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He did it! He actually went and did it. Steven Moffat has given the Eighth Doctor his death back at last in The Night of the Doctor. But after years of speculation and fan regeneration montages, it wasn’t Christopher Eccleston who walked away from it...

In a minisode steeped in Who-lore old and new, show runner Steven Moffat has given us the greatest prequel in Who history and one that lifts the excitement around the Day of the Doctor to universe-imploding levels.

Here are some of the biggest surprises to be found in the seven-minute minisode.

The Eighth Doctor

There’s one surprise that nothing can beat. The Eighth Doctor’s glorious reappearance. Having previously only appeared in 1996’s TV Movie, it seemed that Paul McGann’s Doctor would be forever consigned to DVD replays when the series was revived without him in 2005. But here he is... And what an entrance. Moffat didn’t just pick up from the movie, he couldn’t. In a short amount of time he gave us an Eighth Doctor with history.

Older of face, shorter of hair and far more practical of togs, the dashing Time Lord was back with a tonne of baggage. The main revelation amongst the jaw-dropping surprise? The Doctor became involved in the Great Time War at a fairly late stage. It’s amazing he managed to dodge the Time Lords for so long, but it means that he gets the best of both worlds. Here the Eighth Doctor gets to be the dashing hero, sharp-tongued wit as well as catalyst for the 50th Special all in one go.

(Image: BBC)

Whatever nods to the classic series are served up by The Day of the Doctor, McGann’s Eighth Doctor is the bridge between classic and new Who. He had to be acknowledged and Moffat’s done that in style.

The bad part? Paul McGann’s screen time now stands at about 96 minutes and 29 seconds. The greatest Time Lord we never saw enough of. We want more!

It’s a brilliant prequel

Prequels, snippets and minisodes have been woven into the fabric of New Doctor Who since it came back – with Russell T Davies hitting on the brilliant idea of introducing David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor during a Children in Need skit. Series Two’s prequels proved that they could be hit and miss, and was the trend that stuck.

Moffat’s 2011 Time and Space minisodes were the nadir, while his 2007 Two Doctors sketch TimeCrash was utterly brilliant. Having a past Doctor along must help a lot: this is superb.

Cass

There’s always a companion. Whether toppling dictators, freeing slaves or correcting universal wrongs, the Doctor has a companion there to help... or sometimes save. That said, in recent years, the Doctor’s companions have been far more likely to act as the errant Time Lord’s conscience or even saviour and here Emma Campbell Jones’ Cass is the perfect blend – not that she ever gets that far (no look inside the Eighth Doctor’s TARDIS for us!).

Cass is the feisty damsel in distress with more than a hint of Clara when we first meet her. But her reaction perfectly conveys the devastation of the Time War while providing the emotional hook that drags the Doctor into it.

Companions

He may have made far too few appearances in the flesh, but for years Paul McGann’s been expanding his Doctor’s run on audio thanks to Big Finish and BBC productions. Faced with regeneration in The Night of the Doctor, he runs through the names of various companions he’s travelled with during those adventures. Charley... Molly... That’s it - the audio adventures are now utterly and undeniably a canon part of the Whoniverse.

Return to Karn

The minisode plummets straight back to 1976 Who classic The Brain of Morbius (Fourth Doctor versus Frankenstein to do it a massive injustice). It’s looking less sound stagey and stormy since we were last there, but those robes are unmistakable. Legendary British actress Claire Higgins brings a gravitas to the role of the leader of the Sisterhood of Karn, Ohila (Not Ohica, a Sister who was last seen saying goodbye to the Fourth Doctor sadly...).

Steven Moffat has said that fandom have missed a crucial aspect of regeneration, so is this it? A legendary part of Time Lord and Who history, the Sisterhood were once ruling inhabitants of Gallifrey before the Patriarchal Time Lords kicked them out. I wonder if we’ll see those guardians of the sacred flame of utter boredom – sorry, eternal life – again...

(Image: BBC)

A Regenerative Choice

“I took the liberty of preparing this one myself” says Ohila, because... Was there any other choice? The Doctor’s regeneration hasn’t always been as big a deal as it should, but the new series has turned it into an asset.

Now, with Karn’s role in Time Lord legend revived, it’s great to see a new type of regeneration effect. Watching the Eighth Doctor surrounded by a choice of elixirs recalled a number of myths and legends and here the result promises to be epic. What will the Doctor’s choice actually mean?

The War Doctor

A brilliantly realised creation. This ‘Doctor’ didn’t wander around the TARDIS wardrobe or a hospital to find his new costume, he took the warrior belt of the last woman he’d failed as a Time Lord and as the Doctor. And then, that reflection... He’s young! This was a long struggle – no Doctor has enjoyed such time to age since his first incarnation. But, then I doubt the War Doctor enjoyed much of his time at all.

We now know that the Doctor was launched into The Time War with a purpose, in fact, he was created for it. For months since The Name of the Doctor’s big reveal, people have questioned who John Hurt’s incarnation really is. Even when the BBC added the confusing ‘as the Doctor’ it didn’t help. But now we know. He is and he isn’t the Doctor. He’s The War Doctor.

The Eight Doctor’s Final Words

“Physician, heal thyself”.

The First War Doctor’s First Words

“Doctor no more”.

* Matt Goddard can be found on Twitter as @JokerMatt and The Night of the Doctor is available now on BBC iPlayer or on the Red Button from Saturday 16 November

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* This article was originally published on November 14 2013

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The Doctors The Archive magazine on sale Tuesday 19th November only £4.99. Pre order now at www.mirrorcollection.co.uk

This hugely collectable 84-page glossy magazine salutes and commemorates 50 years of Doctor Who on the BBC. From the show's earliest days, The Doctors - The Archive features stunning unseen images from the Mirror's archive.