Every era of Doctor Who features those episodes that, while perhaps not the grandest or most iconic, serve an essential role in developing the series’ overarching themes. The Long Game, first broadcast on May 7, 2005, is one such story. It expands the scope of the Ninth Doctor’s universe, introduces ideas that will pay off later in the season, and explores the consequences of what happens when the wrong person steps aboard the TARDIS. Written by Russell T Davies and directed by Brian Grant, this episode offers a compelling mix of satire, sci-fi world-building, and character exploration.
The adventure takes the Doctor, Rose, and new companion Adam Mitchell (Bruno Langley) to Satellite Five, a massive orbital station broadcasting news across the Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire in the year 200,000. At first glance, it appears to be a shining beacon of humanity’s progress, but the Doctor quickly notices that something is amiss—humanity, rather than thriving, seems stagnant, with a society that passively accepts the information fed to it. As the trio investigates, they uncover the sinister truth: a shadowy figure known only as the Editor (Simon Pegg) is manipulating history from behind the scenes, taking orders from the monstrous, grotesque Jagrafess, a vast alien creature lurking above the station.
Christopher Eccleston’s performance is as commanding as ever, portraying a Doctor who is not only inquisitive but deeply frustrated by humanity’s lack of curiosity. He is quick to realize that something has gone wrong with history and is equally swift in condemning those who blindly accept their lot. There is a sharpness to his dialogue in this episode, a barely veiled fury at the ease with which the powerful can manipulate an entire civilization. His disgust at the Editor’s casual control of human society is palpable, reinforcing the Ninth Doctor’s recurring theme of resistance against oppression.
Billie Piper’s Rose continues to prove herself as an adept companion, seamlessly slipping into the role of investigator. She and the Doctor work as a team, bouncing ideas off each other with an easy chemistry that further cements their growing trust. However, The Long Game also serves as a cautionary tale about who is truly worthy of traveling in the TARDIS. Adam, first introduced in Dalek, is given the chance to explore time and space, but his self-interest quickly becomes his downfall. Instead of embracing the adventure as a force for good, he seeks to exploit the future for personal gain, attempting to smuggle advanced knowledge back to his own time for profit. The Doctor’s swift and merciless judgment—kicking Adam out of the TARDIS and stranding him back on Earth with a permanently embedded information port in his forehead—is a stark reminder that traveling with the Doctor is a privilege, not a right.
Simon Pegg’s Editor is a standout element of the episode, bringing a delightfully sinister charm to the role. He plays the character with an unsettling mix of humor and menace, his smooth delivery making the Editor all the more chilling. The Jagrafess, while an effective enough visual, is more of a background presence, a grotesque puppet-master reinforcing the idea that the real danger lies in those who willingly serve the system rather than the system itself.
Visually, The Long Game is an intriguing mix of futuristic and industrial aesthetics. Satellite Five’s design is sleek yet sterile, with hints of something rotten beneath the surface. The use of television screens, information downloads, and a society shaped entirely by controlled media makes for an eerily prescient setting, particularly in an era where misinformation and media manipulation are hotly debated topics. The episode’s critique of passive consumption—where people accept whatever information is fed to them without question—feels more relevant than ever in 2025.
Themes of control, ambition, and responsibility are woven throughout the episode. The Doctor’s horror at seeing humanity’s potential squandered is a direct counterpoint to Adam’s selfishness. The title, The Long Game, hints at a broader manipulation at play—something that will only become clear later in the season, when we learn that the events here are part of a greater scheme. In that sense, this episode is one of the revival’s first true examples of long-form storytelling, rewarding attentive viewers with threads that will later pay off in Bad Wolf and The Parting of the Ways.
Rewatching The Long Game in 2025, it remains a fascinating, if slightly underrated, entry in the Ninth Doctor’s run. It lacks the emotional gut-punch of Dalek or the sheer energy of The Empty Child, but its critique of media control and the responsibility of knowledge ensure that it still holds weight. Most importantly, it reinforces one of the central ideas of Doctor Who: traveling in time and space isn’t about personal gain—it’s about seeing the universe with new eyes and using that knowledge to make things better.
With Adam’s departure serving as a warning of what happens to those who don’t live up to the Doctor’s standards, The Long Game leaves us with a clear message: the Doctor doesn’t just need a companion—he needs someone who is willing to stand up and fight for what’s right.
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