Image Credit: James Ashworth

Image Description: Janet Fielding

Ian Bayley examines what the Oxford Doctor Who Society thought might have been going to happen in Thirteen’s finale

The Power of the Doctor, as the last story of the Thirteenth Doctor and the Chibnall era in general, was always going to be historically significant. Even without its position as a celebratory BBC special, it is officially numbered as Doctor Who‘s 300th story, and the society’s members treated it as such. As we have done every series since Series Ten, we invited our members, including many freshers new to organised fandom, to submit predictions in sealed envelopes or online following our Michaelmas Week two meeting. We knew that the episode would feature a regeneration and the return of Tegan and Ace, but also some epic plot involving the Master, the Daleks and the Cybermen. Companions Dan and Yaz would also need to leave too, and the 87 minute runtime made it just about possible that five years of dangling plot threads could be tied up in this episode.

The most prominent strand of predictions focused on the regeneration itself, and the events leading up to it. Naturally, we expect regenerations to be dramatic events. Thirteen’s predecessor, for instance, wished that his essence, and perhaps his whole time as the Doctor, be defined by his final on-screen moments: “who I am is where I stand”. As such, it’s perhaps not surprising that members predicted that only the greatest of the Doctor’s adversaries should be able to kill the Doctor and since the Master (Four), Cybermen (Twelve) and Daleks (Ten) had each done it once, it was natural for predictions to focus on which of the three would do it for the second time. Though there was a prediction that Thirteen would meet her fate in a Logopolis-style fall, in the end those that predicted the Master would cause the regeneration won out, particularly one member who stated it would come as revenge. Predictions that this could have been part of an attempt to deprive the Doctor of her unlimited regeneration capability turned out, in the end, to be wrong. 

As for the Doctor finding herself in the firing line, some predicted, correctly, that the Doctor would regenerate without Yaz, but many thought it would come as part of a dramatic sacrifice for her companion. If the Doctor does not make a last stand like Twelve, they should at least die with a meaningful sacrifice to save somebody special like Peri (Five), Rose (Nine), or Wilf (Ten). Since Thasmin had surfaced in Eve of the Daleks, it seemed certain that it would pay off dramatically as the Doctor sacrificed herself for Yaz. Although the ending of Legend of the Sea Devils seemed to shut down the idea, there were still many who believed that it would return. Instead, however, it is the otherwise forgettable Qurunx that kills Thirteen, with the only hint of Thasmin being the romantic imagery of Yaz carrying Thirteen’s body. There were none of the predicted kisses, confessions of love or even Yaz’s own sacrifice for the Doctor which some had thought could be on the card. 

There were a few guesses of what the regeneration itself might entail, beyond the now standard glowing yellow effect. Some thought that Graham, whose appearance in the episode itself had been kept a secret, would appear before or after the regeneration to say: “You’re doing it, mate!” Another predicted appearance that I, for one, am sad not to have seen is, in a manner reminiscent of Ood Sigma, the appearance of the Thijarians to “bear witness to those alone.” Once the regeneration started, others thought that Thirteen would reference hope in her final words, concluding with a fade to black or the yellow light of regeneration that mean we wouldn’t have seen the next Doctor. While this wasn’t right, two members both successfully guessed that the next incarnation would say “what” three times. 

As for the new Doctor, it had been assumed at this point that Ncuti Gatwa would be the Fourteenth Doctor, and that David Tennant would be some kind of transitionary form. The existence of Tennant 2.0 was predicted as the result of The Master’s meddling, or of the Celestial Toymaker, but this won’t be confirmed until next year. While some did predict that David Tennant would indeed be Fourteen, others thought he would simply turn up after a regeneration into Ncuti Gatwa, or that a “weird dual regeneration” would see Jodie split into both of her successors.

Aside from the Doctor’s regeneration, The Power of the Doctor was also important as the first television appearance of Tegan and Ace for decades – and as it turned out, many more characters besides. While there were a slew of incorrect guesses, including Karvanista, Tim Shaw, and even Chibnall himself, the return of Classic Doctors was anticipated, as was Graham’s joining of an old companions support group with Ian Chesterton and Jo Jones, even if Nyssa and Leela are not yet among the group’s known members. 

It was Tegan and Ace who took top billing, however, and there were predictions that their Big Finish adventures would be overruled. In particular, there was a suggestion that The Gathering, where Tegan has a terminal condition, would be cancelled out and as far as we can be aware, this is the case. Some thought that the episode may be kinder to other spinoff media, and in particular Farewell, Sarah Jane where Tegan and Nyssa are married. While not explicitly ruling out this pairing, Tegan having seen off two husbands makes it seem like she’s not up for another union. The importance of both companions to LGBTQ+ fandom led to some suggestions that Ace and Tegan might be an item, and it is difficult not to judge Chibnall for sidestepping this choice following the Thasmin disappointment. A number of callbacks made by and relating to these companions were correctly predicted, however, including a Survival joke from Ace about the Master being a cat, a Logopolis reference about Tegan, and a baseball bat moment for Ace. One person predicted that Aunt Vanessa wouldn’t be mentioned, but as it turns out, this callback would come in the episode. 

Speaking of callbacks, there were hopes that fan favourite Dan would have a greater role in the episode than he did. As a companion encapsulated in memes, it was inevitable that their departure would be expected to be as restatements of catchphrases by which we remember them. As it turned out, Dan wasn’t actually evil, or even the Master. He also wouldn’t be doing any plastering, joking about ‘Rasputin’ by Boney M, or taking part in a fake marriage to undercover Torchwood operative Yaz. While predictions of a date with Di are most likely right, but not explicitly confirmed, it was instead those who predicted his absence from most of the plot who were the most accurate.

Similar predictions for Jo Martin, meanwhile, were not borne out. While there were some suggestions that her regeneration would take place here to fit her into a wider numbering system, predictions of a “a brief but plot-important cameo” came right in the end. It was also thought that more Division or Timeless Child reveals might take place, perhaps by eliminating the latter altogether or by an appearance of the fob watch, but these were a step too far. 

While predictions on Timeless Child lore were wide of the mark, the basics of the evil plans of the Master and the Daleks were confidently predicted by those who were interested enough to try. There were successful predictions that the Daleks would be drilling under the Earth, and that a rogue Dalek would warn the Doctor of this. There were even successful predictions of Ashad being unshrunk, even if his being a clone was not predicted. Speaking of the Cybermen, some of our members were expecting to see more from the Cyberlords, who ended up being more of a glorified cameo in the vein of the many others taking place in the episode. Perhaps this wishful thinking contributed to suggestions that the Earth and Mondas would be the planets firing missiles at each other. The presence of Yaz and the Master in this scene was somewhat predicted, however, with suggestions that he would kidnap the Doctor’s companion. That all three would form a “nightmare love triangle” was mercifully avoided, as was the predicted death of Kate Stewart.

As the culmination of years, and even decades, of pent-up fan demand for such a broad range of cameos, I think that these treats compensated for a failure to deliver on what reasonable expectations I had of the episode. Although it screened one year before the sixtieth anniversary, I believe it will fit better in the tradition of The Five Doctors as an anniversary celebration rather than the episodes we will watch in November 2023. With RTD restarting, next year is the time to look forward rather than back.

Print copies of Tides 49 are, at time of publication, available to buy through this link