The Doctor's Meditation (theatrical film): Difference between revisions

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{{Infobox Story
{{ImageLinkTV}}
|name            = {{StoryTitle}}
{{Infobox Story SMW
|image          = The doctor's Meditation 1.jpg
|name            = ''The Doctor's Meditation''
|series          = [[Doctor Who television stories|''Doctor Who'' television stories]]
|image          = The Twelfth Well Dig.jpg
|season number  = [[Series 9 (Doctor Who)|9]]
|special        = Prequel to ''The Magician's Apprentice''
|story number    =
|story number    =
|doctor          = Twelfth Doctor
|doctor          = Twelfth Doctor
Line 11: Line 11:
|enemy          =
|enemy          =
|setting        = [[Essex]], [[1138]]
|setting        = [[Essex]], [[1138]]
|writer          = [[Steven Moffat]]
|writer          = Steven Moffat
|director        = [[Ed Bazalgette]]
|director        = [[Ed Bazalgette]]
|producer        = [[Derek Ritchie]]
|producer        = [[Derek Ritchie]]
|broadcast date  = [[15 September (releases)|15 September]] [[2015 (releases)|2015]]
|broadcast date  = 15 September 2015
|network        = [[BBC America]]
|network        = BBC America
|format          = 1x6 minute episode
|format          = 1x6 minute episode
|production code =
|production code =
|prev            = Last Christmas (TV story)
|series          = [[Prequel]]s
|next            = The Magician's Apprentice
|prev            = Prologue (webcast)
|series2        = [[Prequel]]
|next            =  
|prev2          = Prologue (webcast)
|next2          = TBA
|made prev      =  
|made prev      =  
|made next      =
|made next      =
Line 33: Line 31:
|trailer        =  
|trailer        =  
|trailer2        =  
|trailer2        =  
|confidential =  
|confidential   =  
|citation series = [[Prequel|Prequels]]
}}
}}
'''''{{StoryTitle}}''''' was a [[prequel]] to the [[Series 9 (Doctor Who)|ninth series]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]'', and was released [[15 September (releases)|15 September]] [[2015 (releases)|2015]] in [[cinema|cinemas]] in a select group of countries, the [[United States of America|USA]], [[Denmark]], [[Russia]] and [[Canada]]. It was later released on [[Facebook]] in the [[United Kingdom]], and aired on TV in [[Australia]].
'''''The Doctor's Meditation''''' was a [[prequel]] to the [[Series 9 (Doctor Who 2005)|ninth series]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]'', and was released [[15 September (releases)|15 September]] [[2015 (releases)|2015]] in [[cinema]]s in a select group of countries, the [[United States of America|USA]], [[Denmark]], [[Russia]] and [[Canada]], as a bonus feature as part of a double-bill of the 3D-converted versions of ''[[Dark Water (TV story)|Dark Water]]'' and ''[[Death in Heaven (TV story)|Death in Heaven]]''. It was later released on [[Facebook]] in the [[United Kingdom]], and aired on TV in [[Australia]].
 
It was the first theatrical ''Doctor Who'' story since the previous season's [[Prequel to Deep Breath (theatrical film)|''Deep Breath'' prequel]], and only the fifth overall.


== Synopsis ==
== Synopsis ==
Line 43: Line 44:
In a [[castle]] in [[Essex]] in [[1138]], the Doctor is meditating. As Bors runs in, the [[Time Lord]] stirs, and asks Bors how many days he has been there. Bors informs a disbelieving Doctor that he has been there about three hours. Bors asks the Doctor if he had another friend. The Doctor, unsatisfied with the quality of the water in his chalice, exits the castle to build a [[well]].
In a [[castle]] in [[Essex]] in [[1138]], the Doctor is meditating. As Bors runs in, the [[Time Lord]] stirs, and asks Bors how many days he has been there. Bors informs a disbelieving Doctor that he has been there about three hours. Bors asks the Doctor if he had another friend. The Doctor, unsatisfied with the quality of the water in his chalice, exits the castle to build a [[well]].


Bors and his men begin to dig a well on the Doctor's orders. Five days later, they have tried eleven different spots and none of them have yielded water. Seven days later, they finally dig a well. Bors offers the Doctor a bucket of it. Uninterested, the Doctor suggests a visitor's center for the well. Bors drops the bucket back down the well, deeply frustrated by the Doctor's actions.
Bors and his men begin to dig a well on the Doctor's orders. Five days later, they have tried eleven different spots and none of them have yielded water. The Doctor simply responds by saying, "well, [[Twelfth Doctor|twelve]] is my lucky number". Seven days later, they finally dig a well. Bors offers the Doctor a bucket of it. Uninterested, the Doctor suggests a visitor's centre for the well. Bors drops the bucket back down the well, deeply frustrated by the Doctor's actions.


Five days later, the Doctor is practicing his magic tricks. Bors alerts him to the fact that his order for the throne room extension has been filled - except for the sun-roof since nobody knows what a sun-roof is. The Doctor, in an attempt to test his magic, asks Bors where the coin he had been practicing with is, to which Bors replies that it was still in his right hand. Frustrated, the Doctor protests, bluffing that the coin is not there. Bors continues to question him on what his presence means. The Doctor concedes that he is not the idiot he originally thought him to be.
Five days later, the Doctor is practising his magic tricks. Bors alerts him to the fact that his order for the throne room extension has been filled except for the sun-roof since nobody knows what a sun-roof is. The Doctor, in an attempt to test his magic, asks Bors where the coin he had been practising with is, to which Bors replies that it was still in his right hand. Frustrated, the Doctor protests, bluffing that the coin is not there. Bors continues to question him on what his presence means. The Doctor concedes that he is not the idiot he originally thought him to be.


Four days later, Bors prepares the Doctor's final meditation; he and the Time Lord converse, the Doctor claiming that he only has one day left and must genuinely dedicate some time to thought. Bors replies that he believes the Doctor incapable of silence. Bors leaves the Doctor, only for the Doctor to call him back a few moments later, to offer him a joust. Bors stands his ground, demanding an answer or he will not leave the room, intending to force the Doctor to tell him his story. The Time Lord states that he recently let someone down; he found a battlefield, and although he had come across many before, this one would be his last.
Four days later, Bors prepares the Doctor's final meditation; he and the Time Lord converse, the Doctor claiming that he only has one day left and must genuinely dedicate some time to thought. Bors replies that he believes the Doctor incapable of silence. Bors leaves the Doctor, only for the Doctor to call him back a few moments later, to offer him a joust. Bors stands his ground, demanding an answer or he will not leave the room, intending to force the Doctor to tell him his story. The Time Lord states that he recently let someone down; he found [[Thousand Year War|a battlefield]], and although he had come across many before, this one would be his last.


On another world, the sound of gunfire and shouts of soldiers penetrate the mist...
On [[Skaro|another world]], the sound of gunfire and shouts of soldiers penetrate the mist...


== Cast ==
== Cast ==
Line 55: Line 56:
* [[Bors (The Doctor's Meditation)|Bors]] - [[Daniel Hoffmann-Gill]]
* [[Bors (The Doctor's Meditation)|Bors]] - [[Daniel Hoffmann-Gill]]


== References ==
== Worldbuilding ==
* The Doctor, to convince the locals to dig a twelfth hole, says that twelve is his lucky number. Then the well is finally finished on the twelfth day.
* The Doctor is wearing plaid [[trousers]]. He is also wearing a worn out Label Lab Misty Mountain graphic [[t-shirt]].
* The Doctor is wearing plaid trousers, similar to the [[Second Doctor]]'s trousers. He is also wearing a worn out Label Lab Misty Mountain graphic [[t-shirt]], unlike his usual formal dress.


== Story notes ==
== Story notes ==
* ''The Doctor's Meditation'' was first shown prior to a 3-D screening of ''[[Dark Water (TV story)|Dark Water]]'' / ''[[Death in Heaven (TV story)|Death in Heaven]]'' at 7:30 PM local time in the [[United States|US]] and [[Canada]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbcamerica.com/doctor-who/extras/doctor-who-returns-to-cinemas-with-a-never-before-seen-season-9-prequel/|title='Doctor Who' Returns to Cinemas with a Never-Before-Seen Season 9 Prequel|author=|date of source=|website name=BBC America|accessdate=15 September 2015}}</ref> Alongside ''[[The Five Doctors (TV story)|The Five Doctors]] ''and [[Doctor Who (TV story)|The TV Movie]], it is one of the few stories to be first shown in the US. It was also released in the UK on the official Doctor Who Facebook page, the first mini-episode to do so.
* ''The Doctor's Meditation'' was first shown prior to a 3-D screening of ''[[Dark Water (TV story)|Dark Water]]'' and ''[[Death in Heaven (TV story)|Death in Heaven]]'' at 7:30 PM local time in the [[United States|US]] and [[Canada]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbcamerica.com/doctor-who/extras/doctor-who-returns-to-cinemas-with-a-never-before-seen-season-9-prequel/|title='Doctor Who' Returns to Cinemas with a Never-Before-Seen Season 9 Prequel|author=|date of source=|website name=BBC America|accessdate=15 September 2015}}</ref> Alongside ''[[The Five Doctors (TV story)|The Five Doctors]] ''and [[Doctor Who (TV story)|The TV Movie]], it is one of the few stories to be first shown in the US. It was also released in the UK on the official Doctor Who Facebook page, the first mini-episode to do so.
* It is also one of the few stories to first be shown in cinemas. It has since been broadcast on television in the United States on [[BBC America]] on 18 September 2015 and the [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC]] in Australia on 19 September 2015.
* It is also one of the few stories to first be shown in cinemas. It has since been broadcast on television in the United States on [[BBC America]] on 18 September 2015 and the [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC]] in Australia on 19 September 2015.
* The final scene of a battlefield leads directly into the first episode of [[Series 9 (Doctor Who)|Series 9]], ''[[The Magician's Apprentice (TV story)|The Magician's Apprentice]]''.
* The final scene of a battlefield leads directly into the first episode of [[Series 9 (Doctor Who 2005)|Series 9]]; ''[[The Magician's Apprentice (TV story)|The Magician's Apprentice]]''.
* This is the first live-action "pure historical" since ''[[Black Orchid (TV story)|Black Orchid]]'' in [[1982 (releases)|1982]].
* This is the first live-action "pure historical" since ''[[Black Orchid (TV story)|Black Orchid]]'' in [[1982 (releases)|1982]].
* From the [[Twelfth Doctor]]'s perspective, this story takes place between hearing [[Colony Sarff]]'s message, and his "axe fight" with [[Bors (The Doctor's Meditation)|Bors]]. As such, it takes place entirely within the narrative of [[TV]]: ''[[The Magician's Apprentice (TV story)|The Magician's Apprentice]]''.


=== Ratings ===
=== Ratings ===
''To be added''
''to be added''


=== Filming locations ===
=== Filming locations ===
''To be added''
''Melfi ( Pz )''


=== Production errors ===
=== Production errors ===
''To be added''
''to be added''


== Continuity ==
== Continuity ==
* From [[The Doctor]]'s perspective, this story takes place between hearing [[Colony Sarff]]'s message, and his "axe fight" with [[Bors]]. As such, it takes place entirely within the narrative of [[TV]]: ''[[The Magician's Apprentice (TV story)|The Magician's Apprentice]]''.
* The Doctor meditates, as he had previously told [[Ohila]] that he would do. ([[WC]]: ''[[Prologue (webcast)|Prologue]]'')
* The Doctor meditates. ([[TV]]: ''[[Listen (TV story)|Listen]]'') He previously told [[Ohila]] that he should find a rock to go meditate on. ([[WC]]: ''[[Prologue (webcast)|Prologue]]'')
* The Doctor is called a [[magician]]. He previously mentioned that he accidentally came up with the look of a magician. ([[TV]]: ''[[Time Heist (TV story)|Time Heist]]'') He was also previously called one. ([[TV]]: ''[[Last Christmas (TV story)|Last Christmas]]'')
* The Doctor is called a [[magician]]. He previously mentioned that he came up with the look of a magician. ([[TV]]: ''[[Time Heist (TV story)|Time Heist]]'') He was also previously called this. ([[TV]]: ''[[Last Christmas (TV story)|Last Christmas]]'')
* The Doctor mentions he's avoiding an old familiarity. ([[WC]]: ''[[Prologue (webcast)|Prologue]]'') This familiarity later turns out to be [[Davros]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Magician's Apprentice (TV story)|The Magician's Apprentice]]'')
* The Doctor mentions he's avoiding an old familiarity. ([[WC]]: ''[[Prologue (webcast)|Prologue]]'') This familiarity later turns out to be [[Davros]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Magician's Apprentice (TV story)|The Magician's Apprentice]]'')
* The Doctor says he has seen an enormous amount of battlefields, it being "the story of [his] life". ([[TV]]: ''[[An Unearthly Child (TV story)|An Unearthly Child]]'' - ''[[Last Christmas (TV story)|Last Christmas]]'')
* The Doctor is terrible at magic tricks, when he ask Bors where his coin went but refuses to show his hand, insisting it's not there. ([[TV]]: ''[[Kinda (TV story)|Kinda]]'')
* The Doctor again uses [[chalk]] to write. ([[TV]]: ''[[Deep Breath (TV story)|Deep Breath]]'', ''[[Into the Dalek (TV story)|Into the Dalek]]'', ''[[Robot of Sherwood (TV story)|Robot of Sherwood]]'', ''[[Listen (TV story)|Listen]]''), but instead of using a [[blackboard]], he writes on the floor like he did immediately after [[regeneration]].
* The Doctor again uses [[chalk]] to write, ([[TV]]: ''[[Deep Breath (TV story)|Deep Breath]]'', ''[[Into the Dalek (TV story)|Into the Dalek]]'', ''[[Robot of Sherwood (TV story)|Robot of Sherwood]]'', ''[[Listen (TV story)|Listen]]'') but instead of using a [[blackboard]], he writes on the floor like he did immediately after [[regeneration]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Deep Breath (TV story)|Deep Breath]]'')
* The Doctor asks Bors if he would like a friendly [[sword]] fight, pulling out his [[spoon]]. He previously battled [[Robin Hood]] using the spoon. ([[TV]]: ''[[Robot of Sherwood (TV story)|Robot of Sherwood]]'')
* The Doctor asks Bors if he would like a friendly [[sword]] fight, pulling out his [[spoon]]. He previously battled [[Robin Hood]] using the spoon. ([[TV]]: ''[[Robot of Sherwood (TV story)|Robot of Sherwood]]'')
* The Doctor tells Bors about the battle he lands in on [[Skaro]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Magician's Apprentice (TV story)|The Magician's Apprentice]]'')
* [[Danny Pink]] previously stated that digging wells was an example of the good he was able to achieve during his time as a soldier. ([[TV]]: [[Listen (TV story)|Listen]]'')


== Home video releases ==
== Home video releases ==
''To be added''
=== DVD and Blu-ray releases ===
 
* The mini-episode was included in the Complete Series 9 DVD and Blu-ray box sets in the UK and North America.
=== DVD releases ===
* Prior to its release in the box set, it was also included as a bonus feature on the North American 3-D Blu-ray release of ''[[Dark Water (TV story)|Dark Water]]''/''[[Death in Heaven (TV story)|Death in Heaven]]''.
''To be added''
 
=== Blu-ray releases ===
''To be added''


=== Digital releases ===
=== Digital releases ===
* It was released on 17 September 2015 to watch for free in the UK on Facebook, Google Play and Amazon Instant Video. However, the content is geo-locked and cannot be viewed outside of the UK. It is also available to purchase on iTunes.
* In lieu of there being a theatrical showing or release with the 3D Blu-ray version of ''[[Dark Water (TV story)|Dark Water]]''/''[[Death in Heaven (TV story)|Death in Heaven]]'', the short was released on 17 September 2015 to watch for free in the UK on Facebook, Google Play and Amazon Instant Video. However, the content is geo-locked and cannot be viewed outside of the UK. It is also available to purchase on iTunes.


== External links ==
== External links ==
*''The Doctor's Meditation'' on DoctorWhoTV.co.uk - http://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/watch-the-doctors-meditation-76077.htm
* ''The Doctor's Meditation'' on DoctorWhoTV.co.uk - http://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/watch-the-doctors-meditation-76077.htm


== Footnotes ==
== Footnotes ==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


{{DWTV}}
{{TitleSort}}
{{TitleSort}}
{{ImageLink}}
 
{{DWTV}}
[[es:The Doctor's Meditation]]
[[cy:The Doctor Meditiation (stori deledu)]]
[[Category:Twelfth Doctor television stories]]
[[Category:Series 9 (Doctor Who) stories]]
[[Category:Series 9 (Doctor Who) stories]]
[[Category:Prequels]]
[[Category:Prequels]]
[[Category:Stories set in Essex]]
[[Category:Stories set in Essex]]
[[Category:Stories set in the 12th century]]
[[Category:Stories set in 1138]]
[[Category:Historical stories]]
[[Category:Sources set on Skaro]]
[[Category:Stories set on Skaro]]
[[Category:2015 television stories]]
[[Category:2015 television stories]]
[[Category:Confession arc]]
[[Category:Doctor Who mini-episodes]]
[[Category:Theatrical films]]
 
[[cy:The Doctor's Meditation (stori deledu)]]
[[es:The Doctor's Meditation]]
[[fr:The Doctor's Meditation (TV)]]

Latest revision as of 20:16, 25 April 2024

RealWorld.png

The Doctor's Meditation was a prequel to the ninth series of Doctor Who, and was released 15 September 2015 in cinemas in a select group of countries, the USA, Denmark, Russia and Canada, as a bonus feature as part of a double-bill of the 3D-converted versions of Dark Water and Death in Heaven. It was later released on Facebook in the United Kingdom, and aired on TV in Australia.

It was the first theatrical Doctor Who story since the previous season's Deep Breath prequel, and only the fifth overall.

Synopsis[[edit] | [edit source]]

As the Doctor prepares for his upcoming demise, he beds down in an unusual location.

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

In a castle in Essex in 1138, the Doctor is meditating. As Bors runs in, the Time Lord stirs, and asks Bors how many days he has been there. Bors informs a disbelieving Doctor that he has been there about three hours. Bors asks the Doctor if he had another friend. The Doctor, unsatisfied with the quality of the water in his chalice, exits the castle to build a well.

Bors and his men begin to dig a well on the Doctor's orders. Five days later, they have tried eleven different spots and none of them have yielded water. The Doctor simply responds by saying, "well, twelve is my lucky number". Seven days later, they finally dig a well. Bors offers the Doctor a bucket of it. Uninterested, the Doctor suggests a visitor's centre for the well. Bors drops the bucket back down the well, deeply frustrated by the Doctor's actions.

Five days later, the Doctor is practising his magic tricks. Bors alerts him to the fact that his order for the throne room extension has been filled — except for the sun-roof since nobody knows what a sun-roof is. The Doctor, in an attempt to test his magic, asks Bors where the coin he had been practising with is, to which Bors replies that it was still in his right hand. Frustrated, the Doctor protests, bluffing that the coin is not there. Bors continues to question him on what his presence means. The Doctor concedes that he is not the idiot he originally thought him to be.

Four days later, Bors prepares the Doctor's final meditation; he and the Time Lord converse, the Doctor claiming that he only has one day left and must genuinely dedicate some time to thought. Bors replies that he believes the Doctor incapable of silence. Bors leaves the Doctor, only for the Doctor to call him back a few moments later, to offer him a joust. Bors stands his ground, demanding an answer or he will not leave the room, intending to force the Doctor to tell him his story. The Time Lord states that he recently let someone down; he found a battlefield, and although he had come across many before, this one would be his last.

On another world, the sound of gunfire and shouts of soldiers penetrate the mist...

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • The Doctor is wearing plaid trousers. He is also wearing a worn out Label Lab Misty Mountain graphic t-shirt.

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

  • The Doctor's Meditation was first shown prior to a 3-D screening of Dark Water and Death in Heaven at 7:30 PM local time in the US and Canada.[1] Alongside The Five Doctors and The TV Movie, it is one of the few stories to be first shown in the US. It was also released in the UK on the official Doctor Who Facebook page, the first mini-episode to do so.
  • It is also one of the few stories to first be shown in cinemas. It has since been broadcast on television in the United States on BBC America on 18 September 2015 and the ABC in Australia on 19 September 2015.
  • The final scene of a battlefield leads directly into the first episode of Series 9; The Magician's Apprentice.
  • This is the first live-action "pure historical" since Black Orchid in 1982.
  • From the Twelfth Doctor's perspective, this story takes place between hearing Colony Sarff's message, and his "axe fight" with Bors. As such, it takes place entirely within the narrative of TV: The Magician's Apprentice.

Ratings[[edit] | [edit source]]

to be added

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

Melfi ( Pz )

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

to be added

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

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

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

  • The mini-episode was included in the Complete Series 9 DVD and Blu-ray box sets in the UK and North America.
  • Prior to its release in the box set, it was also included as a bonus feature on the North American 3-D Blu-ray release of Dark Water/Death in Heaven.

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

  • In lieu of there being a theatrical showing or release with the 3D Blu-ray version of Dark Water/Death in Heaven, the short was released on 17 September 2015 to watch for free in the UK on Facebook, Google Play and Amazon Instant Video. However, the content is geo-locked and cannot be viewed outside of the UK. It is also available to purchase on iTunes.

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

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]