those shown in Midnight. The creature has been left alone for 400,000 years, and there is the potential that it could have evolved further abilities and powers over that time, however, this is possibly where the decision to bring this creature back falls down. There is not enough connective tissue between the creature as shown in Midnight and The Well to make this entirely coherent. Ultimately, this story could be told on any planet, with an entirely original creature and not feel derivative. Whilst the decision to make this episode a sequel to Midnight did feel unnecessary to me, it did not detract majorly from my enjoyment of this episode.

I haven’t really addressed Mrs Flood too much in my previous reviews of this series. She did, of course, make a cameo in the cold open of The Robot Revolution and the closing moments of Lux. Here, she is the superior of Mo, who is being reported to at the end of the episode. I almost feel as though we need some further information about her. She has been a recurring character since The Church on Ruby Road, and we know very little about her. If we think about other arcs, like say, the cracks in the universe, we did start to get answers by the midway point in the season. With Mrs. Flood, we potentially have another Susan Twist style character, where the resolution is ultimately underwhelming.

The guest cast in The Well are really strong, especially Rose Ayling-Ellis as Aliss Fenly, the sole survivor on the mining base. She is key to how well this story works, being someone who admits to killing her best friend in self-defence, but is ultimately innocent and suspected of mass murder. Davies and Angel-Walfall also give her a daughter, and her deafness gives her another level of vulnerability. One of Ayling-Ellis’ most powerful moments is where she pleads with the Doctor and Shaya not to turn their backs on her, as she will be unable to know what they are discussing. The show tackles deafness with rather well-executed speech bubbles on the troopers’ suits. There are also other interesting members of the troopers, like Shaya, someone who has been fighting since she was born. Unlike a lot of other military leaders we get in Doctor Who, she is inclined to believe the Doctor and Belinda, even when it puts her at odds with her troops. She is ultimately the one who appears to have saved the universe from the Midnight entity by hurling herself down the titular well, mirroring the sacrifice of the flight attendance in Midnight. Caoilfhionn Dunne puts in a good performance, as does Christopher Chung as Cassio, who feels as though he is a bit of a jobsworth. I did enjoy him calling out the Doctor for calling him ‘babes’ early on in the episode, as well as his brief mutiny against Shaya, and the brutal way that this is dealt with.

It is somewhat refreshing to see that, whilst her misgivings about travelling with the Doctor have not entirely disappeared, Belinda is not entirely sold on the idea of being a companion. I was concerned that this appeared to have been dealt with too quickly at the end of Lux, but The Well seems to address that she still remains just as dedicated to getting home to her parents now as she was when she first boarded the TARDIS. When they first get out of the TARDIS, Belinda states to the crew that they are just popping in, and very quickly establishes that she wants to return to the TARDIS and leave. There are indications that she is beginning to thaw; she does, for instance, enjoy the change of clothes that travelling in time and space is bringing her, but she is also mindful of the dangers, especially given her near-brush with death at the end of this episode.

I am talking to that thing behind Aliss Fenly. You stone-cold murderer. If the thing behind you always gets destroyed, what if the thing behind you is you?

The Fifteenth Doctor

I do feel as though Ncuti Gatwa is getting better episode by episode. Here, he manages to convey the same level of fear and dread that David Tennant does in Midnight. What makes the first episode so powerful is the fact that the Doctor is put on the backfoot, and the impact of what happens on the Crusader 50 shakes the usually unflappable Tenth Doctor to his core. Gatwa’s performance here feels definitively as though this is a different incarnation of the same Time Lord. There is something more to Gatwa’s incarnation of the Doctor, a vulnerability that was not there in the last series, along with other facets of this Doctor we have not seen previously.

Verdict: A tense and atmospheric episode, The Well is an effective sequel, but it could equally have stood without the link to a previous episode. 8/10

Cast: Ncuti Gatwa (The Doctor), Varadu Sethu (Belinda Chandra), Rose Ayling-Ellis (Alissa Fenly), Caoilfhionn Dunne (Shaya Costallion), Christopher Chung (Cassio Palin-Paleen), Bethany Antonia (Mo Gilliben), Annabel Brook (Hanno Yeft), Luke Rhodri (Callo Rence), Gaz Choudhry (Kai Sabba), Gary Pillai (Albie Bethick), Frankie Lipman (Sal Van Hyten), Jermaine Dominique (Ulric Dazen) & Anita Dobson (Mrs Flood).

Writers: Russell T Davies and Sharma Angel-Walfall

Director: Amanda Brotchie

Producer: Chris May

Composer: Murray Gold

Original UK Broadcast Date: 26th April 2025

Behind the Scenes

• Russell T Davies considered calling this episode The Thirteen, after the number of people who enter the mining base.

Cast Notes

• Bethany Antonia voiced Captain Rocky in the Seventh Doctor Big Finish story Naomi’s Ark.

Best Moment

The moment the Doctor realises how he can get them out by using the mercury to reflect the Midnight entity back at itself.

Best Quote

Don’t turn your back on me! Please don’t turn your back on me!

Aliss Fenly

Previous Fifteenth Doctor review: Lux

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