The Doctor Falls (TV story): Difference between revisions

From Tardis Wiki, the free Doctor Who reference
Tag: sourceedit
mNo edit summary
 
(419 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown)
Line 2: Line 2:
{{real world}}
{{real world}}
{{ImageLinkTV}}
{{ImageLinkTV}}
{{Infobox Story
{{Infobox Story SMW
|image          = The Twelfth Doctor starts to regenerate.jpg
|image          = The Doctor Falls2.jpg
|scripturl      = http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/scripts/doctor-who-s10-ep12-the-doctor-falls.pdf
|series          = [[Doctor Who television stories|''Doctor Who'' television stories]]
|series          = [[Doctor Who television stories|''Doctor Who'' television stories]]
|season number  = Series 10 (Doctor Who)
|season number  = Series 10 (Doctor Who 2005)
|series episode number = 12
|series episode number = 12
|story number    = 275b
|story number    = 275b
|doctor          = Twelfth Doctor
|doctor          = Twelfth Doctor
|companions      = [[Bill Potts|Bill]], [[Nardole]]
|companions      = [[Nardole]], [[Bill Potts|Bill]]
|featuring      = {{Gomez}}
|featuring      = Missy
|featuring2      = First Doctor
|enemy          = [[Exodus Cyberman|Exodus Cybermen]]
|enemy          = [[Cyberman (Mondas)|Cybermen]], {{Simm|C}}
|setting        = [[Mondas]]ian [[Colony ship (World Enough and Time)|colony ship]]: [[Floor 1056]] and [[Floor 0507]]
|setting        = [[Mondas]]ian [[Colony ship (World Enough and Time)|colony ship]]: [[Floor 1056]] and [[Floor 0507]]
|writer          = [[Steven Moffat]]
|writer          = Steven Moffat
|director        = [[Rachel Talalay]]
|director        = [[Rachel Talalay]]
|producer        = [[Peter Bennett]]
|producer        = [[Peter Bennett]]
|broadcast date  = [[1 July (releases)|1 July]] [[2017 (releases)|2017]]
|broadcast date  = 1 July 2017
|network        = [[BBC One]]
|network        = BBC One
|format          = 1x60 minute episode
|format          = 1x60 minute episode;<br/>Part 2 of 2
|prev            = World Enough and Time (TV story)
|prev            = World Enough and Time (TV story)
|next            =  
|next            = Twice Upon a Time (TV story)
|made prev      =  
|made prev      =  
|made next      =  
|made next      =  
|trailer        =  
|trailer        = The Doctor Falls Trailer - Doctor Who Series 10 - BBC
|trailer2        =  
|trailer2        = The Doctor Falls - Next Time Trailer - Doctor Who Series 10 - BBC
|clip            =  
|clip            = Doctor Who at San Diego Comic-Con 2017 Sunday July 23 @ 2pm, Hall H BBC America
|clip2          =  
|clip2          =  
|clip3          =  
|clip3          =  
|bts            =  
|bts            = Peter Capaldi & Pearl Mackie Introduce The Doctor Falls - Doctor Who Series 10
|bts2            =  
|bts2            = A Closer Look at 'The Doctor Falls' Doctor Who Season 10
|bts3            =  
|bts3            = Steven Moffat & Rachel Talalay - The Aftershow - Doctor Who The Fan Show
}}
|scene analysis  = Missy And The Master Dance Together - Doctor Who Series 10
'''''{{StoryTitle}}''''', written by [[Steven Moffat]], was the twelfth and final episode of the [[Series 10 (Doctor Who)|tenth series]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]'' produced by [[BBC Wales]]. It featured the departures of both [[Bill Potts]] and [[Nardole]], and the apparent death of [[Missy]].  
|epcount=1|featuring2=Saxon Master{{!}}the Saxon Master|featuring3=Alit|featuring4=Heather (The Pilot){{!}}Heather|featuring5=First Doctor}}
'''''The Doctor Falls''''' was the twelfth and final episode of [[Series 10 (Doctor Who 2005)|series 10]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]''.


Expanding on the [[Twelfth Doctor]]'s [[regeneration]] teased in the [[World Enough and Time (TV story)|previous episode]], it saw him mortally wounded in battle against the [[Cyberman (Mondas)|Cybermen]]. The regeneration would be postponed, however, as the Doctor refused to change, showing the Doctor's own personal view on regeneration, and how he hates having to be different people when he grows accustomed to being in an incarnation for a long period of time, very similar to how the [[Tenth Doctor]] had grown to enjoy being the person he was in his then current incarnation.  
It saw the departures of both Bill and Nardole, and the events leading to the [[Saxon Master]]'s regeneration into [[Missy]], with the Master being mortally wounded by his female successor. However, he in turn kills her, bringing an apparent end of the Master's life. The episode also explained the different and conflicting origins of the Cybermen appearances, citing it to "[[parallel evolution]]".


The episode also shows the events leading to [[the Master]]'s regeneration into Missy, with the male Master getting literally stabbed in the back by his female successor, and he in turn apparently killing her, this being an example of why, unlike the Doctor who has teamed up with past and future incarnations, the Master doesn't work together with any of his incarnations as he would double-cross himself for his own gain. And while the actual regeneration into Missy isn't shown this would be the last appearance of John Simm as the Harold Saxon incarnation of the Master.
Expanding on the Twelfth Doctor's [[regeneration]] teased in the previous episode, {{cs|World Enough and Time (TV story)}} it saw him mortally wounded in battle against the [[Cyberman|Cybermen]]. However, the Doctor managed to postpone the change, expressing how he was sick of "always having to be someone else", leading into the arc of the next episode, {{cs|Twice Upon a Time (TV story)}}


The story featured several connections to the [[1966 (releases)|1966]] serial ''[[The Tenth Planet (TV story)|The Tenth Planet]]'', including a story featuring [[human]]s from [[Mondas]] and featured appearances by the [[Cyberman (Mondas)|Cybermen]] from said planet.  
Most notably, the final scene of the episode featured the unexpected return of the [[First Doctor]], now portrayed by [[David Bradley]], in a scene set during the events of {{cs|The Tenth Planet (TV story)}} itself, the first time an incarnation of the Doctor from the classic series had appeared since the series was revived in 2005 and not been played by his original actor. Bradley had previously portrayed [[William Hartnell]] in the docudrama {{cs|An Adventure in Space and Time (TV story)}}.


More surprisingly, the episode featured the surprise return of the [[First Doctor]], now portrayed by [[David Bradley]] (who had previously portrayed [[William Hartnell]] in the docudrama ''[[An Adventure in Space and Time (TV story)|An Adventure in Space and Time]]''). This marks the first time since [[The Five Doctors (TV story)|The Five Doctors ]]that the adult First Doctor had been portrayed outside of archive footage, with the First Doctor as a child appearing in the Series 8 episode [[Listen (TV story)|Listen]], and the second time since ''The Tenth Planet ''where the First Doctor was in a regular episode of the show, even though it was a short appearance.
In 2023, despite ''The Doctor Falls'' together with ''World Enough and Time'' ranking as the most popular [[Twelfth Doctor]] TV story ahead of {{cs|Heaven Sent (TV story)}} in a poll by ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'',<ref name="dwm 594">[[DWM 594]]</ref>{{note|Polls by DWM are statistically invalid, as they do not feature a random sample of people. Respondents choose to participate on their own initiative, and are made aware of the poll because they subscribe to or at least frequently buy DWM. Thus, the poll is clearly weighted towards ''Doctor Who'' fans who are also residents of the United Kingdom. The views reflected almost certainly do not represent the "casual" viewer of ''Doctor Who'', non-English speaking fans, or other groups of fans who simply don't read or have access to DWM.}}, a later ''DWM'' poll that year with a shortlist of 37 finalists including the two aforementioned stories declared ''World Enough and Time''/''The Doctor Falls'' the second most popular TV story of the first 60 years of ''Doctor Who'', behind the winner, ''Heaven Sent''.<ref name="dwm 597">[[DWM 597]]</ref>


== Synopsis ==
== Synopsis ==
As he struggles to resist regenerating, the Doctor prepares to make a last stand against the ever growing army of Cybermen. However, with Bill still a Cyberman and Missy gradually turning to her old ways as the Master reminds of her of who she used to be, can the Doctor convince his old friend to finally be good before he falls?
As he struggles to resist [[regeneration|regenerating]], the [[Twelfth Doctor]] prepares to make a [[Battle of Floor 0507|last stand]] against the ever-growing army of [[Cyberman|Cybermen]]. However, with [[Bill Potts|Bill]] still a Cyberman, and [[Missy]] gradually turning to her old wicked ways as {{Simm}} reminds her of who she used to be, can the Doctor convince his old friend to finally be good before he falls?


== Plot ==
== Plot ==
The episode opens to a group of farmers on [[Floor 0507]] facing against the [[Patient (World Enough and Time)|prototypes]] from [[Floor 1056]], shooting them down by night to then restrain on wooden crosses by day. A school child is out in the field one morning when a shuttlepod blasts through the ground. From the rubble, a Cyberman walks out carrying an unconscious Doctor.
The episode opens on a group of [[farmer]]s, adults and children, on [[Floor 0507]] facing against the [[Patient (World Enough and Time)|prototypes]] from [[Floor 1056]], dubbed "scarecrows", shooting them down by night to then restrain them on wooden crosses by day. A school child named Alit is out in the field one morning when a [[shuttlecraft|shuttlepod]] blasts through the ground, crashing near her. As the smoke clears, a [[Bill Potts|Cyberman]] emerges from the wreckage carrying an unconscious [[Twelfth Doctor|Doctor]].
 
Sometime earlier, the Doctor awakes on top of the [[Hospital (World Enough and Time)|hospital]], now restrained in a [[wheelchair]], soon recalling how he was subdued by [[Missy]] and {{Simm}}, while Nardole fled. The Master and Missy dance and flirt, with him asking if she's his next incarnation; Missy guesses she is as she can't remember what caused her to regenerate. The Master is stunned: "I'm going to turn into a woman, and you can't remember it happening?" Missy wonders if she is a woman; the Master confirms it. Though the Master doubts it, the Doctor begins deducing what he's been up to since [[The End of Time (TV story)|he vanished while blasting Rassilon with his life energy]].
 
Upon getting back to [[Gallifrey]], the Time Lords, grateful for the Master's help in preventing Rassilon from executing [[Ultimate Sanction|The Final Sanction]], properly restored his body. With that done, the Time Lords kicked him off Gallifrey. However, the Master stole [[The Master's TARDIS|a TARDIS]] to go back into the universe; so he considers it a mutual being kicked out. After that, the Master landed on the colony ship, lived like a king and killed people at his leisure. However, the colonists eventually overthrew him and the Master attempted to flee. However, as [[The Master's TARDIS|his TARDIS]] was on the last level, too close to the [[event horizon]], it burned out his [[dematerialisation circuit]] and left him stranded. "You never could drive could you?" the Doctor asks.
 
[[File:The_Doctor_Falls_Any_Requests_Master.jpg|thumb|Both Missy and the Master wonder how to punish the Doctor]]
Both the Master and Missy are insulted; she asks her earlier self if he has any requests as to how to torture the Doctor. The Master suggests dropping the Doctor off the roof; Missy is against the idea, saying that they'd be "up and down the stairs all night" because she doesn't know how many regenerations the Doctor has. Missy and the Master look over the roof, seeing people march like mindless sheep into the hospital to be turned into Cybermen. They taunt their old friend by telling him of their plan of the [[Cyberman|Cybermen]] converting all the [[human]]s on the ship. Missy asks the Doctor if he's impressed. They mockingly call the Doctor "granddad", reminding him that Bill is now a Cyberman.
 
The Doctor tells them that after all this time if they still think they're winning when he's in the room, they're missing something obvious. Hearing the Cybermen advancing, Missy looks over the ledge and quakes in horror; the Cybermen are coming for them. The Master is confused, as these Cybermen are primitive and shouldn't even be attempting to convert non-humans.
 
The Doctor explains that when he was knocked down by Missy, he altered the signal of the Cybermen so they would convert [[binary vascular system|two-hearted]] beings as well, hence why they are now focusing on the [[Time Lord]]'s presence. The Masters panic, Missy frantically using her [[sonic umbrella]] to lock a [[metal]] [[door]] to hold back advancing Cybermen while the Master uses his [[laser screwdriver]] to destroy advancing Cybermen. The Doctor brags that he is the only one who is able to stop so many Cybermen at once. Realising this, a conflicted Missy knocks the Master out and frees the Doctor from his restraints. The Doctor starts wondering which side she is on to which she admits her indecisiveness as she is confused and her other half is unconscious.
 
The Doctor uses [[the Doctor's sonic screwdriver|his sonic screwdriver]] to contact Nardole, who reveals he has commandeered a shuttlecraft. Nardole lands near the roof to help escape, but the Doctor is grabbed and electrocuted by a Cyberman before he boards. Missy tries to save him using her other self's laser screwdriver but Bill, in her cyber form, intervenes first, destroying the Cyberman with a blaster based on her head and the Doctor recognizes her before collapsing to the ground unconscious. Missy and the Master try to convince Nardole to abandon the Doctor "The Doctor's dead; he told me to say he always hated you," they both say. However, Bill prevents the shuttle from leaving, grabbing the ladder until they rescue him. The Doctor regains consciousness and promises Bill that he will find a way to return her to normal.
 
They escape to Floor 0507, where time moves slower. They find themselves on a [[solar farm]], the Master deducing such by the holographic sky, where some of the humans and a large number of children protect themselves from the early Cybermen prototypes from [[Operation Exodus]]. Nardole approaches Alit, declaring they will need her help. They spend two weeks there while the Doctor recovers from his injuries.
 
[[File:The_Doctor_Falls_Cyberman_Mirror.jpg|thumb|left|Bill discovers her true appearance.]]
Bill awakes in the barn, unsure why the villagers are scared of her, concerned why she can't see the Doctor. When given a [[mirror]] by Alit, she becomes horrified to discover she was converted into a Cyberman. Alit goes to run but bumps into the Doctor who thanks her for being [[kindness|kind]] to Bill, offering her a [[jelly baby]] as she leaves. The Doctor has somewhat recovered, though he still has a scar from where he was hit by the Master and is clearly in a lot of pain but trying to hide it.
 
Trying to console Bill, she gradually realises that though she thinks she is human, she is still a Mondasian Cyberman in appearance. She grows angry, the Doctor backing away as Bill accidentally triggers the blaster on her head, igniting the door on the barn, causing an explosion. Nardole, who has been preparing the town for the oncoming Cybermen despite one woman saying he has been working them too hard, passively tells the farmers not to worry; they have an upcoming war to focus on.
 
Bill sheds a tear when she realises the humans are frightened of her, and the Doctor wipes it away, noting it unusual. The Master tells the Doctor that he and Missy have been working on something, and pauses briefly to mock Bill, chastising the Doctor for still referring to her as a female and taunts how he hated the time he had to spend with Bill as "Razor". He stops because Bill claims he is not upsetting her, though she cries beneath her mask when he leaves. The Doctor finds it odd she is still able to shed tears. While traversing after the Master, the Doctor struggles to walk, limping heavily. He briefly stumbles against a tree, [[regeneration energy]] attempting to trickle from his hand (revealing that his electrocution by the Cyberman on the roof was fatal, and his body is preparing to regenerate). Wanting to not worry Bill, he draws up a stick and carries onwards but Bill is still distraught that the Doctor can't fix her current condition, the Doctor responding "where's there's tears; there's hope."
 
They soon reach the middle of a [[forest]], just after the Master and Missy theorise they can't retain their memories as their timelines are out of sync. Missy briefly displays empathy for Bill's condition, something the Master finds disgusting. Missy reveals she has discovered a camouflaged lift in the nearby forest, with which she suggests they can escape to [[Floor 0000]], using her sonic umbrella to call it. However, the Doctor declares that there will no doubt be a Cyberman in the lift waiting to find their floor, as the lift was taken to the bottom by them previously. Understanding this, Bill orders them to stand aside, the Doctor convincing the two Masters to do so.
 
The three Time Lords prepare behind Bill, drawing their respective devices. As guessed, the lift brings up an advanced Cyberman from the lower floor, Bill speedily firing on it with her cyber blaster, the Master following likewise with his laser screwdriver as the Doctor and Missy use their sonic devices to slow its advance with a barrier. After several seconds, they disable it.
 
With their position given away, the Master and Missy both wish to use the elevator to go to the bridge and escape in [[the Doctor's TARDIS]], but the Doctor informs them that the time differential between top and bottom of the ship would give the Cybermen ample time to stop them, meaning there isn't a safe way to return to the TARDIS. The Doctor figures that the Cybermen will now have much more time to plan, given they now know what floor they reside on, they must prepare for a battle. He returns to the village, revealing the alarm they now hear is the Cybermen's warning from the lower floors. Using a [[computer]], Nardole discovers that [[Floor 0508|the floor below this one]] has many fuel pipes that he can detonate as weaponry against the Cybermen, briefly testing such by blowing up a windmill, stunning the villagers; the Doctor remarks that they can use such to confuse the Cybermen and make them believe they are stronger than them. The Doctor finds a conduit to another solar farm on a higher floor that can be used to evacuate the children, having Bill blast it open, knowing this is a fight they will likely lose.
 
Meanwhile, the Master and Missy decide to leave and plan to find the Master's TARDIS at the lowest floor, though the Master reveals he broke his TARDIS. Missy shoves convinces her younger self to always keep a [[dematerialisation circuit]] on hand. She recalls the time a woman shoved her against her a wall to convince her to carry the device on her at all times. While recalling the story she shoves the Master against the wall, revealing herself as the one to convince the Master to carry the circuit. The Master says "Is it bad that I.. er-" hinting at a slight sexual arousal of his future incarnation, but Missy just retorts that it's very wrong. Night falls, the Doctor standing guard outside the house. Inside, a woman attempts to flirt with Nardole as he works on his computer, only to turn around and shoot at Bill, falsely thinking her a hostile Cyberman. She leaves distraught, going outside to find the Doctor. The first wave arrives, Nardole and Alit preparing to combat them, successfully tricking them that an [[apple]] was capable of destroying an entire group of them. They retreat to the house, now understanding the Cybermen will likely return to outright destroy them next time rather than merely capture them for conversion.
 
Meanwhile, the Doctor notices the two Masters trying to leave and runs after them. He pleads for them to be by his side to help. He gives an emotional and passionate speech on why he helps people, since it isn't easy or always going to work, it is just the right thing to do, as saving people would just be kind. The Master ridicules the idea, saying that he didn't listen to a word the Doctor said. However, Missy was somewhat moved by the Doctor's speech, agreeing that being the Doctor's friend was what she always wanted. However, after briefly grabbing each other's hand, she sides with her predecessor. At the lift, Missy tricks the Master into dancing with her. She tells her past self that she enjoyed her time as him, however she pulls out a knife and fatally stabs him, forcing his next regeneration, though she makes the wound "precise" so that the Master will have enough time to reach his TARDIS before regenerating.
 
[[File:Missy_Dies_The_Doctor_Falls_2.jpg|thumb|Missy seemingly dies from the Master's strike.]]
Gradually dying, the Master compliments her, glad they haven't lost their touch. Missy tells her proud past self that he deserved nothing less than her best. After helping him into the elevator, Missy announces she will return to help the Doctor, turning to walk away as her predecessor shouts at her to not go. Missy tells her past self that this is where all the scheming, killing and egomania has led them: standing with the Doctor.
 
Unable to accept that his future self will side with the Doctor, the Master draws and fires his laser screwdriver at full blast, causing Missy to collapse on the ground, fatally wounded. He claims the strike has disabled her regeneration, commenting that it is the perfect ending, with them both shooting themselves in the back. They both laugh as the Master descends in the lift and Missy seemingly dies.


Sometime earlier, the Doctor awakes on top of the hospital, soon recalling how he was subdued by Missy and the Master. The Doctor, now restrained in a wheelchair, watches the two incarnations of the Master taunt him on the many deaths the Doctor has had and wanting to find out new ways to kill him. The Master and Missy dance and flirt with each other and gloat of their plan of the Cybermen converting all the humans on  the ship. However the Master is stunned to find that the Cybermen are heading towards the building that they are perched on. The Doctor explains that when he was knocked down by Missy, he altered the signal of the Cybermen so they would convert two hearted beings as well, hence why they are now focusing on the Time Lord's presence. The Masters panic, Missy frantically using her [[sonic umbrella]] to lock a metal door to hold back advancing Cybermen while the Master uses his [[Laser screwdriver]] to destroy advancing Cybermen. The Doctor brags that he is the only one who is has able to stop so many Cybermen at once. Realising this, a conflicted Missy knocks the Master out and frees the Doctor from his restraints. The Doctor starts wondering which side she is on to which she admits her indecisiveness as she is confused and her other half is unconscious.  
An initial wave of Cybermen arrive, but using Nardole's tricks with the explosives, they are able to make the humans appear more powerful, forcing the Cybermen to retreat and develop a new plan, giving the humans more time. Back at the house, and against Nardole's protests, the Doctor downloads the plans for the floor into his sonic screwdriver and sends him to help evacuate the children, intending to stay alone to fight the Cybermen. Nardole resists, having deduced the Doctor is going to commit [[suicide]] by detonating the entire floor in a last-ditch attempt to destroy as many Cybermen as possible. The pair argue over who really should die, Nardole reasoning he can't, given how he was before meeting the Doctor even though the Doctor tries to reason that he should stay as he is already dying. The Doctor eventually convinces Nardole that helping the children will be his penance for the crimes he committed before they met, as he is the stronger of the pair. Nardole jokes he will name a farm after him. Bill also insists on staying with the Doctor despite Nardole trying to tell her otherwise. As he leaves with the humans, Nardole admits that he will never be able to find the words for Bill and the Doctor's sacrifice.


Nardole, who had commandeered a shuttlecraft, lands near the roof to help escape, but the Doctor is grabbed and electrified by a Cyberman before he boards. Bill, in her cyber form, intervenes, destroying the Cyberman with a blaster based on her head. Missy and the Master try to convince Nardole to abandon the Doctor, but Bill prevents the shuttle from leaving, grabbing the ladders until they rescue him.
[[File:The_Cybermen_attack_the_Doctor_(The_Doctor_Falls).jpg|thumb|left|A Mondasian Cyberman killing the Doctor with its energy beam. ]]
With all the humans evacuated, the Doctor and Bill prepare for a last stand, each deciding to charge into opposite ends of the forest. Bill says one last goodbye to the Doctor, even joking briefly about her sexuality, assuring him she had still retained her humanity. They face the oncoming wave. The Doctor ignites several of the Cybermen, listing the numerous times he has defeated them while doing so. However, he is inevitably surrounded and receives a full strike from one Cyberman's laser beam. He declares he is the Doctor but the Cybermen retort they have no need for a doctor anymore, firing at him again. Falling to his knees, he prepares to ignite the floor but is struck again, the blast proving fatal enough that his body attempts to regenerate. Refusing to give in, he holds it back and ignites all the pipes below the floor, engulfing it all in a wave of destruction, destroying all the Cybermen.


They escape to a higher floor on the ship, where time moves slower. They find themselves on solar farm, where some of the humans and a large number of children protect themselves from the early Cybermen prototypes from Operation Exodus. The Doctor to recover, but he shows early signs of regeneration which he keeps from Bill. Bill finds that though she thinks she is human, she is still a Mondasian Cyberman in appearance, created by a perception filter, according to the Doctor. She sheds a tear when she realises the humans are frightened of her, and the Doctor wipes it away, noting it unusual.
Above on floor 0502, Nardole waits outside of one of the lifts, hoping the Doctor and Bill will return, however, Alit convinces him to move on and focus on living with them now, mentioning that Hazran has a crush on him to which Nardole smiles and retorts 'Well she's only human...'


Missy discovers a camouflaged lift in the nearby forest, which she suggests they can escape to the bridge, but when she calls it, it brings up an advanced Cyberman from the lower floor, which they quickly destroy. The Doctor warns that through the Cybernet, they will now have much more time to plan, and they must prepare for a battle. While Nardole discovers that the floor below this one has many fuel pipes that he can detonate as weaponry against the Cybermen, the Doctor finds a conduit to another solar on a higher floor that can be used to evacuate the children, knowing this is a fight they will likely lose. The Master and Missy decide to leave and plan to find the Master's TARDIS at the lowest floor, despite the Doctor's request to stay and help. At the lift, Missy tricks the Master into dancing with her and fatally stabs him, forcing his next regeneration. She announces she will return to help the Doctor, but when she turns her back, he fires his laser screwdriver at full blast, also fatally wounding her and disabling her regeneration. The Master comments that it is the perfect ending, they both shoot themselves in the back. They both laugh as they die.
Back downstairs, the floor is now a wasteland scattered with destroyed Cybermen. Bill, barely functioning but with her personality mostly restored, finds the Doctor severely wounded. She mourns over the Doctor's body but suddenly finds herself out of the Cyberman suit, seemingly human. She looks up and sees [[Heather (The Pilot)|Heather]], emerging from a nearby puddle. To prove to Bill that she isn't dead, she and Heather share a passionate kiss, when Heather reveals she converted Bill to a form of being like her. At Bill's request, they take the Doctor's body to his TARDIS, and Heather, as the Pilot, sets the controls for the TARDIS heading to a new location, while offering Bill the choice to return to her old life or to live out a new one with her, travelling the universe. Before leaving, Bill sheds a tear on the Doctor, but does not wipe it away, saying "Where there's tears, there's hope." She walks over to Heather and the reunited lovers walk out of the TARDIS into space, off to travel the stars.


An initial wave of Cybermen arrive, but using Nardole's tricks with the explosives, they are able to make the humans appear more powerful, forcing the Cybermen to retreat and develop a new plan, giving the humans more time. Against Nardole's protests, the Doctor sends him to help evacuate the children, intending to stay alone to fight the Cybermen. Bill also insists on staying with the Doctor. With all the humans evacuated, the Doctor ignites all the pipes below the floor, engulfing it all in a wave of destruction. All the Cybermen are killed, but the Doctor is severally wounded. Bill, still as a Cyberman, comes to mourn over the Doctor's body, but suddenly she finds herself out of the Cyberman suit, seemingly human, thanks to Heather ("[[The Pilot (TV story)|The Pilot]]") who found her by her tear and restored her to be like she is now. They take to the Doctor's body to the TARDIS, and Heather, as the Pilot, directs the TARDIS to a new location, while offering Bill to live out a different life, and Bill accepts. Before leaving Bill sheds a tear on the Doctor, but does not wipe it away, saying "Where there's tears, there's hope."
The Doctor's wounds heal as he dreams of [[Bill Potts|Bill]] and [[Nardole]], yelling for him. He then dreams [[Rose Tyler]], [[Martha Jones]], [[Captain Jack Harkness]], [[Donna Noble]], [[Madame Vastra]], [[Jenny Flint]], [[Sarah Jane Smith]], [[Amy Pond]], [[Clara Oswald]] and [[River|River Song]] calling out his name. Twitching, the Doctor then dreams [[Missy]] saying his name and he awakes, gasping for air. Seeing that he's begun [[regenerating]], a confused Doctor mumbles some of the last words of his other incarnations. Yelling "No!" with all his might, the Doctor suppresses the complete regeneration. "I can't keep on being somebody else" the Doctor cries out as the TARDIS lands.


The TARDIS lands in an [[Planet (World Enough and Time)|icy planet]]. The Doctor wakes up and starts regenerating. He tries fighting it off, recalling the last words of some of his previous incarnations. He controls the regeneration, angrily stating that he does not want to change again. He steps outside into the snow and yet again his regeneration starts. The Doctor screams no and stops the regeneration by shoving his fists into the snow, again stating he will not change. Suddendly in the distance he hears a voice mocking his words. The stranger's voices asks for the Doctor's identity. The stranger states that while the Doctor may be a Doctor, he "is ''the'' Doctor, the original you may say". Much to the Doctor's shock and surprise the stranger is revealed to be his [[First Doctor|first incarnation]].
He tells his TARDIS that it doesn't matter where it's taken him; he won't listen to whatever kind of lesson that it's trying to teach him. The Doctor steps outside into an arctic landscape. Out in the snow, the Doctor resists the process screaming and shoves his fists into the snow, again stating he will not change.
 
[[File:The_Doctor_Falls_First_Doctor.jpg|thumb|The Doctor meets [[First Doctor|a familiar face]] in the arctic.]]
Suddenly, in the distance hears a voice stating the same words of not changing, finding the idea ridiculous. The Doctor calls out, asking for the person to identify himself. The stranger asks for the Doctor's identity, which he confirms. The stranger replies that while the Doctor may be ''a'' Doctor, he is "''the'' Doctor. The original, you might say". Much to the Doctor's shock and surprise, the stranger steps forth to reveal himself as his [[First Doctor|first incarnation]]...


== Cast ==
== Cast ==
Line 65: Line 107:
* [[Bill Potts|Bill]] - [[Pearl Mackie]]
* [[Bill Potts|Bill]] - [[Pearl Mackie]]
* [[Nardole]] - [[Matt Lucas]]
* [[Nardole]] - [[Matt Lucas]]
* {{Gomez}} - [[Michelle Gomez]]
* [[Missy]] - [[Michelle Gomez]]
* {{Simm|c}} - [[John Simm]]
* {{Simm|n=The Master}} - [[John Simm]]
* [[Hazran]] - [[Samantha Spiro]]
* [[Hazran]] - [[Samantha Spiro]]
* [[Alit]] - [[Briana Shann]]
* [[Alit]] - [[Briana Shann]]
Line 72: Line 114:
* [[Rexhill]] - [[Simon Coombs]]
* [[Rexhill]] - [[Simon Coombs]]
* [[Heather (The Pilot)|Heather]] - [[Stephanie Hyam]]
* [[Heather (The Pilot)|Heather]] - [[Stephanie Hyam]]
* Voice of the [[Cyberman (Mondas)|Cybermen]] - [[Nicholas Briggs]]
* Voice of the [[Cyberman|Cybermen]] - [[Nicholas Briggs]]
* [[First Doctor|The Doctor]] - [[David Bradley]]
* [[First Doctor|The Doctor]] - [[David Bradley]]
=== Uncredited ===
* [[Bill Potts|Bill]] (as a [[Cyberman]]) - [[Liam Carey]]{{Fact}}


== Crew ==
== Crew ==
Line 125: Line 170:
|2ndAD = James DeHaviland
|2ndAD = James DeHaviland
|3rdAD = Christopher J Thomas
|3rdAD = Christopher J Thomas
|AD = Rhun Llewelyn
|AD2 = Lauren Pate
|AD2 = Lauren Pate
|AD = Rhun Llewleyn
|AD3 = Kieran Hayhow
|AD3 = Kieran Hayhow
|ScriptSupervisor = Nicki Coles
|ScriptSupervisor = Nicki Coles
Line 143: Line 188:
|Electrician2 = Bob Milton
|Electrician2 = Bob Milton
|Electrician3 = Sion Davies
|Electrician3 = Sion Davies
|Electrician4 = Andrew Williams
|Electrician4 = Andrew Williams (electrician)
|SupervisingArtDirector = Dafydd Shurmer
|SupervisingArtDirector = Dafydd Shurmer
|ArtDirector = Tim Overson
|ArtDirector = Tim Overson
Line 163: Line 208:
|Rigging = Shadow Scaffolding
|Rigging = Shadow Scaffolding
|StandbyRigger = Colin Toms
|StandbyRigger = Colin Toms
|HeadScenicArtist = Clive Clark
|HeadScenicArtist = Clive Clarke
|Painter2 = Steve Nelms
|Painter2 = Steve Nelms
|Painter = John Nelms
|Painter = John Nelms
Line 180: Line 225:
|GraphicsAsst = Jack Bowes
|GraphicsAsst = Jack Bowes
|Draughtsperson = Matt Sanders
|Draughtsperson = Matt Sanders
|Carpenter2 = Keith Richads
|Carpenter2 = Keith Richards (carpenter)
|Carpenter = Tim Burke
|Carpenter = Tim Burke
|Carpenter3 = Matt Ferry
|Carpenter3 = Matt Ferry
Line 210: Line 255:
|PostProdSupervisor = Samantha Price
|PostProdSupervisor = Samantha Price
|PostProdCoOrdinator = Hannah Jones
|PostProdCoOrdinator = Hannah Jones
|AsstEditor = David Davies
|AsstEditor = David Davies (assistant editor)
|OnlineEditor2 = Christine Kelly
|OnlineEditor2 = Christine Kelly
|OnlineEditor = Geraint Pari Huws
|OnlineEditor = Geraint Pari Huws
Line 232: Line 277:
}}
}}


== References ==
== Worldbuilding ==
=== Culture ===
* Nardole shouts "Remember [[the Alamo]]" when getting the farmers to work.
* When the Doctor hands [[Alit]] an apple, he refers to it as "tempting", a reference to Humanity's first sin according to the [[Bible]].
 
=== Cybermen ===
* The expedition to [[Floor 0507]] are used as [[scarecrow]]s.
* The original [[Cyberman|Mondasian Cybermen]] can [[electricity|electrocute]] people by hugging them tight, and shoot death rays via their head lamps on their [[emotional inhibitor]].
* Nardole tells the farmers about [[Operation Exodus]].
 
=== Technology ===
* The Doctor changes the encoding in the Cybermen's system from reading one [[heart]] life forms to reading [[Binary vascular system|two hearts]].
* The Doctor says that [[parallel evolution]] is the reason for various civilisations evolving Cybermen.
* Missy says Bill is doomed to live as a [[bio-mechanics|bio-mechanic]] psycho-[[zombie]].
* The Doctor mentions [[sewage]] and [[smartphone]]s as inevitable.
* The Doctor says the [[internet]] and [[cyberspace]] are a result of people + technology - humanity.
* The Doctor says it took the Cybermen a while to update the [[neural net|net]] to track two-hearts instead of one-hearts.
* The Master and Missy use their [[laser screwdriver]] and [[sonic umbrella]], respectively.
* The Doctor can use [[the Doctor's sonic screwdriver|his sonic screwdriver]] as a [[microphone]].
* Nardole pilots a shuttle labelled [[SL-16]].
* Nardole pilots a shuttle labelled [[SL-16]].
{{Music}}
* Nardole uses a [[computer]].
The song heard when Missy and The Master are dancing on the rooftop is [[''Midnight, the Stars and You'']] by [[Al Bowlly]].
* Missy carries a [[dematerialisation circuit]] because of a scolding she gave the Master.
* Nardole says that under the floor of the farm there are [[fuel line]]s and [[fusion turbo]]s.
* The Doctor mentions the farm's [[cryogenic chamber]].
 
=== Biology ===
* Nardole again implies he is a [[cyborg]].
 
=== Food and beverages ===
* Missy calls the Doctor a "silly [[sausage]]".
* The Doctor offers [[Alit]] a [[jelly baby]].
* [[Apple]]s are used as [[grenade]]s in the deception.
* Heather mentions [[chips]].
* Bill mentions [[tea]].
 
=== People ===
* Bill asks the Doctor if her tear is [[engine oil]].
* [[Heather (The Pilot)|Heather]] the [[Sentient oil|oil creature]] returns for Bill and removes her from her Cyber-suit.
* Missy puts on [[lipstick]].
* Because he's internalising, Missy calls the Doctor [[Mister Volcano]].
* Missy calls the farmers [[Walton family|the Waltons]].
* Nardole was once a [[black market]] dealer.
* The Doctor uses [[mathematics]] to conclude he can't get to the TARDIS ahead of the Cybermen.
* The Doctor mentions [[Donald Trump]] as inevitable.
* The Doctor likens Bill's strong resisting mind to a [[perception filter]].
* The Master and Missy [[high five]] each other.
* The Master and Missy [[Waltz|dance with each other]].
* The Master practises applying [[eyeliner]].
* The Master calls Bill [[Robo-Mop]].
* Missy creates two [[Temporal paradox|bootstrap paradoxes]]; one by telling her former self to always carry a spare dematerialisation circuit, two by creating herself by killing her predecessor.
 
=== Species ===
* The Doctor says that [[Cyberman|Cybermen]] have [[monkey]] brains.
* Nardole says he will name a [[pig]] after the Doctor.
 
=== Locations ===
* [[Floor 1056]] has already been converted and invaded by Cybermen.
* The Doctor remembers being knocked out in the [[Conversion Theatre]].
* The Doctor recalls the Master being on his way to [[Gallifrey]] the last time he saw him.
* The Master says the hospital has been turned into the [[Cyber Foundry|Cyber Foundries]].
* The Doctor mentions [[Mondas]], [[Telos]], [[Earth]], [[Planet 14]], [[Marinus]], [[Voga]], [[Canary Wharf]] and [[the Moon]] as places where he has defeated the Cybermen.
* [[Floor 0507]] is a [[solar farm]].
* The Doctor, Nardole and Bill protect a village on [[Floor 0507]].
* The Cybermen are seen flying past [[Floor 0900]].
* The Doctor says there's another solar farm on [[Floor 0502]].
 
=== TARDIS ===
* The Master drove his [[The Master's TARDIS|TARDIS]] too fast towards the [[black hole]] and ended up getting stuck on [[Floor 1056]] of the [[Colony ship (World Enough and Time)|colony ship]]. The [[dematerialisation circuit]] of [[the Master's TARDIS]] was burnt out as a result.
* The Doctor says that [[The Doctor's TARDIS|his TARDIS]] would not be able to properly function because it is too close to the black hole at [[Floor 0000]].
 
=== Music ===
* The song heard when Missy and the Master are dancing on the rooftop is "[[Midnight, the Stars and You]]" by [[Al Bowlly]], a song made famous by its use in [[Stanley Kubrick]]'s [[The Shining]].


== Story notes ==
== Story notes ==
* This marks [[David Bradley]]'s first appearance as the [[First Doctor]] in a DWU television story. Bradley previously portrayed a fictionalised version of [[William Hartnell]], the original actor to portray the First Doctor, in the non-DWU docudrama ''[[An Adventure in Space and Time (TV story)|An Adventure in Space and Time]]'', in which Bradley reenacted scenes from several First Doctor serials.
{{video|An Explosion of Cybermen - Doctor Who Series 10|thumb|Explosions in [[Caerwent]], and [[Cybermen]] on [[trampoline]]s.}}
* The Doctor's mention of [[Marinus]] as a [[planet]] on which the Cybermen originated ([[COMIC]]: ''[[The World Shapers (comic story)|The World Shapers]]'') is another rare instance of the TV series directly referencing expanded universe material.
{{video|Steven Moffat & Rachel Talalay - The Aftershow - Doctor Who The Fan Show|thumb|This episode's ''Aftershow'' on ''[[Doctor Who: The Fan Show]]''.}}
* The final segment of the episode, where the [[Twelfth Doctor]] meets the [[First Doctor]] in the snow, was filmed only two weeks before ''[[World Enough and Time (TV story)|World Enough and Time]]'' aired, as part of filming of the [[Christmas special]]. Post-production on that scene was completed in the short time left; a week before ''The Doctor Falls'' aired, [[Steven Moffat]] stated<!--on the ''[[The Fan Show#The Aftershow|Aftershow]]''--> that the final version was still being worked on. The Doctor's near-[[regeneration]] outside the TARDIS had to be completed in time for ''World Enough and Time'', a week beforehand.
* The Doctor's mention of [[Marinus]] as a [[planet]] on which the Cybermen originated ([[COMIC]]: ''[[The World Shapers (comic story)|The World Shapers]]'') is another rare instance of the TV series [[List of references to other DWU media in live-action BBC stories|directly referencing non-televised material]].
* This episode removes any contradiction that had previously revolved around the various Cybermen origin stories, by having the Doctor call all instances [[parallel evolution]].
* On original broadcast on {{w|BBC Scotland}} HD, a technical fault led to sound problems which rendered the dialogue inaudible for the final five minutes: from Bill leaving the TARDIS to the end credits.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/doctor-who/news/a832232/doctor-who-bbc-apologises-after-the-sound-cut-out-the-doctor-falls/|title=BBC apologises to Doctor Who viewers after the sound cut out during finale broadcast|author=Tomlin, Jack|date of source=3 July 2017|website name=Digital Spy|accessdate=3 July 2017}}</ref>
* The use of the [[Floor 0507|number 507]] is a nod to [[Russell T Davies]], who often invoked the number 57 in his writings,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac7pl1lI8FU |title=[[The Fan Show#The Aftershow|Steven Moffat & Rachel Talalay - The Aftershow]] |date of source=1 July 2017 |website name=[[Doctor Who: The Fan Show]] |accessdate=6 July 2017}}</ref> such as in [[TV]]: ''[[Death of the Doctor (TV story)|Death of the Doctor]]'', when the [[Eleventh Doctor]] claimed to [[Clyde Langer]] that he could regenerate 507 times.
* This is the first season finale in the revived series and the only episode of Series 10 to feature no scenes on present-day [[Earth]].
* When the Doctor is dreaming of his recent past companions calling him, he sees [[Clara Oswald]]. Though fans assumed it meant his memories of her were back, it was later revealed that he didn't have them back properly until the [[Testimony]] restored them as a gift before his regeneration.
* All three season finales during Peter Capaldi's tenure as the Doctor featured Cybermen.
* This episode, along with its previous part, was ranked as ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' readers' favourite [[Twelfth Doctor]] story in their 60th anniversary poll of [[2023]]. <ref name="dwm 594"/> The same set of polls, however, ranked the two-parter the readers' second favourite in a list of 37 finalists.<ref name="dwm 597"/>
* On original broadcast, before the end credits began, a caption "THE DOCTORS WILL RETURN AT CHRISTMAS" appeared. It has been removed on all version, except the Series 10 Part 2 DVD.


=== Ratings ===
=== Ratings ===
3.75m (UK overnight figures)
* 3.75 million (UK overnight figures)
* 5.32 million (UK final)<ref>[http://guide.doctorwhonews.net/info.php?detail=ratings&type=date Ratings DW]</ref>


=== Filming locations ===
=== Filming locations ===
''to be added''
* [[Caerwent]], [[Wales]] - [[Floor 0507]] farmland.


=== Production errors ===
=== Production errors ===
{{Discontinuity}}
{{Discontinuity}}
* After Bill blows up the barn, a cameraman is visible on the edge of the shot.
* In the forest scenes, several pieces of camera equipment are somewhat visible, such as a dolly and a tripod.
* When the perspective changes away from Bill as she approaches the lift, showing her as a Cyberman again the typical stomping sound of the Cybermen is absent.


== Continuity ==
== Continuity ==
* The Doctor recalls last seeing Missy's predecessor heading to [[Gallifrey]], deducing that the [[Time Lord]]s cured his "little condition" before kicking him out. ([[TV]]: ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]'')
* The expedition to Floor 507 that "Razor" talked about during ''[[World Enough and Time (TV story)|World Enough and Time]]'' are being used as [[scarecrow]]s.
* The Master gloats over his dominion to a [[wheelchair]] bound Doctor just as he did with the aged [[Tenth Doctor]] during [[the Year That Never Was]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]]'') and to a restrained Doctor upon the rise of the [[Master Race]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]'')
* The Master and Missy admit to not knowing how many regenerations the Doctor has left after his regeneration cycle was restored. Both [[the Doctor]] and [[Rassilon]] previously wondered the same thing. ([[TV]]: ''[[Kill the Moon (TV story)|Kill the Moon]]'', ''[[Hell Bent (TV story)|Hell Bent]]'')
* The Doctor notes the [[Cybermen]] have risen naturally from [[Mondas]] ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Spare Parts (audio story)|Spare Parts]]'', [[TV]]: ''[[The Tenth Planet (TV story)|The Tenth Planet]]'') [[Telos]], ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Doctor Who and the Cybermen (novelisation)|Doctor Who and the Cybermen]]'') [[Pete's World|Earth]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Rise of the Cybermen (TV story)|Rise of the Cybermen]]'' / ''[[The Age of Steel (TV story)|The Age of Steel]]'') [[Planet 14]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Invasion (TV story)|The Invasion]]'') and [[Marinus]]. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[The World Shapers (comic story)|The World Shapers]]'')
* The Master mocks the Doctor about leaving Bill alone with him for ten years. ([[TV]]: ''[[World Enough and Time (TV story)|World Enough and Time]]'')
* The Doctor recounts his various victories over the Cybermen: on [[Telos]] where he sealed them into their [[ice]] [[Cyber-tomb|tomb]]s, ([[TV]]: ''[[The Tomb of the Cybermen (TV story)|The Tomb of the Cybermen]]'') [[Voga]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Revenge of the Cybermen (TV story)|Revenge of the Cybermen]]''), [[Canary Wharf]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Army of Ghosts (TV story)|Army of Ghosts]]'' / ''[[Doomsday (TV story)|Doomsday]]'') and [[Planet 14]]. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[The World Shapers (comic story)|The World Shapers]]'', [[TV]]: ''[[The Invasion (TV story)|The Invasion]]'') He states: "Every single time, you lose, even on the Moon". ([[TV]]: ''[[The Moonbase (TV story)|The Moonbase]]'').
* The Doctor recalls last seeing the Master heading to [[Gallifrey]] during ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]'', deducing that the [[Time Lord]]s cured his "little condition" before kicking him out.
* The Doctor reminds Bill how she remembered the truth during the reign of [[the Monks]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Lie of the Land (TV story)|The Lie of the Land]]'')
** This is likely referring to the Master's fluctuating energy state as a result of his botched resurrection, but may also refer to the drumbeat in his head. ([[TV]]: ''[[Utopia (TV story)|Utopia]]'', et al.)
* The Doctor reiterates his dislike of guns, ([[TV]]: ''[[The Sontaran Stratagem (TV story)|The Sontaran Stratagem]]'', ''[[The Doctor's Daughter (TV story)|The Doctor's Daughter]]'', ''[[The Impossible Astronaut (TV story)|The Impossible Astronaut]]'', ''[[The Curse of the Black Spot (TV story)|The Curse of the Black Spot]]'') despite having used them several times. ([[TV]]: ''[[Day of the Daleks (TV story)|Day of the Daleks]]'', [[TV]]: ''[[The Invasion of Time (TV story)|The Invasion of Time]]'', [[TV]]:''[[Hell Bent (TV story)|Hell Bent]]'')
* The Doctor notes the [[Cyberman|Cybermen]] have risen naturally from [[Mondas]], as seen in ''[[The Tenth Planet (TV story)|The Tenth Planet]]'' and ''[[Spare Parts (audio story)|Spare Parts]]'', [[Telos]], ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Doctor Who and the Cybermen (novelisation)|Doctor Who and the Cybermen]]'') [[Pete's World|Earth]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Rise of the Cybermen (TV story)|Rise of the Cybermen]]'', ''[[The Age of Steel (TV story)|The Age of Steel]]'') [[Planet 14]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Invasion (TV story)|The Invasion]]'') and [[Marinus]]. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[The World Shapers (comic story)|The World Shapers]]'')
* Nardole reminds Bill that he is still allowed to "kick [her] arse". ([[TV]]: ''[[Extremis (TV story)|Extremis]]'')
* The Doctor recounts his various victories over the Cybermen on [[Telos]], where he sealed them into their "[[ice]] [[Cyber-tomb|tombs]]" during ''[[The Tomb of the Cybermen (TV story)|The Tomb of the Cybermen]]'', as well as his encounter with them on [[Voga]] in ''[[Revenge of the Cybermen (TV story)|Revenge of the Cybermen]]'', in [[Canary Wharf]] during ''[[Doomsday (TV story)|Doomsday]]'', on [[Planet 14]] as referenced in ''[[The Invasion (TV story)|The Invasion]]'', and the Moon in ''[[The Moonbase (TV story)|The Moonbase]]''.  
* Nardole mentions how he used to be a black market dealer before meeting the Doctor, ([[TV]]: ''[[The Husbands of River Song (TV story)|The Husbands of River Song]]'') and further indicates he is a cyborg ([[TV]]: ''[[Oxygen (TV story)|Oxygen]]'', ''[[The Eaters of Light (TV story)|The Eaters of Light]]'', ''[[World Enough and Time (TV story)|World Enough and Time]]'')
* The Doctor reminds Bill how she remembered the truth during the reign of the [[Monk (species)|Monks]] in ''[[The Lie of the Land (TV story)|The Lie of the Land]]''.  
* Nardole reminds Bill that he is still allowed to "kick [her] [[arse]]". ([[TV]]: ''[[Extremis (TV story)|Extremis]]'') Bill tells him he will have to go down to the hospital to find it then. ([[TV]]: ''[[World Enough and Time (TV story)|World Enough and Time]]'')
* Missy is able to provide the Master with a [[dematerialisation circuit]] by telling him to always carry a spare, similar to how the [[Tenth Doctor]] told the [[Fifth Doctor]] how he could stop the TARDIS exploding. ([[TV]]: ''[[Time Crash (TV story)|Time Crash]]'')
* Missy is able to provide the Master with a [[dematerialisation circuit]] by telling him to always carry a spare, similar to how the [[Tenth Doctor]] told the [[Fifth Doctor]] how he could stop the TARDIS exploding. ([[TV]]: ''[[Time Crash (TV story)|Time Crash]]'')
* Missy telling her previous incarnation she loved being him also mirrors a sentiment of the Tenth Doctor, as he expressed such to his fifth incarnation. ([[TV]]: ''[[Time Crash (TV story)|Time Crash]]'')
* The Doctor reiterates River's words that Nardole once spoke to him from her diary during ''[[Extremis (TV story)|Extremis]]''.  
* The Doctor reiterates River's words that Nardole once spoke to him from her diary. ([[TV]]: ''[[Extremis (TV story)|Extremis]]'')
* Missy recalls when the [[Fourth Doctor]] fell to his death in ''[[Logopolis (TV story)|Logopolis]]''.  
* Bill is reunited with [[Heather (The Pilot)|Heather]] in the form of [[sentient oil]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Pilot (TV story)|The Pilot]]'')
* Bill chooses the TARDIS as the Doctor's final resting place. In an [[Alternate timeline (The Name of the Doctor)|alternate timeline]], the [[Eleventh Doctor]] was interred in the TARDIS after his death on [[Trenzalore]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Name of the Doctor (TV story)|The Name of the Doctor]]'')
* Missy uses her [[sonic umbrella]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[World Enough and Time (TV story)|World Enough and Time]]'')
* When waking up in the TARDIS, the Doctor says "[[Sontaran]]s! Perverting the course of human history!". These were the first words of the [[Fourth Doctor]] after regenerating in ''[[Robot (TV story)|Robot]].'' He previously said the same thing after waking up from being knocked out by flying objects due to air pressure. ([[TV]]: ''[[Listen (TV story)|Listen]]'')
* The Master asks the Doctor if he has ever burned to death. Although the Doctor hasn't, the Master has. ([[TV]]: ''[[Planet of Fire (TV story)|Planet of Fire]]'') Missy says that she knows the Doctor has literally fallen to his death as the [[Fourth Doctor]] regenerated as a result of falling off the [[Pharos Project]]'s [[radio telescope]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Logopolis (TV story)|Logopolis]]'') The Master asks if the Doctor has ever drowned, which he did while fighting the [[Racnoss]] in an alternate timeline. ([[TV]]: ''[[Turn Left (TV story)|Turn Left]]'').  
* As he begins regenerating, the Doctor says "I don't want to go", the same words his [[Tenth Doctor|tenth incarnation]] said before regenerating in ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]''. He also reiterates the last lines of his [[Eleventh Doctor|eleventh incarnation]]; "when the Doctor was me" from ''[[The Time of the Doctor (TV story)|The Time of the Doctor]];'' as well saying "it's starting. I'm regenerating", the words the [[Tenth Doctor]] stated before his aborted regeneration. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Stolen Earth (TV story)|The Stolen Earth]]'') He also shouts "no!" repeatedly while his regenerative energy flairs up, which was what the [[Second Doctor]] said as the Time Lords sent him away to exile. ([[TV]]: ''[[The War Games (TV story)|The War Games]]'')
* The Master uses a modified [[laser screwdriver]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]]'')
* Missy severely injures one of her previous incarnations. The Master previously played a part in one of his own past regenerations due to the manipulations of the [[Cult of the Heretic]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Two Masters (audio story)|The Two Masters]]'') He also once killed [[The Master (android)|an android]] with his identity, and all his memories, once done with him. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Oseidon Adventure (audio story)|The Oseidon Adventure]]'')
* The Master once again moves the Doctor around in a wheelchair. ([[TV]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]]'')
* The Master is killed by a woman for the third consecutive time. The first time was by [[Chantho]] in ''[[Utopia (TV story)|Utopia]]'' and the second time was by [[Lucy Saxon]] in ''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]]''.
* The Doctor has a brief recall of some of his past companions from his [[Ninth Doctor|ninth incarnation]] onwards, just before his body attempts to regenerate. The [[Fourth Doctor|Fourth]] and [[Fifth Doctor]] similarly had this occur to him. Likewise, the last face he sees is the Master's. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Caves of Androzani (TV story)|The Caves of Androzani]]'', ''[[Logopolis (TV story)|Logopolis]]'')
* Heather mentions Bill's job of serving [[chips]] at [[St Luke's University]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Pilot (TV story)|The Pilot]]'', ''[[World Enough and Time (TV story)|World Enough and Time]]'')
** He recalls [[Rose Tyler]] from ''[[Bad Wolf (TV story)|Bad Wolf]]'', [[Martha Jones]] from ''[[Daleks in Manhattan (TV story)|Daleks in Manhattan]]'', [[Donna Noble]] from ''[[Partners in Crime (TV story)|Partners in Crime]]'', [[Jack Harkness]] from ''[[Utopia (TV story)|Utopia]]'', [[Vastra]] from ''[[The Name of the Doctor (TV story)|The Name of the Doctor]]'', [[Jenny Flint]] from ''[[The Crimson Horror (TV story)|The Crimson Horror]]'', [[Sarah Jane Smith]] from ''[[The Stolen Earth (TV story)|The Stolen Earth]]'', [[Amy Pond]] from ''[[The Impossible Astronaut (TV story)|The Impossible Astronaut]]'', [[River Song]] from ''[[The Pandorica Opens (TV story)|The Pandorica Opens]]'', and even [[Clara Oswald]] from ''[[Last Christmas (TV story)|Last Christmas]]''.
* This is the second time that Mondasian Cybermen cause the Doctor to regenerate. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Tenth Planet (TV story)|The Tenth Planet]]'') Interestingly, the Twelfth Doctor ends up meeting [[First Doctor|the incarnation from said event]] after their respective encounters with the Cybermen. ([[TV]]: ''[[Twice Upon a Time (TV story)|Twice Upon a Time]]'')
* When waking up after his pre-regeneration flashbacks, the Doctor says "[[Sontaran]]s! Perverting the course of human history!". They were the first words of the [[Fourth Doctor]] after regenerating. ([[TV]]: ''[[Robot (TV story)|Robot]]''). He said the same statement after he woke up in the TARDIS during [[TV]]: ''[[Listen (TV story)|Listen]]''.
* It's once again explained that two versions of the same Time Lord meeting results in their timelines being out of sync, and so the younger version won't retain their complete memories of the encounter. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Day of the Doctor]]'')
* As he begins regenerating, the Doctor says "I don't want to go", the exact same words his [[Tenth Doctor|tenth incarnation]] said before regenerating. ([[TV]]: ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]'') He also reiterates the last lines of his [[Eleventh Doctor|eleventh incarnation]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Time of the Doctor (TV story)|The Time of the Doctor]]'') as well as the final words the [[Tenth Doctor]] stated before his aborted regeneration. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Stolen Earth (TV story)|The Stolen Earth]]'')
* The Doctor previously said 'You may be a doctor, but I am the Doctor. The genuine article you might say' during his [[Fourth Doctor|fourth incarnation]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Robot (TV story)|Robot]]'') He also said 'The original you might say' during his [[First Doctor|first incarnation]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Five Doctors (TV story)|The Five Doctors]]'')
* The Doctor resists regenerating. He has previously done this when nearing the end of his [[Fifth Doctor|fifth]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Caves of Androzani (TV story)|The Caves of Androzani]]'') and tenth incarnations. ([[TV]]: ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]'')
* The Doctor offers people jelly babies. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Three Doctors (TV story)|The Three Doctors]]'', ''[[Robot (TV story)|Robot]]'', et. al)
* The Master refers to the Doctor as "Doc". The Doctor's first incarnation had previously taken umbrage at being addressed like that ([[TV]]: ''[[The Time Meddler (TV story)|The Time Meddler]], [[The Five Doctors (TV story)|The Five Doctors]]''), as did his sixth ([[TV]]: ''[[The Twin Dilemma (TV story)|The Twin Dilemma]]'', ''[[The Ultimate Foe]]'') and tenth ([[TV]]: ''[[Dreamland (TV story)|Dreamland]]'')
* It was revealed [[Heather (The Pilot)|Heather]] gave her tears to track Bill, explaining how Bill was still able to cry despite being a Cyberman. ([[TV]]: ''[[World Enough and Time (TV story)|World Enough and Time]]'')
* The Doctor meets his [[First Doctor|first incarnation]]. He has met this version of himself on numerous previous occasions. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Three Doctors (TV story)|The Three Doctors]]'', ''[[The Five Doctors (TV story)|The Five Doctors]]'', ''[[The Day of the Doctor (TV story)|The Day of the Doctor]]'')
* The Doctor and Bill both recite the line "while there's tears, there's hope" at different points in the story. A similar line, "while there's '''life''', there's hope," served as the final words of the [[Third Doctor]] in [[TV]]: ''[[Planet of the Spiders (TV story)|Planet of the Spiders]]'', while trying to console a crying [[Sarah Jane Smith]].
* As the Doctor leaves the TARDIS the [[Cloister Bell]] is heard ringing.
* The Twelfth Doctor, and later the First Doctor, describe themselves as "''the'' Doctor, the original you might say." The First Doctor previously said this exact phrase in [[TV]]: ''[[The Five Doctors (TV story)|The Five Doctors]]'', the first and only other televised story to feature the First Doctor portrayed by an actor other than William Hartnell.


== Home video releases ==
== Home video releases ==
=== DVD releases ===
===DVD & Blu-ray releases===
''to be added''
 
* This episode was included in the Series 10, Part Two DVD and Blu-ray boxsets in region 1/A on [[12 September (releases)|12 September]] [[2017 (releases)|2017]], in region 2/B on [[24 July (releases)|24 July]] 2017 and in region 4/B on [[16 August (releases)|16 August]] 2017.
* This episode was also released as part of the Complete Tenth Series DVD and Blu-ray boxsets in region 1/A on [[7 November (releases)|7 November]] 2017, in region 2/B on [[13 November (releases)|13 November]] 2017 and in region 4/B on [[29 November (releases)|29 November]] 2017.


=== Blu-ray releases ===
===Digital releases===
''to be added''


=== Digital releases ===
* In the United Kingdom, this story is available on [[BBC iPlayer]].
''to be added''


== External links ==
== External links ==
{{bbc.co.uk|b08wx21f}}
{{bbc.co.uk|b08xhhn4}}
 
== Footnotes ==
=== Notes ===
{{Notelist}}
=== Citations ===
{{reflist}}
{{DWTV}}
{{DWTV}}
{{Master stories}}
{{Saxon Master stories}}
{{Missy stories}}
{{Cyberman stories}}
{{Cyberman stories}}
{{Regeneration stories}}
{{Regeneration stories}}
{{TitleSort}}
{{TitleSort}}
{{cat|Doctor Who (2005) television stories}}
{{cat|Doctor Who (2005) television stories}}
{{cat|2017 television stories}}
{{cat|Twelfth Doctor television stories}}


[[de:302 - The Doctor Falls]]
[[Category:Series 10 (Doctor Who) stories]]
[[Category:Series 10 (Doctor Who) stories]]
[[Category:The Master television stories]]
[[Category:Missy television stories]]
[[Category:Saxon Master television stories]]
[[Category:Multi-Master stories]]
[[Category:Multi-Master stories]]
[[Category:Cyberman (Mondas) television stories]]
[[Category:Regeneration television stories]]
[[Category:Regeneration television stories]]
[[Category:Television stories that use Murray Gold's 5th main theme]]
[[Category:Multi-Doctor TV stories]]
[[Category:Multi-Doctor TV stories]]
[[Category:First Doctor television stories]]
[[Category:First Doctor television stories]]
[[Category:Stories set in Antarctica]]
[[Category:Stories set in 1986]]
[[Category:2017 television stories]]
[[Category:Cyberman television stories]]
[[de:302 - The Doctor Falls]]
[[es:The Doctor Falls]]
[[he:הדוקטור נופל (סיפור טלוויזיה)]]

Latest revision as of 10:42, 4 September 2024

RealWorld.png

The Doctor Falls was the twelfth and final episode of series 10 of Doctor Who.

It saw the departures of both Bill and Nardole, and the events leading to the Saxon Master's regeneration into Missy, with the Master being mortally wounded by his female successor. However, he in turn kills her, bringing an apparent end of the Master's life. The episode also explained the different and conflicting origins of the Cybermen appearances, citing it to "parallel evolution".

Expanding on the Twelfth Doctor's regeneration teased in the previous episode, World Enough and Time [+]Loading...["World Enough and Time (TV story)"] it saw him mortally wounded in battle against the Cybermen. However, the Doctor managed to postpone the change, expressing how he was sick of "always having to be someone else", leading into the arc of the next episode, Twice Upon a Time [+]Loading...["Twice Upon a Time (TV story)"]

Most notably, the final scene of the episode featured the unexpected return of the First Doctor, now portrayed by David Bradley, in a scene set during the events of The Tenth Planet [+]Loading...["The Tenth Planet (TV story)"] itself, the first time an incarnation of the Doctor from the classic series had appeared since the series was revived in 2005 and not been played by his original actor. Bradley had previously portrayed William Hartnell in the docudrama An Adventure in Space and Time [+]Loading...["An Adventure in Space and Time (TV story)"].

In 2023, despite The Doctor Falls together with World Enough and Time ranking as the most popular Twelfth Doctor TV story ahead of Heaven Sent [+]Loading...["Heaven Sent (TV story)"] in a poll by Doctor Who Magazine,[1][nb 1], a later DWM poll that year with a shortlist of 37 finalists including the two aforementioned stories declared World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls the second most popular TV story of the first 60 years of Doctor Who, behind the winner, Heaven Sent.[2]

Synopsis[[edit] | [edit source]]

As he struggles to resist regenerating, the Twelfth Doctor prepares to make a last stand against the ever-growing army of Cybermen. However, with Bill still a Cyberman, and Missy gradually turning to her old wicked ways as the Saxon Master reminds her of who she used to be, can the Doctor convince his old friend to finally be good before he falls?

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

The episode opens on a group of farmers, adults and children, on Floor 0507 facing against the prototypes from Floor 1056, dubbed "scarecrows", shooting them down by night to then restrain them on wooden crosses by day. A school child named Alit is out in the field one morning when a shuttlepod blasts through the ground, crashing near her. As the smoke clears, a Cyberman emerges from the wreckage carrying an unconscious Doctor.

Sometime earlier, the Doctor awakes on top of the hospital, now restrained in a wheelchair, soon recalling how he was subdued by Missy and the Saxon Master, while Nardole fled. The Master and Missy dance and flirt, with him asking if she's his next incarnation; Missy guesses she is as she can't remember what caused her to regenerate. The Master is stunned: "I'm going to turn into a woman, and you can't remember it happening?" Missy wonders if she is a woman; the Master confirms it. Though the Master doubts it, the Doctor begins deducing what he's been up to since he vanished while blasting Rassilon with his life energy.

Upon getting back to Gallifrey, the Time Lords, grateful for the Master's help in preventing Rassilon from executing The Final Sanction, properly restored his body. With that done, the Time Lords kicked him off Gallifrey. However, the Master stole a TARDIS to go back into the universe; so he considers it a mutual being kicked out. After that, the Master landed on the colony ship, lived like a king and killed people at his leisure. However, the colonists eventually overthrew him and the Master attempted to flee. However, as his TARDIS was on the last level, too close to the event horizon, it burned out his dematerialisation circuit and left him stranded. "You never could drive could you?" the Doctor asks.

Both Missy and the Master wonder how to punish the Doctor

Both the Master and Missy are insulted; she asks her earlier self if he has any requests as to how to torture the Doctor. The Master suggests dropping the Doctor off the roof; Missy is against the idea, saying that they'd be "up and down the stairs all night" because she doesn't know how many regenerations the Doctor has. Missy and the Master look over the roof, seeing people march like mindless sheep into the hospital to be turned into Cybermen. They taunt their old friend by telling him of their plan of the Cybermen converting all the humans on the ship. Missy asks the Doctor if he's impressed. They mockingly call the Doctor "granddad", reminding him that Bill is now a Cyberman.

The Doctor tells them that after all this time if they still think they're winning when he's in the room, they're missing something obvious. Hearing the Cybermen advancing, Missy looks over the ledge and quakes in horror; the Cybermen are coming for them. The Master is confused, as these Cybermen are primitive and shouldn't even be attempting to convert non-humans.

The Doctor explains that when he was knocked down by Missy, he altered the signal of the Cybermen so they would convert two-hearted beings as well, hence why they are now focusing on the Time Lord's presence. The Masters panic, Missy frantically using her sonic umbrella to lock a metal door to hold back advancing Cybermen while the Master uses his laser screwdriver to destroy advancing Cybermen. The Doctor brags that he is the only one who is able to stop so many Cybermen at once. Realising this, a conflicted Missy knocks the Master out and frees the Doctor from his restraints. The Doctor starts wondering which side she is on to which she admits her indecisiveness as she is confused and her other half is unconscious.

The Doctor uses his sonic screwdriver to contact Nardole, who reveals he has commandeered a shuttlecraft. Nardole lands near the roof to help escape, but the Doctor is grabbed and electrocuted by a Cyberman before he boards. Missy tries to save him using her other self's laser screwdriver but Bill, in her cyber form, intervenes first, destroying the Cyberman with a blaster based on her head and the Doctor recognizes her before collapsing to the ground unconscious. Missy and the Master try to convince Nardole to abandon the Doctor "The Doctor's dead; he told me to say he always hated you," they both say. However, Bill prevents the shuttle from leaving, grabbing the ladder until they rescue him. The Doctor regains consciousness and promises Bill that he will find a way to return her to normal.

They escape to Floor 0507, where time moves slower. They find themselves on a solar farm, the Master deducing such by the holographic sky, where some of the humans and a large number of children protect themselves from the early Cybermen prototypes from Operation Exodus. Nardole approaches Alit, declaring they will need her help. They spend two weeks there while the Doctor recovers from his injuries.

Bill discovers her true appearance.

Bill awakes in the barn, unsure why the villagers are scared of her, concerned why she can't see the Doctor. When given a mirror by Alit, she becomes horrified to discover she was converted into a Cyberman. Alit goes to run but bumps into the Doctor who thanks her for being kind to Bill, offering her a jelly baby as she leaves. The Doctor has somewhat recovered, though he still has a scar from where he was hit by the Master and is clearly in a lot of pain but trying to hide it.

Trying to console Bill, she gradually realises that though she thinks she is human, she is still a Mondasian Cyberman in appearance. She grows angry, the Doctor backing away as Bill accidentally triggers the blaster on her head, igniting the door on the barn, causing an explosion. Nardole, who has been preparing the town for the oncoming Cybermen despite one woman saying he has been working them too hard, passively tells the farmers not to worry; they have an upcoming war to focus on.

Bill sheds a tear when she realises the humans are frightened of her, and the Doctor wipes it away, noting it unusual. The Master tells the Doctor that he and Missy have been working on something, and pauses briefly to mock Bill, chastising the Doctor for still referring to her as a female and taunts how he hated the time he had to spend with Bill as "Razor". He stops because Bill claims he is not upsetting her, though she cries beneath her mask when he leaves. The Doctor finds it odd she is still able to shed tears. While traversing after the Master, the Doctor struggles to walk, limping heavily. He briefly stumbles against a tree, regeneration energy attempting to trickle from his hand (revealing that his electrocution by the Cyberman on the roof was fatal, and his body is preparing to regenerate). Wanting to not worry Bill, he draws up a stick and carries onwards but Bill is still distraught that the Doctor can't fix her current condition, the Doctor responding "where's there's tears; there's hope."

They soon reach the middle of a forest, just after the Master and Missy theorise they can't retain their memories as their timelines are out of sync. Missy briefly displays empathy for Bill's condition, something the Master finds disgusting. Missy reveals she has discovered a camouflaged lift in the nearby forest, with which she suggests they can escape to Floor 0000, using her sonic umbrella to call it. However, the Doctor declares that there will no doubt be a Cyberman in the lift waiting to find their floor, as the lift was taken to the bottom by them previously. Understanding this, Bill orders them to stand aside, the Doctor convincing the two Masters to do so.

The three Time Lords prepare behind Bill, drawing their respective devices. As guessed, the lift brings up an advanced Cyberman from the lower floor, Bill speedily firing on it with her cyber blaster, the Master following likewise with his laser screwdriver as the Doctor and Missy use their sonic devices to slow its advance with a barrier. After several seconds, they disable it.

With their position given away, the Master and Missy both wish to use the elevator to go to the bridge and escape in the Doctor's TARDIS, but the Doctor informs them that the time differential between top and bottom of the ship would give the Cybermen ample time to stop them, meaning there isn't a safe way to return to the TARDIS. The Doctor figures that the Cybermen will now have much more time to plan, given they now know what floor they reside on, they must prepare for a battle. He returns to the village, revealing the alarm they now hear is the Cybermen's warning from the lower floors. Using a computer, Nardole discovers that the floor below this one has many fuel pipes that he can detonate as weaponry against the Cybermen, briefly testing such by blowing up a windmill, stunning the villagers; the Doctor remarks that they can use such to confuse the Cybermen and make them believe they are stronger than them. The Doctor finds a conduit to another solar farm on a higher floor that can be used to evacuate the children, having Bill blast it open, knowing this is a fight they will likely lose.

Meanwhile, the Master and Missy decide to leave and plan to find the Master's TARDIS at the lowest floor, though the Master reveals he broke his TARDIS. Missy shoves convinces her younger self to always keep a dematerialisation circuit on hand. She recalls the time a woman shoved her against her a wall to convince her to carry the device on her at all times. While recalling the story she shoves the Master against the wall, revealing herself as the one to convince the Master to carry the circuit. The Master says "Is it bad that I.. er-" hinting at a slight sexual arousal of his future incarnation, but Missy just retorts that it's very wrong. Night falls, the Doctor standing guard outside the house. Inside, a woman attempts to flirt with Nardole as he works on his computer, only to turn around and shoot at Bill, falsely thinking her a hostile Cyberman. She leaves distraught, going outside to find the Doctor. The first wave arrives, Nardole and Alit preparing to combat them, successfully tricking them that an apple was capable of destroying an entire group of them. They retreat to the house, now understanding the Cybermen will likely return to outright destroy them next time rather than merely capture them for conversion.

Meanwhile, the Doctor notices the two Masters trying to leave and runs after them. He pleads for them to be by his side to help. He gives an emotional and passionate speech on why he helps people, since it isn't easy or always going to work, it is just the right thing to do, as saving people would just be kind. The Master ridicules the idea, saying that he didn't listen to a word the Doctor said. However, Missy was somewhat moved by the Doctor's speech, agreeing that being the Doctor's friend was what she always wanted. However, after briefly grabbing each other's hand, she sides with her predecessor. At the lift, Missy tricks the Master into dancing with her. She tells her past self that she enjoyed her time as him, however she pulls out a knife and fatally stabs him, forcing his next regeneration, though she makes the wound "precise" so that the Master will have enough time to reach his TARDIS before regenerating.

Missy seemingly dies from the Master's strike.

Gradually dying, the Master compliments her, glad they haven't lost their touch. Missy tells her proud past self that he deserved nothing less than her best. After helping him into the elevator, Missy announces she will return to help the Doctor, turning to walk away as her predecessor shouts at her to not go. Missy tells her past self that this is where all the scheming, killing and egomania has led them: standing with the Doctor.

Unable to accept that his future self will side with the Doctor, the Master draws and fires his laser screwdriver at full blast, causing Missy to collapse on the ground, fatally wounded. He claims the strike has disabled her regeneration, commenting that it is the perfect ending, with them both shooting themselves in the back. They both laugh as the Master descends in the lift and Missy seemingly dies.

An initial wave of Cybermen arrive, but using Nardole's tricks with the explosives, they are able to make the humans appear more powerful, forcing the Cybermen to retreat and develop a new plan, giving the humans more time. Back at the house, and against Nardole's protests, the Doctor downloads the plans for the floor into his sonic screwdriver and sends him to help evacuate the children, intending to stay alone to fight the Cybermen. Nardole resists, having deduced the Doctor is going to commit suicide by detonating the entire floor in a last-ditch attempt to destroy as many Cybermen as possible. The pair argue over who really should die, Nardole reasoning he can't, given how he was before meeting the Doctor even though the Doctor tries to reason that he should stay as he is already dying. The Doctor eventually convinces Nardole that helping the children will be his penance for the crimes he committed before they met, as he is the stronger of the pair. Nardole jokes he will name a farm after him. Bill also insists on staying with the Doctor despite Nardole trying to tell her otherwise. As he leaves with the humans, Nardole admits that he will never be able to find the words for Bill and the Doctor's sacrifice.

A Mondasian Cyberman killing the Doctor with its energy beam.

With all the humans evacuated, the Doctor and Bill prepare for a last stand, each deciding to charge into opposite ends of the forest. Bill says one last goodbye to the Doctor, even joking briefly about her sexuality, assuring him she had still retained her humanity. They face the oncoming wave. The Doctor ignites several of the Cybermen, listing the numerous times he has defeated them while doing so. However, he is inevitably surrounded and receives a full strike from one Cyberman's laser beam. He declares he is the Doctor but the Cybermen retort they have no need for a doctor anymore, firing at him again. Falling to his knees, he prepares to ignite the floor but is struck again, the blast proving fatal enough that his body attempts to regenerate. Refusing to give in, he holds it back and ignites all the pipes below the floor, engulfing it all in a wave of destruction, destroying all the Cybermen.

Above on floor 0502, Nardole waits outside of one of the lifts, hoping the Doctor and Bill will return, however, Alit convinces him to move on and focus on living with them now, mentioning that Hazran has a crush on him to which Nardole smiles and retorts 'Well she's only human...'

Back downstairs, the floor is now a wasteland scattered with destroyed Cybermen. Bill, barely functioning but with her personality mostly restored, finds the Doctor severely wounded. She mourns over the Doctor's body but suddenly finds herself out of the Cyberman suit, seemingly human. She looks up and sees Heather, emerging from a nearby puddle. To prove to Bill that she isn't dead, she and Heather share a passionate kiss, when Heather reveals she converted Bill to a form of being like her. At Bill's request, they take the Doctor's body to his TARDIS, and Heather, as the Pilot, sets the controls for the TARDIS heading to a new location, while offering Bill the choice to return to her old life or to live out a new one with her, travelling the universe. Before leaving, Bill sheds a tear on the Doctor, but does not wipe it away, saying "Where there's tears, there's hope." She walks over to Heather and the reunited lovers walk out of the TARDIS into space, off to travel the stars.

The Doctor's wounds heal as he dreams of Bill and Nardole, yelling for him. He then dreams Rose Tyler, Martha Jones, Captain Jack Harkness, Donna Noble, Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, Sarah Jane Smith, Amy Pond, Clara Oswald and River Song calling out his name. Twitching, the Doctor then dreams Missy saying his name and he awakes, gasping for air. Seeing that he's begun regenerating, a confused Doctor mumbles some of the last words of his other incarnations. Yelling "No!" with all his might, the Doctor suppresses the complete regeneration. "I can't keep on being somebody else" the Doctor cries out as the TARDIS lands.

He tells his TARDIS that it doesn't matter where it's taken him; he won't listen to whatever kind of lesson that it's trying to teach him. The Doctor steps outside into an arctic landscape. Out in the snow, the Doctor resists the process screaming and shoves his fists into the snow, again stating he will not change.

The Doctor meets a familiar face in the arctic.

Suddenly, in the distance hears a voice stating the same words of not changing, finding the idea ridiculous. The Doctor calls out, asking for the person to identify himself. The stranger asks for the Doctor's identity, which he confirms. The stranger replies that while the Doctor may be a Doctor, he is "the Doctor. The original, you might say". Much to the Doctor's shock and surprise, the stranger steps forth to reveal himself as his first incarnation...

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Uncredited[[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]]

Culture[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Nardole shouts "Remember the Alamo" when getting the farmers to work.
  • When the Doctor hands Alit an apple, he refers to it as "tempting", a reference to Humanity's first sin according to the Bible.

Cybermen[[edit] | [edit source]]

Technology[[edit] | [edit source]]

Biology[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Nardole again implies he is a cyborg.

Food and beverages[[edit] | [edit source]]

People[[edit] | [edit source]]

Species[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • The Doctor says that Cybermen have monkey brains.
  • Nardole says he will name a pig after the Doctor.

Locations[[edit] | [edit source]]

TARDIS[[edit] | [edit source]]

Music[[edit] | [edit source]]

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

▶︎
YouTube
Explosions in Caerwent, and Cybermen on trampolines.
▶︎
YouTube
This episode's Aftershow on Doctor Who: The Fan Show.
  • The final segment of the episode, where the Twelfth Doctor meets the First Doctor in the snow, was filmed only two weeks before World Enough and Time aired, as part of filming of the Christmas special. Post-production on that scene was completed in the short time left; a week before The Doctor Falls aired, Steven Moffat stated that the final version was still being worked on. The Doctor's near-regeneration outside the TARDIS had to be completed in time for World Enough and Time, a week beforehand.
  • The Doctor's mention of Marinus as a planet on which the Cybermen originated (COMIC: The World Shapers) is another rare instance of the TV series directly referencing non-televised material.
  • This episode removes any contradiction that had previously revolved around the various Cybermen origin stories, by having the Doctor call all instances parallel evolution.
  • On original broadcast on BBC Scotland HD, a technical fault led to sound problems which rendered the dialogue inaudible for the final five minutes: from Bill leaving the TARDIS to the end credits.[3]
  • The use of the number 507 is a nod to Russell T Davies, who often invoked the number 57 in his writings,[4] such as in TV: Death of the Doctor, when the Eleventh Doctor claimed to Clyde Langer that he could regenerate 507 times.
  • This is the first season finale in the revived series and the only episode of Series 10 to feature no scenes on present-day Earth.
  • When the Doctor is dreaming of his recent past companions calling him, he sees Clara Oswald. Though fans assumed it meant his memories of her were back, it was later revealed that he didn't have them back properly until the Testimony restored them as a gift before his regeneration.
  • All three season finales during Peter Capaldi's tenure as the Doctor featured Cybermen.
  • This episode, along with its previous part, was ranked as Doctor Who Magazine readers' favourite Twelfth Doctor story in their 60th anniversary poll of 2023. [1] The same set of polls, however, ranked the two-parter the readers' second favourite in a list of 37 finalists.[2]
  • On original broadcast, before the end credits began, a caption "THE DOCTORS WILL RETURN AT CHRISTMAS" appeared. It has been removed on all version, except the Series 10 Part 2 DVD.

Ratings[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • 3.75 million (UK overnight figures)
  • 5.32 million (UK final)[5]

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

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

If you'd like to talk about narrative problems with this story — like plot holes and things that seem to contradict other stories — please go to this episode's discontinuity discussion.
  • After Bill blows up the barn, a cameraman is visible on the edge of the shot.
  • In the forest scenes, several pieces of camera equipment are somewhat visible, such as a dolly and a tripod.
  • When the perspective changes away from Bill as she approaches the lift, showing her as a Cyberman again the typical stomping sound of the Cybermen is absent.

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

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

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

  • This episode was included in the Series 10, Part Two DVD and Blu-ray boxsets in region 1/A on 12 September 2017, in region 2/B on 24 July 2017 and in region 4/B on 16 August 2017.
  • This episode was also released as part of the Complete Tenth Series DVD and Blu-ray boxsets in region 1/A on 7 November 2017, in region 2/B on 13 November 2017 and in region 4/B on 29 November 2017.

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

  • In the United Kingdom, this story is available on BBC iPlayer.

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

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. ↑ Polls by DWM are statistically invalid, as they do not feature a random sample of people. Respondents choose to participate on their own initiative, and are made aware of the poll because they subscribe to or at least frequently buy DWM. Thus, the poll is clearly weighted towards Doctor Who fans who are also residents of the United Kingdom. The views reflected almost certainly do not represent the "casual" viewer of Doctor Who, non-English speaking fans, or other groups of fans who simply don't read or have access to DWM.

Citations[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 DWM 594
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 DWM 597
  3. ↑ Tomlin, Jack (3 July 2017). BBC apologises to Doctor Who viewers after the sound cut out during finale broadcast. Digital Spy. Retrieved on 3 July 2017.
  4. ↑ Steven Moffat & Rachel Talalay - The Aftershow. Doctor Who: The Fan Show (1 July 2017). Retrieved on 6 July 2017.
  5. ↑ Ratings DW
v • e
Doctor Who television stories
 
Seasons 1-4: William Hartnell
Season 1: 1963-1964
Season 2: 1964-1965
Season 3: 1965-1966
Season 4: 1966
 
Seasons 4-6: Patrick Troughton
Season 4: 1966-1967
Season 5: 1967-1968
Season 6: 1968-1969
 
Seasons 7-11: Jon Pertwee
Season 7: 1970
Season 8: 1971
Season 9: 1972
Season 10: 1972-1973
Season 11: 1973-1974
 
Seasons 12-18: Tom Baker
Season 12: 1974-1975
Season 13: 1975-1976
Season 14: 1976-1977
Season 15: 1977-1978
Season 16: 1978-1979
Season 17: 1979-1980
Season 18: 1980-1981
 
Seasons 19-21: Peter Davison
Season 19: 1982
Season 20: 1983
Children in Need 1983
Season 21: 1984
 
Seasons 21-23: Colin Baker
Season 21: 1984
Season 22: 1985
Season 23: 1986
 
Seasons 24-26: Sylvester McCoy
Season 24: 1987
Season 25: 1988-1989
Season 26: 1989
 
TV Movie & 2013 specials: Paul McGann
TV Movie: 1996
Specials: 2013
Minisodes
 
Series 1: Christopher Eccleston
Series 1: 2005
Regular episodes
 
Series 2-4: David Tennant
Series 2: 2005-2006
Minisode
Christmas Special
Regular episodes
Series 3: 2006-2007
Christmas Special
Regular episodes
Animated special
Series 4: 2007-2010
Minisode
Christmas Special
Regular episodes
Minisodes
Animated special
Seasonal specials
 
Series 5-2013 specials: Matt Smith
Series 5: 2010
Regular episodes
Series 6: 2010-2011
Christmas Special
Minisodes
Regular episodes
(Part 1: Apr 2011)
Regular episodes
(Part 2: Aug 2011)
Minisode
Series 7: 2011-2013
Christmas Special
Minisodes
Regular episodes
(Part 1: 2012)
Minisode
Christmas Special
Regular episodes
(Part 2: 2013)
Specials: 2013
 
Series 8-10: Peter Capaldi
Series 8: 2014
Regular episodes
Series 9: 2014-2015
Christmas Special
Minisode
Regular episodes
Christmas Special
Series 10: 2016-2017
Christmas Special
Regular episodes
Christmas Special
 
Series 11-13: Jodie Whittaker
Series 11: 2018-2019
Regular episodes
New Year Special
Series 12: 2020-2021
Regular episodes
New Year Special
Series 13: 2021
Minisodes
Regular episodes
Seasonal specials
 
60th Anniversary Specials: David Tennant
Specials: 2023
Minisodes
60th Anniversary Specials
 
Season 1 (2023)-present: Ncuti Gatwa
Season 1: 2023-2024
Christmas Special
Regular episodes


v • e
Saxon Master stories
Television
Audio
Prose
Comics
Video games
* Substantial appearances only; see a full list of appearances here
v • e
Missy stories
Television
Webcast
Audio
Missy
Prose
The Missy
Chronicles
Comics
Video games
Considered
not part
of the DWU
* Substantial appearances only; see a full list of appearances here
v • e
Cyberman stories
For the purposes of this list, a "Cyberman story" is one in which one living, authentic Cyberman plays a part within the confines of the story, outside of flashbacks to previous stories and cliffhangers that lead into the following story. For this reason, stories such as Dalek are absent due to only featuring deceased Cybermen on display. Stories like Carnival of Monsters, A Good Man Goes to War and The Vanquishers are also not included due to the Cybermen's appearance being of little consequence to the plot of the story.
Television
Webcast
Audio

Sword of Orion • Spare Parts • Real Time • The Harvest • Silver Lining • Professor Bernice Summerfield and the Crystal of Cantus • The Reaping • The Gathering • The Blue Tooth • Human Resources • The Girl Who Never Was • The Ultimate Adventure • Kingdom of Silver • Legend of the Cybermen • The Silver Turk • Last of the Cybermen • Return to Telos • The Isos Network • The Tyrants of Logic • Code Silver / Master of Worlds • Hour of the Cybermen • Conversion • Return of the Cybermen • The Gates of Hell • Scourge of the Cybermen • Altered Status • Monsters in Metropolis • Secrets of Telos • Way of the Burryman / The Forth Generation • Bad Day in Tinseltown • Willkommen • Wulf • Übermensch • Auf Wiedersehen • The Great Cyber-War • Sins of the Flesh

Cyberman
Prose
Novels
Short stories
Features
Comics
The Cybermen
Supremacy of
the Cybermen
prologues
Video
games
Complete list of appearances
v • e
Regeneration stories
The Doctor
TV series
Comic Relief
Comics
Prose
Audio
Home video
Webcast
The Master
Television
Prose
Comics
Audio
Alternate universe
Romana
Television
Prose
Audio
Other
Time Lords
Television
Prose
Audio
Comics
Non-Time Lord Gallifreyans
Prose
Shobogans
Television
Proto-
Time Lords
Television
Audio
Others
Television
Prose
Comics
Audio
For the purposes of this list, a "regeneration story" is one in which a regeneration is actually and initially depicted. For this reason The War Games is not included below, even though it is commonly thought of as a "regeneration story". It doesn't actually include a clear scene of regeneration, and the preponderance of stories in other media confirms that the Second Doctor did not regenerate at the end of it.
Additionally, immediate post-regeneration stories, like the 2005 Children in Need Special Born Again — and ones like Castrovalva, where the regeneration sequence was replayed — are not included.
Retrieved from "https://tardis.wiki/w/index.php?title=The_Doctor_Falls_(TV_story)&oldid=3846194"