The Wild Reed: Well . . . Hello, Doctor!

Earlier this evening I watched “The Giggle,” the third and final Doctor Who 60th anniversary special. It did not disappoint. Indeed, it surprised in all kinds of unexpected ways.

Without giving too much away, hightlights included a chilling turn by Neil Patrick Harris as The Toymaker, a powerful adversary of the Doctor’s who first made his appearance in 1966 (played by Michael Gough); a welcome appearance of Jenna Redgrave in her recurring role as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, head of UNIT; and, of course, the big reveal: Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor.

Confused about multiple Doctors? Following is how Wikipedia explains this unique feature of Doctor Who while describing the show itself.

Doctor Who is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the universe in a time-travelling space ship called the TARDIS. The TARDIS exterior appears as a blue British police box, which was a common sight in Britain in 1963 when the series first aired. With various companions, the Doctor combats foes, works to save civilisations, and helps people in need.

Beginning with William Hartnell, thirteen actors have headlined the series as the Doctor. As of 2023, Ncuti Gatwa is set to lead the series as the Fifteenth Doctor.The transition from one actor to another is written into the plot of the series with the concept of regeneration into a new incarnation, a plot device in which a Time Lord “transforms” into a new body when the current one is too badly harmed to heal normally. Each actor’s portrayal is distinct, but all represent stages in the life of the same character, and together, they form a single lifetime with a single narrative. The time-travelling nature of the plot means that different incarnations of the Doctor occasionally meet. In 2017, Jodie Whittaker became the first woman to be cast in the lead role as the Thirteenth Doctor.

Gatwa had previously been announced as Whittaker’s successor as the programme’s lead, and many reports stated he would play the Fourteenth Doctor and that Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor would regenerate into an incarnation portrayed by Gatwa. Upon Whittaker’s final appearance as the character, she instead regenerated into a form seemingly similar to the Tenth Doctor. This character, portrayed by David Tennant [who had played the Tenth Doctor], was confirmed to be the Fourteenth Doctor, with later clarification that Gatwa would actually portray the Fifteenth Doctor.

Yeah, I know, that last part’s kinda confusing. . . . But be that as it may, Ncuti Gatwa did indeed appear at the very end of tonight’s final 60th anniversary special as the Fifteenth Doctor, booming what will surely become a line forever linked to this incarnation of the Doctor: “Will some one tell me what the hell is going on here!?”

An upcoming Christmas Day special will serve as Gatwa’s first full-length episode as the Doctor, with a whole season (the show’s fourteenth) following next year.

Although I’ve been a fan of Doctor Who since I was a child in Australia in the 1970s, I must admit I lost interest in the long-rinning show about twelve years ago. One reason for this is related to the death of actress Elisabeth Sladen.

You see, in the 1970s, Sladen appeared in Doctor Who as the Doctor’s time and space traveling companion Sarah Jane Smith. Decades later, Sladen repraised her role as Sarah Jane in a memorable 2006 episode of the rebooted Doctor Who. She then went on to have her own successful spin-off series, The Sarah Jane Adventures (2007-2011), though it was sadly cut short by her death from cancer. Knowing that there was now no possibility of Sladen ever appearing again as Sarah Jane Smith in the Doctor Who universe made it too sad for me to watch the show. She was (and remains) my favorite companion of the Doctor’s. Not surprisingly, then, I found the reference to Sarah Jane in tonight’s episode very touching; it was an acknowledgement of the character’s passing and a declaration of love for her from both the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Doctors.)

There were another reasons, however, and perhaps more fundamental ones, that ensured I avoided Doctor Who from around the time of the Eleventh Doctor (played by Matt Smith). Basically, I grew weary of showrunner and head writer Russell T Davis’s obvious disdain for spirituality as expressed in any form of human religious experience that is life-enriching and grounding. Related to this, I become tired of actors playing a manic Doctor. I longed for a Doctor who embodied some gravitas, who wasn’t constantly manic and flighty. I have no idea if the creators of the show (Davis in particular) plan on having Ncuti Gatwa play a calmer, less manic Doctor. Judging from Gatwa’s Doctor in tonight’s episode, it could go either way. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

I close with a compilation of excerpts from various reviews of tonight’s “The Giggle,” the third and final Doctor Who 60th anniversary special. Enjoy!

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As the year is coming to a close, so is the 60th anniversary celebration for Doctor Who. The wait for the return of this long-running sci-fi series felt like forever, but the new David Tennant-led specials have been worth it. With the third special, “The Giggle”, Tennant’s time as the Doctor is coming to an end before Ncuti Gatwa takes over as the 15th Doctor. Does anyone else have a pit in their stomach, or is that just me?

It’s been a wild ride across these three specials, which have all been written by returning showrunner Russell T. Davies. “The Star Beast” saw the return of Donna Noble (Catherine Tate), as well as some monsters deep from the Doctor Who lore.

[Last week’s] “Wild Blue Yonder” took the Doctor and Donna to the furthest reaches of space, confronting them with some harsh realities. They finally return home in “The Giggle,” however, there’s something off. . . . The people of Earth are in disarray, with the world descending into chaos. Everyone is combative, however, it’s unclear at first what is causing worldwide panic and anger. That is, until the Doctor and Donna work with UNIT and discover the giggle of a mysterious puppet that has pushed the people to the brink of insanity.

This creepy-as-hell puppet brings about an even scarier adversary from the Doctor’s past. The Toymaker (Neil Patrick Harris) has had a lot of time to think about his revenge against the Doctor and isn’t about to walk away.

. . . Tennant is completely in his element in “The Giggle”, with a brilliant mix between the angry Time Lord of Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor and the energetic silliness of 10 and 11. He’s grown so much since we’ve last seen this face and David Tennant does a fantastic job of showcasing that balance. There are scenes in the first thirty minutes that leave me in awe of his abilities, so much so that I got chills or even teared up in a few places. However, I also experienced similar feelings from Catherine Tate’s performance as Donna in the episode. I cannot praise either of these two enough for the wonderful work they bring to these specials.

While a part of me would have loved to see more familiar faces brought back for the 60th-anniversary specials, I also couldn’t imagine any other story than the ones we got with the characters involved.

– Brian Kitson
Excerpted from “Doctor Who: ‘The Giggle’ Is the
Best of the 60th Anniversary Specials”
The Cosmic Circus
December 9, 2023

Doctor Who just delivered what equates to a series finale with “The Giggle,” taking fans on one last incredible journey with the Doctor before ushering in a new era of the franchise. As the third and final 60th anniversary special, “The Giggle” carries the weight of bringing David Tennant’s story as the Fourteenth Doctor to an end and kicking off the long-awaited introduction of Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor. With Gatwa’s first full episode as the Doctor coming in a few weeks on Christmas Day, “The Church on Ruby Road” will serve as a soft reboot for Doctor Who.

. . . Simultaneously a breathtaking ending and a beautiful beginning, “The Giggle” . . . is both terrifying and hilarious. It’s heart-pounding and emotional to watch the Doctor face his oldest adversary while he fights to protect the people of Earth that he can’t help but love despite never being able to say the words. “The Giggle” has something for everyone, with reunions and references that will delight fans of classic Who and just as many for those who’ve only seen the newer iteration. And for those who haven’t seen either, the audience is still given enough information to know exactly why these moments are so emotional.

. . . At UNIT HQ, the Doctor is treated to [a] reunion with the return of classic Who companion Melanie “Mel” Bush (Bonnie Langford). For those who don’t know, Mel was one of the Sixth and Seventh Doctor’s companions, appearing in 20 episodes in the 1980s. She ended her time with the Doctor of her own volition, heading off to have her own adventures among the stars. It’s such a sweet moment, and as a brilliant computer programmer, Mel plays a crucial role in the episode and the goings on at UNIT, setting her up for a recurring role in the new season with the Fifteenth Doctor.

. . . In addition to weaving a compelling high-stakes narrative for his characters, [Doctor Who showrunner and head writer Russell T] Davies also takes the opportunity to make some truly remarkable social commentary in this episode. Since its inception, Doctor Who has always been a clever allegory, with stories that bring awareness to issues of race, gender, capitalism, and climate in a way that, for some is hard to swallow, but is always necessary to hear. Davies has woven such commentary into each of these specials so far, laying out clear support for the LGBTQ community (of which he’s also a part). Now, in “The Giggle,” he addresses politics, anti-vaxxers, our dependence on technology, and the simple folly of the human ego. And while the Doctor doesn't shy away from any of the darkness dwelling in humanity, he also notes that this doesn’t negate our goodness, the desire to be better, and the worthiness of our continued existence.

– Samantha Coley
Excerpted from “Doctor Who – ‘The Giggle’:
A Surprising Knockout of a Special”
Collider
December 9, 2023

Doctor Who’s trilogy of 60th anniversary specials comes to an end with “The Giggle,” the biggest and, by quite some way, the boldest episode of this show for many years. There’s a returning enemy, a global threat, and a long-awaited regeneration - but that’s just the half of it.

In some ways these episodes have mimicked the structure of returning showrunner Russell T Davies’ seasons past. “The Star Beast” was a fun and frothy family adventure reminiscent of season-openers like “Rose” or “Partners In Crime.” Last week’s “Wild Blue Yonder” recalled the show’s mid-season turns to the weird in episodes like “Midnight.” “The Giggle,” then, is a classic RTD season finale, epic in scale, with wild swings of tone and mood, big ideas, UNIT battles – and a dance.

. . . Neil Patrick Harris makes for a wonderfully sinister villain – by turns camp, silly, and genuinely terrifying. A handful of throwaway lines may hint at bigger threats to come (and perhaps the return of another old enemy), but there's something unknowable, strange, and – as the Doctor puts it – “elemental” about this character.

“The Giggle” takes many bizarre and surprising twists and turns across its 61-minute run-time, including a visit to Soho in 1925 (which provides the episode with a distinctly creepy image in the laughing form of ventriloquist dummy Stooky Bill) and a memorable raid on the huge new UNIT headquarters (which has strong Avengers Tower vibes and will surely be an easy target in the next alien invasion). It’s all leading up to a moment that we’ve known has been coming for the last 19 months: the regeneration of David Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor into Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth incarnation. . . . Gatwa makes an immediately winning first impression: charismatic, funny, and with an edge of unpredictable danger. I can’t wait to see where this Doctor goes and what they do next.

– Will Salmon
Excerpted from “Doctor Who – ‘The Giggle’:
A Near-Perfect End That Signals
a Bright Future Ahead”
GamesRadar.com
December 9, 2023

[The Doctor’s bi-generation was the] most powerful scene to me. The Doctor finally being kind to himself! Allowing himself to stop running. Permission to forgive, grief, mourn, process and heal. No one else can do that for you. Sometimes YOU have to be the one saving yourself. What a message.

– Sonic Screwdriver Doctor Who
December 15, 2023

The Wild Reed

Saturday, December 09, 2023

Well . . . Hello, Doctor!

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