It was said that in the final days of planet Earth everyone had bad dreams. Well except for me, I've been waiting for this episode all year and unlike other much hyped holiday extravaganzas this was flawless!
The End of Time is the two part Doctor Who event that marks both the end of this years specials and the tenure of the much loved Tenth Doctor. As such it is chocked full of all kinds of goodies for the fans, the return of the Master being only one of them. One would expect however that among all this madness that the episode would significantly feature the Doctor as a sort of well deserved swan song for David Tennant, but in actuality he takes the second chair through out the episode, acting as supporting character to both Simm(the master)and more importantly Bernard Cribbins who plays the reoccurring character Wilfred Mott( Donna noble's grandfather) whom the doctor seems to inevitably meet every Christmas.
Through out the episode Cribbins brings both festive laughs and tugs at the audiences heartstrings, both in equal measure. He brings a sort of balance to the Doctor's manic energy that has been absent in the previous specials this year. He serves to remind the audience that despite the youthful look that Tennant brings to the role that the Doctor, who is about to pass into his 11th regeneration, is in fact an old man underneath. Cribbins reminds us that the unflappable Doctor, though long lived, is indeed mortal.Partnering Tennant with the 80-year-old actor adds pathos to the dying days of this 900-year-old Doctor, and gives both men the opportunity to prove that, regardless of age, they are simply very good actors indeed, as we see that Tennant can not only be youthful, but also portray the hidden undercurrent of the Doctor's age as well.
But then, The End Of Time is an treasure trove of riches when it comes to casting, with brief but memorable contributions from both June Whitfield and Timothy Dalton, and, of course, the return of John Simm as the increasingly deranged but utterly brilliant Master. This rival Time Lord may have been killed back in series three, but the door was left open for his return when a mysterious female hand was seen to take his discarded ring at the end of that series. Here we finally get to see whose hand that was – and it’s no one you were expecting!
But don't take my word for it, take a gander yourself!
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