![]() Gatiss has always been a stalwart participant in the new series, either as a writer or actor. Mark Gatiss appears, possibly for the final time in Doctor Who, playing the Captain, who has blood ties to an iconic character from the classic series. He recognised very early on that an impersonation of William Hartnell’s first Doctor would place him on a hiding to nothing, so instead, he embodies most of this Doctor’s traits (except for the nonsense insertion of dialogue designed to make him seem like an antideluvian fogey) well enough. David Bradley revives the First Doctor almost flawlessly, apart from some interesting line readings at the start of the episode. After all the sturm and drang of the Capaldi era, it is a curious choice by the showrunner, Steven Moffat, to have this Doctor go gently into the night. There is no central villain, no animating idea to wrestle with and subdue. ![]() After the highpoints of the season finale, the Christmas episode very much feels like a coda in a minor key to the full orchestral blast that was All the World and Time and The Doctor Falls. Twice Upon a Time, however, is not a very good send off for the Capaldi era. Starting off dark and occasionally bitter, Capaldi’s Doctor over time transformed into a better version of himself, redeemed in part by the companions who travelled with him and helped smooth the rougher edges to his initially prickly personality. Some argue also that the era’s concentration on revisiting the past of the series, and a lead actor playing the role far more darkly than his predecessors, serve to alienate a segment of the audience who just didn’t come back.Īll of this is unfair to Capaldi whose love for the character, and the potential of the character, shone through with each story. ![]() In an era where television viewing has begun to collapse under the weight of streaming services, catch up television, and a multitude of other things to do online rather than watch television when it is actually scheduled, its no surprise that the overnight viewing numbers, still a key metric, softened and declined over Capaldi’s tenure. But in an era where the new show has placed a premium on good looking, younger leading men, could Capaldi take on the mantle and not alienate the viewers? Of course, its one thing to be a fan, its another to be an accomplished actor capable of taking on an iconic role such as the Doctor. This never eventuated, but there are certainly letters to the production team from Capaldi the Younger, peppering them with questions about the show. It’s a little known fact that back in the early 70s, when the nascent Doctor Who fan community was just getting started, he almost launched a coup against the earliest Doctor Who fan club. Peter Capaldi has always been a fan of Doctor Who, and once suspects has wanted to play the role for many years.
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