Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *
Cast: Matt Smith, Jenna-Louise Coleman, John Hurt, Alex Kingston, Richard E. Grant, Neve McIntosh, Catrin Stewart, Dan Starkey, Eve de Leon, Kassius Carey Johnson, Nasi Voustsas, David Avery, Michael Jenn, Rab Affleck, Samuel Irvine, Sophie Downham, Paul Kasey.
As cliff hangers of a series go there really hasn’t been any bigger for Doctor Who than the episode The Name of the Doctor. The final reveal, the imagined gleeful smirk on Stephen Moffat’s face as he wrote perhaps one of the single most impressive endings, middles, starts and all points in between in the history of the programme’s 50 years coupled alongside the honouring of all those that played the character with style and with great images will go down in the history as the game changer. It was the moment that all the fans knew about their favourite Timelord was reduced to dust and built back up with even more questions than could have ever been imagined. No question more pressing it seems than how can the B.B.C. have just one episode to look forward to till the festive season.
The fanboards have been in a near state of perpetual meltdown as people discussed what the episode’s title actually meant, the horror, the thrill of finally finding out what the Doctor’s name was, meant that some missed the whole delicious point of it all, it is not the name that is important but what it represents and it seems that at one juncture in time, that was forgotten.
Stephen Moffat has taken some stick of late for the way he has handled the popular series but this is a man who has the series, the Doctor at his heart and in that the fans should trust to deliver, even if it goes round the houses and takes a few weeks to get there. That is part of the enjoyment…you cannot open every birthday present at once.
With the Doctor facing his future and his pasts, the respectful nods to the genius of the programme by having images of Patrick Troughton, William Hartnell, Colin Baker, Jon Pertwee and all the other incarnations being spliced into this 21st Century homage should appeal to all. To have Clara being the one responsible for them, by default humanity saving the Doctor’s life rather than a fellow Timelord was a touch worth having on screen as it shows the only one who can really defeat the Doctor is The Doctor himself.
It doesn’t get much bigger than this, an anniversary send off before the show hits 50 in November can only be played out in such a way. From the malevolent re-introduction of the calculating Great Intelligence/Dr. Simeon in the form of the wonderful Richard E. Grant was excellent, the tidying up of the Doctor/River Song arc with the reminder of the back story a gentle and loving touch and above all the interaction between Matt Smith, the terrified, the alarmed Doctor and Clara, the sublime Jenna-Louise Coleman showed once again why Stephen Moffat’s writing is beyond rebuke.
For every fan/geek/loyal viewer, the squeal of delight and utter surprise that must have emanated from every single living room might still be somewhere in the ether come November, it’s going to be a long wait.
Ian D. Hall