Twelve’s fitting farewell
Should we have expected anything less from departing Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat?
His and the 12th Doctor’s (Peter Capaldi) final tootle-about in the Tardis is less a compelling adventure and more an opportunity to wallow in some selfreverential timey-wimey antics.
To be fair, it was hard to top the emotional impact of last season’s Cybertastic finale, so Moffat hasn’t really even tried in this year’s Christmas special Twice Upon a Time.
Instead, it’s a chance to have his irascible older Timelord incarnation interact with the original, brilliantly brought back to life by Broadchurch alumni David Bradley.
The pair find themselves at the South Pole, both refusing to accept their impending regenerations, with the First Doctor’s surprising recalcitrance a serious threat to timelines everywhere. But, as the duo discover, something is very wrong with time itself – a fact made clear by the appearance of a World War I soldier (played by Moffat’s regular offsider Mark Gatiss) and the return of 12’s most recent companion.
However, really, the mysteries around the all-seeing Testimony, their Chamber of the Dead and Gatiss’ character’s real identity fade into the background once the two Doctors start bickering.
‘‘I don’t really know what to do when there isn’t an evil plan,’’offers Capaldi’s 12th, perhaps a little too archly. Thankfully, there is a lot of joy to be had out of the First Doctor’s abhorrence at the state of the newlook Tardis, ‘‘Have I been burgled, it’s hideous’’, 12’s advice to his ‘‘younger self’’ – ‘‘always remember where you parked’’ – and Capaldi’s sneaky name-calling under his breath. Mary Berry and Dad’s Army’s Corporal Jones are among the many he uses.
Naturally there’s also a message to convey – ‘‘everyone is just a bunch of memories’’ – and Capaldi gets to deliver one, last, poignant soliloquy, before transforming into the more-than50-year-old show’s most-eagerly anticipated and controversial Tardis inhabitant. Roll on Spring 2018.