Series 4 (Doctor Who 2005): Difference between revisions

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: ''Series 4 redirects here. For the 1966-1967 season of the original series, see [[Season 4]].''
[[Image:2007_S3_title_Logo.jpg|center|250px]]
[[Image:2007_S3_title_Logo.jpg|center|250px]]
The '''2009 Specials''' were broadcast between the end of [[Series 4 (Doctor Who)|Series 4]] and the beginning of [[Series 5 (Doctor Who)|Series 5]]. The four specials were broadcast at various points in 2009 (though the final special was broadcast in 2010). Of the four specials, one aired at Easter 2009, followed by a second that aired in November, and a third one aired on Christmas 2009 with the final one airing on New Year's Day 2010. These four specials were overseen by [[Russell T Davies]] and [[Julie Gardner]], but traditional line producer, [[Phil Collinson]], did not return for them. All starred [[David Tennant]]. For the 2009 Specials, the Doctor was traveling alone, with each story featuring a one-off companion.


Series 4 of ''[[Doctor Who]]'' started on the [[5th April]] [[2008]]. It was preceded by two specials: ''[[Time Crash]]'' and ''[[Voyage of the Damned]]''. There is some dispute over whether these two productions are officially part of Series 4; [[Russell T Davies]]' memoir, ''[[The Writer's Tale]]'', describes both as being part of the production of Series 4, however, and both have been included in the subsequent DVD box set. However, the official website episode guide considers both specials as standing on their own, and therefore are not part of any series. ''Time Crash'' is canonical according to showrunner [[Steven Moffat]] in ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' #389.
There had been conflicting reports given as to why the decision was made to take a year off. Initial media reports suggested that this was in order to allow David Tennant to perform a season of Shakespeare during the time a regular season would have normally entered production.{{fact}} However, these reports were directly contradicted in Russell T Davies' book ''[[Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale]]'', which contains correspondence from the spring of [[2007]]; months before the gap year plan was announced; in which Davies indicated that the intent was to take the series off for a year, except for a few specials, in order to allow a new production team to make its transition, as Davies had already informed the BBC that he would not executive-produce a fifth season.
 
[[David Tennant]] stayed on as the Tenth Doctor, and Catherine Tate reprised her role as Donna Noble, following her one off in the [[The Runaway Bride]].
 
This series featured several (former) companions returning; [[Freema Agyeman]], returned as [[Martha Jones]] for five episodes of the series, which began with ''[[The Sontaran Stratagem]]'' following her three episode spell with [[Torchwood]]. [[Jack Harkness]] crossed over from ''[[Torchwood]]'' for a second time later in the series. [[Billie Piper]] returned as [[Rose Tyler]] for a three episode stint starting with ''[[Turn Left]]'', all three returned in ''[[The Stolen Earth]]'' along with [[Elisabeth Sladen]] as [[Sarah Jane Smith]]. These were further joined by [[Noel Clarke]] as Mickey Smith and [[Camille Coduri]] as Jackie Tyler in ''[[Journey's End]]''.  


Series 4 featured several milestones. It is the 30th ever broadcast season of Doctor Who, and features the 750th broadcast episode, which was ''[[The Stolen Earth]]'', the 50th new series episode, ''[[The Unicorn and the Wasp]]'', and the 200th broadcast story of Doctor Who, ''[[Midnight (TV story)|Midnight]]''. The finale episodes ''The Stolen Earth'' and ''Journey's End'' also took the revived series to new heights of popularity, scoring the highest viewership ratings since the [[Tom Baker]] era and according to the media both episodes scored Appreciation Index ratings unprecedented for an ongoing scripted drama series.
Exactly how to refer to these specials is a matter of some debate. Aside from informal terms such as "2009 Special" or "Gap Year", it is known that ''Planet of the Dead'' was considered Episode 15 of Series 4 by the production team, as revealed by David Tennant in his video diary of the episode's readthrough, and ''The Writer's Tale - The Final Chapter'' shows the specials we all numbered 4.X. On the DVD/Blu-Ray release of the four specials plus ''The Next Doctor'' (in a box set titled ''The Complete Specials''), a bonus feature of deleted scenes was entitled ''Series 4 Specials Deleted Scenes''.
 
In terms of production, the season marked the first production of a "Companion-lite" episode, ''[[Midnight]]'' (as opposed to the usual "Doctor-lite" episodes, ie. ''Love and Monsters ''and ''Blink''), although a Doctor-lite episode, ''[[Turn Left]]'' was also produced. This was necessitated by the need to film several episodes at the same time, including an unprecedented 15th episode, ''[[The Next Doctor]]'', which would air as the 2008 Christmas special.
 
As with the preceding three seasons, Series 4 incorporated several ongoing story arcs or background threads which were resolved in the finale episodes. In Series 4 these threads included: Donna Noble's evolution, Rose Tyler's attempts to return to her original world and the Doctor, the disappearance of bees from planet Earth, recurring references to planets and moons disappearing, and the coming of "The Darkness", mainly represented by the attempts of the Daleks and Davros to wipe out all reality. Additionally, most episodes include a running gag: namely, that people keep mistaking the Doctor and Donna for a couple.  
 
The status of the 2008 Christmas special ''[[The Next Doctor]]'' is also disputed. Although broadcast months after the conclusion of Series 4, it was produced at the same time, and like ''Voyage of the Damned'', Davies discusses it in context of being part of Series 4 in ''The Writer's Tale''. This would make Series 4 unique in having ''two'' Christmas specials. Another school of though holds that it is part of the [[2009 Specials]] gap season, due to the fact it isn't included in the Series 4 box set and there are significant production differences between it and the specials, namely it was not filmed in high definition.
 
Series 4 marked the last full season to be produced by [[Russell T Davies]], [[Phil Collinson]] and [[Julie Gardner]]. Collinson left following ''Journey's End'', and Davies and Gardner have announced they will depart following production of a series of specials planned for 2009 in lieu of a regular season. When the show resumes weekly broadcast in [[2010]], [[Steven Moffat]] will be its head writer and show-runner. It also marks the last full season featuring [[David Tennant]] as [[Tenth Doctor|The Doctor]] as in October 2008 he announced his intention to leave the role following the production of the 2009 specials; in January 2009 [[Matt Smith]] was announced as his successor, with Karen Gilian appearing as his companion Amy Pond.[[File:Normal_S4Promos-0008.jpg|thumb|Promotional postcard for the series]]


==Television Stories==
==Television Stories==


===Mini-Episode===
===Specials===


{| {{prettytable}}
{| {{prettytable}}
|'''#''' || '''Title''' || '''Writer''' || '''Notes'''
|'''#''' || '''Title''' || '''Writer''' || '''Notes'''
|-
|-
|N/A ||''[[Time Crash]]''||[[Steven Moffat]]||Reintroduction of the Fifth Doctor
|1 ||''[[Planet of the Dead (TV story)|Planet of the Dead]]''||[[Russell T Davies]] &<br>[[Gareth Roberts]]||First Appearance of Christina De Souza
|-
|2 ||''[[The Waters of Mars]]''||[[Russell T Davies]] &<br>[[Phil Ford]]||First Appearance of Adelaide Brooke
|-
|3 ||''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]'', Part 1||[[Russell T Davies]]||Reintroduction of Donna Noble, Wilfred Mott, the Master, and the Time Lords
|-
|4 ||''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]'', Part 2||[[Russell T Davies]]||Last appearance of the [[Tenth Doctor]], first appearance of the [[Eleventh Doctor]]
|}
|}


===Christmas Special===
===Animated Special===


{| {{prettytable}}
{| {{prettytable}}
|'''#''' || '''Title''' || '''Writer''' || '''Notes'''
|'''#''' || '''Title''' || '''Writer''' || '''Notes'''
|-
|-
|N/A ||''[[Voyage of the Damned]]''||[[Russell T Davies]]||First appearance of Wilfred Mott
|NA ||''[[Dreamland (TV story)|Dreamland]]''||Phil Ford||  
|}
|}


===Regular Season===
''Dreamland'' was a serialized animated story initially made available on the BBC's Red Button service before being televised in December 2009. Its writer has stated it takes place after the events of ''The Waters of Mars'' but it is not officially considered one of the Specials. 


{| {{prettytable}}
===Other Productions===
|'''#''' || '''Title''' || '''Writer''' || '''Notes'''
* David Tennant appeared as the Doctor in a two-part episode of ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'' entitled ''[[The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith]]''. This is not considered part of the 2009 Specials.
|-
* A 3-minute ''Doctor Who'' skit featuring [[John Barrowman]] and with a cameo by [[David Tennant]], out of character, aired as part of the ''[[Tonight's the Night]]'' talent series.
|1 ||''[[Partners in Crime]]''||Russell T Davies||Reintroduction of Donna Noble
* In December 2009, Tennant appeared as the Doctor in a series of brief [[2009 BBC Christmas idents|Christmas idents]] produced for BBC One and BBC America.
|-
|2 ||''[[The Fires of Pompeii]]''||[[James Moran]]||
|-
|3 ||''[[Planet of the Ood]]''||[[Keith Temple]]||Reintroduction of the Ood
|-
|4 ||Pt. 1: ''[[The Sontaran Stratagem]]''<br>Pt. 2: ''[[The Poison Sky]]''||[[Helen Raynor]]||Reintroduction of the Sontarans, Martha Jones and formal reintroduction of UNIT. Martha joins TARDIS crew at the end
|-
|5 ||''[[The Doctor's Daughter]]''||[[Stephen Greenhorn]]||Martha Jones leaves TARDIS at end
|-
|6 ||''[[The Unicorn and the Wasp]]''||[[Gareth Roberts]]||
|-
|7 ||Pt. 1: ''[[Silence in the Library]]''<br>Pt. 2: ''[[Forest of the Dead]]''||[[Steven Moffat]]||First appearance of River Song
|-
|8 ||''[[Midnight (TV story)|Midnight]]''||Russell T Davies||
|-
|9 ||''[[Turn Left]]''||Russell T Davies||Formal Reintroduction of Rose Tyler
|-
|10 ||Pt. 1: ''[[The Stolen Earth]]''<br>Pt. 2: ''[[Journey's End]]''||Russell T Davies||Reintroduction of Davros, Jack Harkness, Sarah Jane Smith, Mickey Smith, Jackie Tyler. First direct crossover with Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures characters. Last regular appearances of Donna Noble, Wilfred Mott
|}


===Mini-Episode===
===Disputed Productions===
====The Next Doctor====


{| {{prettytable}}
: ''Main article: [[The Next Doctor]]''
|'''#''' || '''Title''' || '''Writer''' || '''Notes'''
|-
|NA ||''[[Music of the Spheres]]''||Russell T Davies|| shown during the BBC Proms season
|}


===Christmas Episode #2===
The status of the 2008 Christmas special ''[[The Next Doctor]]'' is a matter of debate. Officially, it has been called the 14th episode of Series 4, however as noted below, the 4th series numbering also applies to the specials. Conversely, ''The Next Doctor'' was produced during the same production block as Series 4, and also was produced differently than the specials, which were shot in high definition. It remains to be seen if over time ''The Next Doctor'' becomes accepted as a 4th season episode, as one of the 2009 specials, or as a complete standalone. BBC Video released it as part of the 2009 Specials box set on DVD and Blu-Ray; in the past, BBC Video's titling and programming has come to be considered definitive.


{| {{prettytable}}
====Music of the Spheres====
|'''#''' || '''Title''' || '''Writer''' || '''Notes'''
|-
|NA ||''[[The Next Doctor]]''||Russell T Davies||Reintroducion of the Cybermen
|}


===Disputed Productions===
: ''Main article: [[Music of the Spheres]]''


There is dispute over whether the mini-episode ''Music of the Spheres'' and the 2008 Christmas episode ''The Next Doctor'' should be considered part of Series 4, or part of the [[2009 Specials (Doctor Who)|2009 Specials]] season. In January 2010 BBC Video released both productions as part of its 2009 Specials DVD/Blu-Ray box set, and identified deleted scenes from ''The Next Doctor'' and the 2009 specials as all coming from the "Series 4 Specials."
Produced at the end of production on Series 4, this mini-episode was produced as part of the ''Doctor Who at the Proms'' concert which was aired on radio in the summer of 2008, with the episode initially available visually online. It did not receive official TV broadcast until early 2009, ''after'' broadcast of ''The Next Doctor''. Like the Christmas special, its formal season placement is debated. Like ''The Next Doctor'', it was released by BBC Video in the 2009 Specials DVD box set.


==Cast==
==Cast==
===Primary Cast===
===Primary Cast===
*[[The Doctor]] - [[David Tennant]]
*[[Tenth Doctor]] - [[David Tennant]]
*[[Donna Noble]] - [[Catherine Tate]]


===Secondary Cast===
===[[Companions of Doctor Who |Secondary Cast]]===
*[[Martha Jones]] - [[Freema Agyeman]]
*[[Christina de Souza|Lady Christina De Souza]] - [[Michelle Ryan]]
*[[Rose Tyler]] - [[Billie Piper]]
*[[Adelaide Brooke]] - [[Lindsay Duncan]]
*[[Wilfred Mott]] - [[Bernard Cribbins]]
*[[Wilfred Mott]] - [[Bernard Cribbins]]
*[[Sylvia Noble]] - [[Jacqueline King]]


===Guest Cast===
===Guest Cast===
*[[Mickey Smith]] - [[Noel Clarke]]
*[[Jackie Tyler]] - [[Camille Coduri]]
*[[Fifth Doctor]] - [[Peter Davison]]
*[[Astrid Peth]] - [[Kylie Minogue]]
*[[Jackson Lake]] - [[David Morrissey]]
*[[Rosita Farisi]] - Velile Tshabalala
*[[Jenny]]- [[Georgia Moffett]]
*[[River Song]] - [[Alex Kingston]]
*[[Davros]] - [[Julian Bleach]]
*[[Harriet Jones]] - [[Penelope Wilton]]
*[[Miss Foster]] - [[Sarah Lancashire]]
*[[Agatha Christie]] - [[Fenella Woolgar]]
*[[General Staal]] - [[Christopher Ryan]]
*[[Klineman Halpen|Mr Halpen]] - [[Tim McInnerny]]
*[[Sky Silvestry]] - [[Lesley Sharp]]


*[[Francine Jones]] - [[Adjoa Andoh]]
*[[Malcolm Taylor (Planet of the Dead)|Professor Malcolm Taylor]] - [[Lee Evans]]
=====From Spin Offs=====
*[[Carmen (Planet of the Dead)|Carmen]] - [[Ellen Thomas]]
*[[Jack Harkness]] - [[John Barrowman]]
*[[Erisa Magambo |Captain Erisa Magambo]] - [[Norma Dumezweni]]
*[[Sarah Jane Smith]] - [[Elisabeth Sladen]]
*[[Barclay (Planet of the Dead) |Barclay]] - [[Daniel Kaluuya]]
*[[Ianto Jones]] - [[Gareth David-Lloyd]]
*[[Nathan (Planet of the Dead) |Nathan]] - [[David Ames]]
*[[Luke Smith]] - [[Tommy Knight]]
*[[Ed Gold]] - [[Peter O'Brien]]
*[[Gwen Cooper]] - [[Eve Myles]]
*[[Mia Bennett]] - [[Gemma Chan]]
*[[K-9]] - [[John Leeson]] (Voice)
*[[Yuri Kerenski]] - [[Aleksander Mikic]]
*[[Mr. Smith]] - [[Alexander Armstrong]] (Voice)
*[[Andy Stone (The Waters of Mars) |Andy Stone]] - [[Alan Ruscoe]]
*[[Tarak Ital]] - [[Chook Sibtain]]
*[[The Master]] - [[John Simm]]
*[[Rassilon]] - [[Timothy Dalton]]
*[[Donna Noble]] - [[Catherine Tate]]
*[[Sylvia Noble]] - [[Jacqueline King]]
====Introducing====
*[[Eleventh Doctor]] - [[Matt Smith]]


==Novels==
==Novels==
 
*[[The Eyeless]]
 
*[[Judgement of the Judoon]]
 
*[[The Slitheen Excursion]]
[[Image:2_books.JPG|thumb|right|Two of the Series 4 Books]]
*[[Prisoner of the Daleks]]
*[[Ghosts of India]]
*[[The Taking of Chelsea 426]]
*[[Shining Darkness]]
*[[The Krillitane Storm]]
*[[The Doctor Trap]]
*[[Autonomy]]
*[[Beautiful Chaos]]
*[[Code of the Krillitanes]]


==Audiobooks==
==Audiobooks==
*[[Pest Control]]
*[[The Rising Night]]
*[[The Forever Trap]]
*[[The Day of the Troll]]
*[[The Nemonite Invasion]]
*[[The Last Voyage]]
*[[Dead Air]]


== Aliens and Enemies ==
==Aliens and Enemies==
*[[Cofelia|Matron Cofelia]]
*[[The Swarm (Planet of the Dead)|The Swarm]]  
*[[Adipose]]
*[[Tritivore]]s
*[[Lucius Petrus Dextrus]]
*[[Macmillan]]
*[[Pyrovile]]
*[[The Flood (The Waters of Mars)|The Flood]]
*[[Gadget]]
*[[Dalek]]
*[[The Master]]
*[[The Master Race]]
*[[Time Lord]]s
*[[Rassilon]]
*[[Vinvocci]]
*[[Joshua Naismith]]
*[[Abigail Naismith]]
*[[Ood]]
*[[Ood]]
*[[Klineman Halpen]]
*[[Ood Elder]]
*[[Staal]]
*[[Ood Sigma]]
*[[Luke Rattigan]]
*[[Governor (The End of Time)|The Governor]]
*[[Sontaran]]s
*[[Trefusis]]
*[[Cobb|General Cobb]]
*[[Sontaran]]
*[[Judoon]]
*[[Hath]]
*[[Hath]]
*[[Vespiform]]
*[[Sycorax]]
*[[Vashta Nerada]]
*[[Adipose]]
*[[Node]]
*[[Slitheen]]
*[[Midnight Entity]]
*[[Graske]]
*[[Sky Silvestry]]
*[[Uvodni]]
*[[Time Beetle]]
*[[Whitey]]
*[[Fortune Teller]]
*[[Red Person]]
*[[Davros]]
*[[Viperox]]
*[[Dalek]]s
*[[Viperox Queen]]
*[[Dalek Caan]]
*[[Azlok|Lord Azlok]]
*[[Cyber-Leader (Pete's World)|Cyber-Leader]]
*[[Gray alien]]s
*[[Cyberman (Pete's World)|Cybermen]]
*[[Mister Dread]]
*[[Mercy Hartigan]]
*[[Alliance of Shades]]
*[[Cybershade]]
*[[Skorpius Flies]]
*[[Cyber-King]]
*[[Weeping Angels]]
 
==Promotional Trailers==
As with previous seasons, trailers were created to promote the season, though this year they were shown in theatres as well as on television in the UK. Of particular note is the second trailer that was released, which utilized unique, specially shot footage of Donna sitting by a camp- or bonfire talking to either an unseen individual or the audience about the Doctor "coming back to save us" and "I'll be ready" interspersed with images of Sontarans, Ood and Daleks. There is no scene like this in any of the episodes; the meaning of "he'll come back to save us" is unknown as there is no circumstance within Series 4 in which Donna would be in such a position to make such a remark.


The other major trailers included another Donna-centric trailer utilizing a scene between Donna and [[Wilfred Mott]] from ''Partners in Crime'', and a mid-season trailer focusing in part on the return of Rose Tyler in ''Turn Left''.
==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}


==External Links==
[http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/s4/ BBC website page for series 4]
{{seasons}}
{{seasons}}
{{Series 4}}
{{2009 Specials}}
{{series 4 aliens}}
{{2009 Specials aliens}}
[[Category:Doctor Who seasons]]
[[Category:Doctor Who seasons]]

Revision as of 19:56, 10 May 2010

The 2009 Specials were broadcast between the end of Series 4 and the beginning of Series 5. The four specials were broadcast at various points in 2009 (though the final special was broadcast in 2010). Of the four specials, one aired at Easter 2009, followed by a second that aired in November, and a third one aired on Christmas 2009 with the final one airing on New Year's Day 2010. These four specials were overseen by Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner, but traditional line producer, Phil Collinson, did not return for them. All starred David Tennant. For the 2009 Specials, the Doctor was traveling alone, with each story featuring a one-off companion.

There had been conflicting reports given as to why the decision was made to take a year off. Initial media reports suggested that this was in order to allow David Tennant to perform a season of Shakespeare during the time a regular season would have normally entered production.[source needed] However, these reports were directly contradicted in Russell T Davies' book Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale, which contains correspondence from the spring of 2007; months before the gap year plan was announced; in which Davies indicated that the intent was to take the series off for a year, except for a few specials, in order to allow a new production team to make its transition, as Davies had already informed the BBC that he would not executive-produce a fifth season.

Exactly how to refer to these specials is a matter of some debate. Aside from informal terms such as "2009 Special" or "Gap Year", it is known that Planet of the Dead was considered Episode 15 of Series 4 by the production team, as revealed by David Tennant in his video diary of the episode's readthrough, and The Writer's Tale - The Final Chapter shows the specials we all numbered 4.X. On the DVD/Blu-Ray release of the four specials plus The Next Doctor (in a box set titled The Complete Specials), a bonus feature of deleted scenes was entitled Series 4 Specials Deleted Scenes.

Television Stories

Specials

# Title Writer Notes
1 Planet of the Dead Russell T Davies &
Gareth Roberts
First Appearance of Christina De Souza
2 The Waters of Mars Russell T Davies &
Phil Ford
First Appearance of Adelaide Brooke
3 The End of Time, Part 1 Russell T Davies Reintroduction of Donna Noble, Wilfred Mott, the Master, and the Time Lords
4 The End of Time, Part 2 Russell T Davies Last appearance of the Tenth Doctor, first appearance of the Eleventh Doctor

Animated Special

# Title Writer Notes
NA Dreamland Phil Ford

Dreamland was a serialized animated story initially made available on the BBC's Red Button service before being televised in December 2009. Its writer has stated it takes place after the events of The Waters of Mars but it is not officially considered one of the Specials.

Other Productions

Disputed Productions

The Next Doctor

Main article: The Next Doctor

The status of the 2008 Christmas special The Next Doctor is a matter of debate. Officially, it has been called the 14th episode of Series 4, however as noted below, the 4th series numbering also applies to the specials. Conversely, The Next Doctor was produced during the same production block as Series 4, and also was produced differently than the specials, which were shot in high definition. It remains to be seen if over time The Next Doctor becomes accepted as a 4th season episode, as one of the 2009 specials, or as a complete standalone. BBC Video released it as part of the 2009 Specials box set on DVD and Blu-Ray; in the past, BBC Video's titling and programming has come to be considered definitive.

Music of the Spheres

Main article: Music of the Spheres

Produced at the end of production on Series 4, this mini-episode was produced as part of the Doctor Who at the Proms concert which was aired on radio in the summer of 2008, with the episode initially available visually online. It did not receive official TV broadcast until early 2009, after broadcast of The Next Doctor. Like the Christmas special, its formal season placement is debated. Like The Next Doctor, it was released by BBC Video in the 2009 Specials DVD box set.

Cast

Primary Cast

Secondary Cast

Guest Cast

Introducing

Novels

Audiobooks

Aliens and Enemies

Footnotes

Template:Seasons

Template:2009 Specials aliens