Twice Upon a Time (Doctor Who)
276 – "Twice Upon a Time" | |||
---|---|---|---|
Doctor Who episode | |||
Cast | |||
Others
| |||
Production | |||
Directed by | Rachel Talalay | ||
Written by | Steven Moffat[a] | ||
Produced by | Peter Bennett | ||
Executive producer(s) | Steven Moffat Brian Minchin | ||
Music by | Murray Gold | ||
Running time | 60 minutes | ||
First broadcast | 25 December 2017 | ||
Chronology | |||
| |||
"Twice Upon a Time" is an episode of the British
This episode continues after
Plot
Synopsis
Wandering back to his
Alone, the Twelfth Doctor meets with the rogue Dalek
With the Captain saved, the First Doctor informs the Twelfth that he is now prepared to regenerate and says his goodbyes before returning to his TARDIS. He returns to the South Pole to regenerate. Now alone with Bill's avatar, the Twelfth Doctor adamantly contends she is not really Bill, but she argues that memories are what defines a person. Bill's avatar restores the Doctor's memories of Clara Oswald before they are joined by Nardole's avatar. The Doctor, however, refuses to give the avatars testimony of his life. They respect his wish to be alone and leave after he embraces them both. The Doctor then returns to the TARDIS and decides to regenerate, but not before relaying some personal advice to his next incarnation.
After the newly regenerated Thirteenth Doctor examines her own reflection, the TARDIS suffers multiple system failures due to damage caused by the delayed regeneration. As the time rotor and the console room explode, the Doctor falls out of the tumbling TARDIS, which dematerialises as she plummets towards the Earth below.
Continuity
Twice Upon a Time takes place during the final moments of the First Doctor's last serial,
When Testimony shows the First Doctor images of his future incarnations, clips from both the classic series and the revival are used, including the Third Doctor from Invasion of the Dinosaurs (1974); the Fifth Doctor from Arc of Infinity (1983); the Seventh Doctor from The Happiness Patrol (1988); the Eighth Doctor from "The Night of the Doctor" (2013); the Ninth Doctor from "The Parting of the Ways" (2005); and the Tenth Doctor from "The Waters of Mars" (2009).[4]
Testimony also lists several of the Doctor's future titles: "The Shadow of the
The Weapons Factories of Villengard were originally mentioned in "The Doctor Dances" (Moffat's first Doctor Who story), where the Ninth Doctor implied that he was responsible for their destruction.[5][6]
Helen Clay, who would become Testimony's glass pilot, was from New Earth and lectured at "New Earth University," a reference to the Tenth Doctor stories "New Earth" and "Gridlock".[4]
Outside references
The Doctor addresses his original incarnation as "Mary Berry", "Corporal Jones", and "Mr Pastry".[4] Mr Pastry was a comedic variety stage act and children's show character played by actor Richard Hearne,[7] who was once considered for the role of the Fourth Doctor. Hearne, however, wanted to play the Doctor as a version of Mr. Pastry, so he was passed over in favour of Tom Baker.[4]
The Doctor paraphrases philosopher Bertrand Russell when he advises his future self that "hate is always foolish and love is always wise".[8]
Production
Cast notes
On 30 January 2017, Peter Capaldi confirmed that the tenth series would be his last as the Twelfth Doctor, and that he was set to leave after the 2017 Christmas special.[9] The episode also sees the introduction of Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor, whose casting was announced on 16 July 2017.[10][11]
David Bradley potrays the First Doctor, having previously portrayed William Hartnell in the docudrama An Adventure in Space and Time.[12][13][14] This makes him the third actor to play the character, after Hartnell and Richard Hurndall (in 1983's The Five Doctors) since the premiere of Doctor Who in 1963.[15] Bradley previously played Solomon in the 2012 episode "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship". Bradley later voiced the First Doctor in many audio dramas for Big Finish Productions alongside his co-stars from An Adventure in Space and Time.
The first trailer for the episode was shown during the 2017
It was later confirmed that Ben Jackson, a companion of the First and
As with the last change of showrunners, Chibnall wrote the final moments of the episode, so as to allow him to write Whittaker's first lines on the show. This happened in the 2010 special "The End of Time", when Moffat took over for Russell T. Davies in the final moments of the episode, writing Matt Smith's first words as the Eleventh Doctor.[28]
The episode includes a cameo appearance by
Filming
The episode was written by
Near the end of the special, the two Doctors part company and return to their respective TARDISes to undergo regeneration. The First Doctor's regeneration is shown, using original footage from "The Tenth Planet". Although the last episode of the 1966 story is one of the most sought-after missing episodes of Doctor Who, the regeneration sequence was preserved when it was used in a 1973 edition of the children's magazine programme Blue Peter.[2][35]
The final scene of "The Doctor Falls" involving David Bradley was filmed as part of the filming of "Twice Upon a Time" in June 2017.[36] Production for "Twice Upon a Time" started on 12 June, and concluded on 10 July.[37][38][39] The final scene, in which Whittaker makes her debut, was filmed on 19 July.[40] The episode had been reportedly titled "The Doctors", before it was announced at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con that it would officially be titled "Twice Upon a Time".[41][19]
Broadcast and reception
The episode was watched by 5.70 million viewers overnight, making it the fifth most watched programme of the day across all channels.[42] The episode received 7.92 million views overall, and it received an Appreciation Index of 81.[43][44] In the United States "Twice Upon a Time" was watched by 2.2 million viewers on BBC America.[45]
Cinemas
"Twice Upon a Time" was released in cinemas in multiple countries, including Brazil on 25 December, Australia and Denmark on 26 December, and the United States and Canada on 27–28 December. The cinema release includes two bonus features: a behind-the-scenes view of the episode, and a special celebrating the tenure of Peter Capaldi as the Doctor and Steven Moffat as showrunner and lead writer.[46][47]
Critical reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Rotten Tomatoes (Average Score) | 7.55[48] |
Rotten Tomatoes (Tomatometer) | 88%[48] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
The A.V. Club | A−[49] |
Entertainment Weekly | A[50] |
IndieWire | C+[51] |
IGN | 9.5[52] |
New York Magazine | [53] |
Radio Times | [54] |
The Daily Telegraph | [55] |
Daily Mirror | [56] |
Starburst | 7/10[57] |
"Twice Upon a Time" received generally positive reviews, with praise given to the performances.[58][54][50][49] 88% of 24 critic reviews are positive on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 7.55/10. The site's consensus reads "Doctor Who: Twice Upon a Time pays gratifying homage to the outgoing Doctor while marking a thoughtful, warm and funny passing of the torch to a new era in the franchise."[48]
Michael Hogan offered a negative review for The Daily Telegraph, criticising Moffat's writing and concluding that viewers "would have been left scratching their heads in bafflement. It was self-indulgent, overcomplicated and, most unforgivably, frequently boring."[55]
Some commentators noted the depiction of the First Doctor, who is portrayed as displaying a sexist attitude. Moffat said that Hartnell's Doctor was "not progressive. Without being too outrageous I think we have re-created that version of Hartnell's Doctor, with all the 1960s political incorrectness in place."[59] Den of Geek reported that this was a controversial aspect of the episode, even in the pre-publicity, but they "found it hard to find any examples of sexism as egregious as the ones shown here."[2] Patrick Mulkern of Radio Times thought Moffat's characterisation for the First Doctor would make viewers "cavil that his character has been revised, made to seem more old-fashioned than he was", but felt it highlighted the changing of attitudes and how far the Doctor had developed.[54] Kaite Welsh of IndieWire called the writing of the First Doctor's character as "frankly uncomfortable, not to mention a shoddy rewrite of a good character", noting that Hartnell reportedly rewrote lines that minimised Polly’s importance during his tenure.[51]
The episode was a finalist in the category of
In 2022, Screen Rant's Connor Shelton cited "Twice Upon a Time" as the worst multi-Doctor story, criticising the story's execution, excessive screen time for the Twelfth Doctor and Bill, and the First Doctor's attitude as a "character assassination".[63] Also writing for Screen Rant, Edward Clearly ranked the episode as the worst Doctor Who Christmas Special, praising Capaldi's performance and the two Doctors' "interesting regeneration parallels", but panning the "loose plot" and Moffat's characterization of the First Doctor as "odd".[64]
Commercial releases
Author |
---|
Home media
The episode was released on DVD and Blu-ray in Region 2 on 22 January 2018,[65] in Region 4 on 7 February 2018,[66] and in Region 1 on 13 February 2018.[16]
"Twice Upon a Time" is also the first Doctor Who episode to be released on the Ultra HD Blu-ray format. It was released in North America on 25 September 2018 and in the UK on 24 September 2018.[67]
In print
A novelisation of the story, written by Paul Cornell, was released in paperback by BBC Books on 5 April 2018. A digital edition was also released, both as part of the Target Collection.[68][69] The novelisation implies that the First Doctor's sexism is done on purposefully annoying the Twelfth Doctor, due to disliking his future self.[70]
Notes
- ^ Chris Chibnall wrote the Thirteenth Doctor's (Jodie Whittaker) dialogue at the end of the episode after Capaldi's regeneration.
References
- ^ "Steven Moffat returns to write episode for new season of Doctor Who". Doctor Who. 20 March 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- ^ a b c Dillon-Trenchard, Peter (25 December 2017). "Doctor Who: geeky spots & references in Twice Upon A Time". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
- ^ Martin, Daniel (25 December 2017). "Doctor Who Christmas special 2017: Twice Upon a Time". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
- ^ a b c d e Dillon-Trenchard, Peter (25 December 2017). "Doctor Who: geeky spots & references in Twice Upon A Time". DenofGeek. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
- ^ "19 things we learned from the set of the Doctor Who Christmas special". Retrieved 26 December 2017.
- ^ Chen, Nick (6 December 2017). "There's a subtle callback to Steven Moffat's very first Doctor Who story in the Christmas special". Radio Times. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
- ^ "BBC – Archive – The Changing Face of Doctor Who – Nearly Who". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
- ^ "Peter Capaldi announces he will stand down as Doctor Who at the end of the year". BBC. 30 January 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
- ^ "Doctor Who: New actor to be revealed after Wimbledon". BBC. 14 July 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
- ^ Turner, Camilla (16 July 2017). "Doctor Who: Jodie Whittaker is to replace Peter Capaldi in the Time Lord regeneration game". The Telegraph. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
- ^ "Series 10, Doctor Who – The Doctor Falls: The Fact File – BBC One". BBC. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
- ^ "First look pictures of the First and Twelfth Doctors together in the Doctor Who Christmas special". The Telegraph. 1 July 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
- ^ Gill, James (1 July 2017). "New Doctor Who Christmas special pictures tease history-making reunion for Peter Capaldi's Doctor". The Telegraph. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
- ^ Martin, Dan (1 July 2017). "Doctor Who recap: series 36 finale – The Doctor Falls". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
- ^ a b "Doctor Who Christmas special set for February DVD and Blu-ray release". Amazon. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
- ^ McEwan, Cameron K (24 July 2017). "Doctor Who 2017 Christmas Special: 'Twice Upon a Time' Trailer Breakdown". doctorwho.tv. BBC. Archived from the original on 10 January 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
- ^ "Bill returns and the Doctors unite in new Doctor Who Christmas special pictures". RadioTimes. 24 July 2017. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
- ^ a b "The 2017 Doctor Who Christmas special will be called..." Radio Times. 23 July 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- ^ Caron, Nathalie (26 December 2017). "Mark Gatiss' Doctor Who role in Christmas special was a classic Easter egg". Syfy Wire. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
- ^ Frankham-Allen, Andy [@FrankhamAllen] (26 December 2017). "It's a complicated issue, for various legal reasons, but the official stance of Haisman/Lincoln is that he's the brother of the Brig's grandfather. And as owners of the LS copyright (and derivative works), they reserve the right to make that decision" (Tweet). Retrieved 2 January 2018 – via Twitter.
- OCLC 987359707.
- ^ Frankham-Allen, Andy [@FrankhamAllen] (29 December 2017). "Indeed. After the last few days, I suggested a new compromise to the Haisman Estate and they agreed to it. So, currently, it's just an implication. Now fans can accept whichever, and both could well be right" (Tweet). Retrieved 2 January 2018 – via Twitter.
- ^ McIntee, David A (2017). What's Past is Prologue. Candy Jar Books.
- ^ Fullerton, Huw (24 August 2017). "Hollyoaks star Jared Garfield to play classic Doctor Who companion in Christmas special". radiotimes.com. Radio Times. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
- ^ Mulkern, Patrick (3 December 2017). "Steven Moffat unveils his final Doctor Who episode – and reveals why Carey Mulligan said no to the Tardis". radiotimes.com. Radio Times. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
in this Christmas special when it starts we have Hartnell and the original companions
- ^ Marcus (28 November 2017). "Twice Upon A Time – New Image and Synopsis". Doctor Who News. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
- ^ Jeffery, Morgan (23 March 2017). "Doctor Who: Steven Moffat confirms that Chris Chibnall will write the new Doctor's first words". Digital Spy.
- ^ Jeffery, Morgan (25 December 2017). "Doctor Who Christmas cameo was "difficult to arrange"". Digital Spy. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
- ^ Marcus (28 May 2017). "Rachel Talalay Directing Christmas Episode". Doctor Who News. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
- ^ "Original Mondasian Cybermen return to Doctor Who!". BBC. 6 March 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
- ^ Rawden, Jessica (3 June 2016). "When Steven Moffat's Final Doctor Who Episode Will Air". Cinema Blend. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
- ^ Dowell, Ben. "Steven Moffat quits Doctor Who to be replaced by Chris Chibnall in 2018". RadioTimes.
- ^ Jeffery, Morgan (2 August 2017). "Steven Moffat reveals how Doctor Who's Christmas specials almost disappeared forever". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
- ^ "Twice Upon a Time, Doctor Who – Twice Upon a Time: The Fact File – BBC One". BBC. Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
- ^ "Steven Moffat & Rachel Talalay – The Aftershow – Doctor Who: The Fan Show". BBC. 1 July 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
- ^ "Countdown to the Thirteenth Doctor". Doctor Who Magazine. No. 514. 29 June 2017. p. 4.
- ^ Cannon, Nick (11 April 2017). "Doctor Who's Peter Capaldi lifts off with new companion Bill: 'Their adventures spin out of control'". What's on TV. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
- ^ Allen, Ben (11 July 2017). "Peter Capaldi says goodbye to fans on his final day of Doctor Who filming". Radio Times. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
- . p. 15.
- ^ Marcus (10 July 2017). "Doctor Who at San Diego Comic-Con". Doctor Who News. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
- ^ DWTV (26 December 2017). "Christmas Day 2017 Ratings Top 10 | Doctor Who TV". Doctor Who TV. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
- ^ Marcus (3 January 2018). "Twice Upon A Time: Official Rating". Doctor Who News. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ^ Marcus (3 January 2018). "Twice Upon a Time – Audience Appreciation:81". Doctor Who News. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ^ "Farewell to Twelfth Doctor on BBC AMERICA Brings Record-Setting Viewership and Social Engagement on Christmas Day". BBCW Press Room. 4 January 2018. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
- ^ Foster, Chuck (14 November 2017). "Australian cinema outing for Twice Upon a Time". Doctor Who News. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
- ^ Foster, Chuck (27 November 2017). "Twice Upon a Time to show in Canadian Cinemas". Doctor Who News. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
- ^ a b c "Doctor Who: Twice Upon a Time (2017 Christmas Special)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
- ^ a b Siede, Caroline (26 December 2017). "A poignant Doctor Who Christmas special says goodbye 12, hello 13, hello love". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
- ^ a b Schwartz, Dana (25 December 2017). "Doctor Who recap: 'Twice Upon a Time'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
- ^ a b Welsh, Kaite (25 December 2017). "'Doctor Who' Review: Peter Capaldi Takes Too Long to Say Goodbye In Emotional Christmas Special". IndieWire. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
- ^ Scott, Collura (26 December 2017). "Doctor Who: "Twice Upon a Time" Review". IGN. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
- ^ Ruediger, Ross (26 December 2017). "Doctor Who Christmas Special Recap: Postscript". New York Magazine. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
- ^ a b c Mulkern, Patrick (26 December 2017). "Doctor Who Christmas special review: Twice upon a Time offers a warm embracing hug of nostalgia but is less than gripping". Radio Times. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
- ^ ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
- ^ Jackson, Daniel (25 December 2017). "Doctor Who Series 10 Episode 13 Twice Upon A Time review: A very special Christmas adventure that rounds off Capaldi's Doctor perfectly". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
- ^ Southall, J.R. (28 December 2017). "DOCTOR WHO Christmas Special 2017 'Twice Upon a Time'". Starburst. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
- ^ newsintimeandspace.net. "Doctor Who News – Twice Upon A Time – Press Reaction". m.doctorwhonews.net. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
- ^ "Steven Moffat unveils his final Doctor Who episode – and reveals why Carey Mulligan said no to the Tardis".
- ^ "2018/1943 Hugo Award Finalists Announced". thehugoawards.org. 1 April 2018.
- ^ McNary, Dave (15 March 2018). "'Black Panther,' 'Walking Dead' Rule Saturn Awards Nominations". Variety. Variety Media, LLC. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
- ^ Hammond, Pete (June 27, 2018). "'Black Panther' Tops 44th Saturn Awards With Five; 'Blade Runner 2049' , 'Shape Of Water', 'Get Out' Also Score". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 28, 2018. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
- ^ "Doctor Who: Ranking Every Multi-Doctor Episode". Screenrant.com. 8 September 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ "Every Doctor Who Christmas & New Year Special Ranked From Worst To Best". Screenrant.com. 11 December 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ "Doctor Who Christmas Special 2017 – Twice Upon A Time". Amazon. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
- ^ "Doctor Who: Twice Upon a Time (DVD)". EzyDVD. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
- ^ "'Doctor Who: Twice Upon a Time' Headed for 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray". High-Def Digest. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
- ^ "Steven Moffat and Russell T Davies are writing special Doctor Who novels". Radio Times. 15 November 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
- ^ Doctor Who: Twice Upon a Time (Target Collection). ASIN 1785943308.
- ^ "Doctor Who review: Twice Upon a Time's novelization greatly improves on a flawed story". Retrieved 26 March 2024.
Bibliography
- Ainsworth, John, ed. (2016). "Inside the Spaceship, Marco Polo, The Keys of Marinus and The Aztecs". Doctor Who: The Complete History. 2 (32). Panini Comics, Hachette Partworks.
External links
- "Twice Upon a Time" at the BBC Doctor Who homepage
- "Twice Upon a Time" on Tardis Wiki, the Doctor Who Wiki
- "Twice Upon a Time" at IMDb