The First Doctor Returns In Doctor Who Finale Cliffhanger

The past and present of Doctor Who came crashing together with last night’s tenth-season finale, “The Doctor Falls.”

After the apparent death of Missy and the Master and the transformation of companion Bill Potts, it was the Doctor’s turn. The Twelfth Doctor began his regeneration but stubbornly tried to fight it, intent on never changing. In a moment of superb timing, it was then that the Twelfth Doctor met the First Doctor.

The First Doctor was originally played by the late William Hartnell, who died in 1975. He was played in “The Doctor Falls” by David Bradley (Game of Thrones, the Harry Potter movies), who played Hartnell in 2013’s An Adventure in Space and Time, a docudrama about the early years of Doctor Who.

The finale’s cliffhanger ending confirmed that Bradley will return as the First Doctor for the 2017 Doctor Who Christmas Special. The BBC has released a publicity photo of Bradley’s First Doctor with Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor, as well as the first shot from the Christmas Special, which is currently in production. Both photos can be seen in the gallery below.

The First Doctor’s last major appearance was in the 1983 20th anniversary episode “The Five Doctors.” He was played by Richard Hurndall in the episode.

The First Doctor has made small appearances since then using archival footage of Hartnell. The First Doctor is seen stealing the TARDIS in “The Name of the Doctor,” and he appears along with all of the other Doctors in the 50th-anniversary episode, “The Day of the Doctor.”

Peter Capaldi took over as The Doctor in Season 8, after Matt Smith’s departure. After three seasons, he will depart the show alongside showrunner Steven Moffat, who has steered the series since Season 5. Moffat was a breakout writer during the Russell T. Davies seasons of Doctor Who.

Moffat will be handing the reins over to Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall for Doctor Who Season 11. Chibnall is a longtime Doctor Who fans who also wrote for the series during the Russell T. Davies era and was head writer on the Doctor Who spinoff series Torchwood.

Doctor Who Season 10 also introduces Pearl Mackie as the new companion, Bill Potts, replacing the previous companion, Jenna Coleman’s Clara Oswald, who left after Season 9. Whether she will join the new Doctor in Doctor Who Season 11 is still unknown

The Doctor Who Season 10 finale airs tonight at 9 p.m. ET on BBC America.

More Doctor Who: The Internet Reacts To The Doctor Who Finale / Doctor Who Finale Synopsis Hints At A Major Character Death / Promo Offers First Glimpse At Peter Capaldi’s Regeneration / Peter Capaldi Hints That His Will be A Unique Regeneration For The Doctor