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{{Infobox Individual
{{Infobox Individual
|image  = The Woman 2 (TEOT).jpg
|species = Time Lady
|origin  = [[Gallifrey]]
|only    = The End of Time (TV story)
|actor  = Claire Bloom
}}{{you may|The Woman (Hell Bent)|n1 = the Gallifreyan woman from after the Time War}}
"'''The Woman'''" was a [[Time Lord|Time Lady]] active on [[Gallifrey]] during the end of the [[Last Great Time War]]. She appeared to [[Wilfred Mott]] on several occasions before and after the [[resurrection]] of {{Simm}}.


== Biography ==
At the age of eight, the Woman was taken from her family for the selection process in the [[Drylands]]. Staring into the [[Untempered Schism]] as part of a Time Lord initiation rite, the Woman was inspired by what she saw in the Schism. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[A Brief History of Time Lords (novel)|A Brief History of Time Lords]]'')


|image = [[File:DW_The_End_of_Time_(Part_1)_030-1-.jpg|250px]]
Both [[the Master]] ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Lords and Masters (short story)|Lords and Masters]]'') and [[the Doctor]] knew the identity of the Woman. ([[TV]]: {{cs|The End of Time (TV story)}})
|individual name = The Woman
|alias =
|race = [[Gallifreyan]] ([[Time Lady]])
|home planet = [[Gallifrey]]
|home era = [[Rassilon Era]]
|appearances = [[DW]]: ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]''
|actor = [[Claire Bloom]]
}}


{{quote|I was lost... so very long ago.|The Woman|The End of Time (TV story)}}
=== The Last Great Time War ===
During the final phases of the [[Last Great Time War]], when [[the Doctor]] had turned against the Time Lords, the Woman opposed [[Lord President]] {{Dalton}}'s [[Ultimate Sanction|plan to destroy]] [[time]] itself, ([[TV]]: {{cs|The End of Time (TV story)}}) along with the [[Patriarch of Stillhaven|Patriarch]] of the [[House of Stillhaven]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Lords and Masters (short story)|Lords and Masters]]'') Rassilon condemned her and the patriarch to stand behind him in the [[Panopticon]] and cover their faces "as monuments of their shame, like the [[Weeping Angel]]s of old” ([[TV]]: {{cs|The End of Time (TV story)}}) and had her name [[Elective Semantectomy|erased from time]] as further punishment. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[A Brief History of Time Lords (novel)|A Brief History of Time Lords]]'')


'''The Woman''' was first seen in a church on [[23rd December|December 23]] [[2009]]. She told [[Wilfred Mott]] of the church's past: it was once a convent that had been attacked by a demon from the skies in the [[14th century|1300s]], and was saved by a "sainted physician". After saying that the physician may appear again, she vanished.
[[File:DW End of Time - The Woman.png|thumb|right|The Woman reveals her face to the [[Tenth Doctor]]. ([[TV]]: {{cs|The End of Time (TV story)}})]]
When Rassilon and his retinue came to Earth via the [[Immortality Gate]] on [[Boxing Day]] [[2009]], the [[Tenth Doctor]]'s gaze fell on the Woman and she briefly uncovered her face and looked at him, shedding a single tear and glanced toward the [[White-Point Star]]. The Doctor then shot the diamond, severing the link in Rassilon's plan to return to reality, sending her and the other Time Lords back into the [[time lock]] with Gallifrey. As the enraged Rassilon turned to kill the Doctor, she returned to her weeping position, just before the Doctor was saved by {{Simm}}. ([[TV]]: {{cs|The End of Time (TV story)}})


She next appeared to Wilf on Christmas Day, her image appearing on television, which only Wilf could see. She told Wilf that he needed to take up arms, and that [[Tenth Doctor|the Doctor]]'s life could still be saved. Before vanishing again, she warned Wilf not to tell the Doctor of anything she had said to him.
=== Appearing to Wilfred ===
During the events surrounding the [[Master Race]] and the Tenth Doctor's [[regeneration]], the Woman frequently appeared to [[Wilfred Mott]] in conventional [[human]] clothes at the same time she was on [[Gallifrey]] during the Time War. How the Woman managed to do this is unknown, but she appeared older, with her hair getting greyer, each time she appeared to Wilf.


She once more appeared to Wilf on the [[Vinvocci]]'s spaceship when Wilf claimed to be lost, claiming that he was found, and telling him that it was the Doctor's final battle, and that he had to take up arms. He asked her who she was, but she remained silent and told him that she was lost so long ago, before disappearing once more.
The Woman was first seen by Wilf in a [[church]], where she told him that the church had been a convent that was attacked by "a demon from the skies" in the [[14th century|1300s]], and was saved by a "[[The Doctor|sainted physician]]". She directed Wilfred's attention to a stained glass window that contained an image of [[the Doctor's TARDIS]]. After suggesting that the physician would appear again, she vanished.


[[File:DW_4x18_The_End_of_Time_(Pt_2)_0622-1-.jpg|thumb|left|225px]]
She next appeared to Wilfred on [[Christmas Day]], appearing on [[television]] during the [[Queen's Christmas speech]]. Only Wilf could see her. The Woman told Wilf that he needed to take up [[Firearm|arms]] and that the [[Tenth Doctor]]'s life could still be saved. Before vanishing again, she warned Wilf not to tell the Doctor anything she had said to him.
She seemed to be a mysterious Time Lady, and could be seen in a weeping position standing by The Narrator, who was revealed to be [[Rassilon]]. She and a male Time Lord had been the only two to object to [[Rassilon's Final Solution]]. When [[Tenth Doctor|the Doctor]] looked at her, she briefly uncovered her face and looked at him. They seemed to share a recognition of each other. She shed a single tear, and glanced toward the diamond being used as part of Rassilon's plan. This seemed to be the inspiration which the Doctor needed to shoot the diamond, sending her and the other Time Lords back into the Last Great Time War. She was last seen in her weeping position. When later asked by Wilfred who she was, the Doctor replied with only silence. ([[DW]]: ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]'')


She once more appeared to Wilf on the [[Vinvocci]]'s [[Hesperus (spacecraft)|spaceship]]. She told him that this was the Doctor's final battle, and he had to take up arms. He asked her who she was, but she replied that she was lost, and vanished once more.


==Behind the Scenes==
At [[Donna Noble]] and [[Shaun Temple]]'s [[Donna Noble and Shaun Temple's wedding|wedding]] some time later, which the Doctor observed from a distance, Wilfred asked him who the Woman was. The Doctor chose not to reply. ([[TV]]: {{cs|The End of Time (TV story)}})
*In the final script, the identity of the Woman is not revealed. In [[REF]]: ''[[Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale|Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale - The Final Chapter]]'', [[Russell T. Davies]] states that he created the character to be the Doctor's mother and this is what actress Claire Bloom was told when she was cast. However Davies acknowledged that the character could be interpreted as any trustworthy Time Lord, including [[Romana]], a regenerated [[Susan]] or even a future regeneration of the half-Time Lord Donna Noble. Also noteworthy is the possibility and rumor that she is [[The White Guardian]] in disguise, as he has been shown to have immense power, which he could have used to disguise himself as a [[Time Lord]]. The character is credited as "The Woman" which, in Italian, is "La Donna".
*During filming, newspapers ''The Daily Mail'' and ''The Daily Telegraph'' announced that Claire Bloom would be portraying the Doctor's mother. [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/doctor-who/5240633/Claire-Bloom-to-star-as-mother-of-Doctor-Who.html] However, the character was never explicitly identified as such during the special.
*In commentary for the second half of ''The End of Time'', Julie Gardner was of the strong opinion that The Woman was the Doctor's mother, but admitted there was enough ambiguity to allow other interpretations. Russell T. Davies, for his part, generally refused to be drawn by Gardner's comparative certainty about The Woman's identity.
*It's worth noting that in the novel [[EDA]]: ''[[The Shadows of Avalon]]'', [[Romana]] regenerates into [[Romana III|a third incarnation]] who the [[Eighth Doctor]] notes looks very much like his mother.
*If The Woman were the Doctor's mother, the revelation could be said to clash with ''[[Doctor Who (1996)|Doctor Who]]'' (1996), in which the [[Eighth Doctor]] stated he was half-human on his mother's side. However, it was suggested in [[IDW]]: ''[[The Forgotten]]'' that he was never truly "half-human", but instead confusing the Master by using suggestion and a half-broken [[Chameleon Arch]]. Also, the episode never indicates explicitly that the Woman is Gallifreyan. See [[WC]]: ''[[Death Comes to Time]]'' for an example of a non-Gallifreyan becoming a Time Lord.
*Some ''Doctor Who'' novels, including [[EDA]]: ''[[The Gallifrey Chronicles]]'', imply that the Doctor's mother is a human woman called [[Penelope Gate]], so this is a possible name for the Woman.
*The Woman was seen standing opposite another weeping Time Lord. Russell T. Davies pointed out the nature of this in commentary and wondered if anyone would question who he was, and what their connection was.
*Whenever the Woman appears to Wilf, she appears somewhat older, and has slightly more grey, perhaps indicating that the Woman who talked to Wilf was from a future or alternate timeline.
*The woman was confirmed by Russel T Daives to be the Doctor's mother on doctor who confidential.


{{Time Lords}}
== Behind the scenes ==
[[Category:Individuals with unknown names|Woman, The]]
* In the final script, the identity of the Woman is not revealed. In a March 2009 email reprinted in ''[[Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale - The Final Chapter]]'', on pages 622-623, [[Russell T Davies]] states that he created the character as the Doctor's mother and that this is what actress Claire Bloom was told when she was cast. During filming, newspapers ''The Daily Mail'' and ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' announced that Claire Bloom would be portraying the Doctor's mother.<ref>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/doctor-who/5240633/Claire-Bloom-to-star-as-mother-of-Doctor-Who.html</ref>
[[Category:Mysterious beings|Woman, The]]
* In Davies' script, when Wilf asks the Doctor, "That woman. Who was she?", the stage direction reads: "The Doctor just looks. At Wilf. At Sylvia. At Donna, in the distance. Friends, mothers, brides. He's not saying."<ref>http://www.thewriterstale.com/pdfs/End%20of%20Time%20Part%20Two/Doctor%20Who%204%20Ep.18.GOLD.pdf</ref>
[[Category:Individual Time Lords|Woman, The]]
* However, Davies has acknowledged that the character could be interpreted as any trustworthy Time Lady like [[Susan Foreman]], [[Susan Foreman's mother|Susan's mother]] (the Doctor's daughter or daughter-in-law), [[Romana]], "or even [[the Rani]]".
[[Category:Relatives of the Doctor|Woman, The]]
* ''[[The Tenth Doctor Sourcebook (reference book)|The Tenth Doctor Sourcebook]]'' puts forward the [[White Guardian]] as a potential candidate for the Woman's identity.
* The piece "[[The Doctor's Theme]]" plays in the scene where she reveals her face to the Tenth Doctor. This piece was occasionally referred to in jest by the producers as "Flavia's Theme". [[Flavia]] was a Time Lady, and a Chancellor.
* [[Julie Gardner]] was of the opinion that the Woman was the Doctor's mother, but admitted there was enough ambiguity to allow other interpretations. Davies generally refused to be drawn in by Gardner's comparative certainty about the Woman's identity. ([[PCOM]]: ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time, Part 2]]'')
* [[Philip Purser-Hallard]] [https://twitter.com/purserhallard/status/1000837660875935745 theorised] on Twitter that the Woman could actually be [[the Doctor's father|the Doctor's ''father'']].
* [[Steven Moffat]] has said that he leaves it to Whovians to decide whether they want her to be [[The Woman (Hell Bent)|the Woman]] from {{cs|Hell Bent (TV story)}}, as well as the Doctor's mother.<ref>http://www.denofgeek.com/uk/tv/doctor-who/40955/doctor-who-moffat-has-no-idea-if-this-is-the-doctors-mother</ref>
 
== Footnotes ==
{{reflist}}
{{TitleSort}}
{{The Doctor's family}}
{{High Council}}
 
[[Category:Time Lords with unknown names]]
[[Category:Residents of Gallifrey]]
[[Category:Members of the High Council]]
 
[[cy:Y Fenyw (The End of Time)]]
[[de:Geheimnisvolle Time Lady]]

Latest revision as of 12:00, 2 April 2024

You may be looking for the Gallifreyan woman from after the Time War.

"The Woman" was a Time Lady active on Gallifrey during the end of the Last Great Time War. She appeared to Wilfred Mott on several occasions before and after the resurrection of the Saxon Master.

Biography[[edit] | [edit source]]

At the age of eight, the Woman was taken from her family for the selection process in the Drylands. Staring into the Untempered Schism as part of a Time Lord initiation rite, the Woman was inspired by what she saw in the Schism. (PROSE: A Brief History of Time Lords)

Both the Master (PROSE: Lords and Masters) and the Doctor knew the identity of the Woman. (TV: The End of Time [+]Loading...["The End of Time (TV story)"])

The Last Great Time War[[edit] | [edit source]]

During the final phases of the Last Great Time War, when the Doctor had turned against the Time Lords, the Woman opposed Lord President Rassilon's plan to destroy time itself, (TV: The End of Time [+]Loading...["The End of Time (TV story)"]) along with the Patriarch of the House of Stillhaven. (PROSE: Lords and Masters) Rassilon condemned her and the patriarch to stand behind him in the Panopticon and cover their faces "as monuments of their shame, like the Weeping Angels of old” (TV: The End of Time [+]Loading...["The End of Time (TV story)"]) and had her name erased from time as further punishment. (PROSE: A Brief History of Time Lords)

The Woman reveals her face to the Tenth Doctor. (TV: The End of Time [+]Loading...["The End of Time (TV story)"])

When Rassilon and his retinue came to Earth via the Immortality Gate on Boxing Day 2009, the Tenth Doctor's gaze fell on the Woman and she briefly uncovered her face and looked at him, shedding a single tear and glanced toward the White-Point Star. The Doctor then shot the diamond, severing the link in Rassilon's plan to return to reality, sending her and the other Time Lords back into the time lock with Gallifrey. As the enraged Rassilon turned to kill the Doctor, she returned to her weeping position, just before the Doctor was saved by the Saxon Master. (TV: The End of Time [+]Loading...["The End of Time (TV story)"])

Appearing to Wilfred[[edit] | [edit source]]

During the events surrounding the Master Race and the Tenth Doctor's regeneration, the Woman frequently appeared to Wilfred Mott in conventional human clothes at the same time she was on Gallifrey during the Time War. How the Woman managed to do this is unknown, but she appeared older, with her hair getting greyer, each time she appeared to Wilf.

The Woman was first seen by Wilf in a church, where she told him that the church had been a convent that was attacked by "a demon from the skies" in the 1300s, and was saved by a "sainted physician". She directed Wilfred's attention to a stained glass window that contained an image of the Doctor's TARDIS. After suggesting that the physician would appear again, she vanished.

She next appeared to Wilfred on Christmas Day, appearing on television during the Queen's Christmas speech. Only Wilf could see her. The Woman told Wilf that he needed to take up arms and that the Tenth Doctor's life could still be saved. Before vanishing again, she warned Wilf not to tell the Doctor anything she had said to him.

She once more appeared to Wilf on the Vinvocci's spaceship. She told him that this was the Doctor's final battle, and he had to take up arms. He asked her who she was, but she replied that she was lost, and vanished once more.

At Donna Noble and Shaun Temple's wedding some time later, which the Doctor observed from a distance, Wilfred asked him who the Woman was. The Doctor chose not to reply. (TV: The End of Time [+]Loading...["The End of Time (TV story)"])

Behind the scenes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • In the final script, the identity of the Woman is not revealed. In a March 2009 email reprinted in Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale - The Final Chapter, on pages 622-623, Russell T Davies states that he created the character as the Doctor's mother and that this is what actress Claire Bloom was told when she was cast. During filming, newspapers The Daily Mail and The Daily Telegraph announced that Claire Bloom would be portraying the Doctor's mother.[1]
  • In Davies' script, when Wilf asks the Doctor, "That woman. Who was she?", the stage direction reads: "The Doctor just looks. At Wilf. At Sylvia. At Donna, in the distance. Friends, mothers, brides. He's not saying."[2]
  • However, Davies has acknowledged that the character could be interpreted as any trustworthy Time Lady like Susan Foreman, Susan's mother (the Doctor's daughter or daughter-in-law), Romana, "or even the Rani".
  • The Tenth Doctor Sourcebook puts forward the White Guardian as a potential candidate for the Woman's identity.
  • The piece "The Doctor's Theme" plays in the scene where she reveals her face to the Tenth Doctor. This piece was occasionally referred to in jest by the producers as "Flavia's Theme". Flavia was a Time Lady, and a Chancellor.
  • Julie Gardner was of the opinion that the Woman was the Doctor's mother, but admitted there was enough ambiguity to allow other interpretations. Davies generally refused to be drawn in by Gardner's comparative certainty about the Woman's identity. (PCOM: The End of Time, Part 2)
  • Philip Purser-Hallard theorised on Twitter that the Woman could actually be the Doctor's father.
  • Steven Moffat has said that he leaves it to Whovians to decide whether they want her to be the Woman from Hell Bent [+]Loading...["Hell Bent (TV story)"], as well as the Doctor's mother.[3]

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. ↑ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/doctor-who/5240633/Claire-Bloom-to-star-as-mother-of-Doctor-Who.html
  2. ↑ http://www.thewriterstale.com/pdfs/End%20of%20Time%20Part%20Two/Doctor%20Who%204%20Ep.18.GOLD.pdf
  3. ↑ http://www.denofgeek.com/uk/tv/doctor-who/40955/doctor-who-moffat-has-no-idea-if-this-is-the-doctors-mother
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