![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Another two parter in this series, and it's a two-part sequel to 2013's "The Day of the Doctor". Going to discuss my thoughts with significant spoilers.
( spoilers )
( spoilers )
Continuing my Twelfth Doctor rewatch with this pair of linked episodes. Going to discuss this with big spoilers.
( spoilers )
( spoilers )
Continuing my Twelfth Doctor rewatch, and going into spoiler space to discuss some more specific spoilery details.
( spoilers )
( spoilers )
Rewatching Doctor Who: Tooth and Claw
Apr. 27th, 2026 09:06 pmWe watched this last week, another 20-years-on anniversary rewatch. I remembered really liking this story on first watch, with some provisos. And it's still great.
Tightly written, full of content. There's an original Scottish setting, and it was nice to see David Tennant's Doctor use a Scottish accent, and be incorporated into the plot.
Rose is very resourceful and brave, leading the prisoners' defence. But at the same time she is phenomenally irritating re the repeated "We are not amused!", and her Princess Anne jibe was incredibly misjudged by RTD. And I say that as a non royalist.
The episode is full of exciting action scenes, from the opening monk acrobatic hijinks, through to the werewolf transformation, and the final climax.
A strong guest cast, mostly Scottish, helps immensely. Pauline Collins - a Classic Who returnee to Doctor Who - is a memorable Queen Victoria.
Much running along corridors, and more stairs. But effectively done, and not annoyingly repetitive.
Some nice uses of history, and as a book historian I especially liked the woodcut showing something relevant from James V's era. Unlike Jonathan Creek's "Satan's Chimney" episode with Mary Tamm, this story at least got the correct Scottish monarch!
And nods to the future, re both Torchwood and Bad Wolf.
Great stuff, albeit still with a few quibbles. And, yes, incredibly tightly written, which again RTD2 and also Capaldi-era Moffat could take lessons from.
Oh and the early 2000s special effects seemed to hold up well for me watching two decades on.
Tightly written, full of content. There's an original Scottish setting, and it was nice to see David Tennant's Doctor use a Scottish accent, and be incorporated into the plot.
Rose is very resourceful and brave, leading the prisoners' defence. But at the same time she is phenomenally irritating re the repeated "We are not amused!", and her Princess Anne jibe was incredibly misjudged by RTD. And I say that as a non royalist.
The episode is full of exciting action scenes, from the opening monk acrobatic hijinks, through to the werewolf transformation, and the final climax.
A strong guest cast, mostly Scottish, helps immensely. Pauline Collins - a Classic Who returnee to Doctor Who - is a memorable Queen Victoria.
Much running along corridors, and more stairs. But effectively done, and not annoyingly repetitive.
Some nice uses of history, and as a book historian I especially liked the woodcut showing something relevant from James V's era. Unlike Jonathan Creek's "Satan's Chimney" episode with Mary Tamm, this story at least got the correct Scottish monarch!
And nods to the future, re both Torchwood and Bad Wolf.
Great stuff, albeit still with a few quibbles. And, yes, incredibly tightly written, which again RTD2 and also Capaldi-era Moffat could take lessons from.
Oh and the early 2000s special effects seemed to hold up well for me watching two decades on.
Was worried that I was going to run out of title characters to fit that lot in!
Continuing my rewatch of the Peter Capaldi era with this opening two parter from New Who series 9. And going to put my discussion into spoiler space.
( spoilers )
Continuing my rewatch of the Peter Capaldi era with this opening two parter from New Who series 9. And going to put my discussion into spoiler space.
( spoilers )
I'm just starting a rewatch of New Who series 9, with "The Magician's Apprentice" / "The Witch's Familiar". And while I'm enjoying it, I'm finding the so very Steven Moffat storytelling exhausting. Admittedly I'm especially tired at the moment, including cognitively, as I recover from my latest neurological illness flare. But the constant jumping around from time and place to somewhere else combined with the big set pieces in between feels way too much for me at the moment. I'd really like a more simple story structure with a more straightforward beginning, middle and end!
To be fair I've seen and enjoyed this era of Doctor Who before, on original broadcast. And I'm very familiar with this style of storytelling, from especially New Who series 5 onwards, as well as some isolated examples before then. It's what we get, for example, in "The Pandorica Opens" / "The Big Bang", and so many many more Steven Moffat penned stories. But sometimes it's just too much for my taste. And tonight is definitely one of those times.
Harking back to slightly simpler times in Doctor Who history, we're planning to soon rewatch all the Fifth Doctor TV stories in sequence, now that we have all of his season Blu-ray boxes. I saw them all many years ago, and a few again more recently. Martin's only seen a few of the stories. So that will be fun, and hopefully a little more palatable for me when fatigued. That's not to say that they're simplistic, but there should be a certain lack of convolution generally. Which I think I will appreciate. Though we still have to finish watching the final BBC Narnia TV series first.
To be fair I've seen and enjoyed this era of Doctor Who before, on original broadcast. And I'm very familiar with this style of storytelling, from especially New Who series 5 onwards, as well as some isolated examples before then. It's what we get, for example, in "The Pandorica Opens" / "The Big Bang", and so many many more Steven Moffat penned stories. But sometimes it's just too much for my taste. And tonight is definitely one of those times.
Harking back to slightly simpler times in Doctor Who history, we're planning to soon rewatch all the Fifth Doctor TV stories in sequence, now that we have all of his season Blu-ray boxes. I saw them all many years ago, and a few again more recently. Martin's only seen a few of the stories. So that will be fun, and hopefully a little more palatable for me when fatigued. That's not to say that they're simplistic, but there should be a certain lack of convolution generally. Which I think I will appreciate. Though we still have to finish watching the final BBC Narnia TV series first.
Rewatching Doctor Who: Last Christmas
Apr. 3rd, 2026 02:16 amContinuing my rewatch of the Peter Capaldi era of Doctor Who, with this episode at the end of New Who series 8. And going to go into spoiler space again.
( spoilers )
( spoilers )
Continuing my Twelfth Doctor rewatch. And going to put this two-parter's discussion in a spoiler cut.
( spoilers )
( spoilers )
Continuing my Peter Capaldi rewatch, and onto another I had very bad memories of. Overall I still found it a disappointing episode, but there was more that I liked this time. The large group of young schoolchildren seemed more palatable, and well-defined individuals, providing good material to watch, and complicating the experiences of the three main leads. Peter Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor seemed to particularly thrive with young Maebh. And it was fun to see the two schoolteachers coping out of the classroom, as well as the challenges of their own relationship.
The first half or so of the story was solid for me, but things fell away after then. Too hand wavy, too vague explanations. I appreciate that a lot of the Steven Moffat era of Doctor Who has a fairytale quality and dreamlike nature. But I think Frank Cottrell-Boyce stretched this too far.
The environmental aspect was refreshing, but still too vaguely handled. And the ending was far, far too predictable for me.
I'd probably skip this on future rewatches, but am pleased that I enjoyed it more this time.
The first half or so of the story was solid for me, but things fell away after then. Too hand wavy, too vague explanations. I appreciate that a lot of the Steven Moffat era of Doctor Who has a fairytale quality and dreamlike nature. But I think Frank Cottrell-Boyce stretched this too far.
The environmental aspect was refreshing, but still too vaguely handled. And the ending was far, far too predictable for me.
I'd probably skip this on future rewatches, but am pleased that I enjoyed it more this time.
"The Importance of Being Earnest" of course, starring Ncuti Gatwa. Which is currently free to stream online via YouTube until March 18th.
I hadn't realised before starting to watch it that Julian Bleach (Davros) is in it too, and also Richard Cant ("Blink"). I knew Sharon D Clarke (Grace, Thirteenth Doctor era) played Lady Bracknell. Oh and Ronkẹ Adékọluẹ́jọ́, who plays Gwendolen, also appeared in a couple of Twelfth Doctor TV stories. Ncuti Gatwa's main co-star Hugh Skinner hasn't been on TV Who, but has appeared in Big Finish audios. Oh and Amanda Lawrence (Doomfinger in "The Shakespeare Code") is also in it!
I've watched the first half of the play tonight and will watch the rest tomorrow or the next day. Very much enjoying it.
I hadn't realised before starting to watch it that Julian Bleach (Davros) is in it too, and also Richard Cant ("Blink"). I knew Sharon D Clarke (Grace, Thirteenth Doctor era) played Lady Bracknell. Oh and Ronkẹ Adékọluẹ́jọ́, who plays Gwendolen, also appeared in a couple of Twelfth Doctor TV stories. Ncuti Gatwa's main co-star Hugh Skinner hasn't been on TV Who, but has appeared in Big Finish audios. Oh and Amanda Lawrence (Doomfinger in "The Shakespeare Code") is also in it!
I've watched the first half of the play tonight and will watch the rest tomorrow or the next day. Very much enjoying it.
Recently rewatched this, and enjoyed it again, though perhaps not as much as the first time.
The Golden Age style whodunnit aspect is fantastic. Though I found it frustrating that the Doctor already knows about the Foretold, making me feel one step removed from the story at that point. Writing about (fictional) past legendary things can be tricky, but I think a smoother bit of sleight of hand could have improved this. Taking the viewer along with the Doctor on the journey of discovery can be an important element.
I still find the split between the Agatha Christie esque train setting and the futuristic lab to be extremely jarring. This is a longstanding problem I have with Doctor Who stories that have an atmospheric opening setting, sometimes historical, and then relocate to a different much more scifi setting. Think "The Stones of Blood" for example.
Yet there is a good resolution, and the guest cast is strong. Not least Frank Skinner as train chief engineer Perkins, who has an unnerving ambiguity about whether he's an ally or not. Nicely done.
The Golden Age style whodunnit aspect is fantastic. Though I found it frustrating that the Doctor already knows about the Foretold, making me feel one step removed from the story at that point. Writing about (fictional) past legendary things can be tricky, but I think a smoother bit of sleight of hand could have improved this. Taking the viewer along with the Doctor on the journey of discovery can be an important element.
I still find the split between the Agatha Christie esque train setting and the futuristic lab to be extremely jarring. This is a longstanding problem I have with Doctor Who stories that have an atmospheric opening setting, sometimes historical, and then relocate to a different much more scifi setting. Think "The Stones of Blood" for example.
Yet there is a good resolution, and the guest cast is strong. Not least Frank Skinner as train chief engineer Perkins, who has an unnerving ambiguity about whether he's an ally or not. Nicely done.
Just finished rewatching this episode of Peter Capaldi's era (New Who series 8 episode 7). There will be spoilers in my discussion.
( spoilers )
( spoilers )
Recently I rewatched the Matt Smith Doctor Who stories again. And I'm now rewatching Peter Capaldi's run. But it's been tricky to keep going. I think he's one of the best actors ever to play the part, but the characterisation as presented is often so unlikeable. Especially at the start of his run, but also with his treatment of Danny. It's very difficult to relate to this Doctor early on, and to want to watch the series.
I paused my rewatch part way through "Robot of Sherwood" and it took me some months to summon up the enthusiasm to restart. I'm now part way through series 8 episode 6 "The Caretaker". I've enjoyed some of the previous stories more than I expected to. Not least "Time Heist" which I could barely remember anything of. Though I rather yearn for simpler old style storytelling, rather than Steven Moffat esque convoluted timey wimeyness.
But I'm still hating the dislikeable aspects of this Doctor, which are particularly evident in
8. Not so much his alienness, but what I perceive too often as unnecessary cruelty to watch in the series. It feels like experiencing the early Sixth Doctor all over again. But pushing on ...
I paused my rewatch part way through "Robot of Sherwood" and it took me some months to summon up the enthusiasm to restart. I'm now part way through series 8 episode 6 "The Caretaker". I've enjoyed some of the previous stories more than I expected to. Not least "Time Heist" which I could barely remember anything of. Though I rather yearn for simpler old style storytelling, rather than Steven Moffat esque convoluted timey wimeyness.
But I'm still hating the dislikeable aspects of this Doctor, which are particularly evident in
8. Not so much his alienness, but what I perceive too often as unnecessary cruelty to watch in the series. It feels like experiencing the early Sixth Doctor all over again. But pushing on ...
Another bunch of books finished since my last post.
Of the newly finished ones, The Lantern of Lost Memories was a novel idea, and explored a serious subject, but was rather unbalanced in its few main sections, and frustratingly left some key questions unanswered. It did feel reminiscent of, though not as good as, the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series of books. It certainly fits into that genre of Japanese fiction.
The fiddle history book was clearly a repackaged PhD thesis, and full of interesting content, but often lacking sufficient analysis, or otherwise unbalanced. Somewhat frustrating to be honest. Though not so much as how unobtainable the book is today, having been originally printed in a very limited print run, and going out of print rapidly. I was lucky to be able to borrow it from my local library in Angus, sent over from their Forfar store.
More successful for me was the collection of working memories from librarians working through twentieth and early twenty-first century Scotland. I was most interested in their accounts of their working lives, revealing changes in library practice over time, but there were many other pages to wade through of earlier childhood experiences. I cherry picked the most relevant portions for me.
The Doctor Who graphic novel was a Twelfth Doctor and Clara one. But very disappointing. Too much tell and not show, and hefty info dumps mid way through each story, about things I couldn't bring myself to care about. It was also plagued by repeatedly splitting into multiple POVs, with muddy artwork not differentiating them clearly enough.
Polly Atkin's book was good, and overall I rated it 4/5. But it felt overlong to me, and often padded with lengthy digressions, which made it hard for this chronically ill person to keep reading and following. Though it was very interesting to hear her story, not least as the sister of a friend.
The first Whisperwicks novel was a children's book, telling the story of a child drawn into a mysterious steampunk-like world of magic and quests, and much danger. Felt very Harry Potter like, but original in its approach. I could certainly see me reading the sequel.
- ( earlier books )
- The Lantern of Lost Memories by Sanaka Hiiragi
- The Fiddle in Scottish Culture: Aspects of the Tradition by Katherine Campbell
- Voices of Scottish Librarians: The Evolution of a Profession and its Response to Changing Times edited by Ian MacDougall
- Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor: Volume 1: Terrorformer (graphic novel)
- Some of Us Just Fall: On Nature and Not Getting Better by Polly Atkin
- The Whisperwicks: The Labyrinth of Lost and Found by Jordan Lees
Of the newly finished ones, The Lantern of Lost Memories was a novel idea, and explored a serious subject, but was rather unbalanced in its few main sections, and frustratingly left some key questions unanswered. It did feel reminiscent of, though not as good as, the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series of books. It certainly fits into that genre of Japanese fiction.
The fiddle history book was clearly a repackaged PhD thesis, and full of interesting content, but often lacking sufficient analysis, or otherwise unbalanced. Somewhat frustrating to be honest. Though not so much as how unobtainable the book is today, having been originally printed in a very limited print run, and going out of print rapidly. I was lucky to be able to borrow it from my local library in Angus, sent over from their Forfar store.
More successful for me was the collection of working memories from librarians working through twentieth and early twenty-first century Scotland. I was most interested in their accounts of their working lives, revealing changes in library practice over time, but there were many other pages to wade through of earlier childhood experiences. I cherry picked the most relevant portions for me.
The Doctor Who graphic novel was a Twelfth Doctor and Clara one. But very disappointing. Too much tell and not show, and hefty info dumps mid way through each story, about things I couldn't bring myself to care about. It was also plagued by repeatedly splitting into multiple POVs, with muddy artwork not differentiating them clearly enough.
Polly Atkin's book was good, and overall I rated it 4/5. But it felt overlong to me, and often padded with lengthy digressions, which made it hard for this chronically ill person to keep reading and following. Though it was very interesting to hear her story, not least as the sister of a friend.
The first Whisperwicks novel was a children's book, telling the story of a child drawn into a mysterious steampunk-like world of magic and quests, and much danger. Felt very Harry Potter like, but original in its approach. I could certainly see me reading the sequel.
Peter Capaldi singing @ Glastonbury
Jun. 27th, 2025 08:24 pmTuning in for a bit of Glastonbury earlier tonight, with Peter Capaldi coming on stage to duet with Franz Ferdinand! On the Other Stage starting at 17:59. Is on the iPlayer for UK folks.
I've been continuing to slowly rewatch the early Peter Capaldi incarnation stories. But not feeling the urge to blog about them individually. And also, frankly, struggling to keep watching fully through many of them.
I find this early stage of his Doctor so phenomenally unlikeable. I watch it for Clara, not the Doctor. And then I constantly wonder why she sticks with him. I'm used to post regeneration trauma and all. And, hey, I watched through the Sixth Doctor stories 40 years ago. But I don't have the patience for it this time. And I'm finding it a particularly difficult set of stories to rewatch.
Against that Peter Capaldi's casting was one of the most exciting for me in Doctor Who ever. And he would go on to be superb in the ninth season, with the Doctor's character and relationship with the companion heavily reworked. But I struggle to rewatch much of season 8. I still think it was a fundamental mistake in approach by Steven Moffat.
Yet there are some absolute standout classics even in this year. "Listen" and "Flatline" are both superb. And I have a really soft spot for "Mummy On The Orient Express", despite the Doctor/companion extreme angst.
But, yup, not a happy fan rewatching at the moment. It's just as well I'm enjoying the Fifteenth Doctor's new stories on TV so very much!
I find this early stage of his Doctor so phenomenally unlikeable. I watch it for Clara, not the Doctor. And then I constantly wonder why she sticks with him. I'm used to post regeneration trauma and all. And, hey, I watched through the Sixth Doctor stories 40 years ago. But I don't have the patience for it this time. And I'm finding it a particularly difficult set of stories to rewatch.
Against that Peter Capaldi's casting was one of the most exciting for me in Doctor Who ever. And he would go on to be superb in the ninth season, with the Doctor's character and relationship with the companion heavily reworked. But I struggle to rewatch much of season 8. I still think it was a fundamental mistake in approach by Steven Moffat.
Yet there are some absolute standout classics even in this year. "Listen" and "Flatline" are both superb. And I have a really soft spot for "Mummy On The Orient Express", despite the Doctor/companion extreme angst.
But, yup, not a happy fan rewatching at the moment. It's just as well I'm enjoying the Fifteenth Doctor's new stories on TV so very much!
Continuing musing on this topic, thought I'd draw up a list! These are not my absolute favourites over the years, but just the favourites year by year. At least where it meets a certain threshold of "favourite". And yes, it's clearly heavily leaning towards one particular writer, and not just when he was the showrunner.
2005 - The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances
2006 - The Girl in the Fireplace
2007 - Blink
2008 - Silence in the Library / The Forest of the Dead
2009 - The Waters of Mars
2010 - Vincent and the Doctor
2011 - The Girl Who Waited
2012 - The Snowmen
2013 - The Day of the Doctor
2014 - Listen
2015 - Face the Raven
2016 - (pass - sorry, can't say a favourite!)
2017 - Extremis
2018 - Rosa
2019 - (pass - sorry, can't say a favourite!)
2020 - Spyfall (parts 1 and 2)
2021 - Village of the Angels
2022 - Eve of the Daleks
2023 - The Giggle
2024 - 73 Yards
2005 - The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances
2006 - The Girl in the Fireplace
2007 - Blink
2008 - Silence in the Library / The Forest of the Dead
2009 - The Waters of Mars
2010 - Vincent and the Doctor
2011 - The Girl Who Waited
2012 - The Snowmen
2013 - The Day of the Doctor
2014 - Listen
2015 - Face the Raven
2016 - (pass - sorry, can't say a favourite!)
2017 - Extremis
2018 - Rosa
2019 - (pass - sorry, can't say a favourite!)
2020 - Spyfall (parts 1 and 2)
2021 - Village of the Angels
2022 - Eve of the Daleks
2023 - The Giggle
2024 - 73 Yards
Rewatching Doctor Who: Deep Breath
Jan. 19th, 2025 08:30 pmOn to the Twelfth Doctor era. I'm going to dissect this episode quite a bit so best put things behind a spoiler cut. ( spoiler space )
Writing up brief reviews of a couple more stories in my Matt Smith era rewatch, which is nearly over. As I write these reviews it is currently Doctor Who's 61st birthday. Happy birthday to my all time favourite TV show, which I have watched almost continuously (I didn't know about and missed the 1996 TV movie!?) during its broadcasts ever since 1978 and the Key to Time series.
I am going to discuss spoilers, but not put them into spoiler space after all this time. Look away if in doubt though.
These two stories, as well as the Night of the Doctor minisode between and The Time of the Doctor after, provide a quadrology of "of the Doctor" stories. Which is a surprisingly little used title form for the series. Though recently we had "The Power of the Doctor" with Jodie Whittaker.
"Name" provides an answer to the long running Clara mystery, with her jumping into the Doctor's time stream, and scattering into splinters. This was a satisfying resolution for me, and also neatly handled in a way that led in to the mystery of John Hurt's War Doctor.
Not so good was the rest of the episode for me. It felt like it had too many things packed in, and lots didn't get enough depth. I liked the conference call, with Vastra, Jenny, Strax, Clara and River. I liked the farewell between River and the Doctor. But so much else, including Richard E Grant's Great Intelligence and the Whisper Men, was just too much thrown in. Of course without REG we wouldn't have seen Clara jump into the Doctor's time stream. Yes, REG's character was necessary. But a lot felt clumsy, and too thinly spread.
"Day" by contrast has an extended running time. 77 minutes versus 44 minutes for "Night". and it needed that to balance its many elements. There are slower, more thoughtful moments, such as John Hurt's War Doctor's trudge to the barn. But these are matched by numerous hectic action scenes. And just so many ingredients. Elizabeth I and Zygons, UNIT in the present day Tower of London, Gallifrey during the Time War, the High Council of Gallifrey, Doctors and their TARDISes swirling. But somehow, and even though it feels as though it shouldn't, it works. Really well.
Even the three main incarnations of the Doctor on screen are each given sufficient time. It does feel like a Matt Smith episode though. He's at the start and end, bookmarking, and is in no way outshone by David Tennant or the War Doctor. I *love* how the War Doctor effortlessly sums up the other pair in a few words, far from flattering. Billie Piper, this time as a sentient interface to a weapon of mass destruction, works too. And yes, Clara is also well handled. This is by far the best representation of her since The Snowmen, though Steven Moffat writing her again will have helped. It was a little strange to realise there must have been quite a time jump, for her to qualify as a teacher. Of course she's at Coal Hill School. But that's ok too.
Ultimately though the episode is a love letter to the past. The scene where multiple Doctor incarnations appear briefly to save Gallifrey is epic. This was the first time my husband had any clue about the next doctor after Matt Smith, and he recognised Peter Capaldi immediately from just his eyebrows! The best nod to the past for me though had to be Tom Baker's appearance. I'd heard a hint that he might appear, but forgot when watching. And then was in tears seeing it on screen. The doctor of my first years as a fan, and still one of my all time favourites. And played and scripted so beautifully.
So yes, a lot to like. I would also highly recommend the Target novelisation of this, written by Steven Moffat himself. Which plays with the structure and details in a highly imaginative way. A great read, even if you think you know the version from the telly.
Just one more Matt Smith story to go. To quote my all time favourite doctor "I don't want to go ..."
I am going to discuss spoilers, but not put them into spoiler space after all this time. Look away if in doubt though.
These two stories, as well as the Night of the Doctor minisode between and The Time of the Doctor after, provide a quadrology of "of the Doctor" stories. Which is a surprisingly little used title form for the series. Though recently we had "The Power of the Doctor" with Jodie Whittaker.
"Name" provides an answer to the long running Clara mystery, with her jumping into the Doctor's time stream, and scattering into splinters. This was a satisfying resolution for me, and also neatly handled in a way that led in to the mystery of John Hurt's War Doctor.
Not so good was the rest of the episode for me. It felt like it had too many things packed in, and lots didn't get enough depth. I liked the conference call, with Vastra, Jenny, Strax, Clara and River. I liked the farewell between River and the Doctor. But so much else, including Richard E Grant's Great Intelligence and the Whisper Men, was just too much thrown in. Of course without REG we wouldn't have seen Clara jump into the Doctor's time stream. Yes, REG's character was necessary. But a lot felt clumsy, and too thinly spread.
"Day" by contrast has an extended running time. 77 minutes versus 44 minutes for "Night". and it needed that to balance its many elements. There are slower, more thoughtful moments, such as John Hurt's War Doctor's trudge to the barn. But these are matched by numerous hectic action scenes. And just so many ingredients. Elizabeth I and Zygons, UNIT in the present day Tower of London, Gallifrey during the Time War, the High Council of Gallifrey, Doctors and their TARDISes swirling. But somehow, and even though it feels as though it shouldn't, it works. Really well.
Even the three main incarnations of the Doctor on screen are each given sufficient time. It does feel like a Matt Smith episode though. He's at the start and end, bookmarking, and is in no way outshone by David Tennant or the War Doctor. I *love* how the War Doctor effortlessly sums up the other pair in a few words, far from flattering. Billie Piper, this time as a sentient interface to a weapon of mass destruction, works too. And yes, Clara is also well handled. This is by far the best representation of her since The Snowmen, though Steven Moffat writing her again will have helped. It was a little strange to realise there must have been quite a time jump, for her to qualify as a teacher. Of course she's at Coal Hill School. But that's ok too.
Ultimately though the episode is a love letter to the past. The scene where multiple Doctor incarnations appear briefly to save Gallifrey is epic. This was the first time my husband had any clue about the next doctor after Matt Smith, and he recognised Peter Capaldi immediately from just his eyebrows! The best nod to the past for me though had to be Tom Baker's appearance. I'd heard a hint that he might appear, but forgot when watching. And then was in tears seeing it on screen. The doctor of my first years as a fan, and still one of my all time favourites. And played and scripted so beautifully.
So yes, a lot to like. I would also highly recommend the Target novelisation of this, written by Steven Moffat himself. Which plays with the structure and details in a highly imaginative way. A great read, even if you think you know the version from the telly.
Just one more Matt Smith story to go. To quote my all time favourite doctor "I don't want to go ..."
