8 burning questions we have after the Doctor Who Christmas special trailer
Is this the Eleventh Doctor's sonic screwdriver? And just who is Doctor Mysterio? The new Doctor Who Christmas special raised a fair few questions...
The Doctor Who Christmas special trailer — it comes around earlier every year.
This year it was revealed at New York Comic Con, where fans were treated to the first look at The Return of Doctor Mysterio; a superhero-themed story featuring the return of Matt Lucas as Nardole. It was only a short, minute-long teaser, but that doesn't mean it didn't raise a few questions...
Wait, a superhero?
Yep! This year's Doctor Who Christmas special is basically a huge riff on Superman, with the Doctor teaming up with an investigative journalist (Charity Wakefield) and a superhero to save New York from a deadly alien threat. The superhero himself is played by Orphan Black's Justin Chatwin, who also portrays his bespectacled, everyday persona Grant. Again, expect this to be a riff on Superman, as Steven Moffat seems to be quite the fan of his alter-ego. “I’ve always loved superheroes and this Christmas Doctor Who dives into that world,” he said. “My favourite superhero is Clark Kent. Not Superman, Clark Kent.”
Who is Doctor Mysterio?
Could it be the name of the superhero, or maybe the Doctor himself? Whoever it is, 'Doctor Mysterio' is almost certainly a reference to how the title of the show translates in Mexico. It’s likely that the use of Mysterio is just a bit of an in-joke between Steven Moffat and Peter Capaldi, as Capaldi was particularly enamoured with the moniker while on a Doctor Who world tour in 2014.
Check out our full speculation about Doctor Mysterio here.
Why is Matt Lucas dressed like an Egyptian?
Nope. No idea.
Who's this?
That's the show's Louis Lane, an as-yet unnamed investigative reporter played by Charity Wakefield. Let's just hope she's a better journalist than a woman who can't recognise a man when he's taken off his glasses.
Is that... is that the Eleventh Doctor's sonic screwdriver?!
Now this is an interesting blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment. At around 45 seconds you can see the Doctor being dragged across the floor holding what seems to be a pimped-up version of the Eleventh Doctor's sonic screwdriver. Of course, this could be us jumping to conclusions but it definitely is a sonic device of some kind — you can hear the whirring noise. If so, then what's happened to his blue screwdriver?
What's going on here?
We're not sure. It looks vaguely sinister, though. Judging by the bit where a scared guy is dragged towards the machine, we'd wager a guess on those glass structures harbouring something nasty. Could it be a returning villain? It doesn't look like it. It looks like something new.
Who's this guy?
Could he be the villain of the piece? Or maybe just someone who doesn't trust a masked vigilante? Either way, the mysterious character is played by German actor Aleksandar Jovanovic.
Is Matt Lucas the real Doctor?
Not unless there's a press release that we've missed recently.
The Return of Doctor Mysterio will air on BBC1 on Christmas Day
