We cannot tell a lie – the long wait for the next season of Doctor Who has been excruciating.
But as these last ten months or so have passed ever so slowly, with barely a TARDIS dematerialisation sound to be heard, here at Cultbox we’ve used the time wisely and revisited the Peter Capaldi era thus far.
From a T-Rex in the Thames to Singing Towers, we’ve loved the adventures of the Twelfth Doctor and his darker, more pragmatic and spiky persona.
Buy the Season 8 box set on Amazon here.
Buy the Season 9 box set on Amazon here.
Join us as we count down our favourite Doctor Who stories from the show’s most recent two seasons, and pick out the highlights of Capaldi’s era so far…
5. ‘The Magician’s Apprentice’ and ‘The Witch’s Familiar’ (2015)
Season 9’s Dalek-stuffed opener is more than just your standard Doctor Who epic.
A spiritual sequel to 1975’s ‘Genesis of the Daleks’, ‘The Magician’s Apprentice’ and ‘The Witch’s Familiar’ pose interesting questions and dilemmas for the Doctor, exploring themes such as repentance, forgiveness and consequences.
It’s also one of the best Davros stories we’ve ever seen in Doctor Who. Here, dear old Davros is as conniving, wicked and grotesque as ever, but Steven Moffat’s script lifts the veil slightly, revealing more about the ruthless Dalek creator’s past and finding some method to his madness.
The opening of the episode and the left-field cliffhanger serve to challenge our love for our titular hero, as the Doctor is faced with the classic conundrum he once posed to himself way back on Skaro at the birth of his greatest enemies – if you met a child who would be grow up to be a ruthless, evil dictator, would you kill them?
In some ways, ‘The Witch’s Familiar’ explores the Doctor’s conscience and occasional hypocrisy. Playing out as a dialogue driven two-hander for much of its runtime, it forgoes the standard formula of season openers, offering up big philosophical ideas instead of big visual set pieces (though it still manages to throw in a few of those too).
Featuring tour de force performances from Peter Capaldi and Julian Bleach as Davros, as well as the welcome return of Michelle Gomez as the Master, this two-part adventure defies expectation and opens up entirely new avenues for character exploration.
It also has a lot of Daleks. Win-win!
4. ‘Listen’ (2014)
Unsettling, dark and creepy. Steven Moffat’s psychological horror was easily a highlight of Peter Capaldi’s debut year on Doctor Who, one which felt very suited to Capaldi’s colder, more alien take on the Doctor. Exploring childhood fears (including those of the Doctor), ‘Listen’ presents us a tale that zeroes in on the Doctor’s obsessive and paranoid nature.
What truly works in ‘Listen’s favour is its lack of clarity. We never quite get the answers we want, only hints and theories. Is the thing under the blanket a child or something monstrous? Is there a creature banging on the airlock or is it just the hull cooling? Did the Doctor write the word on the blackboard and forget or did something else do it?
It’s unsettling to say the least, but in many ways, the episode retains much of its power through its lack of answers. Further questions arise with the inclusion of Danny Pink’s future descendant Orson and the emotional climax in that very familiar barn.
The episode’s failure to provide definitive solutions to the questions it poses are what ensures the its power, even now two years later. The unseen is always scariest, and ‘Listen’ excels at crafting a genuinely creepy atmosphere and terrifying scenarios the likes of which we’ve seldom seen in Who up to this point.
Added in for good measure is a hilariously awkward dating subplot between Clara and Danny, one which gifts the episode with a lightness of touch and provides plenty of opportunity for Jenna Coleman and Samuel Anderson to flex their comedic chops. The fact said-subplot doesn’t jar with the scarier goings-on in the episode is testament to Moffat’s excellent writing, which is further augmented with the superb minimalist direction of Douglas MacKinnon.
If you want a perfect Doctor Who tale to watch with the lights off this Halloween, then look no further then ‘Listen’. Just try not to have nightmares.
3. ‘The Zygon Invasion’ and ‘The Zygon Inversion’ (2015)
As great as ‘The Day of the Doctor’ (2013) was, there was always the nagging feeling that the Zygons were given short thrift when it came to their involvement. But of course, these things are often part of a much bigger plan, one of which comes to fruition in this large scale two-parter from last year’s run.
Peter Harness and Steven Moffat’s adventure plays out like an episode of Spooks, albeit an episode of Spooks with shapeshifting sucker-covered aliens. A tightly plotted espionage thriller with a global setting, these episodes cleverly subvert the Zygons as asylum seekers and radicalised militants, fighting for their freedom.
In a world where our news media is often dominated by stories about ISIS and refugees, it’s important for science fiction to hold a mirror to these real life issues and explore them through the haze of imaginative adventure. ‘The Zygon Invasion’ and ‘The Zygon Inversion’ do this and more, crafting an involving and fast-moving thriller that explores the Zygon race and their powers of shapeshifting in nightmarish ways that we dared not imagine.
The story also provides some (but not all) the answers to the question hanging over the fate of fan-favourite UNIT scientist Osgood, last seen dying horribly in ‘Death in Heaven’ (2014). With Clara now an agent of the enemy, the story wisely sets up Osgood as the Doctor’s companion, one which provides plenty of fan-friendly fun (Ingrid Oliver is once again nigh-on perfect as Osgood).
Above all though, ‘Invasion’ and ‘Inversion’ the brilliant acting ability of Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman, both of whom get plenty of opportunity to act their socks off in this tense adventure. Casting Coleman as the villain of the piece is a wonderful notion, whilst Capaldi gives his most memorable speech yet as the Doctor in a heart-breaking climax.
Like the issue-reflecting stories of the Barry Letts/Jon Pertwee era, ‘The Zygon Invasion’ and ‘The Zygon Inversion’ explore controversial and current affairs in an interesting and insightful manner, whilst also delivering a solid science fiction thriller for Saturday night family viewing in the process.
2. ‘Mummy on the Orient Express’ (2014)
Jamie Mathieson is easily one of the best writers to pen Doctor Who in years.
The Being Human writer’s episodes for Who have all been imaginative, funny and emotionally investing, ranging from pure unconventional body horror in ‘Flatline’ (2014) to the emotional dilemma posed in ‘The Girl Who Died’ (2015). But it is Mathieson’s debut script for the show which encapsulates his absolute best.
‘Mummy…’ has it all – a marauding, unstoppable monster, an inescapable base-under-siege setting, an inventive disembodied villain and a lovable sidekick in Frank Skinner’s Perkins. It also perfectly suits the cold, calculating and inquisitive Twelfth Doctor, seen here at his most manipulative and driven in his desperate search for knowledge on the titular threat.
However, unlike the preceding ‘Kill the Moon’, the ever-fractured relationship between the Doctor and Clara is given a chance to heal, with the Doctor finally softening to a greater degree than seen up to this point. Its beautifully handled in the tense climax, with the Doctor sacrificing his life to save a grief stricken girl he barely knows or probably even likes.
‘Mummy…’ earns its place here for the simple fact that it is so tightly scripted and beautifully realised onscreen. The twists in the narrative are intelligent and the Mummy itself, complete with ticking countdown clock, is a visually pleasing nightmare.
The scares are solid, the dialogue sublime, the gags rib-tickling and the tension utterly engrossing. Above all else, ‘Mummy on the Orient Express’ stands as a shining example of pure, quintessential Doctor Who.
1. ‘Heaven Sent’ (2015)
Following on from the tragic events of the equally fantastic ‘Face the Raven’, ‘Heaven Sent’ is by far one of the single best Doctor Who episodes ever made to date. Steven Moffat’s script is a daring, thought-provoking, intelligent and utterly heart wrenching character study, as the grief stricken Doctor finds himself trapped in a strange castle, stalked by a figure from his childhood nightmares.
Atmospheric and tense, ‘Heaven Sent’ is quite unlike any Doctor Who adventure we’ve encountered before. It’s a rare opportunity to peel back the layers of the Doctor to a larger degree than we’ve ever been afforded, to see what drives him and how he deals with grief.
We also see the Doctor at his absolute lowest ebb, alone in his own inner-monologue, weary, distraught and unable to find any hope to spurn him on. It’s grim for the most part, but it’s this sombre and unrelenting tone that gives the episode so much of its power.
It’s Peter Capaldi though who really makes the episode the treat it is. It takes a truly engaging, talented and powerhouse actor to carry 55 minutes of television single-handed, but Capaldi makes it look effortless. His performance is beautifully nuanced, his comedic timing spot-on, his emotional moments on point. He’s always been a joy to watch on screen, but here he’s at his absolute hundred-percent best.
Every element of the episode is perfection – the gorgeous visuals and design work to the tear-inducing score from Murray Gold, the masterclass in editing to the bold direction of Rachel Talalay – it all works, meshing together with ease to tell a complex but engaging story.
When the dark day comes about where Peter Capaldi chooses to leave the series, it will no doubt be ‘Heaven Sent’ that will be lauded as the highlight of the Twelfth Doctor era. And quite right too.
Buy the Season 8 box set on Amazon here.
Buy the Season 9 box set on Amazon here.
Have we missed your favourite Twelfth Doctor adventure from the list? Let us know below…