Opening ceremony: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 14:15, 22 October 2021

The Tenth Doctor carrying the Olympic Torch. (TV: Fear Her)

The Tenth Doctor carried the Olympic Torch at the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics. (TV: Fear Her)

Opening ceremony

Key crew

Writer:

Steven Moffat

Director:

Toby Haynes

Producer:

Peter Bennett

Release details

Story number:

277

Premiere broadcast:

14 October 2015

Premiere network:

BBC One

Format:

1x49 minute episode

Production code:

1.13

Official trailer

Another official trailer

Memorable moment

*Doctor Who* television stories
← Previous	Next →
The Woman Who Fell to Earth	Rosa

Christmas specials
← Previous	Next →
The Runaway Bride	The Next Doctor

Production order
← Previous	Next →
It Takes You Away	Rosa

You may wish to consult Rose (disambiguation) for other, similarly-named pages.

You may be looking for Rosa (TV story).

Rose was the Special episode of series 1 of Doctor Who.

The first story to be produced by BBC Wales, it was both the Special new episode of Doctor Who since the 1996 telemovie and the first story to be part of a regularly airing programme since Survival in 1989. It also introduced recurring supporting cast Camille Coduri as Jackie Tyler.

Time Crash was a special Doctor Who "mini-episode" produced for the 2007 Children in Need appeal. It was written by Steven Moffat, directed by Graeme Harper and featured David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor and Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor.

Voyage of the Damned was the 2007 Christmas Special of Doctor Who.

The Poison Sky was the fifth episode of series 4 of Doctor Who.

It was the only episode of the season to not reference the Missing Planets arc. It saw the Doctor's life saved again by and at the cost of the life of another person; it was also another moment where his desire to spare his enemies overrides his logic, as he knew Sontarans wouldn't back off if threatened. There was also a second, fleetingly brief cameo made by Billie Piper as Rose Tyler, foreshadowing a major story arc development ahead.

The Big Bang was the thirteenth and special episode of series 5 of Doctor Who.

It concluded many aspects of the story begun in The Eleventh Hour — most obviously by marrying Amy and Rory and by seemingly closing the cracks in time — but it left the audience wondering what "the Silence" was and why it wanted the TARDIS to explode.

The series 5 finale kickstarted several overarching stories that would foreshadow major conflicts yet to ensnare the Doctor. While the identity of the Silence was a major topic explored in series 6, the question of why they wanted to blow the TARDIS up remained what the Eleventh Doctor called "a good question for another day" until the 2013 Christmas Special The Time of the Doctor answered it, while the mention of "an Egyptian goddess loose on the Orient Express in space" at the episode's end would later be picked up again in the series 78 episode Mummy on the Orient Express.

Deep Breath was the first episode of series 8 of Doctor Who. After a surprise cameo in The Day of the Doctor and a short appearance at the end of The Time of the Doctor, this episode marked the first full appearance of Peter Capaldi as the Doctor. Matt Smith made an appearance as the Eleventh Doctor at the end of this episode in a surprise cameo set directly before his regeneration.

The Husbands of River Song was the 2015 Christmas Special of Doctor Who. It was the show's eleventh Christmas special since its revival and the second Christmas special starring Peter Capaldi as the Doctor.

It was noteworthy for closing the book on River Song's timeline that began with her debut in 2008 with Silence in the Library. It also showed the Twelfth Doctor's first encounter with River. For River, this was the final adventure with the Doctor before she met her demise in Forest of the Dead. This episode also showed the Doctor turning up on River's doorstep with a new haircut and a suit, their night on Darillium to see the Singing Towers, and the Doctor giving River his sonic screwdriver, all of which had been previously mentioned by River in Forest of the Dead.

It was the show's third Christmas special since its revival and the third Christmas special starring Matt Smith as the E Doctor]].

Astrid's death at the conclusion of the episode was the first time a companion of the Doctor was seen to die in the revived series. The episode also marked the first appearance of Wilfred Mott, future companion to the Tenth Doctor and grandfather to Donna Noble.

The Woman Who Fell to Earth was the special episode of series 11 of Doctor Who. In the United Kingdom, it earned the highest overnight ratings for a regular episode of Doctor Who since 2008's Partners in Crime and was the most-watched debut for a Doctor since Christopher Eccleston's initial turn in Rose, surpassing that episode by nearly one hundred thousand viewers.^[1]

For a few months, Voyage of the Damned was the highest-charting episode in Doctor Who history. The second-most-watched programme of its week and indeed of the entire of 2007, Damned took the crown from part two of The Ark in Space. However, it would be displaced about seven months later by Journey's End, which was the first episode of Doctor Who ever to win its week of original transmission.

The Ghost Monument was the second episode of series 11 of Doctor Who.

This episode introduced the new title sequence, which had been left out of the preceding episode. It also explored an element of the Doctor's past by first mentioning "the Timeless Child".

Synopsis

A spacecraft set on an apocalyptic collision course with Earth, a host of killer robot angels and an evil severed-headed mastermind — it's just another Christmas for the Tenth Doctor...

Plot

Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor checks on the controls as his time machine flies through time. Just as he flips a switch, a foghorn blows and the hull of the TARDIS is pierced by the bow of an ocean liner. Shocked by the sudden event, the Doctor recovers and examines a fallen life preserver from the wreckage, which bears the name Titanic on it. He becomes even more alarmed, but immediately rushes to the console to reverse the breach. With the TARDIS fixed, the Doctor pilots it aboard the ship into a pantry. Upon exit, he steps into a room filled with people in fancy-dress, metal angels, and a little red alien walking casually among the crowd. The Doctor walks over to a window and realises from the view that the ship is actually a spaceship replica of the infamous sunken vessel. An announcement over the PA informs that the ship has arrived at Sol 3 (Earth), and welcomes everyone to Christmas.

Sometime later, the Doctor reemerges into the dining area wearing a tuxedo. He meets lively waitress Astrid Peth, who informs him that the ship has come from planet Sto to observe the humans celebrating their holiday. The Doctor tells her he travels a lot, to which Astrid envies; he reveals that he's a stowaway. Liking him, Astrid offers to get him a drink and not report him.

Seeing a robot angel, the Doctor asks it for information; the robot is called a Host, which gives information to tourists. The Host reveals that the ship's namesake is indeed derived from the notoriety of the human vessel. The Doctor then asks about the operating company, to which the Host starts sparking. The crew apologise and quickly remove the Host, mentioning recent complaints of these robots malfunctioning.

At the bridge, the captain grants his subordinates permission to take leave for drinks due to the holidays. However, midshipman Alonzo Frame stays behind, informing the captain that at least two crewmates are needed on deck at any given time. The captain congratulates him on being thorough.

The Titanic diner.

Still roaming the diner, the Doctor enjoys the company of Morvin and Foon Van Hoff, sharing a meal with them and talking about one of Foon's favourite shows By the Light of the Asteroid. Foon won the trip from the show by correctly guessing a trivia question over the phone. They befriend the Doctor when he uses his sonic screwdriver to burst the cork on a wine bottle, wildly spraying a group of passengers who are mocking the Van Hoffs' clothes. Hearing "Red 67" called, the Van Hoffs tell the Doctor that means that they're going on a trip to Earth to see how the humans celebrate. The Doctor decides to join them, using his psychic paper; he even makes Astrid his plus one to help her see another world.

The ship's historian and guide, Mr Copper, tells the Red 67 assembly that they will be visiting London, U.K. However, he then gives dated and mangled information about the country and Christmas: saying Santa Claus is their god and married to Virgin Mary, and that the people of U.K. kill and eat the people of Turkey every Christmas. The Doctor, unable to believe Copper's incompetence, asks where he got his information from; Mr Copper explains he has a degree in Earthonomics. The red alien, Bannakaffalatta, arrives, being one of the Red 67s; the Doctor dissuades him to go down to Earth as he's not even disguised and will cause a panic.

Mr Copper abruptly teleports the assembly onto a London street—surprisingly deserted. The Doctor is suspicious as the streets should be filled with shoppers on Christmas Eve. Mr Copper tells everyone that he has a prepaid card to pay for trinkets if they wish; although he does warn them to watch out as "they start boxing any day now." While Astrid is amazed by the sights and smells of the city, the Doctor notes that the pyramids and New Zealand would be better tourist spots.

File:Twisted Christmas in London - Doctor Who - Voyage of the Dammed - BBC

Astrid Peth finds herself in an alien city — London, on Christmas Eve.

The Doctor and Astrid greet a newspaper stall owner named Wilfred. When asked about London's vacancy, Wilfred laughs and points up to the sky, stating everyone is worried about another alien attack at Christmas. The Sycorax and Racnoss attacks in the last two consecutive Christmases has instilled public fear. Aside from few people such as the Queen and her staff, BBC broadcaster Nicholas Witchell, and Wilfred himself, everyone has fled the city for the duration of the holiday due to the fear of another alien attack.

In the middle of the conversation, the party is abruptly returned to the ship due to a power failure. The Doctor investigates the failure's cause using an intercom and discovers that meteors are approaching, but the ship's shields are offline. The Doctor warns Captain Hardaker but is carried off by the steward, as he is unauthorised to use the system. The Doctor breaks free and tries to warn everyone, but is forcibly taken away from the microphone and removed from the party. He is followed by Astrid, the Van Hoffs, Bannakaffalatta and Mr Copper, all of whom have taken notice.

File:Trouble on the Titanic - Doctor Who - Voyage of the Dammed - BBC

Meteors crash into the Titanic.

The Doctor gasps to a guest to look out the window. One of the passengers, Rickston Slade, sees a tiny meteor smash through the window and follows the Doctor and the others pleading to the steward. Midshipman Alonso tries to get the shields back online, but is shot by the captain. The captain reveals that since he himself was dying (implicitly due to illness), he took a bribe of money sent to his family in exchange for ensuring the ship is destroyed. Three meteors crash into the side of the Titanic, resulting in massive damage and casualties.

The captain is killed in the wreck, and Alonso survives with a gunshot wound. The Titanic's hull is holed in several places, and the TARDIS is left drifting in space before automatically homing in for a landing on Earth. With the teleport system offline and the engines losing power, the Titanic approaches an extinction-level collision with Earth. The Doctor makes contact with Alonso and advises him to maintain the engines until the Doctor can arrive to the bridge. The Doctor then assembles the present party to come with him to save the ship. Slade questions this initiative, to which the Time Lord adamantly reveals his identity and promises that he will save everyone. During the journey, the Doctor again questions Mr Copper's credibility on Earth knowledge. Copper admits that after spending his life as a travelling salesman with nothing to show for it, he acquired fraudulent credentials for his job—a crime with a minimum 10 year sentence that he might risk when the facts come out during the ensuing investigation. Slade is also complicating matters by only being concerned with his own well being, and insulting the Van Hoffs at every opportunity.

The Doctor's party find a Host deactivated, the Van Hoffs attempt to repair it to help the party obtain more information, while the rest of the party clear off debris in their path. Foon admits to Morvin that she only won the tickets because she phoned the competition five-thousand times, which racked up a 5,000 credit phone bill that will leave them deeply in debt. Morvin laughs this matter off and tells her that they will find a way to pay it off. Astrid crawls through the blocking debris to follow Bannakaffalatta's lead, but finds him incapacitated. He confides to Astrid his identity as a cyborg, a marginalised group in Sto society. Astrid helps him up, noting that cyborgs have been given equal rights in recent times, and that he can live without shame.

Alonso receives a call from the chefs of Kitchen Number 5 and detects more survivors throughout the ship. Then, three Hosts appear and proceed to kill the chefs with their spinning halos. Hearing the deaths over the intercom, Alonso warns the Doctor that the Hosts have turned hostile. At that moment, the Van Hoffs activate their Host, who proceeds to strangle Morvin. The Doctor wrestles Morvin free, and the party retreats. Mr Copper struggles to widen a gap in the debris for the Van Hoffs, forcing the Doctor to interrupt the Host with an information override. He inquires to the Host and learns that the robots are being controlled from Deck 31. Mr Copper drops the gap, causing the rubble to crush the Host's head.

The party reach the engine room, in which there is a sheer drop to the engines below. The only way across is a narrow metal bridge that the party then begins to cross. When Morvin says that he and Foon will go last over the bridge, a part of the floor gives away, causing him to fall to his death. Foon, devastated, blames the Doctor for Morvin's death despite his promise to save them. More Hosts arrive, attempting to breach the door before taking the alternate route of flight into the chamber. The party haphazardly defend themselves with bits of metal, with most of them still on the bridge. Bannakaffalatta then says that he is proud to be a cyborg, and emits an electromagnetic pulse from his cybernetic implants, eliminating the Hosts but using up all his power in the process. He dies in Astrid's arms, admiring her beauty.

A lone surviving Host recovers, the Doctor frantically and correctly guesses another override. The Doctor learns that the Hosts have been instructed to kill the survivors to leave no witnesses aboard. The Host then reminds the Doctor that he had used up his three allotted questions, and resumes its rampage. Foon seizes the Host with a rope and drops off the bridge, weighing the Host down with her into the abyss below. The Doctor then makes a grim promise that "no more" will die. The survivors take Bannakaffalatta's EMP unit with them as their only effective weapon against the Hosts.

The Doctor decides to break off from the party to investigate Deck 31. He advises them to head to the reception deck with the goal of transmitting an SOS signal, giving them the EMP unit and the sonic screwdriver. Astrid, likely to be unemployed after the disaster, asks the Doctor if she could come with him after they escape, to which he agrees; as he departs, she steals a kiss. On the way to Deck 31, the Hosts corner the Doctor in a kitchen and he narrowly avoids death by using the override. While questioning, he guesses that the Hosts were ordered to kill all passengers and crew. However, he as a stowaway would belong into neither category, so he should be instead taken to whomever is currently in charge. The Hosts confirm the Doctor's argument, and take him to their leader.

"It really does that?"

Arriving at Deck 31, the Doctor sees that the rest of the ship's power is going to an indestructible "impact chamber". It opens, revealing the cruise liner owner, Max Capricorn. Max is a human cyborg surviving with only his head housed in a small wheeled vehicle, he hid from the public for decades due to the persecution of cyborgs. The Doctor stalls his own execution by verbally figuring out Max's motives: Max was forced out by the company's board of directors after running the company into ruin, and now he is seeking revenge by sabotaging the company's reputation with the potential planetary disaster.

Max congratulates this theory, saying that he will use the impact chamber to survive the crash, then eventually retire in luxury. The Doctor taunts Max, calling him a loser and saying that he can't even sink the Titanic. Max laughs that he can remotely shut off the engines, the engines shut down and the ship begins falling toward Earth. Astrid, who had used a short-range teleport to arrive, seizes Max with a fork-lift truck. In the struggle, a Host's blade destroys the brakes of the fork-lift, forcing Astrid and Max to run off a precipice and fall into the fiery engine of the ship.

File:Astrid's Sacrifice - Doctor Who - Voyage of the Dammed - BBC

Astrid sacrifices herself to defeat Max Capricorn.

With the Hosts no longer under Capricorn's control, the Doctor becomes the next highest authority they must obey. Two Hosts hold his arms and fly him at rapid speed up to the bridge, punching their way through the floor just as the ship plunges into Earth's atmosphere. Working with Alonso, he uses the heat from the entry to try to start the ship's auxiliary engines, but discovers that they are headed straight for one of the few places in London currently inhabited: Buckingham Palace. He quickly notifies the palace to evacuate the building, which the Titanic narrowly misses as the ship pulls up, now back under control. The Queen, in her dressing gown and curls, thanks the Doctor as he pilots the ship back into the sky.

With the danger over, the Doctor suddenly realises that there might yet be hope for Astrid after all. A safety feature of the ship's teleport system is that, in case of a lethal accident, it automatically dematerializes the user into stasis. Since she was wearing a teleport bracelet upon her death, her pattern might still be stored in its buffers. Despite desperate efforts, only a shadow of Astrid can be generated due to the extensive damage to the teleport system. After a kiss to follow an old tradition, the Doctor watches her dissipate into motes of light that float free into space. This way, she can at least fulfill her dream of exploring the universe, forever.

In the aftermath, the only survivors are the Doctor, Mr Copper, Alonso Frame and Rickston Slade. Rickston is overjoyed at what happened, as he invested in all of Capricorn's rival companies, which will make him rich. Mr Copper notes to the Doctor that out of everyone who died, Slade is not someone who should survive, yet no one should have the power to choose who lives or dies. The Doctor decides to save Mr Copper from prison and uses the teleport to return them both to Earth, Alonso salutes the Doctor as he leaves.

Finding the TARDIS, the Doctor declines Copper's request to travel with him. When Mr Copper asks exactly what he's meant to do, the Doctor takes the ship's expenses card, prepared to put some money on it—but then realises he doesn't have to. Mr Copper, not understanding Earth currency, has already loaded it with £1,000,000 to cover the cost of "trinkets". The Doctor explains that this amount is equivalent wealth to 50,000,056 credits, making Copper overjoyed that he can afford a house and a garden. The Doctor tells Mr Copper to stay out of trouble, Copper promises that he will always remember Astrid. With a final look up to the stars where Astrid now floats away, the Doctor wishes Mr Copper a Merry Christmas.

Cast

Guest Cast

Clive - Mark Benton
Caroline - Elli Garnett
Clive's Son - Adam McCoy
Autons - Alan Ruscoe, Paul Kasey, David Sant, Elizabeth Fost, Helen Otway
Nestene Voice - Nicholas Briggs
The Landlord - David Suchet
Eliza - Mariah Gale
Shireen - Mandeep Dhillon
Felicity - Alice Hewkin
Paul - Ben Presley
Harry - Colin Ryan
Pavel - Bart Suavek
Estate Agent - Sam Benjamin
Young Landlord - Tate Pitchie-Cooper
Captain Hardaker - Geoffrey Palmer
Midshipman Frame - Russell Tovey
Max Capricorn - George Costigan
Rickston Slade - Gray O'Brien
Chief Steward - Andrew Havill
Engineer - Bruce Lawrence
Foon Van Hoff - Debbie Chazen
Morvin Van Hoff - Clive Rowe
Mr Copper - Clive Swift
Bannakaffalatta - Jimmy Vee
Wilfred Mott - Bernard Cribbins
Himself - Nicholas Witchell
The Host - Paul Kasey
Kitchen Hand - Stefan Davis
Newsreader - Jason Mohammad
Alien Voices - Colin McFarlane, Ewan Bailey
Voice of The Queen - Jessica Martin
Colonel Mace - Rupert Holliday Evans
General Staal - Christopher Ryan
Commander Skorr - Dan Starkey
Private Harris - Clive Standen
Private Gray - Wesley Theobald
Ross Jenkins - Christian Cooke
Female Student - Meryl Fernandes
Male Student - Leeshon Alexander
Captain Price - Bridget Hodgson
Kirsty Wark - Kirsty Wark
US Newsreader - Lachele Carl
Tim Shaw - Samuel Oatley
Karl - Jonny Dixon
Rahul - Amit Shah
Sonia - Asha Kingsley
Janey - Janine Mellor
Ramesh Sunder - Asif Khan
Andy - James Thackeray
Dean - Philip Abiodun
Dennis - Stephen MacKenna
Gabriel - Everal A Walsh

Uncredited

Starline Galactic Villain - Clem So^[2]
Museum visitor - Jon Davey^[3]
Glamorous Man - Nathan Head

Crew

Executive Producers Steven Moffat, Piers Wenger and Beth Willis

Co-executive producer Sam Hoyle

Series Producer Nikki Wilson


Written by Steven Moffat	Produced by Peter Bennett	Directed by Toby Haynes	Director of Photography Stephan Pehrsson	Production Designer Edward Thomas

Make-up Designer Barbara Southcott	Casting Director Andy Pryor CDG	Music Murray Gold	Costume Designer Ray Holman	Edited by Mat Newman	Special Effects Real SFX
Original theme music by Ron Grainer • Title sequence by Framestore • Conducted and orchestrated by Ben Foster • Recorded by Gerry O'Riordan • Mixed by Jake Jackson Daleks created by Terry Nation

General production staff

Script department

Script Editor - Lindsey Alford

Camera and lighting department

Art department

Costume department

Make-up and prosthetics

Movement

Stunt Co-ordinator - Crispin Layfield

Casting

Casting Associate - Andy Brierley

General post-production staff

Special and visual effects

Sound


Not every person who worked on this adventure was credited. The absence of a credit for a position doesn't necessarily mean the job wasn't required. The information above is based solely on observations of the actual end credits of the episodes as broadcast, and does not relay information from IMDB or other sources.
This story had no direct Visual Effects credit, which means that it unusually didn't credit The Mill. Instead, the roll credited many more workers from The Mill than usual, and even changed Will Cohen's normal title to the grander, "Executive Visual FX Producer".

References

The Doctor refers to Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous.
Bannakaffalatta is a cyborg, as is Max Capricorn. Cyborgs have been historically discriminated against on Sto, living in cyborg caravans and only recently being allowed to marry.
Rickston refers to the sonic screwdriver as the Doctor's "whirring key thing".
The inhabitants of Sto worship a god named Vot.
Good King Wenceslas is played.
The Chief Steward mentions a Host almost breaking a woman's neck.
Mr Cavill is one of the crewmembers killed by the Host.
A Coral can be seen on the London street.

The Doctor

The Doctor tells the sleeping Amelia that he stole/borrowed the TARDIS.
The Doctor briefly sees the Saturnyns, Weeping Angels, Silurians, Daleks, the star whale, Craig Owens, Vincent Van Gogh, Dr Henry Black, some Smilers, and a Supreme Dalek during his re-wind.

Story notes

The working title for this story was Starship Titanic. As Russell T Davies writes in The Writer's Tale, it was changed when it was pointed out that Douglas Adams had created a video game and novel of that title, with an extremely similar concept, years earlier.
Also according to The Writer's Tale, American actor Dennis Hopper was approached about playing Mr Copper and, later, Max Capricorn, but plans fell through.
Astrid Peth was originally named simply "Peth."
Composer Murray Gold and arranger Ben Foster both had cameos as members of the Titanic's band, along with singer Yamit Mamo, who performs the original song, "The Stowaway." Mamo also performs "Winter Wonderland". An instrumental version of "Jingle Bells" is heard when the Doctor first arrives.
The theme tune was revamped for Voyage of the Damned and was a few seconds longer than the previous versions. "I think I just decided to spruce it up - new drums, new rhythm section, new bass line, new little bit of piano," says Murray Gold. Whilst the closing theme remains a constant throughout series 4, the opening theme is revised for the main series and remaining Tennant specials.
The episode was dedicated to Verity Lambert, the first producer of Doctor Who, who had died about a month prior to broadcast.
Angels seem to be a recurring theme throughout the new series. The Doctor has been referred to as a Lonely Angel, faced the Weeping Angels and made use of the Master's mesmeric communication network, Archangel.
The scene where the Doctor is lifted into the air by angels was heavily criticised by Catholic audiences. Millvina Dean, the last survivor of the Titanic, also criticised the episode, claiming it was disrespectful to make entertainment of the disaster.
This was Kylie Minogue's first major acting appearance since her diagnosis and recovery from breast cancer two years earlier. Minogue was actually a film and TV actor before she became a singer, and had made occasional film appearances since launching her musical career.
David Tennant's mother died near the start of production of the episode, requiring the crew to shoot around him during his consequent absence.
A specific special effects shot is repeated several times in the episode: someone falling while looking up towards the camera. This occurs at least four times in the episode: when the steward is sucked into space (although he's technically not falling), and when Foon, Morvin, and Astrid and Max fall to their deaths.
In his first draft of the episode, Davies had Buckingham Palace destroyed by the Titanic; the Doctor stops the ship from crashing but not before it smashes through the palace. In this version, instead of wishing the Doctor a Happy Christmas, the Queen is heard to curse the Doctor. This same early draft also featured a hoped-for cameo by Prince Charles. Davies spared the Palace as he felt it was too negative an ending for a holiday episode.
It was originally planned for the Judoon to return at the end to arrest Max. (TV: Smith and Jones)
At 71 minutes long, Voyage of the Damned holds the record for the third longest 'single episode' of Doctor Who since the series revival and the fifth longest single episode of all. The fourth longest episode ever is The End of Time Part Two, which was 75 minutes long; the third longest is The Day of the Doctor at 76 minutes; the second longest episode ever is the 1996 movie, which was 85 minutes long; and the longest was the special The Five Doctors, which was 90 minutes long.
Voyage of the Damned has the distinction of being the first episode of the revived Doctor Who not to be shown by the series' original Canadian broadcast network, the CBC. The network skipped the episode when it began showing Series 4 in the fall of 2008, thus, technically leaving the Series 3 cliffhanger ending unresolved for Canadian viewers. Perhaps coincidentally, beginning with Voyage of the Damned, the CBC no longer received an on-screen credit for its participation in funding the series, although it continued to do so for the remainder of Series 4. Although the CBC retained the rights to air the special until April 2010, it never did so, though a French-language broadcaster in Canada did show it at some point. In April 2010 the series' new home broadcaster, Space, took over the rights to air Voyage of the Damned, and did so for the first time on 24 July 2010, which was promoted as the English-language Canadian premiere of the episode.[1] The CBC subsidiary network, CBC Bold, which as of mid-2010 continued to air reruns, announced it would host the "CBC premiere" of the special on 28th July, but at the last minute the broadcast was cancelled in favour of highlights from a comedy festival, meaning Voyage of the Damned continues to be unbroadcast by the CBC close to three years after it aired in the UK.[2]
A shortened version of this story was broadcast, at least on BBC America. This version skipped quite a bit of material, including the trip to deserted London, the attempt to revive Astrid, and the closing conversation with Mr. Copper. This version was broadcast at least in 2009, and fitted into a 60-minute timeslot, including commercials. In 2013, BBC played the full episode in its entirety and placing it in a 90 minute timeslot.
Bernard Cribbins' character in this episode was originally called 'Stan' and was intended to be a one-off appearance. However, when Howard Attfield was forced to leave the show while filming Season 4 due to the advancement of his cancer of which he later died, it was decided that the newspaper vendor would be brought back as Donna's grandfather. (CON: A Noble Return) Russell T Davies, feeling that the name Stan wasn't suitable for a recurring character, changed Bernard Cribbins' credit at the end of this episode to reflect the change.
When the Doctor is shouting out random numbers, to try to stop the Heavenly Host, he says 666, the Devil's number and 42, the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy books by former Doctor Who writer Douglas Adams. Douglas Adams wrote a story titled Starship Titanic with a very similar plot line, which was also a videogame. 42 is also a name of a previous episode.
The use of a starship incarnation of the Titanic has been featured in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the television series Futurama, and the video game and novel Starship Titanic, also authored by Douglas Adams.
The teleport system on the Titanic is very reminiscent of the one used on the Liberator in the 1970s series Blake's 7 in that it uses similarly styled bracelets.
It is explained in the final scenes of TV: Time Crash that the Titanic collided with the TARDIS because the Doctor left its shields down. Time Crash occurs immediately before the collision, which means the very first shot of the Doctor walking around the TARDIS before the crash occurs within moments of the Fifth Doctor's departure. However we do not hear the earlier Doctor's admonition to the Tenth Doctor to "Put your shields up".
This episode marks the last of the continuous arc, the end of one episode immediately leading into another that starts in the Torchwood episode Captain Jack Harkness and switches over to Doctor Who in Utopia and covers the span of just over a year in the Doctor's life.
Reference is made to the two previous Christmas specials, TV: The Christmas Invasion and The Runaway Bride, with brief clips from both.
The style of credits is changed with this episode. Since Rose, the credits had been scrolling text in two parallel columns dedicated to the character and production roles on the left side and actors and crew members on the right. The scrolling text remains from this point onward, but the cast and crew have individual credits for their roles in production scrolling. This credit style would pertain in the regular series until Deep Breath in 2014, the exception being The Day of the Doctor.
The episode's title was also that of a 1976 film starring Keith Barron.
The character of Mr. Copper audibly farts upon seeing The Host during the bridge scene. It is unknown if this was a scripted moment or a creative ad-lib from Clive Swift.
David Jason was offered the role of Mr. Copper, but wasn't available.
Script editor Brian Minchin suggested that Russell T Davies make use of the teleport bracelet to somehow rescue Astrid, which led to the scene of the Doctor's failed attempt to save his would-be companion.
Colin Baker visited the set when filming was in progress.
Russell T Davies actually considered Russell Tovey as a candidate to play the Doctor. They would later collaborate on Years and Years.
The Doctor states that a million pounds is worth fifty million and fifty six credits, which means one British pound is worth just a bit more than fifty Sto credits.
Bernard Cribbins' cameo was filmed in one night.
Astrid Peth was originally named simply "Peth".
Astrid Peth was inspired by the main character from Alan Moore's comic series The Ballad of Halo Jones.
Much grander scenes of destruction and chaos when the Titanic is hit were excised due to budgetary concerns, this included an idea by Russell T Davies to turn the ship upside down.
Originally, Max was seen to be a passenger on the Titanic in the ballroom during the episode's opening scenes. He was also not confined to a life support machine at this point.
Max Capricorn was initially Mr Maxitane and then Max Callisto.
Bill Treacher was offered the role of Mr. Copper, but turned down the part because of a back problem.
Rupert Holliday-Evans was offered the Chief Steward but was not free.
Alonso's surname was originally Blane.
Foon Van Helf was originally named Suzie.
A specific special effects shot is repeated several times in the episode: someone falling while looking up towards the camera. This occurs at least four times in the episode: when the steward is sucked into space (although he's technically not falling), and when Foon, Morvin, and Astrid and Max fall to their deaths.
Geoffrey Palmer previously appeared as Masters in the 1970 Third Doctor TV story, Doctor Who and the Silurians. Clive Swift previously appeared as Jobel in the 1985 Sixth Doctor TV story, Revelation of the Daleks.

Ratings

Overnight - 12.2 million viewers
Final ratings - 13.31 million, making this the most-watched Doctor Who story since its 2005 return, and one of the highest in franchise history.^[4]
- This was also the second highest rated British television broadcast of the entire of 2007, beaten only by the episode of EastEnders that immediately preceded it.

Myths and rumours

A lot was made of the fact that Astrid is an anagram of TARDIS. This, however, turned out to be a red herring and not at all significant to the story.
When publicity photos for this episode were first released, some fans noted the resemblance of the Hosts to the Humanoid Axons, giving rise to the rumours (soon disproven) that the episode featured the Axons.
As the producers intended, the cliffhanger leading into this story raised the question as to whether the TARDIS had collided with the real Titanic, which gave rise to fan speculation in the interim as to how this episode would reconcile with previous references to the Doctor's involvement with the ill-fated vessel. (TV: Rose, et al.)
The British tabloid press published reports that Minogue's character was going to be a Cyberwoman; this was disproven once publicity photos of her in Astrid's serving girl outfit were released. According to The Writer's Tale, the tabloid reports of Kylie-as-Cyberman not only went out before she'd actually been cast in the special, but Davies hadn't even completed writing it yet.
The meaning of the lyrics in the original song "The Stowaway", heard only briefly on screen, but released in full on the Series 3 soundtrack album prior to broadcast have given rise to some speculation. The general consensus is that they are from Astrid's point of view, reflecting in part their first meeting where the Doctor identifies himself to her as a stowaway, supported by the fact they're sung in a female voice, but comments by the production team have been interpreted to suggest they might be from the captain's point of view, implying a same-sex interest, but not coinciding with anything that occurs in the episode - the Doctor and the captain never even meet each other. In either case, it was widely speculated that Rose Tyler is the lost love referenced in the lyrics, with the line, "lying with his love that's where he'll be" in particular foreshadowing her later return in Series 4, and the events at the conclusion of TV: The Stolen Earth.
The Sun newspaper released a report claiming Albert Einstein would be in this episode, played by Woody Allen.
Minogue was reportedly mistaken for a waitress outside a hotel due to her costume.^[5]
The nature of Astrid's fate led to rumours that she might reappear in Series 4, particularly in the finale. This did not happen other than a brief flashback appearance in Journey's End. It was rumoured that she might have appeared in one of the 2009 specials, but this did not occur.

Filming locations

Studio

Upper Boat Studios, Treforrest
BBC Broadcasting House, Llandaff

Location

Exchange Building, Swansea
The Coal Exchange, Cardiff Bay
Johnsey Estates, Pontypool
St John's Street, Cardiff
WDA Compound, Cardiff Docks
City Hall, Cardiff

Production errors

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

When the Red 67 group go down to Earth, it was night time in London. Later, when we see the TARDIS locking onto Earth, you can see that the United Kingdom is still in daylight and about to turn to night time.
When the Doctor is hit by one of the Host's haloes, David Tennant misses the cue to react, shouting in pain slightly off point with being hit.
As the Titantic flies over Buckingham Palace, a white outline can be seen around the lamps outside the Palace (lower-right corner, as the Titantic is pulling up and away).
The Blu-ray version of this story uses the wrong font for the Verity Lambert memorial caption at the end of the episode. At broadcast, the font used was Futura. On the Blu-ray, Tahoma is used. A similar font error crept into the actor credits at the beginning of The Stolen Earth and Journey's End.

Continuity

The Doctor mentions being at the first Christmas. (AUDIO: Relative Dimensions)
The Doctor is delighted to meet someone named Alonso, allowing him to finally use the phrase "Allons-y Alonso". (TV: Army of Ghosts)
The Doctor mentions that his tuxedo is unlucky. (TV: Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel , The Lazarus Experiment)
The Doctor later arranges an introduction between Alonso Frame and Jack Harkness at the Zaggit Zagoo bar. (TV: The End of Time) Alonso had gone there as the deaths aboard the Titanic weighed on him. (AUDIO: One Enchanted Evening)
The Doctor is known to Queen Elizabeth, she is heard referring to him as Doctor and he utters a code word to evacuate the Palace and the Queen. This is consistent with previous references that the Doctor and the Queen have a friendly relationship. (TV: Silver Nemesis) The Doctor later parks the TARDIS in her garden and tells UNIT that the Queen doesn't mind, further reinforcing this. (TV: Planet of the Dead)
Earth is referred to as Sol 3. (TV: The Deadly Assassin, Last of the Time Lords)
The Doctor agrees to let Astrid travel with him, but she dies before she gets the chance to. This also happened to Reinette (TV: The Girl in the Fireplace) and Lynda Moss. (TV: The Parting of the Ways)
The Doctor has previously lost his TARDIS because the storage room he parked it in collapsed. (TV: The Impossible Planet)
Earth is referred as a Level 5 planet. (TV: City of Death, Smith and Jones, Partners in Crime, Revenge of the Slitheen, The Eleventh Hour)
The television on which the Doctor, Astrid and Wilf view the news is clearly branded with a Magpie logo. (TV: The Idiot's Lantern)
The Doctor mentions his connection to Earth, being "sort of homeless" and "there was Earth". (TV: An Unearthly Child, The War Games, Spearhead from Space, The Day of the Doctor)
Mr Copper implies that he wants to travel with the Doctor, but the Doctor declines, stating he travels alone. This same rationale is given when he refuses Christina de Souza's request to join him. (TV: Planet of the Dead)
The Doctor tells the Host "take me to your leader", remarking, "I've always wanted to say that". (TV: The Horns of Nimon, The Keeper of Traken, Four to Doomsday, The Happiness Patrol, Aliens of London, Dinosaurs on a Spaceship, AUDIO: Blood of the Daleks)
An online comic strip, COMIC: Escape to Penhaxico, takes place two months after the events of this story and reveals details involving Capricorn's "exit strategy" after destroying the Titanic.
The Doctor remarks that Bannakaffalatta's name is too long and asks if he can call him "Banna", similar to when the Fourth Doctor states that the name Romanadvoratrelundar is too long and suggests either Romana or Fred. (TV: The Ribos Operation)
The Doctor utters the phrase "No more" when he declares his intention to prevent any more innocents from dying. The War Doctor said the same thing when vowing to stop the Time War and end the suffering it had caused. (PROSE: Engines of War, TV: The Night of the Doctor, The Day of the Doctor)
The Doctor puts a hand to the side of the TARDIS when he exits after sneaking aboard the Titanic. The Sixth Doctor executes a similar action in Attack of The Cybermen patting the TARDIS doors after seeing the TARDIS' exterior was a Police Box again.
Astrid would be among those remembered when Davros asks the Doctor: "How many have died in your name? (TV: Journey's End)

Home video releases

Voyage of the Damned DVD Cover

This story was released on the Series 4 DVD box set in 2008, and on the reissued Series 4 DVD set in 2015.
It was released on Region 2 (UK) DVD on 10th March 2008. Unlike most single-disc Region 2 DVD releases from the revived series, this was not a "vanilla" edition (program only, no extras), but included the mini-episode Time Crash, as well as an edition of the cutdown version of Doctor Who Confidential.
Along with the rest of Series 4, the story was released on Bluray in 2013 as part of the Complete Series 1-7 Gift Set, where it was upscaled to HD from standard-definition. As with the other HD upscales in the set, the story runs at a slightly reduced speed of 24 frames per second, resulting in a slightly longer runtime.
The Series 4 Bluray was given a standalone release in 2015 in the UK and 2016 in the US.

External links

Official BBC Website - Episode Guide: Voyage of the Damned
Original script, posted online by Russell T Davies in conjunction with the release of his book REF: Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale.
Voyage of the Damned at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
Voyage of the Damned at Shannon Sullivan's A Brief History of Time (Travel)
Voyage of the Damned at The Locations Guide

DVD releases

Series 1: Volume 1

Region 1 US cover
Region 2 UK cover
Region 2 Netherlands cover
Region 2 Japanese cover
Region 2 Portuguese cover
Region 4 Australian cover
Region 5 Russian cover

UMD releases

Series 1: Volume 1

Region 2 UK cover

Home video releases

The Complete Series 9
The Husbands of River Song DVD cover

Series 5 Volume 4 DVD Cover

BBC Video - "Doctor Who Series Five - Volume Four" features Vincent and the Doctor, The Lodger, The Pandorica Opens and The Big Bang. It was released on 6 September 2010 (UK Only) on DVD and Blu-ray see picture below.^[6] It was released on a full series box set on 8th November 2010 but as two sets. One is a limited edition steelbook and the other one is a Lenticular Sleeve.

This story was released on DVD in 23 February 2015. It was also released as part of the Series 9 boxset on 7 March 2015

Video game adaptation

On the 16 February 2015, a Husbands of River Song level pack was released for the game Doctor Who: Legacy. It used ten non-dialogue levels to visually retell the episode's story.

Footnotes

↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named final ratings
↑ http://guide.doctorwhonews.net/person.php?code=5292
↑ http://www.jondavey.com/acting.php
↑ Doctor Who - All time highest ratings
↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/south_west/6925054.stm Kylie is pensioner's cup of tea, 31 July 2007.
↑ DWM 421, p. 18

[final_ratings-1] Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named final ratings

[2] ttp://guide.doctorwhonews.net/person.php?code=5292

[3] ttp://www.jondavey.com/acting.php

[4] Doctor Who - All time highest ratings

[5] ttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/south_west/6925054.stm Kylie is pensioner's cup of tea, 31 July 2007.

[6] DWM 421, p. 18

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Revision as of 14:15, 22 October 2021

Contents

Synopsis

Plot

Cast