Did you connect the dots between Doctor Who's New Year's special and Jodie Whittaker's debut? Aside from the rapid-fire exterminations and the lingering specter of Doctor Who: Flux disappointment, "Eve of the Daleks" proved an uplifting and heartwarming festive tale of love, teamwork, and Monopoly. The episode ends with a huge explosion at Sarah's self storage facility, and with Jeff's illicit firecrackers thrown onto the pile, The Doctor's victory is marked by a delightful display of colorful sparks in the sky - the perfect way to celebrate 2022's arrival, and yet another Dalek crisis averted.
As the firecrackers ignite, a passing bystander catches sight of Elf Storage's destruction and can't quite believe he's the sole witness to a fantastic New Year's Eve display, completely free of charge. Suitably impressed, the lone male whips out his cellphone and even gets a couple of spoken lines. The focus placed upon this character implies he's more than a random extra, but his presence leaves no impact whatsoever on the plot. Nevertheless, Doctor Who viewers might've felt a spark of déjà vu during this "Eve of the Daleks" cameo... and there's a good reason for that.
Doctor Who's firework fan is Karl Wright (portrayed by Jonny Dixon), who guest-starred in Doctor Who season 11's "The Woman Who Fell To Earth." Karl was a crane operator unlucky enough to be riding the exact same train Jodie Whittaker's newly-regenerated Doctor crashed into, and was pursued relentlessly by Tzim-Sha. The Doctor managed to protect Karl from his extra-terrestrial aggressor, but the scamp cruelly kicked his vulnerable Stenza enemy when it was down, earning himself a Time Lord ear-bashing. Though Karl lives and works in Sheffield, he apparently took the hour-long trip down the A57 for New Year's Eve... to spent midnight walking alone by a river.
Doctor Who doesn't typically bring back one-off guest stars for cameo appearances, so what's the reason behind Karl's glorious comeback in 2022's New Year's special? On one level, catching up with regular folk saved by The Doctor begins Doctor Who's year on an upbeat note. Viewers can see Karl is a. alive, and b. still desperately trying to ignore anything outside of his comfort zone. And that's only possible because Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor stopped him being hunted down by an alien predator with too many teeth. There's also a sweet irony to how 2018 Karl proclaimed, "We don't get aliens in Sheffield!" only to find himself watching the aftermath of a Manchester Dalek invasion three years later. Having said that, the true meaning behind Karl's return might have something to do with Whittaker's impending Doctor Who exit.
After regenerating out of Peter Capaldi, Jodie Whittaker's Doctor crashed through a train carriage roof, and the first three faces she glimpsed were Graham, Grace, and Karl. Grace sadly passed away, while Graham, of course, joined the TARDIS as a companion. "Eve of the Daleks" marks the first of three Doctor Who specials, the last of which will see the Thirteenth Doctor regenerate. As the first person this incarnation of The Doctor saved, Karl's cameo brings the Whittaker era full circle, just as her final Doctor Who run begins. Karl might've enjoyed his personal firecracker display, but his presence is an ominous sign that the end of nigh for Thirteen.