Doctor Who: 10 Best Nardole Moments
- ️Ben Pettitt
- ️Wed Jul 01 2020
For some reason, whenever Doctor Who fans think of the Doctor's many amazing companions, Nardole always seems to get left off the list. Season 10 was, in many ways, all about the Twelfth Doctor and Bill Potts, but Nardole played a vital role alongside the other two leads.
Originally, Nardole was written as a one-off comedic foil for the Doctor and River Song to bounce off of, but since the Doctor rebuilt him, Nardole became a lot more grounded. The Doctor clearly trusted him, although he was reluctant to say so, and therefore Nardole ended up being one of the Doctor's most amazing friends.
Becoming A Robot
Initially, Nardole's first appearance in Doctor Who looked as though it would also be his last. Nardole served as River Song's assistant and was charged with finding a doctor to remove the head of King Hydroflax, which contained an extremely valuable diamond.
Nardole was fairly amusing, so it was a shame when Hydroflax's robotic body chopped off Nardole's head in its search for its original occupant. Thankfully, Nardole got a chance at a second life as a massive robot, which, admittedly, was pretty cool.
Correcting The Doctor
One of the more interesting things about Nardole's character was that, unlike many of the Doctor's previous companions, he wasn't human. This meant that, in addition to providing the show's comic relief, Nardole also possessed a higher than average intelligence.
It wasn't often that viewers got to see Nardole's intelligence on display, as he often took a back seat to the Doctor, but in his second-ever appearance, Nardole corrected the Doctor when the latter claimed that New York was a capital city, which was frankly hilarious.
Explaining The Doctor's Absence
After Season 9 ended in 2015, Doctor Who went on a temporary hiatus for a year, returning for the 2016 Christmas Special, "The Return Of Doctor Mysterio". Viewers hadn't seen the Doctor in action for a while, so the title was a reference to his absence.
Also, rather cleverly, the title referred to the Doctor's night on Byzantium with River Song before her death. Nardole explained all this to Grant and Lucy with sensitivity and compassion, which convinced fans that he was more than just the funny guy.
Disciplining The Doctor
Nardole's role as a companion was less straightforward than the traditional companion role. The Doctor had reassembled him because he was lonely and then employed Nardole as his sort of caretaker to make sure the Doctor didn't leave Earth while he was guarding the Vault.
This meant that occasionally, Nardole had to put his foot down. However, his greatest moment was when Nardole scolded the Doctor for being irresponsible, shouting for the Time Lord to look at him. Not only was this unexpected, but it also forced the Doctor to reveal his blindness.
Saving The Doctor's Soul
Fans of the time travel series know that the Doctor is at their most dangerous when they travel alone. After spending 24 years with River, the Doctor was once again sad and angry, which was a clear recipe for disaster.
River knew what her husband would be like, and so she sent Nardole to save the Doctor's soul. Nardole found the Doctor just as he was about to execute Missy, and read River's diary to him. This restored the Doctor's faith and allowed him to save Missy.
Figuring Out He Wasn't Real
"Extremis" was Season 10's 'experimental' episode, with almost the entire plot set in a virtual, and extremely realistic, landscape. It was actually a brilliant episode and introduced the Monks as a dangerous new threat for the Doctor.
In the episode itself, anyone who read a text called the Veritas killed themselves. No one knew why not even the Doctor. However, while investigating, Nardole was the first one to realize that nothing was real. To acknowledge his own non-existence was an incredibly brave move.
Naming The Real Necessities Of Life
Some of Nardole's best moments in Doctor Who are actually fairly low key. In the middle episode of the Monk trilogy in Season 10, the Doctor, Bill Potts, and Nardole were called to investigate the appearance of a pyramid overnight.
In reality, the pyramid was actually the Monks' ship, but the Doctor couldn't for the life of him figure out what they were up to. In desperation, he asked Nardole what humans depend on, to which Nardole replied, "air, water, food, beer". It was a great line, and Matt Lucas played it completely deadpan.
Planning The Doctor's Fake Regeneration
One of the most surprising moments of Season 10 of Doctor Who was when the Doctor was seen to be regenerating in a trailer for episode 8. It had already been confirmed that this was Peter Capaldi's last season as the Doctor, so speculation was at fever pitch.
Fans were wondering whether Doctor Who was about to pull off the impossible and switch Doctors halfway through a season. However, it all turned out to be an extremely clever ploy, masterminded by none other than Nardole himself.
Staying To Save The Humans
Season 10's finale was a bit of a bleak affair, with neither the Doctor, nor the Masters, nor the Cybermen actually achieving any victory of any kind. The Doctor delayed the Cybermen but didn't stop them, and the Masters simply killed each other.
The one person who actually achieved their goal, and sacrificed their livelihood in the process was Nardole, who left with the humans to act as their protector. This was a suitably heroic end for one of the Doctor's strangest and most loveable companions yet.
His Last Goodbye
Despite "The Doctor Falls" technically being Nardole's last regular appearance on Doctor Who, he did make one last appearance in the subsequent episode to say goodbye to the Twelfth Doctor.
Previously, the Doctor had grown tired of his life and had elected not to regenerate, thus ending his life once and for all. At the end of the episode, Nardole returned, along with Bill and Clara, and convinced the Doctor that he was needed and loved by everyone, providing a fitting and moving epilogue for Nardole.