The Timeless Children (TV story): Difference between revisions

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dont watch this episode, its dog shit
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{{Infobox Story
|image          = The Master and his CyberMasters.jpg
|series          = [[Doctor Who television stories|''Doctor Who'' television stories]]
|season number  = Series 12 (Doctor Who)
|series episode number = 10
|story number    = 294b
|doctor          = Thirteenth Doctor
|companions      = [[Graham O'Brien|Graham]], [[Ryan Sinclair|Ryan]], [[Yasmin Khan|Yaz]]
|featuring      = [[The Doctor (Fugitive of the Judoon)|The Doctor]]
|enemy          = {{Dhawan|c}}, [[Cybermen]]
|setting        = {{csl|[[Gallifrey]]|[[the Matrix]]|[[Planet of the Boundary]]}}
|writer          = [[Chris Chibnall]]
|director        = [[Jamie Magnus Stone]]
|producer        = [[Alex Mercer]]
|broadcast date  = [[1 March (releases)|1 March]] [[2020 (releases)|2020]]
|network        = [[BBC One]]
|format          = 1x65 minute episode
|production code =
|prev            = Ascension of the Cybermen (TV story)
|made prev      =
|made next      =
|trailer        = COMING SOON The Timeless Children Doctor Who Series 12
|trailer2        = Episode 10 Next Time Trailer The Timeless Children Doctor Who Series 12
|clip            = The Timeless Child - REVEALED The Timeless Children Doctor Who Series 12
|clip2          = The Doctor Breaks Out of the Matrix The Timeless Children Doctor Who Series 12
|clip3          =
|bts            = Becoming the Master The Timeless Children Doctor Who Series 12
|bts2            = When the Doctor Meets the Master The Timeless Children Doctor Who Series 12
|bts3            = Creating the CyberMasters The Timeless Children Doctor Who Series 12
}}
'''''The Timeless Children''''' was the tenth and final episode of [[series 12 (Doctor Who)|series 12]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]''.
 
The episode brought to light an account of [[the Doctor]]'s origins in which, [[The Doctor's early life|prior]] to becoming the [[First Doctor]], they had lived many forgotten lives as the [[Timeless Child]]. This new thread in the ongoing tapestry brings the Doctor, [[The Other|once again]], to the forefront of [[Gallifreyan history|Time Lord history]].
 
In this new account, the Timeless Child was discovered near a [[boundary]] to another dimension or reality by the [[Shobogan (species)|Shobogan]] traveller [[Tecteun]], who took her in as her own. Their [[regeneration|regenerative]] abilities were attentively studied by Tecteun, and eventually replicated. This is put forward as the true origin of regeneration on [[Gallifrey]]. A radical result of this [[retroactive continuity]] is that the Doctor, in their earliest lives, was the biological template upon which [[Time Lord]] society was founded.
 
It also offers a new explanation for pre-Hartnell incarnations like the so-called [[The Doctor (The Brain of Morbius)|"Morbius" Doctors]], and continues to push the mystery around the [[The Doctor (Fugitive of the Judoon)|"Fugitive" Doctor]] played by [[Jo Martin]].
 
''The Timeless Children'' also brought another redesign of the [[Cyberman|Cybermen]] not long after the warrior-class Cybermen in ''[[Ascension of the Cybermen (TV story)|Ascension of the Cybermen]]'' in the form of [[CyberMaster]]s - a branch created by the Master with the ability to regenerate.
 
The episode also brought about another shift in the current status quo, with the Doctor's companions, [[Ryan Sinclair|Ryan]], [[Graham O'Brien|Graham]], and [[Yasmin Khan|Yaz]] being returned to the [[21st century]] without the Doctor, for their own protection, with the group still being separated by the end of the episode.
 
== Synopsis ==
[[Gallifrey]] is dead, [[the Master]] is in control of an army of [[Cyberman|Cybermen]] ready to take over the universe, and [[Graham O'Brien|Graham]], [[Ryan Sinclair|Ryan]], and [[Yasmin Khan|Yaz]] are trapped, being hunted down with the last remnants of humanity. But for [[Thirteenth Doctor|the Doctor]], one question remains... Who is the [[Timeless Child]]?
 
== Plot ==
''to be added''
 
== Cast ==
* [[Thirteenth Doctor|The Doctor]] - [[Jodie Whittaker]]
* [[Graham O'Brien]] - [[Bradley Walsh]]
* [[Yasmin Khan]] - [[Mandip Gill]]
* [[Ryan Sinclair]] - [[Tosin Cole]]
* {{Dhawan|c}} - [[Sacha Dhawan]]
* [[Ashad]] - [[Patrick O'Kane]]
* [[Ko Sharmus]] - [[Ian McElhinney]]
* [[Ravio]] - [[Julie Graham]]
* [[Yedlarmi]] - [[Alex Austin]]
* [[Ethan (Ascension of the Cybermen)|Ethan]] - [[Matt Carver]]
* [[Bescot]] - [[Rhiannon Clements]]
* [[Tecteun]] - [[Seylan Baxter]]
* [[Solpado]] - [[Kirsty Besterman]]
* [[Pol-Kon-Don|Judoon Captain]] - [[Paul Kasey]]
* Voice of [[Cybermen]] & [[Judoon captain|Judoon Captain]] - [[Nicholas Briggs]]
* Cybermen - [[Matthew Rohman]], [[Simon Carew]], [[Jon Davey]], [[Richard Highgate]], [[Richard Price]], [[Mickey Lewis]], [[Matthew Doman]], [[Paul Bailey]]
: Special guest appearance by
* [[The Doctor (Fugitive of the Judoon)|The Doctor]] - [[Jo Martin]]
 
=== Uncredited cast ===
* The [[Timeless Child]] - TBA, TBA, [[Grace Nettle]]<ref>https://www.instagram.com/p/B9OhfHkhGHu</ref>, [[Leo Tang]]<ref>https://www.spotlight.com/interactive/cv/16/M193512.html</ref>, TBA, TBA, [[Jesse Deyi]]<ref>https://www.spotlight.com/interactive/cv/16/M204708.html</ref>
 
== Crew ==
''to be added''
 
== References ==
=== Species ===
* [[Shobogan (species)|Shobogans]] were the original indigenous species of [[Gallifrey]], who later genetically altered themselves into the [[Time Lord]]s thanks to [[Tecteun]]'s research.
* The [[Timeless Child's species]] are a species from another reality or dimension that have the ability to [[Regeneration|regenerate]] infinitely and continuously change their appearance. Because of Tecteun's research, their [[DNA]] was placed into the Shobogans's DNA and thus created the Time Lords.
 
=== Biology ===
* [[Time Lord]]s had red [[blood]]; {{Dhawan}} mentioned that a "[[red carpet]]" was such because it was "drenched in the blood of [his] people".
 
=== Organisations ===
* An early incarnation of the Doctor was recruited by [[The Division]], an organisation which officially did not exist nor had operatives and acted against the [[non-interference policy]] of the Time Lords.
 
=== Culture ===
* When showing the destroyed Citadel to the Doctor, the Master references "[[Ozymandias]]", a sonnet by [[Percy Shelley]].
* When the Master requests an alliance with the Cyberium, he references the TV show ''[[The Apprentice]]'', claiming he "deserves to be its business partner, because he has performed well in all the tasks", which was a common excuse used to become [[Alan Sugar|Lord Sugar]]'s business partner.
* The Time Lord's secret origins being cloaked by lies be similar to those of the super-intelligent apes on the [[Planet of the Apes]] franchise.
 
=== Weapons ===
* One [[death particle]] was able to wipe out all organic life on a planet.
 
== Story notes ==
* This episode used the same kind of "[[cold opening]]" used in ''[[Spyfall (TV story)|Spyfall: Part Two]]''; a recap of the preceding episode.
* This episode had the most extensive use of archive footage in any of the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' episodes or any other media, and indeed any of the spin-offs as of 2020.
* Tecteun's and the Timeless Child's regenerations mark the first time female to male regeneration has been seen onscreen. However, the first depiction of a female regenerating into a male in any media was in [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Enemy Lines (audio story)|Enemy Lines]]''. In the case of the Timeless Child multiple regenerations were shown, both female to male and male to female.
* The episode's cliffhanger ending calls back to the cliffhanger endings of both ''[[Doomsday (TV story)|Doomsday]]'' and ''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]]'', in which the dumbfounded Doctor repeatedly utters the word "what?" in response to the events suddenly and rapidly unfolding around them.
* This episode is the first time in the show's history, discounting full red and full blue from various previous stories, that clips from the [[William Hartnell]] and [[Patrick Troughton]] eras have been shown in colour.
* This marks the second time the [[Doctor Who theme|theme music]] has been used during a TV story, playing across the Doctor's [[The Matrix|Matrix]] mind-blow-up sequence. The first time was in ''[[The Woman Who Fell to Earth (TV story)|The Woman Who Fell to Earth]]''.
* This story confirms that the faces in the mind battle with [[Morbius]] in ''[[The Brain of Morbius (TV story)|The Brain of Morbius]]'' are incarnations of the Doctor, something long debated amongst fans.
* ''The Timeless Children'' made such a huge impact on the fandom as a whole that the episode made it into the satirical website ''News Thump''.<ref>https://newsthump.com/2020/03/02/tardis-changes-from-police-box-to-dumpster-on-fire/</ref>
* The episode used an anagram for actor [[Sacha Dhawan]] on the ''Doctor Who'' website; "Barack Stemis" which, if re-arranged, means "Master is Back" and playing a false character called "Fakout".<ref name="Fakout">https://twitter.com/0_MattWhelan_0/status/1230222077300482050</ref><ref name="Stemis">https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000g09m</ref> This tactic, discounting in-universe examples from [[2007]]'s ''[[Utopia (TV story)|Utopia]]''/''[[The Sound of Drums (TV story)|The Sound of Drums]]''/''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]]'', has not been seen on television since ''[[The King's Demons (TV story)|The King's Demons]]'' in [[1983]]. Back then it was used in the credits of the episode. Another more recent example is [[Mark Gatiss]] being credited, in the old tradition, as [[Sam Kisgart]], for his role as a [[The Master (Sympathy for the Devil)|parallel universe Master]], though this was more of a tongue-in-cheek reference to the classic trope than a genuine attempt at audience subterfuge.
 
=== Ratings ===
''to be added''
 
=== Filming locations ===
''to be added''
 
=== Production errors ===
{{discontinuity}}
''to be added''
 
== Continuity ==
* The Master and his army of CyberMasters mimic the rallying speech of Rassilon at the end of the last great time war. ([[TV]]: ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]'')
* The Master reminisces about assassinating [[Lord President|presidents]] with the Doctor. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Birth of a Renegade (short story)|Birth of a Renegade]]'', [[TV]]: ''[[The Deadly Assassin (TV story)|The Deadly Assassin]]'')
* The Master reveals the truth of the [[Timeless Child]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Ghost Monument (TV story)|The Ghost Monument]]'', ''[[Spyfall (TV story)|Spyfall]]'', ''[[Can You Hear Me? (TV story)|Can You Hear Me?]]'')
* The Doctor and the Master see [[Brendan (Ascension of the Cybermen)|Brendan]] and the [[Garda]] in "[[Ireland]]". ([[TV]]: ''[[Ascension of the Cybermen (TV story)|Ascension of the Cybermen]]'')
* Graham and Yaz wear [[Cyber-suit]]s to disguise as Cyber-Warriors, similar to the gambit [[Bates (Attack of the Cybermen)|Bates]] and [[Stratton]] attempted on [[Telos]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Attack of the Cybermen (TV story)|Attack of the Cybermen]]'')
* The Doctor sees the "Ruth" Doctor within the Matrix. ([[TV]]: ''[[Fugitive of the Judoon (TV story)|Fugitive of the Judoon]]'')
* The Master reveals that the original inhabitants of [[Gallifrey]] were the [[Shobogan (species)|Shobogan]]s. This is a term which, by their time, had come to be used by [[Shobogan|a group]] that lived outside traditional Time Lord society. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Deadly Assassin (TV story)|The Deadly Assassin]]'', [[PROSE]]: ''[[The Eight Doctors (novel)|The Eight Doctors]]'', ''[[All-Consuming Fire (novel)|All-Consuming Fire]]'')
* The Master refers to the [[Great Cyber War]], which he claims to have lived through. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Last of the Cybermen (audio story)|Last of the Cybermen]]'', [[TV]]: ''[[Revenge of the Cybermen (TV story)|Revenge of the Cybermen]]'')
* The Master recalls fleeing from [[Borusa]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Deadly Assassin (TV story)|The Deadly Assassin]]'', ''[[The Five Doctors (TV story)|The Five Doctors]]'') when they were young.
* The Master double-crosses Ashad and kills him as he done to a [[Cyber-Leader]] on the [[Death Zone]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Five Doctors (TV story)|The Five Doctors]]'')
* The Master names his Time Lord-converted Cybermen under his command the "[[CyberMaster]]s". Previously, {{Simm|n=he}} transformed humanity into what he dubbed the "[[Master Race]]". ([[TV]]: ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]'') Before that, {{Jacobi|n=he}} named himself "[[Cyber-Master]]" while posing as a converted Cybermen. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Master of Worlds (audio story)|Master of Worlds]]'')
** Incidentally, [[Karl (Silver Nemesis)|Karl]] believed the Cybermen to be "the [[master race]]". ([[TV]]: ''[[Silver Nemesis (TV story)|Silver Nemesis]]'')
* The Master wishes he had thought of making a pun before using the [[Tissue Compression Eliminator]] on Ashad. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Two Masters (audio story)|The Two Masters]]'')
* The Doctor's memories used to overwhelm the Matrix are of:
**{{Dhawan|c}} ([[TV]]: ''[[Spyfall (TV story)|Spyfall]]'')
**[[Ashad]] and his [[Cyberguard]]s ([[TV]]: ''[[Ascension of the Cybermen (TV story)|Ascension of the Cybermen]]'')
**Herself absorbing the Cyberium and [[Team TARDIS]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Haunting of Villa Diodati (TV story)|The Haunting of Villa Diodati]]'')
**[[Rakaya]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Can You Hear Me? (TV story)|Can You Hear Me?]]'')
**[[Gat]], the "Fugitive" Doctor and [[Captain]] [[Jack Harkness]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Fugitive of the Judoon (TV story)|Fugitive of the Judoon]]'')
**Herself running from Praxeus infected birds ([[TV]]: ''[[Praxeus (TV story)|Praxeus]]'')
**[[Nikola Tesla]] and the [[Queen of the Skithra]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror (TV story)|Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror]]'')
**A [[Dreg]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Orphan 55 (TV story)|Orphan 55]]'')
**The TARDIS beside the ruined Capitol ([[TV]]: ''[[Spyfall (TV story)|Spyfall]]'')
**A [[Kasaavin]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Spyfall (TV story)|Spyfall]]'')
**The [[reconnaissance scout]] [[Dalek (Resolution)|Dalek]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Resolution (TV story)|Resolution]]'')
**The [[Ux]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos (TV story)|The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos]]'')
**The [[Solitract]] as [[Grace O'Brien]] and [[Team TARDIS]] in the fjord ([[TV]]: ''[[It Takes You Away (TV story)|It Takes You Away]]'')
**A [[Morax (species)|Morax]] and herself chained down ([[TV]]: ''[[The Witchfinders (TV story)|The Witchfinders]]'')
**[[Umbreen and Prem's wedding]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Demons of the Punjab (TV story)|Demons of the Punjab]]'')
**A [[Kerb!am Man]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Kerblam! (TV story)|Kerblam!]]'')
**The [[Pting (The Tsuranga Conundrum)|Pting]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Tsuranga Conundrum (TV story)|The Tsuranga Conundrum]]'')
**[[Giant spider (Arachnids in the UK)|Giant spider]]'s [[web]]s ([[TV]]: ''[[Arachnids in the UK (TV story)|Arachnids in the UK]]'')
**[[Rosa Parks]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Rosa (TV story)|Rosa]]'')
**The TARDIS and [[remnant]]s on [[Desolation]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Ghost Monument (TV story)|The Ghost Monument]]'')
**[[Tim Shaw]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Woman Who Fell to Earth (TV story)|The Woman Who Fell to Earth]]'')
**Herself choosing an outfit ([[TV]]: ''[[The Woman Who Fell to Earth (TV story)|The Woman Who Fell to Earth]]'')
**[[Davros]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Stolen Earth (TV story)|The Stolen Earth]]'')
**[[Rose Tyler]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Stolen Earth (TV story)|The Stolen Earth]]'')
**The [[Sycorax leader]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Christmas Invasion (TV story)|The Christmas Invasion]]'')
**[[Donna Noble]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Partners in Crime (TV story)|Partners in Crime]]'')
**A [[Slitheen]] ([[TV]]: ''[[World War Three (TV story)|World War Three]]'')
**[[Amy Pond]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Impossible Astronaut (TV story)|The Impossible Astronaut]]'')
**The [[Abzorbaloff]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Love & Monsters (TV story)|Love & Monsters]]'')
**[[River Song]] ([[TV]]: ''[[A Good Man Goes to War (TV story)|A Good Man Goes to War]]'')
**An [[Animated scarecrow (Human Nature)|animated scarecrow]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Family of Blood (TV story)|The Family of Blood]]'')
**[[Wilfred Mott]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Journey's End (TV story)|Journey's End]]'')
**[[Clara Oswald]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Dark Water (TV story)|Dark Water]]'')
**[[General]] [[Staal]] of the [[Tenth Sontaran Battle Fleet]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Poison Sky (TV story)|The Poison Sky]]'')
**[[Bill Potts]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Pilot (TV story)|The Pilot]]'')
**An [[Ood]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Impossible Planet (TV story)|The Impossible Planet]]'')
**[[Martha Jones]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Smith and Jones (TV story)|Smith and Jones]]'')
**The [[Empress of the Racnoss (The Runaway Bride)|Empress]] of the [[Racnoss]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Runaway Bride (TV story)|The Runaway Bride]]'')
**[[Rory Williams]] ([[TV]]: ''[[A Good Man Goes to War (TV story)|A Good Man Goes to War]]'')
**[[Jatt]] of the [[Sisters of Plenitude]] ([[TV]]: ''[[New Earth (TV story)|New Earth]]'')
**[[Sarah Jane Smith]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Stolen Earth (TV story)|The Stolen Earth]]'')
**The [[Twelfth Doctor]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Listen (TV story)|Listen]]'', ''[[The Magician's Apprentice (TV story)|The Magician's Apprentice]]'', ''[[Hell Bent (TV story)|Hell Bent]]'')
**The [[Eleventh Doctor]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Almost People (TV story)|The Almost People]]'', ''[[The Bells of Saint John (TV story)|The Bells of Saint John]]'', ''[[The Rings of Akhaten (TV story)|The Rings of Akhaten]]'')
**The [[Tenth Doctor]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]]'', ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]'', ''[[The Runaway Bride (TV story)|The Runaway Bride]]'')
**The [[Ninth Doctor]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Rose (TV story)|Rose]]'', ''[[The Parting of the Ways (TV story)|The Parting of the Ways]]'')
**The [[War Doctor]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Name of the Doctor (TV story)|The Name of the Doctor]]'', ''[[The Day of the Doctor (TV story)|The Day of the Doctor]]'')
**The [[Eighth Doctor]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Night of the Doctor (TV story)|The Night of the Doctor]]'', ''[[Doctor Who (TV story)|Doctor Who]]'')
**The [[Seventh Doctor]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Greatest Show in the Galaxy (TV story)|The Greatest Show in the Galaxy]]'', ''[[Time and the Rani (TV story)|Time and the Rani]]'', ''[[The Curse of Fenric (TV story)|The Curse of Fenric]]'')
**The [[Sixth Doctor]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Ultimate Foe (TV story)|The Ultimate Foe]]'', ''[[Vengeance on Varos (TV story)|Vengeance on Varos]]'')
**The [[Fifth Doctor]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Time-Flight (TV story)|Time-Flight]]'', ''[[Arc of Infinity (TV story)|Arc of Infinity]]'', ''[[The Caves of Androzani (TV story)|The Caves of Androzani]]'')
**The [[Fourth Doctor]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Brain of Morbius (TV story)|The Brain of Morbius]]'', ''[[Pyramids of Mars (TV story)|Pyramids of Mars]]'')
**The [[Third Doctor]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Planet of the Spiders (TV story)|Planet of the Spiders]]'', ''[[Carnival of Monsters (TV story)|Carnival of Monsters]]'')
**The [[Second Doctor]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Moonbase (TV story)|The Moonbase]]'', ''[[The War Games (TV story)|The War Games]]'', ''[[The Tomb of the Cybermen (TV story)|The Tomb of the Cybermen]]'')
**The [[First Doctor]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The War Machines (TV story)|The War Machines]]'', ''[[An Unearthly Child (TV story)|An Unearthly Child]]'', ''[[The Name of the Doctor (TV story)|The Name of the Doctor]]'')
**A [[Sea Devil]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Sea Devils (TV story)|The Sea Devils]]'')
**{{Simm|c}} ([[TV]]: ''[[World Enough and Time (TV story)|World Enough and Time]]'')
**A [[Zygon]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Terror of the Zygons (TV story)|Terror of the Zygons]]'')
**[[Sil]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Vengeance on Varos (TV story)|Vengeance on Varos]]'')
**{{Gomez}} ([[TV]]: ''[[Empress of Mars (TV story)|Empress of Mars]]'')
**[[Sharaz Jek]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Caves of Androzani (TV story)|The Caves of Androzani]]'')
**[[The Rani]]{{source}}
**An [[Auton]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Terror of the Autons (TV story)|Terror of the Autons]]'')
**{{Jacobi|c}} ([[TV]]: ''[[Utopia (TV story)|Utopia]]'')
**A [[Voc]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Robots of Death (TV story)|The Robots of Death]]'')
**{{Roberts|c}} ([[TV]]: ''[[Doctor Who (TV story)|Doctor Who]]'')
**[[Sutekh]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Pyramids of Mars (TV story)|Pyramids of Mars]]'')
**An [[Ogron]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Day of the Daleks (TV story)|Day of the Daleks]]'')
**{{Ainley|c}}{{source}}
**The [[Ancient One]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Curse of Fenric (TV story)|The Curse of Fenric]]'')
**{{Pratt|c}} ([[TV]]: ''[[The Deadly Assassin (TV story)|The Deadly Assassin]]'')
**{{Delgado|c}}{{source}}
**[[Scaroth]] ([[TV]]: ''[[City of Death (TV story)|City of Death]]'')
**Various incarnations of the [[Timeless Child]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Spyfall (TV story)|Spyfall]]'', ''[[Can You Hear Me? (TV story)|Can You Hear Me?]]'')
**[[The Doctor (The Brain of Morbius)|Seven of the faces]] seen during the [[mindbending]] battle against [[Morbius]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Brain of Morbius (TV story)|The Brain of Morbius]]'')
**[[Brendan Bildbriain|Brendan]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Ascension of the Cybermen (TV story)|Ascension of the Cybermen]]'')
**The [[The Doctor (Fugitive of the Judoon)|"Fugitive" Doctor]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Fugitive of the Judoon (TV story)|Fugitive of the Judoon]]'')
* The Doctor seeks to uphold the rule "No humans on Gallifrey", echoing her reason for leaving behind [[Sarah Jane Smith]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Hand of Fear (TV story)|The Hand of Fear]]'')
* The Doctor mentions [[Percy Shelley]] when she takes responsibility for the [[Cyberium]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Haunting of Villa Diodati (TV story)|The Haunting of Villa Diodati]]'')
* The Doctor returns her companions home in a TARDIS while she prepares to sacrifice herself to destroy some of her oldest enemies. Similarily, the [[Ninth Doctor]] sent [[Rose Tyler]] home in the TARDIS as he confronted the [[Dalek Emperor (The Parting of the Ways)|Dalek Emperor]] and his [[Dalek of human origin|human-converted Dalek]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Parting of the Ways (TV story)|The Parting of the Ways]]'')
* The Doctor is prepared to sacrifice herself using a weapon that cannot be remotely detonated, only for Ko Sharmus to take her place. Previously, the [[Ninth Doctor]] offered to light the [[match]] which would stop the [[Gelth]] for the sake of [[Gwyneth (The Unquiet Dead)|Gwyneth]], who silently refused. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Unquiet Dead (TV story)|The Unquiet Dead]]'') Earlier still, [[Orcini]], despite the [[Sixth Doctor]]'s protests, chose to hand detonate a bomb to destroy [[Davros]]' [[Imperial Dalek|Dalek]]s. ([[TV]]: ''[[Revelation of the Daleks (TV story)|Revelation of the Daleks]]'')
* Ko Sharmus was part of [[The Alliance (Fugitive of the Judoon)|the resistance unit]] who sent the Cyberium through time and space. ([[TV]]: ''[[Fugitive of the Judoon (TV story)|Fugitive of the Judoon]]'', ''[[The Haunting of Villa Diodati (TV story)|The Haunting of Villa Diodati]]'')
* The Doctor once again steals [[TARDIS 2 (The Timeless Children)|a TARDIS]] in order to run away from Gallifrey. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Name of the Doctor (TV story)|The Name of the Doctor]]'', [[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Beginning (audio story)|The Beginning]]''; [[TV]]: ''[[Hell Bent (TV story)|Hell Bent]]'')
* The Doctor responds to being ambushed by the [[Judoon]] aboard her TARDIS by repeatedly exclaiming "what?", as the [[Tenth Doctor]] had previously done when caught by surprise aboard his TARDIS. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Runaway Bride (TV story)|The Runaway Bride]]'', ''[[Time Crash (TV story)|Time Crash]]'', ''[[Voyage of the Damned (TV story)|Voyage of the Damned]]'')
* The Cybermen use [[transmat]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Revenge of the Cybermen (TV story)|Revenge of the Cybermen]]'', ''[[The Pandorica Opens (TV story)|The Pandorica Opens]]'', ''[[Nightmare in Silver (TV story)|Nightmare in Silver]]'')
* The Master once again works with the [[Cyberman|Cybermen]], and is once again instrumental in creating a new race of them. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Five Doctors (TV story)|The Five Doctors]]'', ''[[Dark Water (TV story)|Dark Water]]'', ''[[Death in Heaven (TV story)|Death in Heaven]]'', ''[[World Enough and Time (TV story)|World Enough and Time]]'')
* The Cybermen again show their ability to convert the bodies of the deceased. ([[TV]]: ''[[Dark Water (TV story)|Dark Water]]'', ''[[Death in Heaven (TV story)|Death in Heaven]]'')
* The [[Eighth Doctor]] previously uncovered another secret hushed up by the [[Founders of Gallifrey]]: the role [[Rassilon]] had played in the true [[genesis of the Ravenous|origin]] of the [[Ravenous]]. The Doctor hypothesised that Rassilon had invented the [[myth]] of their creation precisely to hide his own involvement in the events on [[Kolstan]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Day of the Master (audio story)|Day of the Master]]'')
* The Doctor states that she had fought the Matrix before and denied its reality. The [[Sixth Doctor]] previously entered the Matrix after following the [[Valeyard]] and had to deal with the Matrix and its reality. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Ultimate Foe (TV story)|The Ultimate Foe]]'')
* [[Peinforte|Lady Peinforte]] once threatened to reveal the Doctor's secrets concerning his role on Gallifrey during the [[Dark Time]]. She believed this secret would prove the [[Seventh Doctor]]'s downfall. ([[TV]]: ''[[Silver Nemesis (TV story)|Silver Nemesis]]'')
** In a roundabout way, this episode also provides a televised fulfilment of the "[[Cartmel Masterplan]]".
*The premise of this episode also fulfils several elements of [[The Hybrid]] [[prophecy]] from [[Season 9]].
**A [[hybrid]] creature ({{Dhawan}} had merged with the [[Cyberium]]), would stand over the ruins of [[Gallifrey]] and unravel the [[Web of Time]] (the Master had hacked into the Matrix), breaking a billion billion [[heart]]s to heal its own (the Master had also slaughtered the Time Lords after he became distraught at learning the truth of their origins). ([[TV]]: ''[[Hell Bent (TV story)|Hell Bent]]'')
 
== Home video releases ==
''to be added''
 
== External links ==
{{bbc.co.uk|m000g09m}}
 
== Footnotes ==
{{reflist}}
 
{{DWTV}}
{{Master stories}}
{{Cyberman stories}}
{{Regeneration stories}}
{{TitleSort}}
{{cat|Doctor Who (2005) television stories}}
{{cat|2020 television stories}}
[[Category:Series 12 (Doctor Who) stories]]
[[Category:Series 12 (Doctor Who) stories]]
[[Category:Stories set on Gallifrey]]
[[Category:Stories set on Gallifrey]]

Revision as of 20:16, 4 March 2020

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The Timeless Children was the tenth and final episode of series 12 of Doctor Who.

The episode brought to light an account of the Doctor's origins in which, prior to becoming the First Doctor, they had lived many forgotten lives as the Timeless Child. This new thread in the ongoing tapestry brings the Doctor, once again, to the forefront of Time Lord history.

In this new account, the Timeless Child was discovered near a boundary to another dimension or reality by the Shobogan traveller Tecteun, who took her in as her own. Their regenerative abilities were attentively studied by Tecteun, and eventually replicated. This is put forward as the true origin of regeneration on Gallifrey. A radical result of this retroactive continuity is that the Doctor, in their earliest lives, was the biological template upon which Time Lord society was founded.

It also offers a new explanation for pre-Hartnell incarnations like the so-called "Morbius" Doctors, and continues to push the mystery around the "Fugitive" Doctor played by Jo Martin.

The Timeless Children also brought another redesign of the Cybermen not long after the warrior-class Cybermen in Ascension of the Cybermen in the form of CyberMasters - a branch created by the Master with the ability to regenerate.

The episode also brought about another shift in the current status quo, with the Doctor's companions, Ryan, Graham, and Yaz being returned to the 21st century without the Doctor, for their own protection, with the group still being separated by the end of the episode.

Synopsis

Gallifrey is dead, the Master is in control of an army of Cybermen ready to take over the universe, and Graham, Ryan, and Yaz are trapped, being hunted down with the last remnants of humanity. But for the Doctor, one question remains... Who is the Timeless Child?

Plot

to be added

Cast

Special guest appearance by

Uncredited cast

Crew

to be added

References

Species

  • Shobogans were the original indigenous species of Gallifrey, who later genetically altered themselves into the Time Lords thanks to Tecteun's research.
  • The Timeless Child's species are a species from another reality or dimension that have the ability to regenerate infinitely and continuously change their appearance. Because of Tecteun's research, their DNA was placed into the Shobogans's DNA and thus created the Time Lords.

Biology

Organisations

  • An early incarnation of the Doctor was recruited by The Division, an organisation which officially did not exist nor had operatives and acted against the non-interference policy of the Time Lords.

Culture 

  • When showing the destroyed Citadel to the Doctor, the Master references "Ozymandias", a sonnet by Percy Shelley.
  • When the Master requests an alliance with the Cyberium, he references the TV show The Apprentice, claiming he "deserves to be its business partner, because he has performed well in all the tasks", which was a common excuse used to become Lord Sugar's business partner.
  • The Time Lord's secret origins being cloaked by lies be similar to those of the super-intelligent apes on the Planet of the Apes franchise.

Weapons

Story notes

  • This episode used the same kind of "cold opening" used in Spyfall: Part Two; a recap of the preceding episode.
  • This episode had the most extensive use of archive footage in any of the Doctor Who episodes or any other media, and indeed any of the spin-offs as of 2020.
  • Tecteun's and the Timeless Child's regenerations mark the first time female to male regeneration has been seen onscreen. However, the first depiction of a female regenerating into a male in any media was in AUDIO: Enemy Lines. In the case of the Timeless Child multiple regenerations were shown, both female to male and male to female.
  • The episode's cliffhanger ending calls back to the cliffhanger endings of both Doomsday and Last of the Time Lords, in which the dumbfounded Doctor repeatedly utters the word "what?" in response to the events suddenly and rapidly unfolding around them.
  • This episode is the first time in the show's history, discounting full red and full blue from various previous stories, that clips from the William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton eras have been shown in colour.
  • This marks the second time the theme music has been used during a TV story, playing across the Doctor's Matrix mind-blow-up sequence. The first time was in The Woman Who Fell to Earth.
  • This story confirms that the faces in the mind battle with Morbius in The Brain of Morbius are incarnations of the Doctor, something long debated amongst fans.
  • The Timeless Children made such a huge impact on the fandom as a whole that the episode made it into the satirical website News Thump.[4]
  • The episode used an anagram for actor Sacha Dhawan on the Doctor Who website; "Barack Stemis" which, if re-arranged, means "Master is Back" and playing a false character called "Fakout".[5][6] This tactic, discounting in-universe examples from 2007's Utopia/The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords, has not been seen on television since The King's Demons in 1983. Back then it was used in the credits of the episode. Another more recent example is Mark Gatiss being credited, in the old tradition, as Sam Kisgart, for his role as a parallel universe Master, though this was more of a tongue-in-cheek reference to the classic trope than a genuine attempt at audience subterfuge.

Ratings

to be added

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.

to be added

Continuity

Home video releases

to be added

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/B9OhfHkhGHu
  2. ↑ https://www.spotlight.com/interactive/cv/16/M193512.html
  3. ↑ https://www.spotlight.com/interactive/cv/16/M204708.html
  4. ↑ https://newsthump.com/2020/03/02/tardis-changes-from-police-box-to-dumpster-on-fire/
  5. ↑ https://twitter.com/0_MattWhelan_0/status/1230222077300482050
  6. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000g09m
v • e
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According to one account, the Master had the appearance of Roger Delgado while on Gallifrey. According to another, he had Anthony Ainley's likeness. According to another one, the one with James Dreyfus's appearance was the incarnation who ran away from Gallifrey.

Divided Loyalties, A Brief History of Time Lords and The Legions of Death feature, or otherwise acknowledge, the War Chief, but in the process contradicted the notion put forward by other stories that he was an incarnation of the Master.

One account suggests that the incarnation portrayed by Roger Delgado may be the same as the one portrayed by Peter Pratt while some others distinguish them.

According to one account, the incarnation portrayed by Gordon Tipple is the one portrayed by Anthony Ainley, while some others state that the Ainley one was already lost by then.

While fighting to extend his life at the end of his regeneration cycle, many bodies were possessed by the Beevers incarnation, but all kept somehow reverting to his real being until he finally regenerated into the MacQueen one. Hence, these sections cannot be strictly chronological
v • e
Cyberman stories
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