5.12. The Pandorica Opens / The Big Bang

Series 5 - 2010

Writer: Steven Moffat
Produced by: Peter Bennett
Director: Toby Hanyes
Music: Murray Gold

Synopsis

France, 1890: Vincent is in pain, and a doctor is trying to help, whilst Madame Vernet is trying to understand one of his paintings.

London, 1941: In the cabinet war rooms Bracewell and Winston Churchill are looking at a Vincent Van Gogh painting that has to be delivered.

In Storm Cage facility 426 River Song is imprisoned, and receives a call from Winston Churchill. He is trying to call the Doctor, but the TARDIS has rerouted the call to River. After taking the call she uses her hallucinogenic lipstick to escape, and visit the Royal Collection, 5145. She finds a painting, and also Liz 10.

Later, at the Maldovarium, 5145, she meets up with Dorium and acquires a vortex manipulator.

Inside the TARDIS Amy is looking at an engagement ring she found in the Doctor's pocket when the Doctor announces they have arrived at Planet One, the oldest planet in the Universe, There is a cliff made of pure diamond, and on the cliff is a message written in 50 foot letters. No-one has ever been able to translate it, but as the TARDIS can translate the Doctor wants to try. The message: HELLO SWEETIE, followed by co-ordinates.

The Doctor follows the co-ordinates to Britain, 102 A.D. where the Doctor and Amy come across a Roman camp. A Roman centurion comes up to them and welcomes them to Britain, and tells them Cleopatra, aka River Song, will see them. She hands the Doctor the Vincent Van Gogh painting - a painting showing the TARDIS exploding. On the door of the TARDIS is a map reference that leads the Doctor, Amy and River to Stonehenge, and talks of the Pandorica, a box that holds the most dangerous thing in the Universe.

River and the Doctor scan Stonehenge and find traces of fry particles, suggesting energy weapons have been fired. The Doctor realises the Pandorica, which contains the most feared warrior in the Universe, is something half the galaxy would fight over. It's located underneath Stonehenge, and the Doctor opens a concealed stairway leading underground.

It doesn't take long to find the Pandorica, but there are other things in the same room, such as a rusted arm of a Cyberman. The Doctor knows about the Pandorica 'fairytale', but does not know what is inside. Amy reveals that her favourite book was Pandora's Box - a box containing the worst things in the world. Just a coincidence?

In the same room are huge stone pillars that are act as transmitters, transmitting a warning, and the location, into the Universe. Scanning the area around Earth River detects thousands of star ships, including Dalek, Cyber, Sontaran and Draconian ships, amongst many others. Over Stonehenge thousands of ships are hovering overhead. Every species the Doctor has defeat is present.

They return to the Roman camp where a Roman commander has returned. He knows Cleopatra is dead, so wants to know who River is. Using her gun to convince them of her power she tells the Romans about the Doctor.

Whilst the Doctor is continuing to examine the Pandorica Amy asks about the ring. The Doctor tells her is just a memory, someone he lost. Amy still has no recollection of who it could be. The Doctor asks Amy why her life does not make any sense, why the house she was staying in when they met - which she lived in by herself - had so many empty rooms. As they are talking they are fired at by the arm of a Cyberman. As he examines it the it discharges, knocking him unconscious, as the head of a Cyberman extends a wire to grab Amy. The rest of the Cyberman emerges and reattaches the head. The human part has died, leaving on the mechanical. The Cyberman is killed by a Roman centurion who welcomes her by name. Amy faints as more Romans and the Doctor arrive.

It takes the Doctor a few minutes to realise that it is Rory who is standing in front of him - the same Rory who was erased from time. From Rory's point of view he died and then turned into a Roman. As more ships arrive Stonehenge the Pandorica glows, and starts to open. Using an amplifier the Doctor addresses all the star ships, and asks who is going to take the Pandorica from him. He tells them to do the smart thing, and let someone else try first.

River goes off in the TARDIS, and the TARDIS takes her to Amy's house, 26th June 2010. Something has been there, leaving imprints in the lawn. She goes into Amy's room and finds drawings and models of the Doctor and the TARDIS from Amy's childhood, as well as a book about Romans. On the front cover is the same Roman she met earlier in the camp. River calls back in time to the Doctor, and tells the Doctor what she has found.

Outside in Stonehenge Rory is talking to Amy. Amy does not remember Rory, but she is unconsciously crying, and she begins to remember.

River tries to return, but someone else is controlling the TARDIS.

Back at Stonehenge all the Romans stop, and all begin to act mechanically. Rory is affected as well, but he tries to fight the mind control that is affecting all other Romans. There are some underneath with the Doctor, and their hands detach to reveal weapons. As Amy remembers Rory, she hugs Rory as the Nestene control takes over and he fires.

Underneath Stonehenge the Pandorica opens as Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans and Silurians materialise. The Auton Romans drag the Doctor over to the open Pandorica and seal him inside. Predictions show that the the TARDIS exploding will destroy the Universe. As all the enemies of the Doctor think the Doctor is the only one who can pilot the TARDIS they plan to lock the Doctor away in an inescapable prison.

The TARDIS is exploding, but it is River who is inside the TARDIS. In 102 AD all the stars explode, leaving Earth as the sole remaining planet in the Universe.

1,894 years later, in Leadworth, Amelia Pond is thanking Santa for her presents, and praying to him to send someone to fix the crack in her wall. Amelia has a painting of the sky with stars. She is taken outside and shown that there is no such thing as stars. A flyer is pushed through her letterbox about an exhibition at the National Museum about the Pandorica. She persuades her Aunt Sharon to take her there, where she sees stone Daleks, and the Pandorica itself. Whilst there a man steals her drink, and she notices a strange note on the Pandorica.

She hides behind an exhibit until the museum closes. Wandering through the dark museum she picks up the note and touches the Pandorica, which opens up - revealing the future Amy Pond.

Back in 102 AD Rory is holding the body of Amy, talking about the Doctor, when he appears in front of him wearing a fez and carrying a mop, telling Rory that Amy is not actually dead. He notices he still has the mop, disappears, and reappears without it. The Doctor gives Rory his sonic screwdriver and tells Rory to use it to open the Pandorica. The Doctor inside the Pandorica is confused when Rory opens it.

The Doctor places the body of Amy in to the Pandorica. The Pandorica will hold her in stasis until it gets a scan of her DNA to revive her - which it does in the future when Amelia touches it. The Doctor finds River's vortex manipulator to take a short cut to where Amy is. Rory offers to guard the box for the next 2000 years. As an Auton he cannot die, and would be conscious for the whole time.

In the museum the Doctor arrives, in time to find a Dalek that has also been awakened by energy from the Pandorica. A security guard notices the Dalek. The Dalek thinks the guard is unarmed, until his hand detaches and he fires, blinding the Dalek.

The security guard is Rory, and after 2,000 years waiting for Amy is pleased to see her. Amelia asks the Doctor for a drink after hers was stolen earlier. As the Dalek reawakens they all rush off. The Doctor locks a door, and then nips off back in time to talk to Rory. He returns briefly with the mop to barricade the door in the museum before jumping back.

After returning he realises he no longer has the sonic screwdriver, which he left with Rory, so goes back to ask Rory to leave it in Amy's top pocket, so in the future that's where it is. He also has to go back in time to leave the notes for Amelia, during which he steals her drink to give back to her in the future.

As they are about to go to the roof another Doctor, dressed the same in the fez, falls down the stairs. He whispers to the Doctor before appearing to die. Behind them Amelia has disappeared - erased from time. In 12 minutes so will Amy and the world. As they make their way to the roof the Dalek continues to restore itself.

Outside there is light from what appears to be the sun. But as no star ever shone in the Universe the sun cannot be the sun; it is the exploding TARDIS with River at the heart of it stuck in a time loop. Using the vortex manipulator the Doctor is able to rescue River. The Dalek attacks and they run back into the museum.

The Doctor doesn't understand how the Dalek can be restored when the Daleks have never existed. There is no DNA to restore them. However, the Pandorica must have contained a few particles of DNA that were enough. The Pandorica contains samples from the Universe as it was, and so it could be possible, given enough energy, to restart the Universe. It's at that point the Doctor is stuck by a Dalek blast, and teleports back in time 12 minutes.

Amy and Rory go back downstairs to find the Doctor's body, but his body is no longer there. He had been using the Dalek as a diversion whilst he was working in the Pandorica. The TARDIS is still burning at every point in history. Add the Pandorica in to the mix and the energy would feed to every point in history. The Doctor plans to fly the Pandorica into the burning TARDIS. The Universe will be restored, and the cracks in time closed, but the Doctor will be on the wrong side, meaning he will never have existed.

The Pandorica flies into the burning TARDIS, and the Doctor's time stream begins to unravel. At certain points he is able to interact with his past time stream, and in the forest of weeping angels he asks Amy to remember what he told when she was seven.

The Doctor arrives back at Leadworth where he finds Amelia waiting outside, asleep, for the Doctor to return. He picks her up, still asleep, and takes her back to her room. There is still a crack in her wall, and when the Doctor touches it he disappears, and so does the crack, and stars return to the sky.

Back in 2010 it is the day of Amy's wedding. Her mother comes in with breakfast in bed. Her dad has also returned. She has a nagging thought that she has forgotten something important. At her wedding reception she sees River Song pass by a window. On the table is a blue book full of blank pages. Things start jog her memory, such as someone wearing a bow time and a man wearing braces. She begins to remember her imaginary friend - the raggedy Doctor.

She shouts out, and after remembering something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue the TARDIS materialises, along with the Doctor.

Regular Cast

  • Amy Pond: Karen Gillan
  • Rory Williams: Arthur Darvill

Guest Cast

  • River Song: Alex Kingston
  • Vincent Van Gogh: Tony Curran (12)
  • Edwin Bracewell: Bill Paterson (12)
  • Winston Churchill: Ian McNiece (12)
  • Liz Ten: Sophie Okonedo (12)
  • Claudio: Marcus O'Donovan (12)
  • Commander: Clive Wood (12)
  • Commander Stark: Christopher Ryan (12)
  • Cyber Leader: Rauri Mears (12)
  • Judoon: Paul Kasey (12)
  • Doctor Gachet: Howard Lee (12)
  • Dalek: Barnaby Edwards (12)
  • Dorium: Simon Fisher Becker (12)
  • Guard: Joe Jacobs (12)
  • Madame Vernet: Chrissie Cotteill
  • Marcellus: David Fynn (12)
  • Amelia Pond: Caitlin Blackwood (13)
  • Aunt Sharon: Susan Vidler (13)
  • Christine: Frances Ashman (13)
  • Stone Dalek: Barnaby Edwards (13)
  • Dave: William Pretsell (13)
  • Mr Pond: Halcro Johnston (13)
  • Tabetha: Karen Westwood (13)
  • Dalek Voice: Nicholas Briggs (13; uncredited for 12)
Uncredited:
  • Marines: Rob Caisey, Tim Cooper, John Ninnis
  • Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF): Maria Honeker
  • RAF Officers: Nick Caffreys, Matthew Clifford
  • Female Civilian Secretary: Natasha Green
  • Male Civil Servant: Tim Driscoll
  • Guards: Barbara Fadden, Andy Jones, Azhar Miah, Kwesi Gapi Attee, Andrea Griffiths, David Ulett
  • Double for River Song: Nathalie Cuzner
  • Double for Liz Ten: Pina Harrington
  • White Man: Jason Caplin
  • Red Man: Jason Collins
  • Space Suit: Jon Davey
  • Insect Creature: Alan Glet
  • Geisha Girls: Victoria Hayes, Marina Penhallurick
  • Creature: Ryan Nicholls
  • Romans: Kristian Arthur, Levi Crosdale, Ben Ashley, Matt Doman, Pete Symonds, Claudio Laurini, Yinka Onitiri, Chester Durrant, George Bennett, Sam Hershall, Alistair Sanderson, Richard Knott, Justin Claridge, Alan Gill, Stewart Harding, Jeremy Harvey, Matthew Lias, Sion Price, Victor Richards, Marcus Smith, David Stock, Oscar Anderson, Ollie Bryan, Dennis Gregory, Jamie Jones, Christopher Miller, Andy Watts, Dave Bishop, Steve Grant, Chris Lee, Craig Palmer, Colum Sanson Regan
  • Slaves: Garry Lloyd George, Charlie Pothecary
  • Riding/Stunt Double for River Song: Kim McGarrity
  • Riding Double for the Doctor: Will Willoughby
  • Riding Double for Amy Pond: Bean Peel
  • Double for the Doctor: Andy Jones
  • Cyberman: Tim Baggaley, Jon Davey
  • Cyberman Voice: Nicholas Briggs
  • Supreme Dalek: Ben Ashley
  • Daleks: Jon Davey, Ian Hilditch
  • Cybermen: Adam Sweet, Kevin Hudson
  • Sontarans: Ryan Nicholls, Alan Glet
  • Judoon: Pete Symonds, Richard Tunesi
  • Blowfish: Chris Barber
  • Roboforms: Scott Baker, Chester Durrant, David Stock
  • Silurians: Nathalie Cuzner, Barbara Fadden, Samantha Bennett
  • Weevils: Jeremy Harvey, Steve Roberts
  • Kudlek: Levi James
  • Hoix: Andy Jones
  • Sycorax: Oliver Hopkins, Claudio Laurini, Trevor Payne
  • Judoon Voice: Nicholas Briggs
  • Children: Iwan Davies, Mali Davies, Max Harlow, Shahana Baron, Ella Garratt, Jordan Baker, Adam Frandakis-Williams, Daniel Gear, Harry Lewis, Chantelle Evans, Daryl Wong, Chanelle Leung, Shante Baron, John William Carter, Kayleigh Baker, Maddison Baker, Cerys Sprake, George Greminos, Amber Morgan, Ellie Cursio
  • Museum Attendants: Barbara Fadden, Andy Jones, Azhar Miah, Sian Lewis, Ian Darlington Roberts
  • Visitors: Jason Caplin, Jason Collins, Jon Davey, Alan Glet, Victoria Hayes, Marina Penhallurick, Ryan Nicholls, June Campbell, Elizabeth Ellis, Helen Evans, Oliver Hopkins, Lisa Morris, Christian Rae, Keith Rose, Brian Tahr, Jayne Vaughn, Dave Wong, Bethlehem Darrlington Roberts, Anthony Thomas, Triston Baron
  • Double for Amelia Pond: Courtney Hawkins
  • Rory's Parents: Andy Elvin, Helen Irving
  • Maid of Honour: Ceri Langridge
  • Grandparents: John Hoffer, Gaynor Hoffer, Brian Powell, Jacynthe Powell
  • Vicar: Paul Whiston
  • Waitresses: Melanie Allen, Amy Louise Baker
  • Waiters: Jayesh Harji, Tim Reid
  • Wedding Guests: Adrian Byrne, Alphaeus Daniel, Tom Forrister, Emma Fouracre, Dawn Gani, Anne Lyken Garner, Samantha Hunt, Dave James, Jamie Jones, Ian Kaye, Maureen St Lois, Jimmy Mack, Faye Louise Noriega, Liz Parry, Denzie Phipps, Joshua Picton, Gareth Prosser, Jade Smith, Peter Small, Rhiannon Ward, NIkki Warwick
  • DJ: Sam Gould
  • Teenagers: Demmi Baron, Georgia Whitlow, Eric Antunes
  • Child Bridesmaid: Isobel Bass
  • Crowd / Additional Dialogue Recording: Stephen Bracken-Keogh, Nick Wilkes, Darryl Adcock, Paul Ganney, Paul Sparrowham, Vernon Keeble-Watson

Original broadcast on the BBC

Channel Title Date Viewers Rating
BBC 1 12. The Pandorica Opens Saturday, June 19, 2010 6:40 PM - 7:30 PM 7.58M 88
BBC HD 12. The Pandorica Opens Saturday, June 19, 2010 6:40 PM - 7:30 PM
BBC 1 13. The Big Bang Saturday, June 26, 2010 6:00 PM - 6:50 PM 6.70M 89
BBC HD 13. The Big Bang Saturday, June 26, 2010 6:00 PM - 6:50 PM

Click here to show repeat broadcasts on the BBC

Studios

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

Outside Locations

  • Brackla Bunkers, Brackla, Bridgend
  • Brangwyn Hall, The Guildhall, Guildhall Road, Swansea
  • Margam Country Park, Margam, Port Talbot
  • Millennium Stadium Underground Carpark, Westgate Street, Cardiff
  • Miskin Manor Hotel, Pendoylan Road, Miskin, Llantrisant
  • National Museum of Wales, Cathays Park, Cardiff
  • Stonehenge, nr. Salisbury, Wiltshire
  • Sutton Farm, Sutton Road, Llandow
  • Taff Terrace, Radyr
  • The Bunker, Joint Resilience Unit, Lilliput Lane, West Cross, Swansea
  • The Orangery, Margam Country Park, Port Talbot
  • The Vicarage, Lawn Terrace, Rhymney
  • Vrsine, Croatia
  • Westville Road, Penylan, Cardiff