TV Review: Doctor Who Christmas Special - "Twice Upon a Time"

"You May Be A Doctor, But I Am 'The' Doctor, The Original You Might Say..."

Introduced briefly within "Day of the Doctor" via the iconic gaze of his distinctive grizzly eyebrows, Peter Capaldi's interpretation of the travelling Time Lord has undeniably been my own personal favourite of the modern incarnation of the series since it began back in 2005 due to a wide collective of reasons including the Scottish actor's personal fondness for the ways of the classic series in which he has both played courteous respect to and adapted upon to become the first real "true" Doctor since the series was revived. Of course, many will undeniably disagree, but for a fan whose introduction to the series began years before talks of a revival even simmered to the surface, the likes of Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker were critical in identifying the blueprint archetypes for the characteristics of the Gallifreyan, and what Capaldi's tenure has accomplished is the way in which it has brought back these fundamental elements of the classic series in which I hold in such stupendous esteem. With "Twice Upon a Time" therefore, not only do we wave a melancholic goodbye to the Twelfth Doctor, but to showrunner Steven Moffat too, who after seven years at the helm hands the reins over to Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall, and what the two great Scots have left us is a surprisingly low-key tale of two falling Doctors who are unable to cope with the thought of their oncoming, inevitable death, and whilst Capadli's tenure doesn't conclude with as big as bang as previous regeneration tales, "Twice Upon a Time" is a fitting and emotionally engaging final act.

Beginning with a recap which takes the audience to events depicted in William Hartnell's own regeneration story, "The Tenth Planet", David Bradley's uncanny interpretation of the original Time Lord is re-introduced, setting the narrative in motion for a cautionary tale which favours discussion and contemplation over over-zealous nonsense, and an easy to follow secondary plot thread which completely counteracts the rather ploddingly handled Matt Smith finale, "Time of the Doctor" which decided to monkey wrench in as many narrative arcs and plot twists as humanly possible. With a returning Pearl Mackie added to proceedings, her presence is rationally explained and wholly justifiable, resulting in the return of the delicious chemistry between herself and Capaldi which encompassed the entirety of Season Ten, and with David Bradley scarily matching the politically incorrect mannerisms of his respective Doctor, the first three quarters of the episode balances notions of death, both before and after, to a more than entertaining, sombre extent. Of course, with regeneration much publicised, the concluding act of the episode dedicates its' time to Capaldi's farewell tour, with particular returning faces resulting in a fusion of both fan-pleasing giddiness and heart dropping sadness, and with a final speech which not only reinforces Capaldi's merits as a terrific dramatic actor but a truly perfect Doctor, the time inevitably comes for the first sight of Jodie Whittaker as Doctor number Thirteen, and whilst her time on-screen is way too short to make a reputable impression, the future looks bright for a show which is heading in a direction of both freshness and excitement. Farewell, Mr. Capaldi, you were and still are the Doctor we needed. The King is dead, long live the Queen...

Overall Score: 8/10

TV Review: Doctor Who Series 10 Episode Twelve - "The Doctor Falls"

"It’s Where We’ve Always Been Going, And It’s Happening Now, Today. It’s Time To Stand With The Doctor..."

Three years after venturing into my local cinema in order to witness the first ever Peter Capaldi led Doctor Who episode in the form of "Deep Breath", the brilliantly creepy yet somewhat divisive opening for the Twelfth Doctor, here we are reviewing the final ever regular series episode featuring perhaps my favourite incarnation of the travelling time lord since Jon Pertwee. How time flies. With the brilliance of last week's episode setting the basis for the overall narrative of "The Doctor Falls", what we have this week is a melancholic, fan-pleasing conclusion to a series which although lacked the consistency and sometimes perfection of Series Nine, was a solidly effective run, one which tapped into the classic sense of what a show such as Doctor Who truly offers and one which gave us some flashing moments of what we are set to miss after Capaldi's tenure is ultimately over. Whereas last week's episode was flawed somewhat by a ridiculous need from the BBC to over-publicise the high-profile events before the episode even aired, the twists and turns this week were more than effective, using a face from the past in the episode's concluding moments to emphasise truly the wondrous nature of the greatest science fiction series ever.

Whilst the body-horror infliction of the Mondasian Cybermen from last week's episode completely evaporates in favour of more daring set pieces and screen-filling explosions, their usage is still incredibly eerie, particularly within the scene in which the effects flick back and forth between the Mondasian Bill and the human Bill, building on a characterisation period throughout the series which has seen Pearl Mackie come forth as perhaps one of the standout companions of the modern era. With plot threads and series long arcs being put to bed, including the resolution of the Master/Missy timeline, the finale truly belongs to Peter Capaldi's performance, one which mixes the inevitably of death from Peter Davison's regeneration story "The Caves of Androzani" alongside the reluctance of passing from Tennant's change-up during "The End of Time", and boy does it pull on the heartstrings. Whereas many have seen Capaldi's tenure as a mixed bag of ups and downs in terms of consistency, I believe the past few years have seen the first real classic interpretation of the Doctor since the Tom Baker years and with the Christmas special to come alongside a very, very special guest, one can and can't wait for the Christmas special, an episode which although will see the end of a superb Doctor will also offer the opportunity to perhaps see Capaldi at his finest. See you in five months.

Overall Episode Score: 9/10

Overall Season Score: 7.4/10

TV Review: Doctor Who Series 10 Episode Eleven - "World Enough and Time"

"Just Promise Me One Thing. Just Promise You Won't Get Me Killed..."

One of the most obvious and thrilling elements of this week's episode of Doctor Who was the surreal and reckless sense of abandon which show-runner Steven Moffat clearly has come to terms with, with the talented, and sometimes controversial, scribe clearly at a stage in which he sure well knows his time, much like Peter Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor, is coming to an explosive climax, and with "World Enough and Time", Moffat has successfully created a finale first act which ticks all the boxes in regards to what I personally look for in all the classic Doctor Who stories. Suspense. Threat. Horror. Three key elements that usually end up in creating some damn fine science fiction, and whilst the rather annoying pre-release press storms have felt it necessary to show off a rafter of key details and spoilers before the episode even aired, "World Enough and Time" is still undeniably and far and away the best episode of Series 10 so far, and with twists and shifts which set the battleground for next week's explosive finale, it too has the potential to become the definitive Moffat/Capaldi exploration of the famous Time Lord.

Within the episode's many successes, the return of the Mondasian Cybermen is an absolute stroke of genius. Whilst the 21st century incarnations of the famous Who foe have never really managed to get the characterisation and fear factor bang on, the utterly insidious look of the classic era baddies results in "World Enough and Time" genuinely being one of the most terrifying episodes of Doctor Who in years, with the body-horror type sets in which they are painfully hooked up to an unknown liquid harking back to not only the gas-mask people in "The Doctor Dances" but looking too like something out of a classic horror movie convention. The threatening nature of the Mondasian Cybermen aside, the inevitable links between the fate of the First Doctor within "The Tenth Planet", an episode which featured the very first appearance of the Cybermen on Mondas, and Capaldi's current incarnation are inevitable, particularly when regeneration energy is so clearly seen to be seeping out of our beloved hero. Overall, "World Enough and Time" is an excellent episode of Doctor Who, and whilst the episode would have been better served to be left to its' own devices in terms of unravelling its' secrets itself, grab the popcorn and get ready for a concluding piece next week which so clearly needs to keep to the standards set so far. Oh, and John Simm though.

Overall Score: 9/10