First preview clip from the Christmas special has been released at SDCC, confirming that Ncuti and Nicola Coughlan will be the main cast for the episode!

 

Nicola Coughlan's character confirmed to be called Joy, and the preview clip features a

SILURIAN

(!) :o

Here's the trailer. This will air Christmas Day at 5:10pm.

 

Right so the first few scenes we saw as teasers for the episode so I don't have much to say about them. The post titles scene onwards from the most part is completely brand new.

 

The introduction to the time hotel was so good, I loved how the interior of the set looked, so visually stunning location wise. Then we get introduced to Trev, who is such a pure soul, I genuinely was kind of traumatised when he disintegrated. "I am sorry I let you down" THE PAIN.

 

This brings me to the villain of the week! Which is essentially Villenguard again but in a briefcase instead of a hospital ambulance thing. Not a bad villain, in fact I would love for it to be explored further like have the doctor take down the Villenguard HQ, for example. They was serviceable in this episode tbh, in comparison how they was in Boom. I will get to the end later on as the ending was one of my main two issues.

 

My favourite part of the whole episode was the sequence of the doctor spending a year in the hotel with Anita and forming a bond with her. I personally loved how we got to see The Doctor experience everyday human life or at least his on version of what they think human life is, The gags in this little section of the ep such as the Honeymoon suite scene and the thinking a plunger is a Dalek blaster. The comedy intertwined with the tenderness and the touching moments between Anita and The Doctor really make this whole section for me. Some may argue it may have dragged on for longer than it needed but I disagree I think it was important to have in terms of The Doctor having a post-companion episode after Ruby left the Tardis Team.

 

If there is one thing I expect in a Moffat penned script is that he writes The Doctor than any other showrunner and any better modern day writer. However, what I was not expecting is how well he has written the people the Doctor meets, in his own tenure as showrunner, I often felt that was lacking especially after RTD's first run as showrunner in comparison. So I was pleasantly surprised when Steven Moffat wrote some brilliant side characters who were fleshed out and you could find yourself investing in them. In particular I mean both the characters of Trev and Anita who were both standout side characters.

 

Now to my criticisms that are stopping me from putting it as 5 stars on here. One; the episode has a standalone companion in the form of Nicola Coughlan's Joy, however I find she doesn't spend a lot of time in the episode and at time it feels like Anita should be the companion over Joy. Don't get me wrong Nicola Coughlan acted the hell out of this episode, the moment she tells the doctor about her mother dying in the time of Co-vid19, in hospital, alone. Gave me goosebumps. I just wish with her being a big name and a big deal for the episode I wish we got more of her. My other real issue I had is the ending, which saw Joy just become the star seed and go into the sky, it all felt a bit easy to me...like especially with how much it was stated of a bad thing this star seed was, it felt like a quick way to wrap the threat up as opposed to actual way to deal with said threat.

 

Overall, I enjoyed this Christmas Special and can see myself going back to it often.

I really loved this. It really got me-Christmas TV really was top tier yesterday.

 

I’m so glad we’ve got Ncuti and RTD now. They have really rejuvenated my love of Doctor Who when I felt like I’d outgrown it during the Chibnall era.

Possibly my favourite episode of Ncuti's tenure so far. Echoing the comments about the Doctor's year with Anita. The Villengard is so intriguing I hope they continue to explore that arc some more. Nice touch to see Ruby appear too

Edited December 26, 2024Dec 26 by lewis🎄green

It was packed full of heart, and not afraid to be topical with the references to covid, the restrictions at the time, and partygate of course. Some fantastic characterisations throughout, Trev was very likeable in a short period of time, and Anita was the star of the episode, her chemistry with Ncuti was superb and the year the Doctor spent with Anita was fantastic. Give us a Time Hotel spin-off starring Anita IMMEDIATELY!

This reboot is clearly for kids, which is fine. But what I want is what a Disney promised!!! A rebooted Doctor Who for new and young audiences, with no River Song or complicated history, alongside a gritty, dark spin off, where they can put all the adult themes and moral complications and all the long, complicated past, which would put off new audiences!!! I want World and Time episodes again, body horror, doctor going blind, companions dying etc!!!! The Doctor no longer being an immortal Timeless Child who can literally NEVER DIE!!!!! Disney will NOT gove us that evee again in main DW. Ever. Howeverrrr this was the best of the new RTD episodes, after the spevials. It was ok, but messy. I'd say it was about the same quality as the New Year's Eve one with that really boring doctor. God she was awful.

Doctor who has ever not been for kids? :unsure:

Yes awful episode entire family felt the same way watching it, poor

Doctor who has ever not been for kids? :unsure:

 

No, it was family-orientated. This is specifically for kids. They would NEVER do World and Time Enough in this reboot, as it's now 100% a kids' show.

 

Yes awful episode entire family felt the same way watching it, poor

 

We have Moffat AND RTD and they are both flubbing it because they are not used to writing for children. We need that adult spin off for them to shine.

No, it was family-orientated. This is specifically for kids. They would NEVER do World and Time Enough in this reboot, as it's now 100% a kids' show.

 

In your opinion. Can we not railroad every Doctor Who thread into these repeated wafflings x

Edited December 27, 2024Dec 27 by lewistgreen

I'll file this one under 'generally approved'.

 

I didn't love it and I did find my attention wandering in the third act but there was nothing particularly bad in there. It's a Christmas episode so I expected the usual lightwight guff and it had plenty of that.

 

Gatwa was good, the supporting characters of Trev and Anita both shone in their moments. Joy was ok but had less presence than either of the two I just mentioned, although her angry outbust was well done. As was The Doctor's poking her and his 'guilt' afterwards. The villain, whilst potentially an interesting one (and one we could see again in more depth), was basically an afterthought.

 

Moffat's writing was on point and not too complex that casual watchers would be confused. I understand why he chose to have The Doctor miss Ruby but it didn't feel earned. She's at home with her mum and he can visit whenever he likes. It's not like she died or get lost in a parallel universe. Seemed far too mopey from The Doctor and a character mis-step. Shoe-horned in to fit the story.

Also, The Doctor saying he's not used to living one day after the other does forget very large periods of his life (76 Totters Lane, 3rd Doctor, Trenzalore etc) but it's vague enough to get a pass.

 

It fell apart in the ending which seemed far too easy a resolution and ramped the cheese factor up to eleven.

 

 

Massive improvement on last year's special and among the least weak of Gatwa's tenure as 15 so far, but not really the kind of episode that's ever going to bowl me over..

 

Moffat's writing was on point and not too complex that casual watchers would be confused. I understand why he chose to have The Doctor miss Ruby but it didn't feel earned. She's at home with her mum and he can visit whenever he likes. It's not like she died or get lost in a parallel universe. Seemed far too mopey from The Doctor and a character mis-step. Shoe-horned in to fit the story.

Also, The Doctor saying he's not used to living one day after the other does forget very large periods of his life (76 Totters Lane, 3rd Doctor, Trenzalore etc) but it's vague enough to get a pass.

 

That bit seemed particularly odd as it came just two days after a colourised version of Patrick Troughton's last story was shown, the story that ended with the Doctor (soon to be Jon Pertwee) being exiled to Earth. He then spent a long time living from day to day. Of course, Moffatt may not have known that was coming when he wrote the episode, but the timing did rather emphasise the inconsistency.

That bit seemed particularly odd as it came just two days after a colourised version of Patrick Troughton's last story was shown

 

Where can I see that??

Where can I see that??

On iplayer

 

Be aware, it's a 4 hour+ story edited down to 90 mins.

 

It's a great story but the edit is pretty good with some jarring music and iffy editing

Edited December 28, 2024Dec 28 by Severin

^ very much enjoyed the new regeneration sequence and editing of the ending of that episode. Despite the heavy editing it was easy enough to follow the story and the right bits were shown. I'm yet to be disappointed with these newer versions of classic episodes.

Yeah, I'd like to see them do more. If only to entire viewers that may otherwise be put off by b&w material.

Although I'd prefer if they made the vfx match the colourised footage more. It takes you out of it to see Gallifrey in modern HD quality when other stuff isn't so crisp.

Also, the inclusion of certain other Doctors was a bad choice and trying to force us to think of the War Chief as a particular character was contentious.

Did like the UNIT time controversy being hinted at though.

Edited December 28, 2024Dec 28 by Severin

I had no expectations for this after that last minute flubbing of the last season which made me concerned this wasn't the big revival I was hoping for (took me until now to watch it). I was pleasantly surprised, the best Christmas special in a long time and miles better than The Church on Ruby Road. I must admit as someone that does feel lonely from time to time, it did get to me a bit. I also feel that's easily the best Ncuti's ever been as the Doctor, he wasn't as OTT emotional and got to the heart of how cruel the Doctor can be, the sequence with Anita and his attack on Joy were brilliantly done.

 

I think the concept of the villains could've been stronger with some rewrites, but it felt a bit underbaked and confusing in practice. The solution didn't make a lot of sense and they never felt properly threatening apart from maybe the first few briefcase swaps. I agree I found the cameo of Ruby a bit pointless, that "twist" in the finale really downgraded her as a character.

And we still don't know about mavity.

What do we need to know about mavity? :unsure: