Doctor Who Christmas Special: Steven Moffat on Peter Capaldi regeneration

The Peter Capaldi regeneration scene at the end of the upcoming Doctor Who Christmas Special is one for the ages. Twelve is going to become Thirteen, even though we don’t quite know who Thirteen is. The special will also have a rare distinction of being co-written by two different showrunners. Steven Moffat will pen everything featuring Capaldi, and once the regeneration is complete, Chris Chibnall of Broadchurch takes over to continue The Doctor’s legacy.

For those regeneration scenes in particular, though, the two guys look to be working in tandem. Speaking to Samira Ahmed at a special Hay Festival edition of Front Row from BBC Radio 4, Moffat said the following about the plans that are being put into place at present (per the Radio Times):

You haven’t got to the end of this series yet, which ends on – I hope – quite an unexpected note. You all know that the mighty Peter Capaldi will be bowing out. But we’re going to do it slightly differently this time.

“And I’ve been working with Chris [Chibnall] about how we do the changeover in a new way. So I’m not going to tell you what that is – I’m excited by it, I think it’s going to work well – but it’s not… well every regeneration is different, but we are playing it slightly differently this time.

“I think we’ve got a good idea – but I’m not telling you what it is.”

In the end, did you expect ANYTHING other than secrets from Moffat? This is a man who has a veritable chamber of secrets; he doesn’t like to say all that much about upcoming stories, which makes sense given that a whole lot of the show is about the magic and the wonder of surprise. That matters more than any specific character or actor who is a part of it.

After the Christmas Special, new episodes of Doctor Who will probably be a little ways off. After all, with no confirmed Doctor or showrunner yet filming on the new batch of episodes probably won’t begin until 2018 at the earliest.

What do you want to see from the regeneration on Doctor Who season 10? Share some of your thoughts with a comment below right now!

Meanwhile, head over to the link here in the event you do want some other news when it comes to the show. (Photo: BBC.)