The BBC generally keep Doctor Who spoilers locked up tight as a drum. Almost nobody saw Jodie Whittaker’s casting coming, with most people having grudgingly accepted that gangly goof Kris Marshall was a shoe-in. Since then, the prospect of the first woman Doctor has blown some life into a show that has seen ratings gradually declining over the last few seasons. So, no doubt the Doctor Who team will be absolutely steaming now that BBC America has inadvertently leaked a synopsis of the highly anticipated Christmas special, “Twice Upon A Time.”
The leak came courtesy of their online store, where a Blu-ray copy of the upcoming episode was made available to pre-order. Before it was taken down, it read:
“Two Doctors stranded in a forbidding snowscape, refusing to face regeneration. And a British army captain seemingly destined to die in the First World War, but taken from the trenches to play his part in the Doctor’s story. This is the magical last chapter in the Twelfth Doctor’s epic adventure. He must face his past to decide his future. And the Doctor will realise the resilience of humanity, discovering hope in his darkest frozen moment. It’s the end of an era. But the Doctor’s journey is only just beginning.”
Not wanting to face regeneration is becoming a pretty regular theme in Doctor Who. A tear-streaked David Tennant famously “didn’t want to go,” Matt Smith became a wizened old man stretching what he thought was his last regeneration out as long as possible, and now Peter Capaldi is once more keeping a fierce grip on his TARDIS. Perhaps the presence of the First Doctor, played by David Bradley (who’s an uncanny lookalike of William Hartnell) will egg him on a bit. After all, every end is a new beginning for Doctor Who.
We’ll know for certain on Christmas Day, when Jodie Whittaker takes her first momentous steps as the Doctor, presumably accompanied by the intense wailing of misogynistic manchildren who won’t be able to accept a lady in the role.
