Although it won’t be screened until December, the end of an era has begun, as filming for the 2017 Christmas special ended earlier today.
This is the final episode of the Twelfth Doctor’s tenure, and the last under Steven Moffat’s reign as showrunner – the writer being a driving force in the show since taking over the head job for Series 5; his first in-canon work for the show, however, was 2005’s The Empty Child/ The Doctor Dances. Suffice to say, this is very momentous.
The special, expected to screen on BBC One on Christmas Day, is directed by Rachel Talalay (World Enough and Time/ The Doctor Falls) and co-stars David Bradley as the First Doctor, presumably in an adventure that takes place between the final few scenes of The Tenth Planet, with the two incarnations of the Time Lord – both first of their respective regenerative cycles – refusing to change their faces.
This naturally won’t be a time for the Doctor Who team to put their feet up: aside from the fact Chris Chibnall’s era will soon start, this festive special will go into post-production, meaning Steven Moffat, Brian Minchin, and Rachel Talalay will be busy for some time!
Nonetheless, a gathering of fans arrived at Roath Lock Studios, Cardiff, to give them a fair send-off, and Peter Capaldi and co. came outside to greet them all. He’s just that sort of a guy. By which I mean, awesome. Apparently, Mark Gatiss (The Unquiet Dead; Empress of Mars) was also on set to witness this sad occasion.
We’ll have to wait to hear more news from the special (including a preview at the San Diego Comic Con), but for now, there’s rumour that its title is The Doctors – though that might just be a preliminary title.