The Cutprice Guignol

Well, it’s been a while since I last chatted to you all about Doctor Who, and I know how painful that must be for all of you; as the internet’s premier, most respected, and objectively hottest Doctor Who recapper, it seems only right I should come down from my daybed that I share with two cats golden mountain to gift you some opinions on the new trailer. Truly, I am naught if I am not a benevolent queen.

Anyway. Let’s take a look at the trailer!

While I still have issues with the way that David Tennant was re-introduced in the show, I am not at all sad about him making a return for this special. There’s a reason he’s such a huge fan favourite, and a big part of that, for me, is how much obvious joy he brings to the role – David Tennant loves being the Doctor, and it shows. For something as huge as the sixtieth anniversary, it feels only right to bring back someone so beloved by the fandom, someone so utterly uncontroversial in the role that it’s not going to distract from the actual content of these three episodes; I still would have preferred to see Ncuti Gatwa get his regeneration moment in Jodie’s final episode, but, if scheduling conflicts had to keep him away, David Tennant is the right choice to step in (even if I would have fed my family into a wood chipper to see Jo Martin get to take on this special).

And to bring back David Tennant is to essentially guarantee that Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) is coming with him. For me, this partnership is still pretty much my favourite thing the show has ever done; the chemistry between Tate and Tennant is spectacular, whether it’s dramatic, comedic, or a blend of the two, and the lack of a romantic subplot (as there would have been with, say, Rose coming back) again allows for the focus to be on the stories as opposed to a will-they-won’t-they. The opening to this trailer – Donna asking if this Doctor has come back to say goodbye – just feels perfect, a chance to finally give us a more mutual conclusion to one of the show’s most significant relationships. I just know Donna will have me over an emotional barrell by the end of these specials, and I’m so here for it.

Neil Patrick Harris is the wild card here, but I’m actually really looking forward to seeing him take on a major villainous role like this – from Doctor Horrible to Series of Unfortunate Events to Glee, if there’s one thing Harris does well, it’s big, campy bad guy shot through with this emotional edge to make the stories really land. His styling is gorgeous in this trailer, and, while this does look rather like the Master’s Sound of Drums run, I’m interested to see what Davies does with such a huge and screen-commanding performer.

Are you looking forward to the sixtieth anniversary special? What do you think of this trailer (and everything else we’ve seen from this trio of episodes so far)? Let me know in the comments!

If you liked this article and want to see more stuff like it, please check out the rest of my Doctor Who reviews!

(header image via Nerd Stash)