The Lie of the Land (TV story): Difference between revisions

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{{real world}}
{{real world}}
{{ImageLinkTV}}
{{ImageLinkTV}}
{{Infobox Story
{{Infobox Story SMW
|image          = Bill slowly brainwashed The Lie of the Land.jpg
|image          = Bill slowly brainwashed The Lie of the Land.jpg
|scripturl      = http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/scripts/DW10-Ep8-The-Lie-of-the-Land.pdf
|scripturl      = http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/scripts/DW10-Ep8-The-Lie-of-the-Land.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 = 8
|series episode number = 8
|story number    = 271
|story number    = 272
|doctor          = Twelfth Doctor
|doctor          = Twelfth Doctor
|companions      = [[Nardole]], [[Bill Potts|Bill]]
|companions      = [[Nardole]], [[Bill Potts|Bill]]
|featuring      = {{Gomez}}
|featuring      = [[Missy]]
|enemy          = The [[Monk (species)|Monks]]
|enemy          = The [[Giant Monk]]
|setting        = [[Great Britain]], late [[2010s]]
|setting        = [[Great Britain]], late [[2010s]]
|writer          = [[Toby Whithouse]]
|writer          = Toby Whithouse
|director        = [[Wayne Yip]]
|director        = [[Wayne Yip]]
|producer        = [[Peter Bennett]]
|producer        = [[Peter Bennett]]
|broadcast date  = [[3 June (releases)|3 June]] [[2017 (releases)|2017]]
|broadcast date  = 3 June 2017
|network        = [[BBC One]]
|network        = BBC One
|format          = 1x45 minute episode
|format          = 1x45 minute episode
|prev            = The Pyramid at the End of the World (TV story)
|prev            = The Pyramid at the End of the World (TV story)
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|bts            = Steven Moffat Introduces The Lie Of The Land - Doctor Who Series 10
|bts            = Steven Moffat Introduces The Lie Of The Land - Doctor Who Series 10
|bts2            = Peter Capaldi & Pearl Mackie Introduce The Lie Of The Land - Doctor Who Series 10
|bts2            = Peter Capaldi & Pearl Mackie Introduce The Lie Of The Land - Doctor Who Series 10
|bts3            = A Closer Look at 'The Lie of the Land' Doctor Who Season 10 Saturdays @ 9 8c
|scene analysis  = Bill faces the ultimate test - The Lie of the Land - Doctor Who Series 10 Episode 8 - BBC One
|scene analysis  = Bill faces the ultimate test - The Lie of the Land - Doctor Who Series 10 Episode 8 - BBC One
}}{{TV stub}}
}}
'''''The Lie of the Land''''' was the eighth episode of [[Series 10 (Doctor Who)|series 10]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]''.
'''''The Lie of the Land''''' was the eighth episode of [[Series 10 (Doctor Who 2005)|series 10]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]''.


The conclusion of a loose story arc that began with ''[[Oxygen (TV story)|Oxygen]]'', it was the third part of a trilogy that pitted the Twelfth Doctor against the [[Monk (species)|Monks]]. It also saw him enter the [[Vault (The Pilot)|Vault]] to consult {{Gomez}}, revealing his endeavour to turn her from her destructive past to a path of "good".
The conclusion of a loose story arc that began with ''[[Oxygen (TV story)|Oxygen]]'', it was the third part of a trilogy that pitted the Twelfth Doctor against the [[Monk (species)|Monks]]. It also saw him enter the [[Vault (The Pilot)|Vault]] to consult [[Missy]], revealing his endeavour to turn her from her destructive past to a path of "good".


The episode was notable before it even aired for having one scene shown from it in the preview for all of Series 10 at the end of ''[[The Pilot (TV story)|The Pilot]]'': that being the Doctor starting to regenerate. Much like [[David Tennant]] after ''[[The Stolen Earth (TV story)|The Stolen Earth]]'' had aired, there were rumours and speculations that [[Peter Capaldi]] was actually leaving ''Doctor Who'' much earlier than he had previously announced.<ref>https://www.google.dk/amp/www.radiotimes.com/amp/news/2017-04-03/is-peter-capaldi-leaving-doctor-who-early</ref> However, the Doctor doesn't actually regenerate, as it's shown that [[Time Lord]]s can actually fake a regeneration by making the usual effects appear, but with no actual change in appearance happening.
The episode was notable before it even aired for having one scene shown from it in the preview for all of Series 10 at the end of ''[[The Pilot (TV story)|The Pilot]]'': that being the Doctor starting to regenerate. Much like [[David Tennant]] after ''[[The Stolen Earth (TV story)|The Stolen Earth]]'' had aired, there were rumours and speculations that [[Peter Capaldi]] was actually leaving ''Doctor Who'' much earlier than he had previously announced.<ref>https://www.google.dk/amp/www.radiotimes.com/amp/news/2017-04-03/is-peter-capaldi-leaving-doctor-who-early</ref> However, the Doctor doesn't actually regenerate, as it's shown that [[Time Lord]]s can actually fake a regeneration by making the usual effects appear, but with no actual change in appearance happening.
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A montage of images of events in human evolution is shown, as [[Twelfth Doctor|the Doctor]] does a voiceover, saying that the [[Monk (species)|Monks]] have guided humanity and helped them evolve while praising them, as a shot of the world on Earth shows that the Monks have erected giant statues of them.
A montage of images of events in human evolution is shown, as [[Twelfth Doctor|the Doctor]] does a voiceover, saying that the [[Monk (species)|Monks]] have guided humanity and helped them evolve while praising them, as a shot of the world on Earth shows that the Monks have erected giant statues of them.


Inside a house, a family is watching it, as a symbol is shown with the words "[[truth]]" underneath. Suddenly, armed men break into the house and arrest the mother for spreading information that denies the "true history" as she yells that the Monks have only been there a few months. She is sentenced to ten years in a labour camp. [[Bill Potts|Bill]] watches them in horror, as a shot of the cities on Earth show that the statues are erected everywhere. The camera cuts to the Doctor telling everyone to relax and be obedient, assuring them that their future is being taken care of with a sinister smile.
Inside a house, a family is watching it, as a symbol is shown with the words "[[Truth (The Lie of the Land)|truth]]" underneath. Suddenly, armed men break into the house and arrest the mother for spreading information that denies the "true history" as she yells that the Monks have only been there a few months. She is sentenced to ten years in a labour camp. [[Bill Potts|Bill]] watches them in horror, as a shot of the cities on Earth show that the statues are erected everywhere. The camera cuts to the Doctor telling everyone to relax and be obedient, assuring them that their future is being taken care of with a sinister smile.


In her flat, Bill sets down two mugs on a table, then concentrates. Another [[Bill Potts' mother|woman]] appears across the table. Bill greets her, saying, "Hello, [[Bill Potts' mother|Mum]]," revealing her to be her mother. She tells her that she did not know how the Monks had invaded. The scene changes to a flashback- Bill walking in the streets, among multiple representations of the Monks, and watching as bystanders cheer at images in a television of the Monks implementing "A swift and painless death". She remarks that it's like the population has been brainwashed. She says that she used to travel with the Doctor and [[Nardole]], telling her mum that every day it's harder for her to remember. However, she's sure that he has a plan and "one day soon, he's going to come back and save us all".
In her flat, Bill sets down two mugs on a table, then concentrates. Another [[Bill Potts's mother|woman]] appears across the table. Bill greets her, saying, "Hello, [[Bill Potts's mother|Mum]]," revealing her to be her mother. She tells her that she did not know how the Monks had invaded. The scene changes to a flashback- Bill walking in the streets, among multiple representations of the Monks, and watching as bystanders cheer at images in a television of the Monks implementing "A swift and painless death". She remarks that it's like the population has been brainwashed. She says that she used to travel with the Doctor and [[Nardole]], telling her mum that every day it's harder for her to remember. However, she's sure that he has a plan and "one day soon, he's going to come back and save us all".


Bill hears someone opening her door. She grabs a stool to use as a weapon but finds that the intruder is [[Nardole]]. They scream at each other in fright. She angrily asks him where he had been, who says that he had been laid up with the bacteria for 6 weeks, having been poisoned. Nardole asks Bill who she had been talking to, and she tells him that she imagined a version of her mother who she talks to "all the time". Bill notices that she knows the Monks haven't been on Earth that long, but part of her is beginning to think that it's real.
Bill hears someone opening her door. She grabs a stool to use as a weapon but finds that the intruder is [[Nardole]]. They scream at each other in fright. She angrily asks him where he had been, who says that he had been laid up with the bacteria for 6 weeks, having been poisoned. Nardole asks Bill who she had been talking to, and she tells him that she imagined a version of her mother who she talks to "all the time". Bill notices that she knows the Monks haven't been on Earth that long, but part of her is beginning to think that it's real.
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The pair quickly head into the main part of the ship, and after a while, they detect the sound of the Doctor's speech; he appears to be doing another broadcast. They find him in a room, surrounded by what appears to be speeches. The Doctor, upon noticing them bursting into the room, calls for guards and then makes a telephone call to the Monks. After inquiring as to what they were doing there, the Doctor explains that the Monks are ''helping'' human society, which is, in fact, regressing, and any extra fatalities due to them are for the greater good; the Romans did things like that as well, and saved billions more from disease, war, famine, and barbarism. Bill protests: "What about free will?" She recalls him having made her write a three thousand word essay on free will. He replies that humans had free will, and they did terrible things with it. He needed to stop them, or at least not stand in the way of someone who wanted to. Besides, she never delivered the essay. When Bill objects that it was because the world was invaded by zombie monks, the Doctor smiles dryly. "And whose fault was that?" he questions. He didn't ask for his sight back, but she had taken it upon herself to ignore him, to do what she thought best. At least they were lucky that it was a benevolent race, nothing like the Daleks.
The pair quickly head into the main part of the ship, and after a while, they detect the sound of the Doctor's speech; he appears to be doing another broadcast. They find him in a room, surrounded by what appears to be speeches. The Doctor, upon noticing them bursting into the room, calls for guards and then makes a telephone call to the Monks. After inquiring as to what they were doing there, the Doctor explains that the Monks are ''helping'' human society, which is, in fact, regressing, and any extra fatalities due to them are for the greater good; the Romans did things like that as well, and saved billions more from disease, war, famine, and barbarism. Bill protests: "What about free will?" She recalls him having made her write a three thousand word essay on free will. He replies that humans had free will, and they did terrible things with it. He needed to stop them, or at least not stand in the way of someone who wanted to. Besides, she never delivered the essay. When Bill objects that it was because the world was invaded by zombie monks, the Doctor smiles dryly. "And whose fault was that?" he questions. He didn't ask for his sight back, but she had taken it upon herself to ignore him, to do what she thought best. At least they were lucky that it was a benevolent race, nothing like the Daleks.


Bill nods, seemingly agreeing; she replies that it was like that "big fish creature under the Seine in Paris". The Doctor answers that it was a coded message—it was the Thames, not the Seine. If he had played along, she would have known he was tricking them. Bill appears incensed; she takes a guard's gun and points it at the Doctor, explaining angrily that she's spent so much time looking for him, and if he really joined the Monks, they've lost. When the Doctor tells her that she really has, she shoots him. The Doctor appears to regenerate, then stands up and congratulates Bill. He and his group had to make sure that she wasn't being controlled like the rest of the population. He just needs to make sure she isn't testing him, as he needs the Monks' trust. The last six months have been spent deprogramming all the guards, talking sense into them. The plan, the Doctor explains, for testing Bill was exchanging all their ammunition for blanks, save one person who forgot. Fortunately, the person who forgot wasn't the one whose gun Bill took. He sends someone to explain to the kitchen staff, who he called instead of the Monks—they were going to be really confused. Nardole was in on the plot, as well, and the Doctor separates Bill from Nardole after she claims that she's going to beat him up. Now, he has a job for them—they are to retrieve the only person almost as smart as the Doctor, or so he claims. "Blimey, has it really come to that?" Nardole wonders.
Bill nods, seemingly agreeing; she replies that it was like that "big fish creature under the Seine in Paris". The Doctor answers that it was a coded message—it was the Thames, not the Seine. If he had played along, she would have known he was tricking them. Bill appears incensed; she takes a guard's gun and points it at the Doctor, explaining angrily that she's spent so much time looking for him, and if he really joined the Monks, they've lost. When the Doctor tells her that she really has, she shoots him. The Doctor appears to regenerate, then stands up and congratulates Bill. He and his group had to make sure that she wasn't being controlled like the rest of the population. He just needs to make sure she isn't testing him, as he needs the Monks' trust. The last six months have been spent deprogramming all the guards, talking sense into them. The plan, the Doctor explains, for testing Bill was exchanging all their ammunition for blanks, save one person who forgot. Fortunately, the person who forgot wasn't the one whose gun Bill took. He sends someone to explain to the kitchen staff, who he called instead of the Monks—they were going to be really confused. It turns out the person who asked for their ID is Nardole's friend and resistance fighter [[Richard (The Lie of the Land)|Richard]] playing a prank on them. Nardole was in on the plot, as well, and the Doctor separates Bill from Nardole after she claims that she's going to beat him up. Now, he has a job for them—they are to retrieve the only person almost as smart as the Doctor, or so he claims. "Blimey, has it really come to that?" Nardole wonders.


Bill voices they should have sneaked in, Bill thinks, but the Doctor appears to drive a giant ship up toward the school. By the time they reach the university, the Monks had already arrived. Luckily, the Doctor and Bill were not heading for the office, but the vault instead, which is free of Monk surveillance. Bill noticed that by the way he and Nardole have been acting, it seemed as if they had a monster locked up in there. "I do," the Doctor replies heavily. He opens the vault, revealing Missy.
Bill voices they should have sneaked in, Bill thinks, but the Doctor appears to drive a giant ship up toward the school. By the time they reach the university, the Monks had already arrived. Luckily, the Doctor and Bill were not heading for the office, but the vault instead, which is free of Monk surveillance. Bill noticed that by the way he and Nardole have been acting, it seemed as if they had a monster locked up in there. "I do," the Doctor replies heavily. He opens the vault, revealing Missy.


Missy tries "haggling over the fate of [the Earth]" before playing "[[Hot or Cold]]" with the Doctor and giving him hints as to how the Monks maintain their lie to the population. He eventually deduces that the Monks, through a psychic link, use Bill as the "lynchpin" to keep themselves in power, and the [[Monk statue]]s transmit the signal all over the globe. Missy tells him that now all he has to do is find the lynchpin and kill them to prevent the link from being passed on. Bill tells Missy she's the lynchpin, to which Missy replies, "Awkward." Missy adds that it would be better if Bill's brain was simply transmitting nothing, rather than her actually dying. The Doctor confronts Missy and tells her she has not changed despite her time under his care, to which Missy replies that she will be in the Vault for a long time before she becomes good then.
Missy tries "haggling over the fate of [the Earth]" before playing "[[Hot or Cold]]" with the Doctor and giving him hints as to how the Monks maintain their lie to the population. He eventually deduces that the Monks, through a psychic link, use Bill as the "linchpin" to keep themselves in power, and the [[Monk statue]]s transmit the signal all over the globe. Missy tells him that now all he has to do is find the linchpin and kill them to prevent the link from being passed on. Bill tells Missy she's the linchpin, to which Missy replies, "Awkward." Missy adds that it would be better if Bill's brain was simply transmitting nothing, rather than her actually dying. The Doctor confronts Missy and tells her she has not changed despite her time under his care, to which Missy replies that she will be in the Vault for a long time before she becomes good then.


In the [[Resistance Group|resistance group]]'s headquarters, the Doctor and Bill explain to Nardole that Missy told Bill she has to die, and Nardole suggests they think of something else. The Doctor explains they have to break into [[the Cathedral]], where the Monks are powering the transmitters, so the Doctor can replace Bill's brainwaves with his and cancel out the signal. Nardole expresses doubt to the plan, but the Doctor dismisses him.
In the [[Resistance Group|resistance group]]'s headquarters, the Doctor and Bill explain to Nardole that Missy told Bill she has to die, and Nardole suggests they think of something else. The Doctor explains they have to break into [[the Cathedral]], where the Monks are powering the transmitters, so the Doctor can replace Bill's brainwaves with his and cancel out the signal. Nardole expresses doubt to the plan, but the Doctor dismisses him.
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In a boarded-up building, the resistance group hides while Nardole spies on the Cathedral. There are no Monks outside, which Nardole says as such, but when he turns away he tells them there were twelve. The Doctor uses this as an example of the signal beam being stronger here, and as a precaution gives them a tape with headphones to play a recording telling them why they are there and why they are fighting the Monks.
In a boarded-up building, the resistance group hides while Nardole spies on the Cathedral. There are no Monks outside, which Nardole says as such, but when he turns away he tells them there were twelve. The Doctor uses this as an example of the signal beam being stronger here, and as a precaution gives them a tape with headphones to play a recording telling them why they are there and why they are fighting the Monks.


As they enter the pyramid, two of the men are killed by the Monks. One of the guard's tapes is damaged in the struggle, resulting in the Monk's programming brainwashing him to their side. As such, he turns against the Doctor, holding him at gun point. However, Nardole knocks the man out by pinching his neck, saving the Doctor. The group enter the broadcasting chamber, which the Doctor dubs "Fake News Central". They find a Monk wired into it using Bill's brainwaves to transmit lies to the population. The Doctor attempts to override the transmission by linking into the Monk's mind. However, the Monk manages to resist him, blasting the Doctor back with a surge of electricity.
As they enter the pyramid, two of the men are killed by the Monks. One of the guard's tapes is damaged in the struggle, resulting in the Monk's programming brainwashing him to their side. As such, he turns against the Doctor, holding him at gun point. However, Nardole knocks the man out by pinching his neck, saving the Doctor. The group enter the broadcasting chamber, which the Doctor dubs "Fake News Central". They find a Monk wired into it using Bill's brainwaves to transmit lies to the population. The Doctor attempts to override the transmission by linking into the Monk's mind. However, the Monk manages to resist him, blasting the Doctor back with a surge of electricity, knocking him out.


''to Be Added''
When the Doctor later wakes up, he is tied to a pillar in the pyramid with Bill in front of him. She tells him about her plan to override the transmission herself and the Doctor protests profusely and struggles to get free. Bill walks over to the Monk and puts her hands on it just as the Doctor frees himself from his bonds.
 
As she links in the Monk's mind, Bill starts transmitting her memories through the psychic link to the populace. However, the Monks begin to hijack her memories and rewrite them to bring the transmission back under their control. Just before they completely rewrite her memories, the Doctor notices that there is one memory they cannot alter: Bill's mum. The Doctor encourages Bill to think about her mum, and as she does that, the image of her mum begins to transmit to everyone else on Earth, overriding the Monk's broadcast.
 
As they exit the Cathedral, the Doctor, Bill, and Nardole see the populace, now free of the Monk's lies, turning against them. The Monks quickly flee and take off into space. Sometime later, the Doctor and Bill find that most of humanity have no recollection of the Monks (one [[Student (The Lie of the Land)|student]], dubbed "Appalling Hair' by the Doctor, thinks that the abandoned statue was being filmed for something). In the Vault, Missy expresses remorse for those she has killed.


== Cast ==
== Cast ==
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* [[Bill Potts|Bill]] - [[Pearl Mackie]]
* [[Bill Potts|Bill]] - [[Pearl Mackie]]
* [[Nardole]] - [[Matt Lucas]]
* [[Nardole]] - [[Matt Lucas]]
* {{Gomez}} - [[Michelle Gomez]]
* [[Missy]] - [[Michelle Gomez]]
* [[Jane Bishop|Mother]] - [[Emma Handy]]
* [[Jane Bishop|Mother]] - [[Emma Handy]]
* [[Group Commander (The Lie of the Land)|Group Commander]] - [[Beatrice Curnew]]
* [[Group Commander (The Lie of the Land)|Group Commander]] - [[Beatrice Curnew]]
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* [[Richard (The Lie of the Land)|Richard]] - [[Solomon Israel]]
* [[Richard (The Lie of the Land)|Richard]] - [[Solomon Israel]]
* [[Giant Monk]] - [[Jamie Hill]]
* [[Giant Monk]] - [[Jamie Hill]]
* [[Bill Potts' mother|Bill's Mum]] - [[Rosie Jane]]
* [[Bill Potts's mother|Bill's Mum]] - [[Rosie Jane]]


== Crew ==
== Crew ==
''to be added''
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== References ==
== Worldbuilding ==
=== Culture ===
=== Culture ===
* The Monks [[propaganda|propagate]] falsehoods and [[Fake News]] through Bill, and have injected themselves into all of [[human]] [[history]], taking credit for humanity's achievements.
* The Monks [[propaganda|propagate]] falsehoods and [[Fake News]] through Bill, and have injected themselves into all of [[human]] [[history]], taking credit for humanity's achievements.
Line 115: Line 486:
* Missy asks for "toys" like a [[particle accelerator]], a [[3D printer]] and a [[pony]], in return for her help.
* Missy asks for "toys" like a [[particle accelerator]], a [[3D printer]] and a [[pony]], in return for her help.
* The Monk statues around the world act as [[beacon]]s for false [[propaganda]].
* The Monk statues around the world act as [[beacon]]s for false [[propaganda]].
* An A-Z map highlights the [[Regalis]] and the [[H.M.S. Belfast]].
* An A-Z map highlights the [[Regalis]] and the [[HMS Belfast]].


=== Martial arts ===
=== Martial arts ===
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=== Business ===
=== Business ===
* The [[Memory Police]] are roaming the cities enforcing the [[Truth]].
* The [[Memory Police]] are roaming the cities enforcing the [[Truth (The Lie of the Land)|Truth]].
* A [[Magpie Electricals]] shop is broadcasting the Doctor's Monk Truth on window-televisions.
* A [[Magpie Electricals]] shop is broadcasting the Doctor's Monk Truth on window-televisions.
* The shop [[Spencer Skuse & Potter]] is seen.
* The shop [[Spencer Skuse & Potter]] is seen.
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* The Doctor is located on an old [[Hulk (ship)|Hulk prison boat]] off the coast of [[Scotland]].
* The Doctor is located on an old [[Hulk (ship)|Hulk prison boat]] off the coast of [[Scotland]].
* The Doctor mentions ''[[Goodnight, Vienna]]'' in his anti-war rant to Bill.
* The Doctor mentions ''[[Goodnight, Vienna]]'' in his anti-war rant to Bill.
* Bill mentions [[Seine]], in [[Paris]].
* Bill mentions the river [[Seine]], in [[Paris]].
* The Cathedral has relocated to central [[London]]. It is now located west of [[St Paul's Cathedral]], south of [[London Wall]], east of [[St Martin Le Grand]] and north of [[Cannon Street]].
* The Cathedral has relocated to central [[London]]. It is now located west of [[St Paul's Cathedral]], south of [[London Wall]], east of [[St Martin Le Grand]] and north of [[Cannon Street]].
* An A-Z highlights locations such as [[Bermondsey]], [[Cannon Street]], [[River Thames]], [[Southwark Bridge]], [[London Bridge]], [[Blackfriars]], [[Millennium Bridge]], [[Tooley Street]], [[Queen Victoria Street]], [[Newgate Street]], [[Farmingdon Street]], [[Shoe Lane]], [[St Bride Street]], [[London Wall]], [[Mansion House St]], [[Holborn Viaduct]], [[King's Reach]], [[St. Mary's Overie's Dock]], [[Byward Street]], [[Clerkenwell]], [[Houndsditch]], [[Tower Hill]], [[Minories]], [[East Smithfield]], The [[Tower of London]], [[Mansell Street]] and [[Aldersgate Street]].
* An A-Z highlights locations such as [[Bermondsey]], [[Cannon Street]], [[River Thames]], [[Southwark Bridge]], [[London Bridge]], [[Blackfriars]], [[Millennium Bridge]], [[Tooley Street]], [[Queen Victoria Street]], [[Newgate Street]], [[Farmingdon Street]], [[Shoe Lane]], [[St Bride Street]], [[London Wall]], [[Mansion House St]], [[Holborn Viaduct]], [[King's Reach]], [[St. Mary's Overie's Dock]], [[Byward Street]], [[Clerkenwell]], [[Houndsditch]], [[Tower Hill]], [[Minories]], [[East Smithfield]], The [[Tower of London]], [[Mansell Street]] and [[Aldersgate Street]].
* [[Portland House]] is also seen.
* [[Portland House]], [[City of London School]], [[Southwark Crown Court]] and [[London City Hall|City Hall]] are also seen.


=== Species ===
=== Species ===
* A montage shows a [[mudskipper]] crawling towards a welcoming [[Monk (species)|Monk]].
* A montage shows a [[mudskipper]] crawling towards a welcoming [[Monk (species)|Monk]].
* The Doctor mentions the [[Dalek]]s, the [[Cyberman|Cybermen]] and the [[Weeping Angel]]s in his broadcast.
* The Doctor mentions the [[Dalek]]s, the [[Cyberman|Cybermen]] and the [[Weeping Angel]]s in his broadcast.
* [[Time Lord]]s can "fake" a [[regeneration]], seemingly by starting the process only to abort it before any actual healing, if needed, is enacted.
* [[Time Lord]]s can "fake" a [[regeneration]], seemingly by starting the process only to abort it before any actual healing, if needed. The Doctor fakes a regeneration when Bill shoots him with a gun loaded with blanks that she thinks has live ammunition.


=== People ===
=== People ===
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== Story notes ==
== Story notes ==
[[File:Millenium FX's Gary Pollard Talks Series 10 Monsters - The Aftershow - Doctor Who The Fan Show|thumb|This episode's ''Aftershow'' on ''[[Doctor Who: The Fan Show]]''.]]
{{video|Millenium FX's Gary Pollard Talks Series 10 Monsters - The Aftershow - Doctor Who The Fan Show|thumb|This episode's ''Aftershow'' on ''[[Doctor Who: The Fan Show]]''.}}
[[File:McNeiceLotL.JPG|thumb|right|McNeice's Churchill in review copies]]
[[File:McNeiceLotL.JPG|thumb|right|McNeice's Churchill in review copies]]
* Archive material from [[TV]]: ''[[Blink (TV story)|Blink]]'', ''[[Nightmare in Silver (TV story)|Nightmare in Silver]]'', ''[[Into the Dalek (TV story)|Into the Dalek]]'', and ''[[The Pilot (TV story)|The Pilot]]'' is shown. By extension, [[Weeping Angel]]s, [[Cyberman (Mondas)|Cybermen]], [[Dalek]]s and photos of [[Bill Potts' mother|Bill Potts' birth mother]] are shown in this capacity.
* Archive material from [[TV]]: ''[[Blink (TV story)|Blink]]'', ''[[Nightmare in Silver (TV story)|Nightmare in Silver]]'', ''[[Into the Dalek (TV story)|Into the Dalek]]'', and ''[[The Pilot (TV story)|The Pilot]]'' is shown. By extension, [[Weeping Angel]]s, [[Cyberman (Mondas)|Cybermen]], [[Dalek]]s and photos of [[Bill Potts's mother|Bill Potts' birth mother]] are shown in this capacity.
* This marked the ninth occasion in which the TARDIS was entirely absent, after ''[[Mission to the Unknown (TV story)|Mission to the Unknown]]'', ''[[Doctor Who and the Silurians (TV story)|Doctor Who and the Silurians]]'', ''[[The Mind of Evil (TV story)|The Mind of Evil]]'', ''[[The Dæmons (TV story)|The Dæmons]]'', ''[[The Sea Devils (TV story)|The Sea Devils]]'', ''[[The Sontaran Experiment (TV story)|The Sontaran Experiment]]'', ''[[Genesis of the Daleks (TV story)|Genesis of the Daleks]],'' and ''[[Midnight (TV story)|Midnight]]''. The next story in which this occurred was ''[[The Woman Who Fell to Earth (TV story)|The Woman Who Fell to Earth]]''.
* This is one of eleven television stories in which the TARDIS does not appear at all. The others are: ''[[Mission to the Unknown (TV story)|Mission to the Unknown]]'', ''[[Doctor Who and the Silurians (TV story)|Doctor Who and the Silurians]]'', ''[[The Mind of Evil (TV story)|The Mind of Evil]]'', ''[[The Dæmons (TV story)|The Dæmons]]'', ''[[The Sea Devils (TV story)|The Sea Devils]], [[The Sontaran Experiment (TV story)|The Sontaran Experiment]], [[Genesis of the Daleks (TV story)|Genesis of the Daleks]], [[Midnight (TV story)|Midnight]],'' ''[[The Woman Who Fell to Earth (TV story)|The Woman Who Fell to Earth]]'' and ''[[Ascension of the Cybermen (TV story)|Ascension of the Cybermen]]''.
* The desk the Doctor is seen using while on the prison boat is the same one [[Delphox|Ms Delphox]] has in [[TV]]: ''[[Time Heist (TV story)|Time Heist]]''.
* The desk the Doctor is seen using while on the prison boat is the same one [[Delphox|Ms Delphox]] has in [[TV]]: ''[[Time Heist (TV story)|Time Heist]]''.
* Screens inside the pyramid show images of a [[Suffrage|"votes for women" sign]], the [[Truth]] logo, Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein, [[Emmeline Pankhurst]], [[Mother Teresa]], [[Neil Armstrong]], the wedding of [[Charles III|Prince Charles]] and [[Diana Spencer]], [[Martin Luther King]], [[Mount Everest]], [[Event One|Big Bang]], [[Big Ben]] and the [[London Eye]] at [[New Year's Eve]], [[Concorde]], [[Elizabeth II]] with [[Prince Philip]] and [[Bobby Moore]], the [[Berlin Wall]], and [[Donald Trump]].
* Screens inside the pyramid show images of a [[Suffrage|"votes for women" sign]], the [[Truth (The Lie of the Land)|Truth]] logo, Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein, [[Emmeline Pankhurst]], [[Mother Teresa]], [[Neil Armstrong]], [[Nelson Mandela]], the wedding of [[Charles III|Prince Charles]] and [[Diana Spencer]], [[Martin Luther King]], [[Mount Everest]], [[Event One|Big Bang]], [[Big Ben]] and the [[London Eye]] at [[New Year's Eve]], [[Concorde]], [[Elizabeth II]] with [[Prince Philip]] and [[Bobby Moore]], the [[Berlin Wall]], and [[Donald Trump]].
* [[Ian McNeice]]'s version of [[Winston Churchill]] was to appear at one of the screens in The Cathedral, seen as the Doctor is walking in. This was changed in the broadcast episode, as an image of the real Churchill was instead used.
* [[Ian McNeice]]'s version of [[Winston Churchill]] was to appear at one of the screens in The Cathedral, seen as the Doctor is walking in. This was changed in the broadcast episode, as an image of the real Churchill was instead used.


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* Bill mentions her status as kitchen staff at [[St Luke's University|the University]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Pilot (TV story)|The Pilot]]'')
* Bill mentions her status as kitchen staff at [[St Luke's University|the University]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Pilot (TV story)|The Pilot]]'')
* Bill mentions the [[sea creature (Thin Ice)|creature]] under the [[Thames]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Thin Ice (TV story)|Thin Ice]]'')
* Bill mentions the [[sea creature (Thin Ice)|creature]] under the [[Thames]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Thin Ice (TV story)|Thin Ice]]'')
* {{Gomez}} previously scoffed at the idea that she had "turned good" when questioned by [[Clara Oswald]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Magician's Apprentice (TV story)|The Magician's Apprentice]]'') As early as his [[seventh incarnation]], the Doctor had vowed to one day save his friend after the Master was forced to revert following a temporary spell as the kindly [[John Smith (Master)|John Smith]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Master (audio story)|Master]]'')
* [[Missy]] previously scoffed at the idea that she had "turned good" when questioned by [[Clara Oswald]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Magician's Apprentice (TV story)|The Magician's Apprentice]]'') As early as his [[seventh incarnation]], the Doctor had vowed to one day save his friend after the Master was forced to revert following a temporary spell as the kindly [[John Smith (Master)|John Smith]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Master (audio story)|Master]]'') He tried to do so in his [[Tenth Doctor|tenth incarnation]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Sound of Drums (TV story)|The Sound of Drums]]'', ''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]]'', ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]'')
* Nardole knocks Alan out with a [[Tarovian neck pinch]], using only his [[thumb]]. [[Ian Chesterton]] demonstrated a similar act on [[Ixta]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Aztecs (TV story)|The Aztecs]]'')
* Nardole knocks Alan out with a [[Tarovian neck pinch]], using only his [[thumb]]. [[Ian Chesterton]] demonstrated a similar act on [[Ixta]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Aztecs (TV story)|The Aztecs]]'')
* Bill recalls being "attacked by a puddle". ([[TV]]: ''[[The Pilot (TV story)|The Pilot]]'')
* Bill recalls being "attacked by a puddle". ([[TV]]: ''[[The Pilot (TV story)|The Pilot]]'')
* Bill says she "Doesn't usually let someone erase [her] memory on the first date". ([[TV]]: ''[[The Pilot (TV story)|The Pilot]]'')
* Bill says she "Doesn't usually let someone erase [her] memory on the first date". ([[TV]]: ''[[The Pilot (TV story)|The Pilot]]'')
* The Doctor fakes a [[regeneration]]. ([[TV]]: {{cs|The Impossible Astronaut (TV story)}})


== Home video releases ==
== Home video releases ==
=== DVD releases ===
===DVD & Blu-ray releases===
This episode was released as part of the Series 10 DVD box set on [[13 November (releases)|13 November]] [[2017 (releases)|2017]].
 
* 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 ==
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{{DWTV}}
{{DWTV}}
{{Master stories}}
{{Missy stories}}
{{TitleSort}}
{{TitleSort}}
{{cat|Doctor Who (2005) television stories}}
{{cat|Doctor Who (2005) television stories}}


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[[Category:Stories set in Sydney]]
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[[he:שקר הארץ (סיפור טלוויזיה)]]

Latest revision as of 19:23, 28 September 2024

RealWorld.png

The Lie of the Land was the eighth episode of series 10 of Doctor Who.

The conclusion of a loose story arc that began with Oxygen, it was the third part of a trilogy that pitted the Twelfth Doctor against the Monks. It also saw him enter the Vault to consult Missy, revealing his endeavour to turn her from her destructive past to a path of "good".

The episode was notable before it even aired for having one scene shown from it in the preview for all of Series 10 at the end of The Pilot: that being the Doctor starting to regenerate. Much like David Tennant after The Stolen Earth had aired, there were rumours and speculations that Peter Capaldi was actually leaving Doctor Who much earlier than he had previously announced.[1] However, the Doctor doesn't actually regenerate, as it's shown that Time Lords can actually fake a regeneration by making the usual effects appear, but with no actual change in appearance happening.

Synopsis[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Monks have ruled the world since humanity took its very first baby steps towards the Sun. One problem... they haven't always been there. And only Bill Potts sees the truth. But where is the Doctor? And how can Bill make the rest of the world see?

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

A montage of images of events in human evolution is shown, as the Doctor does a voiceover, saying that the Monks have guided humanity and helped them evolve while praising them, as a shot of the world on Earth shows that the Monks have erected giant statues of them.

Inside a house, a family is watching it, as a symbol is shown with the words "truth" underneath. Suddenly, armed men break into the house and arrest the mother for spreading information that denies the "true history" as she yells that the Monks have only been there a few months. She is sentenced to ten years in a labour camp. Bill watches them in horror, as a shot of the cities on Earth show that the statues are erected everywhere. The camera cuts to the Doctor telling everyone to relax and be obedient, assuring them that their future is being taken care of with a sinister smile.

In her flat, Bill sets down two mugs on a table, then concentrates. Another woman appears across the table. Bill greets her, saying, "Hello, Mum," revealing her to be her mother. She tells her that she did not know how the Monks had invaded. The scene changes to a flashback- Bill walking in the streets, among multiple representations of the Monks, and watching as bystanders cheer at images in a television of the Monks implementing "A swift and painless death". She remarks that it's like the population has been brainwashed. She says that she used to travel with the Doctor and Nardole, telling her mum that every day it's harder for her to remember. However, she's sure that he has a plan and "one day soon, he's going to come back and save us all".

Bill hears someone opening her door. She grabs a stool to use as a weapon but finds that the intruder is Nardole. They scream at each other in fright. She angrily asks him where he had been, who says that he had been laid up with the bacteria for 6 weeks, having been poisoned. Nardole asks Bill who she had been talking to, and she tells him that she imagined a version of her mother who she talks to "all the time". Bill notices that she knows the Monks haven't been on Earth that long, but part of her is beginning to think that it's real.

Nardole reveals that in the time after his recovery, he's done some research—he's traced the broadcasts made by the Doctor with a device he found in a drawer in the TARDIS and has thus surmised that he's being held in a prison ship. Luckily, the ships stop for supply every six weeks, and the next time the Doctor's ship does is in two days. They obtain the aid of a supply boat's captain, who isn't exactly the greatest fan of the Monks—his son got ten years in a labour camp for possessing illegal comics. After getting on the prison ship, they are stopped for a spot check (Nardole doesn't have any identity papers, and Bill is university kitchen staff) but are luckily interrupted by a Monk, who enters the room and leaves again, visibly putting off the guards and letting them go without checking Bill and Nardole's papers.

The pair quickly head into the main part of the ship, and after a while, they detect the sound of the Doctor's speech; he appears to be doing another broadcast. They find him in a room, surrounded by what appears to be speeches. The Doctor, upon noticing them bursting into the room, calls for guards and then makes a telephone call to the Monks. After inquiring as to what they were doing there, the Doctor explains that the Monks are helping human society, which is, in fact, regressing, and any extra fatalities due to them are for the greater good; the Romans did things like that as well, and saved billions more from disease, war, famine, and barbarism. Bill protests: "What about free will?" She recalls him having made her write a three thousand word essay on free will. He replies that humans had free will, and they did terrible things with it. He needed to stop them, or at least not stand in the way of someone who wanted to. Besides, she never delivered the essay. When Bill objects that it was because the world was invaded by zombie monks, the Doctor smiles dryly. "And whose fault was that?" he questions. He didn't ask for his sight back, but she had taken it upon herself to ignore him, to do what she thought best. At least they were lucky that it was a benevolent race, nothing like the Daleks.

Bill nods, seemingly agreeing; she replies that it was like that "big fish creature under the Seine in Paris". The Doctor answers that it was a coded message—it was the Thames, not the Seine. If he had played along, she would have known he was tricking them. Bill appears incensed; she takes a guard's gun and points it at the Doctor, explaining angrily that she's spent so much time looking for him, and if he really joined the Monks, they've lost. When the Doctor tells her that she really has, she shoots him. The Doctor appears to regenerate, then stands up and congratulates Bill. He and his group had to make sure that she wasn't being controlled like the rest of the population. He just needs to make sure she isn't testing him, as he needs the Monks' trust. The last six months have been spent deprogramming all the guards, talking sense into them. The plan, the Doctor explains, for testing Bill was exchanging all their ammunition for blanks, save one person who forgot. Fortunately, the person who forgot wasn't the one whose gun Bill took. He sends someone to explain to the kitchen staff, who he called instead of the Monks—they were going to be really confused. It turns out the person who asked for their ID is Nardole's friend and resistance fighter Richard playing a prank on them. Nardole was in on the plot, as well, and the Doctor separates Bill from Nardole after she claims that she's going to beat him up. Now, he has a job for them—they are to retrieve the only person almost as smart as the Doctor, or so he claims. "Blimey, has it really come to that?" Nardole wonders.

Bill voices they should have sneaked in, Bill thinks, but the Doctor appears to drive a giant ship up toward the school. By the time they reach the university, the Monks had already arrived. Luckily, the Doctor and Bill were not heading for the office, but the vault instead, which is free of Monk surveillance. Bill noticed that by the way he and Nardole have been acting, it seemed as if they had a monster locked up in there. "I do," the Doctor replies heavily. He opens the vault, revealing Missy.

Missy tries "haggling over the fate of [the Earth]" before playing "Hot or Cold" with the Doctor and giving him hints as to how the Monks maintain their lie to the population. He eventually deduces that the Monks, through a psychic link, use Bill as the "linchpin" to keep themselves in power, and the Monk statues transmit the signal all over the globe. Missy tells him that now all he has to do is find the linchpin and kill them to prevent the link from being passed on. Bill tells Missy she's the linchpin, to which Missy replies, "Awkward." Missy adds that it would be better if Bill's brain was simply transmitting nothing, rather than her actually dying. The Doctor confronts Missy and tells her she has not changed despite her time under his care, to which Missy replies that she will be in the Vault for a long time before she becomes good then.

In the resistance group's headquarters, the Doctor and Bill explain to Nardole that Missy told Bill she has to die, and Nardole suggests they think of something else. The Doctor explains they have to break into the Cathedral, where the Monks are powering the transmitters, so the Doctor can replace Bill's brainwaves with his and cancel out the signal. Nardole expresses doubt to the plan, but the Doctor dismisses him.

In a boarded-up building, the resistance group hides while Nardole spies on the Cathedral. There are no Monks outside, which Nardole says as such, but when he turns away he tells them there were twelve. The Doctor uses this as an example of the signal beam being stronger here, and as a precaution gives them a tape with headphones to play a recording telling them why they are there and why they are fighting the Monks.

As they enter the pyramid, two of the men are killed by the Monks. One of the guard's tapes is damaged in the struggle, resulting in the Monk's programming brainwashing him to their side. As such, he turns against the Doctor, holding him at gun point. However, Nardole knocks the man out by pinching his neck, saving the Doctor. The group enter the broadcasting chamber, which the Doctor dubs "Fake News Central". They find a Monk wired into it using Bill's brainwaves to transmit lies to the population. The Doctor attempts to override the transmission by linking into the Monk's mind. However, the Monk manages to resist him, blasting the Doctor back with a surge of electricity, knocking him out.

When the Doctor later wakes up, he is tied to a pillar in the pyramid with Bill in front of him. She tells him about her plan to override the transmission herself and the Doctor protests profusely and struggles to get free. Bill walks over to the Monk and puts her hands on it just as the Doctor frees himself from his bonds.

As she links in the Monk's mind, Bill starts transmitting her memories through the psychic link to the populace. However, the Monks begin to hijack her memories and rewrite them to bring the transmission back under their control. Just before they completely rewrite her memories, the Doctor notices that there is one memory they cannot alter: Bill's mum. The Doctor encourages Bill to think about her mum, and as she does that, the image of her mum begins to transmit to everyone else on Earth, overriding the Monk's broadcast.

As they exit the Cathedral, the Doctor, Bill, and Nardole see the populace, now free of the Monk's lies, turning against them. The Monks quickly flee and take off into space. Sometime later, the Doctor and Bill find that most of humanity have no recollection of the Monks (one student, dubbed "Appalling Hair' by the Doctor, thinks that the abandoned statue was being filmed for something). In the Vault, Missy expresses remorse for those she has killed.

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Crew[[edit] | [edit source]]

General production staff

Script department

Camera and lighting department

Art department

Costume department

Make-up and prosthetics

Movement

Casting

General post-production staff

Special and visual effects

Sound



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


Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

Culture[[edit] | [edit source]]

Science[[edit] | [edit source]]

Biology[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • A montage shows a cell splitting.

Weapons[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Missy claims she "once built a gun out of leaves".

Technology[[edit] | [edit source]]

Martial arts[[edit] | [edit source]]

Philosophy[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • The Doctor had Bill write a 3000-word essay on free will, which she never completed due to the Monk invasion.
  • The Doctor says Missy is going cold turkey from being bad.

Business[[edit] | [edit source]]

Currency[[edit] | [edit source]]

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

  • The Doctor has takeaway menus in a drawer in the TARDIS.
  • The Doctor says that after spending six months of talking sense into the guards, he could use a Strepsil.
  • Missy says Nardole looks like an egg.

Locations[[edit] | [edit source]]

Species[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • A montage shows a mudskipper crawling towards a welcoming Monk.
  • The Doctor mentions the Daleks, the Cybermen and the Weeping Angels in his broadcast.
  • Time Lords can "fake" a regeneration, seemingly by starting the process only to abort it before any actual healing, if needed. The Doctor fakes a regeneration when Bill shoots him with a gun loaded with blanks that she thinks has live ammunition.

People[[edit] | [edit source]]

Music[[edit] | [edit source]]

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

▶︎
YouTube
This episode's Aftershow on Doctor Who: The Fan Show.
McNeice's Churchill in review copies

Ratings[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • 3.01 million (UK overnight figures)
  • 4.82 million (UK final)

The episode also notably had the lowest audience share of any episode since the series revived in 2005, with only 20.3%.[2]

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

to be added

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.

to be added

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]]

  1. ↑ https://www.google.dk/amp/www.radiotimes.com/amp/news/2017-04-03/is-peter-capaldi-leaving-doctor-who-early
  2. ↑ Ratings DW
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