Doctor Who: Twice Upon a Time

"Twice Upon a Time" is the title of the 2017 Doctor Who holiday special. It is the endcap episode for season ten of the relaunch of the series, which is also season thirty-six of the entire franchise. It is the 847th episode of the entire series overall. The episode was directed by Rachel Talalay with a teleplay written by Steven Moffat. It first aired on BBC America on December 25th, 2017.

Notes & Trivia

 * This episode is a Doctor Who Christmas special.


 * This is the third chapter in a three-part storyline.


 * This episode was released as a stand-alone DVD and Blu-ray, made available in Region 2 format, on January 22nd, 2018.


 * This is the final episode of the show with Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor. Final appearance of the Twelfth Doctor; regenerates in this episode.


 * This is the final episode of Doctor Who with Steven Moffat as writer and series showrunner.


 * This episode was followed by a half-hour "Farewell to Peter Capaldi" special, which included scenes from this episode, as well as highlights from Capaldi's three season run on Doctor Who.


 * Director Rachel Talalay also directed "World Enough and Time" and "The Doctor Falls".


 * This is the first appearance of the Thirteenth Doctor. This is the first time that the Doctor has regenerated into a female. This is the first appearance of actress Jodie Whittaker on the series.


 * Actress Jodie Whittaker also played a character named Beth Latimer on the BBC series Broadchurch, which starred former series star David Tennant, who played the Tenth Doctor on Doctor Who.


 * Actor David Bradley, who portrays the First Doctor in this episode, also played William Hartnell, the original First Doctor actor, in the biographical television movie An Adventure in Space and Time in 2013.


 * Includes a special guest appearance by Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald.


 * This is the first appearance of the Testimony.


 * The character of Rusty the "good" Dalek appeared in the episode "Into the Dalek".

Allusions

 * The title of this episode is a play on the phrase "Once Upon a Time".


 * The character of Archibald Hamish Lethbridge-Stewart is the grandfather of Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, and the great-grandfather of Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, both of whom went on to become leaders of UNIT, as well as companions of different iterations of the Doctor.


 * The Christmas Armistice is based on an actual event, which occurred on Christmas Day in 1914 during World War I. it was a temporary ceasefire between German and English soldiers. This event was also chronicled in issue #5 of the Doctor Who: The Forgotten comic book limited series published by IDW Publishing in 2009. In the series, the Ninth Doctor referees a football game between soldiers from the opposing camps.

Quotes

 * First Doctor: Oh, my dear, I - I hope it doesn't offend you, that I have had some experience with the, uh, 'fairer sex'.
 * Bill Potts: Me, too.
 * First Doctor: Good Lord.

....
 * First Doctor: Do I... become you?
 * Twelfth Doctor: Well, there's a few false starts but you get there in the end.
 * First Doctor: I thought...
 * Twelfth Doctor: What?
 * First Doctor: Well, I, uh, I assumed I'd get... younger.
 * Twelfth Doctor: I am younger!

....
 * Bill Potts: You're a stupid bloody arse!
 * First Doctor: If I hear any more language like that from you, young lady, you're in for a golly good smacked bottom.
 * Twelfth Doctor: Can we just pretend that that never happened?
 * Bill Potts: I'm a broad-minded girl. I mean, I know we have this whole professor-student thing going on, but...
 * Twelfth Doctor: Can we just never, ever talk about this again?
 * Bill Potts: I hope we talk about it loads.

....
 * Twelfth Doctor: You wait a moment, Doctor. Let's get it right. I've got a few things to say to you. Basic stuff first: Never be cruel, never be cowardly, and never ever eat pears! Remember, hate is always foolish, but love is always wise. Always try to be nice, but never fail to be kind. Oh. And you mustn't tell anyone your name.

....
 * Twelfth Doctor: Doctor, I let you go.

....
 * Thirteenth Doctor: Oh, brilliant.