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{{Infobox NewTV
{{title dab away}}
|story name= Last of the Time Lords
{{real world}}
|image= [[Image:Last_of_the_Timelords_Master_Doctor_Martha.png|250px]]
{{ImageLinkTV}}
|series=[[Doctor Who]] -<br/>[[TV stories|TV Stories]]
{{Infobox Story SMW
|number= [[Series 3 (Doctor Who)|Series 3]]
|image                = Last-of-the-time-lords.jpg
|story number = 13
|series               = [[Doctor Who television stories|''Doctor Who'' television stories]]
|doctor= [[Tenth Doctor]]
|season number         = Series 3 (Doctor Who 2005)
|companions= [[Martha Jones]] (departs)<br>Captain [[Jack Harkness]] (departs)
|series episode number = 13
|enemy= [[The Master]]<br>[[Lucy Saxon]] (redeems herself)<br>[[Toclafane]]
|story number         = 187c
|setting= [[England]], [[2009]]<br >''[[Valiant]]'', [[2009]]<br >[[London]], [[2008]]
|scripturl = https://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/documents/doctor-who-3-episode-13-last-of-the-time-lords-yellow-revisions-13032007.pdf
|writer= [[Russell T. Davies]]
|doctor               = Tenth Doctor
|director= [[Colin Teague]]
|companions           = [[Martha Jones|Martha]], [[Jack Harkness|Jack]]
|producer= [[Phil Collinson]]
|featuring            = Francine Jones
|broadcast date =30th June, 2007
|featuring2            = Tish Jones
|format= 1x51 minute episode
|featuring3            = Clive Jones
|production code= 191 c
|enemy                 = The [[Saxon Master]]
|previous story= [[The Sound of Drums]]
|setting               = [[The Year That Never Was|Alternative England]] and ''[[Valiant (aircraft carrier)|Valiant]]'', [[2009]]
|next story= [[Time Crash]]
|writer               = Russell T Davies
}}
|director             = [[Colin Teague]], [[Graeme Harper]] (uncredited, partial contribution)
|producer             = [[Phil Collinson]]
|confidential          = The Valiant Quest (CON episode)|The Valiant Quest
|broadcast date       = 30 June 2007
|network              = BBC One
|format               = 1x54 minute episode<br/>Part 3 of 3
|production code       = 3.13
|prev                  = The Sound of Drums (TV story)
|next                  = Time Crash (TV story)
|made prev            = The Sound of Drums (TV story)
|made next             = Voyage of the Damned (TV story)
|clip                  = The Master Dies in the Doctor's Arms - Last of the Time Lords (HD) - Doctor Who
|clip2                = Is Captain Jack The Face of Boe? - Doctor Who - Last of the Time Lords - BBC
|thwr                  = 50
}}{{you may|Last of the Time Lords|n1=the eponymous title|The Sound of Drums & Last of the Time Lords (reference book)|n2=the reference book of the same name}}
'''''Last of the Time Lords''''' was the thirteenth and final episode of [[Series 3 (Doctor Who 2005)|series 3]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]''.


{{Quote|I forgive you|The Doctor}}
It was the final regular appearance of Freema Agyeman as Martha Jones and the second departure of John Barrowman as Jack Harkness, though both would appear again in the [[Series 4 (Doctor Who 2005)|next series]].


==Synopsis==
It also indicated that [[Time Lord]]s can stop themselves from [[regenerating]] if they so desire, and left viewers with a clear hint about the [[Face of Boe]]'s real identity. The reason why the Doctor burned the Master's body rather than bury it would be revealed four years later in the 2011 story {{cs|The Impossible Astronaut (TV story)}}. The power of [[regeneration]], which heals old age, illness & fatal injury is sought by several species, and they would tear an entire planet apart for just a single cell of a Time Lord. Thus, a dead Time Lord must have their body cremated to prevent such chaos from occurring.
It has been one year since Martha teleported away from the [[Valiant]] and the Earth is now enslaved by the Master.
Martha has travelled and seen, she has spoken and she has searched. Was it for a weapon to end the tyranny of the Master?
Now the Master is ready to begin his new Time Lord Empire, with the Doctor aged beyond the point of no return, and Jack locked away below the Valiant's decks, only Martha can stop the Master.


==Plot==
The Master's death left the Doctor (at this point) as the sole surviving Time Lord in the universe. Viewers were given a first hand look at the immense pain this caused him, and as something that would fuel a growing darkness within him.
One year after the Master's takeover and decimation of Planet Earth, the Earth (Sol 3) is announced to be closed from space traffic as it is entering extinction. On a beach on the coast of England, a man named Tom Milligan directs Martha's boat in using a lamp. She arrives back in the UK for the first time since the Toclafane invasion, having travelled the world. She tells Tom she has to talk to a woman called Professor Docherty, and asks him why he is allowed to travel. He says it is because he is a doctor, and Martha is happy to realize she is travelling with a Doctor. Tom tells Martha that she has become something of a legend around the world as the one person who can kill the Master, and asks her if this is true. She does not answer him.


The Master enters the deck of the Valiant, singing and dancing happily. He rings a bell to summon the Doctor out of his tent on the floor, commenting that there is one day until launch. The Doctor is still unnaturally aged and is now refusing to speak. He only responds when the Master mentions that Martha has apparently returned to England. He tells the Master to leave her alone. The Master tries to force him to talk more, but realizes that the "Toclafane" broke the Doctor's hearts when he realized what they are. The Doctor says he has just one thing to say, and the Master knows what it is, but the Master walks away. Francine is forced to be a waitress for the Master. Lucy looks beaten and seems to be much more miserable than she was before. Clive and Tish are also working on the Valiant. Tish's job is to feed Jack, who is chained to the engines. Tish gives Jack a hand signal to explain her plan, and Jack winks in acknowledgement.
== Synopsis ==
[[The Year That Never Was|One year later]], {{Simm}} and the [[Toclafane]] are rulers of [[Earth]], which is torn apart by a year of hell. The [[Tenth Doctor]] has been aged 900 years, and [[Jack Harkness]] and the Jones family have been reduced to [[slave]]ry on the Master's ship, the ''[[Valiant (aircraft carrier)|Valiant]]''. The only hope for everyone on Earth is [[Martha Jones]], now a legend amongst [[human]]ity. As the Master prepares to turn the Earth into a giant warship that will ultimately engulf the rest of the [[universe]], Martha must trek through dangerous territory to destroy him, but tragedy awaits her, the Doctor and her family on the day that will pit humanity against the stars...


Martha and Tom walk up a hill and see an enormous statue of the Master at the top of it. Looking out at the miles of countryside in front of them, they see thousands of spaceships being built. Martha explains that the Master is preparing for war with the rest of the universe. Suddenly, two Toclafane arrive and demand an explanation for Tom's traveling. He presents identification that he is allowed to travel and the Toclafane taunt him and move on. Tom asks Martha how the spheres didn't notice her, and she reveals that she is still wearing her TARDIS key perception filter, and that is how she has managed to travel the world.
== Plot ==
One year after {{Simm}}'s takeover and decimation of [[Earth]], the Earth ([[Sol 3]]) is closed from space traffic as it is entering [[extinction]]. On a beach on the coast of [[England]], [[Thomas Milligan (The Year That Never Was)|Tom Milligan]] directs [[Martha Jones|Martha's]] [[boat]] in. She returns to the UK for the first time since the [[Toclafane]] invasion, having travelled the world. She tells Tom she has to talk to a Professor [[Alison Docherty (The Year That Never Was)|Alison Docherty]] and asks him why he is allowed to travel. He says it is because he is a [[doctor]]. Martha is happy she is travelling with a doctor. Tom tells Martha that she has become a legend around the world as the one person who can kill the Master, and asks her if this is true. She does not answer him.


Tish continues to spread her hand signal of three fingers, indicating that they will rebel at 3:00pm. As the Master picks a girl to give him a massage and insults Lucy, Jack manages to break free of his chains, Clive pours water over all the technology and equipment, and Francine throws the Master's laser screwdriver to the Doctor. He points it at the Master and says once more that he only has one thing to say and the Master knows what it is, who simply laughs at the Doctor. Jack is shot dead (again) by the Master's guards. The Master explains that the screwdriver has isomorphic controls and it only works for the Master. He demonstrates by torturing Francine and forcing her to apologize. She does so and the Master warns everyone that siding with the Doctor is not recommended. The Master continues to insult the Doctor and decides to take his revenge.
The Master enters the deck of the ''[[Valiant (aircraft carrier)|Valiant]]'', singing and dancing to [[Scissor Sisters]]' "[[I Can't Decide]]". He kisses [[Lucy Saxon|Lucy]], who shows signs of physical abuse, before taunting the aged [[Tenth Doctor]] by dancing around the room with him. He says there is one day until launch.


Martha and Tom arrive at Professor Docherty's workplace. She is trying to fix a television so they can watch a transmission from the Master. They are successful, and the Master speaks to the world. He asks them how much hope does the Doctor have, and on camera, ages the Doctor a further 900 years. On the television, the Doctor appears to be dead, and the transmission ends with a word of warning to Martha to surrender. On the Vaiant, a tiny, disfigured creature emerges from the Doctor's clothes - a 1000 year aged Doctor. Martha is undisturbed, saying she knows the Doctor is still alive.
The Doctor refuses to speak. He only responds when the Master mentions that Martha has apparently returned to England. He tells the Master to leave her alone. The Master tries to force him to talk more but knows that the "Toclafane" broke the Doctor's [[Binary cardiovascular system|hearts]] when he realised what they are. The Doctor says he has just one thing to say, and the Master knows what it is, but the Master walks away. [[Francine Jones|Francine]] is forced to be a waitress for the Master. [[Clive Jones|Clive]] and [[Tish Jones|Tish]] are also working on the ''Valiant''. Tish's job is to feed [[Jack Harkness|Jack]], who is chained to the engines. Tish gives Jack a hand signal to explain her plan, and Jack winks in acknowledgement.


Martha tells Professor Docherty that she came to see her so that they can catch themselves a sphere. They know that a lightning strike can strike down a sphere, and Professor Docherty manages to produce enough electricity to simulate one. Tom attracts attention by shooting into the air, and draws the Toclafane into the lightning. The sphere is struck down, and Professor Docherty prepares to find out what is inside.
Martha and Tom walk up a hill and see an enormous statue of the Master at the top of it; Martha comments that the Master has even carved himself into Mount Rushmore. Looking out at the miles of countryside in front of them, they see thousands of spaceships being built. Martha explains that thousands more are being built across the world, [[Russia]] being turned into a big shipyard, and that the Master is preparing for war with the rest of the [[universe]]. Suddenly, two Toclafane arrive and demand an explanation for Tom's travelling. He presents identification that he is allowed to travel and the Toclafane taunt him and move on. Tom asks Martha how the spheres didn't notice her, and she reveals that she is still wearing her [[TARDIS key]] [[perception filter]], and that is how she has managed to travel the world.


Upon examining the sphere thus captured, they make a horrifying discovery: the Toclafane contain the conscious remains of the humans from the year 100 trillion. The Toclafane claims there was no Utopia, only more darkness, and with everything dying around them the humans cannibalized and regressed themselves, becoming the child-like Toclafane. The Master brought them back in time using the TARDIS, which could only travel between the years of Utopia and our present. The contradiction of the Toclafane killing their own ancestors is made possible by the paradox machine built by the Master. Martha is horrified when the Toclafane quotes young Creet that she met on Malcassairo, telling her that the Toclafane have shared memories of the last of humanity. When questioned as to why it wishes to kill its own ancestors, the Toclafane responds, "Because it's fun" and laughs maniacally. Tom is sickened and horrified by this and shoots it dead.
Tish continues to spread her hand signal of three fingers, indicating that they will rebel at 3:00 pm. As the Master picks a [[Tarnia (Last of the Time Lords)|girl]] to give him a massage and insults Lucy, Jack manages to break free of his chains, Clive pours water over all the technology and equipment, and Francine throws the Master's [[laser screwdriver]] to the Doctor. He points it at the Master and says once more that he only has one thing to say and the Master knows what it is. The Doctor tries to use the screwdriver against the Master, but it refuses to function for him. The Master, who was never worried, simply laughs at the Doctor. Jack is shot dead again by the Master's guards. The Master explains that the screwdriver has isomorphic controls and it only works for him, before taking it back and punching the Doctor to the floor. He demonstrates by torturing Francine and forcing her to apologise. She does so and the Master warns everyone that siding with the Doctor is not recommended. The Master continues to insult the Doctor and decides to take his revenge.


When Docherty asks if the rumours about Martha are true, Martha reveals a gun developed by Torchwood and UNIT, purportedly able to kill a Time Lord and prevent the ensuing regeneration. Martha has retrieved three of the four chemicals needed for the gun from their hiding places around the world, and has returned to London to find the fourth. After Martha and Thomas depart for a shelter in Bexley to hide, Docherty (who is desperate for information regarding her missing son) reveals their whereabouts to the Master.
Martha and Tom arrive at Professor Docherty's workplace. She is trying to fix a [[television]] so they can watch a transmission from the Master. They are successful, and the Master speaks to the world. He comments that he has heard that tales of Martha have given them hope, but asks them how much hope the Doctor has, and on camera ages the Doctor with the laser screwdriver a further 900 years. On the television, the Doctor appears to be dead, and the transmission ends with a word of warning to Martha to surrender. On the ''Valiant'', a tiny, disfigured creature emerges from the Doctor's clothes: a thousand-year aged Doctor. Martha is undisturbed, saying she knows the Doctor is still alive.
The Master thus comes to Earth's surface to capture Martha, killing Tom, destroying the special gun and taking her back to the Valiant. He intends to execute her before the Doctor and her family, at the moment his fleet is launched. As the clock counts down, Martha reveals the real reason she travelled the globe. It wasn't for a fictional anti-regeneration gun, or to fight back, but merely to talk. She told everyone about the Doctor; specifically, she told everyone to think of the Doctor at the same time the Master plans to launch his fleet. Docherty's betrayal was expected, engineered by Martha so that she would be brought on board the Valiant to rejoin the Doctor. Combined with the Master's Archangel Satellite network, which the Doctor has had an entire year to get in tune with, this has the effect of charging the Doctor with the combined psychic energy of the people of Earth. This enables the Doctor to restore his youthful physiognomy and end the Master's control. The combined psychic energy gives the Doctor great power and he is not only able to restore himself with it, but it shields him and temporarily grants him telekinesis with which he removes the Master's laser screwdriver from his hand. As the Master cowers against a wall, the Doctor says the words the Master was terrified to hear: "I forgive you".


With the Master out of the picture, Jack rounds up some soldiers to destroy the paradox machine, but is delayed by the Toclafane. The Master, using Jack's vortex manipulator, teleports himself and the Doctor to Earth, threatening to detonate his fleet and take the Earth with it. The Doctor knows that the Master would never kill himself, and manages to teleport both himself and the Master back to the Valiant just as Jack destroys the paradox machine; rewinding time to just after the US President is killed and just before the Toclafane arrive. All those on the Valiant remember the events due to being at "the eye of the storm," but nobody else will know of the Master's reign of terror in "the year that never was."  The Master tries to run but ends up running straight into Jack who recaptures him.
Martha tells Professor Docherty that she came to see her so that they can catch themselves a sphere: she has a CD containing the data of a Toclafane struck down by lightning in [[South Africa]]. Professor Docherty manages to produce enough [[electricity]] to simulate the conditions. Tom attracts attention by pulling out a [[gun in four parts|gun]] and firing a few rounds into the air. A Toclafane comes flying towards them, and Professor Docherty activates the field to disable it. They prepare to find out what is inside.


The Master, now defenceless, is handcuffed and stands before the Doctor. The Doctor announces that, since the Master is a Time Lord, he is the Doctor's responsibility and will be imprisoned on board the TARDIS. Francine Jones is talked out of shooting the Master, but Lucy Saxon, with a glazed expression, seizes a gun herself and shoots him. Rather than be a prisoner for the rest of his lives, the Master lets himself die, refusing to regenerate despite the Doctor's desperate pleas. Just before dying in his opponent's arms, the Master muses on the constant drumming in his head, wondering if it will finally stop, and with a smile says, "I win," leaving the Doctor to weep uncontrollably for his lost adversary and fellow Time Lord. The Doctor cremates the Master's body on a pyre. However, after he leaves, a female hand wearing red nail polish is seen taking the Master's signet ring from the burnt-out pyre, while the latter's malevolent laughter echoes in the background.
The Master and Lucy visit the Doctor in the night, with the Doctor suspended in a cage. The Master proclaims that tomorrow they will open up a hole in the Braccatolian space. The Doctor wants him to stop. The Master indifferently responds that once an empire has been established, when there is a new Gallifrey in the heavens then it will stop. When a Toclafane enters, the Master chastises the Doctor that he should be grateful: above all, he is doing this for them, and the Doctor, after all, "loves them very, very much."


In Cardiff, Jack decides to remain behind to look after his team, "defending the Earth". The Doctor disables Jack's vortex manipulator to keep him from jumping through time unsupervised. The Doctor then tells Jack there's nothing that can be done about his immortality: it seems likely he'll never be able to die — though he isn't sure about ageing. Thinking about what he might look like millions of years from now, Jack confesses his vanity and recalls how, as the first person from the Boeshane Peninsula to join the Time Agency, his good looks earned him the nickname "the Face of Boe."
Upon examining the sphere thus captured, Martha, Tom and Professor Docherty make a horrifying discovery: the spheres contain the conscious remains of the [[human]]s from the year [[100000000000000|100 trillion]]. Martha is horrified when the Toclafane quotes young [[Creet]], whom she met on [[Malcassairo]], telling her that the Toclafane have shared memories of the last of humanity. It claims that there was no [[Utopia (Utopia)|Utopia]], only more darkness and cold.


With the TARDIS repaired, the Doctor is ready to move on. Martha, however, has decided to stay so she can look after her family and finally qualify as a medical doctor. She gives the Doctor her phone so they can keep in touch and says she will see him again, but when someone is in love and it's unrequited, they have to get out: "this is me getting out." The Doctor sets the TARDIS controls - until the room is suddenly shaken with great force, and the bow of a ship [[Voyage of the Damned|smashes through the console room wall]]. Picking up a lifebelt, he finds "Titanic" written on it, to which he can only respond flatly, "What?!"
Meanwhile on the ''Valiant'', the Master explains that the humans cannibalised and regressed themselves, becoming the child-like Toclafane. The Master brought them back in time using [[The Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]], which could only travel between 100 trillion and here. The contradiction of the Toclafane killing their own ancestors is made possible by the [[paradox machine]] built by the Master, who considers it his masterpiece. The Doctor is shocked that the Master is changing the history of not just Earth but the entire universe. The Master sardonically claims as a Time Lord he has that right. The Doctor questions why he would come all this way just to destroy. The Toclafane claims they have come back in time to build an empire lasting one hundred trillion years, with the Master as their ruler.


==Cast==
Tom asks the captured Toclafane why it wishes to kill its own ancestors. The Toclafane responds, "Because it's fun", and laughs maniacally. Tom is sickened and horrified by this and shoots it dead.
*[[Tenth Doctor|The Doctor]] - [[David Tennant]]
*[[Martha Jones]] - [[Freema Agyeman]]
*[[Jack Harkness]] - [[John Barrowman]]
*[[The Master]] - [[John Simm]]
*[[Lucy Saxon]] - [[Alexandra Moen]]
*[[Francine Jones]] - [[Adjoa Andoh]]
*[[Tish Jones]] - [[Gugu Mbatha-Raw]]
*[[Clive Jones]] - [[Trevor Laird]]
*[[Thomas Milligan]] - [[Tom Ellis]]
*[[Alison Docherty]] - [[Ellie Haddington]]
*Lad - [[Tom Golding]]
*Woman - [[Natasha Alexander]]


==Crew==
Docherty asks Martha if the rumours about her are true and Martha reveals a gun developed by [[Torchwood Institute|Torchwood]] and [[UNIT]], purportedly able to kill a [[Time Lord]] and prevent the ensuing [[regeneration]]. Martha has retrieved three of the four chemicals needed for the gun from their hiding places around the world and has returned to [[London]] to find the fourth. After Martha and Tom depart for a shelter in [[Bexley]] to hide, Docherty (who is desperate for information regarding her missing son) reveals their whereabouts to the Master.
''to be added''


==References==
The Master comes to Earth's surface to capture Martha, killing Milligan, destroying the special gun and taking her back to the ''Valiant''. He intends to execute her before the Doctor and her family, at the moment his fleet is launched.
*The Master mentions [[Third Doctor|the Doctor's]] battles with the [[Sea Devil]]s and the [[Axon]]s and how he closed the rift at the [[Medusa Cascade]].
*As he leaves, Jack tells Martha and the Doctor that he was called the [[Face of Boe]] in his youth.
*The Master and Lucy travelled to [[Utopia (planet)|Utopia]].
*The Master's [[laser screwdriver]] has isomorphic controls.
*The Master refers to the human race as "the biggest monsters of them all", a line previously used by the Doctor at the end of [[DW]]: [[The Christmas Invasion]].
*The Master refers to Rose, saying Martha is useless compared to her.
*The ending of the episode is similar to that of [[Doomsday]], when [[Donna Noble]] suddenly appears inside the TARDIS, but, this time it is the Titanic. This is also the second time a season finale ends with the Doctor exclaiming "What? What? What?"
*The Master calls The aged Doctor Gandalf, a reference to Lord of the Rings.
*The Master uses the line "How bout that, I win" near his death.  The Doctor spoke a similar line in [[Dalek (TV story)|Dalek]], "I win, how bout that".
*It appears that [[the Master|the Master's]] funeral takes place on [[Malcassairo]] however  it could've taken place on Earth.
*Although the events of the so-called [[Year That Never Was]] are negated, several key events still occurred and as such are known to the residents of Earth -- including the existence of the Toclafane and their subsequent murder of the US President-Elect. The general public is also aware of the existence of the Valiant.


==Story Notes==
But when that moment comes, as the clock counts down, Martha starts to laugh out loud, prompting the Master to angrily demand to know what she finds so funny. Martha now reveals the real reason she travelled the globe: it wasn't for a fictional anti-regeneration gun, with the Doctor himself pointing out that he would have never asked Martha to kill, nor was it to fight back; but merely to talk. She told everyone about the Doctor; specifically, she told everyone to think of the Doctor at the same time the Master plans to launch his fleet. It is revealed that when the Doctor whispered to Martha in the previous episode, he said: "Use the countdown." Docherty's betrayal was planned — engineered by Martha so that she would be brought on board the ''Valiant'' to rejoin the Doctor. Combined with the Master's [[Archangel Network]], which the Doctor has had an entire year to tune to the frequency of, this has the effect of charging the Doctor with the combined psychic energy of the people of Earth. This enables the Doctor to restore his youthful physiognomy and end the Master's control. The combined psychic energy gives the Doctor great power and he is not only able to restore himself with it, but it shields him and temporarily grants him [[telekinesis]] with which he removes the Master's laser screwdriver from his hand. As the Master cowers against a wall, the Doctor says the words the Master was terrified to hear: "I forgive you".
*The Master seems to be a Scissor Sisters fan. He's singing along to "[[I Can't Decide]]" from their ''Ta-Dah'' album on the flight deck of the Valiant. This segment is absent from the iTunes version of the episode (likely for music licensing reasons).
*The sound of a female's laugh can be heard while a finger with a red painted finger nail picks up the Master's ring.
*Since the programme's revival, this is the first (and so far only) series finale not to feature the [[Daleks]].
*The Doctor trying to redeem The Master and the Funeral Pyre at the end could be a reference to Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi.
*The Doctor states a desire to take Martha to meet [[Agatha Christie]], foreshadowing ''[[The Unicorn and the Wasp]]'' in which he follows through with this wish, only with Donna Noble.
*The title ''Last of the Time Lords'' had previously been reported as a working title for one of the (ultimately aborted) big-screen adaptations of the series planned between 1989 and 2005; a poster showing the title ''Doctor Who: Last of the Time Lords'' even appeared in some film trade publications.
*Lucy, who was very loving towards her husband in [[The Sound of Drums]], in this episode appeared to be very afraid of him, and she even had marks around her eye. According to the commentary this is because The Master's power went to his head and he started to physically abuse her. Hence one of the reasons she joins in saying The Doctor's name, and she shot The Master after he was defeated.
*The iTunes version of this episode is 45 minutes long, same as a regular episode is, while the episode on DVD and the original broadcasting on BBC is 51 minutes and contains extra scenes.
*This was the final episode to give screen credit to the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] for its help in co-funding the series; the CBC would continue its involvement in Series 4, but would not be credited on screen.
*The Toclafane's origin is similar to that of the Somnus Foundation in [[BFA]]: ''[[Singularity (audio story)|Singularity]]''. ''Singularity'' also featured technology that focused the collective psychic energy of humanity, like the satellites in this story.
*The episode features the surprise revelation that Jack was once known as the Face of Boe, suggesting that the character encountered in [[DW]]: ''[[The End of the World]]'', ''[[New Earth (TV story)|New Earth]]'' and ''[[Gridlock]]'' is in fact a future version of Jack Harkness. Writer Russell T Davies reportedly tried to backpedal from this in the DVD commentary, leading to speculation as to whether this is actually the case. However multiple interviews on DVD and in other media by producer [[Julie Gardner]] and actors David Tennant and John Barrowman have all indicated without ambiguity that Jack is destined to become the Face of Boe. According to Gardner during a panel presentation at the 2008 San Diego Comic Con, Barrowman wasn't aware of the revelation until fairly late in production.


===Ratings===
[[File:Master Black Hole Converter Detonator.jpeg|thumb|left|The Master reveals the black hole converters' detonator to the Doctor.]]
*8.61 million - Final Ratings
With the Master out of the picture, Jack rounds up some soldiers to destroy the paradox machine but is delayed by the Toclafane. The Master, using [[Jack Harkness' vortex manipulator|Jack's vortex manipulator]], teleports himself and the Doctor to Earth, threatening to detonate his fleet of ships, as each one has a black hole converter inside, and take the Earth with it. The Doctor knows that the Master would never kill himself, and manages to teleport both himself and the Master back to the ''Valiant'' just as Jack destroys the paradox machine; this causes all time to reverse. Time reverses to the moment of the Paradox machine's activation, just after the [[Arthur Coleman Winters|US President]] was killed and just before the Toclafane arrived. All those on the ''Valiant'' will remember the events of the previous year due to being at "the eye of the storm," but nobody else will know of the Master's reign of terror in "[[The Year That Never Was|the year that never was]]". The Master tries to run but ends up running straight into Jack who recaptures him.
*0.86 million - [[BBC Three]] Sunday repeat


===Myths and rumours===
[[File:Doctor Mourning the Master.jpg|thumb|The Doctor breaks down in tears as he grieves the Master's death.]]
*The Toclafane were rumored to be an early form of Dalek created by the Master. This was proved false.
The Master, now defenceless, is handcuffed and stands before the Doctor. The Doctor announces that, since the Master is a Time Lord, he is the Doctor's responsibility and will be imprisoned on board the TARDIS. Francine Jones is talked out of shooting the Master, but Lucy Saxon, with a glazed expression, seizes a gun herself and shoots him. Despite The Doctor’s increasingly desperate attempts to reconnect with his former friend, The Master petulantly refuses to be a prisoner for the rest of his lives, and smugly allows himself to die, refusing to regenerate. Just before dying in his opponent's arms, the Master‘s veil of arrogance falters for a moment, and he sincerely muses on the constant drumming in his head, wondering if it will stop at last; and with last brittle smile mutters, "I win," leaving the heartbroken Doctor weeping uncontrollably for his lost adversary , now once again left as the last of the Time Lords.
*As Freema Agyeman's departure from the series had been previously reported, there were rumours that Martha Jones might die in this episode. Once again, the rumour turned out to be false.
*Some have claimed that it is Donna Noble (or maybe even Lucy Saxon) who picks up the ring after it falls from the Master's grip near the end of the episode. Russell T Davies joked in the audio commentary of this episode that it was the hand of [[the Rani]].


===Location Filming===
[[File:Ten Walking away from Pyre.jpg|thumb|left|The Doctor walks away from the Master's smouldering funeral pyre.]]
''to be added''
The Doctor cremates the Master's body on a pyre. He takes a burning torch and ignites the pyre, fire quickly swallowing up the Master's remains. After watching his old enemy and friend burn up in front of him, he strides away from the funeral ceremony with a bitter look in his eyes.


===Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors===
[[File:51.jpg|thumb|right|[[Jack Harkness|Jack]] says goodbye to the [[Tenth Doctor]] and [[Martha Jones|Martha]].]]
In Cardiff, Jack decides to remain behind to look after his team, "defending the Earth". The Doctor disables Jack's vortex manipulator to keep him from jumping through time unsupervised. When Jack protests, the Doctor rebuffs him by saying, "I can't have you walking around with a time travelling teleport. You could go anywhere, twice. The second time to apologise." The Doctor then tells Jack there's nothing that can be done about his immortality: it seems likely he'll never be able to die — though he isn't sure about ageing. Thinking about what he might look like millions of years from now, Jack confesses his vanity and recalls how, as the first person from the [[Boeshane Peninsula]] to join the [[Time Agency]], his good looks earned him the nickname "the Face of Boe". Martha and the Doctor, realising the [[Face of Boe]]'s possible true identity, are surprised and delighted.


*How did the Doctor know about the countdown a year before it was due? ''The Master is predictable so the Doctor knew that he would never resist the temptation of having a "ticking clock" as part of his plan.''
[[File:I'll see you again Mister.jpg|thumb|left|"I'll see you again, mister."]]
With the TARDIS repaired, the Doctor is ready to move on. Martha, however, has decided to stay so she can look after her family and finally qualify as a medical doctor. She gives the Doctor her phone number so they can keep in touch and says that she will see him again, but when someone is in love and it's unrequited, they have to get out: "This is me getting out." Martha promises that she's going to call him again, and when she does, he'd better come running. As she heads out of the TARDIS, she parts with the words, "I'll see you again, mister." The Doctor smiles fondly at her and watches Martha leave.


*How did Martha know to walk round the Earth for a year based the Doctor telling her "use the countdown"? ''Not every word the Doctor said to Martha is revealed; the Doctor could have told Martha at least 10-15 seconds of information. It's also been established that the Doctor can impart (and remove) information through psychic means, so he may have given her far more information than was actually spoken.''
[[File:The Master's Ring is Recovered.jpg|thumb|right|A sinister-looking ring is recovered from the Master's ashes...]]
While the TARDIS takes off, events flash back to the Doctor cremating the Master. Nothing appears to be different. However, after he leaves, the Master's [[The Master's ring|signet ring]] drops out of the flames and lands on the ground, flaked with ashes. [[Trefusis|A female hand wearing red nail polish]] takes the Master's emerald ring from the burnt-out pyre, while the Master's malevolent laughter echoes in the background.


* How did the Master know about Rose absorbing the time vortex? ''The Doctor told Jack about Rose absorbing the time vortex near the end of Utopia, when Jack was in the radiation room, and the Master heard them over the intercom.''
[[File:TARDIS Crashes into Titanic.jpg|thumb|left|"What?!?"]]
The Doctor, now in possession of his [[The Doctor's hand|severed hand]], sets the TARDIS controls — until the room is suddenly shaken with great force. A foghorn bellows very loudly and the bow of a ship smashes through the console room wall. The Doctor jumps out of the way and stumbles over his cockpit chair to the floor. As he recovers from the collision, he exclaims, "What... What?!?", looking up in disbelief at a puncture in his TARDIS, where a large vessel has broken through the TARDIS hull from the outside. Several panels in the console room have been ripped loose, along with an oxygen supply cable that has dislodged from the ceiling, swinging freely and gushing out a jet of air. Covered in rubble, the Doctor sees bits of his TARDIS strewn about the console floor, along with something new that doesn't belong in his ship at all. Picking up a lifebelt, he finds "Titanic" written on it, to which he can only respond flatly, "What."


* Why did a soldier who had been loyal to the Master decide to obey Jack Harkness' orders? ''They are only loyal to the Master under duress.''
== Cast ==
* [[Tenth Doctor|The Doctor]] - [[David Tennant]]
* [[Martha Jones]] - [[Freema Agyeman]]
* [[Captain]] [[Jack Harkness]] - [[John Barrowman]]
* {{Simm|n=The Master}} - [[John Simm]]
* [[Francine Jones]] - [[Adjoa Andoh]]
* [[Tish Jones]] - [[Gugu Mbatha-Raw]]
* [[Clive Jones]] - [[Trevor Laird]]
* [[Leo Jones]] - [[Reggie Yates]]
* [[Lucy Saxon]] - [[Alexandra Moen]]
* [[Thomas Milligan (The Year That Never Was)|Thomas Milligan]] - [[Tom Ellis]]
* [[Alison Docherty (The Year That Never Was)|Professor Docherty]] - [[Ellie Haddington]]
* [[Lad (Last of the Time Lords)|Lad]] - [[Tom Golding]]
* [[Woman (Last of the Time Lords)|Woman]] - [[Natasha Alexander (actor)|Natasha Alexander]]
* [[Toclafane|Sphere Voices]] - [[Zoe Thorne]], [[Gerard Logan]], [[Johnnie Lyne-Pirkis]]


*How did Martha and the Doctor know when the countdown would take place? ''The Doctor would have known about the countdown and either told Martha before she teleported down to Earth or transmitted the thoughts through what was left of the TARDIS psychic network.  Also, it could have been an undisclosed known notion, learnt by Martha as she was peregrinating throughout the world.''
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*Where did Martha get the idea for the gun from? ''The Doctor could have transmitted those through the network or told her while the Master was distracted before she left the Valiant.''
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*There is no explanation for Leo, Martha's brother. Was he killed in the attack? Did he hide like Martha asked? Did he join the resistance? ''There was meant to be a scene where Tom explained that Leo was working in slavery in the north'.'
== Worldbuilding ==
* Martha was last in [[Britain]] 365 [[day]]s ago, commenting "it's been a long [[year]]."
* [[The Year That Never Was]] lasted exactly one year and one day, ending on [[Launch Day]] [[morning]].
* As he leaves, Jack tells Martha and the Doctor that he was called the [[Face of Boe]] in his youth.
* The Master and Lucy travelled to [[Utopia (Utopia)|Utopia]].
* The Master's [[laser screwdriver]] has [[isomorphic controls]].
* The Master refers to [[Rose Tyler]], saying Martha is useless compared to her.
* The Master calls the hundred-year aged Doctor "[[Gandalf]]".
* The Master's [[funeral]] pyre takes place on [[Earth]].
* Although the events of the so-called Year That Never Was are negated, several key events still occurred and as such are known to the residents of Earth.
* [[Alison Docherty (The Year That Never Was)|Alison Docherty]] mentions that she misses both Deses from ''[[Countdown (TV series)|Countdown]]'' and says, "Who would have thought we'd miss [[Bill Gates]]".
* The Doctor wants to take Martha to the planet [[Meta Sigma Folio]].
* Thomas works for a [[peripatetic medical squad]].
* The Master opens a rift in the [[Braccatolian Space]].


*If the Master was able to convert the TARDIS into a paradox machine in order to change history, what's to stop the Doctor using the same kind of machine to allow him to change the events of the Time War? ''A paradox machine holds a paradox in place, it doesn't change established history. Also, [[The Stolen Earth]] established that the Time War is "time locked", an as-yet unexplained method of, in theory, preventing anyone from going back to that time.''
== Story notes ==
* This episode is the fifth of a continuous story arc (the end of one episode immediately leading into another) which begins in the ''Torchwood'' episode ''[[Captain Jack Harkness (TV story)|Captain Jack Harkness]]'', develops in the Torchwood episode ''[[End of Days (TV story)|End of Days]], ''switches over to ''Doctor Who'' in {{cs|Utopia (TV story)}}, develops further in {{cs|The Sound of Drums (TV story)}}, and concludes here.
* This is the second consecutive series finale to end with the Doctor saying "What?" in utter confusion, the first being {{cs|Doomsday (TV story)}}.
* This episode has two directors, [[Colin Teague]] and [[Graeme Harper]]. In the DVD audio commentary, [[Freema Agyeman]] says that Colin had an injury by falling down the stairs and some scenes with [[Martha Jones]] in the episode were finished off by Graeme Harper.
* Jack returns to Cardiff for series two of ''[[Torchwood (TV series)|Torchwood]]''. ''[[Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (TV story)|Kiss Kiss Bang Bang]]'' takes place immediately after this one, although it is suggested in the later episode that some hours or possibly days pass before Jack actually reunites with his team — it's daytime when he leaves the Doctor, but night when he finds the team.
* The concept of the [[Toclafane]] grew out of discussions surrounding production of the episode {{cs|Dalek (TV story)}}. When discussions with the Estate of Terry Nation looked as though they may not come to a satisfactory conclusion, [[Russell T Davies]] and [[Robert Shearman]] conceived of the Toclafane as a possible alternative for the contents of [[the Cage]]. The idea was abandoned when negotiations were completed and the BBC were granted the rights to use the Daleks, and Davies went on to use the Toclafane for the series 3 finale.
* Two versions of this episode exist — the full-length version, and a shorter 47-minute edit. A number of scenes are excised from the shorter edit, notably the "Sol 3" introduction to the episode, the Master singing and dancing along to "I Can't Decide" by the Scissor Sisters, and sections of Martha's conversations with various [[Resistance (Last of the Time Lords)|resistance members]]. The shorter version appeared on [[Netflix]] and [[Hulu]] in the US, and is the version provided by the current US streaming home of the series, [[HBO Max]]. In the UK, the full-length version was added to the [[BBC iPlayer]] in 2019, and replaced the shorter edit on Netflix in 2020.
** The 47-minute edit is the only version currently available to purchase on digital storefronts such as [[Amazon (service)|Amazon Prime]], [[iTunes]], and [[Google Play]] - presently, the only way to purchase the full-length broadcast version of the episode is to purchase the DVD or Blu-ray release.
* The sound of the Master's laugh can be heard while a finger with a red painted fingernail picks up the Master's ring. The character who picked up the ring is seen in {{cs|The End of Time (TV story)}}.
* The Doctor states a desire to meet [[Agatha Christie]], foreshadowing {{cs|The Unicorn and the Wasp (TV story)}} in which he follows through with this wish, with [[Donna Noble]].
* The title ''Last of the Time Lords'' had previously been reported as a working title for one of the (ultimately aborted) big-screen adaptations of the series planned between 1989 and 2005; a poster showing the title ''Doctor Who: Last of the Time Lords'' even appeared in some film trade publications.
* Lucy, who was very loving towards her husband in {{cs|The Sound of Drums (TV story)}}, in this episode appears to be very afraid of him, and she even has marks around her eye. According to the commentary, this is because the Master's power went to his head and he started to physically abuse her. This is one of the reasons she joined in saying the Doctor's name and shot the Master after he was defeated.
* This was the final episode to give screen credit to the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] for its help in co-funding the series; the CBC would continue its involvement in series 4, but would not be credited on screen.
* The Toclafane's origin is similar to that of the Somnus Foundation in the audio story ''[[Singularity (audio story)|Singularity]],'' which also featured technology that focused the collective psychic energy of humanity, like the satellites in this story.
* The episode features the surprise revelation that Jack was once known as the Face of Boe, suggesting that the character encountered in {{cs|The End of the World (TV story)}}, {{cs|New Earth (TV story)}} and {{cs|Gridlock (TV story)}} is in fact a future version of Jack Harkness. [[Russell T Davies]] reportedly tried to backpedal from this in the DVD commentary, leading to speculation as to whether this is actually the case. However, multiple interviews on DVD and in other media by producer [[Julie Gardner]] and actors [[David Tennant]] and [[John Barrowman]] have all indicated without ambiguity that Jack is destined to become the Face of Boe. According to Gardner during a panel presentation at the 2008 San Diego Comic Con, Barrowman wasn't aware of the revelation until fairly late in production. [[Chris Chibnall]], then head writer on ''[[Torchwood (series)|Torchwood]],'' supported this revelation.
* At the scene where Jack reveals he was called the Face of Boe, several people can be seen in the background taking pictures at the location of the [[Invisible lift|Torchwood lift]].
* While previous regenerations of the Doctor imply regeneration is a partly involuntary feature of [[Time Lord]]s, the Master's choice to die rather than [[Regeneration|regenerate]] shows that a Time Lord has some control over his regenerative process. This is supported by [[Romana I]]'s regeneration in ''[[Destiny of the Daleks (TV story)|Destiny of the Daleks]]'' where she is seen "trying on" various forms before settling on the final version of her new body. In his [[Eleventh Doctor|eleventh incarnation]], the Doctor would also claim he could regenerate at will as a threat toward [[Mr Clever]].
* In a deleted scene, before leaving the Doctor, Jack recites the "the 21st century is when it all changes and you've got to be ready" monologue heard at the beginning of all ''Torchwood'' episodes. ''[[Fragments (TV story)|Fragments]]'' would later reveal that Jack is, perhaps subconsciously, paraphrasing the last words of former [[Torchwood Three]] member [[Alex Hopkins]].
* A late addition to the script was the recovery of the Master's ring by a woman's hand, which actually belonged to production manager [[Tracie Simpson]]. [[Russell T Davies]] had decided to include this shot in order to give future production teams a mechanism by which the Master could be brought back. It became known as “the hand of the [[The Rani|Rani]]” amongst the crew.
* The is the only regular season finale of the first [[Russell T Davies]] era that doesn't feature the [[Dalek]]s in any capacity.
* [[Scissor Sisters]]' "I Can't Decide" saw a bump in popularity after its use in this episode.
* [[Leo Jones]] was also intended to appear, welcoming Martha back to Britain and introducing her to Tom Milligan. This had to be changed due to [[Reggie Yates]]' scheduling conflicts, which meant that he could only spare one recording day. Dialogue now referred to Leo working in the Master's slave force under an assumed name, although it was dropped from the final edit.
* Originally, [[10 Downing Street|Downing Street]] played a much larger role in the story, serving as the location for the last of Martha's decoy chemicals. At this stage, Tom Milligan was in fact a traitor, who was killed after betraying Martha to the Master. [[Russell T Davies]] began to feel that the world of the ravaged Earth deserved greater exploration, however, and concocted the material involving Professor Docherty instead.
[[File:Doctor Who will return at Christmas in Voyage of the Damned.jpg|thumb|right]]
* As the last episode of the series, there is no "Next Time" trailer at the end of the episode, merely a message that "Doctor Who will return at Christmas in ''[[Voyage of the Damned (TV story)|Voyage of the Damned]]''".
* Not counting minisodes such as ''[[Time Crash (TV story)|Time Crash]]'', this marks the final regular use of the [[Doctor Who theme|''Doctor Who'' theme]] first introduced in {{cs|Rose (TV story)}}, as well as the expanded orchestral version of the ''Doctor Who'' theme first used for the closing credits in {{cs|The Christmas Invasion (TV story)}}, as as new version of the theme was introduced as of the following episode, {{cs|Voyage of the Damned (TV story)}}. The 2005/2006 versions of the theme would continue to be used for marketing purposes both by the BBC and international broadcasters, and a version of the closing credits featuring VHS-quality audio and video was used for the end credits of the 2009 documentary ''[[Cheques, Lies and Videotape (documentary)|Cheques, Lies and Videotape]]''.
* [[Russell T Davies]] wrote the script over four feverish days in January 2007.
* There was originally dialogue between Jack and the Doctor during the former's departure which playfully poked fun at the voice-over accompanying each episode of ''[[Torchwood (TV series)|Torchwood]]''. This was removed because it was felt to be too metatextual.
* It was initially planned to have the Master taunt the Doctor with the fact that it was ultimately his interference with the timeline, such as causing Harriet Jones' untimely downfall, that allowed for Harold Saxon to become Prime Minister. [[Russell T Davies]] decided that this reminder that the whole thing was the Doctor's fault was too much of a downer in an already depressing episode, as well as potentially being too obscure a continuity reference for casual viewers, and could never find a place to put the revelation where it felt natural.
* This episode was reviewed in [[DWM 428]] and accompanied by an illustration from [[Roger Langridge]]. It was the last review Langridge illustrated.


*When the Master talks about the Doctor's achievements, he mentions the [[Medusa Cascade]] and how he sealed it, this does not occur until [[Journey's End]], so how did he know? ''he's a timelord, he probably knows everything about time, well, at least most things ''
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Last of the Time Lords (DWM 428).jpg
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*When the Master attempts to use his laser screwdriver on the psychically empowered Doctor, the laser light from the prop is reflecting off the lens of the camera he is pointing it at, which tells you there is a camera there. ''There is a camera there, because, as you remember, the Master is transmitting all over the Earth. There could well have been tiny cameras all over the place, allowing the psychopathic Master to record every single second of his rise to glory.''


*Apparently the president of the USA is killed (by the Toclafane) and this is recognised post-time reversal. Wouldn't that cause international outrage the likes of which we would see a different ending? ''It wouldn't be the first time that a US President has been killed and was most likely dismissed as a more "standard" assassination; the same goes for the death of the British Prime Minister indeed, Lucy could well end up taking the rap for        both.           (what the heck do you mean "standard assassination"?...the U.S. Government doesn't work like that... people in the U.S. would be outraged!)
=== Ratings ===
* 8.61 million - Final Ratings<ref>[http://guide.doctorwhonews.net/info.php?detail=ratings&start=100&type=date&order= Doctor Who - consolidated ratings]</ref>
* 0.86 million - [[BBC Three]] Sunday repeat


*Jack refers to himself as the [[Face of Boe]], apparently without realising the connection to the Doctor's "old friend". But wouldn't he have known about the Face either through the events of ''[[Utopia (TV story)|Utopia]]'' in which the Doctor realizes the significance of Boe's final message (per ''[[Gridlock]]''), or even before that given the Face was something of an interstellar celebrity in Jack's home era (per ''[[The Long Game]]'')? ''Jack may not have made the connection, and not every celebrity is known by everybody or Jack may have already been in the 1940s before the Face became known in his era.'' ''Jack may not be the Face of Boe, his nickname may merely have been a reference to the celebrity.'' ''It is possible he is just testing the Doctor's reaction to see if this is actually his possible future. Also, from the expression on Jack's face, it is possible that he has indeed made the connection and the conversation is actually Jack telling the Doctor his theory.''
=== Myths ===
* The Toclafane were rumoured to be an early form of Dalek created by the Master. ''This was proved false''.
* As Freema Agyeman's departure from the series had been previously reported, there were rumours that Martha Jones might die in this episode. ''This was proved false''.
* Some have claimed that it is Donna Noble, or maybe even Lucy Saxon who picks up the ring after it falls from the Master's grip near the end of the episode. ''Russell T Davies jokes in the audio commentary of this episode that it was the hand of [[the Rani]]. In {{cs|The End of Time (TV story)}} the hand was revealed to be that of a prison warden who was a devotee of the Master''.
* As the producers intended, the cliffhanger leading into {{cs|Voyage of the Damned (TV story)}} raised the question as to whether the TARDIS had collided with the real ''Titanic'', which gave rise to fan speculation in the interim as to how this episode would reconcile with previous references to the Doctor's involvement with the ill-fated vessel. ([[TV]]: {{cs|Rose (TV story)}}, et al.)


*What happened to all the people who were on the Valiant when the President was assassinated but not present when the Paradox Machine was destroyed? To go one step further, what about the Toclafane vanguard who assassinated president Winters? Does that mean they are still on the loose? As the Valiant was rewound to where it was before, anyone on the Valiant at the time of assassination but not at the destruction of the paradox machine would have been killed (or rather stop existing). One step further, however, anyone NOT on the Valiant at the assassination but on it during the paradox machine's destruction should have been duplicated. How can all this be addressed? ''It could be that, as it is said in this episode, that the Valiant and the people on it were at the eye of the storm, so some aspects of "The Year That Never Was" were not removed.''
=== Filming locations ===
* Cwrt-y-Vil Road, Penarth
* Nippon Electric Glass UK (Trident Park), Cardiff Bay (Lower decks of the ''Valiant'')
* RAF St Athan (MOD St Athan), Vale of Glamorgan
* South Luton Place, Adamsdown, Cardiff (Street where Martha confronts the Master)
* Aberthaw Power Station, Aberthaw (Exterior of Professor Docherty's lab)
* Vaynor Quarry, Trefechan, Merthyr Tydfil (Location of the Doctor and the Master's fight)
* Whitmore Bay, Barry Island (Location of when Martha arrives by boat onto the beach)
* Roald Dahl Plass, Cardiff (Martha and the Doctor bid Jack goodbye)
* Alexandra Gardens, Cardiff (Location where Martha gives Professor Docherty flowers)
* Treforest Industrial Estate, [[Upper Boat Studios|Upper Boat]], Pontypridd


*It has been established that the First Doctor was his first incarnation and would have been over 800 years old, and he only appeared to be an old man, so why is that when aged by as little as a hundred, the Tenth Doctor becomes as aged as he is shown? ''Perhaps this is an effect of artificial aging. See ''[[The Leisure Hive]]''.
=== Production errors ===
Also, in a Fourth Doctor story, the Doctor is 700-and-something-years-old, which would mean the First Doctor was not over 800 years old.''no one really knows his real age. he ussually just rounds or guesses''
{{discontinuity}}
* When the Master shoots Francine with the laser screwdriver, the SFX of the laser beam does not hit her yet she reacts as if she was hit.
* When the Master attempts to use his laser screwdriver on the psychically empowered Doctor, the laser light from the prop is reflecting off the lens of the camera he is pointing it at, which tells you there is a camera there.
* When the Master uses his laser screwdriver to age the Doctor, while he is in fast motion, on the TV screen Martha is looking at, you can clearly see Lucy's arms are also in fast motion.


*The Doctor says that time has reversed to "just after the president was assassinated but just before the spheres arrived", so what killed the president? ''The Doctor meant that it was before the scene shown where the sky splits open and all of the Toclafane pour out. Not the scene where the Toclafane first appear and kill President Winters.''
== Continuity ==
[[File:Doctor hovers over the Master- the Master's Greatest fear realised.jpg|thumb|right|The Master's greatest fear, shown in ''[[The Mind of Evil (TV story)|The Mind of Evil]]'', is realised in ''Last of the Time Lords''.]]
* The "Toclafane" are future humans, who went to [[Utopia (Utopia)|Utopia]]. ([[TV]]: {{cs|Utopia (TV story)}})
* Earth is referred to as Sol 3. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Deadly Assassin (TV story)|The Deadly Assassin]]'')
* [[UNIT]] has a base in central London. ([[TV]]: ''[[Spearhead from Space (TV story)|Spearhead from Space]]'', ''[[Terror of the Autons (TV story)|Terror of the Autons]]'')
* The idea of a devastated London overrun by rabid dogs was first shown in [[PROSE]]: ''[[Blood Heat (novel)|Blood Heat]]''.
* The TARDIS has previously prevented paradox from [[PROSE]]: ''[[The Shadows of Avalon (novel)|The Shadows of Avalon]]'' to [[PROSE]]: ''[[The Ancestor Cell (novel)|The Ancestor Cell]]''.
* The Master's greatest fear was once revealed as an image of the Doctor towering over him and laughing. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Mind of Evil (TV story)|The Mind of Evil]]'')
* The Master, shortly after being shot by Lucy Saxon, says to the Doctor, "It's always the women.", referring to how [[Chantho]] shot him in his previous incarnation, exclaiming, "Killed by an insect. A girl. How inappropriate." ([[TV]]: {{cs|Utopia (TV story)}})
* Jack Harkness later obtains the missing digit needed to reactivate [[Jack Harkness' vortex manipulator|his vortex manipulator]]'s teleportation functions from Martha Jones following her use of [[Project Indigo]]. ([[TV]]: {{cs|The Stolen Earth (TV story)}}) The Doctor again deactivates this function shortly thereafter. ([[TV]]: {{cs|Journey's End (TV story)}})
* The Doctor claimed that the TARDIS had [[isomorphic controls]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Pyramids of Mars (TV story)|Pyramids of Mars]]'') then later actually encountered a device with such. ([[TV]]: {{cs|A Christmas Carol (TV story)}}) He once used a TARDIS remote control that was isomorphic. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Moons of Vulpana (audio story)|The Moons of Vulpana]]'')
* The Master mentions [[companion]]s who could absorb the [[time vortex]]. ([[TV]]: {{cs|The Parting of the Ways (TV story)}})
* The Master mentions the [[Third Doctor]]'s battles with the [[Sea Devil]]s ([[TV]]: ''[[The Sea Devils (TV story)|The Sea Devils]]'') and the [[Axon]]s ([[TV]]: ''[[The Claws of Axos (TV story)|The Claws of Axos]]'') and how he closed the rift at the [[Medusa Cascade]].
* The Master uses the line, "How 'bout that, I win." near his death. The Doctor spoke a similar line, "I win, how 'bout that?", after the destruction of what he believed to be the last Dalek. ([[TV]]: {{cs|Dalek (TV story)}})
* Between Martha's departure and the Titanic crashing into the TARDIS, the Doctor met up with his [[Fifth Doctor|Fifth]] incarnation. ([[TV]]: ''[[Time Crash (TV story)|Time Crash]]'')
* [[River Song]] meets Jack at one point while he is chained up, giving him a hacksaw to cut himself free. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[R&J (audio story)|R&J]]'')
* Jack has previously mentioned knowing about the Face of Boe. (''[[The Stealers of Dreams (novel)|The Stealers of Dreams]]'')


*How did the Doctor repair the TARDIS when the Doctor wasn't worried that the Master could repair just the navigational systems and the Doctor had a lot more to repair? ''The Doctor is more familiar with his TARDIS and they do share a telepathic connection so he could have found it a lot easier to fix it. Also, the TARDIS is telepathic and the Master is psychopathic so the TARDIS could have telepathically rejected any of the Master's attempts to fix it as it knows the enimity between the two Time Lords.''
== Home video releases ==
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true">
File:The Complete David Tennant Years Region 1 US DVD cover.jpg|The Complete David Tennant Years DVD<br />Region 1 US cover
File:Series-3-boxset.jpg|The Complete [[Series 3 (Doctor Who 2005)|Series Three]] DVD box-set
File:Bbcdvd-s3-v4.jpg|thumb|Series 3 Volume 4 DVD Cover
File:Bbcdvd-series1234.jpg|thumb|''Doctor Who: The Complete Series One to Four'' DVD box-set
File:Bbcdvd-series1234567.jpg|thumb|''Doctor Who: The Complete Series One to Seven'' DVD box-set
</gallery>


==Continuity==
* This story was released with {{cs|Utopia (TV story)}} and {{cs|The Sound of Drums (TV story)}} on the Series 3 Volume 4 DVD.
[[Image:Doctor hovering over Master - the Master's greatest fear realised.JPG|thumb|right|250px|The Master's greatest fear, shown in ''[[The Mind of Evil]]'', is realised in ''Last of the Time Lords''.]]
* It was also released as part of the series 3 DVD box set in [[2009 (releases)|2009]].
*The 'Toclafane' are the last humans seen in [[DW]]: ''[[Utopia (TV story)|Utopia]]''.
* It was also part of the series 3 Blu-ray released as part of the Series 1-7 box set in [[2013 (releases)|2013]], then released as a standalone set in [[2015 (releases)|2015]].
*The Third Doctor fought the Sea Devils in [[DW]]: ''[[The Sea Devils]]'' and the Axons in ''[[The Claws of Axos]]''.
* It was also released on iTunes, Amazon Video and Google Play. The version for sale on these services is the shorter 45-minute edit.
*Earth was first referred to as Sol 3 in [[DW]]: ''[[The Deadly Assassin]]''.
*The central London UNIT base first appeared in [[DW]]: ''[[Terror of the Autons]]''.
*The idea of a devastated London over run by rabid dogs was first shown in [[NA]]: ''[[Blood Heat]]''.
*Jack returns to Cardiff for season two of [[Torchwood]], [[TW]]: ''[[Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang]]'' takes place immediately after this one (although it is suggested in the later episode that some hours or possibly days pass before Jack actually reunites with his team, as it's daytime when he leaves the Doctor, but night when he finds the team).
*The TARDIS has previously held back a paradox in [[EDA]]: ''[[The Shadows of Avalon]]'' to ''[[The Ancestor Cell]]''.
*An explanation of why the Master is afraid of the Doctor is first suggested in [[DW]]: ''[[The Mind of Evil]]''.
*While previous regenerations of the Doctor show regeneration as a involuntary feature of [[Time Lord]]s, the Master's choice to die rather than [[regenerate]] shows that there is some control a Time Lord has over their regenerative process. This is supported by [[Romana]]'s regeneration in [[DW]]: ''[[Destiny of the Daleks]]'' where she is seen "trying on" various forms before settling on one for her new body.
*Jack Harkness later obtains the missing digit needed to reactivate his [[Time Agency wrist strap]]'s teleportation functions from Martha Jones following her use of [[Project Indigo]] in [[DW]]: ''[[The Stolen Earth]]''.
*Before leaving the Doctor, Jack recites the "the 21st century is when it all changes and you've got to be ready" monologue heard at the beginning of all Torchwood episodes. [[TW]]: ''[[Fragments]]'' would later reveal that Jack is (perhaps unconsciously) paraphrasing the last words of former [[Torchwood 3]] member [[Alex Hopkins]].


==DVD and Other Releases==
== External links ==
[[Image:Bbcdvd-s3-v4.jpg|thumb|Series 3 Volume 4 DVD Cover]]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/episodes/2007/313.shtml Official BBC Website - Episode Guide: '''Last of the Time Lords''']
*This has been released along side [[Utopia (TV story)|Utopia]] and [[The Sound of Drums]]
{{dwrefguide|who_tv31.htm|Last of the Time Lords}}
*It is also part of the series 3 DVD boxset.
* {{whoniverse|s03_13|Last of the Time Lords}}
* {{briefhistory|serials/2007lm.html|Last of the Time Lords}}
* {{locguide|lastofthetimelords|Last of the Time Lords}}


==See also==
== Footnotes ==
''to be added''
{{reflist}}


==External Links==
{{DWTV}}
*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/episodes/2007/313.shtml Official BBC Website - Episode Guide: '''Last of the Time Lords''']
{{Saxon Master stories}}
{{UNIT stories}}
{{TitleSort}}
[[it:Last of the Time Lords (TV)]]
[[ro:Last of the Time Lords]]


{{Series 3}}
[[Category:Doctor Who (2005) television stories]]
{{Master stories}}
[[Category:Tenth Doctor episodes]]
[[Category:Stories set in London]]
[[Category:Stories set in London]]
[[Category:2007 television stories]]
[[Category:2007 television stories]]
[[Category:The Master episodes]]
[[Category:Saxon Master television stories]]
[[Category:Stories set in 2008]]
[[Category:Stories set in 2008]]
[[Category:Stories set in 2009]]
[[Category:Stories set in 2009]]
[[Category:Mr. Saxon arc]]
[[Category:Series 3 (Doctor Who) stories]]
[[Category:Stories set in Cardiff]]
[[Category:UNIT television stories]]
[[Category:Stories set in alternate timelines]]

Latest revision as of 20:38, 3 November 2024

RealWorld.png

You may be looking for the eponymous title or the reference book of the same name.

Last of the Time Lords was the thirteenth and final episode of series 3 of Doctor Who.

It was the final regular appearance of Freema Agyeman as Martha Jones and the second departure of John Barrowman as Jack Harkness, though both would appear again in the next series.

It also indicated that Time Lords can stop themselves from regenerating if they so desire, and left viewers with a clear hint about the Face of Boe's real identity. The reason why the Doctor burned the Master's body rather than bury it would be revealed four years later in the 2011 story The Impossible Astronaut [+]Loading...["The Impossible Astronaut (TV story)"]. The power of regeneration, which heals old age, illness & fatal injury is sought by several species, and they would tear an entire planet apart for just a single cell of a Time Lord. Thus, a dead Time Lord must have their body cremated to prevent such chaos from occurring.

The Master's death left the Doctor (at this point) as the sole surviving Time Lord in the universe. Viewers were given a first hand look at the immense pain this caused him, and as something that would fuel a growing darkness within him.

Synopsis[[edit] | [edit source]]

One year later, the Saxon Master and the Toclafane are rulers of Earth, which is torn apart by a year of hell. The Tenth Doctor has been aged 900 years, and Jack Harkness and the Jones family have been reduced to slavery on the Master's ship, the Valiant. The only hope for everyone on Earth is Martha Jones, now a legend amongst humanity. As the Master prepares to turn the Earth into a giant warship that will ultimately engulf the rest of the universe, Martha must trek through dangerous territory to destroy him, but tragedy awaits her, the Doctor and her family on the day that will pit humanity against the stars...

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

One year after the Saxon Master's takeover and decimation of Earth, the Earth (Sol 3) is closed from space traffic as it is entering extinction. On a beach on the coast of England, Tom Milligan directs Martha's boat in. She returns to the UK for the first time since the Toclafane invasion, having travelled the world. She tells Tom she has to talk to a Professor Alison Docherty and asks him why he is allowed to travel. He says it is because he is a doctor. Martha is happy she is travelling with a doctor. Tom tells Martha that she has become a legend around the world as the one person who can kill the Master, and asks her if this is true. She does not answer him.

The Master enters the deck of the Valiant, singing and dancing to Scissor Sisters' "I Can't Decide". He kisses Lucy, who shows signs of physical abuse, before taunting the aged Tenth Doctor by dancing around the room with him. He says there is one day until launch.

The Doctor refuses to speak. He only responds when the Master mentions that Martha has apparently returned to England. He tells the Master to leave her alone. The Master tries to force him to talk more but knows that the "Toclafane" broke the Doctor's hearts when he realised what they are. The Doctor says he has just one thing to say, and the Master knows what it is, but the Master walks away. Francine is forced to be a waitress for the Master. Clive and Tish are also working on the Valiant. Tish's job is to feed Jack, who is chained to the engines. Tish gives Jack a hand signal to explain her plan, and Jack winks in acknowledgement.

Martha and Tom walk up a hill and see an enormous statue of the Master at the top of it; Martha comments that the Master has even carved himself into Mount Rushmore. Looking out at the miles of countryside in front of them, they see thousands of spaceships being built. Martha explains that thousands more are being built across the world, Russia being turned into a big shipyard, and that the Master is preparing for war with the rest of the universe. Suddenly, two Toclafane arrive and demand an explanation for Tom's travelling. He presents identification that he is allowed to travel and the Toclafane taunt him and move on. Tom asks Martha how the spheres didn't notice her, and she reveals that she is still wearing her TARDIS key perception filter, and that is how she has managed to travel the world.

Tish continues to spread her hand signal of three fingers, indicating that they will rebel at 3:00 pm. As the Master picks a girl to give him a massage and insults Lucy, Jack manages to break free of his chains, Clive pours water over all the technology and equipment, and Francine throws the Master's laser screwdriver to the Doctor. He points it at the Master and says once more that he only has one thing to say and the Master knows what it is. The Doctor tries to use the screwdriver against the Master, but it refuses to function for him. The Master, who was never worried, simply laughs at the Doctor. Jack is shot dead again by the Master's guards. The Master explains that the screwdriver has isomorphic controls and it only works for him, before taking it back and punching the Doctor to the floor. He demonstrates by torturing Francine and forcing her to apologise. She does so and the Master warns everyone that siding with the Doctor is not recommended. The Master continues to insult the Doctor and decides to take his revenge.

Martha and Tom arrive at Professor Docherty's workplace. She is trying to fix a television so they can watch a transmission from the Master. They are successful, and the Master speaks to the world. He comments that he has heard that tales of Martha have given them hope, but asks them how much hope the Doctor has, and on camera ages the Doctor with the laser screwdriver a further 900 years. On the television, the Doctor appears to be dead, and the transmission ends with a word of warning to Martha to surrender. On the Valiant, a tiny, disfigured creature emerges from the Doctor's clothes: a thousand-year aged Doctor. Martha is undisturbed, saying she knows the Doctor is still alive.

Martha tells Professor Docherty that she came to see her so that they can catch themselves a sphere: she has a CD containing the data of a Toclafane struck down by lightning in South Africa. Professor Docherty manages to produce enough electricity to simulate the conditions. Tom attracts attention by pulling out a gun and firing a few rounds into the air. A Toclafane comes flying towards them, and Professor Docherty activates the field to disable it. They prepare to find out what is inside.

The Master and Lucy visit the Doctor in the night, with the Doctor suspended in a cage. The Master proclaims that tomorrow they will open up a hole in the Braccatolian space. The Doctor wants him to stop. The Master indifferently responds that once an empire has been established, when there is a new Gallifrey in the heavens then it will stop. When a Toclafane enters, the Master chastises the Doctor that he should be grateful: above all, he is doing this for them, and the Doctor, after all, "loves them very, very much."

Upon examining the sphere thus captured, Martha, Tom and Professor Docherty make a horrifying discovery: the spheres contain the conscious remains of the humans from the year 100 trillion. Martha is horrified when the Toclafane quotes young Creet, whom she met on Malcassairo, telling her that the Toclafane have shared memories of the last of humanity. It claims that there was no Utopia, only more darkness and cold.

Meanwhile on the Valiant, the Master explains that the humans cannibalised and regressed themselves, becoming the child-like Toclafane. The Master brought them back in time using the TARDIS, which could only travel between 100 trillion and here. The contradiction of the Toclafane killing their own ancestors is made possible by the paradox machine built by the Master, who considers it his masterpiece. The Doctor is shocked that the Master is changing the history of not just Earth but the entire universe. The Master sardonically claims as a Time Lord he has that right. The Doctor questions why he would come all this way just to destroy. The Toclafane claims they have come back in time to build an empire lasting one hundred trillion years, with the Master as their ruler.

Tom asks the captured Toclafane why it wishes to kill its own ancestors. The Toclafane responds, "Because it's fun", and laughs maniacally. Tom is sickened and horrified by this and shoots it dead.

Docherty asks Martha if the rumours about her are true and Martha reveals a gun developed by Torchwood and UNIT, purportedly able to kill a Time Lord and prevent the ensuing regeneration. Martha has retrieved three of the four chemicals needed for the gun from their hiding places around the world and has returned to London to find the fourth. After Martha and Tom depart for a shelter in Bexley to hide, Docherty (who is desperate for information regarding her missing son) reveals their whereabouts to the Master.

The Master comes to Earth's surface to capture Martha, killing Milligan, destroying the special gun and taking her back to the Valiant. He intends to execute her before the Doctor and her family, at the moment his fleet is launched.

But when that moment comes, as the clock counts down, Martha starts to laugh out loud, prompting the Master to angrily demand to know what she finds so funny. Martha now reveals the real reason she travelled the globe: it wasn't for a fictional anti-regeneration gun, with the Doctor himself pointing out that he would have never asked Martha to kill, nor was it to fight back; but merely to talk. She told everyone about the Doctor; specifically, she told everyone to think of the Doctor at the same time the Master plans to launch his fleet. It is revealed that when the Doctor whispered to Martha in the previous episode, he said: "Use the countdown." Docherty's betrayal was planned — engineered by Martha so that she would be brought on board the Valiant to rejoin the Doctor. Combined with the Master's Archangel Network, which the Doctor has had an entire year to tune to the frequency of, this has the effect of charging the Doctor with the combined psychic energy of the people of Earth. This enables the Doctor to restore his youthful physiognomy and end the Master's control. The combined psychic energy gives the Doctor great power and he is not only able to restore himself with it, but it shields him and temporarily grants him telekinesis with which he removes the Master's laser screwdriver from his hand. As the Master cowers against a wall, the Doctor says the words the Master was terrified to hear: "I forgive you".

The Master reveals the black hole converters' detonator to the Doctor.

With the Master out of the picture, Jack rounds up some soldiers to destroy the paradox machine but is delayed by the Toclafane. The Master, using Jack's vortex manipulator, teleports himself and the Doctor to Earth, threatening to detonate his fleet of ships, as each one has a black hole converter inside, and take the Earth with it. The Doctor knows that the Master would never kill himself, and manages to teleport both himself and the Master back to the Valiant just as Jack destroys the paradox machine; this causes all time to reverse. Time reverses to the moment of the Paradox machine's activation, just after the US President was killed and just before the Toclafane arrived. All those on the Valiant will remember the events of the previous year due to being at "the eye of the storm," but nobody else will know of the Master's reign of terror in "the year that never was". The Master tries to run but ends up running straight into Jack who recaptures him.

The Doctor breaks down in tears as he grieves the Master's death.

The Master, now defenceless, is handcuffed and stands before the Doctor. The Doctor announces that, since the Master is a Time Lord, he is the Doctor's responsibility and will be imprisoned on board the TARDIS. Francine Jones is talked out of shooting the Master, but Lucy Saxon, with a glazed expression, seizes a gun herself and shoots him. Despite The Doctor’s increasingly desperate attempts to reconnect with his former friend, The Master petulantly refuses to be a prisoner for the rest of his lives, and smugly allows himself to die, refusing to regenerate. Just before dying in his opponent's arms, the Master‘s veil of arrogance falters for a moment, and he sincerely muses on the constant drumming in his head, wondering if it will stop at last; and with last brittle smile mutters, "I win," leaving the heartbroken Doctor weeping uncontrollably for his lost adversary , now once again left as the last of the Time Lords.

The Doctor walks away from the Master's smouldering funeral pyre.

The Doctor cremates the Master's body on a pyre. He takes a burning torch and ignites the pyre, fire quickly swallowing up the Master's remains. After watching his old enemy and friend burn up in front of him, he strides away from the funeral ceremony with a bitter look in his eyes.

Jack says goodbye to the Tenth Doctor and Martha.

In Cardiff, Jack decides to remain behind to look after his team, "defending the Earth". The Doctor disables Jack's vortex manipulator to keep him from jumping through time unsupervised. When Jack protests, the Doctor rebuffs him by saying, "I can't have you walking around with a time travelling teleport. You could go anywhere, twice. The second time to apologise." The Doctor then tells Jack there's nothing that can be done about his immortality: it seems likely he'll never be able to die — though he isn't sure about ageing. Thinking about what he might look like millions of years from now, Jack confesses his vanity and recalls how, as the first person from the Boeshane Peninsula to join the Time Agency, his good looks earned him the nickname "the Face of Boe". Martha and the Doctor, realising the Face of Boe's possible true identity, are surprised and delighted.

"I'll see you again, mister."

With the TARDIS repaired, the Doctor is ready to move on. Martha, however, has decided to stay so she can look after her family and finally qualify as a medical doctor. She gives the Doctor her phone number so they can keep in touch and says that she will see him again, but when someone is in love and it's unrequited, they have to get out: "This is me getting out." Martha promises that she's going to call him again, and when she does, he'd better come running. As she heads out of the TARDIS, she parts with the words, "I'll see you again, mister." The Doctor smiles fondly at her and watches Martha leave.

A sinister-looking ring is recovered from the Master's ashes...

While the TARDIS takes off, events flash back to the Doctor cremating the Master. Nothing appears to be different. However, after he leaves, the Master's signet ring drops out of the flames and lands on the ground, flaked with ashes. A female hand wearing red nail polish takes the Master's emerald ring from the burnt-out pyre, while the Master's malevolent laughter echoes in the background.

"What?!?"

The Doctor, now in possession of his severed hand, sets the TARDIS controls — until the room is suddenly shaken with great force. A foghorn bellows very loudly and the bow of a ship smashes through the console room wall. The Doctor jumps out of the way and stumbles over his cockpit chair to the floor. As he recovers from the collision, he exclaims, "What... What?!?", looking up in disbelief at a puncture in his TARDIS, where a large vessel has broken through the TARDIS hull from the outside. Several panels in the console room have been ripped loose, along with an oxygen supply cable that has dislodged from the ceiling, swinging freely and gushing out a jet of air. Covered in rubble, the Doctor sees bits of his TARDIS strewn about the console floor, along with something new that doesn't belong in his ship at all. Picking up a lifebelt, he finds "Titanic" written on it, to which he can only respond flatly, "What."

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.


Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

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

  • This episode is the fifth of a continuous story arc (the end of one episode immediately leading into another) which begins in the Torchwood episode Captain Jack Harkness, develops in the Torchwood episode End of Days, switches over to Doctor Who in Utopia [+]Loading...["Utopia (TV story)"], develops further in The Sound of Drums [+]Loading...["The Sound of Drums (TV story)"], and concludes here.
  • This is the second consecutive series finale to end with the Doctor saying "What?" in utter confusion, the first being Doomsday [+]Loading...["Doomsday (TV story)"].
  • This episode has two directors, Colin Teague and Graeme Harper. In the DVD audio commentary, Freema Agyeman says that Colin had an injury by falling down the stairs and some scenes with Martha Jones in the episode were finished off by Graeme Harper.
  • Jack returns to Cardiff for series two of Torchwood. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang takes place immediately after this one, although it is suggested in the later episode that some hours or possibly days pass before Jack actually reunites with his team — it's daytime when he leaves the Doctor, but night when he finds the team.
  • The concept of the Toclafane grew out of discussions surrounding production of the episode Dalek [+]Loading...["Dalek (TV story)"]. When discussions with the Estate of Terry Nation looked as though they may not come to a satisfactory conclusion, Russell T Davies and Robert Shearman conceived of the Toclafane as a possible alternative for the contents of the Cage. The idea was abandoned when negotiations were completed and the BBC were granted the rights to use the Daleks, and Davies went on to use the Toclafane for the series 3 finale.
  • Two versions of this episode exist — the full-length version, and a shorter 47-minute edit. A number of scenes are excised from the shorter edit, notably the "Sol 3" introduction to the episode, the Master singing and dancing along to "I Can't Decide" by the Scissor Sisters, and sections of Martha's conversations with various resistance members. The shorter version appeared on Netflix and Hulu in the US, and is the version provided by the current US streaming home of the series, HBO Max. In the UK, the full-length version was added to the BBC iPlayer in 2019, and replaced the shorter edit on Netflix in 2020.
    • The 47-minute edit is the only version currently available to purchase on digital storefronts such as Amazon Prime, iTunes, and Google Play - presently, the only way to purchase the full-length broadcast version of the episode is to purchase the DVD or Blu-ray release.
  • The sound of the Master's laugh can be heard while a finger with a red painted fingernail picks up the Master's ring. The character who picked up the ring is seen in The End of Time [+]Loading...["The End of Time (TV story)"].
  • The Doctor states a desire to meet Agatha Christie, foreshadowing The Unicorn and the Wasp [+]Loading...["The Unicorn and the Wasp (TV story)"] in which he follows through with this wish, with Donna Noble.
  • The title Last of the Time Lords had previously been reported as a working title for one of the (ultimately aborted) big-screen adaptations of the series planned between 1989 and 2005; a poster showing the title Doctor Who: Last of the Time Lords even appeared in some film trade publications.
  • Lucy, who was very loving towards her husband in The Sound of Drums [+]Loading...["The Sound of Drums (TV story)"], in this episode appears to be very afraid of him, and she even has marks around her eye. According to the commentary, this is because the Master's power went to his head and he started to physically abuse her. This is one of the reasons she joined in saying the Doctor's name and shot the Master after he was defeated.
  • This was the final episode to give screen credit to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for its help in co-funding the series; the CBC would continue its involvement in series 4, but would not be credited on screen.
  • The Toclafane's origin is similar to that of the Somnus Foundation in the audio story Singularity, which also featured technology that focused the collective psychic energy of humanity, like the satellites in this story.
  • The episode features the surprise revelation that Jack was once known as the Face of Boe, suggesting that the character encountered in The End of the World [+]Loading...["The End of the World (TV story)"], New Earth [+]Loading...["New Earth (TV story)"] and Gridlock [+]Loading...["Gridlock (TV story)"] is in fact a future version of Jack Harkness. Russell T Davies reportedly tried to backpedal from this in the DVD commentary, leading to speculation as to whether this is actually the case. However, multiple interviews on DVD and in other media by producer Julie Gardner and actors David Tennant and John Barrowman have all indicated without ambiguity that Jack is destined to become the Face of Boe. According to Gardner during a panel presentation at the 2008 San Diego Comic Con, Barrowman wasn't aware of the revelation until fairly late in production. Chris Chibnall, then head writer on Torchwood, supported this revelation.
  • At the scene where Jack reveals he was called the Face of Boe, several people can be seen in the background taking pictures at the location of the Torchwood lift.
  • While previous regenerations of the Doctor imply regeneration is a partly involuntary feature of Time Lords, the Master's choice to die rather than regenerate shows that a Time Lord has some control over his regenerative process. This is supported by Romana I's regeneration in Destiny of the Daleks where she is seen "trying on" various forms before settling on the final version of her new body. In his eleventh incarnation, the Doctor would also claim he could regenerate at will as a threat toward Mr Clever.
  • In a deleted scene, before leaving the Doctor, Jack recites the "the 21st century is when it all changes and you've got to be ready" monologue heard at the beginning of all Torchwood episodes. Fragments would later reveal that Jack is, perhaps subconsciously, paraphrasing the last words of former Torchwood Three member Alex Hopkins.
  • A late addition to the script was the recovery of the Master's ring by a woman's hand, which actually belonged to production manager Tracie Simpson. Russell T Davies had decided to include this shot in order to give future production teams a mechanism by which the Master could be brought back. It became known as “the hand of the Rani” amongst the crew.
  • The is the only regular season finale of the first Russell T Davies era that doesn't feature the Daleks in any capacity.
  • Scissor Sisters' "I Can't Decide" saw a bump in popularity after its use in this episode.
  • Leo Jones was also intended to appear, welcoming Martha back to Britain and introducing her to Tom Milligan. This had to be changed due to Reggie Yates' scheduling conflicts, which meant that he could only spare one recording day. Dialogue now referred to Leo working in the Master's slave force under an assumed name, although it was dropped from the final edit.
  • Originally, Downing Street played a much larger role in the story, serving as the location for the last of Martha's decoy chemicals. At this stage, Tom Milligan was in fact a traitor, who was killed after betraying Martha to the Master. Russell T Davies began to feel that the world of the ravaged Earth deserved greater exploration, however, and concocted the material involving Professor Docherty instead.
Doctor Who will return at Christmas in Voyage of the Damned.jpg
  • As the last episode of the series, there is no "Next Time" trailer at the end of the episode, merely a message that "Doctor Who will return at Christmas in Voyage of the Damned".
  • Not counting minisodes such as Time Crash, this marks the final regular use of the Doctor Who theme first introduced in Rose [+]Loading...["Rose (TV story)"], as well as the expanded orchestral version of the Doctor Who theme first used for the closing credits in The Christmas Invasion [+]Loading...["The Christmas Invasion (TV story)"], as as new version of the theme was introduced as of the following episode, Voyage of the Damned [+]Loading...["Voyage of the Damned (TV story)"]. The 2005/2006 versions of the theme would continue to be used for marketing purposes both by the BBC and international broadcasters, and a version of the closing credits featuring VHS-quality audio and video was used for the end credits of the 2009 documentary Cheques, Lies and Videotape.
  • Russell T Davies wrote the script over four feverish days in January 2007.
  • There was originally dialogue between Jack and the Doctor during the former's departure which playfully poked fun at the voice-over accompanying each episode of Torchwood. This was removed because it was felt to be too metatextual.
  • It was initially planned to have the Master taunt the Doctor with the fact that it was ultimately his interference with the timeline, such as causing Harriet Jones' untimely downfall, that allowed for Harold Saxon to become Prime Minister. Russell T Davies decided that this reminder that the whole thing was the Doctor's fault was too much of a downer in an already depressing episode, as well as potentially being too obscure a continuity reference for casual viewers, and could never find a place to put the revelation where it felt natural.
  • This episode was reviewed in DWM 428 and accompanied by an illustration from Roger Langridge. It was the last review Langridge illustrated.
  • Last of the Time Lords (DWM 428).jpg


Ratings[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • 8.61 million - Final Ratings[1]
  • 0.86 million - BBC Three Sunday repeat

Myths[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • The Toclafane were rumoured to be an early form of Dalek created by the Master. This was proved false.
  • As Freema Agyeman's departure from the series had been previously reported, there were rumours that Martha Jones might die in this episode. This was proved false.
  • Some have claimed that it is Donna Noble, or maybe even Lucy Saxon who picks up the ring after it falls from the Master's grip near the end of the episode. Russell T Davies jokes in the audio commentary of this episode that it was the hand of the Rani. In The End of Time [+]Loading...["The End of Time (TV story)"] the hand was revealed to be that of a prison warden who was a devotee of the Master.
  • As the producers intended, the cliffhanger leading into Voyage of the Damned [+]Loading...["Voyage of the Damned (TV story)"] raised the question as to whether the TARDIS had collided with the real Titanic, which gave rise to fan speculation in the interim as to how this episode would reconcile with previous references to the Doctor's involvement with the ill-fated vessel. (TV: Rose [+]Loading...["Rose (TV story)"], et al.)

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

  • Cwrt-y-Vil Road, Penarth
  • Nippon Electric Glass UK (Trident Park), Cardiff Bay (Lower decks of the Valiant)
  • RAF St Athan (MOD St Athan), Vale of Glamorgan
  • South Luton Place, Adamsdown, Cardiff (Street where Martha confronts the Master)
  • Aberthaw Power Station, Aberthaw (Exterior of Professor Docherty's lab)
  • Vaynor Quarry, Trefechan, Merthyr Tydfil (Location of the Doctor and the Master's fight)
  • Whitmore Bay, Barry Island (Location of when Martha arrives by boat onto the beach)
  • Roald Dahl Plass, Cardiff (Martha and the Doctor bid Jack goodbye)
  • Alexandra Gardens, Cardiff (Location where Martha gives Professor Docherty flowers)
  • Treforest Industrial Estate, Upper Boat, Pontypridd

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.
  • When the Master shoots Francine with the laser screwdriver, the SFX of the laser beam does not hit her yet she reacts as if she was hit.
  • When the Master attempts to use his laser screwdriver on the psychically empowered Doctor, the laser light from the prop is reflecting off the lens of the camera he is pointing it at, which tells you there is a camera there.
  • When the Master uses his laser screwdriver to age the Doctor, while he is in fast motion, on the TV screen Martha is looking at, you can clearly see Lucy's arms are also in fast motion.

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Master's greatest fear, shown in The Mind of Evil, is realised in Last of the Time Lords.

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

  • The Complete David Tennant Years DVD Region 1 US cover

    The Complete David Tennant Years DVD
    Region 1 US cover

  • The Complete Series Three DVD box-set

    The Complete Series Three DVD box-set

  • Series 3 Volume 4 DVD Cover

    Series 3 Volume 4 DVD Cover

  • Doctor Who: The Complete Series One to Four DVD box-set

    Doctor Who: The Complete Series One to Four DVD box-set

  • Doctor Who: The Complete Series One to Seven DVD box-set

    Doctor Who: The Complete Series One to Seven DVD box-set

  • This story was released with Utopia [+]Loading...["Utopia (TV story)"] and The Sound of Drums [+]Loading...["The Sound of Drums (TV story)"] on the Series 3 Volume 4 DVD.
  • It was also released as part of the series 3 DVD box set in 2009.
  • It was also part of the series 3 Blu-ray released as part of the Series 1-7 box set in 2013, then released as a standalone set in 2015.
  • It was also released on iTunes, Amazon Video and Google Play. The version for sale on these services is the shorter 45-minute edit.

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

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. ↑ Doctor Who - consolidated ratings
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