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The Giggle
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The Giggle
"The Giggle" is the third and final of the 60th anniversary specials of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who, written by Russell T Davies, directed by Chanya Button and broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 9 December 2023. It features the final regular appearances of David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor and Catherine Tate as Donna Noble, introduces Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor and guest stars Neil Patrick Harris as the Toymaker, a character last seen in The Celestial Toymaker (1966). The episode also features the return of Jemma Redgrave and Bonnie Langford as UNIT commander Kate Lethbridge-Stewart and Mel Bush, respectively.
Set directly after the events of "Wild Blue Yonder", the episode sees the Doctor, Donna and UNIT confronting the return of the Doctor's old enemy, the Toymaker, who is behind a series of signals in a form of a "giggle" being transmitted, causing the human race to go insane over their opinions.
The episode was watched by 6.85 million viewers and received positive reviews from critics, who praised Harris’s performance and the writing, though the episode's "bi-generation" was met with a polarized response.
The Doctor and Donna are taken by UNIT to its headquarters, as the world's population has become inexplicably violent. The Doctor is reunited with Shirley, head of UNIT Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, and former companion Melanie Bush. The Doctor determines the cause of the violence is a giggle from a Stooky Bill film from 1925, which John Logie Baird had recorded to demonstrate his invention of television.
The Doctor and Donna travel to 1925 and discover that the Toymaker sold Stooky Bill to Baird's assistant. The Toymaker traps the two in his domain and reveals that he transmitted the signal to make humanity play a never-ending game of debate, by making them aggressively convinced of the absolute correctness of all their beliefs. The Doctor and the Toymaker play a game of cards, with the latter winning. However, the Doctor states that since he won the game at their last meeting, they are tied. The Toymaker resolves to have one final game with him in the present day.
The Toymaker attacks UNIT before taking control of a laser cannon. He reasons that since he faced separate incarnations of the Doctor for each game, he must face another, and uses the cannon to mortally injure the Doctor, triggering his regeneration. However the Doctor instead splits into two incarnations via "bi-generation". Both the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Doctors challenge the Toymaker to a game of catch. The Doctors win, and the Toymaker is banished from existence.
Aboard the TARDIS, the Fifteenth Doctor advises his predecessor that he needs to recover from the extensive traumas that his past incarnations have accumulated across their lives. Donna suggests to the Fourteenth Doctor that he is physically identical to the Tenth because he is emotionally exhausted and has subconsciously recognised this need. She invites him to consider retiring from his constant travels and staying with her and her family, but he is reluctant to leave the TARDIS behind. The Fifteenth Doctor, realising that the Toymaker's rules of play still apply – when one wins a contest, one gets a prize – manages to create a second identical TARDIS, in which he departs. The Fourteenth Doctor settles down with Donna and her family, while the Fifteenth Doctor travels the universe in his predecessor's place.
Prior to the episode airing, several details about the sixtieth anniversary specials were leaked, including the bi-generation twist. Davies was unconcerned, believing that the general public would probably be unaware of the leaks.
Hub AI
The Giggle AI simulator
(@The Giggle_simulator)
The Giggle
"The Giggle" is the third and final of the 60th anniversary specials of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who, written by Russell T Davies, directed by Chanya Button and broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 9 December 2023. It features the final regular appearances of David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor and Catherine Tate as Donna Noble, introduces Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor and guest stars Neil Patrick Harris as the Toymaker, a character last seen in The Celestial Toymaker (1966). The episode also features the return of Jemma Redgrave and Bonnie Langford as UNIT commander Kate Lethbridge-Stewart and Mel Bush, respectively.
Set directly after the events of "Wild Blue Yonder", the episode sees the Doctor, Donna and UNIT confronting the return of the Doctor's old enemy, the Toymaker, who is behind a series of signals in a form of a "giggle" being transmitted, causing the human race to go insane over their opinions.
The episode was watched by 6.85 million viewers and received positive reviews from critics, who praised Harris’s performance and the writing, though the episode's "bi-generation" was met with a polarized response.
The Doctor and Donna are taken by UNIT to its headquarters, as the world's population has become inexplicably violent. The Doctor is reunited with Shirley, head of UNIT Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, and former companion Melanie Bush. The Doctor determines the cause of the violence is a giggle from a Stooky Bill film from 1925, which John Logie Baird had recorded to demonstrate his invention of television.
The Doctor and Donna travel to 1925 and discover that the Toymaker sold Stooky Bill to Baird's assistant. The Toymaker traps the two in his domain and reveals that he transmitted the signal to make humanity play a never-ending game of debate, by making them aggressively convinced of the absolute correctness of all their beliefs. The Doctor and the Toymaker play a game of cards, with the latter winning. However, the Doctor states that since he won the game at their last meeting, they are tied. The Toymaker resolves to have one final game with him in the present day.
The Toymaker attacks UNIT before taking control of a laser cannon. He reasons that since he faced separate incarnations of the Doctor for each game, he must face another, and uses the cannon to mortally injure the Doctor, triggering his regeneration. However the Doctor instead splits into two incarnations via "bi-generation". Both the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Doctors challenge the Toymaker to a game of catch. The Doctors win, and the Toymaker is banished from existence.
Aboard the TARDIS, the Fifteenth Doctor advises his predecessor that he needs to recover from the extensive traumas that his past incarnations have accumulated across their lives. Donna suggests to the Fourteenth Doctor that he is physically identical to the Tenth because he is emotionally exhausted and has subconsciously recognised this need. She invites him to consider retiring from his constant travels and staying with her and her family, but he is reluctant to leave the TARDIS behind. The Fifteenth Doctor, realising that the Toymaker's rules of play still apply – when one wins a contest, one gets a prize – manages to create a second identical TARDIS, in which he departs. The Fourteenth Doctor settles down with Donna and her family, while the Fifteenth Doctor travels the universe in his predecessor's place.
Prior to the episode airing, several details about the sixtieth anniversary specials were leaked, including the bi-generation twist. Davies was unconcerned, believing that the general public would probably be unaware of the leaks.