Hell Bent (TV story)

Hell Bent
Script release:	online here
Doctor:	Twelfth Doctor
Companion(s):	Clara
Featuring:	Me, Ohila
Main setting:	Gallifrey, the far future; Clara Oswald's TARDIS Nevada, USA
Key crew
Writer:	Steven Moffat
Director:	Rachel Talalay
Producer:	Peter Bennett
Release details
Story number:	260b
Premiere broadcast:	5 December 2015
Premiere network:	BBC One
Format:	1x60 minute episode
Official trailer
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Memorable moment
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Behind the scenes video
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More behind the scenes stuff
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Doctor Who television stories
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Next →	The Husbands of River Song
Production order
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Next →	The Husbands of River Song

Hell Bent was the twelfth episode of the ninth series of Doctor Who produced by BBC Wales and is the second half of its two-part finale.

It was the final regular appearance of Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald. Although Clara met her demise in Face the Raven, the Twelfth Doctor arranged for her to be extracted from time using Time Lord technology; Clara would remain conscious of everything happening around her, leaving her alive but no longer affected by physical qualities such as breathing, heartbeat or even ageing.

It featured the return of the Time Lords, who were last seen in The Day of the Doctor, and had given the Eleventh Doctor new regenerations off screen in The Time of the Doctor. Among them was Rassilon, now in a new incarnation after his previous body was last seen being attacked by the Saxon Master in The End of Time. Rassilon was banished from Gallifrey, along with the High Council, after losing the allegiance of his race for his cruelty to the Doctor and his role as one of the driving forces of the Last Great Time War. He was also deposed as Lord President, with the Doctor briefly assuming it in his place. Also returning was the General, who regenerated and was revealed to be a usually-female Time Lady who had assumed a male incarnation, marking the first instance of an on-screen regeneration where a Time Lord changed genders, as well as being a rare on-screen instance of a Time Lord also changing skin colour.

The story may have been used to make viewers come to hate the Time Lords for their supreme arrogance just like the Doctor does. They were behind the whole frame job in Face the Raven, to lure the Doctor in and trap him in his confession dial to see if he knew about the Hybrid; due to the unnecessary subterfuge, they were indirectly responsible for killing Clara.

Ohila and the Sisterhood of Karn also reappeared, wherein Ohila was hinted to have a greater personal history with the Doctor that may have gone back to his earlier days. Me, also known as Ashildr, made another appearance as well, having persisted to the final moments of time. She eventually ended up in possession of a TARDIS which the Doctor stole, and began travelling with Clara, who was not ready to return to Gallifrey and face her end.Hell Bent ended up being full circle for both the Doctor and Clara. For the Doctor, he was once again running away in his TARDIS. For Clara, she was now time-travelling again, aboard a stolen TARDIS with an original control room layout similar to the one which the First Doctor stole, with Ashildr, another long-lived being, as her companion. They were unable to get the chameleon circuit on this TARDIS working properly, leaving its exterior stuck in the form of an American diner which the Doctor had visited in The Impossible Astronaut. The story also saw the return of the sonic screwdriver, a brand new model to replace the model seen between The Eleventh Hour and its retirement in The Magician's Apprentice / The Witch's Familiar.

This story depicted the Doctor reaching his limit, seeing him break his own moral codes, step away from being the Doctor and unleash his fury on the Time Lords in an attempt to save his companion's life, which came with the price of losing his memories of Clara as atonement for what he had done. Additionally, several facts about his past before fleeing Gallifrey and prophecies of the Hybrid were revealed, though who or what the Hybrid was remained uncertain.

Synopsis

After being tortured for billions of years within his own confession dial, the Doctor has been pushed to the brink of madness. Returning to Gallifrey, he must face his own people, the Time Lords, but how far will he go in his quest for vengeance? Does he have another confession? And how fiercely does his rage towards them for causing Clara's death burn?

Plot

In the Nevada desert, the Twelfth Doctor walks into a diner and is greeted by a waitress who looks and sounds exactly like Clara Oswald. Having no money, he tells her he can play his guitar. As he starts to play her a song, she asks him if it is a sad song. He says that nothing is sad until it's over. He tells her that he thinks the song is called "Clara". The waitress asks him to tell her about this "Clara"...

Walking through the desert-like plains of Gallifrey, the Doctor arrives at the old barn where he slept in as a child and worked out how to save his home. He climbs up into its loft, seeming nostalgic as he overlooks his old bed. A woman he recognises enters the barn; with the Doctor's face blocked by a beam, she cannot tell who it is, so she asks him to leave. Walking closer, she meets his gaze, immediately realising his identity; she warns the Doctor that "they" will kill him.

In the chamber of the High Council, the Cloister Bells are ringing without end, warning of great danger. Rassilon wonders if that means the Doctor has returned; the General confirms it, radioing a guard named Gastron. Gastron has arrived via lift to the Cloisters, being advised not to approach them; he reports that Cloister Wraiths are more active. Rassilon wonders why the Doctor hasn't arrived yet. Ohila enters the chamber with two guards, annoying Rassilon that the Sisterhood of Karn would arrive uninvited; she tells him that at the end of time, one should expect the presence of immortals. Having heard that the Doctor has returned home, she came to see the resulting "fireworks".

In the meantime, the Doctor is trying to enjoy a bowl of soup, with a small crowd of Gallifreyans watching him in awe. Gastron arrives in a military craft, asking that everyone back away; they don't comply, even when he warns that its for their safety. Gastron orders the Doctor drop his weapons and come peacefully. Instead of going with Gastron, the Doctor walks up and drags his heel through the sand, drawing a line; he then resumes eating his meal, unconcerned. Watching from the Council room, Rassilon wonders what the Doctor is up to; Ohila retorts that he's just finishing his soup. The General decides they should try talking to the Doctor; words are his weapons, but when did they stop being theirs? The General and some soldiers try, failing; so does the High Council. Rassilon wonders what the Doctor is doing. Ohila then goes on to explain the Doctor doesn't blame the Time Lords for the horrors of the Time War, just Rassilon.

Finally, Rassilon himself arrives with his personal guard; the Doctor only responds with a simple "Get off my planet". Rassilon does not take kindly to the Doctor's words, demanding he come with them. However, the Doctor still refuses to comply, forcing Rassilon to order his execution; he threatens them into complying by raising his Gauntlet. In the present, the Doctor explains this to Clara as Rassilon being a "gang boss" who hates him. Rassilon turns his back to the Doctor, hiring shots be fired. He turns back around, angered and surprised that they all missed; instead they missed the Doctor, learning a burned outline of him on the barn instead. Rassilon demands explanation from Gastron, who explains that in the Time War, the first thing that was noticed about the "Doctor of War" was that he was unarmed, and that "For many it was also the last." Gastron throws his weapon and joins the Doctor, explaining that he served at Skull Moon with him. The rest of the firing squad follow suit.

Raising his Gauntlet, Rassilon demands to know how many regenerations were granted to the Doctor back on Trenzalore; he gloats that he has all night to keep killing him. More ships from the Capitol arrive, but to Rassilon's annoyance, they also side with the Doctor. Rassilon goes to gloat about his exploits, but the General forces his hand down, telling him to get off Gallifrey. Everyone has sided with the Doctor now.

Later, a shuttle is seen leaving the top of the Capitol. On a balcony, the General then explains to the Doctor that Gallifrey came back into the universe at the extreme end of the time continuum, give or take a star system or two; thus anyone banished from the planet has little choice in where to go. The General asks the new Lord President if he's gone too far, but the Doctor grimly warns that he's barely started; the High Council is next to go on a shuttle.

The Doctor demands to know why he was imprisoned within his own confession dial; it's meant to purify a Time Lord's spirit so they can be uploaded into the Matrix without regrets, not to be used as a torture chamber. The General starts to explain, but is caught lying by the Doctor a few times; seeing he can't prevent him from knowing the whole truth, the General explains in detail. All Matrix predictions foresaw the birth of a hybrid from two warrior races that will stand in the ruins of Gallifrey as it breaks millions of hearts to mend its own; the Doctor mockingly asks "what colour is is it?", pointing out "the problem with prophecies; they never tell you anything important." Ohila tells him he shouldn't be playing the part of the fool. The Doctor says he needs help; he turns down the General and Ohila, saying people with bad hats cramp his style. He needs to talk to an old friend...

Clara's death by the raven is shown again; however, right before it kills her, time freezes. Confused, she looks behind her to see the Doctor looking out from Me's home. She then sees a light, with the future Doctor motioning for her to come into the light. Clara complies, finding herself in a sterile room with technicians and the General. Clara hears a ringing in her ears, as the Doctor and General argue over telling her the truth. The Doctor finally relents, and explains she is frozen between two heart-beats; the ringing was her realising that she can't hear her heartbeat anymore. Thus she doesn't have a pulse or need to breathe (though she still does so out of habit). The General goes on to explain that her death is a fixed point in time; they will return her once they find out what they can from her about the Hybrid.

However, the Doctor takes the General's gun, threatening "on pain of death, no-one take a selfie". Clara is shocked by his actions, wondering what happened to him since she died. The Doctor asks for a human compatible neural block. The General informs the Doctor that his weapon has no stun setting, and that there is no way he'll allow the Doctor to leave the room with Clara. The Doctor coldly pronounces, "I will not let Clara die," before asking the General what regeneration he's on; confirming his regeneration is the tenth (meaning he is not at the end of his regeneration cycle), the General is wished good luck and shot. The Doctor takes the device and drops the gun, running off with Clara. Clara is shocked by what the Doctor has done, but he explains death on Gallifrey is basically man flu. Gastron arrives in the extractor room, reporting the regeneration; he asks the General is he's okay, finding that he's regenerated into a female. The General is glad to be back to normal, explaining to Gastron that her last incarnation was her only male body; and sneeringly asks "dear god, how do you cope with all that ego?" The moment she starts wondering where the Doctor has gone, Ohila enters the room; she explains that the Doctor ran straight into the most dangerous place on Gallfrey.

The Doctor takes Clara to the Cloisters, an area located below Gallifrey's Capitol; it is guarded by the Wraiths, which only attack if they attempt to leave. Many enemies attempted to steal information from Gallifrey during the Cloister Wars, and were imprisoned within the vines - Daleks, Cybermen and Weeping Angels are among these victims. There is a secret door they can use to escape, he used in during his childhood when he got lost; the wraiths use projections of enemies who attacked to attempt scaring them into retreating, to no avail. Clara asks what he's talking about, so the Doctor explains that "the Time Lords have got a big computer made of ghosts, in a crypt, guarded by more ghosts". They find the secret hatch and begin working on getting it open. The Doctor begins telling her about the time he spent in the confession dial; they are observed by the General and Ohila, who decide to go after them. Clara, meanwhile, is shocked to learn that the Doctor knew that the Time Lords were responsible for her death; he pretended to know about the Hybrid, so he could get back to Gallifrey and use their tech to resurrect her. He just "had to hang in there for a bit".

The General and Ohila arrive via lift, demanding that the Doctor come with them; Clara silences them as she tries to get the Doctor to tell her how long he was trapped in his confession dial, getting no result. Wondering how long the Doctor spent inside the confession dial, Clara turns to the two and demands to know how long. Thinking a moment, Ohila says 4.5 billion years; the General explains that the Doctor could have left any time he wanted, just needing to tell the Time Lords what he knew. Clara is shocked by this, realising that she meant more to him than she thought possible. Turning to the Doctor, she tearfully asks him why he'd put himself through hell for so long, and he replies with a simple, "I had a duty of care", and the significance of what had become a mantra for him in recent adventures is brought into sharp relief. She tells him that "people like me and you, we should say things to one another" and, taking his arm, proceeds to do so - words kept private from the audience and from the General and Ohila, to whom she refuses to divulge what she said.

Clara yells at the General and Ohila with a furious tirade - "Do you know why you have to hide here at the end of time? You're monsters! You are hated. You. Are. Hated. And by no-one more than me." Smirking, she then tells them part of what she told the Doctor; he doesn't need to worry because, they will be looking at her. The Doctor has gotten through the maintenance hatch, and is heading to the repair shop to steal a TARDIS; as one appears around her, Clara waves good-bye to them. The Doctor asks Clara what she thinks of the original design for the control rooms; she's not too fond of it. Ohila demands that the Doctor face her; seeing her face on the monitor, the Doctor opens the door and sticks his head out. Ohila points out that the Doctor has gone against everything he believes in, just to give Clara false hope; he just shuts the door and takes off. The General wonders where the Doctor is going; Ohila says "away".

Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor tells Clara that they'll be having lunch, then breakfast, followed by cocktails with Moses, and then he'll invent a flying submarine because the fact no-one has is annoying. Once free of Gallifrey's time zone, he expects Clara's biology to start up again; however, she's still frozen. The Doctor takes them to Gallifrey's remains at the end of the universe, hoping that Clara's biology will restart now that there's nothing that can be damaged by his actions. However, the Chronolock is still on the back of Clara's neck; he's failed to save her, again, and begins ranting to her about no longer being accountable to anyone. Hearing four knocks, the Doctor tells Clara what's out there is "Me"; he leaves the TARDIS to find Me sitting in a chair next to a fireplace. The Doctor reminds Me that he told her the universe would be small when he's angry at her; he tells her to "go to Hell, which is about five minutes away." Me explains that she's managed to stay alive by creating a reality around the Cloisters on Gallifrey; she's the last thing in the universe, having finally earned the title Me.

Me then asks about the Hybrid, which the Doctor thought was her, human with Mire medical technology inside; Me speculates it might refer to the Doctor and theorises that the Doctor might be half-human. However, the Doctor brushes her off, asking if it matters. Following this, Me reveals her true theory: she thinks it's the Doctor and Clara - true companions who will go to extremes for the sake of each other. The Doctor denies the idea, until Me asks how he met Clara. Clara watches on the TARDIS monitor, realising that it was Missy that brought them together, just as the Doctor remembers. Being a lover of chaos, Missy chose Clara to make the Doctor more like her; she foresaw that the Doctor would become so attached, he would do anything, even risk the universe for Clara's sake. The Doctor informs Me the neural block will wipe Clara's memories of him, but promises to tell her before he does it.

Clara watches on the monitor, coming to learn that the Doctor plans to erase all memory of himself from her, then drop her off somewhere to live her life. When the Doctor and Me enter the TARDIS, Clara argues with him, demanding to keep her memories and revealing she used the sonic sunglasses to "reverse the polarity" of the neural block device to erase the Doctor's memory if he used it on her. The Doctor is sceptical; however, they both agree to take a fifty-fifty chance to have one of them have their memories wiped at random. After Clara suggests they forget the whole thing and just "fly away somewhere", they both touch the device, and press the button. It turns out the Doctor is the one to lose his memories. He collapses in pain to the floor. Before losing his memories, he gives out advice, from "never be cruel or cowardly", to the more bizarre "never eat pears". He asks Clara for one last smile before he blacks out.

Back in the present, the Doctor continues talking to Clara; he doesn't remember what she looked like, or the "very important" message she gave him in the Cloisters, but remembers their adventures and half-heartedly says he is trying to look for her. Clara tries one last time to spark a memory by outright suggesting that she could be Clara, only to have the Doctor assert that he would "absolutely know" if he ever saw her again, causing Clara to turn away to hide her tears. Looking around the diner, he suddenly recalls having been to it with Amy and Rory. He tells Clara that he is currently searching for his own TARDIS, as it has disappeared from where he left it in London. As he begins once again to play the sad melody he'd been playing, Clara smiles and reminds the Doctor what he told her about that memories become stories; while he can't remember what she told him in the Cloisters, she suggests sometimes lost memories become songs. The Doctor compliments the sentiment and momentarily turns his back, as Clara walks into the back room, which is revealed to the console room for the TARDIS they stole from Gallifrey. The diner vanishes, leaving the Doctor astounded as he realises he was talking to Clara; he then turns around to find his TARDIS, which still has Rigsy's graffiti memorial for her, left behind. The Doctor notices the portrait of Clara, but gives no indication whether he has connected it with the mysterious waitress.

In Clara's TARDIS, Me, engrossed in a TARDIS Instruction Manual, tells her the chameleon circuit is broken, but Clara is unconcerned, saying that she likes it. Clara affirms that she still has no pulse and acknowledges that the universe still relies on her dying. She asks Me whether the Time Lords can return her to her place and time of death, knowing she will have to face the raven eventually, to which Me responds with the affirmative. Me asks Clara where will she go now, she replies "Gallifrey, the long way around": she isn't going back to face her death just yet. The two share a smile as Clara, having been undergoing training in how to use the TARDIS for a while (TV: Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS) sets the vessel in motion through the vortex.

The Doctor boards his long-abandoned TARDIS and takes off, watching a new sonic screwdriver emerge from the console and launch into the air and catching it. He then sees Clara left a message for him on the blackboard - "Run you clever boy, and be a Doctor." As the TARDIS dematerialises, it does so without Rigsy's paintwork. The memorial on the front door flakes off piece by piece - any trace of Clara having been with the Doctor now gone.

The Doctor's TARDIS is shown travelling through space, the Doctor once again setting off on a brand new adventures - unaware that Clara and Me's TARDIS quickly passes by his, setting off their own journeys through space and time.

Cast

• The Doctor - Peter Capaldi
• Clara - Jenna Coleman
• Ashildr - Maisie Williams
• The President - Donald Sumpter
• The General - Ken Bones
• Female General - T'Nia Miller
• Gastron - Malachi Kirby
• Ohila - Clare Higgins
• The Woman - Linda Broughton
• Man - Martin T. Sherman
• Wraiths - Jami Reid-Quarrell, Nick Ash, Ross Mullan
• Voice of the Dalek - Nicholas Briggs

Crew

Executive Producers   Steven Moffat and Brian Minchin

Written by Steven Moffat	Produced by Peter Bennett	Directed by Rachel Talalay	Director of Photography Stuart Biddlecombe	Production Designer Michael Pickwoad	Visual Effects Milk
Make-up Designer Barbara Southcott	Casting Director Andy Pryor CDG	Music Murray Gold	Costume Designer Ray Holman	Edited by Will Oswald	Special Effects Real SFX
Original theme music by Ron Grainer  •  Titles by BBC Wales Graphics  •  With thanks to the BBC National Orchestra of Wales  Music conducted & orchestrated by Alastair King  •  Music mixed by Jake Jackson  •  Music recorded by Gerry O'Riordan   Daleks created by Terry Nation  •  Cybermen created by Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis

General production staff Head of Production - Gordon Ronald Line Producer - Tracie Simpson Production Manager - Adam Knopf Location Manager - Iwan Roberts Unit Manager - Iestyn Hampson-Jones Production Co-ordinator - Sandra Cosfeld Production Assistants - Jade Stephenson, Sheryl Bradford, Jamie Shaw Production Secretary - Siôn Crowle Unit Drivers - Sean Evans, Kyle Davies Unit Medic - Glyn Evans Production Accountant - Simon Wheeler Assistant Accountant - Justine Wooff Script department Script Editor - Nick Lambon Script Executive - Lindsey Alford Camera and lighting department 1st Assistant Director - Scott Bates 2nd Assistant Director - James DeHaviland 3rd Assistant Director - Danielle Richards Assistant Directors - Chris Thomas, Gareth Jones Script Supervisor - Steve Walker Camera Operator - Mark McQuoid Focus Pullers - Jonathan Vidgen, Steve Rees Grip - John Robinson Assistant Grip - Sean Cronin Camera Assistants - Cai Thompson, Matthew Lepper, Scott Waller Additional Footage - Mitch Martinez Gaffer - Mark Hutchings Best Boy - Andrew Gardiner Electricians - Bob Milton, Gareth Sheldon, Gawain Nash, Rob Fernandes, Andrew Williams	Art department Supervising Art Director - Dafydd Shurmer Art Department Accountant - Bethan Griffiths Production Buyer - Linda Morgan Set Decorator - Adrian Anscombe Prop Buyers - Vicki Male, May Johnson Concept Artist - Stephen Cooper Graphic Artist - Matthew Clark Standby Props - Liam Collins, Ian Davies Standby Carpenter - Paul Jones Prop Hands - Scott Howe, Nigel Magni, Matt Watts Standby Art Director - Nick Murray Rigging - Shadow Scaffolding Standby Rigger - Colin Toms Head Scenic Artist - Clive Clarke Painters - Steve Nelms, Paul Murrary, Janine Wilder, Tim Hobbis, Matt Weston Storeman - Jamie Southcott Prop Master - Paul Smith Props Chargehand - Kyle Belmont Props Driver - Gareth Fox Props Makers - Alan Hardy, Jamie Thomas, Nick Robatto Construction Manager - Terry Horle Construction Chargehand - Dean Tucker Construction Driver - Jonathan Tylke Construction Labourer - Mike Cox Practical Electricians - Christian Davies, Austin Curtis Draughtspersons - Zofia Ekler, Julia Jones Chargehand Carpenter - John Sinnott Carpenters - Tim Burke, Lawrie Ferry, Matt Ferry, Chris Daniels, Julian Tucker, George Rees, Dan Berrow, Keith Richards, Campbell Fraser, Mark Painter, Joe Painter, Michael Venables Title Concept - Billy Hanshaw Costume department Costume Supervisor - Simon Marks Assistant Costume Designer - Georgie Sayer Costume Assistants - Andie Mear, Ian Fowler, Jenny Tindle	Make-up and prosthetics Make-up Supervisor - Sara Angharad Make-up Artists - Megan Bowes, James Spinks Movement Stunt Co-ordinator - Crispin Layfield Stunt Performer - Matt Sherren Casting Casting Associate - Alice Purser General post-production staff Post-production Supervisor - Samantha Price Post-production Co-ordinator - Hannah Jones Assistant Editors - Becky Trotman, Robbie Gibbon On-line Editors - William Osman, Geraint Pari Huws Assistant On-line Editor - Christine Kelly Special and visual effects VFX Editor - Dan Rawlings Special Creature Effects & Prosthetics - Millennium FX Colourist - Gareth Spensley Sound Sound Recordists - Deian Llŷr Humphreys, Richard Brookes Dubbing Mixer - Mark Ferda Sound Maintenance Engineers - Tam Shoring, Christopher Goding Dialogue Editor - Darran Clement ADR Editor - Matthew Cox Effects Editor - Harry Barnes Foley Editor - Jamie Talbutt Foley Artist - Julie Ankerson

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

• When he was a student at the Time Lord Academy, the Doctor entered the Cloisters and encountered their Wraiths, but managed to escape from them.
• Gastron fought under the War Doctor at Skull Moon.
• Other than his eleventh, all of the General's incarnations have been a female.
• The Doctor suggests that he and Clara could have cocktails with Moses.
• The area where the barn is located is called the drylands.
• The Capitol has been repaired since being damaged in the Last Great Time War.
• The Doctor says that "death is Time Lord for man flu".
• Sector 52, Extraction chamber seven is used to pick Clara up from her death spot.
• The Cloisters use fibre-optic cables to trap and file intruders into the Matrix database.
• The Doctor and Clara are found by the Time Lords and the Sisterhood by lift shaft seven in the Cloisters.

Story notes

• Although the episode is officially considered the second part of the story begun in TV: Heaven Sent, narratively it is the third chapter of a trilogy that begins with TV: Face the Raven .
• This is the first Doctor Who television story to actually show a regeneration from a male body to a female. There have been references to this having happened with the Corsair (TV: The Doctor's Wife) and the Master (TV: Dark Water, Death in Heaven), and it was one of the options the Eighth Doctor received in The Night of the Doctor, but it has never been featured on a televised story until now, in this case the General from his eleventh to twelfth incarnation.
  • It also shows the first change of skin colour from white to black. The first incident was of Melody Pond to Mels, but the change was never seen, but the change the other way around was seen in TV: Let's Kill Hitler.
• This marks the first time a Doctor Who television episode has had the minor expletive "hell" in the title. The word previously appeared in the titles of the comic stories A Cold Day in Hell! and The Road to Hell as well as the audio story Minuet in Hell.
• This episode marks the first televised appearance of an interior shot of a TARDIS other than the Doctor's since Time and the Rani, the latter being the Rani's. It is only the second TARDIS control console seen other than the Doctor's since Time and the Rani, after the Junk TARDIS in The Doctor's Wife.
• The tune played by the Doctor when he was sitting in the diner is a simplified version of Clara Oswald's theme from the Series 7-9 soundtracks. It is a rare example of a piece of incidental music composed for Doctor Who becoming part of its in-universe narrative. The Doctor says he believes the song is called "Clara". "Clara?" is the name of the track on the Series 7 soundtrack, though it has also been performed at the Proms and other events as "The Impossible Girl" and was titled "Clara and the TARDIS" on the soundtrack for The Snowmen, which featured the first appearance of the melody. In the context of the story, it is implied that the melody represents the now-forgotten words Clara says to the Doctor in the Cloisters; this is supported by the fact the same piece of music plays (in a full orchestral version) when the episode cuts away from the couple as Clara begins to speak.
• The Radio Times programme listing was accompanied by a small colour head-and-shoulders shot of the General, with the accompanying caption "Doctor Who / 8.00 p.m. The General (Ken Bones) prepares for battle in the series finale".
• The prophecy of the Hybrid says that it will "stand in the ruins of Gallifrey, breaking millions of hearts to try healing its own"; this could actually be a Fourth Wall break- the Doctor has abandoned his morals in an attempt to save Clara no matter what; the audience's hearts would be breaking.
• Although they only receive a brief cameo, the inclusion of the Cybermen ensures the continuation of a pattern that has been ongoing since Series 5, whereby they appear in every twelfth episode of a series.
• This story marked the first mention of the Web of Time in the revived series.
• This is the closest thus far the television series has come to showing the complete end of the timeline of N-Space (the primary universe of Doctor Who), showing it at the very precipice of collapse.
• It is suggested by the Doctor's change in clothes and his knowledge that the TARDIS had been moved from London, that some time has passed between the Neural Block scene and The Doctor walking into the Diner.
• Director Rachel Talalay said in an interview that she originally wanted to have Timothy Dalton reprise his role as Rassilon for this episode but due to his commitment to the series Penny Dreadful it could not happen. Donald Sumpter was chosen to play the character in the final episode instead.

Ratings

• BBC One Overnight: 4.8 million
• BBC America Overnight: to be added
• Final UK ratings: 6.17 million

Myths

• The Twelfth Doctor's appearance in TV: The Day of the Doctor would be accounted for. This was something that was hinted at during production and early publicity for Series 9 - including public statements made by Capaldi. Ultimately, however, while the episode in itself was a sequel to The Day of the Doctor, no reference is made to the Twelfth Doctor's appearance during the battle and the story affords no opportunity for this event to occur.
• The diner waitress would be an echo/splinter of Clara Oswald. False. This rumour originated when images of Jenna Coleman in a waitress uniform appeared in media including Doctor Who Magazine prior to broadcast of Hell Bent, with no corresponding scene having occurred before Clara's death in Face the Raven.

Filming location

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 taking off in the getaway TARDIS, Clara's hair changes from combed, to messy, to combed again, in a series of jump cuts. Similarly, her hair is noticeably different at the moment time freezes on the trap street than in the flashback footage from Face the Raven.
• The chronolock tattoo is not visible on Clara in the diner or final TARDIS scenes. (According to a December 2015 Twitter posting by director Rachel Talalay, this was intentional but she did not elaborate.)

Continuity

• Rassilon and the High Council reappear. (TV: The Five Doctors, The End of Time, et al.)
• A Dalek invasion of the Matrix had previously occurred. (AUDIO: Ascension)
• Before the Doctor shoots the General, he asks "Regeneration?", to which he replies "Tenth", reminiscent of an exchange between the First Doctor and the Fifth Doctor in the Death Zone. (TV: The Five Doctors) Under normal circumstances, Time Lords are only allowed twelve regenerations (TV: The Deadly Assassin, et al.).
• The Doctor mentions a 20-foot wall harder than diamond, Ohila says how long the Doctor spent trapped, and the General says he could have just said what he knew. (TV: Heaven Sent)
• The Doctor mentions the Academy. (TV: The Deadly Assassin et al.)
• The Doctor mentions the time he was the First Doctor. (TV: An Unearthly Child et al.)
• The Doctor mentions his "duty of care". (TV: Under the Lake)
• The Doctor mocks the Time Lords' dress sense. (TV: Time Crash, Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS et al.)
• Charlotte Pollard had previously wiped the Sixth Doctor's memory so that he forgot travelling with him and went on other adventures afterwards with in her case the Viyrans. (AUDIO: Blue Forgotten Planet)
• The Doctor enters the Repair shop. (TV: The Name of the Doctor)
• The Doctor steals a TARDIS and runs away. (TV: The Name of the Doctor)
• The Web of Time is mentioned. (AUDIO: Neverland et al., TV: The Two Doctors et al.)
• The Chronolock still appears on Clara's neck. (TV: Face the Raven) (However, it does not appear to be visible in the Diner scenes.)
• The TARDIS' classic sound when the doors opens can be heard. (TV: An Unearthly Child et al.)
• The General said that Rassilon was once a good man. (TV: The Five Doctors) The Doctor was previously concerned about his new regeneration not being a good man. (TV: Into the Dalek)
• The Doctor mentions his warning to Me on the trap street. They talk about the circumstances around Clara's death as well. (TV: Face the Raven)
• The Doctor's TARDIS provides him with a new sonic screwdriver. (TV: The Eleventh Hour, et al.)
• Prior to dematerialising, the Doctor's TARDIS still has Rigsy's Clara Oswald memorial graffiti on it. (TV: Face the Raven) However, the graffiti is removed before the TARDIS moves on; unlike in TV: World War Three, however, the TARDIS removes it herself. The TARDIS previously removed posters plastered all over it when travelling through the time vortex. (TV: Vincent and the Doctor)
• When the Doctor first walks into the diner, the song Don't Stop Me Now as performed on the Orient Express can be heard in the background, apparently playing on a jukebox. (TV: Mummy on the Orient Express)
• The Doctor again plays his guitar. (TV: The Magician's Apprentice, Before the Flood)
• The Doctor returns to the barn where he nearly detonated the Moment, (TV: The Day of the Doctor) and briefly lies on the bed where Clara spoke to his first incarnation in a "dream" during his childhood. (TV: Listen)
• The Doctor extracts Clara from her death point on the trap street. (TV: Face the Raven)
• The Doctor, when threatening with shooting the General and the extractors, mentions selfies. (TV: The Woman Who Lived)
• Clara mention that the Doctor said Gallifrey was frozen in another dimension. (TV: The Day of the Doctor, The Time of the Doctor, Death in Heaven) The Doctor says that it had somehow become unfrozen. (TV: The Witch's Familiar)
• A baby Weeping Angel could be seen in a corner in the Cloisters. (TV: The Angels Take Manhattan), along with other "adult" versions (TV: Blink et al.).
• Cybermen can be seen in the Cloisters. (TV: The Tenth Planet et al.)
• A Dalek can be seen in the Cloisters. (TV: The Daleks et al.) This Dalek is heard talking in a way Daleks normally aren't. (TV: Asylum of the Daleks, Into the Dalek, The Witch's Familiar)
• A Mire helmet can be seen in the Cloisters. (TV: The Girl Who Died, The Zygon Inversion)
• The Doctor still has his confession dial. (TV: The Magician's Apprentice, The Witch's Familiar, Face the Raven, Heaven Sent)
• The reality bubble that Ashildr/Me uses to watch the universe die encloses a ruined section of the Cloisters from Gallifrey. The Doctor previously stated that Me was the Hybrid destined to stand in the ruins of Gallifrey. (TV: Heaven Sent)
• The Doctor finds himself once more at the end of the universe. (TV: Utopia, Forest of the Dead, Listen, PROSE: The End, Midnight in the Café of the Black Madonna, Do You Love Anyone Enough?, Engines of War)
• When threatening to kill the Doctor, Rassilon inquires into the number of regenerations granted to the Doctor as part of his new cycle, but no answer is given. (TV: The Time of the Doctor) The Doctor himself claimed to be uncertain as to the answer to this question, as he has previously speculated that he may be able to regenerate indefinitely. (TV: Kill the Moon)
• The Doctor refers to the Cloister Wars and the night he apparently stole the moon and the President's wife, (TV: The Magician's Apprentice) although he credits the latter as being a rumour spread by the Shobogans. (TV: The Deadly Assassin) Clara instantly recognizes these tales due to Missy having told her. (TV: The Magician's Apprentice) Retroactively, this makes all three of Missy's statements (the third being that the Doctor was once female) lies.
• A Time Lord soldier refers to the "Doctor of War", while the General refers to the Doctor as the man who won the Time War. (TV: The Day of the Doctor)
• When Gastron tells the Doctor to drop all weapons, the Doctor drops his spoon. The Doctor once successfully duelled a sword-wielding Robin Hood with a spoon. (TV: Robot of Sherwood)
• The General changes gender (PROSE: Interference - Book One, Interference - Book Two, Harvest of Time, TV: Deep Breath, The Doctor's Wife) and skin tone (TV: Planet of the Spiders, Let's Kill Hitler, Death of the Doctor) as a result of his regeneration.
• The Doctor assumes the title of Lord President of Gallifrey once more. (TV: The Invasion of Time, The Five Doctors) As with his fifth incarnation, he presumably vacates the position by running away from Gallifrey. (TV: The Five Doctors)
• The Doctor's promise that he made to himself "Never cruel or cowardly" is alluded to by Ohila, who asks if the Doctor was being cruel or cowardly toward Rassilon, and by the Doctor himself to Clara just before he passes out. (TV: The Day of the Doctor)
• Clara's affinity for TARDIS controls is yet again demonstrated, (TV: Listen, The Woman Who Lived et al.) being able to fly her TARDIS without guidance from the Doctor like she had previously required or a TARDIS Instruction Manual like Ashildr. This mirrors the Doctor's first question to her after his regeneration (TV: The Time of the Doctor) The Doctor first started teaching Clara how to fly the TARDIS in TV: Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS.
• Clara and Me are unable to get their TARDIS' chameleon circuit to function properly. This results in their TARDIS having its outer shell stuck in the shape of an American diner that the Doctor recalls visiting with Amy Pond, Rory Williams and River Song, (TV: The Impossible Astronaut) mirroring the Doctor's own issue with his own. (TV: An Unearthly Child, et al.) Similarly, Clara claims to not mind, just as the Doctor himself has previously indicated. (TV: Rose, et al.)
• Like the Doctor, Clara theorises that a Time Lord technology get her lifespan infinite. (TV: Kill the Moon) Like the Doctor, she plans to voluntarily face her death. (TV: The Impossible Astronaut, The Time of the Doctor, The Magician's Apprentice) With the Time Lords after her and after the stolen TARDIS she will fly, the Doctor advises her to run away like him. (TV: The War Games, Boom Town, Journey's End, The Woman Who Lived, et al.)
• Like Susan Foreman at the time when she was the Doctor's first companion, Ashildr has incredible knowledge by human standards while she looks barely adult. (TV: An Unearthly Child, The Name of the Doctor, COMIC: Time & Time Again)
• The Doctor states that he returned to Gallifrey "the long way around", while Clara also states that she plans to return to Gallifrey in the same manner. (TV: The Day of the Doctor, Heaven Sent)
• Clara and Me's TARDIS has a similar console room design to the Doctor's TARDIS during his early travels with it (TV: An Unearthly Child), and its original exterior is the same as the original exterior of the Doctor's TARDIS when he first stole it. (TV: The Name of the Doctor)
• The Doctor finds himself asking the question: "Clara Who?" (TV: The Snowmen)
• The Doctor closes the TARDIS doors with a snap of his fingers once more. (TV: Forest of the Dead, The Eleventh Hour, Day of the Moon, et al.)
• The Doctor implies that he was referring to Ashildr when he stated that the Hybrid was "Me". (TV: Heaven Sent)
• Me theorises that the Doctor could be the Hybrid, suggesting that he is half Time Lord and half human. (TV: Doctor Who)
• The Doctor once more displays his ability to defeat enemies by standing his ground and not resorting to force. River Song once mentioned that "her Doctor" could do things like this when talking about him. (TV: Forest of the Dead)
• The Doctor recalls an encounter with an Ice Warrior on a submarine (TV: Cold War) and seeing a Mummy on the Orient Express (TV: Mummy on the Orient Express) while travelling with Clara.
• Preparing to wipe Clara's memory of him with a neural block, the Doctor notes that he has done this before using telepathy. The Tenth Doctor previously wiped Donna Noble's memory of him to prevent her mind from burning up after she was given his Time Lord knowledge after interacting with the Meta-Crisis Tenth Doctor. (TV: Journey's End) The Time Lords also previously wiped his companions Jamie and Zoe's memories of the Doctor aside from their first adventure with him after passing judgement at his first trial. (TV: The War Games) They did the same with a version of Peri Brown after his second trial. (AUDIO: Peri and the Piscon Paradox)
• When there is a knock on the TARDIS door, the Doctor mentions that it is "always four knocks". (TV: The End of Time)
• Me refers to the Doctor's dislike of endings. (TV: The Angels Take Manhattan)
• Both the Doctor (TV: The Magician's Apprentice, et al.) and Clara (TV: The Girl Who Died, Face the Raven) use the sonic sunglasses.
• Clara leaves a message for the Doctor on his blackboard. (TV: Listen, et al.)
  • The message Clara left is similar to one used by herself and her various echoes. (TV: Asylum of the Daleks, et al.)
• Clara says she reversed the polarity of the neural block, mirroring a phrase the Doctor has used on numerous occasions dating back to the days of his third incarnation. (TV: The Sea Devils, The Day of the Doctor et al.)
• Clara once again objects to having her memories wiped (TV: Face the Raven, Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS, COMIC: Four Doctors). This isn't the first time the Doctor has considered doing so without her consent. (TV: The Snowmen) She also willingly allowed the Doctor to erase some of her memories on at least two prior occasions (TV: Time Heist, Before the Flood).
• Clara previously lost the memories of one of her adventures with the Doctor, due to a timeline change (TV: Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS); like the Doctor and his memory wipe, however, not all of these memories were ultimately deleted as she was later able to recall some of them (TV: The Name of the Doctor).
• Important information about a friend is forgotten. (In TV: Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS, Clara learns the Doctor's name but loses the memory.)
• Clara now knows the exact time and place of her death, something she previously indicated she did not want to know in advance. (TV: Deep Breath, Listen)
• Missy's bringing the Doctor and Clara together is mentioned. (TV: The Bells of Saint John, Deep Breath, Death in Heaven)
  • Me states that the Master loves chaos. (TV: Terror of the Autons, et al.)
• Hybrids are mentioned again. (TV: The Witch's Familiar et al.)
• The Doctor mentions his hate of pears. (Previously mentioned in a video the Doctor records for Martha in TV: Human Nature; in the episode, the video is seen playing in fast-forward. What the Doctor says is revealed, alongside some real-life ad-libbing by David Tennant, in a slowed-down version of the video included as a DVD bonus feature.)
• The Hybrid prophecy is mentioned again, with multiple possibilities cited. (TV: The Witch's Familiar, Heaven Sent)
• Once again the Doctor, when faced with the loss of Clara and breaking the rules to save her, asks an old acquaintance whether, after all he's done for the universe, doesn't it owe him this? (TV: The Snowmen)
• The Doctor again attempts to change history in order to save Clara (TV: Before the Flood), except on a potentially wider scale.
• Clara invites the Doctor to fly away with her, paralleling his invitation to her when reconnecting at Christmas. (TV: Last Christmas)
• Clara notes she is no longer aging; the restoration of her youth was important to her after waking from a dream where she was very old (TV: Last Christmas). Jack Harkness previously discussed how immortality affected his aging (TV: Last of the Time Lords).
• The melody, "Clara", that the Doctor finds himself obsessively playing on his guitar becomes, for him, a form of earworm (TV: Under the Lake).
• The Doctor asks the nonsensical question "What colour is it?" when discussing the Hybrid. Rory Williams asked the same question because "all the good ones were taken" in TV: Asylum of the Daleks.
• The Doctor is served soup and he appears to react negatively to this, likely because this appears to have been all he ate while in the confession dial (TV: Heaven Sent).
• Clara stating that the she and Doctor need to say things to one another parallels Mason Bennett's advice to Tim Lunn to not let things be left unsaid. (TV: Before the Flood)
• The Doctor collapses and passes out in the TARDIS console room in similar fashion to TV: The Tenth Planet.
• The Doctor talks about piecing together what he and Clara did together. Although the episode does not go into detail, a previous episode, TV: The Crimson Horror, indicated how easy it was to find traces of Clara and the Doctor on the Internet, alone.
• The General regenerates; unlike most regenerations depicted on screen (or at least those of the Doctor), she changes with no apparent ill effects and is immediately able to carry on and pursue the Doctor.

Home video releases

DVD releases

to be added

Blu-ray releases

to be added

External links

Transcript of Hell Bent at Chrissie's Transcripts Site