6.12. Closing Time

Series 6 - 2011

Writer: Gareth Roberts
Produced by: Denise Paul
Director: Steve Hughes, Marcus Wilson (uncredited)
Music: Murray Gold

Synopsis

Outside a busy department store lights are flickering. Inside, after the customers have left, the lights also start flickering. A shop manager is clearing up near some dressing rooms where the flickering lights are worse. She sees a shadow and thinks it is a customer. When she pulls back a curtain she finds a Cyberman.

In his house Craig is saying goodbye to Sophie, who is going off with her friend Melina for the weekend. Sophie is concerned, but Craig insists he can cope on his own. That's when he hears a knock at the door and finds the Doctor. When the lights start flickering the Doctor runs inside. He knows Craig is not alone - and finds his baby son - Alfie. Craig admits that he can't cope on his own with the baby - especially with Alfie crying. The Doctor says Ssh to Alfie and he stops crying. The Doctor listens to Alfie and tells Craig he likes Alfie, but prefers Stormageddon, Dark Lord of All.

The Doctor tells Craig he has just popped in for a social call, a farewell tour, before going to see the Alignment of Exedor. The Doctor notices more flickering lights and says goodbye to Craig. He doesn't want to get involved with whatever is happening.

The next day Craig finds the Doctor in the toy department of the department store. The Doctor has taken a job in the store. Out of the corner of his eye the Doctor sees something run across the floor, and he tells Craig that there various staff have been disappearing. The power fluctuations just happen to coincide with the disappearances, and none of this has made the local paper. Inside a lift marked out of order the Doctor tells Craig that someone has been using a teleport inside the store, and the CCTV has been wiped.

The lift they are in is the teleport, and they have been teleported, along with Stormageddon, into a spaceship. A Cyberman approaches, but the Doctor manages to reverse the teleport using the sonic screwdriver, and disables it afterwards. Outside the store the Doctor uses the sonic screwdriver to scan for space ships but cannot detect anything.

The Doctor asks Craig to ask around the store. He has a baby, and people like babies. The Doctor asks a shop assistant, Val, if she has seen anything unusual. When she mentions a silver rat the Doctor is curious. Craig starts his question by asking a young, attractive, shop assistant if she has seen anything unusual. She calls for the security guard - George.

Val thinks the silver, a Cybermat, rat is a remote controlled toy, and wants one for her nephew. The Doctor scans for the silver rat, but is interrupted when Craig accidentally knocks over a display of women's underwear. The Doctor goes over to George and vouches for Craig. The shop assistant tells the Doctor that her supervisor, Shona, never showed up. She tells the Doctor that the last place Shona was seen was near the dressing rooms.

Later, after Craig has gone to change Alfie's nappy, the Doctor sees Amy in the distance. He then sees a giant poster for Petrichor perfume - for the girl who's tired of waiting; Amy is the model.

After the store has closes, and George is doing his rounds, the Doctor and Craig start scanning for the Cybermat. As George is doing his rounds there are more power fluctuations. The Cybermat is on low power, and the Doctor is able to capture it. The Cybermat appears as a form of silver rat, but has a real mouth. Startled the Doctor drops the Cybermat and goes after it, finding George's body before being knocked unconscious by a Cyberman. When he comes round the Doctor cannot understand how the Cyberman can be there so quickly after he disabled the teleport. The Cyberman is weak, using spare parts, otherwise the Doctor would have suffered more damage. But why are they using spare parts?

Back at Craig's house the Doctor talks to Stormageddon whilst Craig is out getting milk. The Doctor was able to recapture the Cybermat, and on the kitchen table it awakens. It finds its way to the bedroom, but the Doctor temporarily stops it with the sonic screwdriver. He runs with the baby outside, but drops the sonic screwdriver inside, and the door locks. Craig returns, but leaves his phone on a side table, meaning the Doctor cannot contact him. Craig sees the Cybermat as it attacks him. The Doctor sees the Cybermat attacking Craig and jumps through the patio door window. The Doctor gives the Cybermat one burst from the sonic screwdriver it fries its circuits.

The Cybermat had been affecting the power and transmitting it to the Cybermen. The Doctor leaves an exhausted Craig and uses the Cybermat to track the Cybermen. The Doctor makes his way back to the dressing rooms, and finds a door disguied as a wall. Behind it is a tunnel leading to the Cybership. Inside the ship things are is a bad way. The power is unstable and the ship looks as though it has seen better days. The ship crashed centuries ago. When the council started laying cables the ship was able to draw off the power.

Cybermen appear, and the Doctor gives them a choice. Deactivate or he will do it for them. Craig follows the Doctor into the Cybership. The Cybermen need a new Cybercontroller, and as Craig is intelligent he is chosen to be the new Cybercontroller. The Doctor is restrained as conversion starts. The Doctor tells Craig to be strong, and to believe as a helmet is sealed into place.

Craig had left his baby with Val, and on a screen the Doctor can see and hear Alfie crying. Craig can also hear Alfie crying. This is enough to restart emotions in Craig, and the sealed helmet separates. The emotions cause a feedback in the Cybermen's emotional inhibitors. The Doctor is able to teleport himself and Craig before the Cybership is destroyed. As Craig comforts Alfie the Doctor sneaks off.

Back at his house Craig finds everything tidied up, and the Doctor waiting for him. The Doctor went back in time to tidy up, using up some of his remaining hours so Craig will not be in trouble with Sophie. Before he goes be takes some blue envelopes. The Doctor tells Craig he is off to America. As a parting gift Craig gives the Doctor a Stetson.

Before the Doctor sets off on his final trip he meets three children. In the academy a younger River Song, on the day of her graduation, is reading eyewitness accounts from the three children. She sees, Madame Kovarian in the corner of a room - along with Silents. Kovarian tells River about the Doctor's date of death, and two cleric soldiers force her into a spacesuit and send her back in time to Lake Silencio, Utah on the 22nd April 2011 at 5.02pm.

Guest Cast

  • Amy Pond: Karen Gillan
  • Rory Williams: Arthur Darvill
  • Craig Owen: Matthew Corden
  • Sophie: Daisy Haggard
  • River Song: Alex Kingston
  • Madame Kovarian: Frances Barber
  • Shona: Seroca Davis
  • Kelly: Holli Dempsey
  • George: Chris Obi
  • Val: Lynda Baron
  • Cyberman: Paul Kasey
  • Voice of the Cybermen: Nicholas Briggs
Uncredited:
  • Passers by: Melody Brain, Lucy Faircloth, Lucy Harvey, Marsha McLeod, David Ulcett, John Walker, Tim Reid, Sion Price, Meg Mossemenear, Emma Menses De La Oliva
  • Alfie: Isabelle James, Josie James, Ellis Pomeroy, Jake Evans, Darcy Evans, Lucas Elliot Morris, William Morris
  • Toy Department worker: Ikay Agu
  • Sixteen-year-olds: Keiron Doney, Jessica Johnson, Charlotte Nolan, Alex Ranahan
  • Shoppers: Alison Ball, Paul Bogle, Ollie Bryan, Hayley Griffiths, Jane Harding, Howell Jones, Emily Pike, Keith Rose, David Ulcett, Dean Anderson, Trish Dichler, Mandy Flodpage, Cleo Jarvis, Iestyn Jones, Simon Pengelly, Karen Poolman, Kate Powell, Dave Rapley, Val Rapley, Milton Reid, Maria Vujinovic, Jeff Williams, Ian Wilson, Gwen Wright, Caro Zaliskys, Greg James, Frank Baker, Jan Baker, Bex Gibbs, Dennis Gregory, Andrea Grffiths, Channon Jacobs, Richard Knott, Ying Qin, Gwion ApRhisiart, Matther Rosser, John Sinclair, Leona Sutherland, Brian Tahr
  • Children: Joel Buousher, Morgan Miles, Katie Gear, Jun Wong, Chanelle Jade Leung, John William Carter, Ellie Rose, Morgan Pirie, Chantelle Evans
  • Warehouse Man: Ian Hilditch (not in final programme)
  • Perfume Counter workers: Antonia Forrest, Chalotte McGrane, Tanya Ong, Stephanie Tucker
  • Security Guard: Alistair Sanderson
  • Little Girl: Ellie Cursio
  • Parent: Marina Baibara
  • Womenswear Staff: Maria Honeker
  • Stunt double for the Doctor: Gordon Seed
  • Cybermen: Matthew Doman, Kevin Hudson, Adam Sweet, Richard Tunesi
  • Double for Craig: Alex Williams
  • Double for Val: Christine Patterson
  • Silents: Harrisen Larner Main, Jamie Hill
  • Clerics: Chester Durrant, Jon Davey

Original broadcast on the BBC

Channel Title Date Viewers Rating
BBC 1 (HD) 12. Closing Time Thursday, November 24, 2011 7:10 PM - 7:55 PM 6.93M 86

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Studios

  • Upper Boat Studios: Studio 2
  • Upper Boat Studios: Studio 6

Outside Locations

  • Church Road, Penarth
  • Hensol Castle, Hensol, Vale of Glamorgan
  • House of Fraser, St. Mary Street, Cardiff