NuWho Rewatch: Gridlock

I actually rather like Gridlock. Obviously the world-building and back story are leakier than a sieve but it isn't often you see an atheist tackle faith as a theme, and treat it in a sympathetic fashion as is done here. I also rather like the little snapshots of people's lives we get in each of the different vehicles. While the world-building in the large is a failure, at this level of detail someone has put in a lot of thought and care.

I was a little distracted by the certainty that I had seen Milo and Cheen elsewhere. Cheen, it transpires, is played by the same actress who later played Annie in Being Human. I only watched a couple of episodes of Being Human but still that explains the recognition. Travis Oliver doesn't appear to have been in anything I've watched (although he's apparently going to return to Doctor Who as Chris Cwej in a Big Finish adaptation of Damaged Goods). Still he looks awfully familiar.

This is (some idiocy aside) a heart-warming little tale, filled with rather charming characters and anxious to give them a happy ending. A lot of Davies' work as a vague undercurrent of wariness about human nature (for all the Doctor proclaims it to be fantastic at regular intervals) but this story is oddly free from that. There are no villains here, just people surviving, and mostly surviving with hope and compassion (albeit perhaps without much intelligence) in difficult circumstances.