73. Under the Lake / Before the Flood

A base under siege, a time travel paradox and ghosts! With these elements in place, Toby Whitehouse’s Under the Lake and Before the Flood (2015) treads familiar ground for fans of Doctor Who while also moving in bold new directions, both in terms of story-telling and character representation.

This two-part story sees Peter Capaldi’s 12th doctor break the fourth wall, speaking directly to the audience. His lecture on what philosophers call “the bootstrap paradox” serves to set up the central puzzle of these episodes while insisting that it remain unsolved.

Actress Sophie Stone’s portrayal of Cass challenges traditional representational tropes surrounding disabled people. Simultaneously, this character asks us to think further about how we understand disability in, and through, science fiction.