(Photo: BBC America) 
After the tumultuous events of “Flux,” in which the universe is torn to shreds and then untorn by the extreme sacrifice of countless hordes of Daleks, Cybermen and Sontarans, “Eve of the Daleks” takes things down a notch.
Rather than dealing with universal concerns, the Doctor, Dan and Yaz – and their two new friends - have a single moment to get right, or risk getting shot by Daleks. Luckily, they can have some do-over, but who knows what they’ll have to sacrifice along the way in order to break out of this devilish time trap.  
Here are a few things to bear in mind, the next time you watch:
1. If you were watching, and waiting for the title sequence to arrive, you might like to know that this is the episode with the longest cold opening in the history of Doctor Who. The title sequence arrives at around nine minutes and ten seconds after the show starts. The interesting thing is that the previous record holder in this regard was also a holiday special, namely, “The Return of Doctor Mysterio.”
2. The new Daleks seen in this story are known as Executioner Daleks, which is why they’re blessed with a machine gun-style blaster. Chris Chibnall explained to Doctor Who Magazine why they had been redesigned: “I think it’s always good to delineate and make specific the Daleks we meet at any point… in this episode we have an execution squad, armed with rapid-fire, multi-blast weapons that make them even deadlier than standard Daleks.

3. Once again Doctor Who has shown where its true allegiances lie by recruiting an acclaimed actor with a strong background in comedy. Aisling Bea (who plays Sarah) will have been very familiar to British TV audiences not just for her Netflix show Living With Yourself, but her years as a successful stand-up comedian, from which she became a staple of British panel shows such as 8 Out of 10 Cats and Taskmaster. Unlike John Bishop, who started as a stand-up before taking on dramatic roles, Aisling was already a working actor by the time she tried her hand as an onstage comic.
4. And while we’re talking about comedy legends, a round of applause is surely due for the great Pauline McLynn, who plays Sarah’s mother. Comedy fans worldwide will be very familiar with McLynn’s iconic role as the housekeeper Mrs. Doyle in the Irish sitcom Father Ted.

5. Apart from the sheer glee in getting Daleks to voice lines such as “Daleks do not ‘store stuff’” the production team also hid a little Easter egg in their withering retorts. The line "I am not Nick" is true in context, but also works as an in-joke aimed at chief Dalek voiceover artist, Nicholas Briggs.

6. It’s hallmark of intense secrecy surrounding each new Doctor Who script caught Jodie Whittaker off guard, when first reading the script she had a moment of panic, thinking the Doctor being exterminated by a Dalek was her regeneration moment. She thought Chris Chibnall had written a surprise ending for her character, to try and thwart any leaks.  

7. Eagle-eyed fans were delighted to see a brief cameo at the end from Jonny Dixon, who made his second appearance as Karl “We don't get aliens in Sheffield” Wright, last seen in "The Woman Who Fell to Earth."
8. When she uses it, Sarah can’t possibly have known the resonance the phrase “oh my giddy aunt!” has among fans of classic Doctor Who. The Second Doctor in particular was very fond of using it (from “The Krotons” to “The Two Doctors”) and it appears to have even rubbed off on the Brigadier, as he also said it during the Third Doctor adventure “The Time Warrior”. And then there’s Missy, who said it to Osgood shortly before she killed her.
9. Let’s finish on a couple of TV references. The Doctor claims she and Yaz "would be so good on Supermarket Sweep," which is a nod to one of the biggest daytime TV franchises in the world. The original show ran on ABC from 1965, with the format being revived several times across the decades since. The British TV version – which is surely the one the Doctor refers to – ran from 1993 until the early 2000s, with a recent revival in 2019.

10. The Doctor tells one of her Dalek assailants that she and the gang “might put on the Hootenanny,” which is a reference to a staple of New Year’s Eve television in the UK. Later… with Jools Holland is a long-running and much loved music show in which performers take turns in singing their songs live to each other. Jools’ Annual Hootenanny is the New Year’s Eve version of that, hosted by pianist Jools Holland and his big band. It’s timed so that people can see in the New Year with a sing-song:

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