Doctor Who: The Power of the Doctor |OT| Vale Tredecim

[Dwebble]

Doctor Who: The Power of the Doctor
Sunday, October 23rd, 2022
7:30pm, BBC One
8pm, BBC America
Written by Chris Chibnall
Directed by Jamie Magnus Stone​

Things have never been so dangerous for the Doctor- as allies and enemies alike mass, and she faces trials on all fronts, she must come to terms with an inescapable fact.

Nothing lasts forever, and the Doctor knows it like no one else.

Starring:

• Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor
• Mandip Gill as Yaz Khan
• John Bishop as Dan Lewis
• Sacha Dhawan as the Master
• Sophie Aldred as Ace
• Janet Fielding as Tegan
• Jemma Redgrave as Kate Stewart
• Jacob Anderson as Vinder
• Patrick O'Kane as Ashad
• Nicholas Briggs as the Daleks

The Story So Far

It's been a heavy few seasons for the Doctor (Jodie Whittaker). Since she dropped out of the midnight sky over Sheffield all those years ago, she's faced numerous trials- the loss of her home planet, seeing the grim future of her adoptive one, facing off against Daleks, Cybermen and the Master (Sacha Dhawan), battling to prevent the destruction of the universe at the hands of the Flux, navigating the feelings that her friend Yaz (Mandip Gill) has developed for her, and coming to terms with her newly-discovered identity as the Timeless Child, wellspring of the Time Lords' power, and the unknowable years of amnesia that came with it.

Now, though, the chickens are coming home to roost, and she has to try and fight threats on all fronts. The time has come for the Doctor to be tested like never before, and no one's getting out unscathed...

Behind the Scenes

Doctor Who is a series well known for its large-scale changes in front of and behind the camera, and The Power of the Doctor represents just about the largest change that the series has ever undergone.

The headline change is that Jodie Whittaker is bowing out- having joined the show at the end of the 2017 Christmas Special, she leaves during this special following nearly five years in the role. In terms of time spent as the lead, she's actually the third longest-serving Doctor that the show's ever had, behind Tom Baker and Sylvester McCoy. She's been a fine ambassador for the show, and the impact that she's had and the inspiration that she's given many shouldn't go understated. Mandip Gill and John Bishop are also leaving their roles during the special, leaving it as a landmark changing of the guard in Doctor Who history.

The changes aren't just restricted to the actors, either. Chris Chibnall and Matt Strevens, the executive producers of the show since series 11 started filming in 2017, are also making their farewells with this episode, along with the vast majority of their backroom staff. Russell T. Davies and the crew at Bad Wolf have already taken the series over, with filming on the next iteration of the show commencing back in May, meaning that the most fundamental change in the show is the people who are making it- for the first time in Doctor Who's history as an ongoing TV show, it is not being made in-house by the BBC.

They're pulling all the stops out for their farewell, though, gathering together all of the show's most iconic villains, bringing back beloved characters such as Ace (Sophie Aldred) and Tegan (Janet Fielding) and promising a 90-minute special that spans the cosmos. The Power of the Doctor, which was also commissioned to celebrate the centenary of the BBC as a whole, looks to bring past, present and future together in one big sprawling celebration of Doctor Who, before teeing it up for a long and happy future...

Synopsis from the BBC

In a feature-length Special to mark her last adventure, Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor must fight for her very existence, against her deadliest enemies: the Daleks, the Cybermen and her arch-nemesis, the Master.

Who is attacking a speeding bullet train on the edges of a distant galaxy? Why are seismologists going missing from 21st century Earth? Who is defacing some of history's most iconic paintings? Why is a Dalek trying to make contact with the Doctor? And just what hold does the mesmeric Rasputin have over Tsar Nicholas in 1916 Russia?

The Doctor faces multiple threats... and a battle to the death.

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Trailers

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHhjMjqy7dU

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxaDzBPBuP8

View: https://twitter.com/bbcdoctorwho/status/1583850673904357376?s=61&t=GZTyeB_-sKm1OkoErW2fhA

 

[The Shape]

Wow, it's this month already? I fell off Doctor Who really hard in this era. Can't wait for Russell T Davies to fix things back together.

 

[The Unsent]

Not thrilled Whittaker is probably regenerating into Tennant, but will watch. Loved her performance as the Doctor, like Capaldi was often let down by the writing.

 

[Captain_Vyse]

I really wish Jodie Whitaker would have gotten some decent writing in her era.

She didn't get the material she deserved.

 

[Spectromixer]

Nice OT :)

one step closer to rtd2

 

[infiniteloop]

Excited for chibnall era to be over on Sunday.

 

[Wrexis]

Not thrilled Whittaker is probably regenerating into Tennant, but will watch.

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Yeah. I really hope they don't.
The amount of "She messed it up so badly they had to bring back an old guy to fix it" comments will be insufferable for years.

 

[obin_gam]

Not thrilled Whittaker is probably regenerating into Tennant, but will watch. Loved her performance as the Doctor, like Capaldi was often let down by the writing.

Click to shrink...

Yeah. I really hope they don't.
The amount of "She messed it up so badly they had to bring back an old guy to fix it" comments will be insufferable for years.

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Huh? The fourteenth doctor will be played by Ncuti Gatwa

This has been known for like half a year

 

[Mindwipe]

Huh? The fourteenth doctor will be played by Ncuti Gatwa

This has been known for like half a year

Click to shrink...

Tennant is doing the special first.

 

[acheron_xl]

I really wish Jodie Whitaker would have gotten some decent writing in her era.

She didn't get the material she deserved.

Click to shrink...

There's always Big Finish.

 

[Wonky Mump]

Looking forward to this - despite my dislike for Chris Chibnall and his overall run, Jodie deserved better and I feel done the best with what she was offered.

 

[Dwebble]

Huh? The fourteenth doctor will be played by Ncuti Gatwa

This has been known for like half a year

Click to shrink...

It certainly is true that Gatwa's taking over the role in the future, that's for sure.

 

[Dalek]

Looking forward to this - despite my dislike for Chris Chibnall and his overall run, Jodie deserved better and I feel done the best with what she was offered.

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Wow - how could that be?

 

[Captain_Vyse]

There's always Big Finish.

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Yeah, really hoping that she'll get good material with Big Finish in a couple years or so.

 

[munchie64]

I'm excited to watch with my parents because as far as I know, they have no idea about the Tennant stuff lmao

Anyway, it's sad the Jodie's era has suffered so much from the people behind the camera, but I can hope she goes out with a bang.

 

[The Unsent]

Yeah. I really hope they don't.
The amount of "She messed it up so badly they had to bring back an old guy to fix it" comments will be insufferable for years.

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I guess they might not have been able to get other modern actors back like Capaldi, Eccleston don't sound interested and Matt Smith is quite in demand. Still rather they just do another story for the 60th than having her regenerate back into the popular guy, a prospect which feels cynical in my opinion.

Huh? The fourteenth doctor will be played by Ncuti Gatwa
This has been known for like half a year

Click to shrink...

I suspect there will be a twist where Whittaker regenerates back into Tennant, as the Doctor for a mini series of specials next year, and Gatwa does the next series.

 

[PimentaGui]

I haven't seen it since Matt Smith's days but now that Ncuti Gatwa is going to be the doctor I'm interested in following up again.

Can I start with this episode?

 

[Guppeth]

I haven't seen it since Matt Smith's days but now that Ncuti Gatwa is going to be the doctor I'm interested in following up again.

Can I start with this episode?

Click to shrink...

You probably want to skip this episode, since it'll be tying up a bunch of loose ends you know nothing about. And the RTD/Gatwa era will probably be a soft reboot.

 

[DECK’ARD]

I haven't seen it since Matt Smith's days but now that Ncuti Gatwa is going to be the doctor I'm interested in following up again.

Can I start with this episode?

Click to shrink...

This episode will probably be a mess if it's typical Chibnall.

 

[The Unsent]

I haven't seen it since Matt Smith's days but now that Ncuti Gatwa is going to be the doctor I'm interested in following up again.

Can I start with this episode?

Click to shrink...

Probably not, it's a conclusion to Whittaker's era. Gatwa's series 14 will probably be a good new start and reboot.

 

[Alent]

Oh wow, i completely forgot about this.

 

[Tansut]

Whittaker got dealt such a bad hand with Chibnall in charge. It's a testament to her talent that I'm mourning losing her as The Doctor while also celebrating this whole era ending.

 

[Mr. Bad Example]

Looking at the synopsis, I'm not optimistic at all. That's like five different storylines in two hours on top of it being Jodie Whitaker's last outing. As usual with Chibnall, nothing's going to get its proper weight and nothing will get adequately resolved.

 

[Ashes of Dreams]

I still haven't watched the previous episode. I've went to start it like three times and just couldn't muster up the energy to sit through it.

I had many issues with the second half of Moffat's run in the series but Chibnall's run sure has been... something fucking else.
It hasn't been ALL bad, there's been like... two good episodes... and the whole Flux thing had SOME promise at the start...
He can just never stick the landing on fucking anything.

I'm all in on the return of RTD, the Tennant specials, and the Gatwa series to come. But I guess it's finally time to watch the last episode and then watch this. A farewell to the worse era of Doctor Who I've sat all the way through.

Yeah. I really hope they don't.
The amount of "She messed it up so badly they had to bring back an old guy to fix it" comments will be insufferable for years.

Click to shrink...

I get the concern here but the sexist right-wing idiots are going to spew their bullshit no matter what happens. I'm not letting their presence impact the enjoyment I'm going to feel at Davies returning to showrunner or us getting three new Tennant episodes for the 60th anniversary.

 

[acheron_xl]

So many Chibnall-era scripts feel like first drafts.

 

[SigmasonicX]

I have very little interest in this special aside from the last few minutes, lol.

Personally, my guess regarding Tennant is that he won't be the regeneration after Whittaker, but rather, like the Caretaker, he'll be a regeneration from a vague period in the distant future. I've heard that Doctor actors aren't actually fans of multi-Doctor stories but would still like to come back, and this opens it up for them to return, looking as old as they are, without a convoluted explanation.

 

[The Unsent]

I still haven't watched the previous episode. I've went to start it like three times and just couldn't muster up the energy to sit through it.

I had many issues with the second half of Moffat's run in the series but Chibnall's run sure has been... something fucking else.
It hasn't been ALL bad, there's been like... two good episodes... and the whole Flux thing had SOME promise at the start...
He can just never stick the landing on fucking anything.

I'm all in on the return of RTD, the Tennant specials, and the Gatwa series to come. But I guess it's finally time to watch the last episode and then watch this. A farewell to the worse era of Doctor Who I've sat all the way through.


I get the concern here but the sexist right-wing idiots are going to spew their bullshit no matter what happens. I'm not letting their presence impact the enjoyment I'm going to feel at Davies returning to showrunner or us getting three new Tennant episodes for the 60th anniversary.

Click to shrink...

I feel Tennant's Doctor might be undercutting Whittaker's, and concerned about him being presented as the definitive one. This might be the third time the Doctor has regenerated into Tennant now. His popularity casts a shadow imo.

 

[Shyranui]

The last special is the only episode of modern Doctor Who I have not finished...
I have no expectations but I hope is at least a decent send-off. Or at least just give Jodie some cool scenes or a good speech. I know the plot is going to be a convoluted mess anyway

 

[Guppeth]

I'm all in on the return of RTD, the Tennant specials, and the Gatwa series to come. But I guess it's finally time to watch the last episode and then watch this. A farewell to the worse era of Doctor Who I've sat all the way through.

Click to shrink...

It might help if you watch the Sea Devils episode with a "let's see how bad it can get" mindset. Because it is really, really bad but it's possible to find such ineptitude amusing.

 

[Ashes of Dreams]

I feel Tennant's Doctor might be undercutting Whittaker's, and concerned about him being presented as the definitive one. This might be the third time the Doctor has regenerated into Tennant now. His popularity casts a shadow imo.

Click to shrink...

The only people who blame anything on Whittaker are the "Doctor Who went woke" fuckheads. They would latch onto anything. Everyone who actually cares about the show knows it's Chibnall who was the problem. And people are much more excited for RTD to return than anything to do with Tennant.

But we've never had a previous showrunner back before. It lining up with the 60th anniversary, which are ALWAYS about looking back to the past, made it too perfect an opportunity to have RTD pick up where he left off with Tennant. We know he's only around for the anniversary and we know who the next Doctor is.

I feel bad for Whittaker's run and she deserved more, but it's Chibnall's fault her mark on the series is what it is, not the people who are coming after's.

It might help if you watch the Sea Devils episode with a "let's see how bad it can get" mindset. Because it is really, really bad but it's possible to find such ineptitude amusing.

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I... will try. I've got three days, I guess.

 

[Grue]

Please note I have used spoiler tags in my post for a reason; I hope we can keep this thread unspoiled for anyone who hasn't kept up with the show or followed the production stuff.


----

So somehow, my partner still doesn't know anything about what's coming up.

I introduced her to DW about 5 years ago and she's been completely in ever since - all of Nu Who, some Classic stuff - but really hasn't gotten along with the Chibnall era at all.

It's insane to think the last episode she watched was in January. That was The Eve of the Daleks, the 2022 new year's day episode. I didn't show her the last one because, well, it was gack. (This is a technical term used by specialist critics).

She has no idea there's a new episode, no idea it's Jodie's last, no idea there's a regeneration coming, and certainly no idea about either Gatwa or Tennant. That last one will definitely freak her out.

I can't wait. It airs very late here on Sunday, so I might see if I can trick her into a Monday off, and show her the 'gack' episode and the new one, and sort of see how that goes.

 

[Blader]

Please note I have used spoiler tags in my post for a reason; I hope we can keep this thread unspoiled for anyone who hasn't kept up with the show or followed the production stuff.

Click to shrink...

tbf, the Tennant and Gatwa news were officially announced by the BBC. Not just spoiler hounds stalking filming.

 

[Grue]

officially announced by the BBC. Not just spoiler hounds stalking filming.

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Understood.

And the fact it's Jodie's last episode was put by Dwebble in the OP.

Gatwa and Tennant weren't though. And though the cat's out of the bag, personally I don't find it a massive inconvenience to at least try.

There's literally already a post in here where someone was surprised by one of those things and OP had to respond cryptically.

 

[Blader]

Well, that it's Jodie's last episode has been advertised by the BBC for the past year lol. That's not something they've ever tried to hide for any Doctor (not that they could either). Jodie's doing press about it rn.

Incidentally, is your partner a fan of Jodie's Doctor? Because if so, I might caution against hiding that this is her last ep... I only say that because when I was getting my wife into Doctor Who, she grew really attached to the Tennant/Rose duo in S2, and I didn't tell her that Doomsday was going to be the end of that (to not spoil the ending). So when that happened and she realized that was the end of the Doctor and Rose traveling together, she was so fucking pissed at me all night for not warning her ahead of time lol. Learn from my mistakes!!

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

Jodie better get to come back for specials with the new team. She was great.

 

[Qwerty Keyboard]

Understood.

And the fact it's Jodie's last episode was put by Dwebble in the OP.

Gatwa and Tennant weren't though. And though the cat's out of the bag, personally I don't find it a massive inconvenience to at least try.

There's literally already a post in here where someone was surprised by one of those things and OP had to respond cryptically.

Click to shrink...

Eh, the usual rules apply for TV shows as far as I know. Anything officially announced or broadcast already is ok to discuss without spoiler tags.

Might be best to avoid this thread if you're worried of seeing something you don't want to.

 

[The Unsent]

Jodie better get to come back for specials with the new team. She was great.

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I think she was having a baby at that time of filming.

 

[Grue]

\been advertised by the BBC for the past year lol.

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Eh, the usual rules apply for TV shows as far as I know. Anything officially announced or broadcast already is ok to discuss without spoiler tags.

Click to shrink...

I've said my piece. Not judging anyone, I know not everyone agrees, don't mean to derail.

when I was getting my wife into Doctor Who, she was so fucking pissed at me all night for not warning her ahead of time lol. Learn from my mistakes!!

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It was very funny to watch her reaction to Rose because she started with The Eleventh Hour, before going back and watching from Eccleston's debut.

She had the companion equivalent of a 'my first Doctor' bond with Amy, as the companion, that I think totally colored her relationship with Rose.

From her perspective, Amy was the 'first face' her Doctor saw, and then she goes back to series one and there's this Rose chick who thinks she's important. In fact I remember at the end of Doomsday she asked me "Do you think the Doctor loved Rose?", and I could hear the complete distaste in her voice.

Anyway to your question. She doesn't hate Jodie but she's really not getting on with the era. I think whatever happens at the end of this one will truly make her excited though.

 

[Ramala]

Excited for chibnall era to be over on Sunday.

Click to shrink...

100% this. Never fallen off a show I loved so hard as chinball's era.

 

[odiin]

100% this. Never fallen off a show I loved so hard as chinball's era.

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Yeah, we went from Doctor Who to Doctor Who Cares really quickly.

 

[DECK’ARD]

Jodie is very likeable, but it's telling in 3 series there isn't one episode I'd want to rewatch.

She was really let down by Chibnall.

 

[RyanPrime_]

Jodie is very likeable, but it's telling in 3 series there isn't one episode I'd want to rewatch.

She was really let down by Chibnall.

Click to shrink...

Fugitive of the Judoon is probably one of the only ones I'd say

 

[sir_crocodile]

Ace better survive and be well written chibbers you hack

 

[RetroMG]

Genuinely excited... to see Sacha Dhawan as the Master again. He's pretty much been the only bright spot of the whole Chibnall era.

There's always Big Finish.

Click to shrink...

I'm genuinely interested to see what happens with this. She's been a terrific doctor, she's just been given absolute garbage to work with. I bet she'll shine in Big Finish like Colin Baker and Paul McGann did.

 

[PlanetSmasher]

Jodie better get to come back for specials with the new team. She was great.

Click to shrink...

She's already said she's interested if Davies will have her, she just wants to make sure the new folks have their time to shine. Which is a respectful way to do it, I think.

 

[Blader]

Fugitive of the Judoon is probably one of the only ones I'd say

Click to shrink...

Even knowing the twist ahead of time, it's a great episode. Though Jodie is more along for the ride than really actively driving the plot, haha.

 

[Naijaboy]

Jodie is very likeable, but it's telling in 3 series there isn't one episode I'd want to rewatch.

She was really let down by Chibnall.

Click to shrink...

Rosa's the only one I can think of.

And there's Resolution and Eve of the Daleks too.

 

[The Unsent]

Rosa's the only one I can think of.

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The Thirteenth Doctor's period piece episodes are generally good fun, Rosa, Demons of the Punjab, The Witchfinders, Nikola Telsa's Night of Terrors, Haunting of Villa Diaota, Village of the Angels.

 

[VorpalNonsense]

goodbye to Whittaker and good riddance to Chibnall
I am beyond ready for what comes next

 

[Dwebble]

To be clear- I chose to restrict the OP to what's been officially revealed, but I'm not going to put a blanket requirement over the thread to do the same.

There's been enough out there that we can reasonably intuit what's going on, but there's not a smoking gun (there are plenty of people who don't believe that Tennant's showing up on Sunday), and I think it's reasonable to consider it speculation based on what's been officially released. That's just me, though!