Two Doctors. Both on the verge of regeneration. Neither wanting to go…

And so we’ve finally reached the end – for Peter Capaldi’s Doctor and Steven Moffat’s tenure as head writer, a post he’s held for close to a decade. There’s a certain symmetry that elements of this story reflect Moffat’s very first broadcast Doctor Who – as have a number of stories in the last eight years. I have no doubt whatsoever that About Time 13 (or whatever number it will be by the time they get to discussing this season) will have an essay looking at The Curse of Fatal Death in great detail and noting how many times its core message is repeated.

There are other themes that have characterised Moffat’s work that reappear here, many of which would be spoilers to discuss, but it doesn’t feel as if he’s simply retreading old ground. Mark Gatiss’ Captain is an interesting addition to the story, with one particularly poignant scene between him and Bill adding a dimension to the tale.

Capaldi, as always, shines: he’s given so much to the role over the last four years, and he has some terrific moments threaded throughout the story, not least his interaction with his “younger” self. David Bradley’s First Doctor is a delight, and while I think that one particular idea is overused, those who say that Moffat has recharacterized the original incarnation in this script need to go back and watch/listen to Hartnell’s performance.

Save for when I’ve needed to for editing reasons, I’ve not gone back and rewatched The End of Time or The Time of the Doctor, since both have felt a little too self-indulgent. That’s not the case with Capaldi’s finale: sure, there are a couple of bits that could easily be lost if it had to be trimmed to a shorter running time, but overall this is a fitting end of an era. The preview ends with the regeneration starting – and it’ll be no hardship to rewatch this episode on Christmas Day as a preparation for the 30 seconds I’ve not yet seen!

Verdict: A fine cap for Capaldi. 9/10

Paul Simpson