First Doctor going back to the future
- Publication: Daily Mirror
- Date: 2017-04-18
- Author: Nicola Methven, Mark Jefferies
- Page: 23
- Language: English
DOCTOR Who will have a new time travelling companion in the Christmas Special - in the shape of the first Time Lord.
Harry Potter star David Bradley will reprise his role as William Hartnell's original Doctor, which he previously played for the BBC sci-fi show's 50th anniversary in 2013.
He will flank Peter Capaldi's 12th incarnation in this year's festive outing, following the departure of Pearl Mackie as Bill Potts at the end of this series (despite rave reviews after her debut on Saturday).
In the plot, the first Doctor has to help the current one play out his last mission in the Tardis. The pair must work together to save home planet Gallifrey by moving it to another dimension.
Fans will discover the close-up shot of Capaldi's eyes from the 50th special, The Day of the Doctor, was actually the start of his own regeneration.
The scene, which was the only glimpse that viewers got of Matt Smith's successor during the entire episode, will be returned to at Christmas as Capaldi transforms into the 13th Doctor.
Bradley, 73, is best known for his role as Argus Filch in the Potter films and as the suicidal newsagent in the first series of Broadchurch.
He first played Hartnell's Doctor in drama-documentary An Adventure in Time and Space.
An insider revealed: "David was convincing as Hartnell, it's exciting he's back.
"Four years ago it took all the previous Doctors to save Gallifrey, so maybe some of the others will also pop up in Capaldi's swansong.
"It's great that the first Doctor will be there to help out during those all-important regeneration moments'
Hartnell, who died in 1975, played the Doctor from 1963 to 1966.
Caption: HIT Bradley as first Doctor
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- APA 6th ed.: Jefferies, Nicola Methven, Mark (2017-04-18). First Doctor going back to the future. Daily Mirror p. 23.
- MLA 7th ed.: Jefferies, Nicola Methven, Mark. "First Doctor going back to the future." Daily Mirror [add city] 2017-04-18, 23. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Jefferies, Nicola Methven, Mark. "First Doctor going back to the future." Daily Mirror, edition, sec., 2017-04-18
- Turabian: Jefferies, Nicola Methven, Mark. "First Doctor going back to the future." Daily Mirror, 2017-04-18, section, 23 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=First Doctor going back to the future | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/First_Doctor_going_back_to_the_future | work=Daily Mirror | pages=23 | date=2017-04-18 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=15 May 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=First Doctor going back to the future | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/First_Doctor_going_back_to_the_future | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=15 May 2025}}</ref>
