The Night of the Doctor (TV story)

The Night of the Doctor
Doctor:	Eighth Doctor
Main setting:	Karn
Key crew
Writer:	Steven Moffat
Director:	John Hayes
Producer:	Denise Paul
Release details
Premiere broadcast:	14 November 2013
Format:	7-minute minisode

The Night of the Doctor was a prequel to the 50th anniversary special. It saw the second on-screen appearance of Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor, his first being the tele-film of 1996. After seventeen long years of absence, it tied up the final chapter of his life, which had evolved into one of the longest and most debated unanswered questions of Doctor Who. The story depicted McGann's regeneration into the so-called "War Doctor", his true ninth incarnation, who chose to reject his namesake to become a warrior. Additionally, this new incarnation was shown to have been born at a younger age, before withering into an older and tired man, as he was shown to be in TV: The Name of the Doctor. Of similar importance was the notion that the Time Lords had become collectively hated during the Time War by the individuals who had suffered from their actions, and the pain it caused for the Doctor.

This story was also very significant in that it forever removed the suggestion that the Eighth Doctor had regenerated directly into the Ninth Doctor, portrayed by Christopher Eccleston at the relaunch of the series in 2005. It also paid tribute to the Eighth Doctor's companions across his many adventures in the Big Finish audio dramas and novelised journeys. Finally, it marked the return of the Sisterhood of Karn and related elements last seen in 1976, 37 years later.

It was uploaded to the BBC's YouTube channel on the 14 November 2013 and will be available for UK viewers via the BBC Red Button beginning on Saturday 16 November at several times throughout the week until 23 November.

Synopsis

On the eve of his most terrible battle, the Time Lord is faced with a choice that will change the course of his life. The darkest of days are about to begin. The Doctor has always been a man of secrets - and now they can be told...

Plot

A woman, named Cass, is seen in a damaged spaceship on the verge of crashing. The ship's computer offers to call for a "doctor" upon being asked for support, but Cass responds that she doesn't need one because she's not injured. Behind her ship, the Doctor's TARDIS is seen closing in on it. Inside, Cass continues to tell the ship that she is trying to send a distress call, and doesn't need a doctor. Suddenly, the Eighth Doctor appears, stating that he is a doctor, but probably not the one she was expecting. The Doctor notices that the ship's crew is missing and wonders why Cass is still aboard. She explains that she teleported the crew off the ship and stayed behind. The Doctor then offers to take her away and make her his companion. She accepts and they head for his TARDIS. As the Doctor is trying to open the doors to the room where the TARDIS is parked, Cass says she joined the crew to see the universe. She wonders if it is always like this. He finally opens the doors with his sonic screwdriver. Seeing the TARDIS, the Doctor reassures Cass that it's bigger on the inside. Cass is horrified, and correctly identifies it to be a TARDIS. She realises that the Doctor is a Time Lord, a species taking part in the Time War. The Doctor counters that he hasn't participated in the conflict, but this fails to assuage Cass. When he points out that at least he's not a Dalek, she replies that one can hardly tell the difference anymore. Cass then locks the doors with the Doctor inside and her on the outside. The Doctor states that he won't leave the ship without her, but Cass replies that she doesn't mind; she would rather die than travel with a Time Lord.

File:Night of the Doctor 3.jpg

The Eighth Doctor regenerates.

The ship crashes on the planet Karn, where the Sisterhood of Karn have been expecting the Doctor. Finding his dead body in the wreckage, they bring him back to life using the Elixir of Life, albeit briefly. As he regains consciousness, the woman named Ohila tells him he has four minutes to live. Her cult has several potions which can begin a Time Lord's regeneration process. They say they have perfected Time Lord science, and the potions will allow him to determine what his new incarnation will be like. The Doctor soon comes to recognise the Cult as the Sisterhood of Karn, which they confirm. They tell the Doctor he is the only hope to stop the Time War, stating that all of reality is at threat. The Doctor resists the idea of fighting. They state that since he is a doctor, he should attend his patient. They bring in Cass, who appears to have died from the crash. They say she is beyond even their healing powers. The Doctor grieves that she wanted to see the universe. Ohila claims that she didn't miss much. She tells him that he is part of the Time War already, like it or not. He says he would rather die than join the Time War, to which Ohila brings up that he is already dead. Many more could die if he does not become part of the war.

"Doctor no more."

Succumbing to their persuasion, the Doctor takes hold of a strap he took from Cass. He tells them to, "Make me a warrior now". Ohila offers one of the drinks which she developed herself. The Doctor takes it, and yells at them all to get out. As they leave, he asks if it will hurt. Ohila simply replies "Yes." The Doctor is glad. He salutes his eighth incarnation's companions and friends, and apologises to Cass. He drinks the potion and begins to regenerate into his next incarnation. Ohila wonders if it works, as the new incarnation gets to his feet, buckles on the strap and claims "Doctor No More."

Cast

• The Doctor - Paul McGann
• Cass - Emma Campbell-Jones
• Ohila - Clare Higgins
• The War Doctor- John Hurt

Crew

• Writer - Steven Moffat
• Director - John Hayes
• Producer - Denise Paul

References

• The Eighth Doctor's last words, "Physician, heal thyself", quote the proverb found in Luke 4:23 of the Bible.

Story notes

• Paul McGann is not wearing the costume used in Big Finish Productions which was first seen on the cover and publicity material for Dark Eyes audio anthology. Instead, he is wearing clothing similar to his original attire while sporting the short haircut from his more recent appearances, with a more disheveled appearance and a different coloured, loosely-worn cravat. It is possible this was done to avoid confusing audiences who only identified with his telemovie appearance. Additionally, the sonic screwdriver he is using is his original one last seen in use during his seventh incarnation, and not the new one he began to use by the time of AUDIO: Dark Eyes.
• This is the first time in which the revived series has directly referenced original characters from the Big Finish audio dramas.
• The Doctor is told he has a little under four minutes left at approximately the 3-minute mark, with 4 minutes left to the minisode.
• The Doctor mentions his companions Charley, C'rizz, Lucie, Tamsin and Molly, all from Big Finish audio productions, marking the first time any have been referenced on film.
• The BBC initially promoted this episode with the teaser that the audience would be shown either the Tenth Doctor, Eleventh Doctor, or the new unspecified incarnation. While this was indeed true, as it did feature the unspecified incarnation, it was a red herring to hide the surprise return of Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor, and to lead into the secondary reveal of the true ninth incarnation. This was proudly jabbed at by the Eighth Doctor's line, "I'm a doctor, but probably not the one you were expecting."
• Paul McGann spent several months on his Twitter account bombarded with questions from eager fans of the 50th anniversary special asking of his involvement. Paul consistently denied these claims, and instead said that he hoped to be in the sixtieth anniversary, eventually posting a picture of St Paul's Cathedral to mock the incessant tweets. Surely enough, Paul's involvement was concentrated to this minisode, and not the 50th itself, and he had been only telling the partial truth.
• This webcast was released online on the 14 of november 2013, on McGann's 54th birthday.

Production errors

• Before the Doctor arrives on the ship, you can see the St John's Ambulance logo on the TARDIS. When you see the TARDIS parked (when the Doctor was going to take Cass), the logo is gone.

Continuity

• The Eighth Doctor's last visit to Karn was in AUDIO: The Vengeance of Morbius.
• Since making his decision about the war in PROSE: Museum Peace, the Doctor has decided not to fight but help out where he can.
• The Sisterhood of Karn last appeared onscreen in the Fourth Doctor story TV: The Brain of Morbius.
• Cass is shown wearing the bandolier that the Time War incarnation of the Doctor would don as part of his attire. The Eighth Doctor is shown to pick it up and strap it across his chest upon regenerating.

Footnotes