And with that, the Doctor is in. Well, perhaps that should be Doctors.
Yes, Doctor Who just delivered its first "bi-generation" in a game-changing twist that's bound to be divisive among fans. A clash with the villainous Toymaster culminated with the Fourteenth Doctor being gunned down, prompting him to regenerate. However, instead of becoming someone new, the Time Lord split in two, leaving us with two individual Doctors.
Russell T Davies previously confirmed that, following this year's Christmas Special, Ncuti Gatwa's stint as the Doctor will launch with season 1 and we now know why.
The Fourteenth Doctor chose his previous appearance (as the Tenth Doctor) because, subconsciously, he wanted to return to Donna and find peace after years of death, loss, and trauma. Now, he's able to "retire," still using the TARDIS - that too "bi-generates" - but not for crazy adventures or battles to save the universe; instead, he finds peace as part of Donna's family, and is given time to heal...while leaving the door open to returning to what he does best, of course.
As for the Fifteenth Doctor, released from the burden of that trauma, he's quite literally a new man. He has all the same memories and is the Doctor, but the split means he can now move forward, embarking on new journies and essentially freed from the baggage which has come to define the character since he was reintroduced in 2005.
It's a smart way to give the Doctor Who franchise a fresh start, all while preserving its history...and leaving the door open for Tennant to continue playing the time-traveller in a spin-off or future team-up. There are also some exciting hints about the future, including The Master's possible return.
A trailer for this year's Christmas special has also been released, and while we're sure some will choose to focus on the fact the Doctor appears to be wearing a dress, it looks like an absolute riot.
"Little is known about Ruby Sunday as she was abandoned on Christmas Eve as a baby," reads a brief synopsis for the episode titled 'The Church on Ruby Road.' "Now living with her mum, Carla and grandmother, Cherry her world is about to be turned upside when she encounters the Doctor and the two set off on their first adventure together..."
You can watch the "bi-generation" and that festive sneak peek in the X posts below (via SFFGazette.com).