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{{Infobox Story SMW
|image          = EndOfTimeChoice.jpg
|image          = EndOfTimeChoice.jpg
|name            = The End of Time
|series          = [[Doctor Who television stories|''Doctor Who'' television stories]]
|series          = [[Doctor Who television stories|''Doctor Who'' television stories]]
|scripturl      =http://www.thewriterstale.com/pdfs/End%20of%20Time%20Part%20One/Doctor%20Who%204%20Ep%2017.GREENS%20-%20180409.pdf
|special        = [[Christmas Special]] 2009<br />[[New Year Special]] 2010
|scripturl2      = http://www.thewriterstale.com/pdfs/End%20of%20Time%20Part%20Two/Doctor%20Who%204%20Ep.18.GOLD.pdf
|season number  = [[Series 4 (Doctor Who)#Specials|2009 Specials]]
|story number    = 202
|story number    = 202
|scripturl      = https://www.bbc.co.uk/writers/documents/doctor-who-4-episode-17-the-end-of-time-part-1-green-revisions-18042009.pdf<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/writers/documents/doctor-who-4-episode-17-the-end-of-time-part-1-green-revisions-18042009.pdf ''The End of Time (Part 1)'' at the BBC Script Library]</ref>
|scripturl2      = https://www.bbc.co.uk/writers/documents/doctor-who-4-episode-18-the-end-of-time-part-2-goldenrod-revisions-11052009.pdf<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/writers/documents/doctor-who-4-episode-18-the-end-of-time-part-2-goldenrod-revisions-11052009.pdf ''The End of Time (Part 2)'' at the BBC Script Library]</ref>
|doctor          = Tenth Doctor
|doctor          = Tenth Doctor
|companions      = [[Wilfred Mott]]  
|companions      = [[Wilfred Mott|Wilf]]
|featuring      = [[Donna Noble|Donna]], the [[Eleventh Doctor]]
|featuring      = Ood Sigma{{!}}Sigma
|enemy          = {{Simm|c}}, [[Rassilon]], [[Time Lord]]s.
|featuring2      = Donna Noble
|setting        = [[Earth]] and [[Gallifrey]], mostly in [[2009]] and [[2010]]
|featuring3      = Sylvia Noble
|writer          = [[Russell T Davies]]
|featuring4      = Shaun Temple
|featuring5      = Trinity Wells
|featuring6      = Mickey Smith
|featuring7      = Martha Jones
|featuring8      = Sarah Jane Smith{{!}}Sarah Jane
|featuring9      = Luke Smith
|featuring10    = Jack Harkness
|featuring11    = Alonso Frame
|featuring12    = Nerys
|featuring13    = Rose Tyler
|featuring14    = Jackie Tyler
|featuring15    = Eleventh Doctor
|enemy          = {{Dalton}}, the [[Saxon Master]]
|setting        = [[Earth]] and [[Gallifrey]], [[2009]] and [[2010]]
|writer          = Russell T Davies
|other writers  = Steven Moffat
|director        = [[Euros Lyn]]
|director        = [[Euros Lyn]]
|producer        = [[Tracie Simpson]]
|producer        = [[Tracie Simpson]]
|confidential    = [[Lords and Masters]]<br />[[Allons-y!]]
|confidential    = Lords and Masters (CON episode)
|confidential2  = Allons-y! (CON episode)
|epcount        = 2
|epcount        = 2
|broadcast date  = [[25 December]] [[2009]] and [[1 January]] [[2010]]
|broadcast date  = 25 December 2009 - 1 January 2010
|network=[[BBC One]]|
|network         = BBC One
|format          = 1x60 and 1x70 minute episodes  
|format          = 1x60 and 1x72 minute episodes  
|production code = 4.17 and 4.18
|production code = 4.17 and 4.18
|prev = Dreamland (TV story)  
|prev           = Dreamland (TV story)  
|next     = The Eleventh Hour (TV story)
|next           = The Eleventh Hour (TV story)
|series2        = [[Christmas special]]s
|prev2          = The Next Doctor (TV story)
|next2          = A Christmas Carol (TV story)
|made prev      = The Waters of Mars (TV story)
|made prev      = The Waters of Mars (TV story)
|made next      = The Time of Angels (TV story)
|made next      = The Time of Angels (TV story)
|clip            = The Tenth Doctor Regenerates - David Tennant to Matt Smith - Doctor Who - BBC
|series3        = [[New Year special]]s
}}
|next3          = Resolution (TV story)
|series4        = [[Tenth Doctor]] television stories
|prev4          = 2009 BBC Christmas idents
|next4          = The Day of the Doctor (TV story)
|clip            = Doctor Who The End of Time - Christmas Special Preview HD - Children in Need 2009 - BBC
|clip2          = The Master race - Doctor Who The End of Time - BBC
|clip3          = The Tenth Doctor Regenerates - David Tennant to Matt Smith - Doctor Who - BBC
|bts            = 'I Don't Want To Go' The Alternative takes - Doctor Who Confidential - BBC
|bts2            = Doctor Who TV Interview - Storylines
|thwr=157
}}{{you may|The End of Time (novel)|n1=the novel}}
'''''The End of Time''''' was the two-part story that served as the 2009 [[Christmas Special]] and 2010 [[New Year Special]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]''.
 
It was the final chronological appearance of [[David Tennant]] as the [[Tenth Doctor]], though ultimately not as ''any'' incarnation of [[the Doctor]], due to his surprise return as the [[Fourteenth Doctor]] at the end of ''[[The Power of the Doctor (TV story)|The Power of the Doctor]]''. It introduced [[Matt Smith]] as the [[Eleventh Doctor]] in the closing moments of part two. The episode was also the last on-screen appearance of [[the Master]] for over four years. The Master returned in ''[[Deep Breath (TV story)|Deep Breath]]'' as the female incarnation called [[Missy]], while ''The End of Time'' actor [[John Simm]] returned as {{Simm}} in 2017's ''[[World Enough and Time (TV story)|World Enough and Time]]''.
 
Part 2 served as the first ever New Year special (although wasn't the first to be transmitted on New Year's Day, with episodes from ''[[The Daleks' Master Plan (TV story)|The Daleks' Master Plan]]'', ''[[Day of the Daleks (TV story)|Day of the Daleks]]'' and ''[[The Face of Evil (TV story)|The Face of Evil]]'' previously falling on [[1 January (releases)|1 January]]).
 
The story revealed details of the [[Last Great Time War]] and gave important development to [[the Master]]'s character. It also featured the final appearance of [[Elisabeth Sladen]] in ''[[Doctor Who]]'', although she would go on to star in several more episodes of ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]],'' until she passed away in 2011.


{{You may|The End of Time (novel)|n1=the novel}}
From a production standpoint, it marked a major change in the history of ''Doctor Who''. Like only ''[[The War Games (TV story)|The War Games]]'' before it, ''The End of Time'' ushered in a complete change of regular cast. Unlike that 1960s story, however, it was a complete change for [[executive producer|its principal producers]] and its [[head writer]] as well, with outgoing head writer Russell T Davies and executive producer [[Julie Gardner]] making way for head writer [[Steven Moffat]] and executive producer [[Beth Willis]]. It was also the first to include any part overseen by — if not credited to — Moffat as a lead writer. Though [[Tracie Simpson]] was the credited [[line producer]], her elevation to regular line producer on [[Series 5 (Doctor Who 2005)|the first Matt Smith series]] meant that Julie Gardner effectively became the [[line producer]] for the first and only time in her tenure on ''[[Doctor Who]]''.


'''''The End of Time''''' was a two-part ''[[Doctor Who]]'' special broadcast during the [[2009]][[2010]] [[Christmas]] season, concluding the "[[2009 Specials (Doctor Who)|2009 interim season]]". It featured the final regular appearance of [[David Tennant]] as the [[Tenth Doctor]] and introduced [[Matt Smith]] as the [[Eleventh Doctor]]. The story revealed details of the [[Last Great Time War]], and gave important development to the character of [[the Master]].
The change was ultimately not permanent, as both Davies and Gardner returned for the [[2023 specials]] alongside Tennant (with uncredited involvement of Davies and Gardner in ''The Power of the Doctor''), and also [[Catherine Tate]], who reprised her role as [[Donna Noble]]. Conversely, [[Bernard Cribbins]], the third billed actor in the opening titles behind Tennant and Simm, also returned as [[Wilfred Mott]] in 2023{{note|Cribbins died in 2022, and his newly filmed scene in ''[[Wild Blue Yonder (TV story)|Wild Blue Yonder]]'' was aired posthumously}} but in a short cameo.


From a production standpoint, it marked a major change in the history of ''Doctor Who''. Like only ''[[The War Games]]'' before it, ''The End of Time'' ushered in a complete change of regular cast. Unlike that [[1960s]] story, however, it was the final story for [[executive producer|its principal producers]], [[Russell T Davies]] and [[Julie Gardner]], and was the last regular story for its [[head writer]], Davies. It was also the first to include any part overseen by — if not credited to — incoming lead writer and executive producer [[Steven Moffat]]. Though [[Tracie Simpson]] was the credited line [[producer]], her elevation to regular line producer on [[Series 5 (Doctor Who)|the first Matt Smith series]] meant that Julie Gardner effectively became the line [[producer]] for the first and only time in her tenure on ''[[Doctor Who]].''
In celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the story, [[Fathom Events]] held a special screening on [[7 August]] [[2019]] also including a new interview with Tennant, reflecting on his time in the role and everything that has come since.<ref>https://www.fathomevents.com/events/doctor-who-the-end-of-time-10th-anniversary?date=2019-08-07</ref>


== Synopsis ==
== Synopsis ==
==== Part one ====
It is the [[Tenth Doctor]]'s final journey — but his psychotic nemesis, {{Simm}}, has been resurrected on [[Christmas Eve]]! Each determined to cheat death, the battle rages from the abandoned wastelands of [[London]] to the mysterious [[Immortality Gate]], whilst the alien [[Ood]] warn of an even greater danger approaching, as a terrible shadow falls across the entire [[universe]].
It is the Tenth Doctor's final journey — but his psychotic nemesis, the Master, has been resurrected on Christmas Eve! Each determined to cheat death, the battle rages from the abandoned wastelands of London to the mysterious Immortality Gate, whilst the alien Ood warn of an even greater danger approaching, as a terrible shadow falls across the entire Universe...


==== Part two ====
With the sound of the drums growing louder in the Master's head and an ancient trap closing around the [[Earth]], the Doctor and [[Wilfred Mott]] must fight alone.
The Doctor faces the end of his life as the Master's plans hurtle out of control. With the sound of the drums growing louder in the Master's head and an ancient trap closing around the Earth, the Doctor and Wilf must fight alone. Sacrifices must be made, and the deadly prophecy warns: "He will knock four times."
[[Sacrifice]]s must be made, and the deadly [[prophecy]] warns:
Hepyaull.
"He will knock four times."


== Plot ==
== Plot ==
=== Part one ===
=== Part one ===
A voice narrates the opening of the episode: "It is said that in the final days of planet [[Earth]], everyone had bad dreams.But they all forgot them , all except one man." On Earth, [[Wilfred Mott]], entering a church, has a vision of {{Simm}} laughing maniacally. Inside, he notices a stained-glass panel with the image of the [[The Doctor's TARDIS|TARDIS]]. A [[The Woman|mysterious woman]] tells him the church was a monastery in the [[13th century]]. It was attacked by a demon which was exorcised by a "sainted physician". When the woman suggests that the physician is returning, Wilf says it would make his Christmas and turns to find she has vanished. He has another vision of the Master laughing, startling him.  
"It is said that in the final days of planet [[Earth]], everyone had bad dreams..." Everyone forgot these terrible dreams, except one man.
[[File:S0 09 wal 19.jpg|thumb|right|The Doctor meets with Ood Sigma]]
 
On [[Earth]], [[Wilfred Mott]], is walking through the city to do his [[Christmas shopping]]. Having a vision of {{Simm}} laughing maniacally, Wilf decides to see if religion will purge these visions from his mind. Inside a church, he notices a [[stained glass|stained-glass]] [[window|panel]] with the image of [[The Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]]. A [[The Woman (The End of Time)|mysterious woman]] tells him the church was a monastery in the [[14th century|1300s]]. It was attacked by a demon which was exorcised by a "sainted physician". When the woman suggests that the physician is returning, Wilf says it would make his [[Christmas]] and turns to find she has vanished. He has another vision of the Master laughing, startling him. Wilf hopes more than ever that the Doctor will return.
 
[[File:The Doctor meets Ood Sigma.jpg|thumb|left|The Doctor meets with Ood Sigma.]]
Meanwhile, in the year [[4226]], a century after the Doctor freed the Ood, the TARDIS arrives on the [[Ood Sphere]]. The [[Tenth Doctor]] emerges, wearing a straw hat and ring of flowers. He is greeted by [[Ood Sigma]], whom he tries unsuccessfully to make laugh by locking his TARDIS like an Earth [[car]]. The Doctor mentions several feats he's done since the vision Sigma sent him, including naming a galaxy [[Alison (galaxy)|Alison]], seeing the [[Phosphorous Carousel of the Great Magellan Gestalt]], and [[The Day of the Doctor (TV story)|marrying]] [[Queen Elizabeth I]].
 
Unfazed by the Doctor's goofiness, Sigma leads him away, with the Doctor curious about how long it's been since [[Planet of the Ood (TV story)|he liberated the Ood]]. They arrive at a [[Ood City|large city]] the Ood have built in place of [[Ood Operations]]; the Doctor wonders how long it took the Ood to build their city. Sigma explains that it took merely a hundred years. The Doctor's smile drops and he becomes serious, stating that this is way too fast for them. Something is happening in the past to create a temporal distortion, which is allowing the Ood to evolve at a much faster pace. Not just the city, but Sigma's ability to reach into the past to contact him is something that should be centuries away in the Ood's evolution.
 
Sigma takes the Doctor to the [[Ood Elder]]s, who tell him to join hands with them. They show him a vision of the Master laughing, which scares the Doctor. Sigma explains that the Ood have been dreaming about him a lot, and are curious about who the man is. The Doctor explains that the man is a fellow Time Lord, but an evil and insane one. They should have no fear of him, however, as he's dead. The Doctor explains that the Master's wife, [[Lucy Saxon|Lucy]], shot him and the Doctor burnt his corpse to ensure he couldn't be revived or have his biology exploited. However, the Ood tell him that he missed something and show him an older woman taking [[the Master's ring]] from his funeral pyre and that this allowed part of him to survive.
 
The Doctor is more than willing to leave to stop this but is told that it's too late as the events are already happening in the past and that he should not have delayed in answering their summons. The Ood show him visions of a frightened Wilfred and a "King in his Counting House". The Doctor asks about [[Donna Noble|Donna]], but the Ood warn him that the Master is only the herald of a greater danger returning from the darkness, as their eyes glow red: "the [[end of time]] itself".
 
Realising what this means, the Doctor immediately runs out. Returning to the TARDIS, the Doctor unlocks it and rushes inside. He begins working feverishly at the controls, hoping to get back to London before the Master is revived. However, it seems the TARDIS isn't willing to cooperate well with him, as it constantly gives off sparks from the strain of the hurried trip into the past.
 
In 2009, [[Lucy Saxon]] has been locked in [[Broadfell Prison]] ever since she murdered her husband. One of her warders is [[Trefusis|Miss Trefusis]], the woman who retrieved the Master's ring. On [[Christmas Eve]], the prison governor brings Lucy to a chamber; most of the staff are fanatical [[Disciples of Saxon|disciples of the Master]] who have worked since his death to bring about his [[resurrection]]. They pour [[Potion of Life|potions]] into a bowl, along with the Master's ring; the only thing they need is some of his DNA. They take it from Lucy's lips. The ceremony begins as the cultists give their life energy to revive him; Lucy tries stopping them by revealing the Master isn't Harold Saxon and is evil, but they know this already.
 
The Master appears in a swirl of life energy. He greets Lucy, stating that he's missed the drumming in his head. Only now it's louder. Lucy asks him to stop draining the cultists' lives as he's taken enough to sustain himself, but he tells her they'll only be the first. Lucy tells him that she's been preparing for his return as well and that she's had her family create a [[Potion of Death]] to undo his revival. After receiving the potion from her warden ally, she hurls it at the Master, creating a violent explosion that kills everyone and destroys [[Broadfell Prison]]. The Doctor arrives the next day, seeing that he was too late.
 
Elsewhere, [[Joshua Naismith]] and his daughter [[Abigail Naismith|Abigail]] review footage of the prison fire, seeing a shadow run from it. Smiling, Abigail realises that Mr Saxon has returned and that he would be a great Christmas present. Joshua tells her that he will deliver the gift, cancelling Christmas for his staff; he then orders that the revived madman be brought to him.
 
Meanwhile, Wilf pretends to leave for drinks with friends. Instead, he dances as he goes to enter a mini-bus, and the passengers laugh and applaud. When he meets up with the group inside, he gives them information packets on the Doctor; they are to be on the lookout for him or the TARDIS. When questioned as to why they need to find this man, Wilf reminds them that they've all been having bad dreams about something horrible that they can't remember. ''That'' is why they need to find the Doctor. He is the only one who can answer this mystery.
 
In a junkyard, two homeless people get sandwiches from a meals on wheels van and leave. A hooded man arrives, being asked for his order. He pulls off his hood, revealing himself to be the Master, only with blonde hair; he states he wants everything because he's so hungry. He surprises the homeless men moments later, quickly devouring his hamburger. When they point out he looks like Harold Saxon, the Master starts rambling that he looks the same despite being a master of disguise. His skin turns transparent briefly with each burst of emotion, scaring the men into running back to the van for help, however, they find only skeletons in the van. Declaring that it's dinner time, the Master pounces after them.
 
The Doctor arrives in the junkyard, shortly afterwards. The Master senses this and decides to taunt his old friend by beating a trashcan to a four-stroke beat. He then leads the Doctor on a chase through the junkyard, showing amazing speed and agility. However, the Doctor quickly realises the Master's burning up his own life energy; it seems the potion of death and the revival ritual resulted in a clashing, which has given the Master greater abilities that are slowly but surely killing him again.
 
However, before the Doctor can take off after the Master again, he is stopped dead in his tracks by Wilf and his information network dubbed "[[Silver Cloak]]". [[Minnie Hooper]] asks if they got the right person; Wilf confirms it. The Doctor berates Wilf for telling people about him. However, Wilf explains that he kept the specifics about the Time Lord as secret, only telling them that he could find out about the strange dreams. To the Doctor's annoyance, the group wants a picture with him.
 
After retreating to a café with Wilf, the Doctor wonders why it is he keeps bumping into the old man; this is the third time they've met by chance. The Doctor then tells him the prophecy of his death. Wilf is confused, as he thought the Doctor could regenerate if he was about to die. The Doctor replies that he can potentially die before regenerating... and even if he does regenerate, the man he is now will be gone forever with a completely different person left sauntering away in his place. The Doctor then sees [[Donna Noble|Donna]] standing outside, arguing with a police officer over her ticketed car, and realises why Wilf insisted on this particular café. "She's not changed," the Doctor laughs.
 
Wilf says she's engaged to [[Shaun Temple]]; although he is nice enough, the two are barely making ends meet and can only afford a tiny flat. The Doctor wonders if her married name will be "Noble-Temple" as it sounds like a tourist attraction; however, Wilf states it will be "Temple-Noble". Wilf tells the Doctor that even though Donna is happy with Shaun, there's times when he sees flashes of sadness like there's somewhere else she wants to be but doesn't know where. He pleads with the Doctor to at least go up to her and say hello to her, but the Doctor sadly reminds him that if Donna remembers him for even a second, she will die. Wilf then asks who the Doctor is travelling with now, but the Doctor replies he has no-one and thought it would be better that way... but with no-one around him, he has made some very bad choices. The Doctor then starts crying, burdened by the guilt of his recent actions which also devastates Wilf. He asks if Donna could make him smile again, but by now she is gone.
 
The narrator, his face revealed, and his voice turning scornful toward humanity, speaks of the passage of Christmas Eve into Christmas Day; the players are moving into their final positions, with each human dreaming of the arrival of the final day.
 
In a scrapyard, the Master finishes another meal. He notices the Doctor has found him again. Rubbing his hands together, he generates some kind of electricity. He fires some shots of electricity near the Doctor as he approaches. Ultimately, he uses both hands to send focused blasts at the Doctor, managing to make him collapse to the ground. The Doctor realises that the Master's body has been "torn wide open", allowing him to send his life energy as blasts but has also drastically reduced his life force. The Master remembers back to their childhood, where they would play on pastures of red grass, stretching across the slopes of [[Mount Perdition]]. Asking the Doctor to listen to the drumming in his head, the Master touches their heads together. The Doctor pulls away horrified; he has heard the drums too and now knows it's not just a symptom of his insanity. The Master becomes ecstatic to learn that the drumming is real, launching himself into the sky. However, before another chase can ensue, Naismith's men arrive and capture the madman, leaving the Doctor knocked out and confused.
 
[[File:WilfSeesTheWoman.jpg|thumb|Wilf receives his orders.]]
Back at Wilfred's house, Donna's fiancé, Shaun, arrives. For Christmas, Donna gives Wilf a book called ''[[Fighting the Future]]'' by Joshua Naismith. When Wilf questions Donna giving it to him, she has a moment where her mind goes far away as she states that she saw it and sensed that Wilf should have it. As Wilf tries to watch the [[Queen's Christmas speech]], a mysterious woman appears to him only in place of the broadcast, ordering him to take arms; she also advises him not to tell the Doctor of what has happened, so that his life can be saved. Wilf takes his old service revolver from under his bed as the Doctor contacts him by throwing a stone at his window.
 
Outside, the Doctor tells Wilf he's his only possible connection to what's happening and asks if Wilf noticed anything odd. Wilf tries to tell the Doctor about the woman, but changes his mind and mentions Donna's strange moment with the book. The Doctor recognises the picture of Joshua Naismith from the Ood's vision and speculates the convergence touched upon Donna's subconscious Time Lord mind which acted to help. As they talk, [[Sylvia Noble|Sylvia]] comes outside and is angered to see the Doctor. The Doctor quickly retreats to the TARDIS followed by Wilf who'd rather go with the Doctor than face his daughter. Though the Doctor refuses at first, he changes his mind upon seeing how angry Sylvia is. As the TARDIS departs, Sylvia screams after it, drawing the confusion of Donna to her mother's strange behaviour.


In the [[43rd century]], the [[Tenth Doctor]] arrives on the [[Ood Sphere]]. He is greeted by [[Ood Sigma]], whom he tries to make laugh by locking his TARDIS like an Earth car. The Doctor is distracted by the marvellous city the Ood have built. When Sigma says it took a hundred years, the Doctor remarks it is too soon for them to have the technology. Sigma takes the Doctor to the Ood Elders, who show him visions of the Master returning. The Doctor says that that's impossible; he saw his wife [[Lucy Saxon|Lucy]] shoot him and he burned the corpse himself. The Ood show him an older woman taking the Master's ring and warn the Doctor of a greater danger returning from the darkness; its return precedes 'the End of Time itself'. Other visions are a frightened Wilfred and a "King in his Counting House". The Doctor rushes to Earth in the TARDIS.
In the TARDIS, Wilf asks the Doctor why he can't go back to yesterday and catch the Master. The Doctor says he can't go back in his own timeline as [[Time Crash (TV story)|that can lead to the end of not only the world]], but the universe as well. The Doctor then wonders what Wilf thinks of his TARDIS, to which he gets "I thought it would be cleaner" due to how messy the control room is.


The scene shifts to [[Lucy Saxon]], locked in [[Broadfell Prison]] ever since she murdered her husband. One of her warders is [[Trefusis|Miss Trefusis]], the woman who retrieved the Master's ring. On Christmas Eve, the prison Governor brings Lucy to a chamber; most of the staff are fanatical disciples of the Master who have worked since his death to bring about his resurrection. With the ring, a biometric imprint taken from Lucy and the sacrifice of the cultists' lives, the Master is reborn in a swirl of energy. However, Lucy informs her former husband that she knew he'd come back, and her family had prepared an antidote to the potion of life. After receiving the potion from her warden ally, she hurls the potion at the Master, creating a violent explosion that destroys [[Broadfell Prison]].
At the [[Naismith mansion|mansion]], the Master is wheeled to Naismith and [[Abigail Naismith|Abigail]] on a trolley, and strapped to it in a straitjacket. He notices the "[[Immortality Gate]]", which can heal injuries and, Naismith hopes, offer life everlasting. Naismith acquired the Gate after [[Battle of Canary Wharf|the]] [[Children of Earth: Day Five (TV story)|fall]] of [[Torchwood Institute|Torchwood]]. The gate came with two nuclear-powered control booths, which are set-up in a way that if a worker wishes to leave he must be replaced in the other booth ensuring that someone is working the controls at all times. Abigail learned of the [[Disciples of Saxon]], and that Mr Saxon was an alien; it's their hopes that the Master will be able to repair the Gate properly. With it working properly, Naismith can give his daughter immortality.


The Doctor arrives the following day, too late. The prison is obliterated, but the Master survived. As a result of Lucy's potion, he has supernatural speed, agility and can generate electrical bolts as weapons, but his life force is in a state of constant depletion. He is unendingly hungry for any food he can find, and has resorted to draining the vitality of homeless people on a desolate construction site.
The Doctor and Wilf arrive at the Naismith estate and hide the TARDIS one second out of sync, so the Master can't get to it. Their [[Utopia (TV story)|last encounter]] taught the Doctor to never leave the means of altering time available to a madman with an ego bigger than the size of a planet.


The Doctor tracks the Master to a junkyard. The Master taunts him by beating a trashcan to a four-stroke beat, then leads him on a chase through the junkyard. Wilf scours [[London]] for the Doctor with other pensioners calling themselves the "[[Silver Cloak]]", and finds him. After retreating to a café with him, the Doctor tells him a prophecy of his death. They notice [[Donna Noble]] standing outside, arguing with a police officer over her ticketed car. She's now engaged to [[Shaun Temple]]. Wilf pleads with the Doctor to at least go up to her and say hello to her, but the Doctor sadly reminds him that if Donna remembers him for even a second, she will die.
In the [[basement]], they discover two of Naismith's staff, [[Addams]] and [[Rossiter]], are undercover [[Vinvocci]], disguised with [[shimmer]]s as human; the Doctor can see through the shimmers and deactivates them with his [[the Doctor's sonic screwdriver|sonic screwdriver]], revealing their true appearance as spiky green humanoids who resent being compared to cacti. The Vinvocci explain the Immortality Gate is a medical device that heals lifeforms across entire [[planet]]s, using a genetic template. Realising the Master's plan, a horrified Doctor rushes up to the room with the Gate. He tells Naismith not to let the Master anywhere near the Gate, which has now been repaired by the madman. Naismith assures the Doctor that the Master is secured, being proven wrong moments later as the Master blasts his straitjacket off and jumps into the Gate.


The narrator, his face revealed, speaks of the passage of Christmas Eve into Christmas Day; the players are moving into their final positions.
Every single human on Earth sees the Master in their minds, and when Wilf also arrives seeing the Master the Doctor gets the current worker out of the nuclear booth, then has himself replaced with Wilf, and the Doctor then modifies the booth to protect Wilf from whatever is happening. The Doctor asks the Master if he's planning on transmitting mind-control or hypnotic instructions, but the Master has far grander plans than that. He has modified the Gate to transmit his own genetic template across the entire planet. The gate is activated, and a wave spreads across the Earth. Everyone's heads shake back and forth rapidly; shortly after this starts, their bodies start fading in and out of a different form.


[[File:S0 09 wal 15.jpg|thumb|right|The Naismiths look at some CCTV.]]
Donna phones Wilf, herself immune due to the [[Human-Time Lord Meta-Crisis|metacrisis]] that made her part Time Lord and tells him the same has happened to her mother and fiance. Seeing such a sight makes Donna start to remember her travels with the Doctor in flashes, and this causes her terrible pain as her brain cannot handle her Time Lord knowledge. Wilf, frightened for Donna's life, warns the Doctor his granddaughter is starting to remember her adventures.
Finding the Master again, the Doctor discovers the drumming in his head is not a symptom of insanity, but real. Troops appear, however, sedating and kidnapping the Master and taking him to the mansion of billionaire [[Joshua Naismith]]. Back at Wilfred's house, Donna's fiancé, Shaun, arrives. As Wilf tries to watch the [[Queen's Christmas speech]], the mysterious woman interrupts the broadcast, ordering him to take arms; she also advises him not to tell the Doctor of what has happened, if his life is to be saved. Wilf takes his old service revolver from under his bed as the Doctor contacts him by throwing a stone at his window. Wilf shows the Doctor a [[Fighting the Future|book]] by Naismith, and the Doctor realises Donna bought the book as a present because her Time Lord subconsciousness is reaching out. They immediately set a course for Naismith's estate, despite [[Sylvia Noble|Sylvia's]] protests. In the TARDIS, Wilf asks the Doctor why he can't go back to yesterday and catch the Master; the Doctor says he can't go back in his own timeline.


At the mansion, Naismith and his daughter, [[Abigail Naismith|Abigail]], are in possession of the "[[Immortality Gate]]", which can heal injuries and, Naismith hopes, offer life everlasting. He acquired the Gate after [[Torchwood Institute|Torchwood]]'s fall. The gate came with two nuclear-powered control booths, which are set-up in a way that if a worker wishes to leave he must be replaced in the other booth. Wanting immortality for his daughter, Naismith enlists the assistance of the Master to mend the malfunctioning Gate.
Enraged, Wilf demands to know what the madman has done. The Master smugly asks if he was talking to him, while everyone in the room echoes the question, revealing that the Master has turned everyone on Earth into his clones. A clone who used to be [[Trinity Wells]] clearly makes his point for him: "Breaking news: I'm ''everyone.''"


The Doctor and Wilf arrive at the Naismith estate and hide the TARDIS one second out of sync, so the Master can't get to it. In the basement, they discover two of Naismith's staff, [[Addams]] and [[Rossiter]], are undercover [[Vinvocci]], disguised with [[shimmer]]s as human; The Doctor can see through the shimmers and deactivates them with his [[sonic screwdriver]]. The Vinvocci explain the Immortality Gate is a medical device that heals lifeforms across entire planets, using a genetic template. The Doctor realizes what the Master is planning to do and rushes upstairs, but is too late to stop the Master from escaping his captors and jumping into the gate. Every single human on Earth sees the Master in their minds, and when Wilf also arrives seeing the Master the Doctor gets the current worker out of the nuclear booth, then has himself replaced with Wilf, and the shielding clears the old man's mind. The Doctor asks the Master if he's planning on transmitting mind-control or hypnotic instructions, but the Master has far grander plans than that... he has modified the Gate to transmit his own genetic template across the entire planet. The gate is activated, and a wave spreads across the entire transforming every human on Earth into a clone of himself. Donna phones Wilf, herself immune due to her half-Time Lord mind and tells him the same has happened to her mother and fiance. Seeing such a sight makes Donna start to remember her travels with the Doctor and this causes her terrible pain as her brain cannot handle her Time Lord knowledge.
[[File:The Master Race.jpg|thumb|left|The Master Race celebrates their birth.]]
As the Master's duplicates unveil themselves, the Doctor is horrified to find himself surrounded by perfect copies of the Master, including the people on TV. On top of that, he has become President [[Obama]]. He quickly abuses the President's power by blanking out a financial crisis solution just to spite the world, while a crowd of his own duplicates claps, roots, and hollers for the original Master's triumph.


The Doctor is horrified to find that everyone around him, as well as the people on TV, are now exact clones of the Master. As the Master steps out of the gateway he tells the Doctor that the human race was always the Doctor's favourite, but it now exists no more, having been replaced with "[[the Master Race]]".
As the Master steps out of the gateway he tells the Doctor that the human race was always the Doctor's favourite, but it now exists no more, having been replaced with "[[the Master Race]]". Every single Master on the planet laughs together with narcissistic glee and celebration, while the original laughs in the Doctor's face. As a world full of Masters taunts and mocks him, the Doctor's face twists with extreme fury.
[[File:Donna remembering2.jpg|thumb|left|Donna starts to remember her adventures with the Doctor.]]


The Narrator announces the Master and his removal of humanity is only a small part of an approaching conflict. He is Lord President [[Rassilon]], addressing the [[Gallifrey]] [[Panopticon]], which is packed with Time Lords and Time Ladies. Rassilon announces that "This is the day the Time Lords return. For Gallifrey! For victory! For the end of time itself!"
[[File:Rassilon's Speech to Panopticon.jpg|thumb|Lord President Rassilon declares assured victory for the Time Lords.]]
The Narrator announces the Master and his removal of humanity is only a small part of an approaching conflict. Suddenly, he belittles humankind; this is not a narrator, but the Lord President of the High Council of [[Time Lord]]s, addressing the [[Gallifrey]] [[Panopticon]], which is packed with Time Lords. He announces that "This is the day the Time Lords return. For Gallifrey! For victory! For the end of time itself!"{{-}}


=== Part two ===
=== Part two ===
On a devastated Gallifrey, on the last day of the Time War, the Time Lord Council has foreseen an earlier incarnation of [[the Doctor]], in possession of something called "[[the Moment]]", will end the war by destroying the [[Dalek]]s and Gallifrey. At the heart of the Time War, billions are dying, being resurrected and dying repeatedly. The never-ending carnage is a travesty of life.
On a devastated [[Gallifrey]], on the last day of the [[Last Great Time War|Time War]], the [[Time Lord]] Council reports that [[the Doctor]] still possesses "[[the Moment]]". They have foreseen that he will use it to end the war by destroying the [[Dalek]]s and Gallifrey alike. A Time Lady suggests that this might be for the best. At the heart of the Time War, billions are dying, being resurrected and dying repeatedly. The never-ending carnage is a travesty of life.
 
[[File:Rassilon return.jpg|thumb|left|Rassilon plots the [[Ultimate Sanction]].]]
The Lord President uses his gauntlet to vaporise her. Exploding with anger, he decrees he will not allow himself or his race to die, with "a billion years of history riding on our backs". Finding that the Doctor and the Master both somehow survive the Time War and end up on [[Earth]], the Lord President decides that the salvation of Gallifrey lies with the two renegades. They retroactively implant a link to [[the Master]] during his early childhood: the four-beat drum rhythm that has tormented him all his life. They send a "[[White-Point Star]]" diamond to [[Earth]] as a more physical link next. This will let the Time Lords escape from the [[time-lock]] and their impending destruction at the hands of the Doctor.
 
On Earth, the Master has the [[Tenth Doctor|Doctor]] and [[Wilfred Mott|Wilf]] tied up. The Doctor tries warning him about the prophecy, but the Master insists he was what the prophecy was talking about. He interrogates the Doctor as to the whereabouts of his TARDIS, as he wants the technology to pinpoint where the drumming in his head is coming from; with 6,727,949,338 clones, it will be easy. The Doctor tries reasoning with the Master, asking him to travel with him to see the universe; he tells him "that's ownership enough".
 
Wilf's [[mobile phone]] rings. The Master is confused, as no one but the Master Race exists on Earth; and there's no way he'd be calling Wilf. He finds the phone, receiving a call from [[Donna Noble|Donna]]. The Master hears Donna, who is confused about everyone else changing; she ran into the alley, to get away from Shaun and Sylvia. Suspicious, the Master demands to know why Donna didn't change. Wilfred reluctantly admits the metacrisis that made her part [[Time Lord]]. The Master sneers, "He does love playing with [[Companion|Earth girls]]!", then orders his copies to take her down. He tells "grandad" to say goodbye to the freak. Wilf yells to Donna to run for her life.
 
As Donna is cornered by the Master Race, who state they have his hunger and plan to eat her. She starts to remember her adventures with the Doctor and is scared and confused, wondering why she can see a giant wasp. Instead of burning up, she emits an energy pulse that knocks everyone unconscious, including herself. Hearing nothing and seeing the Doctor smile, the Master removes his mouth gag. The Doctor calmly points out that when he [[Journey's End (TV story)|erased Donna's memories of her time with him]] he also left her, his best friend, with a defence mechanism to protect her from aliens and her Time Lord knowledge.
 
The Master demands to know where [[The Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]] is, threatening to kill Wilfred. The Doctor asks why the Master is so desperate to rule the universe when they could just travel together and see it, admitting that he knows the Master is a genius and would be honoured for the chance to travel with him. The Master asks if the drums in his head would stop, and tells Wilf how the noise started when he looked into the [[Untempered Schism]] as a child.
 
On Gallifrey, the Lord President is informed of this too. Although the Time Lords had assumed the drums were a symptom of the Master's insanity, the President sees it as something more; "a rhythm of four... a heartbeat of a Time Lord"''.''
 
The Master reveals that despite the gate, his body is still dying and then realises that as he's been duplicated, so has the drumbeat in almost every single person on Earth. Intending to triangulate the signal and work out where it's coming from, he demands the TARDIS again. The Doctor retorts ''"''You know the most amazing thing about you is that after all this time, you're still bone-dead stupid." Somehow, the Master has failed to notice that the guard next to him is one inch too tall. The "guard" hits him in the head with the rifle, knocking him down. The guard is [[Rossiter]]. [[Addams]] rushes in and urges her partner to get the two men out of the mansion. Rossiter, unable to free the Doctor from the chair he is strapped to, wheels the chair bumpily down several flights of stairs to the basement, prompting the Doctor to note this as the "worst... rescue... ''ever''!".
 
From the basement, the four teleport to the orbiting [[Vinvocci]] ship, narrowly escaping the Master and his guards. Wilfred is amazed at being in space; the Doctor is more concerned with the Master. As soon as he gets out of his restraints, he destroys the teleporter, preventing the Master Race from following them. He asks for directions to the bridge; Addams initially refuses, citing that they are 100,000 miles above the Earth, but reconsiders when the Doctor points out the 'slight' problem of the Master having every single missile on the planet ready to fire. When they arrive, the Vinvocci prepare to leave, so the Doctor destroys the ship's systems, leaving them dead in orbit. As the Doctor begins to mend the systems, Wilfred sees the mysterious woman again, who instructs him to give the Doctor his [[firearm|gun]].
 
The Master and his clones listen to the drumming in their heads, pinpointing the source as "from the sky". Meanwhile, the Time Lord council have just finished putting the drumbeat in the Master's head as a child, giving them his location now. But as they're still trapped in the [[time lock]], they need something to make physical contact. The Lord President removes a diamond from his staff and throws it through the link to Earth where it falls to the ground in a blaze, landing in London. The Master soldiers pick it up, telling the original what they have found is not just any diamond... it's a [[White-Point Star]]. This makes the Master crack up hysterically.
 
On the ship, the Doctor is still repairing the systems. Wilf talks to him about many things and tries to have the Doctor take the gun to save himself by killing the Master. They believe the four knocks is the rhythm in the Master's head. The Doctor refuses and Wilf begins to cry over his fruitless efforts, prompting the Doctor to hug him. A broadcast from the Master reaches the ship; he informs the Doctor about the diamond and reveals it as a White-Point star. It can only mean the Time Lords are returning. Wilfred considers this good but the Doctor's reaction says quite differently... he grabs the gun and rushes for the control room. Wilf is confused as he thought the Time Lords were wise and peaceful. The Doctor tells him that's how he ''chooses'' to remember them; in reality, the horrors of the Time War had changed them, irrevocably corrupting them and making them far more dangerous than any of his enemies.


One asks Rassilon to end the war once and for all. He kills her with his gauntlet. He will not allow himself or his race to die. The Council concocts a plan which involves retroactively implanting a link to the Master during his early childhood: the four-beat drum rhythm that has tormented him all his life. They next send a Gallifreyan "[[White-Point Star]]" diamond to Earth as a more physical link. This will let the Time Lords escape from the Time Lock and their impending destruction at the hands of the Doctor.
The Doctor has repaired the ship, but Addams will not have them going to Earth. The Doctor tells her "there's an old Earth saying. A phrase of great power and wisdom; and consolation to soul in times of need." When asked what it is, the Doctor yells "[[Allons-y]]!" and speeds the ship towards Earth. The Master decides to kill the Doctor as "soon [he'll] have Time Lords to spare", sending missiles at the ship. Rossiter and Wilf take charge of the asteroid lasers and blast away the missiles the Master launches at them.


On Earth, the Master has the Doctor and Wilfred tied up. No one but the Master Race exists on Earth. Wilf's mobile phone rings. The Master finds the phone, receiving a call from Donna. The Master hears Donna's voice, confused about everyone else changing. Suspicious, the Master demands to know why Donna didn't change. Wilfred reluctantly admits the metacrisis that made her part Time Lord. The Master sneers, "He does love playing with [[Companion|Earth girls]]!", then orders his copies to take her down. Donna is cornered by the Master Race. She starts to remember her adventures with the Doctor. Instead of burning up, she emits a heat pulse that knocks everyone unconscious, including herself. Hearing nothing and seeing the Doctor smile, the Master removes his mouth gag. The Doctor left Donna, his best friend, with a defence mechanism in case this happened.
Addams plots a course for Naismith's mansion and the Doctor jumps from the ship, crashing several stories through the skylight and into the [[Immortality Gate]] room. While he recovers from the fall, he finds himself too late. The Master has brought the Time Lords back. Not only is the Master in the room, but so is the Time Lord Council...


[[File:Worst_rescue_ever.jpg|thumb|left|The "Worst... rescue... ever!" for the Doctor.]]
[[File:Rassilon Gauntlet.jpg|thumb|Rassilon counters the Master's threats by resetting the Master Race back to human form.]]
The Master realises the four-drum beat sound is from across time itself. He demands to know where the TARDIS is, threatening to kill Wilfred. The Doctor notes, "You know the most amazing thing about you is that after all this time, you're still bone-dead stupid." Somehow, the Master has failed to notice that the guard next to the Master is one inch too tall. The guard hits him in the head with the rifle, knocking him down. The guard is Rossiter. Addams rushes in and urges her partner to get the two men out of the mansion. Rossiter, unable to free the Doctor from the chair he is strapped to, wheels the chair bumpily down several flights of stairs, prompting the Doctor to note this as the worst rescue ever.
The President greets "''Lord Doctor''" and "''Lord Master''", then defames the latter by noting the 'paradox' that they have been saved by Gallifrey's most infamous child. The Master, fast to retort, quickly belittles the Lord President's authority and reveals that he did not call the Time Lords to Earth to save them. He intends to implant himself in them and assert control of the entire race, gloating at how much better the Lord President will look as him. However, the Lord President is not amused at the Master's assertion over his power and demonstrates how fast he can unravel his scheme. He raises his gauntlet and it radiates a blue light. The Master Race begins to revert to their unaltered human identities, causing the Master great panic as he loses his trump card.


From the basement, the four teleport to the orbiting Vinvocci ship, narrowly escaping the Master and his guards. Wilfred is amazed at being in space; the Doctor is more concerned with the Master. As soon as he gets out of his restraints, he destroys the teleporter, preventing the Master Race from following them. He asks for directions to the bridge; the Master has every missile on the planet ready to fire. When they arrive, the Vinvocci prepare to leave, so the Doctor destroys the ship's systems, leaving them dead in orbit. As the Doctor begins to mend the systems, Wilfred sees the mysterious woman again, who instructs him to give the Doctor his gun.
The Lord President tells the humans present in the Naismith Mansion to kneel. Left powerless, the Master tries to bargain with the Time Lords by reminding them that he was their salvation. However, the whole planet shakes intensely. The President announces that "the approach begins". The Master is confused by his cryptic words; the Doctor angrily tells him that not only the whole species of Time Lords are coming back, but so is the planet.


Rassilon's White-Point Star has fallen to Earth and been found by the Master. On the ship, the Doctor is still repairing the systems. Wilf talks to him about many things and tries to have the Doctor take the gun to save himself by killing the Master. The Doctor refuses and Wilf begins to cry over his fruitless efforts, prompting the Doctor to hug him. A broadcast from the Master reaches the ship; he has found the diamond. It can only mean the Time Lords are returning. Wilfred considers this good but the Doctor's reaction says quite different... he grabs the gun and rushes for the control room. Wilf is confused as he thought the Time Lords were wise and peaceful. The Doctor tells him that's how he chooses to remember them; in reality the horrors of the Time War had changed the Time Lords, making them far more dangerous than any of his enemies.
Gallifrey begins to materialise near Earth, fulfilling the prophecy that "''it'' is returning". Standing about three times the size of Earth, it shadows over Earth with an air of doom.


The Doctor has repaired the ship, but Addams will not have them going to Earth. The Doctor seizes control of the ship and speeds towards Earth. Rossiter and Wilf take charge of the asteroid lasers and blast away the missiles the Master launches at them. Addams plots a course for Naismith's mansion and the Doctor jumps from the ship, crashing through the skylight and into the Immortality Gate room. He is too late. The Master has brought the Time Lords back.
Panic erupts in the streets of [[London]] as the giant red world of Gallifrey manifests above the atmosphere, with the Earth itself trembling. [[Shaun Temple]] goes searching for his [[fiancée]] Donna, while [[Sylvia Noble]] looks up at the ominous sky and prays for the Doctor to save them. Wilf, having left the Vinvocci shuttle, makes his way through the crumbling Naismith Mansion to find the Doctor. Refusing to stay on Earth as Gallifrey threatens to knock it out of orbit, Addams immediately readies the shuttle for takeoff. Rossiter is concerned about the Doctor's fate, but Addams shrugs and reminds him that he already said he was dying. All the residents of Naismith Mansion, including [[Joshua Naismith|Joshua]] and his daughter, flee from the residence. Joshua spots Gallifrey's descent and is affixed with terror.


Not only is the Master in the room, but so is the Time Lord Council. The Master intends to implant himself in them, but Rassilon uses his gauntlet to restore humanity. He tells the humans present to kneel as "the ascent" begins. The Master is confused; the Doctor angrily tells him that not only the Time Lords are coming back, but so is the planet. Gallifrey begins to materialise near Earth, fulfilling the prophecy that "it" is returning.
Wilf returns to help the Doctor, freeing a trapped man in the control booth and trapping himself in the process, not hearing the Doctor yell out to stop him. The Master thinks that the Time Lords' restoration to the universe is fantastic, but the Doctor tells him that the broken time-lock means that all of the other horrors born in the last days of the Time War, which he had sealed away in the Time Lock as well, would also be released. The Daleks would not be the only additional escapees; they would be joined by the [[Skaro Degradations]], the [[Horde of Travesties]], the [[Nightmare Child]], and the [[Could've Been King]] with his [[Army of Meanwhiles and Neverweres]]. The war had turned to Hell, which is exactly what the Master has unleashed above Earth. The Master delights at the thought of such chaos, but the Doctor tells him that not even the Time Lords can survive such an onslaught.


Wilf returns to help the Doctor, but frees a trapped man in the control booth and traps himself. The Master thinks that the Time Lords' restoration to the universe is fantastic, but the Doctor tells him that the broken Time Lock means that all of the other horrors born in the last days of the Time War, which he had sealed away in the Time Lock as well, would be released as well. The Daleks would not be the only additional escapees; they would be joined by the [[Skaro Degradations]], the [[Horde of Travesties]], the [[Nightmare Child]], and the [[Could've Been King]] with his [[Army of Meanwhiles and Neverweres]], seeing the war turning to Hell; which is exactly what the Master has unleashed above Earth. The Master delights at the thought of such chaos, but the Doctor tells him that even the Time Lords can't survive such an onslaught.
The Lord President then reveals that he had planned to deal with these horrors by initiating the [[Ultimate Sanction]]; a plan for the Time Lords to survive the collapse of all creation and all time, as the paradox of Gallifrey's return to the universe rips the [[Time Vortex]] apart, by ascending their conscious minds beyond the need for bodies, whilst creation itself ceases to be. The Master asks to join them, but the President refuses, contemptuously dismissing the Master as "diseased... albeit a disease of [the Time Lords'] own making," and moves to kill him.


Rassilon then reveals that he had planned to deal with these horrors by initiating the [[Ultimate Sanction]]; a plan for the Time Lords to survive the collapse of all creation and all time, as the paradox of Gallifrey's return to the universe rips the [[Time Vortex]] apart, by ascending their conscious minds beyond the need for bodies. The Master asks to join them, but Rassilon refuses, contemptuously dismissing the Master as "diseased... albeit a disease of (the Time Lords') own making," and moves to kill him.
Then the Doctor aims Wilf's gun at the President, who cautions the Doctor to "choose [his] enemy well. as [they] are many but the Master is one". Even the Master goads him on, urging him to kill the President and claim Gallifrey for himself. At this, the Doctor spins and aims the gun at the Master, who realises that the link that brought the Time Lords to Earth is inside his head, and if he dies, the link is broken and the Time Lock is reformed. He points out that killing the President would have the same effect. The Doctor aims the gun at the Lord President again, who coldly remarks that the final act of the Doctor's life is murder: which one will he choose?


Then the Doctor aims Wilf's gun at Rassilon, who cautions the Doctor to "choose (his) enemies wisely."Even the Master goads him on, urging him to kill the President and claim Gallifrey.  At this, the Doctor spins and aims at the Master, who realises that the link that brought the Time Lords to Earth is inside his head, and if he dies, the link is broken and reforms the Time Lock.  So he points out that killing the President would have the same effect, and as the Doctor frets on what to do, Rassilon sneers at the Doctor's indecisiveness.
Finally, in this dark hour of the Doctor's life, one of the "disgraced" Time Lords covering her eyes behind the Lord President reveals herself to the Doctor; she is the mysterious woman that Wilfred had seen on a number of occasions. As she casts her gaze to a spot behind the Doctor, he not only seems to recognise her but now knows what to do: he whirls around and aims toward the Master once again.


Finally, in this dark hour of the Doctor's life, one of the "disgraced" Time Lords covering her eyes behind the Lord President reveals herself to the Doctor; she is the mysterious woman that Wilfred had seen on a number of occasions. As she casts her gaze to a spot behind the Doctor, he now knows what to do: he whirls and aims toward the Master once again.
As the Master's face falls, the Doctor orders him to get out of the way. Suddenly understanding, the Master smiles darkly and jumps away from the White-Point Star just as the Doctor shoots it, and its destruction severs the link and reinforces the Time Lock, pulling the Time Lords back into the Time War and to their inevitable doom. The Doctor sends them "back into Hell", and identifies the Lord President as [[Rassilon (The End of Time)|Rassilon]].


As the Master's face falls, the Doctor orders him to get out of the way. Suddenly understanding, the Master jumps away from the White-Point Star just as the Doctor shoots it, and its destruction severs the link and reinforces the Time Lock, pulling the Time Lords back into the Time War and to their inevitable doom.
As Gallifrey vanishes back into the Time Lock, Rassilon refuses to die alone and prepares to kill the Doctor. The Doctor is ready for the prophecy to be fulfilled... but the Master orders the Doctor out of the way and attacks Rassilon with his life force energy powers, shouting that Rassilon was responsible for everything that has happened to him since he was a child.


As Gallifrey vanishes back into the Time Lock, Rassilon refuses to die alone and prepares to kill the Doctor, and the Doctor is ready for the prophecy to be fulfilled... but the Master orders the Doctor out of the way and attacks Rassilon with his electric powers, shouting that Rassilon was responsible for everything that had happened to him.  
As the Master counts the drums one last time, his blasts occupy Rassilon long enough for a bright flash of light to send all of them — the Time Lords, Rassilon, Gallifrey, and the Master, back into the last day of the Last Great Time War. In the streets, Sylvia and the other humans watch as the giant red planet fades away and allows the sun to shine. The Doctor struggles to his feet, weary, but happy, almost in disbelief that he has survived the prophecy.


As the Master counts the drums one last time, his electric blasts occupies Rassilon long enough for a bright flash of light to send the Time Lords, Rassilon, and Gallifrey back into the last day of the Last Great Time War, while the Master vanishes. The Doctor struggles to his feet, not quite believing he has survived and starting to feel safe from the prophecy...
The Doctor's face turns from relief to horror as he hears the four hesitant knocks portending his death. The knocks persist, condemning him further. As he slowly turns, he sees where they are coming from — Wilfred is still trapped in the nuclear booth and wants to be let out. The Doctor, leery to approach the booth, looks at him with dread. As he suspects, Wilfred's life is in dire straits.


''Knock, knock, knock, knock''
[[File:Wilf Trapped.jpg|thumb|left|Wilf is trapped in the nuclear booth as it nears a deadly meltdown.]]
Upon inspection of the booth, the Doctor tells Wilf that the Master left the nuclear bolt running. The machine has gone past critical and is about to overload, which will release a lethal dose of radiation into the booth and doing anything to it, even using the [[the Doctor's sonic screwdriver|sonic screwdriver]], will set it off. The only way to get Wilf out alive is for the Doctor to walk into the open side of the booth and push a button to release the one-way lock, but this means the Doctor will be trapped inside in place of Wilf to endure the radiation blast. At 500,000 [[rad]]s, it would inflict catastrophic damage to his body.


The Doctor's face turns from relief to shock as he hears the four hesitant knocks portending his death. As he slowly turns, he sees where they are coming from; Wilfred is still trapped in the nuclear booth and wants to be let out. The Doctor tells Wilf that the Master left the nuclear bolt running and its about to overload which will release a lethal dose of radiation into the booth and doing anything to it, even using the Sonic Screwdriver, will set it off. Wilf tells the Doctor to leave him, and the Doctor rages about how despite everything he's done he's still going to die just because Wilf had to climb into the booth and he's just an old man; he could just be left and the Doctor could live so much longer and do so much more. After his outburst, the Doctor realizes he can't leave Wilf to die and concludes that a Time Lord sometimes lives too long.  
Wilf tells the Doctor to leave him. Since he's lived a full life, it doesn't seem worth it for his friend to give up his own just for Wilf's sake. The Doctor pretends to callously accept Wilf's offer but knows he cannot allow the [[sacrifice]]. His spirit finally shattered, the Doctor cuts loose with a rant of anger, grief, and frustration. He rages and chokes back tears about how despite everything he's done he's still going to die just because Wilf had to climb into the booth and he's just an old man, "not remotely important"; he could just be left and the Doctor could live so much longer and "do so much more". Then he snaps out of this self-absorption and realises what he's just said. He knows he can't leave Wilf to die and concludes that a Time Lord sometimes lives too long.


Despite Wilf's protests, the Doctor enters the opposite booth and releases him, releasing the radiation into his booth causing the Doctor intense pain, until he finally collapses and the booth itself goes dead from the loss of power. After a few seconds, the Doctor gets up. At first, it looks like the Doctor has survived... however his wounds then heal themself suddenly; the Doctor is dying and his body is preparing to regenerate.
[[File:Ten Stricken by Radiation.jpg|thumb|right|The Doctor writhes in pain from radiation exposure.]]
Ignoring Wilf's pleas, the Doctor enters the opposite booth and frees him, releasing the radiation into his booth. The Doctor writhes in intense pain until he finally collapses and the booth itself goes dead from the loss of power. After a few seconds, the Doctor gets up, having absorbed all the radiation from the nuclear bolt. At first, it looks like the Doctor has survived; however, when Wilf comments that the Doctor acquired some battle scars in the course of stopping the Time Lords returning, the Doctor passes his hands over his face, healing the wounds he had sustained earlier from crashing through the skylight. In response to Wilf's surprise, the Doctor examines his hands and announces that "It's started"; his body is preparing to [[regenerate]].


The Doctor takes Wilf home and tells his friend that he'll see him again one last time. When Wilfred asks where he's going, the Doctor says he's going to get his reward...
The Doctor takes Wilf home and tells him, "I'll see you again, one more time." When Wilfred asks where he's going, the Doctor simply states, "[[Final reward|To get my reward.]]"


The Doctor travels to various places, where he has brief, mostly distant encounters with recent friends. He saves [[Martha Jones|Martha]] and [[Mickey Smith|Mickey]] (now married) from a [[Sontaran]] sniper. He pushes [[Luke Smith]] out of the path of a car, and exchanges a meaningful look with [[Sarah Jane Smith|Sarah Jane]]. He goes to an alien bar where he connects [[Jack Harkness|Captain Jack]] with midshipman [[Alonso Frame]]. He visits a book signing for ''[[A Journal of Impossible Things (The End of Time)|A Journal of Impossible Things]]'' by [[Verity Newman]], [[Joan Redfern (TV character)|Joan Redfern]]'s great-granddaughter.  He appears after [[Donna Noble|Donna]]'s wedding, where he gives Wilfred and Sylvia the gift of a winning [[lottery]] ticket (purchased with a pound coin given to him by Sylvia's late husband) to pass on to her. He returns to the [[Powell Estate]] on New Year's Day [[2005]], where he sees [[Jackie Tyler|Jackie]] and [[Rose Tyler|Rose]].  
The Doctor travels to various places where he has brief, mostly distant encounters with recent friends. He saves [[Martha Jones|Martha]] and [[Mickey Smith|Mickey]] from a [[Sontaran]] sniper. He pushes [[Luke Smith]] out of the path of a car, and exchanges a meaningful look with [[Sarah Jane Smith|Sarah]]. He goes to an alien bar where he finds a despondent [[Jack Harkness|Captain Jack]], drowning his sorrows after [[Children of Earth: Day Five (TV story)|leaving Earth]]; and connects him with midshipman [[Alonso Frame]]. All of them realise they are seeing him for the last time. He visits a book signing for ''[[A Journal of Impossible Things (The End of Time)|A Journal of Impossible Things]]'' by [[Verity Newman]], [[Joan Redfern (TV character)|Joan Redfern]]'s great-granddaughter, to find out if Joan was happy in the end. She was.


He talks to Rose, telling her that she'll have a great year, and as she leaves smiling, the pain of the radiation poisoning sets in. The Doctor struggles towards the TARDIS, but collapses in the street. Ood Sigma appears to him to tell him that the entire Universe will sing him to his sleep. The Doctor lifts himself up and staggers to the TARDIS as Sigma tells him, "[[Tenth Doctor|This song]] is [[regeneration|ending]], but [[the Doctor|the story]] never ends."
The Doctor then appears after [[Donna Noble|Donna]]'s [[Donna Noble and Shaun Temple's wedding|wedding]] and meets Wilfred and Sylvia. Wilfred tells him Joshua and Abigail Naismith were both arrested, and asks the Doctor who the mysterious woman was. The Doctor focusses on Donna and then Sylvia, but doesn't answer. He then gives Wilfred and Sylvia a [[wedding present]] for Donna; an envelope with something in it, purchased with [[£1|a pound]] given to him by [[Geoff Noble|Sylvia's late husband]]. When Donna opens it she finds a [[lottery]] ticket, to which both Wilf and Sylvia realise that it is a winning ticket which will solve all of Donna's financial problems. The Doctor then leaves with a final look at Wilfred, the man whose life he saved at the expense of his own. As he leaves Wilfred salutes him and cries, realising he'll never see the Doctor again.
 
The Doctor's final stop is the [[Powell Estate]] early on New Year's Day [[2005]], where he watches [[Jackie Tyler|Jackie]] and [[Rose Tyler|Rose]] heading home after the New Year's celebrations from the shadows. After departing from Jackie, Rose hears the Doctor after he grunts in pain from holding back his regeneration. Rose thinks he's drunk and tells him "maybe it's time you went home". She wishes him a Happy New Year to which the Doctor asks her the year. She responds, "January the 1st, 2005". The Doctor tells Rose that she'll "[[Rose (TV story)|have a really great year]]." She smiles and leaves.
 
When Rose is gone, the Doctor staggers away as the pain of the radiation poisoning is finally setting in. A few feet away from the TARDIS, he collapses. He looks up to see [[Ood Sigma]], standing calmly. As the Doctor struggles to his feet, Sigma tells him that the universe will sing him to his sleep and "[[Tenth Doctor|this song]] is [[regeneration|ending]], but [[the Doctor|the story]] never ends." This gives the Doctor the last bit of strength he needs to make it to the TARDIS. On the Ood homeworld, the Ood sing "Vale Decem" in chorus.
 
The Doctor enters the TARDIS. After tossing his coat on one of the coral structures, he notices his right hand glowing with regenerative energy. He sets the TARDIS in flight as he circles the console. Fighting back tears, he utters: "I don't want to go..."
 
As the words leave him, golden energy radiates from both his hands and face as he breathes heavily. Taking a deep breath, the Doctor stretches his arms out as golden energy bursts from his hands and head and his body regenerates.


[[File:Ten regenerates.jpg|thumb|left|The regeneration of the [[Tenth Doctor]].]]
[[File:Ten regenerates.jpg|thumb|left|The regeneration of the [[Tenth Doctor]].]]
The Doctor enters the TARDIS, tossing his coat on one of the coral structures and notes regeneration energy coming out of his hand. He sets the TARDIS on course for space as he circles the console.
The regenerative energy shatters the TARDIS windows and sets the console room ablaze, destroying columns, blowing out the lights, and raining debris down from above. The Doctor's face is consumed by the [[regeneration energy]]. The Doctor closes his eyes as his facial features fade and morph into those of a young man with a swirl of brown hair, who is screaming in pain.
 
[[File:eleventhdoctor.jpg|thumb|right|[[Eleventh Doctor|The new Doctor]] examines his new features.]]
His final words, "I don't want to go", herald his inevitable regeneration.  Golden energy radiates from both his hands and head as he breathes heavily, before stretching out his arms to regenerate into [[Eleventh Doctor|his next incarnation]].


This delayed regeneration is unprecedented in its violence. The regeneration energies shatter the TARDIS windows and set the console room ablaze, destroying columns and raining debris down from above. With a yell, the new Eleventh Doctor quickly examines himself to make sure his body parts are still in the same place, and his long hair causes him to think he'd become a girl for a moment. Also, to his annoyance, he is still not ginger, but has dark hair again.  
As the strain of the regeneration wears off, the [[Eleventh Doctor]] stumbles back with a look of surprise. He quickly examines himself to make sure all his body parts are still in the same place (although he is shocked at his larger than usual chin), with his long hair causing him to think he had become a girl for a moment. With a quick feel of his Adam's apple confirming that he hasn't, [[Thirteenth Doctor|yet]], he then notices, much to his annoyance, he is ''still'' not ginger, but has dark hair again.


Remembering there was something important he forgot, the Doctor tries remembering what it was until another explosion forces him to his knees. Realising that the TARDIS is now crashing, the Doctor oddly seems happy as he jumps over to the monitor - it shows the ship spinning wildly towards Earth. Delighting in the chaos, the Doctor clings to the console and shouts, "GERONIMO!!!!"
Remembering there was something important that he forgot, the Doctor tries recalling what it was until another explosion forces him to his knees. Realising that what he was trying to remember was that the TARDIS is now crashing, the Doctor oddly seems ''happy'' as he jumps over to the monitor it shows the ship spinning wildly towards Earth. Delighting in the chaos, the Doctor clings to the console and gleefully shouts, "Geronimoooooooooooo!"


== Cast ==
== Cast ==
* [[Tenth Doctor|The Doctor]] - [[David Tennant]]
* [[Tenth Doctor|The Doctor]] - [[David Tennant]]
* [[Eleventh Doctor|The Doctor]] - [[Matt Smith]]
* {{Simm|n=The Master}} - [[John Simm]]
* [[Wilfred Mott]] - [[Bernard Cribbins]]
* [[Wilfred Mott]] - [[Bernard Cribbins]]
* {{Simm|c}} / [[The Master Race]] - [[John Simm]]
* {{Dalton|n=Lord President}}{{note|Rassilon is credited as "The Narrator" in Part One and "Lord President" in Part Two}} - [[Timothy Dalton]]
* [[Rassilon]] - [[Timothy Dalton]]
* [[Donna Noble|Donna Temple-Noble]] - [[Catherine Tate]]
* [[The Woman]] - [[Claire Bloom]]
* [[Donna Noble]] - [[Catherine Tate]]
* [[Sylvia Noble]] - [[Jacqueline King]]
* [[Sylvia Noble]] - [[Jacqueline King]]
* [[Shaun Temple]] - [[Karl Collins]]
* [[The Woman (The End of Time)|The Woman]] - [[Claire Bloom]]
* [[Addams]] - [[Sinead Keenan]]
* [[Minnie Hooper]] - [[June Whitfield]]
* [[Rossiter]] - [[Lawry Lewin]]
* [[Joshua Naismith]] - [[David Harewood]]
* [[Joshua Naismith]] - [[David Harewood]]
* [[Abigail Naismith]] - [[Tracy Ifeachor]]
* [[Abigail Naismith]] - [[Tracy Ifeachor]]
* [[Addams]] - [[Sinead Keenan|Sinêad Keenan]]
* [[Rossiter]] - [[Lawry Lewin]]
* [[Lucy Saxon]] - [[Alexandra Moen]]
* [[Shaun Temple]] - [[Karl Collins]]
* [[Governor (The End of Time)|Governor]] - [[Teresa Banham]]
* [[Oliver Barnes]] - [[Barry Howard]]
* [[Winston Katusi]] - [[Allister Bain]]
* [[Danes (The End of Time)|Mr Danes]] - [[Simon Thomas]]
* [[Trefusis|Miss Trefusis]] - [[Sylvia Seymour]]
* [[Tommo (The End of Time)|Tommo]] - [[Pete Lee-Wilson]]
* [[Ginger (The End of Time)|Ginger]] - [[Dwayne Scantlebury]]
* [[Sarah (The End of Time)|Serving Woman]] - [[Lacey Bond]]
* [[Trinity Wells]] - [[Lachele Carl]]
* [[Ood Sigma]] - [[Paul Kasey]]
* [[Ood Sigma]] - [[Paul Kasey]]
* [[Ood Elder]] - [[Ruari Mears]]
* [[Ood Elder|Elder Ood]] - [[Ruari Mears]]
* [[Lucy Saxon]] - [[Alexandra Moen]]
* [[Teenager (The End of Time)|Teenager]] - [[Max Benjamin]]
* [[The Visionary]] - [[Brid Brennan]]
* [[Ood Sigma|Voice of Ood Sigma]] - [[Silas Carson]]
* [[Chancellor (The End of Time)|Chancellor]] - [[Joe Dixon]]
* [[Ood Elder|Voice of Elder Ood]] - [[Brian Cox (actor)|Brian Cox]]
* [[The Partisan]] - [[Julie Legrand]]
<!--First credited in Part Two begin here-->
* [[Minnie Hooper]] - [[June Whitfield]]
* [[Rose Tyler]] - [[Billie Piper]]
* [[Jackie Tyler]] - [[Camille Coduri]]
* [[Jack Harkness|Captain Jack Harkness]] - [[John Barrowman]]
* [[Martha Jones|Martha Smith-Jones]] - [[Freema Agyeman]]
* [[Martha Jones|Martha Smith-Jones]] - [[Freema Agyeman]]
* [[Mickey Smith]] - [[Noel Clarke]]
* [[Mickey Smith]] - [[Noel Clarke]]
* [[Sarah Jane Smith]] - [[Elisabeth Sladen]]
* [[Sarah Jane Smith]] - [[Elisabeth Sladen]]
* [[Luke Smith]] - [[Tommy Knight]]
* [[Jack Harkness|Captain Jack Harkness]] - [[John Barrowman]]
* [[Verity Newman]] - [[Jessica Hynes]]
* [[Verity Newman]] - [[Jessica Hynes]]
* [[Rose Tyler]] - [[Billie Piper]]
* [[Luke Smith]] - [[Thomas Knight]]
* [[Jackie Tyler]] - [[Camille Coduri]]
* [[Alonso Frame|Midshipman Frame]] - [[Russell Tovey]]
* [[Alonso Frame]] - [[Russell Tovey]]
* [[Chancellor (The End of Time)|The Chancellor]] - [[Joe Dixon]]
* [[Winston Katusi]] - [[Allister Bain]]
* [[The Partisan]] - [[Julie Legrand]]
* [[Oliver Barnes]] - [[Barry Howard]]
* [[The Visionary]] - [[Brid Brennan]]
* [[Trefusis|Miss Trefusis]] - [[Sylvia Seymour]]
* [[Governor (The End of Time)|Governor]] - [[Teresa Banham]]
* [[Danes|Mr Danes]] - [[Simon Thomas]]
* [[Trinity Wells]] - [[Lachele Carl]]
* [[Nerys]] - [[Krystal Archer]]
* [[Nerys]] - [[Krystal Archer]]
* [[Sarah (The End of Time)|Sarah]] - [[Lacey Bond]]
* [[Judoon|Voice of Judoon]] - [[Nicholas Briggs]]
* [[Tommo]] - [[Pete Lee-Wilson]]
:and introducing [[Matt Smith]] as [[Eleventh Doctor|the Doctor]]
* [[Ginger (The End of Time)|Ginger]] - [[Dwayne Scantlebury]]
 
* [[Graske]] - [[Jimmy Vee]]
=== Uncredited cast ===
* [[Jask]] - [[Dan Starkey]]
* [[Barack Obama]] - [[Roger Haynes]]<ref>[[DWMSE 25]] p. 97</ref><ref>[[TCH 62]] p. 116</ref>{{note|Archive audio of the real Obama was used for his voice.}}
* [[Time Lord (The End of Time)|Time Lord]] - [[Roger Bailey]]
* [[Sally (The Sontaran Stratagem)|Sally]] - [[Joan Williams]]<ref>[http://www.castingcollective.co.uk/search-for-artistes/wales/profile?sl=84685&p=3&artiste_id=6583 Profile Joan Williams] at Casting Collective</ref>
* [[Teenager (The End of Time)|Teenager]] - [[Max Benjamin]]
* [[Ood]], [[Judoon]], [[Hath]] - [[Jon Davey]]<ref>http://www.jondavey.com/acting.php</ref>
* Voice of the [[Ood]] - [[Silas Carson]]
* Hath - [[Scott Baker]]<ref>http://guide.doctorwhonews.net/role.php?code=5936&detail=listing&pg=dwm</ref>
* Voice of the [[Ood Elder]] - [[Brian Cox (actor)|Brian Cox]]
* Voice of the [[Judoon]] - [[Nicholas Briggs]]


== Crew ==
== Crew ==
Line 178: Line 285:
|3rdAD=Heddi Joy Taylor
|3rdAD=Heddi Joy Taylor
|Note2=The position of [[3rd AD]] was only credited on part 1.
|Note2=The position of [[3rd AD]] was only credited on part 1.
|Runner=
|Runner2=
|FloorRunner=Tom Evans
|FloorRunner=Tom Evans
|Note4=[[Runner|Floor runner]] [[Chris Goding]] was only credited on part 2, while [[Tom Evans]] was only credited on part 1.
|Note4=[[Runner|Floor runner]] [[Chris Goding]] was only credited on part 2, while [[Tom Evans]] was only credited on part 1.
Line 185: Line 290:
|Note=Because this site puts both episodes of ''The End of Time'' into a single article, it is slightly more difficult to properly represent the crew in the above framework.  '''The two episodes did not have exactly the same credits.'''   
|Note=Because this site puts both episodes of ''The End of Time'' into a single article, it is slightly more difficult to properly represent the crew in the above framework.  '''The two episodes did not have exactly the same credits.'''   
|LocationManager=Gareth Skelding
|LocationManager=Gareth Skelding
|LocationManager2=
|LocationScout=
|UnitManager=Rhys Griffiths
|UnitManager=Rhys Griffiths
|Note3=A "[[Unit manager|Unit Manager]]" was only credited on part 1.
|Note3=A "[[Unit manager|Unit Manager]]" was only credited on part 1.
|ProductionManager=
|ProductionCoOrdinator=Jess van Niekerk
|ProductionCoOrdinator=Jess van Niekerk
|AsstProductionCoOrdinator=
|ProductionManagerAsst=
|ProductionAssistant=
|ProductionScriptSecretary=Kevin Myers
|ProductionScriptSecretary=Kevin Myers
|Note5=[[Production secretary]] [[Kevin Myers]] was only credited on part 1.
|Note5=[[Production secretary]] [[Kevin Myers]] was only credited on part 1.
|ProductionRunner=
|ProductionRunner2=
|ProductionRunner3=
|Driver=
|Driver2=
|AssistantProductionAccountant=Carole Wakefield
|AssistantProductionAccountant=Carole Wakefield
|AssistantProductionAccountant2=
|AssistantProductionAccountant3=
|ContractsAssistant=
|ContractsAssistant2=
|ScriptEditor=Gary Russell
|ScriptEditor=Gary Russell
|Continuity=Non Eleri Hughes
|Continuity=Non Eleri Hughes
|CameraOperator=Joe Russell
|CameraOperator=Joe Russell
|CameraOperator2=Alwyn Hughes
|CameraOperator2=Alwyn Hughes
|2ndUnitCameraOperator=
|FocusPuller=Steve Rees
|FocusPuller=Steve Rees
|FocusPuller2=Jamie Southcott
|FocusPuller2=Jamie Southcott
|2ndUnitFocusPuller=
|Grip=Clive Baldwin
|Grip=Clive Baldwin
|CameraAsst=
|CameraAsst2=
|BoomOperator=Jeff Welch
|BoomOperator=Jeff Welch
|BoomOperator2=Bryn Thomas
|BoomOperator2=Bryn Thomas
|Note6=No [[boom operator]]s were credited in part 1.
|Note6=No [[boom operator]]s were credited in part 1.
|SoundMaintenanceEngineer=
|Gaffer=Mark Hutchings
|Gaffer=Mark Hutchings
|BestBoy=Peter Chester
|BestBoy=Peter Chester
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|Electrician2=Clive Johnson
|Electrician2=Clive Johnson
|Note7=No [[electrician]]s were credited in part 2.
|Note7=No [[electrician]]s were credited in part 2.
|Electrician3=
|Electrician4=
|StuntCoOrdinator=Lee Sheward
|StuntCoOrdinator=Lee Sheward
|StuntCoOrdinator2=
|Choreographer=Ailsa Berk
|Choreographer=Ailsa Berk
|Wires=
|Stunt=
|Stunt2=
|Stunt3=
|Stunt4=
|Stunt5=
|Stunt6=
|Stunt7=
|Stunt8=
|ChiefSupervisingArtDirector=Stephen Nicholas
|ChiefSupervisingArtDirector=Stephen Nicholas
|SupervisingArtDirector=Stephen Nicholas
|SupervisingArtDirector=Stephen Nicholas
|Note8=[[Stephen Nicholas]] is credited as "[[Chief Supervising Art Director]]" in part 1, and "[[Supervising Art Director]]" in part 2.
|Note8=[[Stephen Nicholas]] is credited as "[[Chief Supervising Art Director]]" in part 1, and "[[Supervising Art Director]]" in part 2.
|ArtDeptCoOrdinator=Amy Pope
|ArtDeptCoOrdinator=Amy Pope
|ArtDeptProdManager=
|AssociateDesigner=James North
|AssociateDesigner=James North
|Note10=[[Associate designer]] [[James North]] was only credited in part 1.
|Note10=[[Associate designer]] [[James North]] was only credited in part 1.
|ProductionBuyer=Ben Morris
|ProductionBuyer=Ben Morris (crew){{!}}Ben Morris
|SetDecorator=Julian Luxton
|SetDecorator=Julian Luxton
|PropsBuyer=Adrian Anscombe
|PropsBuyer=Adrian Anscombe
Line 253: Line 325:
|StandbyArtDirector=Keith Dunne
|StandbyArtDirector=Keith Dunne
|Note11=[[Standby art director]] [[Keith Dunne]] was only credited in part 1.
|Note11=[[Standby art director]] [[Keith Dunne]] was only credited in part 1.
|ASupervisingArtDirector=
|SetDesigner=
|StoryboardArtist=Richard Shaun Williams
|StoryboardArtist=Richard Shaun Williams
|Note13=A "[[Storyboard artist|Storyboard Artist]]" was only credited on part 2.
|Note13=A "[[Storyboard artist|Storyboard Artist]]" was only credited on part 2.
|ConceptArtist=
|ConceptArtist2=
|DesignAssistant=Al Roberts
|DesignAssistant=Al Roberts
|Note9=[[Design assistant]] [[Al Roberts]] was only credited in part 2.
|Note9=[[Design assistant]] [[Al Roberts]] was only credited in part 2.
|DesignAssistant2=
|DesignAssistant3=
|CyfleTrainee=
|GraphicArtist=
|StandbyProps=
|StandbyProps2=
|StandbyProps3=
|StandbyCarpenter=
|StandbyRigger=
|StandbyPainter=
|StandbyScenicArtist=
|ChiefPropsMaster=
|PropsMaster=
|PropertyMaster=Paul Aitken
|PropertyMaster=Paul Aitken
|Note14=A "[[Property Master]]" was only credited on part 1.
|Note14=A "[[Property Master]]" was only credited on part 1.
|AssistantPropsMaster=
|DressingChargehand=
|PropsChargehand=
|PropsStoreman=
|DressingProps=
|DressingProps2=
|ForwardDresser=
|SpecialistPropMaker=
|SeniorPropsMaker=
|PropsMaker=
|PropsMaker2=
|PracticalElectrician=
|ArtDepartmentDriver=
|ConstructionManager=Matthew Hywel-Davies
|ConstructionManager=Matthew Hywel-Davies
|ConstructionWorkshopManager=
|ConstructionChargehand=
|ScenicArtist=
|ScenicArtist2=
|Graphics=BBC Wales Graphics
|Graphics=BBC Wales Graphics
|TitleSequence=
|CostumeSupervisor=Lindsay Bonaccorsi
|CostumeSupervisor=Lindsay Bonaccorsi
|WardrobeSupervisor=
|AsstCostumeDesigner=Rose Goodhart
|AsstCostumeDesigner=Rose Goodhart
|CostumeAsst=Barbara Harrington
|CostumeAsst=Barbara Harrington
|CostumeAsst2=Louise Martin
|CostumeAsst2=Louise Martin
|Make-upSupervisor=
|Make-upArtist=Pam Mullins
|Make-upArtist=Pam Mullins
|Make-upArtist2=Cathy Davies
|Make-upArtist2=Cathy Davies
|Make-upArtist3=Morag Smith
|Make-upArtist3=Morag Smith
|CastingAssociate=Andy Brierley
|CastingAssociate=Andy Brierley
|CastingAssociate2=
|CastingAssistant=Alice Purser
|CastingAssistant=Alice Purser
|Note15=[[Casting assistant]] [[Alice Purser]] was only credited on part 1.
|Note15=[[Casting assistant]] [[Alice Purser]] was only credited on part 1.
Line 314: Line 348:
|VFXEditor2=Joel Skinner
|VFXEditor2=Joel Skinner
|Note17=[[Matt Mullins]] was [[VFX editor]] for part 1; [[Joel Skinner]], for part 2.
|Note17=[[Matt Mullins]] was [[VFX editor]] for part 1; [[Joel Skinner]], for part 2.
|VFXCoOrdinator=
|VFXCoOrdinator2=
|OnSetVFXSupervisor=
|DigitalMattePainter=
|MattePainter=
|MattePainter2=
|PostProdSupervisor=Samantha Hall
|PostProdSupervisor=Samantha Hall
|PostProdSupervisor2=Chris Blatchford
|PostProdSupervisor2=Chris Blatchford
|Note18=In part 1, [[post-production supervisor]] [[Chris Blatchford]] is listed before [[Samantha Hall]]; in part 2, it's reversed.
|Note18=In part 1, [[post-production supervisor]] [[Chris Blatchford]] is listed before [[Samantha Hall]]; in part 2, it's reversed.
|PostProdCoOrdinator=Marie Brown
|PostProdCoOrdinator=Marie Brown
|SFXCoOrdinator=
|SFXSupervisor=
|SFSSupervisor2=
|SFXTechnician=
|SFXTechnician2=
|ProstheticsDesigner=
|ProstheticsSupervisor=
|ProstheticsTechnician=
|ProstheticsTechnician2=
|ProstheticsTechnician3=
|ProstheticsTechnician4=
|ProstheticsTechnician5=
|ProstheticsTechnician6=
|ProstheticMakeUpArtist=
|DubbingMixer=Tim Ricketts
|DubbingMixer=Tim Ricketts
|DialogueEditor=
|SupervisingSoundEditor=Paul McFadden
|SupervisingSoundEditor=Paul McFadden
|SoundEditor=
|SoundFXEditor=Paul Jeffries
|SoundEditor2=
|SoundEffectsEditor=Paul Jeffries
|ModelUnitSupervisor=
|ModelUnitDOP=
|FoleyEditor=Will Everett
|FoleyEditor=Will Everett
|Note19=[[Foley]] editor [[Will Everett]] was only credited on part 1.
|Note19=[[Foley]] editor [[Will Everett]] was only credited on part 1.
|Colourist=Mick Vincent
|Colourist=Mick Vincent
|3DArtist=
|3DArtist2=
|3DArtist3=
|3DArtist4=
|3DArtist5=
|3DArtist6=
|3DArtist7=
|3DArtist8=
|3DArtist9=
|3DArtist10=
|2DArtist=
|2DArtist2=
|2DArtist3=
|2DArtist4=
|2DArtist5=
|2DArtist6=
|2DArtist7=
|2DArtist8=
|2DArtist9=
|2DArtist10=
|OnlineConform=
|OnlineConform2=
|OnlineEditor=
|OnlineEditor2=
|RightsExecutive=
|FinanceManager=
|VisualFXProducer=
|VisualFXProducer2=
|VisualFXSupervisor=
|Thanks=
|Thanks2=
|WithThanksTo=BBC National Orchestra of Wales
|WithThanksTo=BBC National Orchestra of Wales
|ConductedAndOrchestratedBy=Ben Foster
|ConductedAndOrchestratedBy=Ben Foster
Line 386: Line 364:
|CrouchEnd=David Temple
|CrouchEnd=David Temple
|CounterTenor=Mark Chambers (counter tenor)
|CounterTenor=Mark Chambers (counter tenor)
|Note20=[[Counter Tenor]] [[Mark Chambers (counter tenor)|Mark Chambers]] was only credited on part 2.
|Note20=[[Countertenor]] [[Mark Chambers (counter tenor)|Mark Chambers]] was only credited on part 2.
|WithThanksTo2=
|SpecialThanks=
|FromIdeaBy=
|Character1=
|CharCreatedBy1a=
|CharCreatedBy1b=
|Character2=
|CharCreatedBy2a=
|CharCreatedBy2b=
|Character3=
|CharCreatedBy3a=
|CharCreatedBy3b=
|OriginalTheme=Ron Grainer
|OriginalTheme=Ron Grainer
|CastingDirector=Andy Pryor CDG
|CastingDirector=Andy Pryor{{!}}Andy Pryor CDG
|ProductionExec=Julie Scott
|ProductionExec=Julie Scott
|SeniorProductionAccountant=
|ProductionAccountant=Ceri Tothill
|ProductionAccountant=Ceri Tothill
|SoundRecordist=Julian Howarth
|SoundRecordist=Julian Howarth
Line 413: Line 378:
|Editor=Philip Kloss
|Editor=Philip Kloss
|ProductionDesigner=Edward Thomas
|ProductionDesigner=Edward Thomas
|DOP=Rory Taylor  
|DOP=Rory Taylor
|ProductionManager=
|LineProducer=
|AssociateProducer=Catrin Lewis Defis
|AssociateProducer=Catrin Lewis Defis
|CoProducer=
|Writer=Russell T Davies
|Writer=Russell T Davies
|Writer2=
|Producer=Tracie Simpson
|Producer=Tracie Simpson
|Director=Euros Lyn
|Director=Euros Lyn
|ExecutiveProd=Russell T Davies
|ExecutiveProd=Russell T Davies
|ExecutiveProd2=Julie Gardner
|ExecutiveProd2=Julie Gardner
|ExecutiveProd3=
|DedicatedTo=
<!--The following credits are generally more "American", and thus almost exclusively limited to the 1996 Paul McGann movie. -->
|ConstructionCoordinator=
|Hairstylist=
|SoundMixer=
|TransportationCoordinator=
|DriverCaptain=
|FirstAidCraftService=
|SoundSupervisor=
|AdditionalEditingBy=
|StillPhotography=
|KeyGrip=
|HeadAccountant=
|AdditionalMusic=
|AdditionalMusic2=
}}{{clear|both}}
}}{{clear|both}}


== References ==
== Worldbuilding ==
=== [[:Category:British royalty|British royalty]] ===
=== British royalty ===
* Wilfred watches the [[Queen's Christmas speech]]
* Wilfred watches the [[Queen's Christmas speech]].


=== [[:Category:Companies|Companies]] ===
=== Companies ===
* [[Sparrow Lane]] is a touring company.
* [[Sparrow Lane]] is a touring company.
* [[Steven's Point]] is a mobile catering company.
* [[Steven's Point]] is a mobile catering company.
* The Doctor bought a [[Celebration Lottery]] ticket with the pound from [[Geoff Noble]].


=== [[:Category:Devices|Devices]] ===
=== Devices ===
* Wilf mentions [[ATMOS]].
* Wilf mentions [[ATMOS]].


=== [[:Category:The Doctor|The Doctor]] ===
=== The Doctor ===
* One of the things the Tenth Doctor lists he did instead of rushing to meet Ood Sigma is an implied marriage with [[Elizabeth I]].
* The Doctor compares regeneration to [[Afterlife|dying]], and how he feels a part of him dies during the regeneration.
* Wilf tells his fellow seniors that the Doctor usually wears a brown suit and sometimes a blue suit.
* The [[Time Lord]]s, during their council meeting, make an oblique reference to [[the Doctor]]'s activities at that point in the Time War.
* The Doctor compares regeneration to [[Afterlife|dying]].
* The Doctor shows the Ood [[The Year That Never Was|the Year that Never Was]] telepathically to show them the history of the Master and [[Lucy Saxon]].
* Before meeting [[Ood Sigma]], the Doctor says that he saw the [[Phosphorous Carousel of the Great Magellan Gestalt]] amongst other things.
* The [[Tenth Doctor]] regenerates on January 1, 2005. This is the only time to date other than in the [[Doctor Who (TV story)|1996 movie]] that an exact date for his regeneration is explicitly given. (This assumes the TARDIS does not enter a different time zone when it dematerialises.)
* The [[Tenth Doctor]] regenerates into the [[Eleventh Doctor]].
 
=== Galaxies ===
* One of the things the Doctor did before meeting Ood Sigma was name a [[galaxy]] [[Alison (galaxy)|Alison]].
 
=== The Master ===
* The Master kills a [[Cook (The End of Time)|cook]].


=== [[:Category:Foods and beverages|Foods and Beverages]] ===
=== The TARDIS ===
* [[Tommo]] and [[Ginger]] eat [[burger]]s.
* The Doctor's [[TARDIS key]] can be pointed at the TARDIS, emitting a warbling noise that puts it a second out of sync with space and time to hide its presence entirely.
* Donna makes [[margarita]]s. Shes uses [[orange]]s instead of [[lemon]]s.
* The coral-themed interior of the [[TARDIS console room]] is destroyed by the Tenth Doctor's turbulent regeneration.


=== [[:Category:Individuals|Individuals]] ===
=== Foods and beverages ===
* [[Henrietta Goodheart|Netty]], is referred to as a member of the [[Silver Cloak]].
* Tommo and Ginger eat [[burger]]s.
* "[[Jimbo]]", is mentioned by [[Jackie Tyler]].
* The Master savagely eats a whole cooked [[Turkey (bird)|turkey]] at the Naismith Mansion.
* Donna makes [[margarita]]s, but uses [[orange]]s instead of [[lemon]]s.
* [[Oxtail soup]] was being prepared to be served at 02:30pm at the wedding.
 
=== Individuals ===
* [[Henrietta Goodheart|Netty]] is referred to as a member of the [[Silver Cloak]].
* [[Jimbo (The End of Time)|Jimbo]] is mentioned by [[Jackie Tyler]].
* Joshua Naismith has a book titled ''[[Fighting the Future]]''.
* Joshua Naismith has a book titled ''[[Fighting the Future]]''.
* A woman on the minibus named 'Sparrow Lane' was called Sally.
* The Doctor believes that the [[Doctor-Donna]] subconscious hidden in Donna's mind sensed from the convergence of events that he would need the Naismith book.
* Ms [[Collins (The End of Time)|Collins]] was a test subject for the [[Immortality Gate]].
* Lucy is helped in her attempt to kill Saxon by a [[Broadfell Prison guard]].
* The Doctor sends Jack a note via a [[Barman (The End of Time)|barman]].
 
=== Species ===
* The [[Vinvocci]] imply that they are connected to the [[Zocci]]. Additionally, they take offence to being called [[cactus]], citing it as a racist slur.
* A [[Raxacoricofallapatorian]], an [[Adipose]], [[Judoon]], [[Graske]], [[Sycorax]], a [[Uvodni]], a [[Eukanian]] and three [[Hath]] all appear in a [[Zaggit Zagoo bar|space cantina]], along with [[Jack Harkness]] and [[Alonso Frame]].
* The Doctor has saved a planet from the [[Red Carnivorous Maw]].
* Rassilon mentions the [[Weeping Angel]]s.
 
=== Temporal theory ===
* When asked why he couldn't just take the TARDIS back to the previous day, the Doctor states, "I can't go back inside my own timeline. I have to stay relative to {{Simm}} within the [[causal nexus]]."
* The Time War is time locked, but the Master's drumbeat was transmitted back through time through the [[Untempered Schism]] into the Master's mind so it was present throughout the Master's life.
 
=== Time Lords and the Time War ===
* Several crashed [[Dalek flying saucer|Dalek saucers]] are next to a badly damaged [[Capitol|Citadel]].
* [[The Doctor|An incarnation of the Doctor]] possesses [[the Moment]], and the Time Lords believe he will use it to destroy [[Gallifrey]] and the [[Dalek]]s.
* The Time Lords send a repeating [[The Drumming|four beat rhythm]] back through time and placed it in the Master's mind as a child.
* Rassilon kills [[the Partisan]] for suggesting they end the Time War.
* Rassilon says the Time Lord's have a history spanning a billion years.
* Male Time Lords possess Adam's apples, as the [[Eleventh Doctor]] checks to see he has one when he momentarily thinks he's regenerated into a female body.
* Time Lords can possibly change gender during regeneration, as the Eleventh Doctor briefly believes has done so due to the length of his hair.
 
=== Unified Intelligence Taskforce ===
* A [[UNIT]] officer from UNIT HQ in [[Geneva]] appears, having been transformed into the Master.


=== [[:Category:The Master|The Master]] ===
=== Locations ===
* The Doctor refers to the Master as [[w:c:he-man:Skeletor|Skeletor]], the skull-headed villain from the 1980s cartoon series ''He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.''
* Numerous map references appear on the screens at UNIT HQ. These include [[New York City]], [[Adelaide, Australia|Adelaide]], [[Los Angeles]], [[London]], [[Moscow]], [[Warsaw]], [[Perth]], [[Auckland]], [[Mexico City]], [[Winnipeg]], [[Shanghai]], [[Belfast]], [[Madrid]], [[Nairobi]] and [[New Delhi]], [[Houston]], [[Toronto]] and [[Durban]].


=== [[:Category:Real world|Real world]] ===
=== Cultural references from the real world ===
* When rescued by the Vinvocci, the Doctor cries, "Worst - rescue - ever!!", a cultural reference to '[[w:c:simpsons:Comic Book Guy|Comic Book Guy]]', a character in ''[[w:c:simpsons:The Simpsons|The Simpsons]]''.
* Pictures of various historical Earth individuals can be seen in [[Joshua Naismith]]'s mansion.


=== [[:Category:Species|Species]] ===
* As the Doctor is pushed down the stairs strapped to a wheelchair, he remarks "Worst. Rescue. EVER!", in reference to [https://simpsons.fandom.com/wiki/Comic_Book_Guy Comic Book Guy]’s catchphrase from ''[[The Simpsons]]''.
* The [[Vinvocci]] imply that they are connected to the [[Zocci]].
* The Doctor refers to the Master as [[Skeletor]].
* A [[Raxacoricofallapatorian]], an [[Adipose]], [[Judoon]], [[Graske]], [[Sycorax]], a [[Uvodni]], and three [[Hath]] all have cameos in a [[Zagizalgul bar|space cantina]], along with [[Jack Harkness]] and [[Alonso Frame]]. Additionally, there are several unnamed new species present.
* Minnie the Menace is a combination of two characters from ''[[The Beano]] -'' [[Dennis the Menace]] and [[Minnie the Minx]].
* The Doctor has saved a planet from the [[Red Carnivorous Maw]].


=== [[:Category:Time Lords|Time Lords]] and [[the Time War]] ===
=== Influences ===
* The [[Nightmare Child]] is mentioned to be one of the "horrors of the Time War."
* Several crashed [[Dalek Flying Saucer|Dalek saucers]] are next to a badly damaged [[Capitol|Citadel]]. This is the Last Day of the Time War, before the Doctor destroys [[Gallifrey]].


=== [[:Category:United Nations Intelligence Taskforce|UNIT]] ===
* [[John Simm]] based his portrayal of the revived Master on [[The Joker]] in ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Knight The Dark Knight].''
* A [[UNIT]] officer (with the Master's appearance) from UNIT HQ in [[Geneva]] appears.
* The Master being trapped between life and death and turning into a skeleton as a result of his resurrection going wrong were inspired by [https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Tom_Riddle Lord Voldemort] in [[Harry Potter]].
* The Master being held in restraints was inspired by ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Silence_of_the_Lambs_(film) The Silence of the Lambs].''
* The juddering effect accompanying humanity's transformation into the Master was inspired by the special effects seen in ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob%27s_Ladder_(1990_film) Jacob's Ladder]''.
* Some of the climactic Time Lord material was inspired by [[Chris Rea]]'s [[1989]] album [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road_to_Hell ''The Road to Hell''].
* The Vinvocci ship was called the ''Hesperus'' after [[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow]]'s [[1842]] poem ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wreck_of_the_Hesperus The Wreck of the Hesperus]''.
* The space bar was inspired by the [[starwars:Chalmun's_Spaceport_Cantina|Mos Eisley Cantina]] from ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]].''


== Story notes ==
== Story notes ==
* This was [[David Tennant]]'s final appearance in'' Doctor Who'' as the Doctor, as well as [[Matt Smith]]'s first appearance in the role.
* Working titles for this story included ''The Immortality Gate''.
* The original title for Part 1 was ''The Final Days of Planet Earth'', and was in fact the title when Davies teased readers of ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' with the statement that the title was six words long. Later, however, he decided to give the title ''The End of Time ''to both specials.<ref>Russell T Davies, Production Notes, ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' #416, 7 January 2010.</ref>
* The original title for Part 1 was ''The Final Days of Planet Earth'', and was in fact the title when [[Russell T Davies]] teased readers of ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' with the statement that the title was six words long. Later, however, he decided to give the title ''The End of Time'' to both specials, stating that the original didn't seem to 'fit' once he saw it on-screen.<ref>Russell T Davies, Production Notes, [[DWM 416|''DWM'' #416]], 7 January 2010.</ref>
* The second part is 75 minutes, 3 minutes longer than [[TV]]: ''[[Voyage of the Damned]]'', making this currently the third longest single episode behind the 90-minute [[TV]]: ''[[The Five Doctors (TV story)|The Five Doctors]]'' and the 85-minute [[TV]]: ''[[Doctor Who (1996)|Doctor Who]]''.
* Part 2 had the working titles of ''The Final Battle, The Final Reckoning'' and ''Death of the Doctor.'' The latter became [[Death of the Doctor (TV story)|a serial]] of ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]].''
* ''The End of Time'' marked the last appearance of [[Elisabeth Sladen]] as [[Sarah Jane Smith]] in ''[[Doctor Who]]''. She died on [[19 April]] [[2011]].
* This story features the last appearance of the title sequence that debuted in ''[[Rose (TV story)|Rose]]'' and the theme that debuted in ''[[Partners in Crime (TV story)|Partners in Crime]]''.
* With this, his final ''Doctor Who'' story to date, Davies will have written or co-written no less than ten consecutive episodes (this number counts two-parters as separate and also includes a mini-episode, but does not include ''[[Torchwood (TV series)|Torchwood]]''), an unprecedented accomplishment in the history of the franchise.
* The second part is 75 minutes, 3 minutes longer than [[TV]]: ''[[Voyage of the Damned (TV story)|Voyage of the Damned]]'', making this currently the fourth longest single episode behind the 90-minute [[TV]]: ''[[The Five Doctors (TV story)|The Five Doctors]]'', the 85-minute [[TV]]: ''[[Doctor Who (TV story)|Doctor Who]]'', and the 76-minute [[TV]]: ''[[Deep Breath (TV story)|Deep Breath]]''.
* This is the first story of more than one episode since [[TV]]: ''[[Survival]]'' to have one overarching title and the first 2-parter since ''[[Revelation of the Daleks (TV story)|Revelation of the Daleks]]'' to be called part 1 and part 2.
* The version of Part 1 on US streaming service HBO Max has different end credits from the broadcast and home video versions. The "To be continued" message is made up of what seem to be flat cut-outs of the same message from the end of [[TV]]: ''[[The Stolen Earth (TV story)|The Stolen Earth]]'', and there is an additional woosh noise over the Doctor Who logo that pans horizontally after the end credits. This then abruptly cuts to the BBC Wales end card.
* The Time Lords return after their apparent destruction in the [[Last Great Time War]]. This is their first appearance onscreen (except for a flashback in [[TV]]: ''[[The Sound of Drums]]'') since [[TV]]: ''[[The Trial of a Time Lord]]'' in [[1986]]''.''
* This is the first story of more than one episode since [[TV]]: ''[[Survival (TV story)|Survival]]'' to have one overarching title and the first 2-parter since ''[[Revelation of the Daleks (TV story)|Revelation of the Daleks]]'' to be called part 1 and part 2.
* This is a second time that a [[Sontaran]] has appeared as a cameo in a regeneration story. The first was the [[Fourth Doctor]]'s final story ''[[Logopolis (TV story)|Logopolis]]''.
* The Time Lords return after their apparent destruction in the [[Last Great Time War]]. This is their first appearance onscreen (except for a flashback in [[TV]]: ''[[The Sound of Drums (TV story)|The Sound of Drums]]'') since [[TV]]: ''[[Season 23 (Doctor Who 1963)|The Trial of a Time Lord]]'' in [[1986 (releases)|1986]].
* This is, along with [[TV]]: ''[[The Deadly Assassin]]'', ''[[Doctor Who (1996)|Doctor Who]]'', ''[[Army of Ghosts]]'', ''[[The Family of Blood]]'' and ''[[Cold Blood]]'', one of the few ''Doctor Who'' stories to feature narration. However, in this case it is revealed that the "narration" is part of a speech given by the Lord President to the High Council.
* [[Russell T Davies]] originally planned for the Master leave an 'M' at the scenes of the murders he committed so as to provide a trail for the Doctor to follow. This was dropped when he realised that it had already been established that the Doctor would simply 'know' where to find his fellow Time Lord.
* There is no traditional celebrity cameo in the story. Instead, a stand-in plays US President [[Barack Obama]] and stock audio from a speech of his is dubbed in. This is the first time in the revived series that the real world US presidency has coincided with that featured in the Whoniverse.
* This is a second time that a [[Sontaran]] has appeared as a cameo in a regeneration story. The first was the [[Fourth Doctor]]'s final story ''[[Logopolis (TV story)|Logopolis]]'', in his flashback to his enemies whilst hanging from the [[Pharos Project]] radio telescope.
* The opening credits list David Tennant, [[John Simm]] and [[Bernard Cribbins]]. Simm is the second person to be credited in the opening credits for playing a villain. The first was [[Eric Roberts]], who also played the Master, in [[TV]]: ''[[Doctor Who (1996)|Doctor Who]]''. This is only the third time that all of the credits were male (the first being [[TV]]: ''[[Time Crash]]'' and the second being [[TV]]: ''[[The Next Doctor]]''), discounting ''[[Attack of the Graske (video game)|Attack of the Graske]]'' and ''[[Music of the Spheres]]'', in which David Tennant is credited alone.
* There is no traditional celebrity cameo in the story. Instead, a stand-in, [[Roger Haynes]], plays US President [[Barack Obama]] and stock audio from a speech of his is dubbed in. This is the first time in the revived series that the real world US presidency has coincided with that featured in the Whoniverse.
* Despite this being David Tennant's last regular ''Doctor Who'' story, he filmed scenes for [[TV]]:''[[The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith]]'', after the production of this story; in the Doctor's personal timeline, the events of that story occur before ''The End of Time''.
* The opening credits list [[David Tennant]], [[John Simm]] and [[Bernard Cribbins]]. Simm is the second person to be credited in the opening credits for playing a villain. The first was [[Eric Roberts]], who also played the Master, in [[TV]]: ''[[Doctor Who (TV story)|Doctor Who]]''. This is only the third time that all of the credits were male, the first being [[TV]]: ''[[Time Crash (TV story)|Time Crash]]'' and the second being [[TV]]: ''[[The Next Doctor (TV story)|The Next Doctor]]'', discounting ''[[Attack of the Graske (video game)|Attack of the Graske]]'' and ''[[Music of the Spheres (TV story)|Music of the Spheres]]'', in which David Tennant is credited alone. The next time this would happen with more than one credited actor in the opening credits would be [[TV]]: ''[[The Return of Doctor Mysterio (TV story)|The Return of Doctor Mysterio]]'', which credits [[Peter Capaldi]] and [[Matt Lucas]].
* In the ''[[Doctor Who Confidential]]'' for this episode, and the ones for the other 2009 specials, the TARDIS in the opening titles bears the St. John's Ambulance badge, a nod to the Eleventh Doctor.
* Despite this being [[David Tennant]]'s last regular ''Doctor Who'' story as the Tenth Doctor, he filmed scenes for [[TV]]: ''[[The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith (TV story)|The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith]]'' after the production of this story; in the Tenth Doctor's personal timeline, the events of that story occur before ''The End of Time''.
* In the ''[[Doctor Who Confidential]]'' for this episode and the ones for the other 2009 specials, the TARDIS in the opening titles bears the [[St John's Ambulance|St. John's Ambulance]] badge, a nod to the Eleventh Doctor's upcoming model.
* The continuity announcement before part 2 was voiced by the Tenth Doctor, and was the last time that the Christmas ident featuring him was used.
* The continuity announcement before part 2 was voiced by the Tenth Doctor, and was the last time that the Christmas ident featuring him was used.
* [[Russell T Davies]] confirmed in the commentary for part 2 that the scene where Captain Jack is in an alien bar is in a city named Zaggit-Zagoo on the planet [[Zog (planet)|Zog]]. The scene, a tribute to the famous Cantina Bar scene in ''Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope'', features cameo appearances by many alien species featured during the Davies era, plus the return of [[Alonso Frame]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Voyage of the Damned]]'') and also features the song "[[My Angel Put the Devil in Me]]", last heard in [[TV]]: ''[[Daleks in Manhattan]].''
* [[Russell T Davies]] confirmed in the commentary for part 2 that the scene where Captain Jack is in an alien bar is in a city named Zaggit-Zagoo on the planet [[Zog (planet)|Zog]]. This is an in-joke referencing one of Davies' statements regarding his approach to the series that "no-one cares about Zogs attacking Zogs on the planet Zog". The scene, a tribute to the famous Cantina Bar scene in ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'', features cameo appearances by many alien species featured during the Davies era, plus the return of [[Alonso Frame]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Voyage of the Damned (TV story)|Voyage of the Damned]]'') and also features the song "[[My Angel Put the Devil in Me]]", last heard in [[TV]]: ''[[Daleks in Manhattan (TV story)|Daleks in Manhattan]]''.
* Russell T Davies has said in an interview that the Tenth Doctor's death had been planned out since David Tennant was signed on for the role. Davies also heavily implied had Tennant not been cast, the Tenth Doctor would have died a different way.
* [[Russell T Davies]] has said in an interview that the Tenth Doctor's death had been planned out since [[David Tennant]] was signed on for the role. Davies also heavily implied had Tennant not been cast, the Tenth Doctor would have died a different way.
* During the ''[[Doctor Who Confidential]]'' episode for part two, Davies stated that the name of the Vinvocci's ship was '''The Hesperus'.''
* The Master redeems himself by sacrificing himself and saving the Doctor. According to historical accounts of the production of the classic series, this idea dates back to the [[The Final Game (TV story)|original concept]] for [[Jon Pertwee]]'s final story as the [[Third Doctor]], which would have seen [[Roger Delgado]]'s Master redeem himself in a similar fashion, also causing the Doctor's regeneration; with Delgado's tragic death aborting this idea.
* The Master redeems himself by sacrificing himself and saving the Doctor. According to historical accounts of the production of the classic series, this idea dates back to the original concept for [[Jon Pertwee]]'s final story as the [[Third Doctor]], which would have seen [[Roger Delgado]]'s Master redeem himself in a similar fashion; Delgado's death aborted this idea.
* In an early draft of the script, [[Russell T Davies]] had the Doctor address the "half-human" statement the [[Eighth Doctor]] made in the [[Doctor Who (TV story)|1996 TV movie]], dismissing it as "a forty-eight-hour bug". The line was cut by Davies for several stated reasons, including the fact it would have confused viewers who were only familiar with the events of [[TV]]: ''[[Human Nature (TV story)|Human Nature]]''. ([[REF]]: ''[[The Writer's Tale - The Final Chapter]]'')
* Davies originally considered having the Time Lords in an alliance with the [[Dalek]]s, but after consulting with [[Steven Moffat]] and correspondent [[Benjamin Cook]], eliminated this plot thread. ([[REF]]: ''[[Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale|Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale - The Final Chapter]]'').
* During the chaotic sequence after the regeneration, the Eleventh Doctor is shown spitting, an act that raised some eyebrows. In addressing this during a publicity event for the launch of Series 5, Smith explained that it was his natural reaction to all the debris raining down on him during the filming, while [[Steven Moffat]] indicated that [[Russell T Davies]] chose to leave it in.<ref>[http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/290679 Long-awaited Doctor Who lands on American TV screens tonight], Digital Journal, 17 April 2010; accessed 17 April 2010</ref>
* ''The End of Time'' was not the only finale considered. In another, the Tenth Doctor was going to bow out in a one-parter, saving a family of four aliens from a radiation leak.<ref name="20things" />
* [[Russell T Davies]] claimed that [[Omega]] was originally going to appear instead of Rassilon, but the idea was dropped.
* In an early draft of the script, Davies had the Doctor address the "half-human" statement the [[Eighth Doctor]] made in the [[Doctor Who (1996)|1996 TV movie]], dismissing it as "a forty-eight-hour bug". The line was cut by Davies for several stated reasons, including the fact it would have confused viewers who were only familiar with the events of [[TV]]: ''[[Human Nature (TV story)|Human Nature]]''. ([[REF]]: ''[[Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale|Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale - The Final Chapter]]'')
* Joshua Naismith mentions that the Gate was found buried at the foot of Mt. Snowdon by [[Torchwood Institute|Torchwood]]. In [[TV]]: ''[[Doomsday (TV story)|Doomsday]]'', [[Yvonne Hartman]] states that the gravity clamps were found buried in the same place. Presumably, this means the gravity clamps are of Vinvocci origin. Also, in ''[[Death of the Doctor (TV story)|Death of the Doctor]]'', [[UNIT]] has a base at Mt. Snowdon.
* During the chaotic sequence after the regeneration, the Eleventh Doctor is shown spitting, an act that raised some eyebrows. In addressing this during a publicity event for the launch of Series 5, Smith explained that it was his natural reaction to all the debris raining down on him during the filming, while [[Steven Moffat]] indicated that Davies chose to leave it in.<ref>[http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/290679 Long-awaited Doctor Who lands on American TV screens tonight], Digital Journal, 17 April 2010; accessed 17 April 2010</ref>
* [[Jessica Hynes]]'s scene as [[Verity Newman]] was the first scene of this episode to be filmed (the scene was brought forward to accommodate Hynes' schedule, as she had just been cast in ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Norman_Conquests The Norman Conquests]'' on [[Broadway]]). If Hynes hadn't been available, her cameo would have been replaced with an appearance from [[Elton Pope]] and [[Ursula Blake]].
* Russell T. Davies claimed that [[Omega]] was originally going to appear instead of Rassilon, but the idea was dropped.
* Part 2 was the only Tenth Doctor era episode to premiere in 2010.
* Joshua Naismith mentions that the Gate was found buried at the foot of Mt. Snowdon by Torchwood. In [[TV]]: ''[[Doomsday]]'', Yvonne Hartman states that the gravity clamps were found buried in the same place. Presumably, this means the gravity clamps are of Vinvocci origin. However, in ''[[Death of the Doctor]]'', [[UNIT]] has a base at Mt. Snowdon, which could also imply that whoever the clamps belonged to, UNIT buried them.
* The scene where Luke is saved is part of an in-joke, according to [[Russell T Davies]]; in the first series of ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'', none of the children characters looked where they were going whilst crossing the road.
* Before the Doctor regenerates and the TARDIS flies away from Earth, the words "God save the TARDIS" and "God save our saviour" can be heard in the choir that sing in the background.
* Martha, a Jones, has now married Mickey, a Smith — a reference to her first episode, [[TV]]: ''[[Smith and Jones (TV story)|Smith and Jones]]''. This was highlighted in episode commentary.
* [[Jessica Hynes]]'s scene as [[Verity Newman]] was the first scene of this episode to be filmed (the scene was brought forward to accomodate Hynes's schedule, as she had just been cast in a Broadway play).
* The name of [[Jessica Hynes]]' character, Verity Newman, is a reference to [[Verity Lambert]] and [[Sydney Newman]]. This is the second time the revived series has honoured the two people who are considered among the primary creators of ''Doctor Who. ''In [[TV]]: ''[[Human Nature (TV story)|Human Nature]]'', the Doctor in his human guise says his parents were named Verity and Sydney. In this episode, Hynes plays a descendant of [[Joan Redfern (TV character)|Joan Redfern]], the major character she portrayed in ''Human Nature''.
* Part 2 was the only David Tennant era episode to premiere in 2010.
* While the rest of the story was entirely written by [[Russell T Davies]], [[Matt Smith]]'s scene was written by [[Steven Moffat]].
* The scene where Luke is saved is part of an in-joke, according to Davies; in the first series of ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'' none of the children characters looked where they are going while crossing the road.
* Four takes of the Tenth Doctor's final line ("I don't want to go") were filmed, with [[David Tennant]] upping the emotion for each one. The third one was the take chosen. The fourth take featured the Tenth Doctor breaking down tearfully; however, Tennant and the editors felt that this was too out of character and that he should show bravery as he faced regeneration.
* Martha, a Jones, has now married Mickey, a Smith - a reference to her first episode, [[TV]]: ''[[Smith and Jones]]''. This was highlighted in episode commentary.
* Donna's neighbour who appeared throughout [[Series 4 (Doctor Who 2005)|Series 4]] is finally given a name in part one: [[Sally (The Sontaran Stratagem)|Sally]].
* The name of Jessica Hynes' character, Verity Newman, is a reference to [[Verity Lambert]] and [[Sydney Newman]]. This is the second time the revived series has honoured the two people who are considered among the primary creators of ''Doctor Who. ''In [[TV]]: ''[[Human Nature (TV story)|Human Nature]]'' the Doctor, in his human guise, says his parents were named Verity and Sydney. In this episode, Hynes plays a descendant of [[Joan Redfern (TV character)|Joan Redfern]], a character featured in ''Human Nature.''
* Early on in the bar scene, a creature somewhat resembling a [[Silurian]] is present, although it does not have a third eye. It is unlikely that this is actually intended to be a Silurian due to the physical difference, and as there had been no indication previously of Silurians engaging in inter-stellar travel. Also in the bar scene, another white furred alien appears that is reminiscent of Muftak, a character who appeared in the cantina scene in ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars: A New Hope]]''.
* While the story was entirely written by Russell T. Davies, Matt Smith's scenes were written by Steven Moffat.
* The Master reminisces about how "we", presumed to be himself and the Doctor, used to run through fields of red grass on his father's estates, shouting up at the sky. This is the first reference to the Master's family, as well as presumably a reference to the fact the Doctor and the Master were once friends, previously confirmed in other stories. The fact the Master refers to "my father's estates", and not "''our'' father's estates", can be seen as further implying that the Doctor and the Master are not brothers, as has often been speculated. The Doctor previously seemed to dismiss that speculation in [[TV]]: ''[[The Sound of Drums (TV story)|The Sound of Drums]]''.
* Four takes of the Tenth Doctor's final line ("I don't want to go") were filmed, with Tennant upping the emotion for each one. The third one was the take chosen.
* During his resurrection, the Master tells Lucy, "You will obey me!" This was a frequent catchphrase used during his previous and subsequent incarnations, particularly the one played by [[Roger Delgado]].
* Since [[the Drumming|the drumming]] in the Master's head has served its purpose, it's possible he is no longer tormented by it. His next incarnation, [[Missy]], shows no signs of being haunted by the drumming, nor does he in [[World Enough and Time (TV story)|his next appearance]]. However, in [[The Doctor Falls (TV story)|the following episode]], the Doctor mentions the Time Lords curing his decaying body, although it is unclear if the drumming was also cured.
* Part of Rassilon's narrations begin with the phrase "And so it came to pass ..."; [[TV]]: ''[[The Sound of Drums (TV story)|The Sound of Drums]]'' ended with a similar narration, albeit given by the Master instead.
* [[Murray Gold]] said that the pivotal scene featuring the Tenth Doctor's final meeting with Rose Tyler did not feature the [[incidental music]] he intended for the moment. He wished to use the music piece "Song For Ten (Reprise)", a melancholy version of the original "[[Song for Ten|Song For Ten]]". However, he argued with [[Julie Gardner]] to include this piece and lost, resulting in the use of "Rose's Theme" for the last time during the Tenth Doctor's tenure, whilst the reprise was moved up to the scene where the Tenth Doctor returned Wilf to Chiswick and embarked on his final reward.
* With regards to total runtime and not episode count, this is the second longest regeneration story, behind ''[[The War Games (TV story)|The War Games]]'' and ahead of ''[[Planet of the Spiders (TV story)|Planet of the Spiders]]''.
* [[Russell T Davies]] originally wanted to have the Doctor and the Master swap bodies. However, Davies wasn't keen to spend time during [[David Tennant]]'s final story as the Tenth Doctor with the actor playing anybody other than the Doctor, and was also mindful that he had used a similar notion in ''[[New Earth (TV story)|New Earth]]''.
* Donna was originally supposed to appear only in the epilogue, giving the Doctor a chance to see that she was enjoying a good life despite losing all memory of her time with him.
* [[Patrick Stewart]] was offered the role of Rassilon.
* Abigail Naismith was originally named Alice.
* There was originally a scene where the Doctor actually met [[Trinity Wells]] at the ruins of HMP Broadfell. [[Russell T Davies]] was eager to give [[Lachele Carl]] a proper appearance in the series, but ultimately dismissed the sequence as too self-indulgent.
* Originally, much of the Vinvocci's faces retained their natural human skin tones, but it was now decided that they should be completely green; sequences featuring the aliens which had already been recorded would be computer-tinted to match the revised look.
* One prominent element dropped from the script was a subplot in which the Doctor tries to convince the "Danes-Master" (that is, the copy of the Master who had been Danes, the Naismiths' butler) to rebel against the evil Time Lord.
* The two Raxacoricofallapatorians at the bar are the new Slitheen costumes created for ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'' rather than the old ones from season one. Notably, this was filmed before but broadcast after ''[[The Gift (TV story)|The Gift]],'' where the Slitheen costumes were painted orange to serve as Blathereen.
* [[Bernard Cribbins]] served in the army during [[World War II]] and he never killed a man during his service. He insisted that Wilfred not only have the same lack of kills in his past, but also share in his pride for never taking another life.
* It was [[John Simm]]'s idea for the Master to have blond hair.
* [[David Tennant]] and [[Timothy Dalton]] had each other's theme songs as their ringtones - Tennant had the [[James Bond]] theme and Dalton had the ''Doctor Who'' theme.
* The Vinvocci were originally named Shanshay and Shanshay - the pronunciation of the two names being so subtly different that Wilf is unable to discern it (although the Doctor can).
* [[Catherine Tate]] filmed her role in five days.
* The Doctor's confrontation with the Master originally took place in a desert. This setting was used for ''[[Planet of the Dead (TV story)|Planet of the Dead]]''.
* [[Timothy Dalton]] and [[Billie Piper]] would later co-star in ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penny_Dreadful_(TV_series) Penny Dreadful]''.
* The female Time Lord was intended to be the Doctor's mother.
* [[Euros Lyn]] wanted to remove the scene where the Doctor visits Verity Newman, thinking it would be confusing for anyone who had missed the connection she has to the Doctor, but [[Russell T Davies]] insisted on keeping the scene in the final cut.
* The TARDIS console room exploding was done in one take because of the coral pillars being really expensive to redo, so multiple takes was not on the cards.
* [[Russell Tovey]] and [[Sinead Keenan]] both appeared in ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Being_Human_(British_TV_series) Being Human]'' as [[Werewolf|werewolves]].
* The [[Eleventh Doctor]] was originally expected to have just a line. [[Steven Moffat]] took the opportunity to write a short monologue.
* While paying tribute to [[Bernard Cribbins]] in [[2022]], [[John Simm]] recalled that he had difficulty filming the scenes where the Master is mean to Wilf. After a take, Cribbins would say to Simm, "Ooh, you 'orrible sod".
* The original idea for the Tenth Doctor's exit  would have seen the TARDIS materialise on board a spacecraft carrying an alien family; the Doctor would sacrifice his life to prevent a radiation leak and save these ordinary, seemingly unimportant beings. Although [[Russell T Davies]] liked the notion of the Tenth Doctor's regeneration taking place in such unremarkable circumstances, as opposed to the blockbuster events that had characterised each of his season finales, he was concerned that viewers would be deflated by the anticlimax. He also felt that such a simple idea could not support two hours of television. He retained only the prologue and epilogue.
* [[John Simm]] turned down a role in a stage play he had been considering in order to reprise his role as the Master.
* [[Russell T Davies]] had Wilf travel in the TARDIS because [[Bernard Cribbins]] lamented that he hadn't done so yet.
* Wilfred's gang of pensioners forming a neighbourhood watch was originally meant for ''[[Partners in Crime (TV story)|Partners in Crime]].''
* [[Russell T Davies]] had originally intended for the Tenth Doctor to sacrifice himself for a complete stranger, a technician named Keith. He realised that it should, in fact, be Wilfred, as it would be the ultimate explanation for the string of coincidences which had always surrounded the two characters.
* The Master's original plan was to trap Earth in the Time War in place of Gallifrey. [[Russell T Davies]] ultimately disliked this idea and considered abandoning the Gallifrey plot altogether.
* If any of the era's companion actor's hadn't been available, the epilogue would have been truncated to just Rose and Donna.
* Rose's cameo is set in 2005 just before the events of ''[[Rose (TV story)|Rose]],'' because [[Russell T Davies]] and [[Julie Gardner]] didn't want to revisit the parallel Earth where she now lived, given that her story had been drawn to a close in ''[[Journey's End (TV story)|Journey's End]]''.
* [[Russell T Davies]] had previously used the surname Naismith for one of the families at the heart of his 1993 serial ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Century_Falls Century Falls]''.
* In developing the benevolent aliens whose race created the Immortality Gate, [[Russell T Davies]] was reminded of his fondness for [[Bannakaffalatta]] in ''[[Voyage of the Damned (TV story)|Voyage of the Damned]].''
* [[Russell T Davies]] originally considered having the Time Lords in an alliance with the [[Dalek|Daleks]] to show how they had been corrupted. However, [[Steven Moffat]] was also planning to bring back the Daleks and expressed his preference for ''[[Victory of the Daleks (TV story)|Victory of the Daleks]]'' to be the first Dalek story in a while. Keen not to undermine his successor's first season, Davies abandoned the notion.
* The concluding episode gave [[Russell T Davies]] the opportunity to include some ideas that he had intended to use in earlier stories: the dogfight involving the ''Hesperus'' drew from some of his original plans for ''[[Planet of the Dead (TV story)|Planet of the Dead]]'' and Captain Jack Harkness' scene reinstated two abandoned notions for ''[[The Stolen Earth (TV story)|The Stolen Earth]]'': a scene featuring a cavalcade of  monsters and the return of [[Alonso Frame]].
* Martha and Mickey's cameo was carefully scheduled around [[Freema Agyeman]]'s commitments to ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_%26_Order:_UK Law & Order: UK]''.
* The Sontaran was called Commander Jask in the script.
* It was while filming the Doctor's pursuit of the Master through the wasteland that the BBC formally announced that [[Beth Willis]] and [[Peter Bennett]] would be joining the new production team.
* Wilfred's revolver was the same one previously used by Captain Jack.
* To play the transmogrified versions of President Barack Obama and all of the journalists, [[John Simm]] was required to endure more than thirty costume changes.
* A [[Vespiform]] originally appeared in the space bar, but it was omitted.
* The regeneration scene was the first shot that [[Matt Smith]] filmed as the Doctor. Before he did so, [[David Tennant]], [[Russell T Davies]] and [[Julie Gardner]] all exited the studio and gave way to [[Steven Moffat]] and [[Piers Wenger]], symbolically passing the torch to the new team.
* The last material that [[David Tennant]] filmed for this story was wire work for the Doctor's jump from the ''Hesperus''.
* Due to the special effects used to simulate the violent nature of the Tenth Doctor's regeneration, the glass central pillar in the middle of the TARDIS console was damaged so badly it had to be rebuilt prior to the recording of the next series. It was made by Bristol Blue Glass based in Brislington.
* When asked about the emotional impact of writing his last ''Doctor Who'' script (prior to his return in 2023), [[Russell T Davies]] said, "I would have thought that when I handed in the last script I might have burst into tears or got drunk or partied with 20 naked men, but when these great moments happen you find that real life just carries on. The emotion goes into the scripts." [[David Tennant]] and [[Julie Gardner]] separately said that they cried when they read the script.
* [[Freema Agyeman]] and [[Russell Tovey]] had previously appeared in ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Dorrit_(TV_series) Little Dorrit].''
* Although a matter of fan speculation for years, fuelled by occasional comments by individuals such as [[Tom Baker]], the Eleventh Doctor briefly wondering if he has regenerated into a woman marked the first time on screen that this was acknowledged as a possible outcome of regeneration.


=== Ratings ===
=== Ratings ===
* Part 1 - 11.57 Million - According to BARB.
* Part 1 - 11.57 million - According to BARB.
* Part 2 - 12.27 million - According to BARB.
* Part 2 - 12.27 million - According to BARB.
* Part 1 - 12.04 million - UK final.<ref>[http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2018/01/twice-upon-time-official-rating.html Ratings - DW News]</ref>
* In America, three broadcasts of Part 2 garnered a combined total of 1.42 million viewers, a record for [[BBC America]].<ref>http://gallifreynewsbase.blogspot.com/2010/01/another-record-for-bbc-america.html</ref>
* In America, three broadcasts of Part 2 garnered a combined total of 1.42 million viewers, a record for [[BBC America]].<ref>http://gallifreynewsbase.blogspot.com/2010/01/another-record-for-bbc-america.html</ref>


=== Filming locations ===
=== Filming locations ===
* Tredegar House, Newport. <ref>http://www.doctorwholocations.net/locations/tredegarhouse</ref>
* Tredegar House, [[Newport]] - [[Joshua Naismith|Naismith]] residence
* CEMEX's [[Taffs Well]] [[quarry]] - the [[Ood Sphere]]
* [[Wookey Hole Caves]], Wells, [[Somerset]] - [[Ood]] council
* Blackwells Bookshop, [[Cardiff University]] - book signing
* [[Brandon Estate]], [[London]] - the [[Powell Estate]]


=== Production errors ===
=== Production errors ===
{{discontinuity}}
{{discontinuity}}
[[File:Vinvocci original.png|thumb|right|The [[Vinvocci]] makeup design as originally filmed, and post-recolouring. ([[CON]]: ''[[Lords and Masters]]''/[[TV]]: ''The End of Time'')]]
[[File:Vinvocci original.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Vinvocci]] makeup design as originally filmed, and post-recolouring. ([[CON]]: ''[[Lords and Masters (CON episode)|Lords and Masters]]''/[[TV]]: ''The End of Time'')]]
* On the wide shot of The Master's Resurrection it can marginally be seen that Lucy Saxon is kneeling on what appears to be knee support pads.
* On the wide shot of the Master's resurrection, it can marginally be seen that Lucy Saxon is kneeling on what appears to be knee support pads.
* After principal photography had wrapped, the production team decided to change the [[Vinvocci]]'s appearence. They had originally envisaged that the race would only be partially green. The only solution was to digitally composite a more complete green, and this necessitated frame-by-frame colouring of the Vinvocci scenes. At some points in the episodes this is noticable, for example when [[Rossiter]] is climbing into the mining laser pod while the Vinvocci ship is under fire from the missiles.
* After principal photography had wrapped, the production team decided to change the [[Vinvocci]]'s appearance. They had originally envisaged that the race would only be partially green. The only solution was to digitally composite a more complete green, and this necessitated frame-by-frame colouring of the Vinvocci scenes. At some points in the episodes this is noticeable, for example when [[Rossiter]] is climbing into the mining laser pod while the Vinvocci ship is under fire from the missiles.
* The security camera footage viewed by Joshua Naismith on his laptop is the same as the footage used in the episode [[TV]]: ''[[Rose (TV story)|Rose]]'' on the news bulletin showing the destruction of the [[Henrik's]] Department Store.
** Also, when the Vincocci are in their control room hearing the Master's broadcast about finding the White-Point Star, it can be seen that the production team neglected to recolour that particular scene, as it can be seen (albeit with difficulty, since the Vinvocci are in the shadows) that their faces are not green.
* When the Doctor hides the TARDIS it doesnt fade out completely at the top; you can see it still a little bit on the wooden background of the ceiling.
* During the first time where Wilf is in the glass cabinet, in the close up his phone is to his head, yet in the long shots both his hands are against the glass.
* During the first time where Wilf is in the glass cabinet, in the close up his phone is to his head, yet in the long shots both his hands are against the glass.
* When the Doctor goes to get ''A Journal of Impossible Things'' signed, Jessica Hynes is quite plainly hovering her pen just above the page and not writing in it.
* When the Doctor goes to get ''A Journal of Impossible Things'' signed, Jessica Hynes is quite plainly hovering her pen just above the page and not writing in it.
* When Rose goes into the block of flats after speaking to the Doctor, a "No Smoking" sign can be seen. This scene is set in 2005 and these signs weren't used until the smoking ban in England was introduced in 2007.
* When the Doctor arrives at Donna's wedding, the gates he stands behind are closed, but when Wilf and Sylvia approach him, one is open. Also, when Sylvia looks at him, the TARDIS is closer to the Doctor than when they approach him.
* When the Doctor arrives at Donna's wedding, the gates he stands behind are closed, but when Wilf and Sylvia approach him, one is open. Also, when Sylvia looks at him, the TARDIS is closer to the Doctor than when they approach him.
* The Nuclear Bolt control room switches sides of the Naismith's main hall at various points in part 2: It starts off on the right side in part 1, and stays that way until the Master reveals his true intentions to rescuing the Time Lords to Rassilon. The next shot (when all the Masters look smugly at Rassilon) shows the Bolt on the left hand side. It later swaps back to its original position. This seems to suggest the post-production crew 'flipped' the shot, which was unnecessary.
* The Nuclear Bolt control room switches sides of the Naismith's main hall at various points in part 2: It starts off on the right side in part 1, and stays that way until the Master reveals his true intentions of rescuing the Time Lords to Rassilon. The next shot, when all the Masters look smugly at Rassilon shows the Bolt on the left hand side. It later swaps back to its original position. This seems to suggest the post-production crew unnecessarily "flipped" the shot.
* Similarly, the occupants changed sides within the Bolt room. Two Masters (Yellow shirt and purple shirt) did a change-around, with the purple-shirted Master taking the place of the yellow-shirted one. The first time this happens, the purple-shirted Master is on the left-hand side, and the yellow-shirted Master on the right. In the aforementioned shot (of the Masters looking smugly at Rassilon, when the Bolt swaps sides the first time), the purple-shirted Master is now on the right-hand side of the Bolt (which would be explained by a reflection of the shot). When the Bolt swaps back to its original side, the purple-shirted occupant is once again on the right-hand side (which would not be explained by a reflection of the shot), rather than the left-hand side (which Wilf then occupies).
* Similarly, the occupants changed sides within the Bolt room. Two Masters (yellow shirt and purple shirt) did a change-around, with the purple-shirted Master taking the place of the yellow-shirted one. The first time this happens, the purple-shirted Master is on the left-hand side, and the yellow-shirted Master on the right. In the aforementioned shot of the Masters looking smugly at Rassilon, when the Bolt swaps sides the first time, the purple-shirted Master is now on the right-hand side of the Bolt, which would be explained by a reflection of the shot. When the Bolt swaps back to its original side, the purple-shirted occupant is once again on the right-hand side, which would not be explained by a reflection of the shot, rather than the left-hand side, which Wilf then occupies. Furthermore, when the Master starts the nuclear bolt, the left-hand booth is occupied but when Wilf arrives and rescues the booth's occupant, it is the right-hand booth with a man in it, leaving Wilf trapped on the left side.
* When the Doctor is aiming Wilf's gun at the Master and Rassilon, the trigger of the gun has already been pulled in and it should've fired.
* When the Doctor drops Wilf's gun after falling through the roof, it falls facing towards him and close to his hand. After the camera briefly pans to Rassilon, the gun is further away from the Doctor's hand and pointed towards the Time Lords.
* During the regeneration scene, the Tenth Doctor stands on the door side of the console, but when the Eleventh Doctor turns around, the handbrake lever can be seen, which is at the other side of the console.
* When the Doctor points Wilf's gun at Rassilon it is in his right hand, but when he turns to point it at the Master, it is immediately in his left hand.
* After the Doctor knocks [[Jask]] out, the latter's body disappears.
* When the Doctor is aiming Wilf's gun at the Master and Rassilon, the trigger of the gun has already been pulled in and it should have fired. This is incorrectly reported as an error. Wilf's revolver was being used in 'single-action' mode, in which the hammer has been moved into the rearward position, which also moves the trigger rearward to a firing position. In 'double-action' mode, the hammer starts in the lowered position, and the trigger is forward; in this mode, pulling the trigger moves the hammer into firing position, causes the cylinder holding the bullets to revolve into place, and eventually causes the gun to fire.
* American newsreader [[Trinity Wells]] pronounces [[Barack Obama|"Barack"]] in the British manner, a pronunciation not in general use in the United States.
* After the Doctor knocks [[Jask (The End of Time)|Jask]] out, the latter's body disappears in subsequent shots.
* The Doctor's suit shows no sign of damage after he drops Wilf off for the last time, and his tie is also different. Assuming this is not a continuity error, he stopped to change clothes even though he was dying. His successor would later do the same in [[TV]]: ''[[Let's Kill Hitler]]''.
* The Doctor's jacket is tattered before he enters the nuclear chamber to let Wilfred out. However, as he returns Wilf home before setting off to get his Reward, the jacket appears undamaged. ''The Doctor may have spares of his jacket and changed into another one. (A change of clothes is further implied by the fact that the Doctor's tie is different when he returns Wilf home.)''
* The Master states that the Vinvocci ship is 105,000 miles above the Earth. That is almost half the distance to the moon, yet when Wilf is observing the Earth from the ship, they are a lot closer.
* During the Time Lord council scene, Rassilon's collar isn't in the middle and sits to one side.
* During the Captain Jack scene, a Sycorax that walks behind him only has one red eye.


== Continuity ==
== Continuity ==
* The fall of Torchwood is mentioned. ([[TV]]: ''[[Army of Ghosts]]''/''[[Doomsday]]'', [[TV]]: ''[[Children of Earth]]'')
* The Doctor recalls seeing the [[Phosphorous Carousel of the Great Magellan Gestalt]], ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Out of Time (audio story)|Out of Time]]'') saving a planet from the [[Circle of Transcendence|Red Carnivorous Maw]], ([[COMIC]]: ''[[The Good Companion (comic story)|The Good Companion]]'') naming a galaxy [[Alison (galaxy)|Alison]] ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Shattered Hourglass (audio story)|The Shattered Hourglass]]'') and marrying [[Queen Elizabeth I]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Day of the Doctor (TV story)|The Day of the Doctor]]'')
* The Master returns, and there are flashbacks to the events of [[TV]]: ''[[The Sound of Drums]]'' and ''[[Last of the Time Lords]]''.
* The Tenth Doctor previously visited Christmas Day 2009 with [[Heather McCrimmon]]. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[A Merry Little Christmas (comic story)|A Merry Little Christmas]]'')
* The Immortality Gate was previously referenced in [[TV]]: ''[[The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith]]'', as "the Gate" which [[the Trickster]] indicated was waiting for the Doctor.
* The fall of Torchwood is mentioned. ([[TV]]: ''[[Army of Ghosts (TV story)|Army of Ghosts]]''/''[[Doomsday (TV story)|Doomsday]]'', ''[[Series 3 (Torchwood)|Children of Earth]]'')
* When Donna remembers the Doctor several things from her time with him appear. Included are the [[Empress of the Racnoss]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Runaway Bride]]'') the [[Adipose]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Partners in Crime]]'') the [[Ood]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Planet of the Ood]]'') the [[Suit Creature]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Silence in the Library]]'' / ''[[Forest of the Dead]]'') the [[Vespiform]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Unicorn and the Wasp]]'') [[Sontaran]]s, ([[TV]]: ''[[The Sontaran Stratagem]]''/''[[The Poison Sky]]'') a [[Pyrovile]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Fires of Pompeii]]'') and [[Dalek Caan]], [[Davros]] and the [[Supreme Dalek]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Stolen Earth]]''/''[[Journey's End]]'') The [[Judoon]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Stolen Earth]]'') can also be heard in her memories.
* The Doctor tells the Ood of his last encounter with the Master. The Ood knew, though the Doctor did not, that the Master somehow survived at that time through his ring. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Sound of Drums (TV story)|The Sound of Drums]]'', ''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]]'')
* [[Alonso Frame]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Voyage of the Damned]]'') sits down in an alien bar next to [[Jack Harkness]], who appears depressed following his loss of [[Ianto Jones]] and his grandson. ([[TV]]: ''[[Children of Earth]]''). The Doctor sends Jack a note with Alonso's name, preventing Jack from using his usual pickup line when he meets people he is flirts with ("''I'm Captain Jack Harkness and who are you?''").  The Doctor encourages Jack to flirt with Alonso before saluting him and walking away.  Both are actions the Doctor has admonished Jack for in the past.
* The Doctor's reluctance to regenerate can be linked with the fact that he only has one left to use (although this is never brought up in the episode, obviously partly due to the [[War Doctor]] not having been conceived at this point), though he would later be given a new regeneration cycle by the Time Lords. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Time of the Doctor (TV story)|The Time of the Doctor]]'')
* The Doctor mentions [[Joan Redfern (TV character)|Joan Redfern]] to her great-granddaughter Verity, asking if she was happy after "[[John Smith (Tenth Doctor)|John Smith]]" had gone, referencing the events of [[TV]]: ''[[Human Nature (TV story)|Human Nature]]'' / ''[[The Family of Blood]].''
* The Doctor holds off his regeneration, much like the [[Fifth Doctor|Fifth]] and [[Ninth Doctor]]s before him. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Caves of Androzani (TV story)|The Caves of Androzani]]'', ''[[The Parting of the Ways (TV story)|The Parting of the Ways]]'') However, while the Fifth Doctor did so to save [[Peri Brown]], the Ninth Doctor only did so briefly to explain the process to [[Rose Tyler]], and the Tenth Doctor does so to say goodbye to all of his companions.
* The song ''[[My Angel Put the Devil in Me]]'' is playing in the alien bar. It was first heard in [[TV]]: ''[[Daleks in Manhattan]]''.
* The Tenth Doctor's upset at regenerating, and growing attached to being this specific incarnation, is later tied to him having "vanity issues". ([[TV]]: ''[[The Time of the Doctor (TV story)|The Time of the Doctor]]'') The [[Twelfth Doctor]] would later echo the sentiment, purposefully halting his body's numerous attempts at regenerating in defiance of constantly changing who he is. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Doctor Falls (TV story)|The Doctor Falls]]'')
* The circumstances of the Tenth Doctor's regeneration echo that of the [[Ninth Doctor]] - absorbing a massive amount of energy into his body in order to save the life of another. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Parting of the Ways]]'')
* Ood Sigma tells the dying Tenth Doctor that "[His] story never ends." The Eleventh Doctor would later tell an earlier version of the Tenth that "the story ends" on Trenzalore. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Day of the Doctor (TV story)|The Day of the Doctor]]'') However, the Eleventh would later be given a new cycle of regenerations, allowing him to survive the events of Trenzalore, ([[TV]]: ''[[The Time of the Doctor (TV story)|The Time of the Doctor]]'') and allowing his story to continue. Ood Sigma's comment that "The story never ends" indicates that the Ood's new power to see through time may have allowed him a vision of the Doctor's victory in the [[Siege of Trenzalore]].
* The Doctor previously was forced to regenerate due to suffering near-lethal radiation poisoning. ([[TV]]: ''[[Planet of the Spiders]]'')
* The Immortality Gate was previously referenced by [[the Trickster]] as "the Gate" which was waiting for the Doctor. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith (TV story)|The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith]]'')
* Donna's neighbour who appeared throughout [[Series 4 (Doctor Who)|Series 4]] is finally given a name in part one, Sally.
* Donna begins to remember several of her adventures with the Doctor:
* [[Nerys]] previously appeared in [[TV]]: ''[[The Runaway Bride (TV story)|The Runaway Bride]]''.
** the [[Judoon]], (audio only - [[TV]]: ''[[The Stolen Earth (TV story)|The Stolen Earth]]'', [[AUDIO]]: ''[[One Mile Down (audio story)|One Mile Down]]'')
* The notion of Gallifrey being moved due to Time Lord action from the constellation of Kasterborous to Earth's solar system isn't the first time the Time Lords have shown the ability to relocate an entire planet. In [[TV]]: ''[[The Trial of a Time Lord]]'', the planet [[Ravolox]] is revealed to be Earth, relocated to another part of the universe by the Time Lords. And [[TV]]: ''[[Journey's End]]'' revealed that (with a little assist), a single TARDIS is powerful enough to move the Earth.
** the [[Empress of the Racnoss (The Runaway Bride)|Empress of the Racnoss]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Runaway Bride (TV story)|The Runaway Bride]]'')
* The Doctor knocks out a Sontaran using the exact same method used by Donna in [[TV]]: ''[[The Poison Sky]].''
** the [[Adipose]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Partners in Crime (TV story)|Partners in Crime]]'')
* The Doctor states that he is 906 years old, implying that three years had past in his personal timeline since [[TV]]: ''[[Voyage of the Damned]]''. This also suggests that he may have been 903/4 while with Donna and that ''[[Planet of the Dead (TV story)|Planet of the Dead]], [[The Waters of Mars]], [[Dreamland (TV story)|Dreamland]], [[The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith]]'' and ''The End of Time'' took place over the course of two or three years for the Doctor.
** the [[Ood]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Planet of the Ood (TV story)|Planet of the Ood]]'')
* Early on in the bar scene, a creature somewhat resembling a [[Silurian]] is present, although it does not have a third eye. It is unlikely that this is actually intended to be a Silurian, due to the physical difference, and as there has been no indication previously of Silurians engaging in inter-stellar travel.
** the [[Vashta Nerada]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Silence in the Library (TV story)|Silence in the Library]]''/''[[Forest of the Dead (TV story)|Forest of the Dead]]'')
* When the Doctor is pointing the gun at the Master, the Master states that the Doctor "never would." The Doctor used these words himself in [[TV]]: ''[[The Doctor's Daughter]]'', when holding [[Cobb]] at gunpoint.
** the [[Vespiform]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Unicorn and the Wasp (TV story)|The Unicorn and the Wasp]]'')
* Also in the bar scene, another white furred alien appears, reminiscent of a character who appeared in the cantina scene in ''Star Wars: A New Hope'', Muftak.
** [[Sontaran]]s, ([[TV]]: ''[[The Sontaran Stratagem (TV story)|The Sontaran Stratagem]]''/''[[The Poison Sky (TV story)|The Poison Sky]]'')
* This is not the first time the Master has been trapped in a body that is slowly dying. When he stole the body of a human named [[Bruce (Doctor Who)|Bruce]], that too began to perish.
** a [[Pyrovile]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Fires of Pompeii (TV story)|The Fires of Pompeii]]'')
* Numerous previous references have been made to the Doctor destroying his own kind (the Time Lords) as well as the Daleks during the Time War.
** and [[Dalek Caan]], [[Davros]] and the [[Supreme Dalek]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Stolen Earth (TV story)|The Stolen Earth]]''/''[[Journey's End (TV story)|Journey's End]]'')
* The Master reminisces about how "we" (presumed to be himself and the Doctor) used to run through fields of red grass on his father's estates, shouting up at the sky. This is the first reference to the Master's family, as well as presumably a reference to the fact the Doctor and the Master were once friends (previously confirmed in other stories). The fact the Master refers to "my father's estates", and not "our father's estates", can be seen as implying that the Doctor and the Master are not brothers.
* [[Alonso Frame]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Voyage of the Damned (TV story)|Voyage of the Damned]]'') sits down in [[Zaggit Zagoo bar|an alien bar]] next to [[Jack Harkness]], who appears depressed following his loss of [[Ianto Jones]] and his [[Steven Carter|grandson]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Children of Earth]]'') The Doctor sends Jack a note with Alonso's name.
* In ''[[The Five Doctors (TV story)|The Five Doctors]]'', [[Rassilon]] has achieved immortality, though in a passive state. Somehow he has been revived and restored to mastery over Time Lord society.
* The Doctor mentions [[Joan Redfern (TV character)|Joan Redfern]] to her great-granddaughter Verity, asking if she was happy after "[[John Smith (Tenth Doctor)|John Smith]]" had gone. ([[TV]]: ''[[Human Nature (TV story)|Human Nature]]''/''[[The Family of Blood (TV story)|The Family of Blood]]'')
* The Doctor refers to Donna as his best friend, a title he had previously conferred on Sarah Jane Smith, ([[TV]]: ''[[The Seeds of Doom]]'') [[K9 Mark II]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Pirate Planet]]'') and (presumably in jest) [[Malcolm Taylor (Planet of the Dead)|Malcolm Taylor]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Planet of the Dead (TV story)|Planet of the Dead]]'')
* The song "[[My Angel Put the Devil in Me]]" is playing in the alien bar. ([[TV]]: ''[[Daleks in Manhattan (TV story)|Daleks in Manhattan]]'')
* The Doctor tells Wilf that some people wait centuries to find him. One example of such is [[Jack Harkness|Captain Jack Harkness]], who waited over a hundred years to find him again after being stranded in the late 19th century. ([[TV]]: ''[[Utopia (TV story)|Utopia]]'', [[TV]]: ''[[Fragments (TV story)|Fragments]]'')
* [[Henrietta Goodheart|Netty]] is mentioned as a member of the [[Silver Cloak]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Beautiful Chaos (novel)|Beautiful Chaos]]'')
* The Doctor tells Wilf that he has taken lives in the past, and that he "[[Seventh Doctor|got clever, manipulated people into taking their own]]", a clear reference to the recent suicide of ''[[Adelaide Brooke]]'' in ''[[The Waters of Mars]]'' and Davros' admonishment in ''[[Journey's End]]'' that "many have died in your [the Doctor's] name".
* The circumstances of the Tenth Doctor's regeneration echo that of the [[Ninth Doctor]] in that he absorbed a massive amount of energy into his body in order to save the life of another. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Parting of the Ways (TV story)|The Parting of the Ways]]'')
* The Doctor mentions, "Then I got worse. Tricking others into taking their own (lives)." This could also be a reference to his [[Seventh Doctor|seventh incarnation]], where he was a master manipulator and keen strategist. ([[TV]]: ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks]]'', ''[[The Curse of Fenric]]'')
* This is the third time the Doctor has been forced to regenerate due to suffering near-lethal radiation poisoning; this was the fate of the [[Third Doctor]] in [[TV]]: ''[[Planet of the Spiders (TV story)|Planet of the Spiders]]'' and the [[Sixth Doctor]] in [[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Brink of Death (audio story)|The Brink of Death]]''.
* The Doctor looks at his right hand and regeneration energy can be seen. He does the exact same thing in [[TV]]: ''[[The Parting of the Ways]]'' and ''[[The Stolen Earth]]''.
* [[Nerys]] is at Donna's wedding. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Runaway Bride (TV story)|The Runaway Bride]]'')
* The revelation that the signal in the Master's head was patterned after the beating of a Time Lord's twin hearts was well hidden, as whenever the Doctor's heartbeat was checked in the new series, it was always done one at a time, rather than both at once, which would have given it away. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Christmas Invasion]]''/''[[Smith and Jones]]'')
* The notion of Gallifrey being moved due to Time Lord action isn't the first time the Time Lords have shown the ability to relocate an entire planet. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Trial of a Time Lord]]'', ''[[Journey's End (TV story)|Journey's End]]'')
* The Doctor was previously called a "physician" by the [[Empress of the Racnoss]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Runaway Bride]]'')
* The Doctor knocks out a Sontaran by striking its [[probic vent]] with a mallet kept in the TARDIS for percussive maintenance. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Sontaran Experiment (TV story)|The Sontaran Experiment]]'', ''[[The Poison Sky (TV story)|The Poison Sky]]'')
* The Master has said, "Go on then...Do it!" when a gun was aimed at him before. ([[TV]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords]]'')
* When the Doctor is pointing the gun at the Master, the Master states that the Doctor "never would." The Doctor used these words himself when holding [[Cobb (The Doctor's Daughter)|Cobb]] at gunpoint. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Doctor's Daughter (TV story)|The Doctor's Daughter]]'')
* The Doctor's description of the phrase, "Allons-y", as being "a phrase of great power, and wisdom, and consolation to the soul in times of need" mirrors a similar comment made by the [[Fourth Doctor]] about [[Jelly baby|jelly babies]] being "a great comfort in times of stress". ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Psi-ence Fiction]]'') Both ("Allons-y" and "Would you like a jelly baby?") were catchphrases of the Doctor (in his tenth and fourth incarnations respectively).
* This is not the first time the Master has been trapped in a body that is slowly dying. When he stole the body of a human named [[Bruce Gerhardt|Bruce]], that too began to perish. ([[TV]]: ''[[Doctor Who (TV story)|Doctor Who]]'')
* This is not the first time that the Doctor has bought a lottery ticket for someone. He did so before in [[TV]]: ''[[School Reunion]]'' to have a teacher leave so he could replace her.
* [[Rassilon]] had achieved immortality before the Time War, though in a passive state. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Five Doctors (TV story)|The Five Doctors]]'') In council, we learn that many throughout the Time War are dying, only to be resurrected. He has been revived and restored to mastery over Time Lord society.
* The Doctor considers the amount of coincidence around Wilf, and the sheer unlikelihood of the two meeting so many times. He also mentioned this about Donna in [[TV]]: ''[[Turn Left]]'' and [[TV]]: ''[[Journey's End]].''
* The Doctor refers to Donna as his best friend, a title he had previously conferred on Sarah Jane Smith, ([[TV]]: ''[[The Seeds of Doom (TV story)|The Seeds of Doom]]'') [[K9 Mark II]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Pirate Planet (TV story)|The Pirate Planet]]'') and, presumably in jest [[Malcolm Taylor]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Planet of the Dead (TV story)|Planet of the Dead]]'')
* The [[Vinvocci]] imply that they are connected to the [[Zocci]], as the Doctor refers to having met [[Bannakaffalatta|one]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Voyage of the Damned]]'')
* The Doctor tells Wilf that some people wait centuries to find him. One example of such is [[Jack Harkness|Captain Jack Harkness]], who waited over a hundred years to find him again after being stranded in the late 19th century. ([[TV]]: ''[[Utopia (TV story)|Utopia]]'', ''[[Fragments (TV story)|Fragments]]'')
* During his resurrection, the Master tells Lucy, "You will obey me!" This was a frequent catch phrase used during his previous incarnations, particularly the one played by [[Roger Delgado]]..
* The Doctor tells Wilf that he has taken lives, "and I got worse, I got clever. Manipulated people into taking their own." ([[TV]]: ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks (TV story)|Remembrance of the Daleks]]'', ''[[The Curse of Fenric (TV story)|The Curse of Fenric]]'', ''[[Journey's End (TV story)|Journey's End]]'')
* The scene in which the Doctor begs the Master to understand the difference between ruling the Universe and having unfettered freedom to travel through it parallels a similar conversation between the two in [[TV]]: ''[[Colony in Space]]''.
* When [[Wilfred Mott]] mentions that Donna is getting married to [[Shaun Temple]] the Doctor asks "another wedding?" referencing Donna's previous cancelled marriage to [[Lance Bennett]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Runaway Bride (TV story)|The Runaway Bride]]'')
* The Master has indirectly caused the Doctor to regenerate before. ([[TV]]: ''[[Logopolis (TV story)|Logopolis]]'', [[TV]]:''[[Doctor Who (TV story)|Doctor Who]]'')
* The Doctor's hands glow as the time his imminent regeneration nears. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Parting of the Ways (TV story)|The Parting of the Ways]]'', ''[[The Stolen Earth (TV story)|The Stolen Earth]]'', ''[[The Time of the Doctor (TV story)|The Time of the Doctor]]'', ''[[The Doctor Falls (TV story)|The Doctor Falls]], [[Twice Upon a Time (TV story)|Twice Upon a Time]]'')
* [[Donna Noble]] putting the lottery ticket down the front of her wedding dress is a reference to the running joke in [[TV]]: ''[[The Runaway Bride]]'' about wedding dresses not having pockets.
* The Doctor offers to travel the universe with the Master. ([[TV]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]]'')
* Most of Rassilon's narration's begin with the phrase "And so it came to pass ..."; [[TV]]:''[[The Sound of Drums (TV story)|The Sound of Drums]]'' ended with a similar narration, albeit given by the Master instead.
* The Doctor was previously called a "physician" by the [[Empress of the Racnoss (The Runaway Bride)|Empress of the Racnoss]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Runaway Bride (TV story)|The Runaway Bride]]'')
* The Master has said, "Go on then... Do it!" when a gun was aimed at him before. ([[TV]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]]'')
* The Doctor again uses the phrase ''[[Allons-y]]''. ([[TV]]: ''[[Army of Ghosts (TV story)|Army of Ghosts]]'', ''[[Midnight (TV story)|Midnight]]'', ''[[Voyage of the Damned (TV story)|Voyage of the Damned]]'')
* The Doctor's description of the phrase, "Allons-y", as being "a phrase of great power, and wisdom, and consolation to the soul in times of need" mirrors a similar comment made by the [[Fourth Doctor]] about [[Jelly baby|jelly babies]] being "a great comfort in times of stress". ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Psi-ence Fiction (novel)|Psi-ence Fiction]]'') Both ("Allons-y" and "Would you like a jelly baby?") were catchphrases of the Doctor (in his tenth and fourth incarnations, respectively).
:* Coincidentally, the Doctor's catchphrase "Allons-y", which the Doctor described as meaning "Let's Go!", ([[TV]]: ''[[Midnight (TV story)|Midnight]]'') is referenced in the Doctor's final words in his tenth life which were "I don't want to go".
* This is not the first time that the Doctor has bought a lottery ticket for someone. ([[TV]]: ''[[School Reunion (TV story)|School Reunion]]'')
* The Doctor considers the amount of coincidence around Wilf, and the sheer unlikelihood of the two meeting so many times. He also mentioned this about Donna. ([[TV]]: ''[[Turn Left (TV story)|Turn Left]]'', ''[[Journey's End (TV story)|Journey's End]]'')
* The [[Vinvocci]] imply that they are connected to, or at least aware of, the [[Zocci]] when the Doctor refers to having met [[Bannakaffalatta|one]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Voyage of the Damned (TV story)|Voyage of the Damned]]'')
* When Wilf says that he's going to die some day, the Doctor tells him, "Don't you ''dare''!" This phrase has been used at least two other times related to an impending death; River Song said this to the Doctor, and the Doctor will have said it to her. ([[TV]]: ''[[Forest of the Dead (TV story)|Forest of the Dead]]'', ''[[The Wedding of River Song (TV story)|The Wedding of River Song]]'')
* The Doctor again begs the Master to understand the difference between ruling the Universe and having unfettered freedom to travel through it. ([[TV]]: ''[[Colony in Space (TV story)|Colony in Space]]'')
* The Master has caused the Doctor to regenerate before. ([[TV]]: ''[[Logopolis (TV story)|Logopolis]]'', ''[[Doctor Who (TV story)|Doctor Who]]'')
* Earth had previously been threatened by the approaching of a whole planet in [[1986]], in that case [[Mondas]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Tenth Planet (TV story)|The Tenth Planet]]'')
* Rassilon condemns the two Time Lords that didn't agree with the return of Gallifrey to cower and hide their faces, just like "the [[Weeping Angel]]s of old." ([[TV]]: ''[[Blink (TV story)|Blink]]'')
* The Doctor puts his TARDIS a second out of sync with time, creating a [[temporal gate]] to mask its presence. Objects and individuals have been placed in this asynchronous state before. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Stolen Earth (TV story)|The Stolen Earth]]'', ''[[The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith (TV story)|The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith]]'')
* One of the things the Tenth Doctor lists he did instead of rushing to meet Ood Sigma is his marriage with [[Elizabeth I]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Day of the Doctor (TV story)|The Day of the Doctor]]'') possibly explaining why she wanted him arrested. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Shakespeare Code (TV story)|The Shakespeare Code]]'')
* The ''[[Nightmare Child]]'' is mentioned to be one of the "horrors of the Time War." ([[TV]]: ''[[The Stolen Earth (TV story)|The Stolen Earth]]'')
* While these events are taking place on Gallifrey, it is the final day of the Time War: the Capitol is under attack by Daleks, the [[War Council]] has already dismissed the High Council's plans, and [[the Doctor]] has (as mentioned by the High Council) stolen [[the Moment]] with plans to use it to end the war. ''[[The Day of the Doctor (TV story)|The Day of the Doctor]]'' would later utilise these elements within its narrative, retroactively showing that the Doctor who had stolen the Moment was the War Doctor.
* When Donna wakes up on the couch in her home she asks "Did I miss something, ''again''?". Previously when she woke up from her bed she asked if she had "missed something". ([[TV]]: ''[[Journey's End (TV story)|Journey's End]]'') This also refers to the fact that Donna missed several important world-changing events due to various reasons. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Runaway Bride (TV story)|The Runaway Bride]]'', [[PROSE]]: ''[[Rose (novelisation)|Rose]]'')
* The bearded male on the High Council is later identified as [[Grayvas]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Engines of War (novel)|Engines of War]]'')
* In an alternate timeline created by a [[continuity bomb]], the Doctor allowed Wilf to die in the radiation chamber. He went on to embrace the title of "[[Time Lord Victorious]]" and became a mad tyrant over time and space, until a [[Raxacoricofallapatorian]] killed him without regeneration. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Four Doctors (comic story)|Four Doctors]]'')
* The dying Master is last seen attacking Rassilon with his weaponised life force as Gallifrey is resigned to meet its fate at the end of the Time War. Following the revelation that "all thirteen" incarnations of the Doctor had preserved Gallifrey from destruction by relocating it to a [[pocket universe]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Day of the Doctor (TV story)|The Day of the Doctor]]'') the Master is revealed to have somehow repaired his condition before regenerating into a female incarnation known as "Missy", ([[TV]]: ''[[Dark Water (TV story)|Dark Water]]'') while Rassilon, who also survived, remained Lord President of Gallifrey while also regenerating into an older body. ([[TV]]: ''[[Hell Bent (TV story)|Hell Bent]]'') When the [[Twelfth Doctor]] encounters the resurrected version of the Master again, it is from after the events of ''The End of Time''. During their meeting, it is revealed that after returning to Gallifrey, the Time Lords cured the Master's condition. He then left in [[the Master's TARDIS|his TARDIS]] in what he calls "a mutual kicking me out." He is ultimately forced to regenerate into Missy by Missy herself though the regeneration from the Master to Missy is never shown on-screen. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Doctor Falls (TV story)|The Doctor Falls]]'')
* During the Time War, the [[Eighth Doctor]] encountered [[Jask (The Sontaran Ordeal)|another Sontaran named Jask]] on [[Drakkis]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Sontaran Ordeal (audio story)|The Sontaran Ordeal]]'')
* The Eleventh Doctor checks on various parts of his body immediately after regenerating. The [[Ninth Doctor]] previously indicated that he could regenerate into having multiple or no heads, ([[TV]]: ''[[The Parting of the Ways (TV story)|The Parting of the Ways]]'') while the [[Twelfth Doctor]] would claim that syphoning regeneration energy would cost him an arm, leg, or diminish his overall size down the line. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Witch's Familiar (TV story)|The Witch's Familiar]]'')
* The Eleventh Doctor takes note of his nose and claims, "I've had worse!" The [[Fourth Doctor]] previously stated that his nose was an improvement from the [[Third Doctor]]'s very prominent one, ([[TV]]: ''[[Spearhead from Space (TV story)|Spearhead from Space]]'', ''[[Robot (TV story)|Robot]]'') while the [[Eighth Doctor|Eighth]] and Tenth Doctors both noted the size of the [[Ninth Doctor|Ninth's]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Tomorrow Windows (novel)|The Tomorrow Windows]]'', [[COMIC]]: ''[[Four Doctors (comic story)|Four Doctors]]'')
* The Doctor attended Donna's two previous weddings. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Runaway Bride (TV story)|The Runaway Bride]]''; [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Death and the Queen (audio story)|Death and the Queen]]'')
* The Eleventh Doctor briefly thinks he has regenerated into a woman. Though he is incorrect in this instance, such a change would actually occur [[Thirteenth Doctor|two regenerations later]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Twice Upon a Time (TV story)|Twice Upon a Time]]'')
* The last place the Doctor visits before finally regenerating is New Years Day 2005. According to one account, the last place the [[Sixth Doctor]] visited before his regeneration was also a New Years Day, in [[2000]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Head Games (novel)|Head Games]]'')
* The Doctor tells Wilf that he did [[Kotturuh crisis|some things that went wrong]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Waters of Mars (TV story)|The Waters of Mars]]''; [[PROSE]]: ''[[The Knight, The Fool and The Dead (novel)|The Knight, The Fool and The Dead]]'', ''[[All Flesh is Grass (novel)|All Flesh is Grass]]''; [[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Minds of Magnox (audio story)|The Minds of Magnox]]''; [[COMIC]]: ''[[Defender of the Daleks (comic story)|Defender of the Daleks]]'', ''[[Tales of the Dark Times (comic story)|Tales of the Dark Times]]'')


== Ginger controversy ==
== Ginger controversy ==
During the final scene, the Eleventh Doctor takes a look at his hair and utters the phrase, "Still not ginger!" This statement was misinterpreted by a number of viewers as being a negative comment on redheaded people, resulting in more than a hundred forty complaints being filed with the BBC.<ref>[http://gallifreynewsbase.blogspot.com/2010/01/ginger-clarification.html Doctor Who News Page: Ginger Clarification], 6 January 2010</ref> In response, the BBC issued an official statement clarifying that the Doctor was stating disappointment at not being ginger, a reference to the Tenth Doctor similarly expressing a wish to be ginger in [[TV]]: ''[[The Christmas Invasion]]''. In response to claims of an "anti-ginger agenda" by the series, the BBC statement noted that the Doctor's two most recent ongoing companions, [[Donna Noble]] and [[Amy Pond]], are both redheads, not mentioning the difference between "red" and "ginger" hair.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/response/2010/01/100106_res_doctorwho_ginger_jmf.shtml BBC Complaint response], 6 January 2010</ref>
During the final scene, the Eleventh Doctor takes a look at his hair and utters the phrase, "Still not ginger!" This statement was misinterpreted by a number of viewers as being a negative comment on redheaded people, resulting in more than a hundred forty complaints being filed with the BBC.<ref>[http://gallifreynewsbase.blogspot.com/2010/01/ginger-clarification.html Doctor Who News Page: Ginger Clarification], 6 January 2010</ref> In response, the BBC issued an official statement clarifying that the Doctor was stating disappointment at not being ginger, a reference to the Tenth Doctor similarly expressing a wish to be ginger in ''[[The Christmas Invasion (TV story)|The Christmas Invasion]]''. In response to claims of an "anti-ginger agenda" by the series, the BBC statement noted that the Doctor's two most recent ongoing companions, [[Donna Noble]] and [[Amy Pond]], are both redheads, not mentioning the difference between "red" and "ginger" hair.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20100114055103/http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/response/2010/01/100106_res_doctorwho_ginger_jmf.shtml BBC Complaint response], 6 January 2010</ref>


== Home video releases ==
== Home video releases ==
''The End of Time'' was released to DVD and Blu-Ray both individually and part of a Specials box set in the UK on 11th January 2010. A similar release in North America was released on 2nd February 2010.
=== DVD releases ===
* ''The End of Time'' was released to DVD and Blu-ray both bundled with ''[[The Waters of Mars (TV story)|The Waters of Mars]]'' and part of a Specials box set in the UK on [[11 January (releases)|11 January]] [[2010 (releases)|2010]]. A similar release in North America was released on [[2 February (releases)|2 February]] 2010.
* It was released as a promotional DVD alongside ''[[The Eleventh Hour (TV story)|The Eleventh Hour]] ''in [[2011 (releases)|2011]], with British tabloid ''The Sun.''
* It was released as ''[[Doctor Who DVD Files]] ''[[DWDVDF 56|issue 56]].
* This was released as part of the Complete Specials in the UK on both DVD and Blu-ray in a box set on 11 January 2010, with a North American release scheduled for 2 February 2010.[http://gallifreynewsbase.blogspot.com/2009/10/waters-of-mars-american-airdates.html] In Australia, the Blu-ray was released 29 June 2010 and the DVD on 1 July 2010.
 
=== Blu-ray releases ===
* As mentioned above, it has been released with ''[[The Waters of Mars (TV story)|The Waters of Mars]] ''and as ''The Specials. ''It was the first ''Doctor Who ''Blu-Ray boxset release.
* In [[2013 (releases)|2013]], this release was bundled with the first seven series of the revived ''Doctor Who''.
 
=== Digital releases ===
* [[Netflix]] in the US lists ''The End of Time'' as episodes 18 and 19 of [[Series 4 (Doctor Who 2005)|Series 4]]. Previously the story was listed as its own title. As of 2013, the story was rolled into the core show listing. It can also be purchased on iTunes.
* In [[2015 (releases)|2015]], it was released by BBC Worldwide on BitTorrent and iTunes, in ''A Decade of the Doctor ''bundle to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the new series. It included introductions by Peter Capaldi, ''Earth Conquest: The World Tour ''and an episode guide.
* In the United Kingdom, this story is available on [[BBC iPlayer]] as part of Series 4.
 
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true">
File:BBCDVDTheEndOfTime.jpg|The End of Time DVD<br />Region 2 UK cover
File:The End of Time Region 1 US DVD cover.jpg|The End of Time DVD<br />Region 1 US cover
File:The End of Time DVD Australian cover.jpg|The End of Time DVD<br />Region 4 Australian cover
File:Winter-specials-boxset.jpg|The Waters of Mars &<br />The End of Time DVD<br />Region 2 UK cover
File:9195g7Y8UrL. AA1500 .jpg|The End of Time Blu-ray<br />Region A US cover
File:The End of Time Region B Australian Blu-ray cover.jpg|The End of Time Blu-ray<br />Region B Australian cover
File:Specials-boxset.jpg|The Complete Specials DVD<br />Region 2 UK cover
File:Specials.jpg|The Complete Specials DVD<br />Region 1 US cover
File:Complete specials region4.jpg|The Complete Specials DVD<br />Region 4 Australian cover
File:Doctor-who-the-complete-specials-blu-ray-2009-21908704.jpeg|The Complete Specials Blu-ray<br />Region B UK cover
File:91w9JtDlv7L. AA1500 .jpg|The Complete Specials Blu-ray<br />Region A US cover
File:Specials bluaustralia.jpg|The Complete Specials Blu-ray<br />Region B Australian cover
File:The Complete David Tennant Years Region 1 US DVD cover.jpg|The Complete David Tennant Years DVD<br />Region 1 US cover
File:Limited Edition Giftset Region 1 US DVD cover.jpg|Limited Edition Giftset DVD<br />Region 1 US cover
TheSpecials artwork(1).jpg|The Specials Steelbook
File:Regeneration.jpg|The Regeneration Box-Set
File:The Master (box set).jpg|The Master Box-Set
File:The 10 Christmas Specials 2015 Blu-ray UK.jpg|''The 10 Christmas Specials'' on Blu-ray
File:Bbcdvd-series1234567.jpg|thumb|''Doctor Who: The Complete Series One to Seven'' DVD box-set
</gallery>


== External links ==
== External links ==
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/s4/episodes/S0_09 BBC - Doctor Who - '''The End of Time''' - Episode Guide]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/s4/episodes/S0_09 BBC Doctor Who '''The End of Time''' Episode Guide]
* {{briefhistory|serials/2009cd.html|The End of Time}}
* {{briefhistory|serials/2009cd.html|The End of Time}}
* {{locguide|endoftime|The End of Time}}
* {{locguide|endoftime|The End of Time}}
* [http://www.thewriterstale.com/scr.html Original script], posted online by [[Russell T Davies]] in conjunction with the release of his book [[REF]]: ''[[Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale]].''
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20110809114614/http://www.thewriterstale.com/scr.html Original script] (archived), posted online by [[Russell T Davies]] in conjunction with the release of his book [[REF]]: ''[[Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale - The Final Chapter]]''.


== Footnotes ==
== Footnotes ==
{{reflist}}
=== Notes ===
{{notelist}}
=== Citations ===
{{reflist|2}}
{{DWTV}}
{{DWTV}}
{{Christmas specials}}
{{Christmas specials}}{{SPEC|04.2/004}}
{{New Year specials}}{{SPEC|04.2/005}}
{{Regeneration stories}}
{{Regeneration stories}}
{{Master stories}}
{{Saxon Master stories}}
{{Rassilon stories}}
{{Ood stories}}
{{UNIT stories}}
{{UNIT stories}}
{{Sontaran stories}}
{{TitleSort}}
{{TitleSort}}
{{ImageLinkTV}}
 
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Latest revision as of 14:51, 4 November 2024

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You may be looking for the novel.

The End of Time was the two-part story that served as the 2009 Christmas Special and 2010 New Year Special of Doctor Who.

It was the final chronological appearance of David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor, though ultimately not as any incarnation of the Doctor, due to his surprise return as the Fourteenth Doctor at the end of The Power of the Doctor. It introduced Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor in the closing moments of part two. The episode was also the last on-screen appearance of the Master for over four years. The Master returned in Deep Breath as the female incarnation called Missy, while The End of Time actor John Simm returned as the Saxon Master in 2017's World Enough and Time.

Part 2 served as the first ever New Year special (although wasn't the first to be transmitted on New Year's Day, with episodes from The Daleks' Master Plan, Day of the Daleks and The Face of Evil previously falling on 1 January).

The story revealed details of the Last Great Time War and gave important development to the Master's character. It also featured the final appearance of Elisabeth Sladen in Doctor Who, although she would go on to star in several more episodes of The Sarah Jane Adventures, until she passed away in 2011.

From a production standpoint, it marked a major change in the history of Doctor Who. Like only The War Games before it, The End of Time ushered in a complete change of regular cast. Unlike that 1960s story, however, it was a complete change for its principal producers and its head writer as well, with outgoing head writer Russell T Davies and executive producer Julie Gardner making way for head writer Steven Moffat and executive producer Beth Willis. It was also the first to include any part overseen by — if not credited to — Moffat as a lead writer. Though Tracie Simpson was the credited line producer, her elevation to regular line producer on the first Matt Smith series meant that Julie Gardner effectively became the line producer for the first and only time in her tenure on Doctor Who.

The change was ultimately not permanent, as both Davies and Gardner returned for the 2023 specials alongside Tennant (with uncredited involvement of Davies and Gardner in The Power of the Doctor), and also Catherine Tate, who reprised her role as Donna Noble. Conversely, Bernard Cribbins, the third billed actor in the opening titles behind Tennant and Simm, also returned as Wilfred Mott in 2023[nb 1] but in a short cameo.

In celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the story, Fathom Events held a special screening on 7 August 2019 also including a new interview with Tennant, reflecting on his time in the role and everything that has come since.[3]

Synopsis[[edit] | [edit source]]

It is the Tenth Doctor's final journey — but his psychotic nemesis, the Saxon Master, has been resurrected on Christmas Eve! Each determined to cheat death, the battle rages from the abandoned wastelands of London to the mysterious Immortality Gate, whilst the alien Ood warn of an even greater danger approaching, as a terrible shadow falls across the entire universe.

With the sound of the drums growing louder in the Master's head and an ancient trap closing around the Earth, the Doctor and Wilfred Mott must fight alone. Sacrifices must be made, and the deadly prophecy warns: "He will knock four times."

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

Part one[[edit] | [edit source]]

"It is said that in the final days of planet Earth, everyone had bad dreams..." Everyone forgot these terrible dreams, except one man.

On Earth, Wilfred Mott, is walking through the city to do his Christmas shopping. Having a vision of the Saxon Master laughing maniacally, Wilf decides to see if religion will purge these visions from his mind. Inside a church, he notices a stained-glass panel with the image of the TARDIS. A mysterious woman tells him the church was a monastery in the 1300s. It was attacked by a demon which was exorcised by a "sainted physician". When the woman suggests that the physician is returning, Wilf says it would make his Christmas and turns to find she has vanished. He has another vision of the Master laughing, startling him. Wilf hopes more than ever that the Doctor will return.

The Doctor meets with Ood Sigma.

Meanwhile, in the year 4226, a century after the Doctor freed the Ood, the TARDIS arrives on the Ood Sphere. The Tenth Doctor emerges, wearing a straw hat and ring of flowers. He is greeted by Ood Sigma, whom he tries unsuccessfully to make laugh by locking his TARDIS like an Earth car. The Doctor mentions several feats he's done since the vision Sigma sent him, including naming a galaxy Alison, seeing the Phosphorous Carousel of the Great Magellan Gestalt, and marrying Queen Elizabeth I.

Unfazed by the Doctor's goofiness, Sigma leads him away, with the Doctor curious about how long it's been since he liberated the Ood. They arrive at a large city the Ood have built in place of Ood Operations; the Doctor wonders how long it took the Ood to build their city. Sigma explains that it took merely a hundred years. The Doctor's smile drops and he becomes serious, stating that this is way too fast for them. Something is happening in the past to create a temporal distortion, which is allowing the Ood to evolve at a much faster pace. Not just the city, but Sigma's ability to reach into the past to contact him is something that should be centuries away in the Ood's evolution.

Sigma takes the Doctor to the Ood Elders, who tell him to join hands with them. They show him a vision of the Master laughing, which scares the Doctor. Sigma explains that the Ood have been dreaming about him a lot, and are curious about who the man is. The Doctor explains that the man is a fellow Time Lord, but an evil and insane one. They should have no fear of him, however, as he's dead. The Doctor explains that the Master's wife, Lucy, shot him and the Doctor burnt his corpse to ensure he couldn't be revived or have his biology exploited. However, the Ood tell him that he missed something and show him an older woman taking the Master's ring from his funeral pyre and that this allowed part of him to survive.

The Doctor is more than willing to leave to stop this but is told that it's too late as the events are already happening in the past and that he should not have delayed in answering their summons. The Ood show him visions of a frightened Wilfred and a "King in his Counting House". The Doctor asks about Donna, but the Ood warn him that the Master is only the herald of a greater danger returning from the darkness, as their eyes glow red: "the end of time itself".

Realising what this means, the Doctor immediately runs out. Returning to the TARDIS, the Doctor unlocks it and rushes inside. He begins working feverishly at the controls, hoping to get back to London before the Master is revived. However, it seems the TARDIS isn't willing to cooperate well with him, as it constantly gives off sparks from the strain of the hurried trip into the past.

In 2009, Lucy Saxon has been locked in Broadfell Prison ever since she murdered her husband. One of her warders is Miss Trefusis, the woman who retrieved the Master's ring. On Christmas Eve, the prison governor brings Lucy to a chamber; most of the staff are fanatical disciples of the Master who have worked since his death to bring about his resurrection. They pour potions into a bowl, along with the Master's ring; the only thing they need is some of his DNA. They take it from Lucy's lips. The ceremony begins as the cultists give their life energy to revive him; Lucy tries stopping them by revealing the Master isn't Harold Saxon and is evil, but they know this already.

The Master appears in a swirl of life energy. He greets Lucy, stating that he's missed the drumming in his head. Only now it's louder. Lucy asks him to stop draining the cultists' lives as he's taken enough to sustain himself, but he tells her they'll only be the first. Lucy tells him that she's been preparing for his return as well and that she's had her family create a Potion of Death to undo his revival. After receiving the potion from her warden ally, she hurls it at the Master, creating a violent explosion that kills everyone and destroys Broadfell Prison. The Doctor arrives the next day, seeing that he was too late.

Elsewhere, Joshua Naismith and his daughter Abigail review footage of the prison fire, seeing a shadow run from it. Smiling, Abigail realises that Mr Saxon has returned and that he would be a great Christmas present. Joshua tells her that he will deliver the gift, cancelling Christmas for his staff; he then orders that the revived madman be brought to him.

Meanwhile, Wilf pretends to leave for drinks with friends. Instead, he dances as he goes to enter a mini-bus, and the passengers laugh and applaud. When he meets up with the group inside, he gives them information packets on the Doctor; they are to be on the lookout for him or the TARDIS. When questioned as to why they need to find this man, Wilf reminds them that they've all been having bad dreams about something horrible that they can't remember. That is why they need to find the Doctor. He is the only one who can answer this mystery.

In a junkyard, two homeless people get sandwiches from a meals on wheels van and leave. A hooded man arrives, being asked for his order. He pulls off his hood, revealing himself to be the Master, only with blonde hair; he states he wants everything because he's so hungry. He surprises the homeless men moments later, quickly devouring his hamburger. When they point out he looks like Harold Saxon, the Master starts rambling that he looks the same despite being a master of disguise. His skin turns transparent briefly with each burst of emotion, scaring the men into running back to the van for help, however, they find only skeletons in the van. Declaring that it's dinner time, the Master pounces after them.

The Doctor arrives in the junkyard, shortly afterwards. The Master senses this and decides to taunt his old friend by beating a trashcan to a four-stroke beat. He then leads the Doctor on a chase through the junkyard, showing amazing speed and agility. However, the Doctor quickly realises the Master's burning up his own life energy; it seems the potion of death and the revival ritual resulted in a clashing, which has given the Master greater abilities that are slowly but surely killing him again.

However, before the Doctor can take off after the Master again, he is stopped dead in his tracks by Wilf and his information network dubbed "Silver Cloak". Minnie Hooper asks if they got the right person; Wilf confirms it. The Doctor berates Wilf for telling people about him. However, Wilf explains that he kept the specifics about the Time Lord as secret, only telling them that he could find out about the strange dreams. To the Doctor's annoyance, the group wants a picture with him.

After retreating to a café with Wilf, the Doctor wonders why it is he keeps bumping into the old man; this is the third time they've met by chance. The Doctor then tells him the prophecy of his death. Wilf is confused, as he thought the Doctor could regenerate if he was about to die. The Doctor replies that he can potentially die before regenerating... and even if he does regenerate, the man he is now will be gone forever with a completely different person left sauntering away in his place. The Doctor then sees Donna standing outside, arguing with a police officer over her ticketed car, and realises why Wilf insisted on this particular café. "She's not changed," the Doctor laughs.

Wilf says she's engaged to Shaun Temple; although he is nice enough, the two are barely making ends meet and can only afford a tiny flat. The Doctor wonders if her married name will be "Noble-Temple" as it sounds like a tourist attraction; however, Wilf states it will be "Temple-Noble". Wilf tells the Doctor that even though Donna is happy with Shaun, there's times when he sees flashes of sadness like there's somewhere else she wants to be but doesn't know where. He pleads with the Doctor to at least go up to her and say hello to her, but the Doctor sadly reminds him that if Donna remembers him for even a second, she will die. Wilf then asks who the Doctor is travelling with now, but the Doctor replies he has no-one and thought it would be better that way... but with no-one around him, he has made some very bad choices. The Doctor then starts crying, burdened by the guilt of his recent actions which also devastates Wilf. He asks if Donna could make him smile again, but by now she is gone.

The narrator, his face revealed, and his voice turning scornful toward humanity, speaks of the passage of Christmas Eve into Christmas Day; the players are moving into their final positions, with each human dreaming of the arrival of the final day.

In a scrapyard, the Master finishes another meal. He notices the Doctor has found him again. Rubbing his hands together, he generates some kind of electricity. He fires some shots of electricity near the Doctor as he approaches. Ultimately, he uses both hands to send focused blasts at the Doctor, managing to make him collapse to the ground. The Doctor realises that the Master's body has been "torn wide open", allowing him to send his life energy as blasts but has also drastically reduced his life force. The Master remembers back to their childhood, where they would play on pastures of red grass, stretching across the slopes of Mount Perdition. Asking the Doctor to listen to the drumming in his head, the Master touches their heads together. The Doctor pulls away horrified; he has heard the drums too and now knows it's not just a symptom of his insanity. The Master becomes ecstatic to learn that the drumming is real, launching himself into the sky. However, before another chase can ensue, Naismith's men arrive and capture the madman, leaving the Doctor knocked out and confused.

Wilf receives his orders.

Back at Wilfred's house, Donna's fiancé, Shaun, arrives. For Christmas, Donna gives Wilf a book called Fighting the Future by Joshua Naismith. When Wilf questions Donna giving it to him, she has a moment where her mind goes far away as she states that she saw it and sensed that Wilf should have it. As Wilf tries to watch the Queen's Christmas speech, a mysterious woman appears to him only in place of the broadcast, ordering him to take arms; she also advises him not to tell the Doctor of what has happened, so that his life can be saved. Wilf takes his old service revolver from under his bed as the Doctor contacts him by throwing a stone at his window.

Outside, the Doctor tells Wilf he's his only possible connection to what's happening and asks if Wilf noticed anything odd. Wilf tries to tell the Doctor about the woman, but changes his mind and mentions Donna's strange moment with the book. The Doctor recognises the picture of Joshua Naismith from the Ood's vision and speculates the convergence touched upon Donna's subconscious Time Lord mind which acted to help. As they talk, Sylvia comes outside and is angered to see the Doctor. The Doctor quickly retreats to the TARDIS followed by Wilf who'd rather go with the Doctor than face his daughter. Though the Doctor refuses at first, he changes his mind upon seeing how angry Sylvia is. As the TARDIS departs, Sylvia screams after it, drawing the confusion of Donna to her mother's strange behaviour.

In the TARDIS, Wilf asks the Doctor why he can't go back to yesterday and catch the Master. The Doctor says he can't go back in his own timeline as that can lead to the end of not only the world, but the universe as well. The Doctor then wonders what Wilf thinks of his TARDIS, to which he gets "I thought it would be cleaner" due to how messy the control room is.

At the mansion, the Master is wheeled to Naismith and Abigail on a trolley, and strapped to it in a straitjacket. He notices the "Immortality Gate", which can heal injuries and, Naismith hopes, offer life everlasting. Naismith acquired the Gate after the fall of Torchwood. The gate came with two nuclear-powered control booths, which are set-up in a way that if a worker wishes to leave he must be replaced in the other booth ensuring that someone is working the controls at all times. Abigail learned of the Disciples of Saxon, and that Mr Saxon was an alien; it's their hopes that the Master will be able to repair the Gate properly. With it working properly, Naismith can give his daughter immortality.

The Doctor and Wilf arrive at the Naismith estate and hide the TARDIS one second out of sync, so the Master can't get to it. Their last encounter taught the Doctor to never leave the means of altering time available to a madman with an ego bigger than the size of a planet.

In the basement, they discover two of Naismith's staff, Addams and Rossiter, are undercover Vinvocci, disguised with shimmers as human; the Doctor can see through the shimmers and deactivates them with his sonic screwdriver, revealing their true appearance as spiky green humanoids who resent being compared to cacti. The Vinvocci explain the Immortality Gate is a medical device that heals lifeforms across entire planets, using a genetic template. Realising the Master's plan, a horrified Doctor rushes up to the room with the Gate. He tells Naismith not to let the Master anywhere near the Gate, which has now been repaired by the madman. Naismith assures the Doctor that the Master is secured, being proven wrong moments later as the Master blasts his straitjacket off and jumps into the Gate.

Every single human on Earth sees the Master in their minds, and when Wilf also arrives seeing the Master the Doctor gets the current worker out of the nuclear booth, then has himself replaced with Wilf, and the Doctor then modifies the booth to protect Wilf from whatever is happening. The Doctor asks the Master if he's planning on transmitting mind-control or hypnotic instructions, but the Master has far grander plans than that. He has modified the Gate to transmit his own genetic template across the entire planet. The gate is activated, and a wave spreads across the Earth. Everyone's heads shake back and forth rapidly; shortly after this starts, their bodies start fading in and out of a different form.

Donna phones Wilf, herself immune due to the metacrisis that made her part Time Lord and tells him the same has happened to her mother and fiance. Seeing such a sight makes Donna start to remember her travels with the Doctor in flashes, and this causes her terrible pain as her brain cannot handle her Time Lord knowledge. Wilf, frightened for Donna's life, warns the Doctor his granddaughter is starting to remember her adventures.

Enraged, Wilf demands to know what the madman has done. The Master smugly asks if he was talking to him, while everyone in the room echoes the question, revealing that the Master has turned everyone on Earth into his clones. A clone who used to be Trinity Wells clearly makes his point for him: "Breaking news: I'm everyone."

The Master Race celebrates their birth.

As the Master's duplicates unveil themselves, the Doctor is horrified to find himself surrounded by perfect copies of the Master, including the people on TV. On top of that, he has become President Obama. He quickly abuses the President's power by blanking out a financial crisis solution just to spite the world, while a crowd of his own duplicates claps, roots, and hollers for the original Master's triumph.

As the Master steps out of the gateway he tells the Doctor that the human race was always the Doctor's favourite, but it now exists no more, having been replaced with "the Master Race". Every single Master on the planet laughs together with narcissistic glee and celebration, while the original laughs in the Doctor's face. As a world full of Masters taunts and mocks him, the Doctor's face twists with extreme fury.

Lord President Rassilon declares assured victory for the Time Lords.

The Narrator announces the Master and his removal of humanity is only a small part of an approaching conflict. Suddenly, he belittles humankind; this is not a narrator, but the Lord President of the High Council of Time Lords, addressing the Gallifrey Panopticon, which is packed with Time Lords. He announces that "This is the day the Time Lords return. For Gallifrey! For victory! For the end of time itself!"

Part two[[edit] | [edit source]]

On a devastated Gallifrey, on the last day of the Time War, the Time Lord Council reports that the Doctor still possesses "the Moment". They have foreseen that he will use it to end the war by destroying the Daleks and Gallifrey alike. A Time Lady suggests that this might be for the best. At the heart of the Time War, billions are dying, being resurrected and dying repeatedly. The never-ending carnage is a travesty of life.

Rassilon plots the Ultimate Sanction.

The Lord President uses his gauntlet to vaporise her. Exploding with anger, he decrees he will not allow himself or his race to die, with "a billion years of history riding on our backs". Finding that the Doctor and the Master both somehow survive the Time War and end up on Earth, the Lord President decides that the salvation of Gallifrey lies with the two renegades. They retroactively implant a link to the Master during his early childhood: the four-beat drum rhythm that has tormented him all his life. They send a "White-Point Star" diamond to Earth as a more physical link next. This will let the Time Lords escape from the time-lock and their impending destruction at the hands of the Doctor.

On Earth, the Master has the Doctor and Wilf tied up. The Doctor tries warning him about the prophecy, but the Master insists he was what the prophecy was talking about. He interrogates the Doctor as to the whereabouts of his TARDIS, as he wants the technology to pinpoint where the drumming in his head is coming from; with 6,727,949,338 clones, it will be easy. The Doctor tries reasoning with the Master, asking him to travel with him to see the universe; he tells him "that's ownership enough".

Wilf's mobile phone rings. The Master is confused, as no one but the Master Race exists on Earth; and there's no way he'd be calling Wilf. He finds the phone, receiving a call from Donna. The Master hears Donna, who is confused about everyone else changing; she ran into the alley, to get away from Shaun and Sylvia. Suspicious, the Master demands to know why Donna didn't change. Wilfred reluctantly admits the metacrisis that made her part Time Lord. The Master sneers, "He does love playing with Earth girls!", then orders his copies to take her down. He tells "grandad" to say goodbye to the freak. Wilf yells to Donna to run for her life.

As Donna is cornered by the Master Race, who state they have his hunger and plan to eat her. She starts to remember her adventures with the Doctor and is scared and confused, wondering why she can see a giant wasp. Instead of burning up, she emits an energy pulse that knocks everyone unconscious, including herself. Hearing nothing and seeing the Doctor smile, the Master removes his mouth gag. The Doctor calmly points out that when he erased Donna's memories of her time with him he also left her, his best friend, with a defence mechanism to protect her from aliens and her Time Lord knowledge.

The Master demands to know where the TARDIS is, threatening to kill Wilfred. The Doctor asks why the Master is so desperate to rule the universe when they could just travel together and see it, admitting that he knows the Master is a genius and would be honoured for the chance to travel with him. The Master asks if the drums in his head would stop, and tells Wilf how the noise started when he looked into the Untempered Schism as a child.

On Gallifrey, the Lord President is informed of this too. Although the Time Lords had assumed the drums were a symptom of the Master's insanity, the President sees it as something more; "a rhythm of four... a heartbeat of a Time Lord".

The Master reveals that despite the gate, his body is still dying and then realises that as he's been duplicated, so has the drumbeat in almost every single person on Earth. Intending to triangulate the signal and work out where it's coming from, he demands the TARDIS again. The Doctor retorts "You know the most amazing thing about you is that after all this time, you're still bone-dead stupid." Somehow, the Master has failed to notice that the guard next to him is one inch too tall. The "guard" hits him in the head with the rifle, knocking him down. The guard is Rossiter. Addams rushes in and urges her partner to get the two men out of the mansion. Rossiter, unable to free the Doctor from the chair he is strapped to, wheels the chair bumpily down several flights of stairs to the basement, prompting the Doctor to note this as the "worst... rescue... ever!".

From the basement, the four teleport to the orbiting Vinvocci ship, narrowly escaping the Master and his guards. Wilfred is amazed at being in space; the Doctor is more concerned with the Master. As soon as he gets out of his restraints, he destroys the teleporter, preventing the Master Race from following them. He asks for directions to the bridge; Addams initially refuses, citing that they are 100,000 miles above the Earth, but reconsiders when the Doctor points out the 'slight' problem of the Master having every single missile on the planet ready to fire. When they arrive, the Vinvocci prepare to leave, so the Doctor destroys the ship's systems, leaving them dead in orbit. As the Doctor begins to mend the systems, Wilfred sees the mysterious woman again, who instructs him to give the Doctor his gun.

The Master and his clones listen to the drumming in their heads, pinpointing the source as "from the sky". Meanwhile, the Time Lord council have just finished putting the drumbeat in the Master's head as a child, giving them his location now. But as they're still trapped in the time lock, they need something to make physical contact. The Lord President removes a diamond from his staff and throws it through the link to Earth where it falls to the ground in a blaze, landing in London. The Master soldiers pick it up, telling the original what they have found is not just any diamond... it's a White-Point Star. This makes the Master crack up hysterically.

On the ship, the Doctor is still repairing the systems. Wilf talks to him about many things and tries to have the Doctor take the gun to save himself by killing the Master. They believe the four knocks is the rhythm in the Master's head. The Doctor refuses and Wilf begins to cry over his fruitless efforts, prompting the Doctor to hug him. A broadcast from the Master reaches the ship; he informs the Doctor about the diamond and reveals it as a White-Point star. It can only mean the Time Lords are returning. Wilfred considers this good but the Doctor's reaction says quite differently... he grabs the gun and rushes for the control room. Wilf is confused as he thought the Time Lords were wise and peaceful. The Doctor tells him that's how he chooses to remember them; in reality, the horrors of the Time War had changed them, irrevocably corrupting them and making them far more dangerous than any of his enemies.

The Doctor has repaired the ship, but Addams will not have them going to Earth. The Doctor tells her "there's an old Earth saying. A phrase of great power and wisdom; and consolation to soul in times of need." When asked what it is, the Doctor yells "Allons-y!" and speeds the ship towards Earth. The Master decides to kill the Doctor as "soon [he'll] have Time Lords to spare", sending missiles at the ship. Rossiter and Wilf take charge of the asteroid lasers and blast away the missiles the Master launches at them.

Addams plots a course for Naismith's mansion and the Doctor jumps from the ship, crashing several stories through the skylight and into the Immortality Gate room. While he recovers from the fall, he finds himself too late. The Master has brought the Time Lords back. Not only is the Master in the room, but so is the Time Lord Council...

Rassilon counters the Master's threats by resetting the Master Race back to human form.

The President greets "Lord Doctor" and "Lord Master", then defames the latter by noting the 'paradox' that they have been saved by Gallifrey's most infamous child. The Master, fast to retort, quickly belittles the Lord President's authority and reveals that he did not call the Time Lords to Earth to save them. He intends to implant himself in them and assert control of the entire race, gloating at how much better the Lord President will look as him. However, the Lord President is not amused at the Master's assertion over his power and demonstrates how fast he can unravel his scheme. He raises his gauntlet and it radiates a blue light. The Master Race begins to revert to their unaltered human identities, causing the Master great panic as he loses his trump card.

The Lord President tells the humans present in the Naismith Mansion to kneel. Left powerless, the Master tries to bargain with the Time Lords by reminding them that he was their salvation. However, the whole planet shakes intensely. The President announces that "the approach begins". The Master is confused by his cryptic words; the Doctor angrily tells him that not only the whole species of Time Lords are coming back, but so is the planet.

Gallifrey begins to materialise near Earth, fulfilling the prophecy that "it is returning". Standing about three times the size of Earth, it shadows over Earth with an air of doom.

Panic erupts in the streets of London as the giant red world of Gallifrey manifests above the atmosphere, with the Earth itself trembling. Shaun Temple goes searching for his fiancée Donna, while Sylvia Noble looks up at the ominous sky and prays for the Doctor to save them. Wilf, having left the Vinvocci shuttle, makes his way through the crumbling Naismith Mansion to find the Doctor. Refusing to stay on Earth as Gallifrey threatens to knock it out of orbit, Addams immediately readies the shuttle for takeoff. Rossiter is concerned about the Doctor's fate, but Addams shrugs and reminds him that he already said he was dying. All the residents of Naismith Mansion, including Joshua and his daughter, flee from the residence. Joshua spots Gallifrey's descent and is affixed with terror.

Wilf returns to help the Doctor, freeing a trapped man in the control booth and trapping himself in the process, not hearing the Doctor yell out to stop him. The Master thinks that the Time Lords' restoration to the universe is fantastic, but the Doctor tells him that the broken time-lock means that all of the other horrors born in the last days of the Time War, which he had sealed away in the Time Lock as well, would also be released. The Daleks would not be the only additional escapees; they would be joined by the Skaro Degradations, the Horde of Travesties, the Nightmare Child, and the Could've Been King with his Army of Meanwhiles and Neverweres. The war had turned to Hell, which is exactly what the Master has unleashed above Earth. The Master delights at the thought of such chaos, but the Doctor tells him that not even the Time Lords can survive such an onslaught.

The Lord President then reveals that he had planned to deal with these horrors by initiating the Ultimate Sanction; a plan for the Time Lords to survive the collapse of all creation and all time, as the paradox of Gallifrey's return to the universe rips the Time Vortex apart, by ascending their conscious minds beyond the need for bodies, whilst creation itself ceases to be. The Master asks to join them, but the President refuses, contemptuously dismissing the Master as "diseased... albeit a disease of [the Time Lords'] own making," and moves to kill him.

Then the Doctor aims Wilf's gun at the President, who cautions the Doctor to "choose [his] enemy well. as [they] are many but the Master is one". Even the Master goads him on, urging him to kill the President and claim Gallifrey for himself. At this, the Doctor spins and aims the gun at the Master, who realises that the link that brought the Time Lords to Earth is inside his head, and if he dies, the link is broken and the Time Lock is reformed. He points out that killing the President would have the same effect. The Doctor aims the gun at the Lord President again, who coldly remarks that the final act of the Doctor's life is murder: which one will he choose?

Finally, in this dark hour of the Doctor's life, one of the "disgraced" Time Lords covering her eyes behind the Lord President reveals herself to the Doctor; she is the mysterious woman that Wilfred had seen on a number of occasions. As she casts her gaze to a spot behind the Doctor, he not only seems to recognise her but now knows what to do: he whirls around and aims toward the Master once again.

As the Master's face falls, the Doctor orders him to get out of the way. Suddenly understanding, the Master smiles darkly and jumps away from the White-Point Star just as the Doctor shoots it, and its destruction severs the link and reinforces the Time Lock, pulling the Time Lords back into the Time War and to their inevitable doom. The Doctor sends them "back into Hell", and identifies the Lord President as Rassilon.

As Gallifrey vanishes back into the Time Lock, Rassilon refuses to die alone and prepares to kill the Doctor. The Doctor is ready for the prophecy to be fulfilled... but the Master orders the Doctor out of the way and attacks Rassilon with his life force energy powers, shouting that Rassilon was responsible for everything that has happened to him since he was a child.

As the Master counts the drums one last time, his blasts occupy Rassilon long enough for a bright flash of light to send all of them — the Time Lords, Rassilon, Gallifrey, and the Master, back into the last day of the Last Great Time War. In the streets, Sylvia and the other humans watch as the giant red planet fades away and allows the sun to shine. The Doctor struggles to his feet, weary, but happy, almost in disbelief that he has survived the prophecy.

The Doctor's face turns from relief to horror as he hears the four hesitant knocks portending his death. The knocks persist, condemning him further. As he slowly turns, he sees where they are coming from — Wilfred is still trapped in the nuclear booth and wants to be let out. The Doctor, leery to approach the booth, looks at him with dread. As he suspects, Wilfred's life is in dire straits.

Wilf is trapped in the nuclear booth as it nears a deadly meltdown.

Upon inspection of the booth, the Doctor tells Wilf that the Master left the nuclear bolt running. The machine has gone past critical and is about to overload, which will release a lethal dose of radiation into the booth and doing anything to it, even using the sonic screwdriver, will set it off. The only way to get Wilf out alive is for the Doctor to walk into the open side of the booth and push a button to release the one-way lock, but this means the Doctor will be trapped inside in place of Wilf to endure the radiation blast. At 500,000 rads, it would inflict catastrophic damage to his body.

Wilf tells the Doctor to leave him. Since he's lived a full life, it doesn't seem worth it for his friend to give up his own just for Wilf's sake. The Doctor pretends to callously accept Wilf's offer but knows he cannot allow the sacrifice. His spirit finally shattered, the Doctor cuts loose with a rant of anger, grief, and frustration. He rages and chokes back tears about how despite everything he's done he's still going to die just because Wilf had to climb into the booth and he's just an old man, "not remotely important"; he could just be left and the Doctor could live so much longer and "do so much more". Then he snaps out of this self-absorption and realises what he's just said. He knows he can't leave Wilf to die and concludes that a Time Lord sometimes lives too long.

The Doctor writhes in pain from radiation exposure.

Ignoring Wilf's pleas, the Doctor enters the opposite booth and frees him, releasing the radiation into his booth. The Doctor writhes in intense pain until he finally collapses and the booth itself goes dead from the loss of power. After a few seconds, the Doctor gets up, having absorbed all the radiation from the nuclear bolt. At first, it looks like the Doctor has survived; however, when Wilf comments that the Doctor acquired some battle scars in the course of stopping the Time Lords returning, the Doctor passes his hands over his face, healing the wounds he had sustained earlier from crashing through the skylight. In response to Wilf's surprise, the Doctor examines his hands and announces that "It's started"; his body is preparing to regenerate.

The Doctor takes Wilf home and tells him, "I'll see you again, one more time." When Wilfred asks where he's going, the Doctor simply states, "To get my reward."

The Doctor travels to various places where he has brief, mostly distant encounters with recent friends. He saves Martha and Mickey from a Sontaran sniper. He pushes Luke Smith out of the path of a car, and exchanges a meaningful look with Sarah. He goes to an alien bar where he finds a despondent Captain Jack, drowning his sorrows after leaving Earth; and connects him with midshipman Alonso Frame. All of them realise they are seeing him for the last time. He visits a book signing for A Journal of Impossible Things by Verity Newman, Joan Redfern's great-granddaughter, to find out if Joan was happy in the end. She was.

The Doctor then appears after Donna's wedding and meets Wilfred and Sylvia. Wilfred tells him Joshua and Abigail Naismith were both arrested, and asks the Doctor who the mysterious woman was. The Doctor focusses on Donna and then Sylvia, but doesn't answer. He then gives Wilfred and Sylvia a wedding present for Donna; an envelope with something in it, purchased with a pound given to him by Sylvia's late husband. When Donna opens it she finds a lottery ticket, to which both Wilf and Sylvia realise that it is a winning ticket which will solve all of Donna's financial problems. The Doctor then leaves with a final look at Wilfred, the man whose life he saved at the expense of his own. As he leaves Wilfred salutes him and cries, realising he'll never see the Doctor again.

The Doctor's final stop is the Powell Estate early on New Year's Day 2005, where he watches Jackie and Rose heading home after the New Year's celebrations from the shadows. After departing from Jackie, Rose hears the Doctor after he grunts in pain from holding back his regeneration. Rose thinks he's drunk and tells him "maybe it's time you went home". She wishes him a Happy New Year to which the Doctor asks her the year. She responds, "January the 1st, 2005". The Doctor tells Rose that she'll "have a really great year." She smiles and leaves.

When Rose is gone, the Doctor staggers away as the pain of the radiation poisoning is finally setting in. A few feet away from the TARDIS, he collapses. He looks up to see Ood Sigma, standing calmly. As the Doctor struggles to his feet, Sigma tells him that the universe will sing him to his sleep and "this song is ending, but the story never ends." This gives the Doctor the last bit of strength he needs to make it to the TARDIS. On the Ood homeworld, the Ood sing "Vale Decem" in chorus.

The Doctor enters the TARDIS. After tossing his coat on one of the coral structures, he notices his right hand glowing with regenerative energy. He sets the TARDIS in flight as he circles the console. Fighting back tears, he utters: "I don't want to go..."

As the words leave him, golden energy radiates from both his hands and face as he breathes heavily. Taking a deep breath, the Doctor stretches his arms out as golden energy bursts from his hands and head and his body regenerates.

The regeneration of the Tenth Doctor.

The regenerative energy shatters the TARDIS windows and sets the console room ablaze, destroying columns, blowing out the lights, and raining debris down from above. The Doctor's face is consumed by the regeneration energy. The Doctor closes his eyes as his facial features fade and morph into those of a young man with a swirl of brown hair, who is screaming in pain.

As the strain of the regeneration wears off, the Eleventh Doctor stumbles back with a look of surprise. He quickly examines himself to make sure all his body parts are still in the same place (although he is shocked at his larger than usual chin), with his long hair causing him to think he had become a girl for a moment. With a quick feel of his Adam's apple confirming that he hasn't, yet, he then notices, much to his annoyance, he is still not ginger, but has dark hair again.

Remembering there was something important that he forgot, the Doctor tries recalling what it was until another explosion forces him to his knees. Realising that what he was trying to remember was that the TARDIS is now crashing, the Doctor oddly seems happy as he jumps over to the monitor — it shows the ship spinning wildly towards Earth. Delighting in the chaos, the Doctor clings to the console and gleefully shouts, "Geronimoooooooooooo!"

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

and introducing Matt Smith as the Doctor

Uncredited cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Crew[[edit] | [edit source]]

General production staff

Script department

Camera and lighting department

Art department

Costume department

Make-up and prosthetics

Movement

Casting

General post-production staff

Special and visual effects

Sound



Not every person who worked on this adventure was credited. The absence of a credit for a position doesn't necessarily mean the job wasn't required. The information above is based solely on observations of the actual end credits of the episodes as broadcast, and does not relay information from IMDB or other sources.
          

Because this site puts both episodes of The End of Time into a single article, it is slightly more difficult to properly represent the crew in the above framework. The two episodes did not have exactly the same credits.  The position of 3rd AD was only credited on part 1.  A "Unit Manager" was only credited on part 1.  Floor runner Chris Goding was only credited on part 2, while Tom Evans was only credited on part 1.  Production secretary Kevin Myers was only credited on part 1.  No boom operators were credited in part 1.  No electricians were credited in part 2.  Stephen Nicholas is credited as "Chief Supervising Art Director" in part 1, and "Supervising Art Director" in part 2.  Design assistant Al Roberts was only credited in part 2.  Associate designer James North was only credited in part 1.  Standby art director Keith Dunne was only credited in part 1.  No kind of buyer was credited in part 1.  A "Storyboard Artist" was only credited on part 2.  A "Property Master" was only credited on part 1.  Casting assistant Alice Purser was only credited on part 1.  Assistant editor Carmen Roberts was only credited on part 2.  Matt Mullins was VFX editor for part 1; Joel Skinner, for part 2.  In part 1, post-production supervisor Chris Blatchford is listed before Samantha Hall; in part 2, it's reversed.  Foley editor Will Everett was only credited on part 1.  Countertenor Mark Chambers was only credited on part 2.

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

British royalty[[edit] | [edit source]]

Companies[[edit] | [edit source]]

Devices[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Doctor[[edit] | [edit source]]

Galaxies[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • One of the things the Doctor did before meeting Ood Sigma was name a galaxy Alison.

The Master[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • The Master kills a cook.

The TARDIS[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • The Doctor's TARDIS key can be pointed at the TARDIS, emitting a warbling noise that puts it a second out of sync with space and time to hide its presence entirely.
  • The coral-themed interior of the TARDIS console room is destroyed by the Tenth Doctor's turbulent regeneration.

Foods and beverages[[edit] | [edit source]]

Individuals[[edit] | [edit source]]

Species[[edit] | [edit source]]

Temporal theory[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • When asked why he couldn't just take the TARDIS back to the previous day, the Doctor states, "I can't go back inside my own timeline. I have to stay relative to the Saxon Master within the causal nexus."
  • The Time War is time locked, but the Master's drumbeat was transmitted back through time through the Untempered Schism into the Master's mind so it was present throughout the Master's life.

Time Lords and the Time War[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Several crashed Dalek saucers are next to a badly damaged Citadel.
  • An incarnation of the Doctor possesses the Moment, and the Time Lords believe he will use it to destroy Gallifrey and the Daleks.
  • The Time Lords send a repeating four beat rhythm back through time and placed it in the Master's mind as a child.
  • Rassilon kills the Partisan for suggesting they end the Time War.
  • Rassilon says the Time Lord's have a history spanning a billion years.
  • Male Time Lords possess Adam's apples, as the Eleventh Doctor checks to see he has one when he momentarily thinks he's regenerated into a female body.
  • Time Lords can possibly change gender during regeneration, as the Eleventh Doctor briefly believes has done so due to the length of his hair.

Unified Intelligence Taskforce[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • A UNIT officer from UNIT HQ in Geneva appears, having been transformed into the Master.

Locations[[edit] | [edit source]]

Cultural references from the real world[[edit] | [edit source]]

Influences[[edit] | [edit source]]

Story notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Working titles for this story included The Immortality Gate.
  • The original title for Part 1 was The Final Days of Planet Earth, and was in fact the title when Russell T Davies teased readers of Doctor Who Magazine with the statement that the title was six words long. Later, however, he decided to give the title The End of Time to both specials, stating that the original didn't seem to 'fit' once he saw it on-screen.[9]
  • Part 2 had the working titles of The Final Battle, The Final Reckoning and Death of the Doctor. The latter became a serial of The Sarah Jane Adventures.
  • This story features the last appearance of the title sequence that debuted in Rose and the theme that debuted in Partners in Crime.
  • The second part is 75 minutes, 3 minutes longer than TV: Voyage of the Damned, making this currently the fourth longest single episode behind the 90-minute TV: The Five Doctors, the 85-minute TV: Doctor Who, and the 76-minute TV: Deep Breath.
  • The version of Part 1 on US streaming service HBO Max has different end credits from the broadcast and home video versions. The "To be continued" message is made up of what seem to be flat cut-outs of the same message from the end of TV: The Stolen Earth, and there is an additional woosh noise over the Doctor Who logo that pans horizontally after the end credits. This then abruptly cuts to the BBC Wales end card.
  • This is the first story of more than one episode since TV: Survival to have one overarching title and the first 2-parter since Revelation of the Daleks to be called part 1 and part 2.
  • The Time Lords return after their apparent destruction in the Last Great Time War. This is their first appearance onscreen (except for a flashback in TV: The Sound of Drums) since TV: The Trial of a Time Lord in 1986.
  • Russell T Davies originally planned for the Master leave an 'M' at the scenes of the murders he committed so as to provide a trail for the Doctor to follow. This was dropped when he realised that it had already been established that the Doctor would simply 'know' where to find his fellow Time Lord.
  • This is a second time that a Sontaran has appeared as a cameo in a regeneration story. The first was the Fourth Doctor's final story Logopolis, in his flashback to his enemies whilst hanging from the Pharos Project radio telescope.
  • There is no traditional celebrity cameo in the story. Instead, a stand-in, Roger Haynes, plays US President Barack Obama and stock audio from a speech of his is dubbed in. This is the first time in the revived series that the real world US presidency has coincided with that featured in the Whoniverse.
  • The opening credits list David Tennant, John Simm and Bernard Cribbins. Simm is the second person to be credited in the opening credits for playing a villain. The first was Eric Roberts, who also played the Master, in TV: Doctor Who. This is only the third time that all of the credits were male, the first being TV: Time Crash and the second being TV: The Next Doctor, discounting Attack of the Graske and Music of the Spheres, in which David Tennant is credited alone. The next time this would happen with more than one credited actor in the opening credits would be TV: The Return of Doctor Mysterio, which credits Peter Capaldi and Matt Lucas.
  • Despite this being David Tennant's last regular Doctor Who story as the Tenth Doctor, he filmed scenes for TV: The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith after the production of this story; in the Tenth Doctor's personal timeline, the events of that story occur before The End of Time.
  • In the Doctor Who Confidential for this episode and the ones for the other 2009 specials, the TARDIS in the opening titles bears the St. John's Ambulance badge, a nod to the Eleventh Doctor's upcoming model.
  • The continuity announcement before part 2 was voiced by the Tenth Doctor, and was the last time that the Christmas ident featuring him was used.
  • Russell T Davies confirmed in the commentary for part 2 that the scene where Captain Jack is in an alien bar is in a city named Zaggit-Zagoo on the planet Zog. This is an in-joke referencing one of Davies' statements regarding his approach to the series that "no-one cares about Zogs attacking Zogs on the planet Zog". The scene, a tribute to the famous Cantina Bar scene in Star Wars, features cameo appearances by many alien species featured during the Davies era, plus the return of Alonso Frame (TV: Voyage of the Damned) and also features the song "My Angel Put the Devil in Me", last heard in TV: Daleks in Manhattan.
  • Russell T Davies has said in an interview that the Tenth Doctor's death had been planned out since David Tennant was signed on for the role. Davies also heavily implied had Tennant not been cast, the Tenth Doctor would have died a different way.
  • The Master redeems himself by sacrificing himself and saving the Doctor. According to historical accounts of the production of the classic series, this idea dates back to the original concept for Jon Pertwee's final story as the Third Doctor, which would have seen Roger Delgado's Master redeem himself in a similar fashion, also causing the Doctor's regeneration; with Delgado's tragic death aborting this idea.
  • In an early draft of the script, Russell T Davies had the Doctor address the "half-human" statement the Eighth Doctor made in the 1996 TV movie, dismissing it as "a forty-eight-hour bug". The line was cut by Davies for several stated reasons, including the fact it would have confused viewers who were only familiar with the events of TV: Human Nature. (REF: The Writer's Tale - The Final Chapter)
  • During the chaotic sequence after the regeneration, the Eleventh Doctor is shown spitting, an act that raised some eyebrows. In addressing this during a publicity event for the launch of Series 5, Smith explained that it was his natural reaction to all the debris raining down on him during the filming, while Steven Moffat indicated that Russell T Davies chose to leave it in.[10]
  • Russell T Davies claimed that Omega was originally going to appear instead of Rassilon, but the idea was dropped.
  • Joshua Naismith mentions that the Gate was found buried at the foot of Mt. Snowdon by Torchwood. In TV: Doomsday, Yvonne Hartman states that the gravity clamps were found buried in the same place. Presumably, this means the gravity clamps are of Vinvocci origin. Also, in Death of the Doctor, UNIT has a base at Mt. Snowdon.
  • Jessica Hynes's scene as Verity Newman was the first scene of this episode to be filmed (the scene was brought forward to accommodate Hynes' schedule, as she had just been cast in The Norman Conquests on Broadway). If Hynes hadn't been available, her cameo would have been replaced with an appearance from Elton Pope and Ursula Blake.
  • Part 2 was the only Tenth Doctor era episode to premiere in 2010.
  • The scene where Luke is saved is part of an in-joke, according to Russell T Davies; in the first series of The Sarah Jane Adventures, none of the children characters looked where they were going whilst crossing the road.
  • Martha, a Jones, has now married Mickey, a Smith — a reference to her first episode, TV: Smith and Jones. This was highlighted in episode commentary.
  • The name of Jessica Hynes' character, Verity Newman, is a reference to Verity Lambert and Sydney Newman. This is the second time the revived series has honoured the two people who are considered among the primary creators of Doctor Who. In TV: Human Nature, the Doctor in his human guise says his parents were named Verity and Sydney. In this episode, Hynes plays a descendant of Joan Redfern, the major character she portrayed in Human Nature.
  • While the rest of the story was entirely written by Russell T Davies, Matt Smith's scene was written by Steven Moffat.
  • Four takes of the Tenth Doctor's final line ("I don't want to go") were filmed, with David Tennant upping the emotion for each one. The third one was the take chosen. The fourth take featured the Tenth Doctor breaking down tearfully; however, Tennant and the editors felt that this was too out of character and that he should show bravery as he faced regeneration.
  • Donna's neighbour who appeared throughout Series 4 is finally given a name in part one: Sally.
  • Early on in the bar scene, a creature somewhat resembling a Silurian is present, although it does not have a third eye. It is unlikely that this is actually intended to be a Silurian due to the physical difference, and as there had been no indication previously of Silurians engaging in inter-stellar travel. Also in the bar scene, another white furred alien appears that is reminiscent of Muftak, a character who appeared in the cantina scene in Star Wars: A New Hope.
  • The Master reminisces about how "we", presumed to be himself and the Doctor, used to run through fields of red grass on his father's estates, shouting up at the sky. This is the first reference to the Master's family, as well as presumably a reference to the fact the Doctor and the Master were once friends, previously confirmed in other stories. The fact the Master refers to "my father's estates", and not "our father's estates", can be seen as further implying that the Doctor and the Master are not brothers, as has often been speculated. The Doctor previously seemed to dismiss that speculation in TV: The Sound of Drums.
  • During his resurrection, the Master tells Lucy, "You will obey me!" This was a frequent catchphrase used during his previous and subsequent incarnations, particularly the one played by Roger Delgado.
  • Since the drumming in the Master's head has served its purpose, it's possible he is no longer tormented by it. His next incarnation, Missy, shows no signs of being haunted by the drumming, nor does he in his next appearance. However, in the following episode, the Doctor mentions the Time Lords curing his decaying body, although it is unclear if the drumming was also cured.
  • Part of Rassilon's narrations begin with the phrase "And so it came to pass ..."; TV: The Sound of Drums ended with a similar narration, albeit given by the Master instead.
  • Murray Gold said that the pivotal scene featuring the Tenth Doctor's final meeting with Rose Tyler did not feature the incidental music he intended for the moment. He wished to use the music piece "Song For Ten (Reprise)", a melancholy version of the original "Song For Ten". However, he argued with Julie Gardner to include this piece and lost, resulting in the use of "Rose's Theme" for the last time during the Tenth Doctor's tenure, whilst the reprise was moved up to the scene where the Tenth Doctor returned Wilf to Chiswick and embarked on his final reward.
  • With regards to total runtime and not episode count, this is the second longest regeneration story, behind The War Games and ahead of Planet of the Spiders.
  • Russell T Davies originally wanted to have the Doctor and the Master swap bodies. However, Davies wasn't keen to spend time during David Tennant's final story as the Tenth Doctor with the actor playing anybody other than the Doctor, and was also mindful that he had used a similar notion in New Earth.
  • Donna was originally supposed to appear only in the epilogue, giving the Doctor a chance to see that she was enjoying a good life despite losing all memory of her time with him.
  • Patrick Stewart was offered the role of Rassilon.
  • Abigail Naismith was originally named Alice.
  • There was originally a scene where the Doctor actually met Trinity Wells at the ruins of HMP Broadfell. Russell T Davies was eager to give Lachele Carl a proper appearance in the series, but ultimately dismissed the sequence as too self-indulgent.
  • Originally, much of the Vinvocci's faces retained their natural human skin tones, but it was now decided that they should be completely green; sequences featuring the aliens which had already been recorded would be computer-tinted to match the revised look.
  • One prominent element dropped from the script was a subplot in which the Doctor tries to convince the "Danes-Master" (that is, the copy of the Master who had been Danes, the Naismiths' butler) to rebel against the evil Time Lord.
  • The two Raxacoricofallapatorians at the bar are the new Slitheen costumes created for The Sarah Jane Adventures rather than the old ones from season one. Notably, this was filmed before but broadcast after The Gift, where the Slitheen costumes were painted orange to serve as Blathereen.
  • Bernard Cribbins served in the army during World War II and he never killed a man during his service. He insisted that Wilfred not only have the same lack of kills in his past, but also share in his pride for never taking another life.
  • It was John Simm's idea for the Master to have blond hair.
  • David Tennant and Timothy Dalton had each other's theme songs as their ringtones - Tennant had the James Bond theme and Dalton had the Doctor Who theme.
  • The Vinvocci were originally named Shanshay and Shanshay - the pronunciation of the two names being so subtly different that Wilf is unable to discern it (although the Doctor can).
  • Catherine Tate filmed her role in five days.
  • The Doctor's confrontation with the Master originally took place in a desert. This setting was used for Planet of the Dead.
  • Timothy Dalton and Billie Piper would later co-star in Penny Dreadful.
  • The female Time Lord was intended to be the Doctor's mother.
  • Euros Lyn wanted to remove the scene where the Doctor visits Verity Newman, thinking it would be confusing for anyone who had missed the connection she has to the Doctor, but Russell T Davies insisted on keeping the scene in the final cut.
  • The TARDIS console room exploding was done in one take because of the coral pillars being really expensive to redo, so multiple takes was not on the cards.
  • Russell Tovey and Sinead Keenan both appeared in Being Human as werewolves.
  • The Eleventh Doctor was originally expected to have just a line. Steven Moffat took the opportunity to write a short monologue.
  • While paying tribute to Bernard Cribbins in 2022, John Simm recalled that he had difficulty filming the scenes where the Master is mean to Wilf. After a take, Cribbins would say to Simm, "Ooh, you 'orrible sod".
  • The original idea for the Tenth Doctor's exit would have seen the TARDIS materialise on board a spacecraft carrying an alien family; the Doctor would sacrifice his life to prevent a radiation leak and save these ordinary, seemingly unimportant beings. Although Russell T Davies liked the notion of the Tenth Doctor's regeneration taking place in such unremarkable circumstances, as opposed to the blockbuster events that had characterised each of his season finales, he was concerned that viewers would be deflated by the anticlimax. He also felt that such a simple idea could not support two hours of television. He retained only the prologue and epilogue.
  • John Simm turned down a role in a stage play he had been considering in order to reprise his role as the Master.
  • Russell T Davies had Wilf travel in the TARDIS because Bernard Cribbins lamented that he hadn't done so yet.
  • Wilfred's gang of pensioners forming a neighbourhood watch was originally meant for Partners in Crime.
  • Russell T Davies had originally intended for the Tenth Doctor to sacrifice himself for a complete stranger, a technician named Keith. He realised that it should, in fact, be Wilfred, as it would be the ultimate explanation for the string of coincidences which had always surrounded the two characters.
  • The Master's original plan was to trap Earth in the Time War in place of Gallifrey. Russell T Davies ultimately disliked this idea and considered abandoning the Gallifrey plot altogether.
  • If any of the era's companion actor's hadn't been available, the epilogue would have been truncated to just Rose and Donna.
  • Rose's cameo is set in 2005 just before the events of Rose, because Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner didn't want to revisit the parallel Earth where she now lived, given that her story had been drawn to a close in Journey's End.
  • Russell T Davies had previously used the surname Naismith for one of the families at the heart of his 1993 serial Century Falls.
  • In developing the benevolent aliens whose race created the Immortality Gate, Russell T Davies was reminded of his fondness for Bannakaffalatta in Voyage of the Damned.
  • Russell T Davies originally considered having the Time Lords in an alliance with the Daleks to show how they had been corrupted. However, Steven Moffat was also planning to bring back the Daleks and expressed his preference for Victory of the Daleks to be the first Dalek story in a while. Keen not to undermine his successor's first season, Davies abandoned the notion.
  • The concluding episode gave Russell T Davies the opportunity to include some ideas that he had intended to use in earlier stories: the dogfight involving the Hesperus drew from some of his original plans for Planet of the Dead and Captain Jack Harkness' scene reinstated two abandoned notions for The Stolen Earth: a scene featuring a cavalcade of monsters and the return of Alonso Frame.
  • Martha and Mickey's cameo was carefully scheduled around Freema Agyeman's commitments to Law & Order: UK.
  • The Sontaran was called Commander Jask in the script.
  • It was while filming the Doctor's pursuit of the Master through the wasteland that the BBC formally announced that Beth Willis and Peter Bennett would be joining the new production team.
  • Wilfred's revolver was the same one previously used by Captain Jack.
  • To play the transmogrified versions of President Barack Obama and all of the journalists, John Simm was required to endure more than thirty costume changes.
  • A Vespiform originally appeared in the space bar, but it was omitted.
  • The regeneration scene was the first shot that Matt Smith filmed as the Doctor. Before he did so, David Tennant, Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner all exited the studio and gave way to Steven Moffat and Piers Wenger, symbolically passing the torch to the new team.
  • The last material that David Tennant filmed for this story was wire work for the Doctor's jump from the Hesperus.
  • Due to the special effects used to simulate the violent nature of the Tenth Doctor's regeneration, the glass central pillar in the middle of the TARDIS console was damaged so badly it had to be rebuilt prior to the recording of the next series. It was made by Bristol Blue Glass based in Brislington.
  • When asked about the emotional impact of writing his last Doctor Who script (prior to his return in 2023), Russell T Davies said, "I would have thought that when I handed in the last script I might have burst into tears or got drunk or partied with 20 naked men, but when these great moments happen you find that real life just carries on. The emotion goes into the scripts." David Tennant and Julie Gardner separately said that they cried when they read the script.
  • Freema Agyeman and Russell Tovey had previously appeared in Little Dorrit.
  • Although a matter of fan speculation for years, fuelled by occasional comments by individuals such as Tom Baker, the Eleventh Doctor briefly wondering if he has regenerated into a woman marked the first time on screen that this was acknowledged as a possible outcome of regeneration.

Ratings[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Part 1 - 11.57 million - According to BARB.
  • Part 2 - 12.27 million - According to BARB.
  • Part 1 - 12.04 million - UK final.[11]
  • In America, three broadcasts of Part 2 garnered a combined total of 1.42 million viewers, a record for BBC America.[12]

Filming locations[[edit] | [edit source]]

Production errors[[edit] | [edit source]]

If you'd like to talk about narrative problems with this story — like plot holes and things that seem to contradict other stories — please go to this episode's discontinuity discussion.
The Vinvocci makeup design as originally filmed, and post-recolouring. (CON: Lords and Masters/TV: The End of Time)
  • On the wide shot of the Master's resurrection, it can marginally be seen that Lucy Saxon is kneeling on what appears to be knee support pads.
  • After principal photography had wrapped, the production team decided to change the Vinvocci's appearance. They had originally envisaged that the race would only be partially green. The only solution was to digitally composite a more complete green, and this necessitated frame-by-frame colouring of the Vinvocci scenes. At some points in the episodes this is noticeable, for example when Rossiter is climbing into the mining laser pod while the Vinvocci ship is under fire from the missiles.
    • Also, when the Vincocci are in their control room hearing the Master's broadcast about finding the White-Point Star, it can be seen that the production team neglected to recolour that particular scene, as it can be seen (albeit with difficulty, since the Vinvocci are in the shadows) that their faces are not green.
  • During the first time where Wilf is in the glass cabinet, in the close up his phone is to his head, yet in the long shots both his hands are against the glass.
  • When the Doctor goes to get A Journal of Impossible Things signed, Jessica Hynes is quite plainly hovering her pen just above the page and not writing in it.
  • When the Doctor arrives at Donna's wedding, the gates he stands behind are closed, but when Wilf and Sylvia approach him, one is open. Also, when Sylvia looks at him, the TARDIS is closer to the Doctor than when they approach him.
  • The Nuclear Bolt control room switches sides of the Naismith's main hall at various points in part 2: It starts off on the right side in part 1, and stays that way until the Master reveals his true intentions of rescuing the Time Lords to Rassilon. The next shot, when all the Masters look smugly at Rassilon shows the Bolt on the left hand side. It later swaps back to its original position. This seems to suggest the post-production crew unnecessarily "flipped" the shot.
  • Similarly, the occupants changed sides within the Bolt room. Two Masters (yellow shirt and purple shirt) did a change-around, with the purple-shirted Master taking the place of the yellow-shirted one. The first time this happens, the purple-shirted Master is on the left-hand side, and the yellow-shirted Master on the right. In the aforementioned shot of the Masters looking smugly at Rassilon, when the Bolt swaps sides the first time, the purple-shirted Master is now on the right-hand side of the Bolt, which would be explained by a reflection of the shot. When the Bolt swaps back to its original side, the purple-shirted occupant is once again on the right-hand side, which would not be explained by a reflection of the shot, rather than the left-hand side, which Wilf then occupies. Furthermore, when the Master starts the nuclear bolt, the left-hand booth is occupied but when Wilf arrives and rescues the booth's occupant, it is the right-hand booth with a man in it, leaving Wilf trapped on the left side.
  • When the Doctor drops Wilf's gun after falling through the roof, it falls facing towards him and close to his hand. After the camera briefly pans to Rassilon, the gun is further away from the Doctor's hand and pointed towards the Time Lords.
  • When the Doctor points Wilf's gun at Rassilon it is in his right hand, but when he turns to point it at the Master, it is immediately in his left hand.
  • When the Doctor is aiming Wilf's gun at the Master and Rassilon, the trigger of the gun has already been pulled in and it should have fired. This is incorrectly reported as an error. Wilf's revolver was being used in 'single-action' mode, in which the hammer has been moved into the rearward position, which also moves the trigger rearward to a firing position. In 'double-action' mode, the hammer starts in the lowered position, and the trigger is forward; in this mode, pulling the trigger moves the hammer into firing position, causes the cylinder holding the bullets to revolve into place, and eventually causes the gun to fire.
  • After the Doctor knocks Jask out, the latter's body disappears in subsequent shots.
  • The Doctor's jacket is tattered before he enters the nuclear chamber to let Wilfred out. However, as he returns Wilf home before setting off to get his Reward, the jacket appears undamaged. The Doctor may have spares of his jacket and changed into another one. (A change of clothes is further implied by the fact that the Doctor's tie is different when he returns Wilf home.)
  • During the Time Lord council scene, Rassilon's collar isn't in the middle and sits to one side.
  • During the Captain Jack scene, a Sycorax that walks behind him only has one red eye.

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Coincidentally, the Doctor's catchphrase "Allons-y", which the Doctor described as meaning "Let's Go!", (TV: Midnight) is referenced in the Doctor's final words in his tenth life which were "I don't want to go".

Ginger controversy[[edit] | [edit source]]

During the final scene, the Eleventh Doctor takes a look at his hair and utters the phrase, "Still not ginger!" This statement was misinterpreted by a number of viewers as being a negative comment on redheaded people, resulting in more than a hundred forty complaints being filed with the BBC.[13] In response, the BBC issued an official statement clarifying that the Doctor was stating disappointment at not being ginger, a reference to the Tenth Doctor similarly expressing a wish to be ginger in The Christmas Invasion. In response to claims of an "anti-ginger agenda" by the series, the BBC statement noted that the Doctor's two most recent ongoing companions, Donna Noble and Amy Pond, are both redheads, not mentioning the difference between "red" and "ginger" hair.[14]

Home video releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

DVD releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • The End of Time was released to DVD and Blu-ray both bundled with The Waters of Mars and part of a Specials box set in the UK on 11 January 2010. A similar release in North America was released on 2 February 2010.
  • It was released as a promotional DVD alongside The Eleventh Hour in 2011, with British tabloid The Sun.
  • It was released as Doctor Who DVD Files issue 56.
  • This was released as part of the Complete Specials in the UK on both DVD and Blu-ray in a box set on 11 January 2010, with a North American release scheduled for 2 February 2010.[1] In Australia, the Blu-ray was released 29 June 2010 and the DVD on 1 July 2010.

Blu-ray releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • As mentioned above, it has been released with The Waters of Mars and as The Specials. It was the first Doctor Who Blu-Ray boxset release.
  • In 2013, this release was bundled with the first seven series of the revived Doctor Who.

Digital releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Netflix in the US lists The End of Time as episodes 18 and 19 of Series 4. Previously the story was listed as its own title. As of 2013, the story was rolled into the core show listing. It can also be purchased on iTunes.
  • In 2015, it was released by BBC Worldwide on BitTorrent and iTunes, in A Decade of the Doctor bundle to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the new series. It included introductions by Peter Capaldi, Earth Conquest: The World Tour and an episode guide.
  • In the United Kingdom, this story is available on BBC iPlayer as part of Series 4.

External links[[edit] | [edit source]]

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. Cribbins died in 2022, and his newly filmed scene in Wild Blue Yonder was aired posthumously
  2. Rassilon is credited as "The Narrator" in Part One and "Lord President" in Part Two
  3. Archive audio of the real Obama was used for his voice.

Citations[[edit] | [edit source]]