Doctor Who Unlocked: Twice Upon A Time

The episode opens with a recap of the 1966 First Doctor story The Tenth Planet, the story which introduced the Cybermen. The episodes lists this as '709 episodes' ago which refers to the first part of the serial. No footage is shown from Part 4 in the recap as this is one of the many episodes which doesn't exist in the archive. The regeneration scene is shown and that only exists because it was part of an episode of Blue Peter. 

In the original script for The Tenth Planet the Doctor refused to give in to his regeneration but it was not cut as director Derek Martinus was running short on time.

Mark Gatiss plays The Captain, his second credited role on Doctor Who- he played Lazarus in The Lazarus Experiment though he has had several uncredited appearances too- Gantok in The Wedding of River Song and the voice of Danny Boy in Victory of the Daleks and A Good Man Goes to War. He has also written a number of episodes (The Unquiet Dead, The Idiot's Lantern, Victory of the Daleks, Night Terrors, Cold War, The Crimson Horror, Robot of Sherwood, Sleep No More and Empress of Mars). He was the only Doctor Who writer to have appeared in the show until this episode.

Gatiss is joined here by fellow writer Toby Whithouse (School Reunion, The Vampires of Venice, The God Complex, A Town Called Mercy, Under the Lake/ Before the Flood and The Lie of the Land) who plays the German soldier.

The Captain's name is revealed to be Captain Archibald Hamish Lethbridge-Stewart, an ancestor of long-running Doctor Who character Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart and his daughter Kate Stewart.

The First Doctor complains that he thought his future self would be younger, a play on the fact both Peter Capaldi and William Hartnell were fifty-five years old when cast as the Doctor. Hartnell was 55 years, 10 months and 15 days old on his first appearance whilst Capaldi was slightly younger at 55 years, 7 months and 9 days old. Capaldi stayed in the role longer than Hartnell though and is nearly a year older than Hartnell was when he regenerated. David Bradley is much older than both at 75 years old.

The role is David Bradley's second in Doctor Who having played Solomon in Dinosaurs on a Spaceship. He played William Hartnell in the 2013 docu-drama An Adventure in Space and Time about the early days of Doctor Who. It was his role in this that led to Peter Capaldi's suggestion that he appear on the main show as the First Doctor.

Rusty the dalek returns here after his appearance in the Twelfth Doctor's second story Into the Dalek. His first line in Twice Upon A Time is the same as his last line of his first appearance: "I am not a good dalek. You are a good dalek".

This is not the first time the Doctor has been to the planet Villengard. Back in The Doctor Dances the Doctor noticed Captain Jack's weapon blaster came from there and said he destroyed the weapons factories and a banana grove replaced them.

Professor Helen Clay is from New Earth in the year 5,000,000,012 which is eleven years before the episode New Earth and 41 years before Gridlock.

The Twelfth Doctor has several nicknames for the First Doctor. Mary Berry refers to the former star of The Great British Bake Off who now makes various programmes for the BBC and Corporal Jone refers to Clive Dunn's character in Dad's Army. Mr Pastry was an accident-prone comedy character played by Richard Hearne, who was considered to play the Fourth Doctor.

On the First Doctor's console the name 'Bernard Wilkie' is fixed on tape. Wilkie was a visual effects designer in the early days of Doctor Who and also worked of other BBC series like Quatermass and the Pit.

We see a montage of clips from Doctor Who's past which includes footage from Invasion of the Dinosaurs, Arc of Infinity, The Happiness Patrol, The Parting of the Ways, Journey's End, The Waters of Mars, Night of the Doctor and The Day of the Doctor.

We also hear a number of the Doctor's nicknames. The Oncoming Storm (first used in The Parting of the Ways, the Imp of the Pandorica (referring to The Pandorica Opens), the Shadow of the Valeyard (the villain of The Trial of a Time Lord was a version of the Doctor), the Beast of Trenzalore (referring to The Time of the Doctor), the Butcher of Skull Moon (based on a Time War event mentioned in Hell Bent), the destroyer of Skaro (the Seventh Doctor helped destroy Skaro in Remembrance of the Daleks, though the planet has been seen several times in the new series) and the Last Tree of Garsenon, which we've not heard before.

In his final speech the Twelfth Doctor also uses the phrase "never be cruel or cowardly". This was first used by Doctor Who writer Terrance Dicks in his book The Making of Doctor Who: "He never gives in, and never gives up, however overwhelming the odds against him. The Doctor believes in good and fights evil. Though often caught up in violent situations, he is man of peace. He is never cruel or cowardly".

He also says "never eat pears" which is a reference to a line cut from Human Nature (Martha fast-forwards through it) which was originally used in Paul Cornell's novel of the same name. He also told Clara in Hell Bent not to eat pears as "they're too squishy and always make your chin wet."

The Doctor talks about children being able to hear his name and this is something that comes from Peter Capaldi himself. In April 2017 a young fan asked what the Doctor's real name is this is Capaldi's reply.

"I don't think human beings could even really say his name. But I think we might be able to hear it. At a certain frequency. If the stars are in the right place, and your heart's in the right place, you'll hear it"

The episode ends with Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor falling from the TARDIS, the interior of which is exploding. She should survive the fall as the Tenth Doctor showed in The Christmas Invasion that Time Lords can still heal for a while after their regeneration. The TARDIS is likely exploding so that it can be given a revamp for the new series.

Twice Upon A Time

This episode is the end of a Doctor Who era. Peter Capaldi's last as the Doctor and Steven Moffat's last as showrunner.

The episode opens with a 'previously' that only Doctor Who could get away with, looking back to 1966. Suddenly grainy footage of William Hartnell's First Doctor turns into high quality footage of David Bradley as the same character.

The episode sees the Twelfth and the First Doctors, both refusing to regenerate, bumping into a Captain from the First World War. He's been removed from time by the Testimony whose intentions are unclear.

The cast are superb here- Capaldi is such a great Doctor who I fear has been underated by much of the audience and he's at his best here. David Bradley is also brilliant as the First Doctor- if you weren't quite paying attention you might think the  BBC had resurrected William Hartnell.

There's also fantastic writing, Steven Moffat's last on the show. It's everything a good episode of Doctor Who should be- really funny, exciting and emotional. He plays with Doctor Who lore well and let's Capaldi's final speech be like a greatest hits speech from his time as showrunner.

The episode ends with Jodie Whittaker making her first appearance as the Doctor. Suffice to say she is immediately brilliant.

I think this is Steven Moffat's best Christmas episode and right up there with his best. A fitting end for the Twelfth Doctor.

The Company of Friends

The Company of Friends is an Eighth Doctor (Paul McGann) audio anthology by Big Finish which features four 25 minute long episodes. Each episode pairs the Doctor with a companion that hadn't appeared on audio before.

Benny's Story by Lance Perkin
Professor Bernice Summerfield (Lisa Bowerman) is one of the most well-liked characters from extended media but this was my first introduction of her. She's an archeologist and in many ways a precursor to River Song, although I have to say she's a better character. This is the first time Benny and the Eighth Doctor meet and it's a lot of fun.

Fitz's Story by Stephen Cole
Fitz (Matt di Angelo) is the Eighth Doctor's longest serving companion in the 'Eighth Doctor Adventures' novels but this is his only appearance on audio. He's a superb character, a mixture of Danny Dyer and Donna Noble which works brilliantly. The story too is a good one as the pair investigate Alien Defence Incorporated which is using the Doctor's image to make money from protection from aliens. A genuinely funny and engaging story.

Izzy's Story by Alan Barnes
Izzy (Jemima Rooper) is the Eighth Doctor's longest serving companion in the Doctor Who Monthly comic. She's a geek and this is reflected in the story where she uses the TARDIS to track rare copies of comic Aggrotron! A great story which has a lot to say about the idea of being a fan dealing with reboots of things you loved when you were young.

Mary's Story by Jonathan Morris
Throughout the Eighth Doctor audio stories prior to this it had been often joked that the Doctor was friends with Mary Shelley (Julie Cox) and this story confirms that by depicting when they first met. This is a really clever story, using Frankenstein as inspiration for the story, which obviously in turn later inspires Shelley. It's also the only story here which goes a bit deeper with the character- here Mary's relationship with her husband Percy is explored and is the key to her leaving with the Doctor.

It's a fun set of stories which focuses more on humour than drama. In my mind that's no bad thing and works well here. The companions are really well defined given how little time we actually spend with them, largely thanks to the monologues which open each story and all four actors fitting the parts perfectly. A really enjoyable anthology.

Also included here is a short story from The Three Companions boxset, Cremation Point. In this story Polly (Anneke Willis) narrates a Second Doctor adventure where she, Ben and Jamie try to escape a tram on a planet which is about to be destroyed. It's a welcome addition and a well-told story though it would have worked better in context with the rest of the story.

Yasmin, Ryan and Graham

This evening the BBC unexpectedly revealed the companions for Series 11 of Doctor Who. Here I am taking a quick look at them and how they might form the series.

First up is Yasmin, played by Mandip Gill. Over the last few years Gill has appeared in various British TV shows like Casualty, Doctors and The Good Karma Hospital. She is best known though for her role in Hollyoaks playing Phoebe Jackson between 2012-2015. She's a relatively unknown actress to most of the UK so this is a big step up for her.

The same could be said of Tosin Cole who plays Ryan. He too appeared in Hollyoaks, between 2011 and 2012 as well as the Eastenders spin-off E20. Doctor Who is not his first sci-fi role though as he did appear in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

The most famous of the actors here is Bradley Walsh who will play Graham. He is probably best known as the host of teatime quiz show The Chase but has plenty of acting roles including Coronation Street and Law & Order: UK, the latter of which new showrunner Chris Chibnall wrote for. He also appeared in The Sarah Jane Adventures story Day of the Clown as the titular creepy clown.

As I speculated in a recent post, it looks like Chris Chibnall is going for the classic style of a TARDIS crew of four. It seems unlikely that Chibnall will introduce a new Doctor and three new companions in the same episode so could we be seeing them gradually introduced? There is the possibility that the three characters know each other though they make an unlikely group- might Graham be Yasmin and Ryan's teacher?

The other thing to note about this announcement is that production of the series must be about to begin. The cast aren't in costume here so they having reached the filming stage yet but the photo is probably from an early read-through.

It's great to finally have some new information on the next series and I look forward to more news soon.

Series 11 Rumours

We still know very little about Series 11 of Doctor Who beyond the fact that it will star Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor and Chris Chibnall will be the showrunner and lead writer.

This week though the Daily Mirror is reporting a few minor details about the series. They are not confirmed but seem plausible, if not likely.

Firstly they are saying there will be a new TARDIS, both inside and out. Presumably the outside would not be a great change but the control room would be. The current control room has been in use since The Snowmen and the control room was changed at the change of showrunner.

It's nigh on impossible to guess quite how they might design a new control room but I suspect they will aim for a more feminine/ more friendly design to suit Whittaker's Doctor.

They are also reporting a new sonic screwdriver will be designed. Again this is not a great surprise though the current sonic has only served for a single series.

The more surprising change would be that the series would become ten episodes which are each an hour in length. The last series was twelve episodes, eleven of which were 45 minutes with an extended finale. We'd get pretty much the same amount of Who just spread over fewer episodes.

It's an interesting choice if true. For a start  cutting out two episodes reduces costs. All the sets, costumes and guest cast of two episodes is cut. But from a writing point of view it allows more wriggle room- so many 45 minute episodes feel like they have a rushed ending and an extra 15 minutes could really make a difference.

All or none of this may actually turn out to be true but it does seem convincing. It shouldn't be too long now before we get some official news about Series 11 and I for one can't wait!

Trust Me- Episode 4

It's the final episode of Jodie Whittaker's fake Doctor drama- but is she going to be found out? Beware, spoilers for all four episodes lie ahead.

After three largely slow paced episodes we get a speedy finale. Cath's lie is so very close to being exposed with the aftermath of the patient from the previous episode and sticking together with Bridget and ex-partner Carl on this way up to Edinburgh. 

I think that this episode is perhaps the one which paints Cath in the best light. As an audience we can never feel comfortable with her deception but it's sort of become more acceptable as we've discovered how good a Doctor she can be. Andy tells her to essentially throw Bridget under the bus, let her take the blame and then Cath can carry on as Doctor Ally. But she's a good person and Bridget is her friend, despite the mistakes she has made, and Cath can't bring herself to do it. Instead she completely takes the blame. 

As if this stress wasn't enough she's now got not one but two challenging medical procedures to perform. One is a repeat of the procedure from the night before and though initially in panic Cath eventually sorts it out. I was thinking that it's irrelevant that Cath isn't a real doctor here and this must be what real doctors go through when having to repeat a procedure that went so wrong the time before. Then her friend Mona is in the department and suffers a cardiac arrest, with poor Cath having to try and save her life. Again, so many doctors must struggle when people they know are in the hospital. 

After all this Cath decides she can't take anymore so she picks up Molly and heads to leave forever. But then she bumps into Molly's dad Carl who can sense her turmoil. It's not entirely clear whether Cath actually means her promise that the three of them can go back to Sheffield and live together but either way it allows her to escape from danger. But soon Andy and Carl come to blows, fighting over Cath, and then poor Carl finds himself hit by a car. 

The title of the series gets a new twist when it's Andy we have to trust rather than Cath. Did he kill Carl? It would be the only surefire way of ensuring Cath's secret was kept safe and therefore the relationship being kept safe too. I don't think he probably did go that far, he is a doctor after all, but the fact that Cath suspects him shows how shaky their relationship really is. 

The series ends with Bridget taking long-term leave and Cath taking over as lead of the department. It's not how I thought the series would inevitably end with her being found out. As a viewer I feel conflicted as I do feel for Cath and in reality she makes a great doctor. But I can't help but feel that what she is doing is wrong and she really ought to be found out. 

It's unclear whether there was ever any plans for a second series but it is certainly left open for one. With Whittaker now committed to Doctor Who this seems unlikely though I suppose she might just be able to squeeze in one episode to round things off. Frankly I think the ending was noncommittal as sooner or later she will be found out and I want to see how that happens. 

All in all, I enjoyed the series. It perhaps could have condensed things down a little but good writing and great acting from the cast, especially Jodie Whittaker, it was a great little drama.

[Click here for all my Trust Me episode discussions]

The Innocent

Over the past few years I have collected a random selection of Big Finish audio stories, from freebies to sale items, and I'm gradually working my way through them. Whilst I will be discussing most of them on my Who Catch Up blog some just don't fit into a particular category so I'll be discussing them here.

Today I will be discussing The Innocent which is the first story in Only the Monstrous, a boxset of War Doctor stories starring John Hurt. This story was free with Doctor Who Magazine #500.

This story opens with a fairly typical pre-credits sequence. The Doctor has just been declared dead. We all know it's obviously not true but it's an intriguing start and we are then given the War Doctor's Doctor Who theme which keeps the basic tune but gives a more militaristic style. 

Nicholas Briggs makes great use of Doctor Who lore as we flashback to what actually happened. The Doctor (but don't call him that) takes the place of two Time Lords to activate the Time Destructor on the dalek fleet- last seen way back in The Dalek's Master Plan. It's a tricky doing a War Doctor boxset when you have to try and be in keeping with fifty years of Time Lord and dalek lore. 

Much of the story is set on the planet Keska where the Doctor (don't call him that) ends up. There he meets Rejoice who is proper companion material. She looks after 'her alien' as he recovers but when he wakes the Doctor finds himself in the midst of another war as the Taalyens attack. It's swiftly dealt with though when we see this version of the Doctor at his most Doctor-ish so far. It shows us that the personality of this incarnation is entirely due to the awful situation he finds himself in and actually the Doctor is still there somewhere. 

This story is almost an alternative new companions story. Traditionally the Doctor would meet his new companion, save the day with their help and take them with him on his travels. It's the last bit he knows he can't do here as he obviously can't risk taking Rejoice into the Time War. There's a long, brilliant sequence where the Doctor tries to convince Rejoice and probably himself too that he is no longer a hero. Rejoice never falls for it but sadly the Time Lords turn up and Rejoice is forced to remain on Keska. We've seen it in the TV show a few times but it's heart-breaking when a would-be-companion misses out on the best opportunity of their lives. 

I really enjoyed this story and will consider forking out for the rest of the box set in the not too distant future.