Time Crash

"I'm you with a new face!"

Writer: Steven Moffat 

Format: TV

Broadcast: 16th November 2007

Series: 2007 Children in Need Special

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Fifth Doctor

Synopsis 

Following the Master turning the TARDIS into a paradox machine, the Doctor's rebuilding is almost complete. But with the shields down two TARDISes merge as one and the Tenth Doctor gets a visit from a familiar face from the past

Verdict

Time Crash is an absolutely wonderful little mini episode produced for Children in Need back in 2007! John Barrowmen said it would be fantastic in his introduction on stage with Terry Wogan and he wasn't wrong. I absolutely adore everything about the minisode that continues directly onwards from Martha's departure in Last of the Time Lords. I like how this episode explained that the Doctor was rebuilding, or had done already, the TARDIS after the Master's meddling converting it into a paradox machine. That was the only little quarrel I had with the aforementioned story because it was already a paradox machine before 8.02am when President Winters was assassinated but now that's been explained it added a lot to this little marvellous eight minutes. When things went wrong and the TARDIS shifted in and out of existence, the fumbling around between the Tenth and Fifth Doctors was brilliant. They apologised for getting into each other's way! But then things soon came into realisation and the Fifth Doctor was not happy! The dialogue that followed between the pair was just tremendous. The Tenth Doctor made a mockery of nearly everything his previous incarnation did. He disapproved of the fashion sense - particularly the celery - and then went on to mock the glasses, or "brain specs" that weren't actually needed at all and simply worn to make the Doctor look more impressive and intelligent. I really loved the humour when the Tenth Doctor proclaimed to be seeing the back of his own head! Another superb moment, even if it wasn't the same head he currently had. Steven Moffat proves with this minisode that he can not only write amazing storylines and complex arcs, but that he can do humour as well. Now, with a multi-Doctor story that's a whole lot easier to find but still, I was very impressed. The threat of blowing a whole in the space-time continuum that was the size of Belgium was a good consequence of two TARDISes merging together. The Fifth Doctor not immediately noticing the change of TARDIS interior was great and I loved the implication that it can be simply changed like a desktop theme on a computer. It actually would explain a lot! The Fifth Doctor thinking the Tenth Doctor was a fan of his was magnificent with a shock reference to LINDA and Love and Monsters. I'm not sure that'd be on top of my list when it comes to mentioning past adventures. But after the Tenth Doctor saved the day, remembering what he had seen some time before in his fifth incarnation and getting both Doctors on friendly terms, some wonderful references followed. We had mentions of Nyssa and Tegan from the Tenth Doctor which I thought was nice seeing that he does remember his companions from long ago. Then he remembered the events of Earthshock with reference to the Cybermen and then also Kinda and Snakedance with mention of the Mara. I also loved how the Fifth Doctor referred to the Master's beard as being rubbish. Poor old Anthony Ainley. The goodbye was emotionally heartfelt and I loved how the Tenth Doctor recalled loving being the Fifth Doctor, even if he went hands free and wore a vegetable. Overall, eight minutes of emotional excellence. 

Rating: 10/10