5 best nods to the Classic Series in ‘Twice Upon a Time’ trailer

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After the release of the trailer for this year’s Christmas special, we took a look at five major and minor nods to the Classic Series in ‘Twice Upon a Time’.

So that was an exciting teaser, wasn’t it? After the constant debate and arguing over the casting of the Thirteenth Doctor among fandom, it was great to focus on something else, something that most of fandom can be very happy about.

This was especially true for fans of the Classic Series. Despite barely having a minute’s length, there was a lot of Classic Series mythology shown in the trailer.

Immediately beginning with…

A recreation of ‘The Tenth Planet’

Using a clip from the original classic story The Tenth Planet before merging into Twice Upon a Time was a bold choice. The fact that they could do it so seamlessly shows a lot of promise for David Bradley as the First Doctor.

I also like that, like The Day of the Doctor before it, we’re given a specific time frame for the previous Doctor. The fact that it’s set so specifically during Hartnell’s final story shows that there’s a storytelling reason why this is being done, which I appreciate. I love when previous Doctors come back, but it’s usually more satisfying when there’s a reason for it in the story, at least.

How much of a recreation will we see? Well, I’m hoping to see more Mondasian Cybermen, at least, which I’m sure we will. One return we know will be guaranteed, though?

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Polly!

I must admit, I have a soft spot for Polly. Well, particularly for Ben & Polly. To me, like Ian & Barbara and the Ponds, they’re one of those teams that come as a pair.

It was recently announced that Lily Travers will playing the role in Twice Upon a Time. I hope she does it well. I’m sure it won’t be much more than a cameo appearance, as the First Doctor seems to be away from his companions when he’s with Capaldi’s Doctor. Still, like I said, I’m a fan of the character, so I hope she performs it just right.

I also hope that Ben shows up, even briefly, and he’s performed by the right actor, too. I’ll be curious to see if they get Elliot Chapman, who plays the role in Big Finish’s audios, to perform the role on television. His impression of original actor Michael Craze is extraordinary, although perhaps that might not be as effective on screen. I’m excited to see what happens, anyway.

And just as important to the series as the Doctor and his companions?

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Original console room

It’s seen very briefly, but I’m still excited about it: the First Doctor’s console room. I love the original white set. That original design lasted for years, across three incarnations, and for good reason. It’s simple, but it’s still so iconic.

It won’t be the first time that we’ve seen David Bradley in that console room, at least not exactly. In the documentary drama An Adventure in Space and Time, naturally, we saw plenty of it when he was playing William Hartnell. And he suited it so brilliantly, too. It’ll be great to see him at the controls in the show itself.

While we did see a version of that console room in Hell Bent – for a completely different TARDIS, of course – it’ll be nice to see Twelve in the original room, at least. And vice versa, of course – it’ll be cool to see the First Doctor in Twelve’s TARDIS, after all.

Speaking of the original TARDIS…

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Original Police Box exterior

I love how they’ve really gone for the old-school look for the Police Box exterior. It’s not just a matter of making the windows look different – everything, from the exact shade of blue to making sure that it’s a little smaller than the current one, has been lovingly recreated. It’s one of those details that just adds that much more authenticity to getting the era exactly right.

Not every multi-Doctor story has been so concerned with this in the past. The Two Doctors, while enjoyable for the return of both Patrick Troughton and Frazer Hines as Jamie, is absolutely full of huge continuity errors. Errors that a lot of fans and writers have been trying hard to fix ever since! So it’s good to see that details like the TARDIS exterior and The Tenth Planet have been carefully considered.

By the way, I should stress that The Two Doctors isn’t that bad. In fact, there’s already a direct reference to it in the trailer for Twice Upon a Time.

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A great Sixth Doctor quote

This was a smaller reference, but I appreciated it. When Mark Gatiss’s character asks if either One or Twelve is a Doctor, Twelve’s response is:

"Are you trying to be funny?"

It’s a nice little reference to a similar reaction the Sixth Doctor had in The Two Doctors. When he seemed to be falling ill, his companion Peri asked if he should see a doctor. His response was of course, word for word, exactly what Capaldi’s Doctor will later say.

Usually, in multi-Doctor stories, a quote will be referenced. A very particular quote, actually.

"You’ve had this place redecorated, haven’t you? I don’t like it."

Originally said by Troughton in The Three Doctors, that quote has been referenced in several stories. Not all of them multi-Doctor ones. But, while I do like the quote, and do hope it gets referenced in the special, I am glad that we’ve got another nice little reference, as well.

Next: SDCC: What we learned about the Doctor Who Christmas Special

When Christmas comes around and we get to see Twice Upon a Time in full, I’m sure there’ll be even more Classic references for me to write about. But it’s nice that, after just seeing a single minute, we’ve already seen a very effective use of the mythology of the Classic Series. I can’t wait to see what other references are in store.