Tooth and Claw (TV story): Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 20:18, 3 November 2024

Tooth and Claw

Key crew

Writer:

Russell T Davies

Director:

Euros Lyn

Producer:

Phil Collinson

Release details

Story number:

169

Premiere broadcast:

22 April 2006

Premiere network:

BBC One

Format:

1x45-minute Episode

Memorable moment

Another memorable moment

Behind the scenes video

*Doctor Who* television stories
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New Earth	School Reunion

Production order
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School Reunion	The Girl in the Fireplace

You may wish to consult Tooth and Claw for other, similarly-named pages.

Tooth and Claw was the second episode of series two of Doctor Who.

Tardisode 2 serves as its prologue. Written very quickly,^[1] it nonetheless had a significant impact upon the mythology of the Doctor Who universe. It established the narrative origins of the Torchwood Institute, and thus was significant to the overall Torchwood story arc in Doctor Who and to the Torchwood spin-off, as well.

As an early Tenth Doctor episode, it set down some important character beats for that still-young incarnation. In particular, the story saw the Tenth Doctor's first remembrance of his lost race, with Queen Victoria's talk of loss and death. In addition, it showed David Tennant's Doctor to be an aficionado of 20th century pop culture. It also confirmed that this incarnation would occasionally use his tongue to identify the chemical composition of non-foodstuffs, just as he had earlier done in The Christmas Invasion.

Behind the scenes, the episode was unusual in that it had a "guest visual effects artist". Because the wolf was to have close-ups, and animal hair was at the time particularly difficult to portray convincingly, The Mill were compelled to import a "CGI hair specialist" for this one adventure. (DCOM: Tooth and Claw)

Synopsis[[edit] | [edit source]]

Landing in the 1870s by accident, the Tenth Doctor and Rose get caught up in trying to protect Queen Victoria. However, it seems something more sinister is afoot than a simple assassination plot; can the time travellers stop the coming of the Empire of the Wolf?

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

"We will take the house. If you won't stand aside, then we'll take it by force".

Hooded monks travel across the Scottish moors. They enter the Torchwood Estate belonging to Sir Robert MacLeish. Their leader, Father Angelo, demands possession of the house. When the steward refuses, asking if wrath of God would make them comply, Angelo responds "No. The fist of man" as he and the rest of the monks remove their cassocks, revealing orange robes. Exhibiting martial skill, they make short work of the rest of the men. They take over the house, chaining everyone they find in the cellar, including Lady Isobel MacLeish. They carry a covered cage into the cellar. When asked what is contained in it, Father Angelo uncovers the cage. Lady Isobel screams.

Meanwhile, the TARDIS is travelling back through time. Inside, the Tenth Doctor is trying his hardest to steer to Sheffield in 1979, so he can take Rose to see Ian Dury in concert. In the Doctor's words 1979 was a hell of year; China invades Vietnam, The Muppet Movie, Margaret Thatcher. Grabbing his jacket, the Doctor also remembers 1979 is when Skylab fell to earth with help from him, the ordeal nearly losing him his thumb.

He ushers Rose out into the 1970s; however, they are met by armed soldiers on horseback. They demand explanations for the Doctor's presence and Rose's "nakedness". The Doctor realises that they have arrived in 1879 Scotland; "same difference" the Doctor shrugs. Using psychic paper and a Scottish accent, he convinces Captain Reynolds he is a Scottish doctor named James McCrimmon from the township of Balamory. Rose also attempts to speak with a Scottish accent, only to be shushed by the Doctor; unlike him, she would slip up and speak in her natural accent. The Doctor claims to be disorientated due to chasing Rose for some time; when he was buying in London, "it was either her or the Elephant Man." Reynolds isn't amused by the joke.

An authoritative voice from the carriage the soldiers are escorting asks the Doctor and Rose to approach. The Doctor introduces Rose to Her Majesty, Queen Victoria, who is on her way to Balmoral Castle. When Victoria sees the psychic paper, she notes it says the Lord Provost has appointed the Doctor as her protector; it looks like the time travellers are stuck in this time period for a while. The royal carriage is travelling by road because a fallen tree has blocked the train line to Aberdeen. The two travellers accompany the carriage on to the Torchwood Estate, where the Queen plans to spend the night. On the way, Rose bets the Doctor ten quid that she can get the Queen to say, "I am not amused".

Sir Robert watches from the window, with Father Angelo, disguised as a servant, reminding him to comply or see his wife "devoured". Sir Robert goes to receive Victoria. Despite his hinting that all is not right, the Queen insists on staying; the estate was a favourite of her late consort, Prince Albert, who used to visit Sir Robert's father. They enter the manor, with Reynolds deploying his men to guard the estate. He also carries a small leather box inside, which he locks in a safe. In the cellar, the captive in the cage, who appears to be a hooded man, indicates the other prisoners to be silent.

Sir Robert shows the Queen, Doctor and Rose the observatory, which contains a telescope his father designed. The Doctor notices it has many prisms more than a typical telescope, causing too much magnification for simple stargazing; he then asks Rose if he was being rude again, which she confirms. Sir Robert says he knows little of his father's eccentric work. Victoria mentions that Sir Robert's father was a polymath, equally versed in science and folklore and that Albert was fascinated by local stories of a wolf. Before Sir Robert can tell the tale, however, Father Angelo interrupts, offering to take the guests to their rooms to prepare for dinner.

While Rose searches through the wardrobes for more appropriate attire, the disguised monks serve the soldiers drugged drinks, which knock them unconscious. Rose discovers a frightened servant girl, Flora, hidden in one of the wardrobes. Flora tells Rose what has happened; Rose decides to tell the Doctor. When they leave the room to find the Doctor, however, they find an unconscious soldier. The pair are captured, taken to the cellar and chained with the others.

"There is something of the Wolf about you. You burnt like the sun, but all I require is the moon".

At the dinner table, Sir Robert tells the Queen, the Doctor and Reynolds a story. For the past three hundred years, livestock has been found ripped apart every full moon. Once a generation, a boy vanishes, and there are sightings of a werewolf. In the cellar, Rose notices the caged man's alien-looking eyes. She asks him what planet he is from. Amused, he tells Rose the human body he possesses was born ten miles away, a boy stolen by the Brethren, but he comes from a much further distance. Rose offers to take the alien intelligence back home, but he does not wish to leave. He shall bite Queen Victoria, migrate into her body and begin the Empire of the Wolf. He says Rose has "something of the wolf" about her, but while she burned like the sun, all he requires is the Moon.

Upstairs, Sir Robert relates that his father believed the story to be fact, and even claimed to have communicated with the beast and learned its purpose. However, the Brethren of the monastery in the Glen of St Catherine opposed his investigations. Sir Robert asks what if the monks had turned from God and started worshipping the wolf? The Doctor sees Father Angelo face the full moon through the window, chanting in Latin. The Doctor questions what if the monks were with them now?

The monks throw open the cellar doors and moonlight streams into the Host's cage, triggering a horrifying transformation. Rose rallies the other prisoners, telling them not to look, but to pull on the chains. As Father Angelo is transfixed with chanting at the moon, Sir Robert apologises to the Queen for his betrayal; they were holding his wife. The Doctor demands to know where Rose is, but Father Angelo ignores him, continuing his chanting. The Doctor and Sir Robert rush to the cellar, leaving the Queen with Reynolds, who trains his pistol on Father Angelo, asking him what his goals are. Father Angelo replies, "The throne", and swiftly disarms Reynolds.

The Doctor and Sir Robert reach the cellar just as Rose and the other prisoners manage to break their chains, but the Host has finished his transformation and breaks out of the cage. The others run out of the cellar, the Doctor transfixed at the "beautiful" werewolf until the last second. He seals the door with his sonic screwdriver as the werewolf howls at the moon. Above, Victoria surmises correctly that the monks had sabotaged the train tracks to bring her here. However, she is not unprepared, after six attempts on her life, and pulls a small revolver from her bag, aiming at Angelo. He sneers at her sceptically, calling her "woman". The Queen retorts, "The correct form of address is 'Your Majesty'!" and shoots him dead.

The women go to leave the house through the kitchen, while the Steward organises his men. The werewolf has broken through the sealed door but is driven back momentarily by rifle fire. The women find the kitchen door locked and the courtyard beyond guarded by monks with rifles. The Doctor tells the men they should retreat upstairs. The Steward refuses, confident that nothing could have lived through the rifle barrage — and is promptly seized and killed by the werewolf. Sir Robert, Rose and the Doctor run.

The werewolf slaughters the remaining men and makes its way to the kitchen, where Lady Isobel and the other women huddle in fear. However, instead of killing them, it sniffs the air and leaves. Meanwhile, Victoria retrieves the mysterious box from the safe and rejoins Sir Robert, Rose and the Doctor. As they try to escape through the windows, the monks open fire. The four run upstairs, pursued by the werewolf. They meet Reynolds, who confirms Victoria has the contents of the box and says he will buy them time to get away. He fires at the werewolf but is quickly torn apart as the others enter the library and barricade the doors.

The Doctor listens to the Wolf sniffing the door.

However, the werewolf does not try to break through. The Doctor wonders what it is about the room that is protecting them from the wolf. Victoria demands to know what the creature is, and why the Doctor has lost his Scottish accent. The Doctor tries to explain, but she will have none of it, declaring sternly that this is not her world. When asked about weapons, the Doctor points out that they have the greatest weapons of all in this very room: books full of knowledge, which can give them clues as to how to fight back.

"Powerful stuff, mistletoe. Bursting with lectins and viscotoxins".

In the kitchen, Lady Isobel notices the monks are wearing mistletoe about their necks, a charm against werewolves. She notices sprigs of mistletoe on the kitchen floor and orders the other women to gather the scraps. In the library, the Doctor notices wooden details on the doors carved into the shape of mistletoe. He realises the walls are varnished with viscum album — oil of mistletoe. The werewolf is allergic to it, or the monks have trained it to be as a means of controlling it, and Sir Robert's father knew this. Lady Isobel and the women cook the mistletoe into a broth. In the library, the others find an account of something falling near the monastery in 1540. The Doctor theorises that perhaps only a single cell survived, passing itself from host to host while it grew stronger with each generation. Now it wants to establish an empire, advancing technology and building starships and missiles fuelled by coal and driven by steam, laying waste to history. Victoria breaks in at this point, telling Sir Robert she would rather die than be infected. She asks him to find a safe place for something more precious than herself, and reveals the contents of the box: the Koh-i-Noor. The Queen had been taking it to the royal jewellers at Hazlehead to be re-cut.

The Doctor remembers that Prince Albert kept insisting on having the diamond cut down and was never satisfied with the shape or size. Yelling in shock, the Doctor has an epiphany: the diamond, the telescope, Prince Albert and Sir Robert's father are all connected. The Doctor asks, what if the two men were not just exchanging stories, but treated it all as real and laid a trap for the wolf? Just then, the werewolf crashes through the skylight, forcing the others to flee the library. The werewolf nearly catches up with Rose, but Lady Isobel appears, throwing the mistletoe broth in the werewolf's face and forcing it away. Sir Robert kisses his wife and tells her to take the women back downstairs, while he and the others climb the stairs to the observatory.

"It doesn't work as a telescope because that's not what it is. It's a light chamber. It magnifies the light rays like a weapon. We've just got to power it up".

The Doctor needs time. The doors to the observatory are not barred against the werewolf — Sir Robert's father intended the wolf to come in. Sir Robert offers to place himself between the werewolf and them, willing to die with honour to atone for his betrayal. He holds the werewolf off with a sword. As his screams penetrate the door, the Doctor and Rose manoeuvre the telescope to align it with the full moon. The telescope is not a telescope but a light chamber, magnifying the moon's rays. The werewolf may thrive on moonlight, but it can still drown in it.

The werewolf crashes through the door and moves to slash at Victoria, but the Doctor tosses the diamond on the floor. It catches the light, which intercepts the werewolf and suspends it in mid-air. The werewolf reverts to human form; the host asks the Doctor to make the light brighter, to end its life and the "Lupine Wavelength Haemovariform" as the Doctor calls it.

Honouring the request of the poor boy, the Doctor proceeds to do so. The werewolf form reasserts itself, howls and fades away in the moonbeam. The Doctor notices Victoria's wrist is bleeding and wonders if the werewolf bit her after all, but the Queen dismisses his concern, saying it was just a splinter from the door.

In the morning, Victoria dubs the two travellers Sir Doctor of TARDIS and Dame Rose of the Powell Estate. Having rewarded them, she promptly banishes them from the Empire (not a problem for Rose, as she lives in the 21st century; the Doctor isn't even native to Earth). The Queen admits that she does not know who or even what they are, but that their world is steeped in terror and blasphemy and yet they consider it fun. She makes it clear that she cannot allow this in her world, and warns them to consider how much longer they might survive such a dangerous life. During this she finally declares, "I am not amused". Having won her bet with the Doctor, Rose cannot suppress a smirk, until Victoria adds that she is "not remotely amused".

"I propose an Institute to investigate these strange happenings and to fight them. I would call it Torchwood. The Torchwood Institute".

The two make their way back to the TARDIS, where the Doctor reflects it was always a mystery how Victoria and then her children had contracted haemophilia. He muses that perhaps was just a Victorian euphemism for lycanthropy. Rose speculates humorously that perhaps even the Royal Family of her day are actually werewolves! As the TARDIS takes off, both of them laugh and howl at the idea.

Back at the Torchwood Estate, Victoria tells Lady Isobel that her husband's sacrifice and the ingenuity of his father will live on. The Queen has seen Britain has enemies beyond imagination and will establish an institute to research and fight these enemies: the Torchwood Institute. If the Doctor returns, he should beware, because Torchwood will be waiting.

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Uncredited Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Monks - Ruari Mears, Marc Llewellyn-Thompson, Laurence Chanon, Andrew Morgan-Evans, Sam Stennett, Alessandro Noble, Dave Jennings, Richard Carpenter, Rob Taylor
Monk Cart Driver - Stephen Giffard
Farm Hands - Darryl Cross, Pete Newman, John Jones Snr, Adam Sweet, Michael Barry, John Mallon
Cook - Suzanne Downs
Maids - Debbie Reid, Jade Harris Cupit
Scottish Soldiers - Marcus Hobbs, Jonathan Holcroft, Dave Smith, Leighton Haberfield, Les Mason, Tony Was, Geraint Herbert, Brett Langdon
Ramsay - Charles de Paula
Footman - Matt Johnson, Richard Wellesley, Richard Fletcher

Crew[[edit] | [edit source]]

Executive Producers Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner


Written by Russell T Davies	Produced by Phil Collinson	Directed by Euros Lyn	Director of Photography Rory Taylor	Production Designer Edward Thomas	Visual Effects The Mill

Make-up Designer Sheelagh Wells	Casting Director Andy Pryor	Music Murray Gold	Costume Designer Louise Page	Edited by Crispin Green	Special Effects Any Effects
Original theme music by Ron Grainer • With thanks to the BBC National Orchestra of Wales

General production staff

Script department

Script Editor - Simon Winstone

Camera and lighting department

Art department

Costume department

Make-up and prosthetics

Make-up Artists - Anwen Davies, Steve Smith, Moira Thomson

Movement

Casting

Casting Associate - Andy Brierley

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]]

The Doctor uses his psychic paper to establish his and Rose's credentials to Queen Victoria and her associates.
MacLeish has a copy of The Control and Application of Gunpowder in his library.

Individuals[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Doctor mentions the Battle of Trafalgar and Caesar crossing the Rubicon.
The Doctor is seen singing along to "Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick" by Ian Dury and the Blockheads, whose concert he had hoped to take Rose to in 1979.
One of Queen Victoria's soldiers is Blake.
MacLeish's cook survives the werewolf attack.
The Doctor refers to Queen Victoria as Empress of India and Defender of the Faith.
King James V reigned in 1540.

Locations[[edit] | [edit source]]

The MacLeish home is called Torchwood House.
The Doctor pretends to be from Balamory.

Species[[edit] | [edit source]]

The young man that transforms into the werewolf is known as the Host; or more accurately known as a Lupine Wavelength Haemovariform.

Years[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Doctor enthusiastically describes 1979 as "a hell of a year", citing the invasion of Vietnam by China, The Muppet Movie and Margaret Thatcher.

Spacecraft[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Doctor mentions he had a hand in Skylab being "brought back to Earth" and almost lost a thumb in doing so.

Influences[[edit] | [edit source]]

The title is a reference to Alfred Tennyson's 1850 poem In Memoriam AHH, which was much admired by Queen Victoria, as it comfort following the death of Prince Albert.
In Doctor Who Confidential (episode Fear Factor), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Brotherhood of the Wolf were cited by Euros Lyn as the inspiration for fighting style of the warrior monks.

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

The working titles for this episode was Queen Victoria and Empire of the Wolf.
Torchwood is founded in this story; thanks to Queen Victoria's disapproval of the Time Lord's way of life, they mistakenly mark the Doctor as a threat, despite his helping humanity.
Rose tries to get Queen Victoria to say, "We are not amused"; however, she ends up saying, "I am not amused". The Doctor and Rose are still delighted, however.
The BBC Website gives this story a Fear Factor of 5 (Terrifying).
The comic story Tooth and Claw was also the name of a story in the Doctor Who comic strip published in Doctor Who Magazine. The story ran from DWM #257 to #260, was written by Alan Barnes and drawn by Martin Geraghty and Robin Smith.
David Tennant uses his natural Scottish accent at various points in this episode, the only time in the series that he does so.
The Latin phrase Father Angelo chants when staring at the full moon is "Lupus magnus est, lupus fortis est, lupus deus est." This translates as "The wolf is great, the wolf is strong, the wolf is God."
Pauline Collins last appeared in Doctor Who nearly forty years earlier as Samantha Briggs in The Faceless Ones. She was originally intended to become a full-time companion but it was an offer that Collins declined.
- According to David Tennant on the DVD commentary for The Idiot's Lantern, Collins held the record for the greatest length of time between appearances on Doctor Who, narrowly edging Margaret John. This has since been eclipsed by Arthur Cox, who had 42 years between playing Cully in 1968's The Dominators and Mr Henderson in 2010's The Eleventh Hour; Donald Sumpter, who had 43 years between playing Ridgeway in 1972's The Sea Devils and Rassilon in 2015's Hell Bent; Ysanne Churchman, whose reappearance as Alpha Centauri in Empress of Mars came 43 years after her last, in 1974's Planet of the Spiders, as the voice of one of the Eight Legs; and William Russell, whose cameo as Ian Chesterton in 2022's The Power of the Doctor came fifty-seven years after his previous appearance in 1965's The Chase (which is also the longest gap between appearances for an actor in any television series, according to Guinness World Records).
Michelle Duncan and Jamie Sives were unable to attend the readthrough for this story, and their parts were read by David Tennant's parents Sandy McDonald and Helen McDonald, who happened to be visiting the Doctor Who set at the time. Tennant told reporters at the series' press launch, "Because it's set in Scotland they were delighted to be asked to read in. My Mum played Lady Isobel and my Dad played Captain Reynolds, and they were in seventh heaven. And they were genuinely cheesed off when they didn't get asked to play the parts for real! I was like 'chill-out Mum and Dad, back in your box!'"
The Doctor identifies himself as "Doctor James McCrimmon of the township of Balamory" – Balamory is the setting of a CBeebies television program which, although designed for pre-school children, has gained a cult following in the UK. This town, however, is not entirely fictional – the children's TV show is filmed in a village called Tobermory on the Isle of Mull. And oddly enough Queen Victoria would usually take up residence in a town called Balmoral. Jamie McCrimmon, of course, was a companion of the Second Doctor.
In the same conversation, the Doctor holds up his psychic paper and states, "As you can see, a doctorate from the University of Edinburgh. I trained under Dr Bell, himself." Dr Joseph Bell (1837–1911) was a real-life lecturer at the University of Edinburgh. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who served as his clerk starting in 1877, is said to have loosely based Sherlock Holmes on Dr Bell.
This episode introduces a recurring joke in which the Doctor, aghast at his companions' awful attempts at adopting local accents, quietly hushes them with a "Don't do that." Martha Jones gets the same treatment in The Shakespeare Code and The Infinite Quest, while Donna Noble is on the receiving end in The Unicorn and the Wasp and Midnight, although the latter example is not intended to be humorous.
Script editor Simon Winstone has said that mistletoe is not indigenous to Scotland, and therefore its heavy presence in this story is supposed to further alert knowledgeable viewers that Sir Robert's father had deliberately imported it as a defence against the wolf.^[1]
The werewolf's defeat follows an old philosophy: "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger; however, what makes you stronger can also kill you."
At one point during filming, Billie Piper's hair caught fire.
The werewolf in this story is computer-generated. Pauline Collins stated in a BBC press release that there were two performance artists who demonstrated the movements that the werewolf would do and talked about the problems of overacting in a situation where one was simply reacting to a green screen.
The scene of Queen Victoria banishing the Doctor and Rose was originally followed by a cut portion which had the pair solemnly addressing each other by their newly-bestowed titles of "Sir Doctor" and "Dame Rose", before breaking into laughter and sprinting away together from Torchwood House.
According to the accompanying episode commentary, Tom Smith, who played the Host, attended drama school with David Tennant.
When Sir Robert offers to precede the Queen out of the window, she calls him "my Sir Walter Raleigh". Derek Riddell had played Raleigh in the BBC drama The Virgin Queen, screened earlier in the year. The script originally had Victoria refer to Sir Francis Drake, until Riddell pointed out that this would have been incorrect for the reference the Queen was making.
Initially, the Doctor and Rose were both supposed to fake Scottish accents, and then forget to use them when the action started. Billie Piper's terrible Scottish accent put an end to that.
At one point, Russell T Davies contemplated surprising the viewers by having the werewolf kill Queen Victoria. This would then be the event which would cause the creation of the parallel universe to which the TARDIS would be drawn in for the season finale. However, Davies became concerned that this ongoing storyline would be too difficult for casual viewers to follow, and decided to drop the idea.
The episode was originally meant to be written by a freelance writer new to the show, who ignored Russell T Davies' requests as to what the story should involve and developed a storyline set at Buckingham Palace involving an alien insect getting in Queen Victoria's eye. This was not what the production team wanted and the storyline was rejected.
Russell T Davies initially planned for the Doctor to give his name to Queen Victoria as a Scottish equivalent of his usual "John Smith" alias. He had difficulty finding something suitable, however, and quickly came up with idea of using the pseudonym James Robert McCrimmon.
When Queen Victoria mentioned that her husband came from "Saxe-Coburg," the Doctor says: "That's Bavaria." The Duchy that Prince Albert came from was fully named Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. It was adjacent to the Kingdom of Bavaria in 1879, but not part of Bavaria. Both were parts of the German Empire.
Annette Crosbie was offered the role of Queen Victoria.
Phil Collinson suggested that a storyline about Victoria should involve her possession of the famed Koh-i-Noor diamond.
Taking a cue from the presence of ghosts in The Unquiet Dead, Russell T Davies was enamoured with the notion of having Queen Victoria encounter another iconic monster of the supernatural. He discussed the matter with The Mill, who were keen to tackle a werewolf, having already worked on such a creature for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
To translate the incantation spoken by Father Angelo, Russell T Davies sought the assistance of his father, Vivian, who had been a Latin teacher.
Russell T Davies was careful to structure his script so that the werewolf animation would not overburden The Mill; this was a lesson learned from 2005's The End of the World, when the constraints imposed by the computer-animated Cassandra had forced Davies to make a number of last-minute changes to the script.
Mackeson and Ramsay, the soldiers who fetched the Koh-i-Noor from Victoria's carriage, were the surnames of the men who actually transported the diamond from the Indian subcontinent.
The episode was initially scheduled as part of the second season's first recording block. However, it was soon recognised that the logistics of making School Reunion demanded that it be filmed as early as possible. To this end, Tooth and Claw was pushed back to Block Two, which had the additional benefit of affording Russell T Davies more time to work on the script. As such, it was paired with The Girl in the Fireplace. Lady Isobel's perspective of the monks outside Torchwood House was filmed during the production of that episode.
David Tennant thoroughly enjoyed making the episode, relishing the opportunity to speak with his natural Scottish accent -- although he had become so used to portraying the Doctor with English inflections that he found it difficult at times to remember to break the habit!
There was some consideration to having this be the season premiere, due to the production difficulties suffered by New Earth. However, there was some concern that the werewolf adventure was too dark for a season premiere, as well as a wariness about provoking too many changes to the already-troubled New Earth.
Pauline Collins stated in a BBC press release that there were two performance artists who demonstrated the movements that the werewolf would do and talked about the problems of overacting in a situation where one was simply reacting to a green screen.

Ratings[[edit] | [edit source]]

9.24 million viewers (UK final)^[2]

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

Treowen House in Dingestow, Wales, was a site of filming for this episode, representing Torchwood House in the Scottish Highlands.
Penilyn Castle, Cowbridge
Gelligaer Common, Nythyr
Craig-y-Nos, Pen y Cae
Headlands School, Penarth
Llansannor Court, Vale of Glamorgan
Tredegar House, Newport
Dyffryn Gardens, Vale of Glamorgan

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.

During the wide shot of the Queen's Carriage and guard, taken as they begin to head towards to Torchwood Estate, the TARDIS isn't in the shot like it should be.
The cloak the Host was wearing disappears after he transforms into the Werewolf.
When Queen Victoria is pointing her gun at Father Angelo, her arm is slightly bent but in the next shot, it is fully outstretched.
There is no explanation as to how the Werewolf gets out of the library as the Doctor closes the doors when they run out and the Wolf could not get through those doors earlier due to them being coated with mistletoe oil.
In the Werewolf's POV shot as it's about to kill Rose, only she, the Doctor and some of Queen Victoria are visible in it. But within a second, Lady Isobel and the other women appear behind them so they should have been seen in the POV shot.
When Lady Isobel splashes the Werewolf with mistletoe broth, none of it lands on Rose even though she was standing between the two of them. Although she was slightly to the side, at least a few drops should have landed on her.
As the Doctor, Rose, Queen Victoria and Sir Robert are climbing the stairs to the observatory, in a close-up shot, Rose is just in front of Victoria who is moving at a fairly slow pace. But when the camera cuts to behind Victoria, she is moving a lot faster and Rose has disappeared.
When the Werewolf sets off after recovering from being splashed with mistletoe broth, the flames on the candles beside it do not flicker, despite the speed it sets off at.
As the Doctor is asking Sir Robert how they can barricade the observatory doors, Rose's position changes between shots.
When the Doctor and Rose are cranking the wheel to manoeuvre the telescope, the positions of the Doctor's hands change between shots.

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

When Rose first encounters the wolf in its human form it says it can see the wolf in her and that she "burned like the Sun". (TV: The Parting of the Ways)
Queen Victoria founds the Torchwood Institute, taking the name from the estate, with a remit to investigate paranormal events such as the werewolf, and to guard against the Doctor should he return. (TV: Bad Wolf, The Christmas Invasion, Torchwood)
The Doctor seems surprised by what appears on his psychic paper. (TV: The Empty Child)
The Doctor has previously had a group of soldiers aim their guns at him. (TV: Aliens of London, World War Three, Dalek)
The Seventh Doctor likewise foiled the plans of another alien who wanted to assassinate Queen Victoria in 1883. (TV: Ghost Light)
The Doctor takes on the name "Dr. James McCrimmon" as an alias, referencing his second incarnation's closest companion. (TV: The Highlanders to TV: The War Games, TV: The Two Doctors)
There have been several stories prior to this episode involving or featuring werewolves including: PROSE: Wolfsbane, PROSE: Kursaal, AUDIO: Loups Garoux and TV: The Greatest Show in the Galaxy.
In his first incarnation, the Doctor wished that he would be knighted, after his companion Ian Chesterton was by King Richard the Lionheart. (TV: The Crusade) Later, in his fifth incarnation, the Doctor was knighted as "Sir Doctor" - albeit by an imposter of King John. (TV: The King's Demons)
The Sixth Doctor previously met Queen Victoria's great-grandson Edward VIII in London in December 1936 (PROSE: Players) whereas the Tenth Doctor would later meet her son and eventual successor Edward VII in Scotland in 1902. (PROSE: Revenge of the Judoon)
Prince Albert died in December 1861. (PROSE: The Lampblack Wars)
The Doctor asks if he's being rude again. (TV: The Christmas Invasion)
During his third incarnation, the Doctor revealed that he was present at Queen Victoria's coronation in 1838. She apparently either does not remember this or did not meet him in person at that time. He also would have been a different incarnation (one of the first three), so she would likely not have realised it was the same man. (TV: The Curse of Peladon)
Jackie Tyler had previously said that Rose and the Doctor, then in his ninth incarnation, should be knighted for their world saving efforts. (TV: World War Three)
Sir Robert would be among those remembered when Davros asked the Doctor: "How many have died in your name? (TV: Journey's End)
Rose had previously asked the Ninth Doctor, flippantly, if werewolves were real, after their encounter with the Great Vampires. (COMIC: Monstrous Beauty)

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

The Complete David Tennant Years DVD
Region 1 US cover
The Complete Series Two DVD box-set
Series 2 Volume 2 DVD Cover
Doctor Who: The Complete Series One to Four DVD box-set
Doctor Who: The Complete Series One to Seven DVD box-set

This episode was released as a "vanilla" DVD with School Reunion and The Girl in the Fireplace.
It was also released as part of the Series 2 boxed set.
This story was also released with Issue 8 of the Doctor Who DVD Files.

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Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

↑ Both Children of Earth: Day Two and The Whoniverse place Torchwood House in rural Aberdeenshire.

Sources[[edit] | [edit source]]

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 PCOM: Tooth and Claw
↑ Doctor Who - consolidated ratings

[1] Both Children of Earth: Day Two and The Whoniverse place Torchwood House in rural Aberdeenshire.

[PCOM-2] 1.0 ^1.1 PCOM: Tooth and Claw

[3] Doctor Who - consolidated ratings

[nb 1]

[1]

[2]

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Synopsis[[edit] | [edit source]]

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]