Doctor Who: The Power Of The Doctor Review - 5 Ups & 7 Downs

Yes, that’s right. We’re giving David Tennant, the diamond darling of the Whovian fandom, a down. We’ve kitted up in riot gear, come fight us.

When this episode aired, we weren’t exactly sure who the outgoing Doctor was going to regenerate into. Was it going to be Ncuti Gatwa, the newly-announced Doctor? Or David Tennant, who was set to reprise his role in the 60th anniversary next year? We were holding out hope for Gatwa, but what we got on Sunday night was the arrival of David Fourteennant, who is confirmed to be the next incarnation of the Doctor, with Gatwa now officially being labelled as the Fifteenth Doctor.

Is a limited run with the old one-two punch of RTD and Tennant objectively a bad thing? Absolutely not. We’ve seen that these two are capable of producing pure gold dust together.

And yet, this doesn’t sit right with us. There’s something about this that seems to go against the very fabric of the show - a show that has always been about change. New ideas, new stories, and new interpretations of its central protagonist. It also sends a concerning message: that the BBC does not believe that Doctor Who can win back its fandom with Gatwa’s incoming Doctor, and that falling back on old tricks is the solution to restoring the show to its former glory. It’s a little insulting to Gatwa, and to the fans, who have managed to survive every other regeneration. This show has proven time and time again that it still has legs after replacing its protagonist, even after a bad run. Everybody knows this, seemingly, except the BBC.

It’s a cowards choice (as is refusing to put Tennant in Whittaker's clothes, by the way). In the words of the First Doctor, our future is in safe hands… perhaps a little too safe.