The Power of the Doctor

Plot

The Thirteenth Doctor and her companions try to stop a CyberMaster attack on a bullet train, but a child is taken. After a near-death experience, Dan leaves the Doctor and goes back to his normal life. A rogue Dalek reaches out to the Doctor, claiming to know about a plan to wipe out humanity. The Doctor follows the child to a second moon that has suddenly appeared above 1916 Russia. There, she and Yaz find the child from the train imprisoned; it turns out to be an energy being that has been enslaved. Meanwhile, former companions Tegan and Ace look into the disappearance of seismologists and the appearance of Rasputin’s face in famous paintings. Kate Stewart asks the Doctor to come to UNIT headquarters to talk about what they have learned. The Doctor realizes the new face in the paintings is actually the Master. In Naples, the Doctor confronts the Master, who admits he killed the missing seismologists. The Doctor discovers that the Master and his CyberMasters have teamed up with the Daleks to set off simultaneous volcanic eruptions all over Earth. The Doctor meets the rogue Dalek, but that Dalek is captured. Elsewhere, the Doctor’s old ally Vinder crash-lands on the Cyber planet. While under arrest at UNIT, the Master uses a tiny Cyberman hidden inside a Russian doll to bring in many Cybermen, who free him. The Daleks take the Doctor to the Master in 1916 Russia, where he forces her to regenerate into him. Inside her mind, the Doctor meets mental versions of her past selves, who tell her it might be possible to reverse the forced regeneration. An AI program the Doctor created, using images of past Doctors, guides Ace to meet former companion Graham and destroy the Dalek volcano machine. It also leads Tegan to destroy the Cyberman converter and the CyberMasters at UNIT HQ, and helps Yaz and Vinder trick and capture the Master using a hologram of the Fugitive Doctor. They also make the CyberMasters regenerate, using that energy to undo the Doctor’s forced regeneration. Defeated, the Master gives the Doctor a mortal wound, starting her regeneration. After one last adventure with Yaz, the Doctor takes her home and leaves alone. Yaz goes to a support group for former companions. The Doctor travels to a cliff, where she regenerates into the Fourteenth Doctor, who is shocked to see that his new face looks very much like his tenth incarnation.

Production

In 2021, BBC Chief Content Officer Charlotte Moore ordered a single Doctor Who episode to mark the BBC’s centenary, which was also designed as a regeneration story. The BBC called this feature-length installment an epic blockbuster special. It serves as the final chapter in a set of three specials that include the seventh and eighth episodes ordered for the thirteenth series, though these three episodes are separate from the six-part serial. Showrunner and executive producer Chris Chibnall wrote the episode and announced he would leave the show after it aired. Executive producer Matt Strevens and co-executive producer Nikki Wilson also departed. This special is the 300th Doctor Who story overall since the first one aired in 1963.

The Cybermen, the Daleks, and the Master all appear in this special, marking the first time all three have major roles in the same episode. Chibnall said he had planned to include the Master in the next regeneration story since the twelfth series. When Chibnall asked for ideas, actor Sacha Dhawan, who plays the Master, suggested exploring the Master’s disguises, which became a key plot point. One of the Master’s costumes combined pieces from several Doctors’ outfits. Chibnall revealed he had written the Thirteenth Doctor’s final lines well in advance. The episode’s title, “The Power of the Doctor,” was announced in September 2022.

Chibnall’s original script ended mid-regeneration with a “to be continued” message. Incoming and returning showrunner Russell T Davies wrote the episode’s final moments, continuing a pattern he had started. David Tennant, who previously played the Tenth Doctor and returned as the Fourteenth Doctor, improvised one line. A notable aspect of this ending was that the Doctor’s clothes regenerated along with their body, which is unusual for the series. Davies explained that having a heterosexual man appear in women’s clothing could seem like mockery, especially given the physical differences between Tennant and his predecessor. He added that if the previous outfit had stayed for the scene, the media would keep focusing on that moment, and he worried it would be weaponised.

Release and reception

A press screening of the special took place on 11 October 2022 at London's Curzon Bloomsbury theatre, with the cast and crew present, though the regeneration sequence was kept out of that version. The public first saw "The Power of the Doctor" on BBC One on 23 October 2022, as part of the BBC's centenary celebrations. Running 87 minutes, it holds the record for the longest episode in the revived series. That same day, it aired on BBC America in the United States and on CTV Sci-Fi in Canada, while Australian viewers caught it on ABC TV Plus the following day. A standalone home video release arrived on 7 November 2022 for Region 2/B, 7 December 2022 for Region 4/B, and 13 December 2022 for Region 1/A. The episode also appears in the 2022 specials SteelBook, which came out in Region 2/B on 7 November 2022. Selected tracks from the score were released digitally on 16 December 2022, and a physical CD containing all three 2022 special soundtracks followed on 13 January 2023. Overnight, 3.7 million viewers tuned in, with a peak of 4 million during the regeneration. Consolidated figures reached 5.295 million, ranking it fifth for the week. The BBC America broadcast drew 317,000 viewers. Critical reception was mostly favourable. The regeneration scene earned a "TV Moment of the Year" award at the Edinburgh TV Festival. Patrick Mulkern of Radio Times noted the episode "brings an erratic four-year chapter of this constantly evolving saga to a satisfying close," enjoying the multiple-Doctor element while pointing out some plot holes. Isobel Lewis of The Independent described Whittaker's exit as "bittersweet," calling the special "as thrilling as it gets" but criticising how the Doctor and Yaz's relationship ended. Rebecca Nicholson of The Guardian praised the pacing and the return of familiar faces. Gabriel Tate of Metro echoed that, appreciating the many callbacks to past stories. Michael Hogan of The Telegraph labelled it the best episode of Chris Chibnall's era, calling it "an electrifying thrill-ride of non-stop surprises."