Specials, Episode 4 | 1 part | First broadcast: 25 December 2008 | Writer: Russell T Davies | Director: Andy Goddard
Cast
- David Tennant as the Doctor
- David Morrissey as Jackson Lake
- Dervla Kirwan as Miss Hartigan
- Velile Tshabalala as Rosita
Summary
Arriving in Victorian London on Christmas Eve, the Doctor is startled to encounter a man calling himself “the Doctor,” accompanied by his own companion and seemingly recalling adventures the real Doctor never had. As the mystery of this second Doctor unravels alongside a Cyberman scheme to convert London’s orphans and construct a towering CyberKing, the Doctor must help the fractured, grieving man reclaim his true identity in time to stop the invasion.
Interesting Facts
- The episode’s title and marketing deliberately teased that David Morrissey’s character might be a future incarnation of the Doctor, sparking widespread fan speculation before broadcast.
- It was the first time in the revived series that Cybermen appeared in a historical, non-contemporary setting.
- The giant CyberKing mech marching through Victorian London was one of the largest practical and CGI creature effects attempted by the production up to that point.
- This special aired as part of a gap year between Series 4 and Series 5, bridging Russell T Davies’s exit and David Tennant’s eventual regeneration.
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