A Christmas Carol (TV story)

A Christmas Carol
Doctor:	[[doctor::Eleventh Doctor]]
Companion(s):	Amy Pond Rory Williams Kazran Sardick (guest) Abigail Pettigrew (guest)
Main enemy:	Kazran Sardick (redeems himself)
Main setting:	Sardicktown, 44th century
Key crew
Writer:	Steven Moffat
Director:	Toby Haynes
Producer:	Steven Moffat
Release details
Story number:	213
Release number:	Series 6
Premiere broadcast:	25th December, 2010 (UK) 25th December 2010 (United States) 26th December 2010 (Australia)
Format:	60 minutes

A Christmas Carol is the 2010 Doctor Who special. The first footage from this special was screened on 19th November in the form of a trailer as part of the BBC's Children in Need. It aired at 6pm, on the 25th of December 2010.

Synopsis

Amy and Rory are trapped on a crashing space liner, and the only way the Doctor can rescue them is to save the soul of a lonely old miser. But is Kazran Sardick, the richest man in Sardicktown, beyond redemption? And what is lurking in the fogs of Christmas Eve?

Plot

Amy and Rory are honeymooning on a spaceship that is beginning to plunge towards an unknown planet below. The newlyweds rush to the deck of the spaceship to see if they can help. As they get closer to the planet the crew of the ship notice a small object berthing the ship. As the TARDIS comes into view the message "Come Along Pond" is beamed onto the ship.

The Doctor enters Kazran Sardict's house via the chimney. Kazran is the unelected ruler of Sardicktown and is a heartless man. He runs a business in loansharking and uses the frozen bodies of family members as security. He also runs a sideline in controlling the clouds which are consisted of clouds and fog with an unnaturally high proportion of water - which allows fish to swim amongst it. It is in this water and ice based cloud cover that the ship is caught in. The first time we meet him a family is pleading with him to allow one of these bodies to be thawed out to enjoy Christmas. He rejects this. Angrily the young son throws a chunk of coal at Sardick's head. Sardick goes to strike the boy but doesn't. The Doctor tries to persuade Kazran to open the skies by using his Isomorphic controls. Kazran says no saying he doesn't care if they live or die and the Doctor is thrown out . He talks to Amy and sees some small Fog Fish around a lamp.

File:It's nearly a Dolphin.jpg

The Doctor, Abigail and Kazran.

Kazran is asleep, dreaming of when he was twelve, making a video project of the Fog Fish. Kazran wakes to find that his video is being projected onto a wall; on the video Kazran's father comes in and strikes him as he has previously disobeyed him from researching the fish. The Doctor comes from behind adult Kazran and asks if he ever saw the fish, (at this point young Kazran on the video is crying). Kazran says that this day was the day when he first began to realise that there was no one that would ever help him and that he was on his own in the world. The Doctor says he can change the past. Kazran laughs this off as impossible The Doctor leaves the room promising Kazran that he will be back - "way back."The sound of the TARDIS is heard and young Kazran on the video looks around; the Doctor appears on the video. The Doctor jumps around the room explaining that he is Kazran's new babysitter . Adult Kazran protests to himself that this didn't happen. Young Kazran is confused but the Doctor enters Kazran's wardrobe talking of a creature called a Face Spider which climbs up the backs of wardrobes. The Doctor asks the young Kazran why he is interested in fish to which he respons that it is due to the danger. The Doctor then says that he should face this danger,

Young Kazran and the Doctor are in the wardrobe holding some string which is attached to the Sonic Screwdriver which they are using as bait for the fish. A few minutes later, The Doctor opens the door to see a small fish,. He walks out, leaving Kazran in the wardrobe. Adult Kazran, still watching the video, remembers what happened and says "Don't go out!". The Doctor looks at the fish, figures out how they survive in fog just at that moment a shark flies in at swallows the fish and the Sonic Screwdriver. .

Cast

• The Doctor - Matt Smith
• Amy Pond - Karen Gillan
• Rory Williams - Arthur Darvill
• Kazran Sardick / Elliot Sardick - Michael Gambon
• Abigail Pettigrew - Katherine Jenkins
• The Captain - Pooky Quesnel
• Middle Kazran - Danny Horn
• Young Kazran- Laurence Belcher
• Co-Pilot - Micah Balfour
• Eric -Nick Malinowski
• Older Benjamin -Steve North
• Chief Servant - Tim Plester
• Isabella -Laura Rogers
• Pilot - Leo Bill
• Boy - Bailey Pepper
• Benjamin - Bailey Pepper
• Old Isabella - Meg Wynn-Owen

Crew

Executive Producers   Piers Wenger, Beth Willis and Steven Moffat

General production staff Production Executive - Julie Scott Line Producer - Diana Barton Location Manager - Iwan Roberts Unit Manager - Rhys Griffiths Production Co-ordinator - Claire Hildred Assistant Production Co-ordinator - Helen Blyth Production Assistant - Charlie Coombes Production Secretary - Scott Handcock Production Accountant - Dyfed Thomas A/Production Accountant - Rhys Evans Script department Script Executive - Lindsey Alford Camera and lighting department 1st Assistant Director - Mick Pantaleo 2nd Assistant Director - James DeHaviland 3rd Assistant Director - Heddi-Joy Taylor-Welch Assistant Directors - Janine H. Jones, Michael Curtis Script Supervisor - Phillip Trow Camera Operator - Robert Arrowsmith Focus Pullers - Steve Rees, Simon Walton Grip - Gary Norman Camera Assistants - Simon Ridge, Svetlana Miko Boom Operator - Laura Coates Gaffer - Mark Hutchings Best Boy - Pete Chester Electricians - Ben Griffiths, Gareth Sheldon, Bob Milton, Peter Scott	Art department Art Director - Stephen Nicholas Production Buyer - Ben Morris Petty Cash Buyer - Kate Wilson Set Decorator - Julian Luxton Storyboard Artist - Rod Knipping Concept Artist - Richard Shaun Williams Graphic Artist - Christina Tom Standby Props - Silas Williams, Katherine Archer Standby Carpenter - Justin Williams Standby Art Director - Ciaran Thompson Standby Rigger - Bryan Griffiths Standby Painter - Helen Atherton Store Person - Jayne Davies Props Master - Paul Aitken Props Chargehand - Rhys Jones Dressing Props - Stuart Mackay, Kristian Wilsher Props Driver - Medard Mankos Props Makers - Penny Howarth, Nicholas Robato Construction Manager - Matthew Hywel-Davies Construction Chargehand - Scott Fisher Practical Electrician - Albert James Graphics - BBC Wales Graphics Costume department Costume Supervisor - Bobbie Peach Assistant Costume Designer - Samantha Keeble Costume Assistants - Jason Gill, Yasemin Kascioglu	Make-up and prosthetics Make-up Supervisor - Pam Mullins Make-up Artists - Allison Sing, Vivienne Simpson Prosthetics - Millennium FX Movement Stunt Co-ordinator - Crispin Layfield Stunt Performer - Gordon Seed Casting Casting Associate - Alice Purser General post-production staff Post-production Supervisor - Nerys Davies Post-production Co-ordinator - Marie Brown Assistant Editor - Becky Trotman On-line Conform - Mark Bright Special and visual effects Visual FX Producer - Beewan Athwal VFX Editor - Cat Gregory Senior Visual Effects Artist - Craig Higgins Colourist - Mick Vincent Model Maker - Julia Jones Sound Sound Recordist - Bryn Thomas Dubbing Mixer - Tim Ricketts Sound Maintenance Engineer - Dafydd Parry Sound Supervisor - Paul McFadden Sound Effects Editor - Paul Jefferies Sound Editor - Doug Sinclair Foley Editor - Jamie Talbutt

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.
This episode marked the Doctor Who debut of production designer, Michael Pickwoad, the BBC Wales debut of costume designer, Barbara Kidd, and the first time that something like 20 team members had been credited for their work on Doctor Who. It was the biggest sea change of behind-the-scenes personnel in BBC Wales history, much bigger, in fact, than the changes that had occurred with The Eleventh Hour.  In CON: Charlie McDonnell - Runner, Janine H. Jones was described as a runner, and even depicted as delivering tea to cast and crew. However, she's credited here as an "assistant director", albeit lower than the 3rd AD, which does still essentially mean that she was a runner.  This is the first episode of the BBC Wales series in which the title "Script Editor" is not used. Instead, the same job is credited as "Script Executive" here.

References

• The end of Abigail's Song features the repeated line "Silence will fall all around".

Story notes

• A Christmas Carol is loosely based on the Charles Dickens novel of the same name, with Kazran Sardick being Ebenezer Scrooge, the Doctor being the Ghost Of Christmas Past and Future and Amy being the Ghost of Christmas Present
• The interior design and look of the crashing space liner is very similar to the style of the Starfleet ships from the most recent Star Trek film, with a similar layout (though more compact) and touchscreen controls. There is also moderate use of lens flares during the scenes on the ship, which also was seen during the interior shots of the various ships in Star Trek as well.
• This is the first story to feature Arthur Darvill's name in the opening titles.
• This is the first Christmas special since The Christmas Invasion to feature the Doctor's regular companions.
• Paul Cornell's short story "The Hopes and Fears of All the Years" likewise features the Doctor visiting an individual every year at Christmas time (though in that case on Christmas Day, not Christmas Eve) by virtue of time travel. Both stories also involve the Doctor arriving on the scene by coming down the chimney.
• This is the first Christmas special not to feature David Tennant and the first one not to be written by Russell T Davies. It is the first one to be written by Steven Moffat and, with the exception of a very brief cameo at the end of The End of Time, the first to feature Matt Smith as The Doctor.
• The shark, despite being a female, was named "Clive" behind the scenes.
• Murray Gold continues his theme of having a special song for the Christmas Specials.

Ratings

10,3 millions (Overnight)

TBA millions (BARB)

Myths

• Fans believed that Rory would be the Ghost of Christmas Future. This was false, as the Doctor served as Ghost of Christmas Future (but to a younger Kazran).
• It was rumoured that the shark would be the main antagonist, and that its attack was what caused the ship to crash and was hunting the Doctor due to sensing his Time Lord scent.

Filming locations

to be added

Production errors

If you'd like to talk about narrative problems with this story — like plot holes and things that seem to contradict other stories — please go to this episode's discontinuity discussion.

• When the two Kazrans touch, this should result in adverse effects due to the Blinovitch Limitation Effect.

Continuity

• Amy says "Don't be late, Doctor, just this once." (DW: The Eleventh Hour)
• The Doctor sends a message to Amy saying "Come Along Pond" (DW: The Big Bang)
• The Doctor attempts and fails to perform card tricks. (DW: Robot, Rose)
• The Doctor produces a photograph of himself with Albert Einstein. It was previously suggested in DW: Time and the Rani that the two were friends.
• While in the honeymoon suite, Amy wears an outfit similar to her policewoman kissogram garb, and Rory wears a Roman Centurion's outfit, just like the one worn by his Auton self. The two claim that they've gotten used to the outfits. (DW: The Eleventh Hour, The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang)\
• The Doctor is seen, once again, in a Fez, this time in a photo, and one time when unfreezing Abigail. (DW: The Big Bang)
• During one of his visits to Abigail, the Doctor wears a scarf, similar to the one worn by his fourth incarnation.
• The Doctor has previously observed and attempted to use devices with isomorphic controls to no avail, a notable example being The Master's Laser Screwdriver. (DW: Last of the Time Lords)
• Abigail saying she cannot enter her home before seeing the Doctor within closely resembles the Doctor telling Amy not to interfere before she sees him doing so. (DW: The Beast Below)
• The Captain claims that "Christmas is CANCELLED!" (DW: The End of Time)

Timeline

to be added

DVD release

This story will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on 24th January 2011 in UK markets and 15th February 2011 in North American markets.

See also

to be added

External links

to be added