Flatline (TV story): Difference between revisions

{{real world}}

{{ImageLinkTV}}

|image          = Clara holds the TARDIS.jpg

|novelisation    = Flatline (novelisation)

|series          = [[Doctor Who television stories|''Doctor Who'' television stories]]

|series episode number = 9

|story number    = 250

|doctor          = Twelfth Doctor

|companions      = [[Clara Oswald|Clara]]

|enemy          = [[Boneless]]

|setting        = [[Bristol]], the early [[21st century]]

|director        = [[Douglas Mackinnon]]

|producer        = [[Nikki Wilson]]

|format          = 1x45 minute episode

|prev            = Mummy on the Orient Express (TV story)

|next            = In the Forest of the Night (TV story)

|bts            = Introduction to Flatline - Doctor Who Series 8 Episode 9 (2014) - BBC One

|bts2            = Flatline - Doctor Who Extra Series 1 Episode 9 (2014) - BBC

''Flatline'' was Mathieson's first script for the show. Two years before writing it, he had pitched his ideas for a story to [[Steven Moffat]] but was unsuccessful. When he again met with the [[executive producer]], he showed him four ideas for episodes, complete with his own illustrations, aided by his background in art college. Taking an interest in the monster he had created for what would become ''Flatline'', Moffat asked Mathieson to produce a story outline and he got the job to script the episode.

== Synopsis ==

[[File:Clara holds the TARDIS.jpg|thumb|220x220px|Clara holds the TARDIS.]]

Clara goes back to the mural tunnel, scanning around to give stats to the Doctor in the TARDIS. Rigsy finds her again, asking for her name. Clara calls herself "the Doctor". She asks Rigsy to take her to where someone vanished. Rigsy leads her to the [[flat]] of the most recent missing person, where there's a strange desert mural. After Rigsy becomes uncomfortable with the strange conversation Clara is having with the Doctor, he decides to leave, but Clara stops him, realising that his local knowledge could be helpful. She pulls the TARDIS out of her purse and gets the Doctor to open the doors, introducing him to Rigsy.

The Doctor gets everyone out of the tunnels safely in the TARDIS. Clara rejects a call from Danny, catching the Doctor's attention; he notes that she enjoyed 'playing the Doctor' for the day. She asks him to admit that she was a good Doctor; he reluctantly tells her that she made an "exceptional Doctor", but that "goodness" had nothing to do with it.

== Cast ==

* [[George (Flatline)|George]] - [[Raj Bajaj]]

* [[Bill (Flatline)|Bill]] - [[James Quinn]]

== Crew ==

* [[Lead effects artist|Lead Effects Artist]] - [[Joe Thornley-Heard]]<ref name="fxguide" />

=== Technology ===

* The first train bears the number A113, an animation in-joke first known to originate in the ''Amazing Stories'' episode "The Family Dog" and used in many other movies and television shows. A113 is a classroom used at the California Institute of the Arts for graphic design and character animations, widely recognised by alumni of the institute.<ref>http://www.listal.com/list/a113</ref>

* The shrunken TARDIS<ref name="robatto tardis">http://www.rubbertoereplicas.com/#!making-a-shrunken-tardis/c1lx3</ref> and [[siege mode]] TARDIS <ref name="robatto siege">http://www.rubbertoereplicas.com/#!tardis-seige-mode/c70e</ref> props were cast resin, fabricated by propmaker [[Nicholas Robatto]].

* Coincidentally, this story aired at the same time as the ''Doctor Who Magazine'' comic strip [[COMIC]]: ''[[The Eye of Torment (comic story)|The Eye of Torment]]''. It not only featured Clara taking on Doctor-like responsibilities, it also had her taking a gamble with someone's life in similar fashion and ended with a similar sombre exchange about Clara beginning to think like the Doctor.

=== Ratings ===

=== Filming locations ===

* Barry Island Heritage Railway

* Barry Island Shooting Range

* Winchcombe

* The Doctor's hair is noticeably shorter in several scenes, starting when the TARDIS falls onto the train track and ending when the TARDIS returns to the surface after the defeat of the Boneless. This makes it clear these scenes were filmed out of order, during a different time than the rest of the scenes in the episode, when Peter Capaldi had recently undergone a haircut. In his regular column for ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'', embarrassed showrunner [[Steven Moffat]] admitted to this continuity goof and that it was because of the scheduling.

* When the TARDIS first becomes smaller, the Doctor uses one door to get out due to a lining in between in the doors. When the TARDIS shrinks again, both doors are open with there being no lining in between the doors.

* The distance between the shrunken TARDIS and the train tracks decreases. It is a safe distance from the tracks as the Doctor climbs the dirt hill with his fingers, then it appears a little closer to the tracks the next scene when he pulls his hand in, the next scene, it is close enough that when it topples over, the top is laying on the tracks. Also, when the TARDIS topples over, the shock created inside the TARDIS by the fall throws the Doctor towards the doors, even though the TARDIS landed on its rear wall and the doors are facing upwards.

* When Clara's phone rings towards the end of the episode, the ringtone is clearly heard. However, when held up, the icon for silent mode is visible at the top of the screen.

* As the Doctor tells the Boneless that they are not welcome, he sweeps his arm across his chest, and it ends up at his side. However, when the scene cuts to the front view of him saying his next line, he is suddenly pointing towards the Boneless.

* As the Doctor dives under the console to activate siege mode, the piping in the time rotor isn't lit up. However, in the next shot, as the camera zooms out to view the console room, the piping is lit up and can be seen going out just before the camera cuts to the shot of the train passing over the TARDIS's location.

== Continuity ==

== Home video releases ==

[[File:Complete 8th Series UK Cover.jpg|thumb|Series Full Box-set Region 2]]

=== Digital releases ===

* The episode was released on Google Play, iTunes and Amazon Instant Video in HD or SD, also available as part of the Series 8 digital boxset. The digital boxset contains various features: trailer, interviews, ''The Ultimate Companion, The Ultimate Time Lord, Inside the World Tour ''and ''[[Doctor Who Extra]]'' episodes for each episode.

* In the US, the series was released through digital streaming services Hulu and Netflix with a subscription.

== External links ==

== Footnotes ==

{{reflist}}

{{DWTV}}

{{TitleSort}}

{{cat|Doctor Who (2005) television stories}}

[[Category:Stories set in the 21st century]]

[[Category:Stories set in Bristol]]

[[Category:Stories set in London]]

[[fr:Flatline (TV)]]

[[pt:Flatline]]