The 800th episode of Doctor who features the regeneration of one of the best Doctors of all time.

Daleks! Cybermen! Regneration! Silents! These were only some of the many things that were slated to be appearing in Doctor Who's ninth Christmas Special, and I must admit that I was worried that with so many things going on, the story would collapse and we'd be left with another atrocious regeneration episode ala The End of Time. Thankfully though, writer Steven Moffat managed to defy the odds and gave us a very warm, heartfelt and satisfying conclusion to the 11th Doctor's era.

The Time of the Doctor sees the Doctor (Matt Smith) and Clara (Jenna Coleman) investigating a mysterious signal emanating from the planet Trenzalore. Upon learning that signal was created by the Time Lords in an effort to break back into our universe, the Doctor decides to remain on Trenzalore and defend it from the myriad of alien species in orbit above the planet. However, with no regenerations remaining, there's every possibility that this battle may be the Doctor's last.

Unfortunately, the episode gets off to a bad start, with the first fifteen or so minutes of the episode letting the story down somewhat, with lots of unneccessary scenes that felt extremely out of place. The Doctor's 'nude' scene in front of the Oswald's is cringeworthy, and the neccessity to be naked in the Church of the Papal Mainframe seems shoehorned in just to provide an excuse for the aforementioned 'nude' scene. This is only made more obvious later on, as both the Doctor and Clara waltz into the Mainframe wearing proper clothes, and no one cares about it one bit. The scene where the Doctor is revealed to be wearing a wig also seems forced, and although a credible in-universe explanation is provided, it still gets on my nerves. I know that Matt Smith was actually wearing a wig during filming, but its inclusion in the actual narrative just seems a bit too self-indulgent on Moffat's part. Finally, why were the Weeping Angels included? They served no purpose whatsoever - they didn't even send Clara back in time after grabbing her ankle.

Desptie the rather disappointing start, the episode picks up considerably once the crack in the wall appears. The revelation that the Time Lords themselves are asking the 'oldest question in the universe' ties in nicely with The Day of the Doctor and provides a good resolution to the whole Trenzalore prophecy from the latter half of series 6. From there, the plot starts to build momentum, with Clara being sent back to Earth in a manner that is very reminiscent of what the Doctor did to Rose in The Parting of the Ways. The Doctor remains behind on Trenzalore, and we're treated to a montage of events that occured during the 300 years between Clara's visits. While I don't much for the Sontaran or Cyberman scenes (not all Sontarans are as stupid as Strax, and the wooden cyberman felt forced), I aboslutely adore the one where the Doctor puts on the puppet show, dances the 'drunk giraffe' with the children, and proudly proclaims that "cool is not cool!". This scene, to me, is the culmination of three years of a Doctor who got on extraordinarily well with children, and was not afraid to act childish or go against the social norm. It's such a wonderful scene, and it always makes me smile whenever I watch it.

And that, I think, is what The Time of the Doctor is all about. It's main focus is not on the 'endless war' between the Doctor and his enemies. Instead, it's all about the small, emotional scenes, be it the Doctor dancing with the children, or him saying goodbye to Handles the cyberhead, or him discussing the regeneration limit with Clara, or the actual regeneration itself. The emotional scenes are where the episode shines, and it's clear Moffat put his heart into making these scenes perfect. Handles' 'death' is surprisingly touching for a head whom we've only known for about half an hour, and the regeneration limit scene is beautifully underplayed. That being said, my favourite moment from the episode is, surprisingly, not the now-traditional regeneration speech, rather, it's when Clara meets the drastically aged Doctor. There's just something unidentifiably beautiful about the whole thing, with the Doctor always eager for a joke, despite his age and mental state. It gets even better as he grumbles about dying from old age before the daleks shoot him - classic Doctor. The moment is beautifully enhanced by the music, with 'Four Knocks' being used to great emotional effect. 'Four Knocks' was also used during The End of Time Part 2, when the 10th Doctor raged about what he could have been, and I'm not the least sorry to say that, from now on, I'll always think of the tune as being from The Time of the Doctor - I think it was most certainly more suited to 11's swansong.

I must confess I was a bit annoyed that the 12 regeneration limit was being addressed this early; I wasn't expecting it to pop up until Peter Capaldi announced he was leaving the show some time in the future. The main reason for this was that I didn't like the idea of 10's aborted regeneration counting - it was a stupid move in the first place, and (in my opinion) should have been ignored. However, I've now come to accept it as a decision made by Moffat for the best, as the regeneration was started, and the Doctor was healed. The only difference was that his appearance didn't change, so how could it not cout as a regeneration? It also, much to my delight, gave me another reason to hate 10, as he was so selfish and vain that he couldn't bear to change his appearance. Idiot. But I digress, that's an article for another day.

So with the 11th Doctor actually being the 13th incarnation, he naturally had to find a clever way to get round the limit. The use of the Time Lords for this purpose tied in well with the plot of the episode, and it's completely justified within existing canon, as the Time Lords have been known to be able to give extra regenerations since The Five Doctors, where they offered the Master a new cycle for his help. The initial regeneration itself was very well handled, and I really liked the way the Doctor swung his arms before extending them in the now-traditional regeneration pose. I do have slight misgivings about how the regeneration energy was able to destroy the daleks, but as the Doctor said, he was "breaking some serious science", so perhaps the extent of the destructive nature of the energy was due to the fact that this was a thirteenth regeneration - something meant to be physically impossible. Other than that shaky explanation, it just felt like a cop out, and one I'm not sure could have been avoided,. The Time Lords could have easily destroyed the daleks, but again, that too would have been a cop out. Also: why didn't the daleks just shoot the Doctor while he was regenerating? They had a giant spaceship for crying out loud!

The five or so minutes after the inital regeneration are built up nicely; we're put in a position where we believe that we won't actually see the 11th Doctor regenerate fully - the volcano of energy bit is done, the Doctor's clothes are on the floor, and there's a bowl of fish fingers and custard. We fully expect to see the 12th Doctor walk up the stairs and say hello to Clara. Moffat plays on our expectations, though, and we see that the energy has simply restored the Doctor's youth, allowing him to deliver his heartfelt pre-change speech. I absolutely love this speech, as the Doctor fondly looks back on the life he's lived, but recognises that he has to change, and that change is for the good. As the tumblr user Dimensions In Time put it:

"The regeneration itself was likewise perfectly handled, for the most part, and remains probably one of the best regenerations of the series. Eleven’s regeneration speech acts as a counterpoint to Ten’s self-serving and selfish one. It brings up the realisation that change is scary, but it is also necessary and it is what makes you who you are - it defines you. Steven Moffat, in this moment, is not only talking about The Doctor, but about the show in general. Though change is scary, we have to accept it and move on because it is necessary to survive. And if you can do that, you’ll end up liking who you become. The return of Amy, in a vision, seeks not to be a simple 'farewell tour' moment as in Ten’s regeneration, but as a visual metaphor for this change. Just as little Amy became adult Amy, Eleven must become Twelve. Amy will never forget her time as a child and neither will Twelve forget his time as Eleven. Though the transition to adulthood can be scary, it nevertheless is a necessary one and one you should not regret. A brilliant visual metaphor and an all-in-all  perfect regeneration."

Finally, the way the actual phsycial change is treated is delightfully evil. With the emotional music, the speech and the returning companion, we're fully expecting the Doctor to lean back and see his face change amidst the golden glow of regeneration energy. Instead, one moment, 11's standing there, then BAM! 12's staring back at us. It's a fantastic exploit of audience expectation, and it's even more effective because of it.

The Time of the Doctor is a flawed gem. The first fifteen minutes can be skipped, but the rest of the episode is essential viewing. Plot threads from Series 5 and 6 are tied up in a satisfying, if offhand, way, but the regeneration is handled perfectly. A near-perfect swansong to the best Doctor of the New Series.

9/10

With Doctor Who's ninth Christmas special only a few days away, I've decided to look back on the previous eight, ranking them from best to worst.

1. A Christmas Carol (2010)

Easily the best Christmas Special, and a fantastic adaption of the Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol shines throughout. The use of time travel is one of the more clever instances in which it has been used, with the Doctor flicking back and forth between past and present to solve problems that occur in the past. The way that old Kazran discovers his new memories is also a clever method. If there was one word to sum up A Christmas Carol, that word is inventive.The climax of the episode is a real tearjerker, much more than any companion exit or regeneration has been, with Abigail singing the best song Murray Gold's written for the show, while old Kazran holds her hand, and young Kazran and the Doctor leave in the TARDIS. This episode really packs an emotional punch, but at the heart of it, it's a love story, and the the end never fails to cheer me up. This is what a Doctor Who Christmas Special should be.

There's absolutely nothing to fault with this episode, nothing at all, save the fact that the younger and older versions of Kazran could physically interact without the Blinovitch Limitation Effect occuring. 10/10

2.The Christmas Invasion (2005)

The Tenth Doctor's first full episode surprisingly doesn't have much of him. Instead, he's confined to a bed for most of the episode, and only wakes up when the plot calls for it. This actually works in the context of the episode, as the viewer is constantly anticipating the Doctor waking up and saving the day. The fact that the viewer doesn't know when this will happen adds to the tension, and so when the Doctor finally does open the door, we can't help but put a big grin on our face.

The Sycorax invasion is executed well, but the whole Christmas element is tacked on. This episode could have been set at any time throughout the year and it wouldn't have made any difference to the overall plot.

There are one or two niggles I have with the episode, though. First and foremost, the Doctor asserting himself as the ultimate moral authority by bringing down Harriet Jones' government feels very out of character. The Doctor may be a force for good, but that does not give him the right to bring down the government, and the Doctor should well know that. I also found Rose's blubbing at the fact that the Doctor was bedridden to be annoying, but I suppose it is understandable. That being said, the fact that she's crying because he's incapacitated, because 'her' Doctor would not leave her, not because there's anything wrong with him, weakens her character significantly - not that there was a character to weaken in the first place.

Still, on the whole, The Christmas Invasion is easily one of the better Christmas Specials. 8/10

3. The Snowmen (2012)

 All of what I said in my review of the episode last year still stands: the return of the Great Intelligence was a wonderful idea, but it's a shame that it's confined to a giant snow globe for most of the 60 minutes. The Doctor's depressed and brooding behaviour was something different to his usual energetic persona, but it was shunted aside far too soon. The Paternoster Gang's appearance was also a nice touch, but the Doctor's constant patronising of Strax got on my nerve. There were a few contrivances, the monsters did absolutely nothing, but the episode was still very enjoyable, and is a solid special in it's own right. It's not amazing, but it's not bad either. 6/10

4. Voyage of the Damned (2007)

The stupidest of all the Christmas specials, Voyage is nevertheless a full on action episode, with the characters almost constantly in danger, whether it be from the Host, the meteorites striking the ship, the ship falling to Earth, to shoddy gangplanks. There are a couple of nice character moments dotted throughout the episode, but the best is saved for last, where the Doctor informs Mr Copper that he is now a millionaire. That's how you end a Christmas Special.

Unfortunately, the stupid things do detract significantly from the episode. The starship is modelled on the Titanic for absolutely no reason other than to provide a cliffhanger for The Last of the Time Lords, Max Capricorn doesn't need to be onboard, most of the supporting character's deaths were unneccessary, Astrid could have easily jumped off the forklift before it fell into the Titanic's engines, and evacuating the whole of London, for whatever reason, is impossible, espcially considering it was only for the Christmas period. The Doctor's Jesus imagery wasn't a smart move either. The Doctor's not a god, RTD, no matter how many times you try to shove it in down our throats that he is. 5/10

5. The Runaway Bride (2006)

 The episode that featured the first appearance of Donna Noble is fairly unmemorable in it's own right, save for Donna's frequent shouting. The episode spends too much time with the Doctor mourning Rose, and once again the Christmas elements feel tacked on and unneccessary. The monster of the episode certainly looks impressive, but it unfortunately does absolutely nothing. There's also a few stupid things chucked in for good measure. The hole right down to the centre of the planet is bad enough, but the fact that the Doctor drains the Thames down it? Come on RTD, you can do better than that!

That being said, there are several nice, touching moments throughout. The one or two scenes where Donna refrains from shouting, calms down and actually talks to the Doctor are well done, and give us an insight to the side of the character we would later see in Series 4. 5/10

6. The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe (2011)

An episode with undoubtedly good intentions, it never quite manages to become as magical as the script intended. There's a good story here, it's just a shame that the script's too loose and the execution is lacking. The 'Christmas Planet' is a good idea (if a bit indulgent), and the reference to Androzani is a nice callback to the 5th Doctor's final story, but the villains are lacking, the subplot with Madge's husband is unneccessary, and there are too many contrivances to count. The very start of the episode (blowing up a spaceship) also contradicts the ending of 'The Wedding of River Song', where the Doctor says he'll go back to the shadows now that the universe thinks he's dead. It's also a shame that the CGI was relatively lacklustre for the episode, as it certainly detracted from the episode in certain areas.

That's not to say that the episode was completely horrible. The comedic scenes are the highlights of the episode, and both Madge and Lily are charcterised very well. The tone of the episode is also captured well - there's a genuine sense of foreboding as the Doctor and Lily chase Cyril through the forest. Just a shame that the monsters do nothing. 4/10

7. The Next Doctor (2008 )

 Another episode with good intentions, it sadly falls apart thanks to an overdose of the 'chuck loads of random things in episode' mentality. New variant of the Cybermen, controlled by the brain of dog and who wear big black cloaks? Check. Giant steampunk Cyberman built by childen in the space of a month (in the Thames) with technology that couldn't have possibly have been built by Victorian children? Check. Generic evil woman whose motivations are never made clear? Check. A character who thinks he is the Doctor, therefore creating the title and a whole load of hype? Check.

In essensce, the episode is really just a whole load of stupid nonsense that never really forms a coherent whole. The good moments, like Jackson Lake's realisation that he isn't the Doctor, are unfortunately few and far between. 2/10

8. The End of Time (2009)

 The 10th Doctor's swansong is nothing more than a disgrace. Continuity is literally thrown out of the window here; the Doctor survives a fall from a height MUCH greater than the one that triggered his fourth regeneration, the Doctor now considers regeneration to be a literal death, Rassilon has done a complete 180 and is now wanting to avoid death by any possible means, and Donna magically has a mental 'fail-safe' block installed so that she'll only be knocked out if she begins to remember the Doctor. In addition to all of this, we have the worst regeneration scene and lead-up in Doctor Who history, with the Tenth Doctor raging about having to save Wilf, then visiting Every. Single. Companion. Ever., before finally kicking the bucket after uttering the ultimate gratuitous sentence of 'I don't want to go'. That line's effects in the Doctor Who fandom are still resonating strongly today, with many fans hating the 11th Doctor because the 10th 'didn't want to go'.

The only saving grace this episode has is Wilf. 1/10

What do you think about the ranking? What would your own list be? Comment below to let me know!

This is it! After 33 Seasons, a TV Movie, a plethora of books, audio novels, comics, animations and three spinoffs, Doctor Who is finally celebrating its 50th Anniversary!

Steven Moffat really had his work cut out when writing this episode. He had to simultaneously look back at the past 50 years of the Doctor by throwing in enough continuity references to appease the Classic Who fans, but restrain said references to the level where fans of NuWho wouldn't be put off, while at the same time setting up the programme for the next 50 years. Despite the odds, I am very pleased to say that he succeeded with flying colours. The Day of the Doctor is, quite simply, one of the best episodes of Doctor Who I've ever seen.

The story begins with the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) and Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman) called to the National Gallery by Head of Scientific Research at UNIT, Kate Stewart (Jemma Redgrave). There they discover several impossible Time Lord 'bigger on the inside' paintings, and begin to investigate missing figures from said paintings. A wormhole soon interrupts the investigation, and after jumping through it, the Eleventh Doctor is reunited with two of his former selves, the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant and the War Doctor (John Hurt). Together, they must stop the zygons from invading the present via the past, and help the War Doctor make the most important decision of his lives.

One of the many highlights for this episode, as is the case for all multi-Doctor specials, is the interactions between the different Doctors. This time, we were treated to the Eleventh, Tenth and War Doctors, and what a treat it is! The way 10 and 11 compare sonic screwdrivers, admire each other’s ‘brainy specs’, finish each other’s sentences and move in sync with one another is wonderful to watch. There’s no antagonism between the two like there was between the Second and Third Doctors, but this isn’t a bad thing, as it was good to see the Doctor actually getting along very well with himself for once. Add the War Doctor into the mix, and the whole thing goes from wonderful to sublime. The War Doctor, while chronologically younger than both 10 and 11, takes the role of the elder, chastising his successors for their ridiculous uses of their sonic screwdrivers, childish words, catch-phrases, gestures, youthful appearance and rapid talking. The War Doctor is essentially the voice of Classic Doctor Who, completely bewildered at what he’s going to become, and not particularly happy about it. As he so eloquently puts it: “Am I having a midlife crisis?”

However, despite the triple act between the Doctors, The Day of the Doctor has a very important story to tell. While it is the episode celebrating 50 years of the programme, the main plot revolves around a concept introduced in the last eight – the Time War. Created by Russell T Davies when he revived the show in 2005, the Time War saw the Time Lords wiped out in a wa ragainst the Daleks, leaving the Doctor the only survivor. The concept has been built on over the preceding years, and we eventually learnt that the Doctor himself was the direct cause of billions – possibly trillions - of deaths. To be honesty, I’ve never been particularly happy about this for a number of reasons, mainly because it severely limited the show in terms of where it could go in relation to the Time Lords. To be fair, stories with the Time Lords in them in Classic Who were generally not that great (there are exceptions), but at least they built on the mythology of Doctor Who – the 12 regeneration limit was introduced in one such story, for example. So, from my point of view, the revelation that Gallifrey was not destroyed after all and is currently frozen in time in a pocket universe is nothing less than brilliant. It means there are now endless possibilities for the future – fan favourite characters like Romana, Susan, Drax, Leela, K9 and the Master can now all return without a bogus explanation on how they escaped the destruction of Gallifrey. In short, I would, without hesitation, label this as the best thing Steven Moffat has done for the show. The past 50 years have been about the Doctor running away from Gallifrey, and the next 50 should be about him running back to it, desperate to save it.

If there’s one gripe about the potential return of the TimeLords, it’s that it won’t be done justice. It’s all well and good to have the Doctor’s species return, but the fact of the matter is that they were not necessarily the good guys by the end of the Time War. One only needs to be reminded of Rassilon from The End of Time to realise how true there is – plus the fact that the Time Lords were considered to be as bad as the Daleks in the minisode The Night of the Doctor. No, if the Time Lords return, we need to have a couple of episodes with conflict between the Doctor and the high-ups on Gallifrey.

Although the main narrative focuses on the Time War, the real treat the episode brings is the numerous nods to the Classic Series. From the original title sequence and theme music, to the fact that Ian Chesterton is now on the Board of Governors at Coal Hill School, to the fourth Doctor’s scarf, to the activation code for Captain Jack’s Vortex Manipulator being the date and time that the first episode of Doctor Who aired, to the pictures of all the Doctor’s companions in the Black Archive, to the roundels in the War Doctor’s TARDIS...the list goes on. Honestly, in my opinion, this was the perfect way of acknowledging the past – just having little references placed regularly throughout the episode, rather than having a big nostalgia fest like The Five Doctors. That being said, I think the casting of Billie Piper as the Moment was a missed opportunity – the role could (and should) have been taken by a classic companion instead.

While we’re on the subject of companions, I must say that I was extremely relieved that Rose Tyler wasn’t returning. Rose has returned too many times for me to care (not that I ever cared about her in the first place), so if she had come back again, I’m certain my viewing experience would have been lessened to some degree. Clara, on the other hand was excellent, despite the fact that she was mainly reserved to the sideline to make way for the Doctor triple act. However, she had some great moments, like revealing that the door to the Doctors’ cell in the Tower of London was unlocked the entire time, and being the Doctor’s conscience, urging him to find another way to end the Time War.

Many criticisms against Moffat of late are that his stories are too complicated, and that their dependence on time travel and ‘timey wimey stuff’ is a bad thing. While I’ve never agreed with this criticism, I must say that I did find The Day of the Doctor to be Moffat’s most straight-forward script since Series 5. The way we flicked between the Eleventh, War and Tenth Doctors until they joined forces felt very natural, and the resolution of the episode didn’t require a complicated explanation – it was set up early on in the episode, in a way that made it obvious to the view what the stasis cube did. That being said, I’ve read that people have been confused as to whether Gallifrey was preserved in a painting or a pocket universe, so that could have been explained better. Unfortunately, though, for those wanting less timey wimey your wish was not going to be answered – at least not in the first half. The Eleventh Doctor’s fez was once again used as a timey wimey plot device (as it was in The Big Bang), but once the Doctors met, the fez was quickly abandoned and things proceeded in a much more linear fashion, save for the phone call back in time to the UNIT person to get the ‘Gallifrey Falls No More’ painting moved to the Black Archive.

One cannot review The Day of the Doctor without mentioning the two surprise cameos in the episode: those of Peter Capaldi as the 12th Doctor and Tom Baker as the Curator. The former was only a split-second glimpse seen in the climax of the episode, but it was enough for me to instantly recognise who I was looking at. The glimpse also gave a very small indication of how the12th Doctor may behave; those eyes looked quite formidable! The latter cameo was, quite simply, the ultimate reference to Classic Who. Having the man who played the Fourth Doctor so long ago talking to the Eleventh Doctor in 2013 was absolutely brilliant. Baker’s voice is as magnificent as ever, and it was great to see him back in the programme, on screen, for the first time since 1981. Baker’s character also indicated that the Doctor would find a wayaround the 12-regeneration rule (as if he wouldn’t have any way!), as some ofhis dialogue hinted that the Curator had been the Doctor, or that the Doctor would become the Curator. I doubt that we’ll ever truly know the answer to this dilemma, as I think the Curator, if he is a future incarnation of the Doctor, will occur at some point in the Doctor’s future that we will never reach onscreen.

Finally, the entire cast gave some of their best performances. Matt Smith was outstanding as the Eleventh Doctor (as always), and he has really cemented himself as one of the great Doctors. David Tennant was on top form as the Tenth Doctor, showing that, when written properly, his Doctor can be really good. Jenna Coleman and Billie Piper were good in their respective roles, as were the rest of the supporting cast. However, it was legendary actor John Hurt who stole the show, absolutely acting the pants off everyone else. His Doctor displays genuine happiness at the prospect of saving Gallifrey, and again when he declares himself to be the Doctor again. I think his best moment though, is when he is poised to use the Moment, only for his future selves to talk him out of it. John Hurt, I salute you.

With its stellar production values (the Time War scenes are amazing!), The Day of the Doctor never ceases to entertain and delight, and i fanything, is a redemption story for the Doctor. With three different incarnationsof the Doctor we see how the War has affected him at different stages in his life, and we can’t help but rejoice with him as he finds another way to end the Time War. With a plethora of references and tributes to the past 50 years of the best television programme ever made, and with a story that sets up the next 50, I could not have wished for Doctor Who’s 50th Anniversary to be celebrated in a better way. Happy birthday, Doctor Who.

10/10

As you might be aware part of the prize for the recent "Who is the SM?" competition was a 2014 ABC WHOVIANS calendar. The calendar features my dodgy photoshopping attempts to place different incarnations of the Doctor into pictures of various towns around Australia, (many of which are the hometowns of ABC WHOVIANS members).

You can view the pictures from the calendar here

I have a few extra copies of the calendar (professionally printed by snapfish) and I can post these out to anyone who is interested for $20 (within Australia.) Just send me an email via my profile page

When I first started this website, as many of you know, the ABC had recently announced it was closing it’s popular “Have Your Say” general message boards. A number of members had offered alternative ways for members to keep in contact, and contribute as they had on the ABC site. On the 15th March 2012, late at night- the day before the ABC message board was due to close- someone known as “mysteryposter” posted a message in the Doctor Who thread advertising a new such alternative website called ABC Whovians.

I am that person known as mysteryposter, and I have since become better known by the name Site Manager or simply SM. But it’s my other name- the name I was most known by on HYS- that I have kept a secret now for over a year and a half. It is that name that today I will reveal, as promised, on the 50th anniversary of my favourite TV show- Doctor Who.

My true identity will not come as a great surprise to some of you. Chookie Jackson first claimed she believed it was me in Patch’s Doctor Who Yahoo forum. SonicR worked it out in the first week as well. Tardis001 had me on his shortlist of candidates, and more recently Rumpole cracked the anagram that contains my name on the “Name of the S.M.” clue page. So after 20 months of hiding, I reluctantly take off my mask and reveal it is I, Ducktr Who, who created this website.

I originally was going to remain anonymous, but due to Tardis001’s constant probing, I decided to have a bit of fun with it. It was for this reason that I started putting all the cryptic clues up on the website. The solutions to these puzzles will be on the “Name of the SM” page shortly, if not already.

When I first said that I’d reveal myself on the 23rd November 2013 I didn’t actually think the website would still be active, but today visitor numbers to the site are just as high as they were in our first week. So thank you everyone for hanging around. I’ve had a blast, and hope that I can keep doing it for a bit longer yet.

Thank you, too, to our Moderators- Grey, Patch and Sonic for looking after the site when I can’t, and a second thanks to Sonic for his many Doctor Who blogs that have kept us all up to date in the world of Doctor Who.

Thanks, also, to all the regular contributors and readers of the forums. And, most of all a big thank you to my beautiful wife, (who is also an ABC Whovians member- Urban). She has put up with me spending all kinds of crazy hours on the site without complaining (even when I was hurrying to update the site before taking her to the hospital to give birth!). Without her support I could never have kept this site going.

Congratulations to Rumpole for solving the “Who is the SM?” mystery, but as he didn’t enter the competition (probably because he didn’t like the prize!) he doesn’t win the prize. (Although, if you email me, Rumpole, with your name and address I’ll send you a calendar and pen).

In any case the winner of the “Who is the S.M.?” competition is Lightspeed, who not only identified me correctly, but had a fair bit of evidence to back it up. Congratulations Lightspeed, you win the ABC WHOVIANS prize pack- including a bronze police box pendant, ABC WHOVIANS calendar and pen! Another prize pack goes to Sonic, who was the first person to tell me he knew who I was, and has helped me to keep the secret ever since.

Now, here’s the answers to the competition questions:

What is your ABC WHOVIANS username? I think most people got this one right

By what name was the Site Manager mostly known on the ABC HYS site? DucktrWho

What other name (besides Mystery Poster) did the SM use on HYS before settling on his more well known name? This one’s a bit obscure- but I originally registered the name “arentweall” which was a quote from River Song in the Time of Angels/ Flesh and Stone double Dr Who episode. I later changed the name of this registration to “mysteryposter”

Has the Site Manager maintained a separate identity on ABC WHOVIANS?

Yes- ducktr who?

Which HYS and ABC WHOVIANS member was first to correctly speculate on the SM's identity? Chookie Jackson- although not here- in the Yahoo Group started by Patch.

Which ABC WHOVIANS member was first to privately inform the SM they knew his identity? SonicR. He saw the name “ducktr who” on an email I sent him.

Can you explain the meaning of any of the cryptic clues found on the "Name of the SM" page? Goto: http://www.abcwhovians.com/nameofthesm.htm for all the answers.

What other evidence do you think points to the identity of the SM? Lightspeed noted similar posting styles between SM and ducktr who, as well as the fact that ducktr who had said he loved anagrams.

So that’s it! Mystery solved!

But there’s just one more thing- Please keep calling me SM!

In the lead up to the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who on November 23, I shall be posting an article on each Doctor. Today, I have a look at the Sixth Doctor, played by Colin Baker.

After the departure of Peter Davison, it was decided to increase the apparent age of the Doctor again. As a result, after a lengthy search, Colin Baker was cast as the Sixth Doctor. Baker's casting was another first for the show, as he became the first actor who had appeared in Doctor Who previously to be cast in a main role. Baker had played the part of Commander Maxil in the Fifth Doctor story 'Arc of Infinity'. The character was a Time Lord, and rather ironically, shot the Doctor at one point during the story.

In an extreme departure from the Fifth Doctor’s more timid and reserved personality, the Sixth Doctor was extremely obnoxious, rude and egotistical, and viewed himself as a great improvement over his previous incarnations. In stark contrast to his previous selves, the Sixth Doctor had very few qualms about resorting to violence to make sure he escaped from whatever situation he had landed himself in. A notable example would be when he tossed two guards into an acid pit – and walked away seemingly uncaringly.

The Doctor’s radically different personality also greatly affected his relationship with his companion, Peri. Soon after his regeneration, he experienced a brief moment of madness which culminated with him almost strangling Peri to death. Peri, although extremely shaken, soon recovered, and as time progressed, came to form a close bond with the Doctor despite his arrogant persona – though at times it appeared if she only tolerated his behaviour. Despite his behaviour towards her, the Doctor cared for Peri as well, and would do whatever necessary to ensure her safety. Unfortunately, there was one time where events were outside his control, and as a result, Peri died. The Doctor was devastated, and he needed a significant amount of time to recover from the shock.

Despite his exterior personality, at heart, the Sixth Doctor remained a kind and compassionate person, displaying great sympathy for those in need. If he found a situation that he believed needed his help, he would do everything hecould to see justice prevail. These more ‘Doctorish’ attributes would be explored further in the many Big Finish audio plays the Sixth Doctor has appeared in, with many fans of the opinion that Six’s audio plays are the definitive version of the character.

Unfortunately, the Sixth Doctor’s era was a turbulent time for Doctor Who, with the show being cancelled after only one season with Baker in the lead role. Michael Grade, the then Director of Programmes at the BBC, justified the decision by saying that Doctor Who had become too violent and was losing its audience. However, a considerable backlash against his decision caused him to change the cancellation into an eighteen month hiatus. Once the show returned, though, it wasn’t long before Grade ordered that Baker be sacked, and a new Doctor be found.

Thus, Colin Baker’s tenure as the Doctor was cut short, leaving him with only two seasons to his name. As a result, his Doctor was unable to mellow into a more likeable character on screen, and he is usually found at the bottom of ‘best Doctor’ polls. However, as I was watching ‘The Two Doctors’ on ABC iView the other day, it struck me that I had fallen in love with Colin’s take on the Doctor. His sarcastic humour struck a chord, and I realised, that, up until that point, I had viewed the Sixth Doctor unfairly, simply assuming that his Doctor was the worst because that was the position the majority of the fandom held. (I had seen some of his episodes, but not for several years, so the memories were a bit hazy). I have come to respect Colin and his take on the Sixth Doctor, for it was amazing in its own, unusual way.

Despite the poor treatment Colin received while playing the Doctor, he has gone on to be one of the most proactive ambassadors for the programme. While his impact on the show itself may have been minimal, it cannot be denied that his efforts post-Doctor Who have gone unnoticed. Without Colin and his amazing Doctor, the show would certainly not be where it is today.

The competition 20 months in the making is almost finally here!

To mark the 20 month anniversary of the start of this very website (and the demise of the former ABC HYS site), ABC WHOVIANS will be running a competition to see who can correctly identify the identity of me- the Site Manager. The competiton opens on the date of our 20 month anniversary- the 16th November 2013, and the winner will be announced, along with the big reveal on Saturday 23rd November- as part of the Doctor Who 50th anniversary celebrations.

Burt until then here's a collage of memories form the final days of the Doctor Who thread on ABC's Have Your Say site:

Today, at 4am AEST, after months of speculation, the identity of the 12th Doctor was finally revealed:

Peter Capaldi!

The BBC released the following statement after the announcement had been made:

"In a special live broadcast, the it was today announced that the role of Doctor Who would next be played by Peter Capaldi.

Widely regarded as one of the biggest roles in British television, Capaldi will be the Twelfth Doctor and takes over from Matt Smith who leaves the show at Christmas.

Peter Capaldi says: “Being asked to play The Doctor is an amazing privilege. Like the Doctor himself I find myself in a state of utter terror and delight. I can’t wait to get started.”

Steven Moffat, lead writer and executive producer says : “It’s an incendiary combination: one of the most talented actors of his generation is about to play the best part on television. Peter Capaldi is in the TARDIS!”

Doctor Who companion, Jenna Coleman says “I’m so excited Peter Capaldi is the man taking on the challenge of becoming the Twelfth Doctor. With Steven’s writing and his talent I know we’ll be making an amazing show with an incredible incarnation of number 12. I can’t wait to start this new adventure!”

Charlotte Moore, Controller BBC One says : “Peter Capaldi has all the genius and versatility needed to take on the mantel of the great Time Lord and make the role his own. He’ll bring his own particular wisdom, charisma and wit to the Twelfth Doctor and take the show into an exciting new era.”

Ben Stephenson, Controller, BBC Drama Commissioning says : “We started thinking Peter Capaldi might be the right person to take on this iconic part a few months ago. But it was only when he did a secret audition at Steven’s house under the cover of darkness that we knew we had our man. He’s an extraordinarily talented actor who can seemingly turn his hand to anything. We can’t wait to premiere his unique take on the Doctor on Christmas Day and we are sure he’s going to become one of the all-time classic Doctors.”"

Going by the reaction I've seen on the web today, I can safely say that Peter has been very well received by fans. However, there are those who say he's 'too old' to take the role. Perhaps they need to be reminded that Peter is only 55, the same age that William Hartnell was when he took the role 50 years ago! It is fitting, that in that time, Doctor Who has come full circle in respect to the age of the actor playing the lead role.

What do you think of the casting choice? Is Peter Capaldi the best candidate, or were there others you would have preferred? Is Peter too old? Are you looking forward to his first appearance in the Christmas Special? Let everyone know by commenting below!

From everyone here at ABC Whovians, we wish Peter Capaldi all the best for becoming part of Doctor Who history, and we look forward to the day when the Twelfth Doctor flies the TARDIS for the first time.

Following on from the two previous Symphonic Spectaculars in Melbourne and Sydney last year, it has been announced that another two have been scheduled for early next year!

Firstly, on the 31st of January and 1st of February, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra will be performing in Plenary Hall, Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre. Pre-sale tickets go on sale tomorrow; the website can be found here.

After the two Melbourne performances, the Queensland Symphony Orchestra will take up the reigns for a single performance on February 8 at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. Tickets will be on sale from August 9; the website can be found here.

In the lead up to the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who on November 23, I shall be posting an article on each Doctor. Today, I have a look at the Fifth Doctor, played by Peter Davison.

After the departure of hugely popular Fourth Doctor Tom Baker, producer John Nathan-Turner was keen to make the Ffith Doctor vastly different from his predecessor. After Nathan-Turner's first choice as Fifth Doctor, Richard Griffiths (who later went on to star as Vernon Dursley in the Harry Potter films), declined to accept the role, Nathan-Turner approached Peter Davison, with whom he had worked on in 'All Creatures Great and Small'. 29 year old Davison accepted, and became the youngest ever actor to be cast as the Doctor.

Due to the Fifth Doctor's young appearance, he had more difficulty in convincing people of his authority and knowledge, forcing him to use his fierce determination to show people that he meant business. On the other hand, though, his youthful looks had the bonus effects of causing villains to not take him seriously, allowing the Doctor to gain the upper hand and take his enemy/enemies by surprise.

The Fifth Doctor's era also saw the first death of a companion since Sara Kingdom way back in the mid 1960s. Adric, who had stowed away in the TARDIS when the Fourth Doctor was in control, died attempting to stop a space freighter from crashing into the Earth after a particularly nasty encounter with the Cybermen. His death affected the Doctor, and his other two companions at the time, Nyssa and Tegan, profoundly. Indeed, it was a contributing factor that led to Tegan eventually leaving the TARDIS crew. It's also shown that the Doctor never truly got over his young friend's death, with his last words before regenerating being the name of the ill-fated boy.

During the three years that the Fifth Doctor graced our screen, Doctor Who celebrated it's 20th Anniversary. The main celebration consisted of a movie-length special, which saw all five Doctors and some of their respective companions pitted against Lord President Borusa in the Death Zone on Gallifrey, with many popular enemies thrown into the mix as well. Actor Richard Hurndall portrayed the First Doctor, as the original actor, William Hartnell, had passed away some years previously. In adition, Fourth Doctor Tom Baker declined to appear in the special, so stock footage from the unmade serial, Shada, was used instead.A resounding success, the special ended with the (current) Doctor being appointed Lord President of Gallifrey, but the renegade Time Lord once again avoided his duties, escaping in the TARDIS.

The John Nathan-Turner era of the programme is notable for its increased reliance from enemies from the Doctor's past, be it Omega, the Master, the Daleks, or the Cybermen. Psychological horror also made a comeback in the form of a dream-invading monster, the Mara. However, probably the most infamous decision Nathan-Turner ever made as producer was the destruction of the sonic screwdriver early on in the Fifth Doctor's adventures. This move was justified by the fact that Nathan-Turner thought that the Doctor's tool had become an 'easy escape device', used whenever writers had written themselves into a hole. As such, the Fifth Doctor is often noted as having gone 'hands free' during his travels, able to save the universe with 'some kettle and some string'.

Acting on the advice of Second Doctor Patrick Troughton, Peter Davison played the Doctor for a solid three years, concluding his tenure with a story generally regarded as the best ever by Whovians - The Caves of Androzani. However, Davison later indicated that part of the reason he left was because of the quality of the scripts, and that had there been more of Androzani's quality, he would have stayed on longer. Whatever the reason, though, Davison's youthful Fifth Doctor brought another breath of fresh air to Doctor Who, showing a new vunerable and disadvantaged side to the Doctor. Without Peter Davison and his fantastic Fifth Doctor, Doctor Who simply wouldn't be where it is today.