My video on the issue of the BBC's support of Transphobia: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/l7RkqMZhrcDWh3k.html My video on the BBC's response to complaints of its reporting: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/qdGYa5R_mtLHiY0.html My short on why I'll continue to put up the note at the front of these: kzfaq.infoHpwwzjzFXiE Shaun's 1st video, which includes some additional confirmed information: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/mJqSqK1-ss_bk5s.html Shaun’s 2nd video, which follows how the BBC is trying to dodge accountability for all of this: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/p8yah6pnuLzOnYU.html Shaun’s 3rd video, following him escalating his complaints: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/nLieZLiLmczMlHk.html Shaun's 4th video, covering the BBC's response: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/aaxnerpot9WYf4U.html Laura Kate Dale's protest speech outside the BBC offices: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/nqiaetGI0N2lmn0.html

To quote a Tumblr user, ""Mom's gay friend from her 30s had a mental breakdown so he's living in our backyard until his antidepressants start working,' is the funniest ending any of us could've hoped for."

I watched one of the few surviving clips from the old toymaker episode and at the end of the episode, the main reason the Doctor wins is because from what I understand the game pieces were moved by the Toymaker's vocie, and the doctor was able to imitate the Toymaker's voice in order to move a piece and finish the game from the safety of his own Tardis. So maybe he's changing his voice all the time now so that the Doctor can't possibly imitate him anymore lol

I love the idea that 15 brings up that he is better because 14 does therapy. So when 14 dies and regenerates to 15 he's pulled back to the battle with the toymaker.

Little detail, but looking at things through the lens of Fairy Tales, Donna rhyming back to the widow I think is why she wins. She added the verse which described her victory.

The unbuttoning of the shirt, undoing of the tie, and removal of the vest once you started talking about the bi-generation was a great touch. Well played!

While I agree you didn't NEED to have Mel in the story, I feel her small scene catching up with the Doctor helps better stablish his ending. By her own admittance, she was running away from going back to her reality, as she mentions having nothing, "[her] family all gone". Once Glitz passed, she was done travelling and managed to settle back in at UNIT, despite her fears. It is a way of showing to the Doctor and the audience that, despite his fears, stopping and settling in is possible, even when he's been running on this adventure for so long.

I really like the way Shirley's wheelchair use has been depicted. I first noticed it in The Star Beast - when she first bumps into the Doctor and they're talking, Shirley crosses her legs. It stood out to me because you just never see that kind of thing in media.

Re: the bigenration, here are my thoughts 1) I buy into the idea that myths become possible because of the toymaker 2) I like that Ncuti's doctor is the one who said "I" bigenerated, I feel like keeping 14 alive to get some processing time is his gift to 14, and that sort of 'not killing' 14 was his choice and not because 14 wasn't ready to go 3) I think it was really really sweet how gently Ncuti's doctor treats 14, and I think it kept up with the theme of 14 needing to really sit with his trauma and it also provides an opportunity for 15 to be more of a clean slate doctor & a jumping on point for new fans without existing fans feeling like all the stuff up to now had no consequences for the doctor, since we can see that it did and does, but 15 can move on 4) I have faith that they won't abuse the fact that another Tennant clone exists, because they didn't do it when we got Rose's DoctorDonna clone, and I'd like to have a little trust in the fanbase. Ncuti already has the energy of the doctor immediately, I love his vibe and I think it'll be easy to give him a chance the way people seemed to rock with Matt Smith.

Russel stated that the reason the toymaker’s accents kept changing was to give a nod to the fact that the Toymakers design and name in the 60s was pretty offensive. It’s a way to acknowledge it while also giving an in-universe explanation for it

56:55 Actually, Ncuti comes directly after Tennant (14), they aren't seperate entities, they say so in the episode. 15 says hes better because 14 healed and got to his mental health to a good place. Also, when 15 calls 14 an old man, Donna corrects him because he comes after, so he's actually the older one. The bigeneration just pulled 15 back through time (and 15 brought his TARDIS back through time using the mallet)

There was another nod-to-accessibility that was acknowledged here that was subtle, but much appreciated. I noted that when the new TARDIS control room was revealed that the size of the room, the gradient of the ramps and the handrails meant that the new control room was accessible. It was just missing two things: firstly, the ramp. But secondly, some chairs. I don't use a wheelchair, but my mobility is limited, and I absolutely am always looking for somewhere to sit down. And I said to myself, "it's nearly perfect, but needs seating." And when Ncuti said "one thing this place needed was a chair", the phrase "I felt seen" is cliché but..."I FELT SEEN."

I'm an ambulatory wheelchair user, and I can't tell you how much it meant to me that they showed Shirley standing, and addressed it, but also the wheelchair ramp in the tardis!!

Well, I have been hearing people say they should do something earth shattering for the 60th anniversary. Guess they nailed that mission statement

12 settled down and sort of stayed put as the Lecturer in his final series. He even had Missy to chat with. His intellectual equal, while teaching humans for decades.

24:30 I *loved* this interaction with Shirley. There’s a lot of stuff currently coming from our UK gov which is adding to the fuel of suspicion of Disabled people, how we are benefit scroungers or faking it. I loved how RTD added this part in. I use a walking stick & sometimes I don’t but get the fear when I’m public if I dare to be “caught out faking it” because of the current government.

The widow and babies were definitely creepy. But i love how Donna handled them.

A thing that I found pretty interesting is when the toymaker says to the doctor "I made a jigsaw out of your history, did you like it?". Is this RTD retroactively making it so the toymaker is responsible for retcons to the doctor's origin like them being half human or the timeless child?

All my issues aside, Fourteen retiring to become Donna's house cat is a hilarious ending.

from what i've looked into/seen. the toymaker was originally defeated by his voice being mimicked, so it's theorized that the accent switching is actually just him finding a way to count how he was beat last time.

I loved how Katie's ablism predicted the reaction to the character online.

Your interpretation of The Giggle and the way it operates is such a great way to look at it. I really didn’t put much thought into the mechanics when I first watched the episode, but I think the talk of dealing with these types of thoughts is something that resonates with me deeply. I have OCD, and as such I really struggle with thoughts that are all kinds of prejudiced in nature. Racist, sexist or indecent thoughts are common, and it’s so upsetting to constantly deal with thoughts that you don’t align with. At times the intrusive thoughts can be so overwhelming, that I’ve had anxiety attacks from the second guessing that comes as a result of the thoughts. It’s even worse to be put into a position of explaining it. People hear you say you constantly have upsetting intrusive thoughts and assume that just because you have those thoughts, you are a bad person. It’s not helpful, and it’s something I struggle with enough without their help. It honestly just makes me not want to talk about it most of the time. Your philosophy of focusing on action and betterment is something I’ve heard from my therapist, and it’s nice to hear such reaffirming words from a creator I have immense respect for. You’re amazing Vera. Even though this really has nothing to do with the episode, I appreciate your ability to weave other subjects into your discussions so seamlessly. Thank you for brightening up my day with that segment in the review.

As someone who was among a huge chunk of the target audience for the specials (an old fan who was interested in seeing the show revitalized), I love the bigeneration for the prime reason you mentioned: finally a happy ending. It all around feels like a huge win. We say farewell with a smile to 10/14 and enter a new era with 15 full of upbeat energy. I think it’s beautiful. ♥️ I was so shocked when I went online to see the mixed-negative reactions. Some even said they felt as though we were ripped off from another tragic goodbye, and that’s why they didn’t like the bigeneration. I honestly don’t understand how that would’ve been any better. As much as I love angst, I don’t watch Doctor Who to be miserable the whole time! LOL

@Vera thank you a million times over for your discussion of disability inclusion in this video. I am disabled and use mobility aids, and I have many friends that do as well, and for those of us who deal with this exact same thing, I totally felt this moment in the episode. And you nailed it, absolutely nailed it and you are the only creator who has done this so far. Most just gloss over it.

My old man has _multiple_ "hidden" disabilities. You wouldn't know he had them if he didn't tell you, but he still needs to park in the handicapped stall because they take a heavy toll on him. We've only ever had one person leave a passive-aggressive note on the windshield once, but it still pissed us right off. The scene with Kate and Shirley... yeah, that hit home. Just glad we got Ncuti in his pants to brighten my day after.

The fourth episode of The Celestial Toymaker exists. It was found in Australia in the 1980s. During the 60s and early 70s, Dr Who episodes were repeated during school holidays in Australia so I ended up seeing The Celestial Toymaker about three times and have very found memories of it. It was one of my favourite stories. Tardis hopscotch and dancing dolls 👍👍👍 I have been waiting decades hoping that the Toymaker would return.

I don't know if I like the bigeneration yet but at least it isn't as bad as the timeless child. That ruins the character but this just adds to the lore in a weird way. I just hope RTD isn't doing some sort of multiverse thing with this cause in his commentary of the episode he was kinda hinting at that

51:49 "Just this once... everybody lives."

I have a friend who is classed as legally blind. He has a condition called Nystagmus which is basically an involuntary uncontrollable movement of the eyes and it affects vision but in general he on the surface looks fine but legally he is classed as blind and I like the point you brought up about how the giggle affects Kate and what she says about Shirley in the moment and the ways certain disabilities are viewed within society and how my friend Rob is classed as legally blind but has some vision capacity. He works, he keeps bees, he does kayaking. He does many things fully sighted people do so you wouldn't think of him as blind but he is legally classed as blind because of having Nystagmus. and he has had it all his life. I have known Rob for years since high school like well over a decade at this point and as far back as I can remember he has had this so he has never been fully sighted. So just thanks for talking about this topic really. it's important to think about.

They do imply in the episode itself that Fourteen will go on to eventually loop back around and become Fifteen once he's healed from the trauma of the past few incarnations, as Fifteen says he's better cause Fourteen got better.

My thoughts on bi-generation is that it was supposed to be the result of all the emotional trauma the Doctor has been ignoring since stealing the tardis in the first place. All the stress and trauma was clearly affecting him, he was snappy and rude, he looked ragged and disheveled, and prone to making mistakes. He was looking for an outlet to decompress, which is what brought him to Donna in the first place, he needed his best friend. He was in conflict internally about wanting to stop and slow down and heal, but couldn't because he knew the universe needed him to be a hero and reached a breaking point. So he split in two, the part of him that wanted to stop and slow down stayed behind and the part of him that wanted to continue went off to have new adventures.

My cousin has cerebral palsy; her ability to walk (and to perform many other mundane tasks that I take for granted) is highly variable. Sometimes she can walk unassisted, sometimes she can make short bursts from support to support, sometimes she needs a walking frame, sometimes she's restricted to a mobility scooter. I'm deaf in one ear, my ability to hear someone depends on what side of me they're standing on and how much noise/interference is going on in my functional ear. Both of us have had problems with people thinking we're faking because they've seen us apparently have no difficulty on *some* occasions and think we can function to that level or better all the time. I love how this episode tackled that, by showing it as the unreasonable behaviour it is and by depicting a person who has limited mobility rather than fostering the stereotype that all disabilities are "all-or-nothing" in nature.

The result of the bigeneration; 14th healing himself also means that the 15th Doctor has a clean slate. He isn’t weight down by the guilt most new era Doctors were. But at the same time that guilt and hurt isn’t disregarded - the 14th did the work and brought peace to the 15th Doctor, so the show can reboot for a new audience without pissing of old fans to much. 😂

I think it's nice that 14 learned how to be in a family when 11 struggled so hard.

LET’S GOOOOOO! I loved this episode! NCUTI HAS ALL THE ENERGY! And it’s incredible! Honestly it seems like Russell isn’t bothering with regeneration sickness anymore, but I could see him bringing it back in full force for 16 or 17.

I feel like your reaction to that part of the special is probably a bigger plot twist than that moment itself! This was a really excellent review and made me appreciate certain bits in the story more as you brought some thoughts I hadn't considered.

One of the first comments i read under a video showing Shirley was literally "but she can cross her legs, she's just faking disability" and it's good to see the creators cared enough to deal with this issue

I liked the bi-generation for the one reason of giving a timeline where the Curator can exist and the Doctor still has adventures, that is if that ends up being the reasoning for the bi-generation they seem to explain the mythbusting issues as you mentioned as it was slightly addessed with the toymaker's abilities

IMO the "mavity" time loop triggered in the second special is a marker for a loop in which "magic" is part of how the entire universe works. Thus leaving Davies room to move back to more fantastic, allegorical story telling--if you look back at Davies' early work, he likes his "not science, instead emotional logic" narratives, with at best a mere shrug and a light SF gloss to "explain" how things happen.

Your bit about people being disabled in a certain regard not meaning they're totally disabled really opened my eyes, I hadn't realized that until you had discussed about it because society has never really explained that sort of thing to me properly, thank you!!

I know RTD's work well so I 100% see the bigeneration as a metaphor for queer trauma. For all of new who the doctor has dealt with the trauma of loss and the time war. Now he gets a chance to process it through friends and chosen family. Much like RTD has done in the decades following the AIDS crisis. I don't think it's a coincidence Ncutis first episode has him meet Ruby while dancing in a club, just like how RTD met his future husband in 1998. Apologies if you said any of this in the review, I've only just started watching

The suspense of waiting for this review has been killing me! Your the only youtuber I can enjoy watching for doctor who cause you actually talk about the whole episode. Cheers vera

it feels both nostalgic and feelgood, perfect for an anniversary episode, while also allowing for essentially a full emotional reset. letting the full weight of all the consequences of the doctors actions and inactions over the years just get to separate from the current generation so it feels less like every regeneration is just ignoring all the trauma the previous one received

I love when 14 says “it’s time” right before he allegedly retreates. It contrasts with 10 saying “I don’t want to go” and shows that he’s come to peace with himself

I did have some dissatisfaction with the episode but for the bi-regeneration, I don't like the idea at all but I like your explanation. Personally I viewed it as RTD making 14 be the spiritual embodiment of the show so far. This doctor, more than any, really felt the weight and heaviness of the trauma the doctor must be feeling. By 15th's own words, Ncuti's doctor is happy because the 14th took time to heal. Making the bi-regeneration a metaphor for RTD leaving the trauma and consequences of the previous stories with 14, and letting 15 be... well whoever 15 will be.

YOU GET IT!!!! JUST ONCE!! A HAPPY ENDING FOR A DOCTOR!!! (just this once rose, everybody lives) I needed this so so much. I was bracing myself for the grief of losing a doctor again and having to get used to the new one, and now I can just go into the next era with joy. In the world right now, with how sad everything is, with how hard it is to feel joy about things, it brought me so much peace and joy to watch Ten/14 be *happy* and to have a good ending. For once. And I am SO FFING EXCITED about Ncuti. He was *so* charming. I am so happy. I cried for the entire last 20 minutes of the episode, but like, in the best way. I do agree its a silly concept, bigeneration, and I don't want to see it again, but I agree that within the 'rules' of the Toymaker being here it works. I also hope Tennant doesn't come back for anything beyond the standard multi-doctor specials kinda things and audio dramas or something (and I'm saying that as someone who's favourite doctor was ten), I want him to have an ending, this ending. This is an ending, and it's a beautiful ending, and I want this to be the ending we get to keep. It feels like a final send-off and a more sweet and kind and loving one than I expected, one I really needed, right now. And I do think it will be an ending? I hope so, anyways. It feels like the closing of a book, in the best way. Now it's time for the next story, with the next doctor. I am so excited.

Regarding the tardis ramp. the fan is a youtuber called Tharries. He was invited by and spent some time with RTD at the premier of the start beast. RTD told him it’s known on set as the Tharries ramp. ❤

The part when you talk about disabilities really got into me. I am deaf on one ear but I still can hear, I have difficulty in hearing in loud environments and noticing where sound comes from. A lot of people doesn’t understand and think I am lying and I am not “completely disable” specially because I don’t speak sign language. So in that scene, even not being mobility disabled, I felt it. In my heart. (Really like your content btw)

I haven't fully gauged Ncuti's doctor, but what I did get was emotional intelligence, and I'm really hoping they continue with that angle where Ncuti is markedly more emotion-centric than most modern-era doctors. Apart from maybe 13, all the previous doctors have either been greater good over feelings or have been socially unaware (and even then, 13 was a mess). I'm looking forward to a doctor who will sympathise/empathise with people as a priority. Yes, the doctor will always be smart and always have to step on a few toes to get things done, but give me a doctor who, instead of smart-assing, would have been able to handle the midnight entity by making connections with the passengers and building a trust relationship and confidence with them.

I hope Vera's right and they leave the 14th doctor with his happy ending and leave him alone like the Metacrisis-Doctor for us to imagine our own future. I hope hope hope that they didn't bigenerate as a kind of insurance policy so that if fans end up not liking Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor they can bring the 14th back. That would be very unfair to Ncuti.

We all know the only reason bi-generation happened is because RTD always has to break the rules to give his characters special treatment. Every Doctor changes and every companion leaves. But noooo. Because it’s RTD’s personal faves they’re the ones who get to stay together because it has to be his way not the actual way Doctor Who is done. So typical. How does he expect the audience to move on to this new era of the show if he can’t even let go of his previous one? I think this is a disservice to Ncuti Gatwa. He should have been given a clean slate as the Doctor. Only now with Tennant sticking around he’s always going to be compared to him. I just hope they establish that 15 is still 14’s future incarnation. Because of what he said about being fine because he fixes himself and does “rehab out of order”.

The tardis is sentient, so I also feel Fourteen's tardis won't take him to dangerous places (since he's healing). It knows Fifteen and his tardis are there to save the day.

I feel like the quote: "the first thing that pops into your head is what society tells you, your reaction tells you what you think" is really interesting to keep in mind while looking at the effects of the Giggle

Always a joy to watch these reviews of yours. Lovely and thoughtful as always! Especially the thing about ones gut instinct and how to handle it. Very thoughtful. I liked this episode and thought it was a nice way to celebrate 60 years of Doctor Who 🌞

Just a reminder that the fan that reached out to Russel about a TARDIS ramp is thhe brilliant KZfaqr Tharries!

"Just this once: everybody lives!" I loved 15's enthusiasm at the bigen! He was thrilled to meet himself, and that was very sweet. I can't wait to see more from 15 (and his thick thighs).

The reasson the toymaker changes accents so frequently in this special is actually a homage to a previous audio drama featuring the toymaker (i forget the name) but basically he was defeated by the doctor managing to copy his voice as he was talking (akin to midnight), so his constantly changing accents was a mix of fun/taunting on the toymakers part, equal parts "im enjoying flipping accents while you struggle to keep up" and also "your not catching me with the same trick twice" which i found very amusing

Like I implied on the discord, they made the Toy maker into a doctor who equivalent of the Q, and I view that as a good choice

So I'm not sure if anyone has pointed this out yet, but one likely reason he's switching accents is because when he first fought the Doctor, the Doctor beat him by imitating his voice.

32:00 to be fair I loved the version of that in the impossible planet cause it wasn't as agrandizing, it wasn't about humans being purely amazing it was about humans trying their best and being curious despite being puny

If I had a nickel for every time the Doctor Who fandom correctly predicted a twist regeneration, I’d have 2 nickels, which isn’t a lot, but it’s crazy that it happened twice.

I think that the reason for the bi-generation as well is it's a soft reset of the Doctor and the story surrounding them. His own backstory was running over itself so many times that I think it was running the risk of collapsing in on itself, this way, it's almost like Ncuti Gatwa's is the new first doctor

I really like the bi-generation. Not just because I was not looking forward to seeing Tennant "die" again, but because of a theory I saw on Rich Hudson's channel. This could be the genesis of the Curator, whom we saw in the last anniversary special. Fourteen could take on the Curator moniker. Tend to the past, revisit old faces, revisit old companions. This makes sense to me, He would not stay 'Doctor'. But also, we need to have a genesis for the Valyard, remember him from Sixth Doctor era? At some point, that would mean another bi-generation of some sort, to create the version of the Doctor with self-hatred and anger. This is how bi-generation makes sense to me.

I got to say, the giggle was legend-wait for it-dary! That was definitely a wild ride. I didn’t want to get off and it actually felt more like a true anniversary special with the callbacks to the past. I really like Mel’s re-introduction here because I feel like she got really shafted in her original run. There is one thing that is still bugging me - we still didn’t get an explanation why the 13’s costume changed As she regenerated into 14. We know the real world reason was so that bigoted newspapers wouldn’t make a lot of trans phobic and queer phobic jokes about David Tennant wearing women’s attire after regenerating (although the 13th doctor costume is not a very feminine costume), but I was hoping they would be in universe reason as well. Like it was part of the toy maker’s, manipulation to meddle with the doctors regeneration to give him a devil’s bargain to be this face forever, but The Doctor declines it and chooses to change into the 15th doctor.

I loved the bi-generation. Mainly because of Ncuti being so instantly engaging, stealing the scene from Tennant and Tate and Neil Patrick Harris, while in underwear! But for the Who nerd in me, because it instantly became the answer to the lingering bomb drop from the last Anniversary special. Where did the Curator come from? We initially thought later regenerations would just waste a few centuries in retirement from time to time, but now we know. One Doctor goes around having adventures, the other gets to revisit those old familiar faces and do this and that to bring himself peace. Once Donna and Shawn pass away and Rose has her life, he can regenerate into Hartnell and go see Susan, or Tom Baker and become the Curator, or Jodie to live with Yaz, anything they want. All the happy endings.

I think the Bi-Regen helps explain why there is a Curator in the 50th anniversary and this could even explain how the Valeyard originated.

When my mom went to the Getty, she got a wheelchair because both she and my aunt would need it to get around. One would ride and the other would push. then they'd switch places. It was the best for both of them.

I like the idea that 14 becomes the cruator a retired version of the Doctor who revisits old faces. Maybe in a few centuries he travels back in time and takes the job at the gallery when he changes his face to Tom again. But well who knows.

I kept thinking of 9 saying "Just this once, Everybody lives!" What I want most in story is an emotional journey that feels real and meaningful, get that right and I will accept the rest. The Doctor just really needed a cuddle from someone who understands him, that to me is the story of these specials. That explains the face and finding Donna and when that didn't work there was only one person. The happy ending was delightful and cathartic in just the right way, I hope 14 is fully retired now and that he'll meet a nice Welshman with curly blond hair. Oh and I just think humans are his special interest like people who are fascinated by weird bugs.

This episode had me crying happy tears for the 14th Doctor. I love that he gets a happy ending with Donna and her family (though I want Gatwa's Doctor to bring Rose on as a companion, either with Ruby or after Ruby). For me, seeing Mel was such a delightful treat. I like that Kate's essentially finding and recruiting all the old companions she can, either for field work or in-office work, because who is more qualified, really? And I hadn't expected her here; I knew she'd film opposite Ncuti Gatwa, but I thought that would be in his season/series proper. I grinned so hard at her. Mel wasn't my favorite companion ever, but I enjoyed her in the few stories she had. If RTD wants to go for another deep cut blast from the past, the "one who waits" could be the Master of the Land of Fiction, from the Mind Robber. It would make sense for the Toymaker to decide not to challenge him, because he writes the rules as he goes, and the Doctor himself very nearly got trapped in his realm, same as he nearly did with the Toymaker on the first go-around. And The Meep is a creature silly and strange enough to have been thought of by the Master of the Land of Fiction. He could easily be The Meep's boss. The bigeneration worked for me, personally, because why shouldn't it? Regenration as a concept and conceit has changed how it's worked so many times in the last 60 years that something super-rare that it only exists in myth being just introduced now doesn't bother me. Season...14? introduced both the idea that the Doctor (Tom Baker) was older than the four versions we'd met on-screen in The Brain of Morbius, and then not long after decided Time Lords had 12 regenerations in The Deadly Assassin (which itself apparently polarized fans' opinions when it aired). And I don't think the Doctor's "age" is even confirmed officially until The Five Doctors, when the First Doctor asks the Fifth what regeneration he's on, and Davison's Doctor replies "Fourth", and the First Doctor replies with, "Goodness me, so there are five of me now!" But I do like the idea that the Toymaker's presence makes the myth become reality, and the story supports that, since the Toymaker talks about killing and splitting the Doctor over and over again for one of his games. And it's further supported by Gatwa's Doctor being able to use the big mallet to claim his prize and bonk himself a new TARDIS (and I love that he immediately leans against the original and apologizes).

I liked the idea of Bi-generation (Assuming it's a one-off rare phenomenon like how occasionally someone can be born with extra limbs, 9th doctor said when regenerating he might have 2 heads) It feels like something fresh. And i hope this is the true end for 14 and they have the taste to leave it. Plus Toymaker was the GOAT Villain, I loved the dance. Great episode trying new things, It was just fun

I know it's the most minor point of this whole special, but I am so excited for 14. He seems both very cheeky, maybe the cheekiest doctor, and the most athletic since maybe 5!! He seems both old and renewed (assumedly since 14 finally took a break) and I'm actually so excited and impatient to see more of him!!

I've seen one interpretation of bigeneration that I like quite a bit. When 15 emerges, he is basically pulled back from the Doctor's own future. Meaning that 14 still is going to regenerate at some point into 15 and when that happens, timey-wimey shenanigans occured and he's sent back to UNIT Tower to play catch with the Toymaker. Now, do I actually want to see that "proper" regeneration happen? No, absolutely not. But there are some things that 15 says that allude to this theory possibly being correct. 15 talks about doing rehab out of order. "I'm fine because you fixed yourself." Meaning that 15 is the Doctor AFTER 14 has spent a lifetime healing on earth with the Noble family. Working through millennia of built up trauma. And being able to just wind down for whoever knows how long. I want to believe that 14 regenerates into 15 not because of being wounded in a battle but because he's dying of old age like 11 did. But again, I don't want them to actually give me that answer, just give me adventures with 15 and let 14 enjoy his family life. The rest is up to headcanon.

The Mind Robber was actually the first Classic Doctor Who story I ever watched!

I will say my two candidates if the "One Who Waits" is a returning character (Within the show itself), it's either Omega or the Valeyard? Valeyard would sort of fit in with the whole Bigeneration thing, The Doctor's baggage/history, the damage of the Flux.etc. And Omega is Omega. Note, those two are *if* it's a returning character.

I liked what you had to say about the bigeneration and for your consideration I would like to add some of my thoughts that build on it. Thinking about the lines where gatwa’s doctor says something to the effect of ‘I’m okay because you’re going to be okay. We’re timelords, doing rehab out of order’. What that makes me assume is that Gatwa’s doctor exists in their timeline totally ahead of the doctor, not concurrently. What I mean by that is I assume that gatwa has all the memories of tennants doctor, not just the ones he has has up until then, but all the ones he will have afterwards living with Donna’s family. This means that not only does the doctor get an opportunity to rest and process and reflect and heal and have a happy ending, but that all those things continue to be a part of him in the regeneration line that gatwas doctor will have come after him. I would hopefully imagine this would mean that when tennants doctor dies he would die a normal death and not regenerate, because he has already regenerated into the doctor that comes after him. If these thoughts here are what is implied from those lines in the episode, it makes me really like what they did here even more. To not only give a doctor an opportunity to rest and heal, but to have the doctor we follow to have benefitted from all that healing and resting without us having to spend a whole season with a doctor sitting down eating lunch and shooting moles (not saying I wouldn’t enjoy that though!). It makes me even more hopeful about what doctor who can bring us in the future and I am so ready and prepared for whatever comes next with gatwa

Well, Matt Smith s first appearance isn't really much to go on. He truly shows his doctor in his second appearance in the eleventh hour. No doctor really got an real introduction at the regeneration episode, closest would be Jo Martin's Doctor, but thats separate because we probably won't get her. And she was more like a side doctor. But nonetheless, I personally got so much joy from Ncuti/15ths charisma, his smoothness and somewhat jazz like feel in the room. He was seemingly the same to all the people he met: This is what you need and this is what I need! Also very playful and a little bit a mess. Can't wait for Christmas. Thank you as always for a great analysis and thoughts 👍

Regeneration was once a new concept to allow a new actor to take over the role. Due to the reality bending of the Toymaker, I'm okay with the Doctor going through a Bigeneration. The 14th Doctor could become the Curator, anything is possible for him. It was an ending and a beginning. I really liked that. But the bigeneration should be an extremely rare situation or just this one instance.

I honestly like David Tennant as the 14th Doctor and Bigeneration because it felt like a conclusion to the "New Who Era". We went on this journey where the Doctor had to deal with being the last of the Time Lords, to saving Gallifrey and going out to find it, to finding it only to ultimately lose it again, and along that journey we see the Doctor find people he genuinely cares about like Rose and Clara and Yaz, a best friend like Donna, a family in Amy and Rory, and now we see that Doctor finally stopping and taking a break

The American accent gave me whiplash the first time he did it. By that point I was fully used to the others.

I really enjoyed this and I think I basically agree on bigeneration, with few weird caveats. Originally the paranoid reading side of my brain jumped in and started really out issues about how this could be weaponised by people to delegitimise the fifteenth Doctor, but as soon as it became clear Fourteen was staying in place, I think I flipped to really liking the twist. I think something like this was necessary since we all knew the regeneration was coming and the 'death' itself is sort of sudden. Beyond what you said about happy endings, I've always been a sucker for the sort of domestic version of the Doctor certain elements of the MLP fandom conjured up and I'm an identical twin, so the idea of duplication being the solution to a character arc and a meaningful source of emotional support (instead of a problem to be solved/explained, or a situation to end by killing the 'fake') grows more cathartic the more I think about it. If we take the birth and death language regeneration oftne dresss itself in serious, I don't see anything inherently ridiculous about duplication, any more than zygote fission (especially since the Time Lord's tendency of tampering with their own life cycles would probably reduce the number of twins etc anyway). As for the Toymaker, I did think one thing RTD said was espcially interesting. Particularly, in addressing the racism inherent in the character, he talks about deciding to lean into it and just make the characer a racist themselves. I found that rather interesting given how often racist tropes are replaced with attempts to be more authentic, in ways that can risk sort of laundering the racism out of the original. Read that way, the constant accent switching and costumes sort of read as a lack of respect for the people and cultures around him, which definitely fits the character, while recognising why his treatment of Chinese culture is repellant (all without replicating it). I thought it was an interesting move that speaks to clear consideration of the problem (rather than just a surface level one) though obviously, the fact he parodies German, French and American culture but not English is sort of a hole coming from a British show, and I'm not the right person to assess if it works to resolve the Toymaker's original issue. Super agree on the treatment of ableism in the Giggle scene and the ending. Honestly, I've been waiting for this one to come out. Here's hoping Christmas goes well.

The ending special works well given how Tennant's doctor was the one that felt the burden of being the Doctor the most. His Doctor always carried the pain of his failures and those he lost along the way.

My issue with the bigeneration is not the "nonsense factor", but that the Doctor being with Donna who is now employed by Unit hasn't got an end but quite a big teaser for a new series. Which imho takes away from the Gatwa Doctor.

I also just love how within the text of the scene with Donna's family and Mel that you learn that Fourteen considers Donna and "Auntie" Mel his sisters now (Evidenced by him calling Shaun his brother-in-law, Sylvia his stepmother, and Rose his niece.)

One question I have that I hope gets addressed is, is 14 still capable of regenerating? Personally, I hope the answer is no, if only because yes would mean the numbering convention is completely screwed over.

I think the mystery hand will end up being Jinkx Monsoon, and they'll be a creation of the Toymaker who is still lingering around. Also, they must be able to fly, because from the angle that they picked up the tooth, they must have been floating off the edge of the helipad!

God bless you Vera! I have been cheering these Doctor Who specials since they showed Shirley cross her legs in the very first one. My husband has cerebral palsy, and while it does affect his balance and has prevented him from building up enough muscle mass in his legs to support himself walking independently, he can take a few steps as long as he's holding on to something. We have been confronted by people so many times wanting to say that he is faking being disabled so that we can park in wheelchair accessible spots when they see this. So kudos to RTD for not only casting a disabled actress to play a disabled character, but for also going the distance and pointing out that not everyone in a wheelchair is completely incapable of walking. Next I want to see him point out that not everyone who is hearing impaired is deaf. I still maintain a word recognition score in the 70 percentile. Usually if I'm in a quiet room with only a couple of people around me, I can hear just fine. Now if I'm trying to listen in a crowd, or if I'm trying to watch a movie where you not only have a soundtrack soaring in the background, but also explosions, background characters yapping, car horns, honking, etc, then I really do need my hearing aids and captioning. But no, I don't use sign language. I can speak just fine. I can hear relatively well. Maybe we'll get a companion like that sooner or later. I kind of hope if we do get a companion with hearing loss, it is somebody who's primary language is sign. I just want to see how the TARDIS translational matrix will act telling somebody who's used to sign that a Dalek is signing! But I do want to correct something a lot of able-bodied fans (possibly even the producers) have thought about the new tardis interior. In order for a ramp to be wheelchair accessible, you need to have one foot of length for every one inch of rise. The ramps and the tardis are a bit too steep. Someone trying to go up them in a wheelchair would probably tip over backwards, even with an anti-tipping wheel, and if they were trying to go forwards, they would probably end up going head over wheels down the ramp. This is something my husband pointed out as a wheelchair user. Personally, however, I would love to take those ramps in a pair of roller skates! They look like so much fun!

As a disabled person with a mobility aide I enjoyed so much the ambulatory wheelchair user. Another disabled creator from TikTok was not a fan of the ramp on the Tardis because they thought the Tardis would automatically adjust for them ALL ALONG if they ever had the opportunity and now felt dis-included from all previous adventures , so their head cannon was hurt. Honestly though I cheered, but I get their take because I kinda had the same thing in my head, in the way the Tardis is bigger on the inside surely it can adjust itself to ADA if need be? But I still felt welcomed by the ramp.

First been waiting for this video since I watched the episode, second anyone with a German accent being cheerful is perhaps the easiest way to make a person on edge. I generally loved it and can't wait to see what adventures await the new Doctor.

Thank you. I wasn’t watching reviews until yours came out because you usually have an excellent sense for these things. My immediate reaction to the bigeneration and aftermath was very confused. I liked and hated it at the same time. Yet you describe exactly why I like this version of a story I would otherwise hate VERY well. There’s more to study about Ncuti’s Doctor and I can’t wait to experience that. But he had a very nice intro.

I think whats interesting about the happy ending is, Ncuti says that he has the experiences of that Doctor's happy ending. Which means when David dies, he will teleport to that point in time? Also Timeless Child allows infinite regeneration, so that is the one nice thing about it.

Ironically it looks like RTD is actually going to do something interesting with the Timeless Child idea… it looks like his relationship with Ruby is built kind of on that story, with them bonding over both not knowing where they come from.

I do wish that they had 14 turn into 15 than play the final game, I would've loved if 14's last words were allon-y since it's his catchphrase as well as meaning let's go in French which s a far happier last line than what 10 had. I know this bi-gen only happened cause the Toymakers lack of rules bled into the real world, but I do still find it kinda unneeded. The only good thing it does is clears away baggage from 15 I mean Donna & 15 are right that ever since series 1 of the classic our Doctor hasn't taken a break a moment to mourn it's always work which does remind me of what Twelve said to Lady Bill in Thin Ice that he always has to work so the least amount of people die.

This special (alongside most of the 2 specials) was great. While I'm mixed on the concept of the bi-regeneration, the aftermath of it is wonderful. Especially in the way it gives Tennant's Doctor one of the happiest endings you could conceive. After everything he's gone throughin his life (throughout all of his regenerations), he's earned this😢

7:15 I love how people have been meming that scene with other characters and their scenarios (my favourite being one about the characters from Love and Monsters).

I also don't take interviews as canon, but RTD has hinted at something he _might_ do with the idea of bi-generation: that the bi-generation in this episode created a "Doctorverse" of alternate timelines in which all previous Doctors also survived their regeneration. "Sylvester McCoy’s Doctor woke up in a morgue drawer in San Francisco... Jon Pertwee’s Doctor woke up on the floor of the laboratory, while Colin Baker’s Doctor dealt with the Rani upon waking." It might just be an offhand remark that never makes it into the actual show, but he also said "I hope it could lead to all sorts of things," which is pretty open to interpretation. The differences between Fourteen and Ten feel like the differences between, say, Series 8's Twelve and Series 10's Twelve than a different incarnation altogether. I suppose this was probably the best way to capitalize on Ten's popularity without making it seem like the Doctor actually regressed as a character.

These specials have honestly been so well handled in my opinion that even if they DO bring Tennant back for something, I have faith that RTD2 can make it something worthwhile. This idea sounds like a terrible idea on paper but it was executed so incredibly well. Bringing the 14th Doctor back sounds like a terrible idea on paper, but until I see how it's handled, I'll hold out hope that it's good

I understand why it can come off annoying when the doctor panders to human beings but it makes think of the good in people and our potential. That being said i also love when he attacks our downfalls

First off, I want to say that I appreciate you not jumping to talk about the *big thing* of the special and instead covering other parts - as much as the *big thing* (trying not to spoil it for anyone who happens to be reading) is definitely the main point of conversation for most people, that doesn't mean we should bulldoze over the rest of the episode. I enjoyed NPH's shifting accents, agree with the idea that it's mostly him having fun, though it also seems to indicate a particular tone/mood, as well. Also appreciate the "let me address what is on the screen/in the special" philosophy. Interviews and deleted scenes aren't canon (though they can be a good indicator of it, just not confirmation). And the discussion about the depiction of disability - I may not have the personal experience, but I have known people who were legally blind or nearly legally deaf or had mobility issues, and I have noticed some of those biases against them. I have no prior exposure to Mel outside of a multi-doctor fancomic that has become surprisingly difficult to find (I referenced it on Jessie Gender's video about the special, then went looking for the comic, fearing it's now lost media), but I thought she was a nice addition. I don't know if someone who actually liked the character would be happier or feel shortchanged. I am definitely mixed on a lot of aspects of the bi-generation but *how* it happened is not an issue for me - I can accept that on the face of it (even the TARDIS cloning). I think "bi-generation is a myth but it can happen because Toymaker" would've worked if there'd been any setup for it. Again, my issue is far from the base mechanic, it's how it was setup and what was done with it (really, it's the latter that doesn't quite work for me). As for "the Doctor can retire to a happy ending", it feels wrong to me partly because it never felt to me like the Doctor was only doing what he does because he's the only one who could, but because he enjoys travelling and can help people, so he wants to, combined with a level of "the detective on vacation", always running into some adventure just by going to a place. So, to me, it doesn't make sense as an ending for 14. I do agree that it feels like "having your cake and eating it, too", but I disagree that it's the right way, particularly because it does 1 of 2 things: it either gives us a new Doctor that should still have the baggage of all the others or you've opened up arguments that 15 is "not the true/real Doctor", which is not something I would've wanted, especially not for the first Black man to star as the Doctor, that's real bad timing for muddying who is the real Doctor (almost like making the first Black female Doctor some past incarnation who'll barely show up, it's a weird look). Much as it is nice to see 14 have this happy ending, I think it would've been better if it was only a temporary effect, and that 14 ended up re-merging with 15 at the end. As for whether they'll bring back 14, I am more confident of that than I was that the Metacrisis Doctor would return because of that simple reason talked about on this channel a few times: RTD wants to make a Whoniverse of spinoffs, and that seems like a prime idea of occasional spinoff specials. Additionally, RTD only did a few more specials after that, then handed it off to Moffatt, who I don't think was very interested in using the Metacrisis (besides, if he was back, then Rose should've been, too - maybe that had been a consideration for the 50th). I agree a bit about Ncuti Gatwa's 15th Doctor - I liked the energy and even his interplay with Tennant's 14, but it did make it a little less clear what he's like otherwise, though that's fine for somebody who gets little more than a glorified cameo in the special. Agreed that it's less of an issue with the Christmas Special coming soon, rather than a long gap before the first series/season. Oh, and "The One Who Waits" is obviously RTD teasing Tom Waits as the true villain of the next season. Not Tom Waits playing a character, just action musician/actor/guy Tom Waits.

I suspect the 14th Doctor gets a job in the secret vault, as a... no, _The_ Curator