This has been a long time coming for Doctor Who fans made worse by everything it had to deliver. The long gap between the last episode, a Christmas special, the departure of the 12th and the arrival of the 13th.

It's an almost impossible task to cram all of that into 60 minutes and that's before Steven Moffat decided to bring back the first incarnation of The Doctor!

This evening the 2017 Christmas special Twice Upon A Time finally aired and for the most part... it worked!

It's an emotional rollercoaster to watch and the minutes whizz by so fast, too fast. I felt the ticking clock in my living room was ticking a little louder, counting down to the moment we had to say goodbye to Capaldi's Doctor.

If you haven't watched Twice Upon A Time yet, then go no further. This review contains spoilers.

Seriously...

Mark Gatiss, David Bradley and Pearl Mackie
The Captain, First Doctor and Bill

There's a TARDIS worth of stuff to talk about in this episode but let's kick off the review with the plot of Twice Upon A Time.

It's a quaint departure from the usual villain of the week. An overly eager Testimony project from the far future hits a bump in the road as two Doctors meet and create a glitch in the time continuum.

It's simple, it's almost nice. It's actually a great fit for a Christmas Day episode. With everything this episode needs to do, plot was always going to fall into the background slightly. So a massive showdown with an evil villain was never going to let all the other elements breathe.

As well as providing a convenient excuse for some familiar faces to return for the finale, it's a decent plot to explore what makes a person who they are.

We see Bill Potts back as large as life, insisting her new state of existence - that's human, water creature now glass avatar if anyone's counting - is really just a container.

Bill's memories and spirit are what make her real.

Mark Gatiss brings to life The Captain (thankfully not a young Brigadier, but it came close!) in a more thoughtful performance than his previous Whoniverse outings.

As The Doctors themselves wrestle with the inevitable future waiting for them, Gatiss' Captain is the human way into that same dilemma. Dread at times, but some hope and at the end, acceptance.

Some parts of the story are a bit superfluous, including a quick side trip to revisit Rusty The Dalek.

But call backs to the modern era of Who like New Earth, deep fan culture like size of the police box windows and opening with a "Previously on Doctor Who..." for the majority of TV audiences who have never seen 1966's Tenth Planet should be taken more as a celebration of the show. It's reaffirming what Doctor Who is going to be before it resets itself yet again.

After his wonderful portrayal of Doctor Who actor William Hartnell in An Adventure In Time And Space, I had little doubt that David Bradley would easily capture outing as The First Doctor.

Enough mannerisms and little touches to please fans, but enough room for Bradley to make it his own.

The scene between The First Doctor and Bill, about what keeps evil from winning in the universe was beautifully acted. In a similar way to the 12th Doctor, Bill brings out that inner warmth and kindness that hides below the surface of this curt and prickly time traveler.

However, in places the script did the character less justice than Bradley's performance. People who have watched William Hartnell's stories will find moments of casual sexism to be quite different from what they know.

Yes, it's done for comic relief and to ram home how much The Doctor has changed over the years. But those moments tend to take the wind out of the episode, invoking more than one wince. Surely sexism as comedy is something that modern TV has moved beyond, even if there's no malice behind it?

Isn't there more fun to be had with the experience that 12 has that The First Doctor hasn't encountered yet, like screwdrivers and sunglasses?

Doctor Who has 54 year of material to play with, so degrading female roles feels lazy even if we're about to have our first female Doctor.

Those moments aside, The First Doctor is a welcome addition and a wonderful 'companion' for modern incarnation.

David Bradley as The First Doctor
David Bradley as The First Doctor

But not the only companion...

I'm so glad that the Powers That Be decided to bring Pearl Mackie's Bill back to the show for one more outing. In an episode that can't really escape from a looming theme of death, Bill brings not only a sense of fun but also heart to the episode.

Are the audience supposed to know or care if this is the 'actual' Bill? Probably not. And if the door remains open for any Bill to return one day, then I'm happy.

No regeneration episode is complete without a few cameos and though brief, the return of Jenna Coleman's Clara and Matt Lucas' Nardole were nice touches.

And yes - new Doctor! Lady Doctor! Jodie Whittaker Doctor. As ever, the introduction of the new actor to take on the role is brief, funny and uplifting.

But it was only ever going to be the briefest of hellos - or brilliant in this case - and no real indicator of how the character or the actor will make the Doctor their own.

Tennant's "new teeth", Smith's "I'm a girl!" and Capaldi's "kidneys" snippets were great. But they really just serve the purpose of lightening the mood from saying goodbye to the outgoing Doctor and bounce to the next story.

The few moments she gets on screen, Whittaker already shows she can hold her own surrounded by explosions, green screen and a bit of comedy. We'll have to wait until next year to see if new Doctor hits the ground (!) running.

And then there's the man himself, Peter Capaldi. The childhood fan who grew up to play his favourite Time Lord.

When taking the 12th Doctor's journey from his arrival in Time of The Doctor through to Twice Upon A Time, it's been epic. From his early days as cranky and prickly foil to Clara, to a more caring, teacher figure alongside Bill it's been sublime to watch. And this evolution within a single regeneration is something only an actor like Capaldi could have pulled off.

Peter Capaldi bows out from Doctor Who
Peter Capaldi bows out from Doctor Who

Finding his niche with some epic speeches, this was a Doctor with every bit of heart, energy and fight as his seemingly younger versions.

One can't help but feel Steven Moffat and Peter Capaldi used The Doctor's final speech not just as a goodbye but to reassert (or reassure?) Doctor Who's mission statement as a show for the future.

His final episode brought every aspect of this Doctor to resounding end. Comedy, danger, kindness - punctuated by how far The Doctor has come since this journey started 709 episodes ago.

It's a fitting departure from Capaldi - unless he pops back one day..?

Doctor Who Twice Upon A Time is a bittersweet but perfect send off for Capaldi. It would have been five stars from me, but those First Doctor sexism moments... No, no, no.

Doctor Who returns to BBC One in 2018, with Jodie Whittaker as The 13th Doctor and is joined by new companion Bradley Walsh.

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