Doctor Who: “My name is Davros” – Looking back on one of the greatest opening scenes ever

We look back on one of the best opening scenes in Doctor Who history – the moment the Doctor was shocked by a child’s name…

A child is stranded in a minefield, with no chance of rescue. The sonic screwdriver is thrown towards him. The Doctor makes his grand entrance and gives a hugely motivational speech. It’s a classic way to begin a Doctor Who episode, and comes across as a typical heroic moment for the Doctor – that is, until he finds out the child’s name…

Recently, we looked back at the Twelfth Doctor story The Magician’s Apprentice/The Witch’s Familiar. The two-parter still holds up well as a Davros story – in fact, in some ways, it suits the villain better than his earlier appearance in The Stolen Earth/Journey’s End. It’s not perfect, but it is an enjoyable series opener.

However, if there’s one moment that stands out, it’s the opening scene. Honestly, it’s a huge moment in Doctor Who history in its own right and has to be one of the best opening scenes we’ve ever had. There are a few key reasons for this.

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Shocking the audience

Firstly, there’s the shock factor. While there had been widely spread rumors about Davros’s return, and even hints that this story would explore a key question the Doctor asked back in Genesis of the Daleks, absolutely nothing had been officially confirmed by the BBC. In all the promotion for Series 9 pre-broadcast, there wasn’t anything confirming or even hinting at Davros’s return. (Quite frankly, I don’t think we can appreciate how much restraint the BBC had at this point until they started promoting John Simm’s return in Series 10 – a return that Moffat definitely wanted to be a surprise.)

So when the boy reveals that his name was “Davros”, it’s a massive shock for the audience. Yes, there were rumors, but it’s one thing to hear those rumors and another to find out that they were true. Honestly, that reveal was probably one of the best surprises of the New Series.

There’s another reason why the scene works so well. As mentioned, initially, it plays out like your typical Doctor Who rescue. Discovering that this innocent child caught up in a minefield grows up to be one of the Doctor’s greatest enemies completely subverts it. It goes from being a heroic moment to a truly horrifying one – one that’s heavily sold by Peter Capaldi, who’s reaction is absolutely perfect. Letting the camera cover all the emotions his Doctor feels in that moment was a particularly brilliant choice.

In many ways, the opening of The Magician’s Apprentice is the equivalent of The Stolen Earth‘s cliffhanger – it’s big, it’s bold, and features one of the biggest shocks of the series. A real highlight from the Twelfth Doctor’s era.

What are your thoughts on this key moment? Do you think it’s one of Doctor Who‘s best opening scenes? Do you think the rest of the story lived up to it? Let us know in the comments below.