After a year long wait, this Christmas sees The Doctor join forces with a masked Superhero for an epic New York adventure. With brain-swapping aliens poised to attack, the Doctor and Nardole link up with an investigative reporter and a mysterious figure known only as The Ghost. Can the Doctor save Manhattan? And what will be revealed when we see behind the mask?
The Doctor Who Christmas Specials typically stand apart from the season’s main plot, but at the same time have produced some of the most enchanting, and important, Doctor Who moments. One thing Peter Capaldi is confident about is that this year’s special will definitely be one fans everywhere will enjoy.
“I think with the Doctor Who Christmas Special this year, audiences can look forward to a real Christmas treat. It’s nostalgic in the sense that it’s going to be a superhero story from the days when superheroes were ironic and witty and clever. It’s also set in New York and we have a fabulous American cast and some spectacular flying scenes – you’ll believe a man can fly. And we have The Doctor and Nardole and returning nasty monsters. Villains, good guys, bad guys, bit of snow, some children and maybe a hint of Santa Claus. Be there, watch it and have a wonderful Christmas!”
In the special Justin Chatwin plays Grant/The Ghost who’s plays the superhero and the secret identity just as well.
“Justin as The Ghost is amazing because he’s able to do both of those parts – The Ghost and the mild mannered Grant – and he’s got two different voices that he uses for them. I think comic lightness is a greatly undervalued thing – to be as funny as he is and light but with accurate delivery. He has great charm, a movie star quality which is lovely. The Ghost is a slightly flawed superhero and he’s spot on with all of that. He’s been great to have around,” enthused Capaldi.
But why a superhero? It really is showrunner, Steven Mofatt’s love for superhero movies that’s inspired this year’s Christmas special.
“I love the secret identity, I like the daft superpowers, I like scenes where the two identities being managed by our hero are clashing with each other – they did that beautifully in the Christopher Reeves Superman films and the Tobey Maguire Spiderman movies,” explains Mofatt.
“That’s what’s interesting, that’s the cool part and you have a certain joyful levity in how you deal with the superpowers because they’re fundamentally silly – you can’t take them too seriously and I think the Superman movies do that so beautifully.”
I wanted to do a superhero story, I wanted to reflect some of the elements of the Clark Kent/Lois Lane/ Superman love triangle that has always fascinated me. I just wanted to do a good superhero in Doctor Who.”
This year’s christmas special, Doctor Who : The Return of Doctor Mysterio is now available on BBC Player.