The first clip from the upcoming Doctor Who Christmas special has now arrived online, after debuting as part of the BBC’s Children in Need celebrations in the UK.
Titled “Twice Upon A Time,” the special will follow on from the season 10 finale, when a dying Twelfth Doctor encountered his first incarnation, who was similarly on the cusp of regeneration. In this episode, the two Time Lords will have to pair up to save time and gain an unlikely companion in the form of Mark Gatiss’ Captain, a soldier from the First World War.
The clip showcases an important moment from the episode, as it sees the First Doctor realizing that this crazy Scottish man with his own TARDIS is actually a version of himself from the future. It also gives us another fun “it’s bigger on the inside” reaction to the vehicle from Gatiss’ character. Seeing as the Sherlock creator is a lifelong fan of Doctor Who, it must have been a dream come true for him to act out this scene with not one, but two Doctors.
Meanwhile, once the Time Lords know they’re one in the same, the First Doctor doesn’t react too positively to his Twelfth self. “I assumed I’d get… younger?” Doctor Numero Uno complains, in a callback to all the fuss that was caused when the 50-something Peter Capaldi was cast after the 30-something Matt Smith back in 2013 – which seems awfully quaint now that we’re about to have the first ever female Doctor next year.
All in all, this clip is a nifty little preview for “Twice Upon a Time,” except that it doesn’t feature one of its main players; Pearl Mackie is also set to appear for the final time as Bill Potts, to see her Doctor off before he regenerates into number Thirteen.
Be sure to catch the full episode when Doctor Who returns to our screens on Christmas Day.