The Giggle

"Every single human being thinks they're right.

Writer: Russell T Davies

Format: TV

Broadcast: 09 December 2023

Series: 60th Anniversary Special 03

Featuring: Fourteenth Doctor, Donna, Mel, Fifteenth Doctor

Synopsis

When the human race is driven to insanity by the giggle of a mysterious puppet, the Doctor finds himself caught in ancient foe's deadly games.

Verdict

The Giggle was an extraordinary episode of Doctor Who to conclude the sixtieth anniversary run! These Specials have come and gone in a flash but crikey have they contained a lot. And this was easily the best of the bunch. This was enthralling for an hour with just so much going on. We knew from the cliffhanger at the end of Wild Blue Yonder that things were going to get straight into the action but it really didn’t stop did it? This was full throttle mayhem in the absolute best way. The Doctor being captured by UNIT because they were desperate was excellent and the fact that Kate gave him a massive embrace because they didn’t know how to fight the human race really sold the level of the threat. The concept of every single human being thinking they are right is brilliant and as if modern society isn’t bad enough anyway in believing that, the carnage that came from literally everyone not caring about the consequences was excellent. The Toymaker revelling in that chaos was sublime and his return was so emphatic. It honestly was extraordinary and gave a whole new emphasis on the level of power he had as a villain. I sincerely hope it’s not the last time we see him because Neil Patrick Harris must go down as one of the finest performances for a villain in the show’s history. The way he switched from the German and English accent and from fun to serious was exemplary. It was a chilling and comical performance at the same time with the absolute perfect balance. The moment where the Doctor recognises the Toymaker was also stunning with the little flashback to the original incarnations of both. The way the change of appearance was described was sublime as well and I loved the explanation of the Doctor playing a game with the Not-Things at the end of the universe in the previous episode was how he’d gotten into reality. Great stuff. The Toymaker being out for revenge after the Doctor won the trilogic game was magnificent and what he’d done to goad the Doctor was sublime. The puppet show of events that had happened to companions post Donna was an incredible scene. His reaction to the Doctor’s qualifying comments when it came to the deaths of Amy, Clara and Bill in screeching ‘well that’s alright!’ just oozed evil. I loved every second. Even the Flux was mentioned again in a big way! It was perfection. Speaking of which, the moment the Toymaker entered UNIT HQ with the Spice Girls number was just too good. It was up there with the Master’s Rasputin performance in The Power of the Doctor. So good. The return of Mel was a wonderful moment that almost goes forgotten in an episode as packed as this. Tennant sells it so well and the moment they do get a brief catch up is just lovely. Hearing how she stuck with Sabalom Glitz until he was 101 was quite something! And the Zingo humour was tremendous too. I thought the Doctor losjng to the Toymaker at high or low was a bit of a shock but then he was goaded into a best of three of such a long duration! But he’d played the old Doctor, he’d played this Doctor, so it was only right he played the next Doctor for this final encounter. That was so emphatic and having him use the galvanic beam was a fitting end to the Fourteenth Doctor. Or so we thought. The regeneration sequence was wonderful and I loved the final words for this incarnation, but then we had something new. A bi-generation as the Fifteenth Doctor was literally pulled out of the Fourteenth. I suspect this element of the story isn’t over yet as we head into the new series, and I’m still not quite sure how I feel about it. I thought it took a little bit away from that feeling of loss for the Fourteenth Doctor departing, except he hasn’t. It’s a bit weird but I’m willing to give it time and see if anything more comes of it moving forward. It was a unique way to introduce the new Doctor that’s for sure! He claims to only be okay now because the Fourteenth did settle down and enjoy his family with Donna, so does that mean the Fifteenth Doctor has all of the memories of his predecessor that are yet to come? It’s all a bit up in the air at the moment. I’ll leave Russell T Davies and his comments on the commentary alone because I’m not buying that every regeneration prior to this also resulted in a bi-generation as that just doesn’t make since, and thankfully it wasn’t seen on screen. That’s a bit far.  But for now having the Fifteenth Doctor join forces with the Fourteenth was brilliant. Catch was a simple way to defeat the Toymaker but he abode by the rules of play and the Doctor’s prize was for him to cease existing. The Toymaker having defeated the Master and put him in his gold tooth which survived and was picked up by another red-nailed woman was a fun way to honour Last of the Time Lords and point towards the future, as well as the Toymaker’s ominous warning of not playing games with The One Who Waits. That was intriguing and leaves me wanting more moving forward, especially with him mentioning that his legions were coming before falling into the box destined for UNIT’s vaults. I haven’t even mentioned the titular plot of the puppet that was the first character on television. That was tremendous. Overall though, plenty of questions and just an extraordinary episode! 

Rating: 10/10