Doctor Who Christmas Special scene ‘left everyone in tears’
BBC, Doctor Who Christmas Special 2017
Of course, we’re all expecting to sob at the goodbye of our beloved Twelfth Doctor as he turns into the new Doctor in the next episode of Doctor Who. But as we know from the synopsis of the episode, there’s quite a lot more going on in the episode. Too much could happen that could also make our eyes spring a leak.
According to the Radio Times, Radio 2 DJ Jo Whiley went on set to film for a documentary and was met with an emotional cast. But it wasn’t the regeneration they’d just shot, it was another scene entirely. Which scene? Of course, that’s under lock and key. But the DJ for the radio station did say that it was not the regeneration.
I speculated in the article when the synopsis came out, there are plenty of ‘could-be’ moments that would make anyone cry. The biggest one that sticks out is the not-so-hidden fact that Mark Gattis’s character is destined to die. While we all hope for a relatively happy Christmas special with no deaths, we know that time can’t always be rewritten.
Of course, there’s always the hope that the Doctor will make an exception like with Peter Capaldi’s own character in Fires of Pompeii. But I think that’s incredibly unlikely. I wouldn’t be surprised if what had just been filmed has very much to do with the World War I soldier Mark Gatiss plays.
We already saw a slightly heartbreaking moment that Gatiss played off extremely well in the clip during Children in Need. When the Doctor mentions there are two World Wars, the soldier is shocked. It’s a small moment, but Mark Gatiss plays the heartbreak of a soldier extremely well.
Jo Whiley had this to say:
"“Because of the poignancy of the scene that they were filming, which had less to do with the Doctor himself and more to do with the storyline. And everyone was in pieces.“And when you watch the Christmas Day episode, you’ll understand,” she went on. “It’s really very very clever, and very laced with emotion. It was less to do with the departure of the Doctor and more to do with the storyline.”"
This comes on the heels of the Radio Times reporting that David Bradley and Peter Capaldi were “blubbing” at a scene in the special. Is it just me or does this sound less Christmas-y by the moment? Of course, Steven Moffat would choose to go out this way.
Call me not-so-surprised we’re learning about so many crying reactions, given Moffat’s reputation. If there is one thing, I will say that it does seem to be a powerful episode.
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