Russell T Davies has promised an explosive, “devastating” finale for Ncuti Gatwa’s first season. So while we wait for the new episodes, we take a look back at some of the best Doctor Who season finales in the show’s history…
The Pandorica Opens / The Big Bang
In 2010, Steven Moffat finally tried his hand at a Doctor Who season finale with a two-parter at the end of Matt Smith’s first season. And in many ways, it was the most explosive ever, as it saw the destruction of (almost) the entire universe and the destruction of the TARDIS, with the Doctor sealed inside an impenetrable prison for the rest of time. Oh, and just to top it off, his company Amy was also killed by an Auton.
Of course, this was just the first part of the Doctor Who season finale, and Moffat managed to put everything back together in his characteristic ‘timey wimey’ manner. This Doctor Who season finale was as cinematic as it was confusing, but truly epic in scale; the combination of Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans and a whole host of other Doctor Who monsters made it feel like an anniversary special – or the fan’s ultimate dream.
World Enough and Time / The Doctor Falls
Speaking of ultimate fan dreams, the Series Ten Doctor Who finale was a mind-blowing mash-up of ideas. For starters, there was Missy – the female version of the Master who, in this story, is claiming to have changed her ways and allied herself with the Doctor. Then there was the surprise appearance of one of her past incarnations played by John Simm, making this the first time in history that two versions of the Master have appeared together on screen.
And as if that wasn’t enough, there were also Cybermen for the Doctor to contend with. But in a dramatic twist, there were multiple generations of Cybermen, including the original ‘Mondasian’ versions that the Doctor encountered in ‘The Tenth Planet.’ And then there was the death of his companion Bill, who was shot and then cyber-converted. Then there was the death of the Doctor himself, gunned down by a Cyberman and triggering his regeneration. And then there was the surprise appearance of the First Doctor, played by David Bradley.
It’s a truly maddening list, but a sign that Steven Moffat was determined to go all-out for his last Doctor Who season finale. He would leave the show at the end of the next episode, handing the reins over to Chris Chibnall.
Bad Wolf / The Parting of the Ways
Prior to ‘Bad Wolf’ and ‘The Parting of the Ways,’ we hadn’t really seen any proper Doctor Who season finales before. The seasons of the classic era just sort of ended, and stakes didn’t tend to build over the course of a series – although, occasionally, the final stories did feature a Doctor’s regeneration.
And whilst this is also true of ‘Bad Wolf’ and ‘The Parting of the Ways,’ with the Ninth Doctor regenerating in its closing moments, this was undoubtedly the first of the true Doctor Who season finales. Over the course of the 2005 series, viewers had been on tenterhooks to learn the true identity of the mysterious ‘bad wolf’ that had been following the Doctor and Rose over the course of the season. And it’s fair to say this story delivered.
But perhaps more exciting was the return of the Daleks after a 17 year absence. A lone Dalek had appeared earlier in the series, but this was the first time that viewers had been afforded a full Dalek army. Plus, there was the return of the Dalek Emperor, unseen since 1967’s ‘The Evil of the Daleks.’
This Doctor Who season finale wasn’t all about Daleks, though. At its heart, ‘Bad Wolf’ was about a dodgy TV station which poached random people to take part in its gameshows – gameshows which ended in death. And of course, the Doctor and his friends found themselves caught up in the chaos, with the Doctor (somewhat hilariously) finding himself a contestant on Big Brother, whilst Rose was doing battle with the Anne Droid on The Weakest Link.
For many fans, this Doctor Who season finale has a special place in their hearts. It was a deeply emotional adventure, and one that signalled the end of an era, whilst hastening the beginning of another. After all, this was the first story to feature David Tennant as the eponymous Time Lord…
The Stolen Earth / Journey’s End
Anticipation was building for this Doctor Who season finale long before its broadcast. The title of ‘The Stolen Earth’ had been kept a secret for a while, as Russell T Davies considered it a bit ‘spoilery.’ And whilst fans knew that Rose Tyler would be returning to do battle with the Daleks once more, few knew just how epic in scale this adventure would turn out to be.
In short, ‘The Stolen Earth’ and ‘Journey’s End’ was the ultimate crossover. It featured Captain Jack, Gwen and Ianto from Torchwood, and Sarah Jane, Luke, Mr Smith and K9 from The Sarah Jane Adventures, plus of course the usual TARDIS team of the Tenth Doctor and Donna. Then there was an army of Daleks with its sights set on the complete destruction of reality, and the return of their creator Davros – unseen on screen since 1988, and wonderfully realised by Julian Bleach.
There was a lot to cram into this Doctor Who season finale, and the production team were granted an extended run-time for the final episode in order to tie up all the loose ends. And they did, but it was devastating – Donna Noble had all her memories of the Doctor wiped in order to save her life, and the Time Lord was left travelling on his own. But there was a mini trailer for the upcoming special after the credits, promising the return of the series’ most famous cyborgs.
All things considered, ‘The Stolen Earth’ and ‘Journey’s End’ was possibly the most epic and cinematic Doctor Who season finale of all time – for now, at least.
For Doctor Who Series 1, Russell T Davies has this to say: “[There will be a] running theme and running story that’s going to build and build and build to ‘The Most Devastating Finale.’ Literally, the biggest finale ever. There’s some shots of that in the trailers coming up. Oh my God, you’re gonna die.”
So I guess we’ll have lots more to talk about soon. Assuming we live.
In the meantime, which is your favourite Doctor Who season finale? Let us know in the comments below.
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