DOCTOR WHO
This year’s Doctor Who festive special has it all – three Doctors, two TARDISES and the return of Pearl Mackie…
When Pearl Mackie arrived as the Doctor’s new companion Bill earlier this year – in what turned out to be Peter Capaldi’s last series – she made an immediate and huge impact, instantly becoming one of the most-loved new Who stars for years. She formed part of a marvellous team with Capaldi and Matt Lucas’ alien Nardole, and then in the season finale, we thought she’d gone forever. But, for his last episode as chief writer and showrunner, Steven Moffat couldn’t resist bringing Bill back for one last adventure. The festive spesh is also Capaldi’s swansong, of course, and features the glorious return of the very first early ’60s incarnation of the Doctor, albeit now played by Gameof Thrones’ David Bradley. As if that’s not exciting enough for one Christmas special, we also get to see the arrival of the new Doctor, played by Jodie Whittaker. So, here’s Pearl Mackie to tantalise us with her thoughts on this historic episode…
What have we got to look forward to in this episode?
There’s so much! We’ve got not one, but two TARDISES, and we travel in both of them, which is pretty exciting. We’ve also got three Doctors, which is amazing. Obviously, we’ve got the current Doctor, who we all know and love, but we’ve also got the first Doctor played by David Bradley, who is phenomenal. The current Doctor, who’s dying but refusing to regenerate at the start of the story, meets him as a way of dealing with his current struggles. The interaction between those two is great – really funny, but also surprising and very moving in places. And, of course, there’s also the regeneration, when the 12th Doctor becomes the 13th Doctor.
Were you excited to get the call asking you back?
Very much so. It was an honour to be asked, and it’s more exciting that it’s for a Christmas special. Bill is 100 per cent back with the full Bill energy, but she’s not quite all she seems...
What about the enemies you all face?
We have a new monster – a lady who’s mad, but you’ll have to tune in to find out what she’s up to. o. We’ve also got some old foes returning, which will make Christmas more exciting!
What was the most exciting thing about filming this episode?
It was thrilling to be on the set of the first Doctor’s TARDIS. It wasn’t something I was that familiar with, but it was great to get acclimatised to. And, apparently, there were lots of props that were used in the original TARDIS that were used in our set, too, so it really does look and feel like the real deal from the first series of Doctor
Who over 50 years ago. Some of the ice sets were really cool as well, plus the huge battlefield, which features during some key moments of the episode.
And finally, why should everyone watch this particular Christmas Special?
One of the amazing things about Doctorwho is that it’s sci-fi, but it has that humanity to it. It has human relationships with the added excitement of the monsters, the amazing sets and the wonders of exploring time and space. This episode has all of that in an accessible adventure for all ages – plus the regeneration.
Doctor Who: Twice Upon A Time
isonbbc1,christmasday, 5.30pm –see page144forourpreview
‘Bill’s back, but she’s not quite all she seems’