The Woman Who Lived (TV story)

The Woman Who Lived
Doctor:	Twelfth Doctor
Companion(s):	Lady Me
Featuring:	Clara
Main enemy:	Leandro
Main setting:	London, England, 1651
Key crew
Writer:	Catherine Tregenna
Director:	Ed Bazalgette
Producer:	Derek Ritchie
Release details
Story number:	256
Premiere broadcast:	24 October 2015
Premiere network:	BBC One
Format:	1x45 minute episode
Doctor Who television stories
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Next →	TBA
Production order
← Previous	The Girl Who Died
Next →	TBA

The Woman Who Lived was the sixth episode of the ninth series of Doctor Who produced by BBC Wales. It was the 100th story of Doctor Who since its revival in 2005. It featured the return of Ashildr, now going by the name "Me," after her introduction in the previous episode. The episode explored the darker aspects of immortality -- the relativity of time and the short period of human lives being a focus. Despite being a continuation of the story started in The Girl Who Died, the stories were not a two-parter, having different writers, settings and tone.

Much like the Fourth Doctor adventure, The Deadly Assassin, the Doctor is without a true companion for this story; however, unlike that story, the Doctor was simply on his own due to this companion being on a break from travelling, rather than being left behind in the preceeding story.

This story, like The Unquiet Dead, had aliens with hostile intentions lie to the Doctor and his allies about seeking peaceful refuge.

This episode was also the first since The Poison Sky in 2008 to be written by a woman.

Synopsis

A deadly Highwayman called 'The Knightmare' roams in the dark streets in England, 1651.

He come face to face with the Doctor when he finds an unearthly element that the Time Lord wants too.

Who's the Knightmare's sidekick? And can the Doctor protect the Earth from an enemy that has secret intentions?

Plot

The Knightmare stopped a carriage, and held the owners at gunpoint, asking for an amulet. Soon after, The Doctor came, and his devices showed him the chest on the back of the carriage contained the amulet. However, the carriage quickly went in escape. The Doctor initially didn't recognise The Knightmare, but did so after she removed her mask and reverted to her original voice.

The two went back to her mansion, where Ashildr repeatedly asked to be The Doctor's companion, but he refused repeatedly. She also stated how her name was now 'Me', and that her humanity had been "run dry". They decided that they were looking for the same prize, and they stole it from Fanshawe house.

After his amulet had been retrieved from the Fanshawe house, Leandro revealed himself to the Doctor, who discovered that in order to reach another world through the doorway the amulet would conjure, a death was required.

At Tyburn, a man named Sam Swift was to be executed. Both Ashildr and Leandro were in attendance. The Doctor used his psychic Paper to pardon him, but Ashildr used Leandro's amulet to kill Sam Swift anyways and open a portal; this revealed an army of Leonians was alive and ready to invade Earth from Delta Leonis. His lie discovered, Leandro admitted that he had tricked Ashildr, but when she used a Mire medical kit she had in her possession to reverse the death of Sam Swift, the portal she had opened was closed. For failing in his mission to keep the portal open so his people could invade, Leandro was killed.

Cast

• The Doctor - Peter Capaldi
• Clara - Jenna Coleman
• Me - Maisie Williams
• Sam Swift - Rufus Hound
• Coachman - Gareth Berliner
• Lucie Fanshawe - Elisabeth Hopper
• Mr Fanshawe - John Voce
• Clayton - Struan Rodger
• Pikeman Lloyd Llewelyn - Gruffudd Glyn
• Pikeman William Stout - Reuben Johnson
• Leandro - Ariyon Bakare
• Crowd 1 - Daniel Fearn
• Crowd 2 - Karen Seacombe
• Hangman - John Hales
• Voice of the Knightmare - Will Brown

Crew

Executive Producers   Steven Moffat and Brian Minchin

Written by Catherine Tregenna	Produced by Derek Ritchie	Directed by Ed Bazalgette	Production Designer Michael Pickwoad
Casting Director Andy Pryor CDG	Music Murray Gold	Special Effects Real SFX
Original theme music by Ron Grainer  •  With thanks to the BBC National Orchestra of Wales

General production staff Script department Camera and lighting department	Art department Costume department	Make-up and prosthetics General post-production staff Special and visual effects Sound Dubbing Mixer - Tim Ricketts

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.

References

• The Doctor recalls traveling with Jack Harkness, and suggests that Lady Me will run into him someday.
• The phrase "Stand and Deliver" is used by the highwaymen in this episode. This phrased was actually used in real life as well.
• The Doctor compares Lady Me to Zorro, a character created by real-life author Johnston McCully.
• The Doctor compares Leandro to "Lenny the Lion", a charcater created by real-life creator Terry Hall.
• The Doctor wonders if the Great Scotland Yard has been invented yet. It was formed in the real-life year 1829.

Story notes

• This marks the first full length Twelfth Doctor story to feature Clara Oswald in a lesser role, only appearing at the end.

Ratings

• BBC One: 4.34 million

Filming locations

to be added

Production errors

to be added

Continuity

• The Doctor mentions how the Terileptils started the Great Fire of London. (TV: The Visitation)
• The Doctor also refers to Jack Harkness and his immortality. (TV: Everything Changes, et al)
• Clara wears her silver bird necklace. (TV: The Bells of Saint John).
• Clara is not with the Doctor because she is taking her Year Seven students to taekwondo. Clara previously told the Doctor she had been taking taekwondo lessons. (TV: Robot of Sherwood)
• The Doctor helps Clara's students meet Winston Churchill off-screen. The Eleventh Doctor has previously met Churchill. (TV: Victory of the Daleks)
• The Doctor says he is against bantering. (TV: Robot of Sherwood)
• The Doctor plays his guitar. (TV: Before the Flood, The Magician's Apprentice)
• Me asks the Doctor how many companions has he lost. (TV: Earthshock, AUDIO: Absolution, To the Death, et al.)
• The Void is opened. (TV: Doomsday)
• Me mentions being present at the Battle of Agincourt. The Fourth Doctor previously mentioned to his companion Leela she would have loved Agincourt. (TV: The Talons of Weng-Chiang)
• The Doctor demonstrates he is a skilled horse rider. (TV: The Masque of Mandragora)
• Clara mentions to the Doctor that she "isn't going anywhere". Previous companion Rose Tyler had also said this to the Doctor. (TV: Army of Ghosts).

Home video releases

DVD releases

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Blu-ray releases

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External links

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