7.15. The Time Of The Doctor

Series 7 - 2012/2013

Writer: Steven Moffat
Produced by: Marcus Wilson
Director: Jamie Hayne
Music: Murray Gold

Synopsis

In space a message has been sent from a planet. Everybody who received it came to the planet, but they were afraid. All but one man.

The Doctor has been teleporting, with the aid of the head of a Cyberman, affectionately named Handles, to each of the ships. One of the ships is a Dalek ship, which is a bit of a problem when the Doctor is holding the eyestalk of a dead Dalek. The message has been received, but even the Doctor cannot translate it. Inside the TARDIS the Doctor receives a phone call, and asks Handles to remind him sometime to patch the external phone through the TARDIS systems as having to open the doors to answer it is awkward.

The phone call is from Clara. Clara has told her family that the Doctor is her boyfriend, and asks the Doctor to visit for Christmas dinner. After narrowly escaping from Cybermen on a Cybership the TARDIS materialises on ground outside Clara's flat, where she is entertaining her family on Christmas day. She sees the TARDIS and rushes into the TARDIS to meet him... and finds him completely naked. The Doctor tells her that he is naked because he is going to Church. Using hologram projectors he is able to project onto Clara's visual cortex to make it appear as though he is wearing clothes.

Clara introduces the Doctor to her family, and they are not quite sure how to react. The Doctor tells Clara that he could project his clothes onto their visual cortex as well if that; currently to them he is naked. Clara ushers the Doctor into the kitchen where notices thee turkey in the oven - a turkey that isn't quite cooked. The only way that the turkey would be to use a time machine...

Inside the TARDIS the Doctor opens a hatch under the console and Clara places the uncooked turkey inside. At that moment Handles says he has information about the name of the unknown planet. As the TARDIS returns to the planet Handles confirms its designation: Gallifrey. Moments later there is horn blast from another space craft - the Papal Mainframe. It was the first ship to arrive, and it was the ship that placed a shield around the planet. The ship projects the face of a woman - Tasha Lem - the Mother Superious.

On the Doctor's request Tasha Lem invites the Doctor aboard. The Doctor gives Clara a tablet to swallow - a hologram projector as she cannot go to church with clothes on - and flies the TARDIS into the Church of the Papal Mainframe. Tasha takes the Doctor and Clara to her Chapel, although they ask Clara to wait outside.

Inside the chapel Tasha tells the Doctor about the planet. On it is a level 2 human colony, basically a farm. Any of the species orbiting the planet could break through the shield, but all are too scared, and no-one wants to go first, except the Doctor.

As she waits outside Clara notices one of the Silence walking towards her, but the instance she looks away she forgets. More Silence approach, telling her to confess. Scared of the Silence she runs into the chapel, and instantly forgets why. Tasha shows the Doctor and Clara her personal transport. Before the Doctor teleports Tasha asks him for the TARDIS key, saying he now allowed to take any technology down to the planet. She gives him one hour.

On the planet it is snowing, and extremely cold. The hologram has a built in heat loss filter, but it takes a few moments to kick in. In the snow Clara notices a stone arm from a statue. As she looks away the arm grabs her ankle. There are Weeping Angels in the snow, and as the Doctor pulls Clara free they fall down an embankment. When they recover they find themselves surrounded by Weeping Angels. The Doctor uses a key, tucked under his toupee, to summon the TARDIS which materialises around them. Clara is shocked by the Doctor's sudden bald head.

The Doctor materialises the TARDIS near the source of the signal where Clara has changed into proper clothes. Using the sonic screwdriver the Doctor tracks the signal to a small clock tower. On the way they meet two locals, and start telling them facts that they probably shouldn't. The Doctor realises the town they are in is covered by a truth field, meaning no lies can be told. As the people go on their way they tell the Doctor the town is called Christmas.

Inside the building that had the clock tower the Doctor and Clara come across a crack in the wall. Someone is trying to get through the crack from another Universe. Handles had said that the message origin was Gallifrey, and that Gallifrey is inside another Universe. Realising the message is from the Time Lords the Doctor attaches the Seal of Rassilon (taken from the Master during an adventure in the Death Zone on Gallifrey) to Handles, who is able to decode the message. The oldest question on the Universe hidden on plain sight. Handles warns the Doctor that decoding the message means all species around the planet will be able to understand the question: Doctor who?

The Doctor has a dilemma. The Time Lords are asking the question, and the truth field they set up means they will know if the Doctor is telling the truth. If he is that means it is safe to come through, but that would mean saying his name. The Doctor tells Clara that if the Time Lords do come back all hell will break loose, with dozens of ships waiting to open fire on the planet. He then gives a piece of equipment to Clara and asks her to take it back to the TARDIS and put in a charging slot.

Inside the TARDIS Clara places the equipment into the console, and the TARDIS takes her back home to Earth. She rushes out without thinking, and before she can get back in the TARDIS de-materialises.

Outside the face of Tasha Lem is projected in the sky, asking for the Doctor. He appears in the clock tower and asks her the name of the planet, to which she replies Trenzalore. Tasha tells the Doctor that if the Time Lords return, even in peace, the Time War would start anew. Tasha tells the Doctor that she will not let that happen, and that if the Time Lords return the planet will burn. As the Doctor sets himself up as the sheriff of Christmas Tasha announces to her church that the Siege of Trenzalore has begun, and that she dedicates the mission to one cause: Silence.

Over time many species tried to attack Trenzalore and the Doctor. Some were stopped by the Doctor, others were stopped by the Papal Mainframe, and the Doctor stayed true to his word and did not say his name. The Doctor's enemies have to invent new ways to attack, such as the Cybermen teleporting down a wooden Cyberman.

300 years later the TARDIS materialises back at Christmas, with Clara clinging on to the outside. The Doctor is looking much older, and he explains to Clara that he is the thirteenth Doctor, and that this is his last body. He cannot regenerate again.

The Church of the Silence (the new name for the Papal Mainframe) requests parley. The Doctor and Clara go to the church in the TARDIS. Through the last 300 years the Doctor and Tasha have been meeting (Tasha has also been supplying the Doctor with marsh mallows), but this visit is different. Tasha tells the Doctor that the Daleks even attacked the mainframe. When the Doctor asks Tasha how they survived she tells them they didn't, and as he watches a Dalek eyestalk emerges from her forehead as Daleks enter the chapel.

The Doctor taunts the Dalek-Tasha, awaking the Tasha within. Using her new implants she fires at, and destroys, the Daleks in the chapel. Tasha is able to teleport the Doctor and Clara back to the TARDIS, where finally the turkey is done. As she goes to get the turkey from under the console she asks the Doctor to promise not to send her away again, and he promises. After retrieving the turkey Clara returns back to an empty console. She goes outside and realises it's Earth. She looks back at the TARDIS as it de-materialises without her.

As time continued to pass on Trenzalore, with the Church of the Silence no longer in control, more of the Doctor's enemies made it to Trenzalore and fought amongst themselves. Eventually only the Doctor and the Silence were left on the fields of Trenzalore to stand against the Daleks.

Back on Earth Christmas Day is not going well. Clara's family are close to arguing, and she can only think about the Doctor. She hears the TARDIS and sees it has materialised outside. She rushes inside with a Christmas cracker, but finds Tasha Lem at the controls. Tasha takes Clara to Christmas, which is now a war zone. Tasha tells Clara that the Doctor should not die alone, and that she should go to him.

A Dalek ship appears in the sky, and the Daleks demand the Doctor. The Doctor says he has no plan, and tells Clara to stay behind as he goes out to confront the Daleks for the last time. Clara speaks in the crack in the wall and begs the Time Lords to do something to help the Doctor. As she walks away the crack disappears.

The Doctor appears in the clock tower. Old age means it takes him a bit longer to get there. The Daleks are still worried that the Doctor may have a trick up his sleeve, but he tells them he has nothing. The Daleks know the rules about the number of regenerations, and start to attack. The Doctor tells them to never tell him about rules as he starts to regenerate. Using the power from his regeneration he is able to destroy the Daleks and their ship.

As the people of Christmas emerge from hiding Clara looks for the Doctor. She goes into the TARDIS and find clothes scattered on the floor. She sees the Doctor looking young again. He tells her that regeneration is staring properly, and as she watches the Doctor starts to glow yellow. In an instant the Doctor changes into an older looking body, and the sudden changes causes the TARDIS to malfunction. The new Doctor has one question: Does Clara know how to fly the TARDIS.

Regular Cast

  • Clara Oswald: Jenna Coleman

Guest Cast

  • Tasha Lem: Orla Brady
  • Dad: James Buller
  • Linda: Elizabeth Rider
  • Gran: Sheila Reid
  • Colonel Albero: Mark Anthony Brighton
  • Abramel: Rob Jarvis
  • Marta: Tessa Peake-Jones
  • Barnable: Jack Hollington
  • Colonel Meme: Sonita Henry
  • Voice of Handles: Kayvan Novak
  • Young Man: Tom Gibbons
  • Voice: Ken Bones
  • Cyberman: Aidan Cook
  • Voice of the Daleks and Cybermen: Nicholas Briggs
  • Dalek 1: Barnaby Edwards
  • Dalek 2: Nicholas Pegg
  • Silent: Ross Martin
  • Sontaran: Dan Starkey
  • Weeping Angel: Sarah Madison
  • Amy Pond: Karen Gillan
  • The Doctor: Peter Capaldi
Uncredited:
  • Stand-in for the Doctor: Ian William George
  • Villagers: Lynfa Ackerman, Graham Anderson, Steven Enyon, Alan Goodlife, Leyla Ali, Rebecca Donovan-Morgan, Harry Franklin-Williams, Sophie Schandlinger, Foster Adams, Langdon Davies, Michael Dickins, Sarah Jane Evans, John Griffiths, James Newbury, Jasmine Lenton, Kelly Link, Robert Evans, Laura Morgan, Amanda Stahl, Christina Evans, Jane Hadfield, Maria Jordan, Nigel Malby, Wayne Edmond, Paul Horner, Timothy Howard, Corey Jones, Heather Lawson, Christopher Potts, Juliet Rimell, Jane Waters, Lee Callow, Helen Cox, Graham Anderson, Peter Ford, Paula Holmes, Lucy Horner, Daniel Hunter, Trefor Jones, Claire Levy, Volente Lloyd, Merv Read
  • Daleks: Mike Tucker, Jon Davey, Matt Doman, Claudio Laurini, Diarmuid O'Conner
  • Stunt double for the Doctor: Stephen Walsh
  • Cybermen: Simon Carew, Martin Challinor, Charlie Smith
  • Clerics: Andrew Cross, Chester Durant, Peter Guiney, Marcus Jones, Darren Swain, Victoria Thomas, Yvonne Gordon, Ryan Courtney, Marcus Elliott, Nick Dunwell, Marc Llewellyn-Thompson, Justin Beaver, Barbara Fadden, Julian Blanch, Richard Knott, Michael Freeman
  • Colonels: Howard Howell, Chris Wilkinson
  • Nuns: Maisie Gee, Johannah Johnson, Sarah Marinos, Alexandra Arrol, Em Puddy, Harriet Young
  • Silents: Harrison Larner-Main, Jamie Hill
  • Stunt double for Clara: Dani Biernat
  • Angel: Louise Bowen
  • Child Villagers: Ffion Powell, Morgan Miles, Josh Cursio, Lydia Taylor, Lewis Cole, Sion Davies, Jessica Miles, Mitch Griggs
  • Double for Amelia Pond: Jessica Davies

Original broadcast on the BBC

Channel Title Date Viewers Rating
BBC 1 (HD) 15. The Time Of The Doctor Wednesday, December 25, 2013 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM 11.14M 83

Click here to show repeat broadcasts on the BBC

Studios

  • BBC Roath Lock Studios: Studio 1
  • BBC Roath Lock Studios: Studio 2
  • BBC Roath Lock Studios: Studio 3
  • BBC Roath Lock Studios: Studio 4
  • Halliford Film Studios, Shepperton: Stage A

Outside Locations

  • FIBUA, Sennybridge SENTA Camp, Sennybridge, Powys
  • Lydstep Flats, Lydstep Crescent, Gabalfa
  • Park Davies, Mamhilad Park Estate, Pontypool
  • Puzzlewood, nr Colesford, Royal Forest of Dean, Gloustershire

Notes

The Doctor uses the Seal of Rassilon which he took from the Master during the 21st Anniversary adventure The Five Doctors.