The Next Doctor is a British television special and an episode of the science fiction television series Doctor Who, written and produced by Russell T. Davies, in which the Doctor encounters another man calling himself The Doctor, complete with his own companion, on Christmas Eve in Victorian London.
The special was the fourth Christmas Special of Doctor Who since the new series premiered in 2005. It originally aired in the UK on 25 December, 2008.
The Next Doctor aired in South Africa on DStv's BBC Entertainment channel on Monday 11 October 2010, at 20h30. The special is an hour long.
Repeats
Tuesday 12 October: 00h15
Sunday 17 October: 15h45
Monday 18 October: 04h00
Synopsis
It is Christmas Eve, 1851, and Cybermen stalk the snow of Victorian London.
When the Doctor arrives and starts to investigate a spate of mysterious deaths, he encounters a woman named Rosita and another man who calls himself "The Doctor".
After failing to capture a Cybershade, the two men talk and the current Doctor thinks the other is a future regeneration of himself. However, "the Next Doctor" seems to be lacking many of the current Doctor's memories.
Meanwhile, the Cybermen are planning an attack on Earth, helped by their human ally, Miss Mercy Hartigan. The two Doctors must combine forces to defeat the ruthless Miss Hartigan.
But are two Doctors enough to stop the rise of the CyberKing?