Let's Kill Hitler - a[nother] spoiler-free review

Steven Moffat, without doubt on my part, has once again written a blinder.

Yes, I was one of the lucky few members of the public – thanks to a thoughtful person on Twitter – to bag myself a ticket to the BFI press screening on the 15^th August (so rather late on the bandwagon with this preview!) and there was no way I could bring myself to confine my experience to myself and a few of my rather over-excited friends. Rather than rush to the internet with this, I’ve taken my time over it to remember as much as I can, and to give you something new to read in the final few days' wait before Saturday. That, and I’ve been working and literally travelling the length of the country (from London to Newcastle and back to Wolverhampton)!

If you’re reading this, then there probably isn’t much I can tell you that you haven’t already found out from various news outlets and Who news pages without spoiling you. I can, however, perhaps give you a perspective of which you’ve not heard much – the experience of a fan and not a journalist. I won’t be giving you spoilers, whether you’ve seen, heard or read any so far, because I honestly believe you’ll enjoy the episode more if you saw it the way I had the chance to. And also because I promised Steven Moffat...

To begin with, I should probably point out that I may have a bit of a bias: I love River Song. If you’ve not liked this season-long story arc then you probably won’t adore Let’s Kill Hitler as I, and – from the laughter and reaction I witnessed – the BFI audience, did. Alex Kingston rather steals the show, providing a new angle to River that we had yet to see, without diminishing the River we already know (or think we know). If that’s the case for you, it’s still not a good enough excuse to stay away from your televisions on Saturday, as there is plenty to enjoy in other aspects – Rory comes out with some perfect lines with Hitler; there's backstory to Rory and Amy with comedy; Amy is highly amusing with the Doctor in a way you couldn't predict; and the Doctor continues to be entertaining, dramatic and funny on his own, as Matt Smith once again pulls off what is best described as a stellar coat, a different yet stellar outfit, and most importantly a stellar performance. And all this without mentioning the brilliant way in which the crew has adapted Cardiff once again to be somewhere new – Berlin, Germany in 1938, swastikas and all.

After a brief reminder of the first half of the season, which is maybe redundant for some hardcore fans, but nonetheless brilliant at creating momentum, Let's Kill Hitler crashes straight into the plot in a real Doctor Who-type fashion – at full speed. In a Mini. Literally. By the time the Doctor steps out of the TARDIS (perhaps I should add that that doesn’t take too long) the episode is absolutely in full swing. As I promised earlier to keep the spoilers to myself, I’m going to stop the plot summary there, except to say that it really is mad, and not what one would naturally expect after the dramatic finish of A Good Man Goes to War. Of course if you know anything of Steven Moffat’s Doctor Who you shouldn’t expect anything.

Moving away from the plot, the marvellous thing about the screening was the atmosphere of the audience. As I sat down, a fellow fan turned to me and commented, “This is jolly exciting, isn’t it?” Apart from the urge to laugh at such a British stereotype in action, I did have to agree with him. Even the journalists present were pleased to be there, and the audience acted in unison when somebody from The Sun newspaper (apparently jokingly, but trust nothing) threatened to leak a massive spoiler, booing until she relented. And contrary to what she claims in her article, Karen Gillan looked stunning.

Unfortunately I don’t have photos – I believed I had left my camera behind and didn’t want to use my phone as I ended up sitting next to the head of the BFI, but the question and answer session, of which you’ve quite probably heard or read snippets (and if you haven’t then there will be a link to a transcript at the end), apart from the sheer number of people, could quite easily have taken place in your living room so relaxed was the atmosphere. Also I was happy to see so many young people and teenagers – especially other females! – at such an event, including Alex Day and Charlie McDonnell, even if some of the teenage girls I witnessed had perhaps a little too much enthusiasm for spin-off shows. (Overheard in the queue for the toilets: “Imagine River and Jack in the same room. They should have their own show; they really should, except there’s no room that could contain the two of them. But it would be really good. I must write this or tell someone else about it. I should tell Steven Moffat.”)

So in summary I should say this: the episode is full of enjoyment, laughter and drama, even if it might not be quite what you expected after A Good Man Goes To War. Don’t think that all of your questions will be answered just because you’ve waited three months for this episode; some will be, some will be and done so quickly and some won’t, and some won’t be tied up at all. If they are answered, you’ll just be asking something else an instant later, so enjoy the ride whilst it lasts! Personally, if the extended trailer and subsequent previews are anything to go by, I just can’t wait for the rest of the season.

Finally, if you ever find the opportunity to go to such an event, just take it. Work out the hows and the details later on, just go. Doctor Who couldn’t be better on the big screen.

Doctor Who is back Saturday 27^th August on BBC One at 7.10pm, or on BBC America at 9/8c.

(And here if you haven't seen them, the prequel, some quotes and teasers from BlogtorWho and an edited Q&A transcript thanks to lifeofwylie.com.)