Doctor Who fans correctly guessed who was hidden in the vault
The longrunning mystery has finally been solved – contains spoilers for episode six Extremis
After weeks of suspense, Doctor Who series 10’s big mystery of what – or who – was in the vault has finally been solved – and it’s more or less what we all expected.
It turns out that the vault guarded by the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) and Nardole (Matt Lucas) for decades is holding none other than Michelle Gomez’ villain Missy, as revealed in flashbacks in episode six Extremis as well as present-day scenes where the Doctor whispered her name and spoke to her through the door.
While we don’t actually see Missy inside the vault (clips from the trailers do seem to show her in there, though) the resolution to this question ends weeks of speculation from fans about who or what the Doctor could be guarding, while also explaining exactly why he was bound to Earth for said vigil (he made an oath to watch Missy’s body for 1,000 years after her execution, before sabotaging the execution so he could guard her living body instead).
And yes, it definitely is Missy in there – head writer Steven Moffat confirmed it to Radio Times in an exclusive in-depth discussion of the episode: "It’s definitely Missy in there, we’re not fooling you about that," he said. "The story now is what’s going on between them. That dangerous friendship, burning away – who else will be lost to the flames?"
We have to give full marks to the fans who already called this a couple of weeks ago, after noticing clips in the trailers of Missy lying on what looked like a piano (below) just like the one the Doctor gave his captive at the end of episode 4.
Of course, there are still plenty of mysteries and surprises still to come in this series, from the identity of the evil monks and the return of John Simm’s Master to why we keep seeing Peter Capaldi’s Doctor regenerating early, not to mention how exactly Missy will play into the wider action when she finally escapes/is released from the vault.
But for now, we’re just basking in the metaphorical light of ONE mystery finally solved. As the Doctor would be sure to testify, it’s nice to be out of the dark once in a while.
Doctor Who continues on BBC1 on Saturday 27th May at the later time of 7.45pm
Authors
Huw Fullerton is a Commissioning Editor for Radio Times magazine, covering Entertainment, Comedy and Specialist Drama.
