The Power of the Doctor (TV story): Difference between revisions

Several past ''[[Doctor Who (TV series)|Doctor Who]]'' [[companion]]s returned for the special, most prominently [[Janet Fielding]] as [[Tegan Jovanka]], [[Sophie Aldred]] as [[Ace]], and [[Bradley Walsh]] as [[Graham O'Brien]]. Appearing in cameo roles were [[Bonnie Langford]] and [[Katy Manning]] as [[Melanie Bush]] and [[Jo Jones]], with Langford returning to the television series for the first time since her exit in {{cite source|Dragonfire (TV story)}}, and Manning returning to for the first time since her character's last appearance in ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'' story {{cite source|Death of the Doctor (TV story)}}. Notably, joining Langford and Manning in a cameo role was [[William Russell]] as [[Ian Chesterton]], marking the character's first appearance in the television series since {{cite source|The Chase (TV story)}} in [[1965 (releases)|1965]], which [[Guinness World Records]] marked as the longest gap between televised appearances of a character still played by their actor.<ref name="IanRecord">https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-william-russell-ian-chesterton-return-newsupdate/</ref> It was also Russell's final appearance as Ian and his final acting role overall.

In a twist, the special reintroduced Tenth Doctor actor [[David Tennant]] as the [[Fourteenth Doctor]] in its closing moments, marking the first time on-screen that the Doctor regenerated into a different incarnation who held the same appearance as a previous one, after such a phenomenon was foreshadowed by [[the Curator]] in {{cs|The Day of the Doctor (TV story)}}, the latter having been played by [[Fourth Doctor]] actor [[Tom Baker]].

== Story notes ==

{{video|David Tennant Films the Regeneration - The Power of the Doctor - Doctor Who|align=right}}

* This story was created in celebration of the [[BBC]]'s [[Anniversary|100th Anniversary]] and had the working title of ''The Centenary Special''.<ref>https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-2022-specials-chris-chibnall-newsupdate/</ref>

* According to [[Chris Chibnall]], this story was filmed in the belief that it was to be the last story of ''[[Doctor Who (TV series)|Doctor Who]]'', as he did not know who would take over from him. It was not until after filming that it was announced that [[Russell T Davies]] would be returning as [[showrunner]].

* [[Jodie Whittaker]] was [[Pregnancy|pregnant]] while filming the episode.<ref>https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-11325209/amp/Jodie-Whittaker-distraught-filmed-final-Doctor-scenes.html</ref>

* Discounting regenerations shown outside of chronological order in {{cite source|The Night of the Doctor (TV story)}} and {{cite source|The Day of the Doctor (TV story)}}, this is the first Doctor-regeneration story since {{cite source|The Parting of the Ways (TV story)}} to not take place on a [[Special|Winter Special]] and the first chronological Doctor-regeneration story since {{cite source|Journey's End (TV story)}} to not include the word ''Time'' in the title.

* This was the first episode to air during the reign of [[King]] [[Charles III]], meaning that the Thirteenth Doctor's tenure was the first to cover two monarchs, with [[Queen]] [[Elizabeth II]]'s death occurring on [[8 September (releases)|8 September]] [[2022 (releases)|2022]], a little over a month before the special.

* This story marks the first and only appearance of Daleks with standard [[suction cup]]s in the televised Thirteenth Doctor era following the [[Reconnaissance Dalek]], [[Defence Drone]], [[Death Squad Dalek]]s and [[Dalek Executioner]]s, all of which wielded a form of [[claw manipulator]], although a CGI model of a Dalek with a claw makes a cameo.

* Whilst numerous interiors of the Dalek [[casing]] have been shown both on-screen and off-screen, the [[Dalek traitor]] notably has the [[Dalek mutant]] placed at the bottom of the [[middle section]] in contrast to the general placement within the [[neck section]] as seen in {{cite source|The Five Doctors (TV story)}}, {{cite source|Resurrection of the Daleks (TV story)}}, {{cite source|Dalek (TV story)}}, {{cite source|The Parting of the Ways (TV story)}}, {{cite source|Daleks in Manhattan (TV story)}} and {{cite source|The Stolen Earth (TV story)}} / {{cite source|Journey's End (TV story)}}.

* The Dalek [[gunstick]] as used in this story inexplicably alternates between the standard blue beams and orange beams similar to the [[Imperial Dalek]]s in {{cite source|Remembrance of the Daleks (TV story)}}.

* Fourth Doctor actor Tom Baker was invited to take part in the special as one of the [[Guardians of the Edge]], but was unavailable, with Chibnall explaining "''We asked Tom, but sadly he could not do it. He was not available. Such a shame."<ref>https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/doctor-who-fans-treated-return-28310752</ref>

* The Guardians of the Edge only take the form of Doctors from the Classic Series because Chibnall did not wish to "tread on anything that might be happening in the future" and so chose the Classic Doctors because they "felt like the right ones".<ref>[https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a41772602/doctor-who-power-of-the-doctor-tom-baker-absence/ Digital Spy - Chibnall interview]</ref>

* The song ''[[Rasputin (song)|Rasputin]]'' by [[Boney M]] is played during the scene where the Master, disguised as Rasputin, dances and powers on the conversion planet. This is not the first time the Master has danced to a piece of music; he last danced to ''[[Voodoo Child]]'' by [[Rogue Traders]] in {{cite source|The Sound of Drums (TV story)}} and ''[[I Can't Decide]]'' by [[The Scissor Sisters]] in {{cite source|Last of the Time Lords (TV story)}}.

* [[Sacha Dhawan]] improvised the Master's dance during the ''Rasputin'' song scene and he noted that he was given only "one or two takes" for the set piece, "and we didn't have that long to shoot it."<ref>https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/sacha-dhawan-rasputin-doctor-who-dance-exclusive-newsupdate/</ref>

* [[David Tennant]] holds the distinction of being the first actor to have portrayed two different numbered incarnations of the Doctor in a mainline story of ''Doctor Who'' without needing to fill in for an actor playing the new incarnation, following [[Sylvester McCoy]] filling in for the [[Sixth Doctor]] during his regeneration scene in {{cite source|Time and the Rani (TV story)}} in addition to his main role as the [[Seventh Doctor]], [[Paul McGann]] briefly acting as a body double for [[John Hurt]]'s [[War Doctor]] in the closing moments of {{cite source|The Night of the Doctor (TV story)}} after the regeneration of his Doctor, Tom Baker and [[Colin Baker]] portraying [[the Curator]] alongside their original incarnations and [[Richard E Grant]] playing both the [[Tenth Doctor (The Curse of Fatal Death)|Tenth Doctor]] in {{cite source|The Curse of Fatal Death (TV story)}} and the [[Ninth Doctor (Scream of the Shalka)|Ninth Doctor]] in {{cite source|Scream of the Shalka (webcast)}}.

* This story featured the largest number of actors to play the Doctor in a single episode, namely eight. The number increases to nine if one counts Sacha Dhawan's portrayal of the Master in the Doctor's body.

* This is the last story to be composed by [[Segun Akinola]], who joined in {{cite source|The Woman Who Fell to Earth (TV story)}} in [[2018 (releases)|2018]] after [[Murray Gold]] decided to leave the show after 12 years in {{cite source|Twice Upon a Time (TV story)}} in [[2017 (releases)|2017]]. Murray Gold returned as composer in {{cs|The Star Beast (TV story)|the following special}}.

* Jodie Whittaker's half of the regeneration was filmed at [[Roath Lock Studios]] on [[13 October (production)|13 October]] [[2021 (production)|2021]], edited by [[Rebecca Trotman]]. The post-regeneration scene with David Tennant as the [[Fourteenth Doctor]] was filmed separately at [[Wolf Studios]] in [[Cardiff]] on [[13 May (production)|13 May]] [[2022 (production)|2022]], directed by [[Rachel Talalay]], edited by [[Adam Green]] and co-written by David Tennant and Russell T Davies.<ref>https://cultbox.co.uk/news/thirteenth-to-fourteenth-doctor-regeneration-how-it-was-completed</ref>

** The line "''I know these teeth''" in the post-regeneration scene was scripted by David Tennant himself.<ref>https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/david-tennant-added-line-doctor-who-regeneration-newsupdate/amp/</ref>

* According to Chris Chibnall on the [[DVD]] and [[Blu-ray]] commentary, the idea that Tegan and Ace became friends was the idea of their respective actresses.

* David Tennant and [[David Bradley]] had previously appeared in [[Chris Chibnall]]'s ''Broadchurch,'' which also featured [[Jodie Whittaker]].

** While Tennant's involvement with the [[2023 specials|60th anniversary specials]] had been known before this story's broadcast, it was not confirmed until the end of this story that Tennant would be returning as a separate incarnation from the [[Tenth Doctor]], with returning showrunner Russell T Davies confirming this incarnation to be the Fourteenth Doctor, although speculation and rumours surrounding Tennant's return, in particular about him being the next Doctor, had been circulating online for months before ''The Power of the Doctor'' had aired.

* This episode was ranked as ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' readers' favourite Thirteenth Doctor story in their 60th anniversary poll of [[2023]].<ref>[[DWM 594]]{{which}}</ref>

* In addition to being the first instance of the Doctor regenerating outside [[the TARDIS]] in a televised episode of the series following the revival in 2005, it is the fifth instance overall and the second in which the Doctor does so without external assistance.