Every Doctor Who Debut Story Ranked From Worst To Best
6. Deep Breath
The BBC even with the juggernaut that is Doctor Who might not be able to compete with the big budgets of commercially funded shows South of the pond, but one thing Auntie has always excelled at is her period/costume dramas. Placing the newly regenerated Doctor into a Victorian setting was a masterstroke and one that surprisingly had not been used before in a debut Doctor story.
The setting intentionally harks back to one of the Eleventh Doctor’s most effective stories – The Snowmen. As with the appearance of UNIT in Robot, the Paternoster Gang of Vastra, Jenny and Strax return to provide continuity. They also function to highlight the differences between the Eleventh and the Twelfth Doctor.
The change in personality and style from Smith to Capaldi has been the most dramatic yet. This allows the script to focus on the impact the regeneration has upon Clara as, more than any other companion before her, she struggles to accept the new Doctor.
Moffat, aware that the audience will inevitably share Clara’s insecurities, takes the bold step of bringing back Matt Smith towards the end of the episode when in a beautifully touching scene the Eleventh Doctor reaches out to Clara to bring the reassurance she and those watching need.