User Reviews

It's Christmas in Victorian London and The 10th Doctor shows up there currently companionless which will be important. On arriving he hears a woman screaming for The Doctor but when he gets there he meets what seems to be the product of a future regeneration (complete with a companion named Rosita -- Very subtle, Mr Davies!) but this new Doctor has no memory of anything from before he recently got attacked by Cybermen. This is an interesting idea that RTD wastes no time playing around with.

The titular character is, of course, not an incarnation of The Doctor but is in fact a human named Jackson Lake who got attacked by a group of Cybermen and, through an astoundingly unlikely series of events came to believe he was a newly regenerated Doctor. David Morrisey plays the role and does a pretty good job of it too. It allows for a nice role-reversal as David Tennant's Tenth Doctor is relegated to companion to Lake's apparent Doctor and RTD uses this concept to its full potential, taking advantage of the current absence of a companion, and you'll really wish Morrisey could be The Doctor at some point in the future -- although that's pretty much impossible now.

The weak point of the episode lands in the tricky balancing act of maintaining Lake's story at the same time as that of the villain, Mercy Hartigan, who is working with the Cybermen to awaken their king that they may conquer the universe. Hartigan is played by Dervla Kirwan who does her best with what she has to work with but sadly her character is wasted. What starts as a cruel and calculated menacing figure when she turns up at a funeral and deadpans that several invitees are to die doesn't take long to descend into pantomime territory as she ends up piloting a giant Cyberman that threatens to crush London.

The giant Cyberman is the Cyberking and it is a poorly realised monster. It is effectively an oversized steampunk Cyberman and the production team seem very self-aware of the ridiculousness of it as we only get to see it properly a couple of times as The Doctor's main confrontation with it is actually with its pilot Miss Hartigan. Tennant and Kirwan both deliver a great performance here but the situation is a little daft and it falls to the two actors to make it work. Thankfully they do exactly that with ease and the end result is a very memorable confrontation as the villain is, upon her defeat, ultimately a victim of her own actions but her demise is still very unpleasant, especially for a Christmas Special.

This is not quite an excellent episode but still very good and, most importantly for a Christmas Special, lots of fun. Davids Tennant and Morrisey are both excellent together and if you ignore the poor production of the Cyberking at the end you'll find an episode that is extremely creative and manages to pull off a bizarre set of ideas with a surprising level of success. 8/10

The Next Doctor as a whole was "okay". The script was very dull. The saving grace was David Morrissey playing the said 'Next Doctor'. His performance was astoundingly good - really exceptional - he gave it all he had; but definitely wasn't OTT (like his counterpart). Mr Morrissey exhibited a quality well above this production, and it blew me away. I shall certainly be looking out for him in future. The stand-out factor of the show was the giant robot at the end rising from the Thames and stomping on Olde Worlde London; it really did look fantastic and the CGI dept did a very fine job indeed. The big aspect of the show that genuinely upset me was their use of a REAL graveyard to shoot a Cyberman group attack scene; it was covered with paper snow and the actors were running/falling all over the graves, which for me personally isn't acceptable for any production. The graveyard could easily have been constructed in a studio, thus negating this most disrespectful behaviour. Overall, not a bad show; however it was just the talent of David Morrissey and the giant robot that saved it, otherwise it would have been totally forgettable.

This Doctor Who episode was featured as the main programme of the evening on Christmas Day 2008, I have to admit I'm not really a Dr Who Fanatic as I've only dipped in and out of the Current Series although I have found David Tennant The Best 'Doctor' of all time a huge improvement on Christopher Eccleston who made the character Too cocky and unlikeable.

The Story starts as The Doctor (David Tennant) arrives in London during the Christmas of 1851.... He soon becomes puzzled as there seems to be another 'Doctor' (David Morrissey) along with his companion Rosita (Velile Tshabalala)

Soon enough The Cybermen are on their tail along with a mysterious lady, Mercy Harttigan (Dervla Kirwan) and both men have to work together to defeat Evil and save the World.

Pretty Good Christmas Fare - One of the better episodes

****1/2 out of *****

This Christmas Special is very good. It has a very effective premise as it begins with a suggestion that the Doctor has possibly met a future incarnation of himself.

SPOILER ALERT:

This character, played brilliantly by David Morrissey, turns out to not be the Doctor and I think some viewers felt disappointed or tricked by this at the time but I think that it is the essence of good storytelling - present an exciting, intriguing situation and then bring the story round to a logical conclusion.

Davies could hardly impose the next Doctor on forthcoming Showrunner Steven Moffatt so there had to be an explanation. I felt the interest and anticipation provided by suggesting it WAS the next Doctor was really good and feel that viewers always wanting pay offs for their expectations are rather shallow. I enjoy having my expectations turned upside down if it is done well which this is. It can be compared to some fuss going on now with expectations of the 60th anniversary. We will only know the truth once we see it.

The storyline about Jackson Lake and his family is touching and interesting. What I like slightly less here is the Cybermen aspect: I was not a big fan of the Cyberking and one or two other bits.

The less satisfying aspects detract a little but it is overall a fun, entertaining adventure with David Tennant on usual great form. There is great humour, strong dialogue and fine acting from Dervla Kirwan as Miss Hartigan.

My Rating: 8/10.

The "Next Doctor" while perhaps an adequate episode, is for me the least effective and the least memorable of the "Doctor Who" Christmas specials.

The story has a familiar Christmas setting with shades of Dickens, from the Victorian setting to the orphans and the work houses, but it doesn't really seem to have the essence of the Christmas Spirit.

The performances overall are OK, David Morrisey is good as the next doctor but David Tennant is a little bit too subdued in my opinion.

The baddies for this episode just aren't inspired, we have seen plenty of Cyberrmen by now and the new Cyber creatures really do look just like guys in suits (harkening back to the classic series). Perhaps the biggest flaw lies in the lead antagonist Miss Hartigan. Her motivations while possibly working well to define the character do very little for the story.

As with most of the specials that would make up the following season I really felt the lack of a companion affected the formula and chemistry of the show, there were some strong guest stars who sometimes filled the companion role to a lesser or greater degree but it wasn't enough.

The "Next Doctor" seems to have all of the necessary ingredients to create a compelling episode but they just don't add up to what they could have.

'The Next Doctor' sees a triumphant return to form after the somewhat overblown and cluttered two-parter of The Stolen Earth/Journey's End, which preceded it.

There was many things to like about this episode. We start off with The Doctor in a very unique place in his life, with no companions to bounce off or converse with to share his ideas and theories. Still his exuberant self, he answers to the call of his name, at the same time David Morrissey comes on the scene.

This pre-credits scene immediately sets the tone of the episode, with a cracking interplay between the two leads, an exciting variation on the classic monster design through the cloaked cat-like Cybershades, and the backdrop of Victorian London perfectly capturing the essence of Yuletide.

Morrissey's performance is very heartfelt, and he provides the warmth and soul of a tortured man with a shrouded past, which unravels throughout the episode. Indeed, his character development as he finds his true self, coupled with the uplifting ending when he invites The Doctor for dinner, is certainly the most joyous and satisfying resolution of all the Christmas specials.

It's those final few minutes which proves there is redemption for The Doctor, after his heart's been broken almost beyond repair.

David Tennant once again gives a massively rewarding and enthusiastic performance, which showcases his best aspects; the action hero who balances emotional heft with a joyous gleeful buoyancy. It's this juggling of the multiple facets to The Doctor's character which reminds you how he so easily slipped into the role like a glove.

As for the villains, the reappearance of the Cyberman in old London town almost elicits a certain steampunk element, which is most evident when the orphaned children are forced into slave labour to build the monstrous Cyberking, all wheezing cogs and machinery bellowing out.

The set and costume design is handsomely mounted, and lends a very distinctive look to 'The Next Doctor'. This is encapsulated in the graveyard scene where the stark reds of Miss. Hartigan's clothing contrasts sharply against the drained blacks and greys of the rest of the congregation. As the Cybermen emerge from the misty snow, it's a terrifying sight which highlights their cold and oppressive presence.

We're treated to a thrilling and crowd-pleasing finale in the exhilarating climax, as The Doctor ascends into the sky to confront the fully-functional Cyberking. His defeat of the monster, followed by the cheer and jubilation of the townspeople below, is a rousing and enlivening close to what's been one of the most impressive episodes of Doctor Who in recent years.

It just goes to show it's not all about spectacle and bluster. 'The Next Doctor' is an affectionate celebration of the character, and is an electrifying opener to David Tennant's last leg in the role.

Firstly, to respond to some of the previous comments:

I thought David Morrissey's 'Doctor' quite successful as someone thinking he was the Doctor, but not as a genuine Doctor, but as he was only playing someone who thought he was the Doctor, I think the verdicts as to what he would have been like as a genuine Doctor rather irrelevant;

regarding the stethoscope hypothesis, this was done, at least in the broadcast shown on New Year's Day, and if the memory issue had been caused by something like the Doctor's or the Master's fob watch human conversions, the lack of a second heart would scarcely be conclusive;

finally, children from orphanages/workhouses (I didn't quite catch which) were a better choice for workers because adults would have been more likely to be noticed missing.

I really enjoyed the interplay between the two 'Doctors' and this is where the episode excelled, along with the mystery of who Morrissey's Doctor actually was.

Whether the companion Rosita was any better or worse than other companions, her similarity to Martha was too jarring to allow for any real feel for her own performance. She seemed rather modern to be a native of the mid 19th century. However, as a foil for the Doctors' conceitedness she was quite successful.

Miss Hartigan was quite excellent, although I wasn't entirely convinced by the explanation of her motivation.

The main downsides to the episode were the CyberShades and the CyberKing. The CyberShades were rubbish and could have come out of the very first season of the Hartnell era (except that they were trying to avoid the monster concept). The CyberKing (or giant robot) seemed completely out of character for the Cybermen as it would hardly be an efficient means of subjugating the world. It would have been more at home in a cartoon or Godzilla movie.

However I am willing to forgive the flaws for the sake of the Doctors' character development.

Just before It was revealed that Matt Smith was to step into David Tennant's shoes and replace him as the eleventh actor to play the Doctor. Many names were bandied about as to who that person might be. Writer/Executive producer Russel T. Davies took advantage of this speculation and penned "The Next Doctor" which would be 2008's Christmas special. The story revolves around the Doctor arriving in nineteenth-century London on Christmas Eve where he meets a strange man who goes by the same title. He looks totally dissimilar in physical appearance and wears different clothes but there are subtle similarities. The eccentric behaviour, as well as the Victorian wardrobe that the Time Lord would conceivably wear, he apparently has a sonic screwdriver and has a female companion, a young twenty-something who goes by the name of Rosita. Most eerie is that he also refers to himself as being a Time Lord.

So far everything sounds quite promising and so you would think but the story's premise is fairly good. The end result while not awful (as much of RTD's work on the show has shown) is a bit of a letdown. Good concept, so-so execution.

The performances though aren't part of the problem. David Tennant is as normal, on reliable form as ever while guest actor David Morrisey makes an instant impression as the pseudo-doctor of the title. He breathes a lot of energy into the part and shows much of the enthusiasm that Tennant himself has displayed throughout his tenure, as well as the requisite passion that you would expect the heroic lead to have. Velile Tshabalalaas as Rosita makes a decent feisty assistant who manages to gel well with her two male counterparts. Even if at times she verges on being a tad OTT in moments where she is called upon to show annoyance, anger, or hostility which undermines some of the more dramatic moments, my hat has to go off to Dervla Kirwan who is quite excellent as the human villain of the piece, Mercy Hartigan, a detestable, vile woman who Kirwan plays with the right touch of dry, cool menace and venom, allowing to, bring to life a memorably chilling villainess.

But these can't entirely compensate for some of the problems which arise in the script. Again we see the return of the alternative version of the excellent Cybermen that were introduced in 2006's "Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel". Although I can't say that I hate this new version they're not a patch on the original monsters which were previously seen in the classic series. Then there's the thought that rather than have the Cybermen relegated to being convenient villains rather than the main source of the story. Why not introduce a new threat that may have complimented the story? Then there are the newly introduced Cyber-dog creatures used by the Cybermen who just look like they were inspired by an old "Tom and Jerry" cartoon. Not forgetting that part of the plot relies on young urchins being exploited as a means of slave labour. Which isn't the most innovative of plot devices.

Some of the humor at times although appropriate in practically any "Doctor Who" episode, comes dangerously close to being too cartoonish at times. Not to mention slapstick. And the special's show-stopping climax which revolves around the rise of "The Cyber-king" is somewhat ludicrous given the number of witnesses who see the terrifying event, and yet no one in the future seems to have heard anything about it (with the possible exception of "Torchwood" which even then did not exist at the time where everything takes place). Nevertheless, there are some rather novel ideas thrown in which include the explanation as to who "The New Doctor" really is and why he believes himself to be the ancient Time Lord of legend, and an interesting (if a bit hackneyed) inclusion of a weather balloon. Davies also manages to keep things rolling along at a fairly even pace and there are still some genuinely exciting and fun moments to be enjoyed. One of which is a defining moment towards the end where Tennant's Doctor is forced to confront Miss Hartigan and the Cybermen more or less face to face, offering them an alternative to the cruel madness that they have in mind. It makes for what is a genuinely compassionate moment which you would expect from the noble time traveler.

Tag on a nicely placed coda where the false Doctor finally invites his new friend to Christmas dinner and "The Next Doctor" makes for a solid if an underwhelming end to the year which was 2008. It's just a shame that David Morrisey won't be taking over from Tennant as the new Doctor as he had the potential to be something great. But here's to Matt Smith and what he may bring to his tenure.

I enjoyed the story, the pacing, and especially Morrisey's acting. I would not have a problem with him being the next Doctor, tho we now know who will be. I did also enjoy Dervla Kirwan as 'Miss Hartigan'. Oh, and to all those who say the show was too silly, I must remind you all that "silly" is at the very core of the show. Come on, lighten up. Its a KIDS' show. One aspect I did not like: I am getting tired of this ending, which has been used a lot lately. The Doctor gives the villain a chance to give up and live, or be destroyed; the villain does not give up; the Doctor kills the villain. Just this once I would have liked to see 'Miss Hartigan' repent/survive. After all, she was sort of a victim here, too. She never wanted to be CyberKing. Was she a villain, yes. Did she deserve to die, perhaps not. The Doctor could have thought of a way to save her. One reviewer mentioned the crassness of disrespecting a graveyard. I submit the producers/writers have also developed an indifference towards killing people off! Remember your audience, writers. Lots of kids watch this. (It IS a kids' show after all.) Shouldn't you be setting a better example?

I thought this was an amazing episode. It's not one of my favourites but it was definitely amazing. I've gotta say though, I wasn't keen on David Morrisey in this episode. At least, I know when David Tennant regenerates as the doctor, he won't turn into David Morrisey, well, I'm bloody hoping. I wonder who will actually be the doctor after David Tennant. I hope it's someone who has the same sense of humour as David.. :( I don't know what else to say really but this episode is highly recommended. I just can't believe David Tennant's leaving, it's absolutely gutting. I guess, it'll take a while for me to get over it, but I shall try. :P

The Tardis lands in Victorian London at Christmas. Hearing someone calling his name, the Doctor rushes off, to find a young woman cowering in terror from something behind a locked door. A young man ( David Morrissey ) in Dickensian clothes appears, proudly announces himself as the Doctor, and takes charge of the situation...

Another Christmas, another 'Dr.Who' Christmas Special. I enjoyed this one, but for a change I'll start this review by stating what I did not like about it. Firstly, the Cybershades were awful, reminiscent of the sticky tape and cardboard box monsters of the classic series. It was impossible to be unnerved by creatures that looked exactly like what they were - blokes in gorilla suits wearing coal scuttles. Worse, there was no need for them to be there. Cybermats could have been used instead. Secondly, the mystery of the 'next Doctor' was unnecessarily protracted. All the Doctor had to do was to whip out a stethoscope and listen to Lake's heart ( apparently such a scene was filmed but deleted from the finished broadcast ) to see if he was a Time Lord. Lake believed himself to be the Doctor after being exposed to a backfiring info stamp. Now we know Morrissey will not be the eleventh Doctor - thank heavens for that. Colin Baker was wrong when he said the role of the Doctor was 'actor proof'. The wrong person in the role would kill the show forever. Morrissey was hammy as 'the Doctor' yet first-rate as 'Lake'. Loved his 'sonic screwdriver'! His 'companion' was called 'Rosita' in a nice homage to Billie Piper's 'Rose'.

The Cybermen seemed a bit wasted, getting to do little more than march about and look menacing. The scene in which they attacked funeral mourners was brilliant though, emerging through a snowstorm just as they did back in 1966's 'The Tenth Planet'. The real villainy came from sexy Dervla Kirwan as 'Miss Hartigan', easily the best female villain in the show for some time. She had joined forces with the Cybermen to help them construct a 'Cyber King', a giant Cyberman who proceeded to stamp Godzilla-like on poor old London Town.

Why did the Cybermen need children to work in their factory? Surely adults could have done the job more efficiently.

Tennant as ever performed wonders with what was basically an average script. The appearance of the earlier Doctors was nice, and there were some good jokes. As I said earlier, I liked this very much, and, following its repeat at Christmas 2010 ( presumably to take away the bad taste left by the appalling 'A Christmas Carol' ) enjoyed it even more. The Russell T.Davies era of 'Dr.Who' looks more and more impressive with each passing year.

This was a good episode, not quite as good as the last of the fourth series but it was a good episode nonetheless. I find it amusing that snow seems to make everything feel far more Christmasy that it really is, this episode happens to take place of Christmas Day, there's precious more significance to it than that. But it was a good episode and even a good Christmas episode too.

This special is quite strong in many respects. I do feel it was revealed a little too early (tho most fans were probably guessing anyway) that the stranger was the missing Jackson Lake and not the next Doctor. A fun adventure with some mystery to it and just the right amount of character drama really propelled this story forward but once we reach the point where Jackson's true identity and tragic backstory is revealed it felt like we already learned what we needed to know and are now just waiting for the Cybermen to be defeated. It was a rather spectacular defeat but getting to that final confrontation with the Cyberking (Cyberqueen?) dragged a bit at times. Still a little bit of camp with the cybermen too but is what it is I guess at this point. They overreached themselves a bit too w/ the cgi for the cyber king but overall not too bad.

I'm gonna be honest. I was slightly disappointed that he wasn't actually the next Doctor - - Jackson Lake certainly would have made a good Doctor (even the Doctor thought so!) but it was a fun adventure nonetheless. 8.5/10

... And that is the DOCTOR WHO specials are festive frivolity lacking in hard drama and substance .

I'm sure everyone was looking forward to this Christmas special especially when it was announced beforehand that David Tennant would be leaving the show . Somewhat intriguingly the underrated David Morrisey was one of the bookies favourite to succeed Tennant in the title role and with a title of The Next Doctor this special must be a type of turning point for the series right ? . Add to this the return of the legendary Cybermen and what could go wrong ? Quite a few things actually

First of all was RTD's script which is just basically a runaround with several aspects involving an ice maiden villainess , modified Cybermen , a Cyber-king and children from the work house . But none of this really jells . In many ways the plotting resembles that of a Hollywood blockbuster with spectacle overkill replacing everything else . A giant Cyberman stomping across Victorian London might be a good concept on paper but on screen it can be surprisingly dull

There's also an aspect of cheating too when it's revealed that Morrisey's " Doctor " isn't in fact a future incarnation of the timelord but is something entirely different . It's interesting to note how perceived fan wisdom preferred the " doctor " performance of Morrisey but I disagree since he just comes across as an equally irritating version of Tennant's mockney geezer which I dislike . Morrisey performance improves when his character realises he's a mere mortal human

DOCTOR WHO Christmas specials have quickly become national institutions since December 2005 but while they are welcome , and not to mention are massive rating success , they lack substance and I hope the next special the intriguingly named Planet Of The Dead will live up to the title of special

I found the performance of the cast was very good and the CGI was well done, but a giant Cyberman with someone "plugged" into it was a little too silly for a Doctor Who episode. Everything else was at least fairly well done and so still a solid episode

Christmas 1851, and Cybermen stalk Victorian London. The Tenth Doctor discovers a spate of mysterious deaths, and he's surprised to meet another Doctor! Are two Doctors enough to stop the rise of the CyberKing?

Ah yes, a underrated episode and I'm finally back to re-watching Doctor Who once again. Well, I noticed that this is the final story to be produced in "standard definition". and finally beginning with the next story, Planet of the Dead, to be produced in high-definition.

Honestly, David Morrissey would make such a good Doctor, not gonna lie, as he is 'The Governor' in the TWD which is one of my favorite TV shows, I'm still waiting for Netflix to release Season 10 for months now. Lol.

And yet, this is the first companion-less story in Modern Who. I quite enjoy the stories of them, to see much more of the Darker Side of the Doctor, like for a example in stories like: Planet of the Dead, The Waters of Mars, The End of Time, The Lodger, A Christmas Carol, The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe, The Snowmen, Heaven Sent, Hell Bent (( Perhaps... )), The Husbands of River Song, and finally Twice Upon a Time.

I enjoyed every character in this story, the most second character I liked was Jackison, they really have great chemistry with the Doctor, this story is just very creative.

10/10!

this is a good episode and i enjoyed it but the dialogue was poor yet again by Russel t Davis and the direction was sloppy at times. this is essentially hard times but with a few twists; instead of a business man it's a cyberking and the setting is Victorian Britain, there's a labour force a lot like hard times and the new doctor is being hunted down by cybermen, a lot like gradgrind Jr. being hunted down by the business man. the performances are exceptional, considering the rushed and badly plotted script. David tenant plays his part to a tee and despite the previous comment it was consistent with his other performances and not over the top. morissey stood out and plays turmoil really well and his character resembles the turmoil of Louisa from hard times.

if you like doctor who then this is a good story but if you don't and are just passionate about the art of film then avoid at all costs as this wasn't the serial's best. also in my opinion the best scripts of the series are written by Steven moffat even though some of his plots are flawed.

It is inevitable that there will be certain Doctor Who stories that will only really work upon a single viewing. There's the hype that surrounds the story or the plot twists that, once they occur, mean that the story will never be the same again. Due to those things, the 2008 Christmas special The Next Doctor was perhaps destined to be one of those stories.

Thinking back nearly five years to 2008 is hard to do now: David Tennant had recently announced he was leaving alongside Russell T Davies, which left both fans and the press in particular speculating about who the new Doctor would be. In that atmosphere, The Next Doctor was a perfect fit especially once both the title and the Children In Need preview of the special's teaser sequence had been released. Hype though can be a double edged sword as can time itself, for with the perspective of time, the weaknesses of this special are all to apparent.

Perhaps the biggest of those would be the conceit that lies behind its title. With the perspective of time, The Next Doctor feels like a story where the title came first and the script followed suit and both the weak plot as well as the aforementioned weak ending bare that out. The central conceit, that the tenth Doctor is meeting some amnesic future incarnation, quickly falls apart as Davies gives not so subtle clues about what's going on. So quickly does it fall apart that Davies gets rid of the whole notion less than halfway through, something else that perhaps speaks to his own acknowledgments of the weakness of it.

From there, the other weaknesses are made more apparent. Driven by that central conceit, the story rushes along at a great pace with everything else falling by the way side. Beyond the character of Jackson Lake, roles such as Rosita and Miss Hartigan end up becoming caricatures rather than characters, one a caricature companion and the other a caricature villainess. Even the Cybermen, whose return was much trumpeted when the "Next Time..." clip was shown at the end of Journey's End, are reduced to being caricatures of themselves.

There's the fact its got a weak ending. The Davies era was driven (by his own admission) by spectacle, of trying to top whatever had come before. While the idea of a giant steam punk Cyberman (sorry Cyberking) marching through Victorian London may have done that trick on the page at least in theory, the unconvincing CGI creation we got to represent it says otherwise. It's Undermining that weak idea is a weak ending. The ending consists of the Doctor in a hot air balloon first causing Miss Hartigan, whose controlling the Cyberking, to effectively go insane before using the rifle like Dalek Dimensional Vault to disperse the Cyberking in the time vortex before it comes crashing into Victorian London. It's rushed, it's covered by clichéd Who technobabble and it simply doesn't work. Indeed, there's something rather telling about the fact Davies himself has since acknowledged the problem of the ending and indeed suggesting an alternative version which might actually actually have given Miss Hartigan a chance to be more than the caricature we ended up with.

That isn't to write off this special entirely however. There's David Morrissey's excellent performance first as "The Next Doctor" and then as Jackson Lake. It's his performance more than anything else that carries the conceit as far as it foes. Morrissey captures in a couple of scenes a potential future Doctor full of both the enthusiasm and the hints of pain that the Doctor's of the New Series have all had. It also helps that Morrissey and David Tennant share an excellent chemistry together with the two of them really carrying the story right up to its lovely final scene.

Looked back on with a perspective of time, The Next Doctor feels like a missed opportunity. Not only would Morrissey have made a splendid Doctor (if his performance here is anything to go by) but given when this first aired, this could have been the perfect place to have introduced a new Doctor. Instead it feels like a one trick pony trotting around a publicity stunt. It's a shame really for it could have been so much more.