The Night of the Doctor

"I'm a doctor, but probably not the one you were expecting."

Writer: Steven Moffat

Format: TV

Broadcast: 16 November 2013

Series: 50th Anniversary Minisode

Featuring: Eighth Doctor

Synopsis

On the eve of his most terrible battle, the Time Lord is faced with a choice that will change the course of his life. The darkest of days are about to begin.

Verdict

The Night of the Doctor was a tremendous minisode! Even eleven years on from initial broadcast this episode doesn’t feel like any less of a thrill. It’s an absolute joy to fill in the gap in those wilderness years and get a well deserved regeneration story for the Eighth Doctor! I was taken back to my initial reaction and feelings on broadcast when watching this episode again because it truly is just stunning. I’m not entirely sure how but I managed to avoid absolutely all spoilers regarding this and when I was watching I wasn’t entirely sure it was official! I couldn’t believe what I was watching. It was just a sheer joy. Even now in 2024, it still feels scandalous that we only have two on screen stories for the Eighth Doctor but this ensures that we get double the number! It’s a real treat. I think for just six or seven minutes, Paul McGann absolutely shines in reprising the role of the Eighth Doctor. I really think there ought to have been an entire televised series with him in the role, but Big Finish is doing a fine job in continuing his performed adventures. I think it’s such a lovely moment prior to the regeneration that the Doctor gets to name drop a number of his audio companions, but in hindsight now it seems like a big omission to have no mention of Liv Chenka! That was always going to happen though. Big Finish can’t be contained by a minisode and I like that his final line of being a bit more generic leaves things open ended there to cover future companions within the ongoing Eighth Doctor Adventures on audio. I think the episode does an incredible job in just six minutes of showcasing how terrible the Time War is and that’s all down to Cass really. Her reaction to being rescued by the Doctor is stunning and it’s so different to how we normally see people react. They’re usually thankful, but Cass would rather stay on a crashing ship than be rescued by a Time Lord. The Doctor was horrified and the statement from Cass about not knowing the difference between Daleks and Time Lords anymore is just perfect. From what we saw glimpsed in The End of Time and now expanded upon greatly in Big Finish’s numerous Time War adventures, that certainly does make sense. It’s good to know that the Eighth Doctor doesn’t want any part in the conflict, but the death of Cass now and his own demise brings him to the point of no return. Landing on Karn means he now had control over his regeneration thanks to the mysterious Sisterhood. After much discussion, he would become a warrior that will set the basis for a whole new unknown and suppressed incarnation of the Doctor. It’s terribly exciting! On a personal note, this was a fun little way to introduce my partner to the Eighth Doctor for the fort time and I think I’ll be able to convince her to watch The Movie in due course based on this. Watch this space! Getting a glimpse of the younger War Doctor post regeneration is fantastic and I like how this leads us in nicely to the fiftieth anniversary special. Overall, just brilliant!

Rating: 10/10