Every empire has its time, and every empire falls. But that which is dead can live again in the hands of a believer

Spaceships! I had a pang of excitement at the first of this two-part finale. It had only just struck me that every adventure so far this year has been Earthbound (Orphan 55 turned out to be Earth too, remember). And while that has been mainly fine, its a fizzing, refreshing rush to witness an epic space opera on the grandest scale. With loads of spaceships. And, of course, Cybermen, but more on that below.

It now feels almost comical that we spent Chris Chibnalls first year in charge grumbling about his Who being too simplistic. With one episode to go, it seems almost impossible that all the strands can be tied up. Which, more than likely, is the point. We are in a long game.

Following the chilling events of Villa Diodati, the Doctor attempts to limit the damage of her own haste by following Shelleys instructions to track down the Lone Cyberman to an indeterminate planet in an indeterminate period of the far future, and the grim aftermath of the much-storied Great Cyberwars. They encounter the last seven scraps of humanity desperate refugees who never trained for war but have adapted just the same. Chibnalls woke gene is still in action these people were teachers and nurses. And the desperation of the survivors is horribly palpable.

Team Tardis arrive tooled up with a rescue plan and a multitude of Cyberbusting technology all of which gets destroyed within minutes, causing the Doctor to lose it for putting her friends in more danger than she ever has before. All the while there is a series of flashbacks to period Ireland, portraying the life of an abandoned baby named Brendan who meets a grisly fate on his retirement from a heroic police career at the hands of some spooks the hint being that this was the Lone Cyberman.

From there on, it is, for the most part, a fun, classic Doctor Who, with doomed spaceships and advancing Cybermen abounding. Until things get somewhat psychedelic once again with the discovery of a kindly old wizard man named Ko Shamur, who guards an escape portal to what transpires to be Gallifrey, the Doctors destroyed home planet! Before we can catch our breath, out pops Hot Camp Master, cackling: Be afraid, Doctor, because everything is about to change. A change is coming, but I for one need a lie down.

After nearly two series of moaning about being hungry, Graham is getting good at this stuff. Even Yaz notices, commenting on how far he has come, occupying her typical space between genuinely nice girl and overachieving Doctors pet. Were not lucky, sunshine, were persistent, insists Graham to the survivors. We never give up. The pluck is tangible next to the fatalism that surrounds them.

In fact, all of Team Tardis are at the top of their game right now even Ryan seems momentarily over his wobble about the space-time lifestyle. Which is perhaps why the Doctor so recklessly endangers them in the first place. It is in the nature of a constantly regenerating show that a wo/man largely known for putting friends at risk and turning people into weapons that this is presented as a new idea, but I suppose the nature of mistakes is that you tend to keep making the same ones. And Jodie Whittaker runs with material worthy of her performance. In any case, we all know what they say about pride coming before a fall. Walsh, Gill or Cole have yet to be confirmed for series 13, and Im not feeling optimistic about all of them making it out alive. Or as humans.

The newly pimped-up Cybermen are a rowdier bunch than we have seen before. Gone are the slow, raspy advances, in favour of a fast-moving, laser-happy battle force. I am not entirely sure which version I prefer, but they are more badass than we have seen them since the series returned. They feel like a genuine threat, and the presence of some classic models affords us some minor finale fan service. Their reason for appearing, of course, is to amplify the horror of the Lone ranger the Cyberman that makes other Cybermen scream, as Rovia puts it.

This is where Chibnalls take on the number two monster comes alive. This guy was never finished, from his face to his emotional suppression. He suffers from the human weakness of pride, which makes him all the more dangerous. And when the Doctor chides him about hating his own existence, his anger and hatred being human emotions, it barely touches a (modified) nerve. Also, the flying Cyberdrone heads are cool.

Where to begin? What went on in the Cyberwars to leave everything so devastated? Is Hot Camp Master truly in league with the Cybermen again? And, if so, how did he survive Missys final predicament? In what sense is everything about to change? Because we had almost forgotten about her with everything else going on, will we be meeting Doctor Ruth again? (Theres no sign of her in the trailer for next weeks episode.) Why is Gallifrey at the end of the portal on Ko Shamurs beach? Is that where the humans have all been escaping to? Who is Brendan? Presumably the Lone Cyberman following his unfortunate fate. But is he also the Timeless Child? Will Ryan and Yaz ever get it on? We should discover at least some of that in the finale, The Timeless Children. Good luck with all that, Captain Chibnall.

Along with Whittaker, Chibnall has confirmed he, too, will return for a third series. But, annoyingly, it looks as if we may be in for another significant gap. The showrunner has said the team are just starting to discuss storylines, and that series 13 would air next year sometime, hopefully.

Cockneywatch: Graham actually calls someone cockle.

As wonderful as Julie Graham is, theres so much going on here that the supporting cast dont get much of a chance to shine.

The Doctor used to carry Jelly Babies. Now she carries ginger humbugs.

Were these the Mondasian Cybermen or the Cybus Industries ones?

Its big finale time, in the feature-length special The Timeless Children. The title at least suggests we may get some answers, while the synopsis warns: This is going to hurt.

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Doctor Who recap: series 38, episode nine Ascension of the Cybermen - The Guardian