5.4. The Time Of Angels / Flesh And Stone

Series 5 - 2010

Writer: Steven Moffat
Produced by: Tracie Simpson
Director: Adam Smith
Music: Murray Gold

Didn't anyone ever tell you? There's one thing you never put in a trap. If you're smart, if you value your continued existence, if you have any plans about seeing tomorrow, there's one thing you never, ever, put in a trap. Me!

Synopsis

A solider is hallucinating after being kissed by a woman using hallucinogenic lipstick. On board a spaceship a woman is using this to escape.

12,000 years further in the future the Doctor and Amy are visiting the Delerium Archive, the biggest museum ever. They find a old box - a home box from a starliner. The box has an inscription written in Old High Gallifrey. The message reads "Hello, Sweetie". The Doctor plugs the box in to the TARDIS monitor and can see River Song trying to escape from the starliner. River Song reads out some co-ordinates and requests an air corridor, and the Doctor follows.

On the starliner a door explodes and River Song is sucked out in to space, and falls into the waiting TARDIS. The Doctor sets the controls and follows the starliner. Amy's first question is how can River pilot the TARDIS. The Doctor sits back as River announces the TARDIS is parked alongside the starliner. The Doctor doesn't think they have landed because there isn't the usual 'wheezing, groaning' sound.

The Doctor is about to go outside when River insists on environment checks. River starts to shout out the readings whilst the Doctor looks outside and announces they are on the planet Alfava Matraxis, the seventh planet of the Dundra System.

River wonders why the class 4 starliner - the Byzantium - landed, when the Doctor says they didn't land - they crashed. As soon as River goes outside the Doctor is eager to leave. Amy is keen to see an alien planet, and the Doctor promises her five minutes.

The Byzantium has crashed in to the Aplan temple. River tells the Doctor there is a thing in the belly of the Byzantium that cannot die. As the Doctor and Amy talk River calls for support, and camouflaged clerics are transported to the planet. Father Octavian introduces himself, and says more troops are arriving by drop ship.

Inside the Byzantium is a Weeping Angel, and later that night, after the troops have arrived, Father Octavian talks about how to get in. Inside the drop ship Father Octavian, River, the Doctor and Amy watch a four second loop from a surveillance camera in the Byzantium's vault showing the Weeping Angel. As the troops prepare to enter the crashed Byzantium, Amy watches the video. As she watches the loop the Angel changes position. When she tries to turn off the video it turns back on again straight away.

Amy tries to leave the drop ship, but the door is jammed. Outside the Doctor and River are looking through notes about the Angels, and finds a section about images: That which holds an image of an Angel becomes itself an Angel. Amy cries out for the Doctor as the Angel comes out of the screen, and the Doctor and River start to cut their way in to the ship. The Doctor tells Amy to keep looking at the screen - and to not blink... and to not look at the eyes.

Father Octavian and his men have used explosives and made a hole in to the crashed temple. Amy, the Doctor and River follow. Using a gravity globe the Doctor is able to see exactly where they are. They are inside a huge temple cavern, and in the walls are stone statues. Two soldiers, Chrispin and Angelo, go off to investigate a side tunnel whilst the main party continues onwards. Amy feels she had something in her eye, and when she rubs it fine dust comes out.

Inside the side tunnel the two soldiers are discussing past missions when the torch starts to flicker, and there is the sound of stone scraping. Angelo has disappeared, and when Christian looks back there is an Angel in front of him.

The Doctor hears gunfire, and finds soldier Bob, who had been firing at one of the statues.

To lighten the mood the Doctor starts to talk about the Aplans, saying that they should go back to visit them. They are a cheerful people with two heads. As they get closer to the Byzantium the Doctor looks at a stone statue and realises they have all made a mistake. The statues only have one head. If they were the Aplans they would have two heads. So what are the statues?

The Doctor asks everyone to turn off they torches, and the Doctor turns his off for a brief moment. All the statues have changed position. All the statues are Angels. But these Angels are slow and badly formed. The Doctor then realises how the Aplans died out centuries ago. The Angels had been waiting since then - dying. The crash of the Byzantium wasn't an accident - it was a rescue mission. Radiation from the crashed Byznatium was slowly waking up the Angels.

Father Octavian radios back to Bob, Christian and Angelo. Bob replies and says Christian and Angelo are dead, they're necks snapped. The Doctor asks how Bob survived, and Bob says he is also dead, and is coming up to get them. Angel Bob is the one from the ship, meaning the Byzantium is empty.

Running back to the rest of the troops the Doctor comes across Amy who has stopped. She tells the Doctor her hand, which is holding a rail, is made of stone. The Doctor tells her the Angel inside her is making her think that, but she insists her hand is made of stone. The Doctor apologies, and bites her hand. She cries in pain, meaning the hand is not made of stone.

The Doctor and Amy get back to the troops and they realise they are trapped, with Angels advancing. Through Bob the Angel communicates with the Doctor and tries to make him angry. The Doctor realises there is only one way to escape, and asks for Father Octavian's gun. He tells everyone to jump when he fires the gun.

The Doctor fires at the gravity globe. The Byzantium's artificial gravity is still working, and with a good jump everyone went up. Using the sonic screwdriver the Doctor is able to open a hatch, and everyone gets into the Byzantium.

The Angels breach the hull, and the power starts to fail. The Doctor isolates the power grid so at least the lights will not fail. However, to restore the doors the Doctor needs to kill the lights for a second, meaning the Angels will be allowed to move unobserved. As the lights go out the soldiers starts firing. The light from the firing guns allows the Angels to be observed.

They make their way to the secondary flight deck. The soldiers magnetise the doors, but the Angels are still able to undo the locks - although it does slow them down.

There is a door on the bridge to a forest - used as an oxygen factory. The trees are not just trees. They are part technology, creating oxygen for the ship. As the Doctor talks to Angel Bob, he realises Amy is slowly counting down from ten. Angel Bob taunts the Doctor, saying he hasn't noticed. Looking behind him the Doctor sees the crack from Amy's bedroom. As Angels get on to the ship everyone makes their way in to the forest.

Amy is still counting down, and not feeling well. The Doctor realises that after looking at an Angel's eye's too long one is inside her mind, and is taking over. The only way to stop it is to for Amy to close her eyes. But she can no longer open her eyes - not even for a second. The Doctor tells the soldiers to look after Amy whilst he and River go to find the primary flight deck. Father Ocatvian tells the Doctor he cannot leave River and must go with them, leaving the soldiers to look after Amy.

In the forest the lights start flickering as Angels start ripping apart she trees. Father Octavian beaks in to the flight deck, and at the same time there is a bright light from the direction of the flight deck. As the soldiers watch the Angels appear to be running away. Soldiers are ordered to investigate, but disappear. Amy opens her eyes and realises the crack is the same shape has the crack in her wall. When Amy asks about the soldiers sent to investigate, the soldier remaining with Amy does not remember them. He goes to also investigate the light, leaving Amy alone.

As the Doctor is trying to work out what the crack is - a way of rewriting time, which is why Amy does not know about Daleks - one grabs hold of Father Octavian. Father Octavian tells the Doctor not to trust River, and that she was in a Stormcage containment after killing a man. He also tells the Doctor to leave him.

The Doctor makes his way on to the primary flight deck where River is. Using a radio he calls Amy, who tells him all the clerics are gone, and asks Amy she must make her way to the flight deck. The Doctor uses the sonic screwdriver to send s signal for Amy, who still cannot see, to follow. She needs to be ahead of the time energy from the crack, otherwise she will cease to ever have existed.

As Amy is moving through the forest there are Angels all around, all trying to run away from the time energy. Amy trips and drops the communicator. Whilst she is stopped Angels advance. As one closes in River gets the teleporter working, and Amy is teleported to the bridge. As the Angels advance on the ship the Doctor turns off the gravity. The Doctor, Amy and River grab on to the flight deck as the Angels are sucked in to the time field, meaning they had never existed, including the one inside Amy. The crack is sealed by so many Angels' time energy being erased.

Back on the planet's surface River awaits a prison ship. The Doctor asks about the man she killed, and she says he was the best man she had ever known, and that she would meet the Doctor again, when the Pandorica opens.

Regular Cast

  • Amy Pond: Karen Gillan

Guest Cast

  • River Song: Alex Kingston
  • Alistair: Simon Dutton (4)
  • Security Guard: Mike Skinner (4)
  • Father Octavian: Iain Glen
  • Christian: Mark Springer (4)
  • Angelo: Tony Glasgow (4)
  • Bob: David Atkins
  • Marco: Darren Morfitt
  • Pedro: Mark Monero (5; uncredited on 4)
  • Phillip: George Russo (5; uncredited on 4)
Uncredited:
  • Security Guards: Rauri Mears, Ben Ashley
  • Double for River Song: Nathalie Cuzner
  • Museum Officials: Wilson Rogers, Peter Smith
  • Cleric Crispin: Stephen Martin-Walters
  • Clerics: Kristian Arthur, Levi Crosdale, Matthew Doman, Marcus Elliott, Dennis Gregory, Peter Howe, Yinka Onitiri, Daniel Salter, Shelby Williams, Darren Williams, Duane Barnes
  • Double for Father Octavian: Steve Grant
  • Angels: Sarah Jones, Victoria Southgate, Emma Baskerville, Caroline Royce
  • Double for Amy: Suzie Clark
  • Deformed Angels: Sophie Atkins, Louise Bowen
  • Double for the Doctor: Peter Sheward
  • Semi Angels: Marie McGonigle, Sarah Jones, Amber Doyle

Original broadcast on the BBC

Channel Title Date Viewers Rating
BBC 1 4. The Time Of Angels Saturday, 24 April 2010 18:20 - 19:05 8.59M 87
BBC HD 4. The TIme Of Angels Saturday, 24 April 2010 18:20 - 19:05
BBC 1 5. Flesh And Stone Saturday, 1 May 2010 18:25 - 19:10 8.5M 86
BBC HD 5. Flesh And Stone Saturday, 1 May 2010 18:25 - 19:10

Click here to show repeat broadcasts on the BBC

Studios

  • Upper Boat Studios: Studio 1 & 2
  • Upper Boat Studios: Studio 3
  • Upper Boat Studios: Studio 5
  • Upper Boat Studios: Studio 6

Outside Locations

  • Aberthaw Quarry, East Aberthaw, Barry, Vale of Glamorgan
  • Brecon Catherdral, Cathedral Close, Brecon
  • Bute Park, Cardiff
  • Clearwell Caves, nr. Coleford, Royal Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire
  • Puzzlewood, nr. Coleford, Royal Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire
  • Southerndown Beach, Beach Road, Dunraven Park
  • The Vicarage, Lawn Terrace, Ryhmney