Doctor Who
Peter Capaldi’s man of mystery
This time( lord)- honoured Christmas tradition is jolly good festive fun.
It’s
Christmas and that means we get to watch the annual
Doctor Who special – much to the delight of fans, who have been hanging for this since the last episode an entire year ago.
This instalment, showing on ABC on Boxing Day in true holiday tradition, is called “The Return of Doctor Mysterio” and sees the Doctor, played by Peter Capaldi, join up with an investigative journalist, played by Charity Wakefield ( Wolf Hall,
The Player) and a superhero called The Ghost to save New York from the deadly threat of brain- swapping aliens. Can the Doctor save Manhattan?
Serial mistake- maker Nardole ( returning guest star Matt Lucas, who is reprising his role from last year’s Christmas special “The Husbands of River Song”) fills in as the Doctor’s companion after Jenna Coleman abdicated as galaxy- hopping assistant Clara. How Nardole ended up here, considering he was last seen as a severed head in control of King Hydroflax’s robot body, is anyone’s guess right now. This might be Lucas’s last stint too, as the little- known Londoner Pearl Mackie is due to make her debut as Capaldi’s newest travelling companion Bill in 2017.
Grant – The Ghost in human guise – is played by Justin Chatwin ( Orphan Black, War of the Worlds) who was delighted to join the cast: “Working with the amazing people at Doctor
Who has been one of the most fun and rewarding projects I’ve ever had the pleasure of being involved with,” he said.
Also look out for new face Adetomiwa Edun ( Lucifer,
Bates Motel), who makes a brief appearance in the clip as Mr Brock, the human face behind the invasion who is there “to open minds” – literally.
The memorable title “The Return of Doctor Mysterio” is inspired by the Mexican name for Doctor Who, and the festive hour is looking to channel the fun spirit of vintage Superman movies as it’s being pitched as “Doctor Who does superheroes”.
The show’s writer, Steven Moffat, has given a hint about what to expect: “I’ve always loved superheroes,” he said. “This Christmas Doctor Who dives into that world.”
The Doctor Who festive feast doesn’t end there, with the animated series Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks being fast- tracked to ABC iview after the Christmas special. It’s one of the most celebrated Doctor
Who adventures, and yet no complete film recordings are known to have survived.
This new animation, being released 50 years after its only UK broadcast, is based on the program’s original audio recordings, surviving photographs and film clips, and brought to life using modern animation techniques.
The six- part adventure features the regeneration of First Doctor, William Hartnell, into Second Doctor, Patrick Troughton, and follows the Time Lord and his companions Polly ( Anneke Wills) and Ben ( Michael Craze) as they do battle with the Daleks on the planet Vulcan.
This time( lord)- honoured Christmas tradition is jolly good festive fun for the whole family.
Doctor Who: The Return Of Doctor Mysterio, ABC, Boxing Day, 7.30pm