The Sound of Drums (TV story)

The Sound of Drums is the 12th episode of Series 3 of Doctor Who, and aired on the 23rd June 2007.

The Sound of Drums
Doctor:	[[doctor::Tenth Doctor]]
Companion(s):	Martha Jones
Main enemy:	The Master Lucy Saxon Tolcafane Miss Dexter Futurekind
Main setting:	London, 2008
Key crew
Writer:	Russell T. Davies
Director:	Colin Teague
Producer:	Phil Collinson
Release details
Release number:	12
Premiere broadcast:	23rd June 2007
Format:	1 45-minute episode
Production code:	13.12

Synopsis

to be added

Plot

to be added

Cast

• The Doctor - David Tennant
• Martha Jones - Freema Agyeman
• The Master/Harold Saxon - John Simm
• Francine Jones - Adjoa Andoh
• Tish Jones - Gugu Mbatha-raw
• Leo Jones - Reggie yates
• Clive Jones - Trevor Laird
• Miss Dexter - Elize du Toit
• Lucy Saxon - Alexandra Moen
• President Winters - Colin Stinton
• Vivien Rook - Nichola Mcauliffe
• Albert Dumfries - Nicholas Gecks
• BBC Newsreader - Olivia Hill
• US Newsreader - Lachele Carl
• Chinese Newsreader - Daniel Ming
• Mcfly - Themselves
• Ann Widdecombe - Herself
• Sharon Osbourne - Herself

Crew

to be added

References

• The Doctor, Jack and Martha return to Earth via Jack's Vortex Manipulator.
• Jack reveals to the Doctor that he works for the Torchwood Institute.
• On board the Valiant, The Master and his wife are seen eating jelly babies from a white paper bag. This refers to the same habit of primarily the Fourth Doctor.
• 10 Downing Street was destroyed during the Slitheen attack, the Master here states it was rebuilt.
• The Master's clothing was identical to that worn by Kamelion/Master when he was in Lazarote and the planet Sarn.
• This episode shows the surface of Gallifrey, the Citadel and (other) Time Lords.
• The Seal of Rassilon is visible on various elements during the Gallifrey flashback.
• The Master watches the Teletubbies, much in the same way he watched The Clangers when he was imprisoned by UNIT in the 1970s.
• The Doctor constructs a perception filter for himself, Martha and Jack using his TARDIS keys.
• The Doctor states that Gallifreyans are 8 years old when they enter the Academy.
• Vivien Rook refers to the fall of Harriet Jones.
• The Master mentions Lazarus and the Doctor's involvement with his machine.

Story Notes

• The Rogue Traders song Voodoo Child plays as the Master launches the attack on Earth, it contains the lyrics "So here it comes, the sound of drums. Here come the drums, here come the drums!".
• This is the first 3 part story since Survival, which incidentally was the last of the ongoing series to feature the Master.
• Sharon Osbourne, McFly and Ann Widdecombe appear (as themselves) endorsing Harold Saxon.
• The 'sound of drums' heard throughout the episode is the rhythm of a few versions of the Doctor Who theme.
• The Cloister Bell is heard inside the Tardis for the first time since the Classic Series

Ratings

• 6.9 million viewers - Overnight

Myths & Rumours

• In the episode Utopia the rumour that John Simms' character, Mr. Saxon, is actually the Master in disguise was verified, with the regeneration of Professor Yana/The Master.

Location Filming

to be added

Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors

to be added

Continuity

• The Master watches the Teletubbies (in a similar fashion as he did) in The Sea Devils.
• This is the first appearance of Gallifrey on screen since The Five Doctors.
• The Time Lords seen in this episode are wearing the ceremonial dress first seen in The Deadly Assassin (and last seen in The Ultimate Foe).
• The outfit the Young Master wears in similar to that which the Time Lords wear in The War Games.
• There is footage shown here from Aliens of London, Army of Ghosts and The Runaway Bride (and the events of The Christmas Invasion are mentioned).
• The Master states that he was resurrected, which neatly absolves any continuity problems caused by Doctor Who: The TV Movie.
• The Master states that Downing Street has been rebuilt, it was destroyed in World War Three.
• Harriet Jones last appeared in The Christmas Invasion.
• Professor Lazarus (and his machine) appeared in The Lazarus Experiment.
• The Master still has the Doctor's hand which he lost in The Christmas Invasion, Jack had with him while in charge of Torchwood (Everything Changes et al), took with him when he met up with the Doctor (Utopia) which is also when the Master obatined the Doctor's hand and his TARDIS.
• The Master (Mr Saxon) wears variations of various outfits from different stories; A black single breasted suit, white shirt and black tie (from Planet of Fire, albeit without the black leather gloves worn in the original costume).
• The Seal of Rassilon is visible for the first time since Doctor Who: The TV Movie.

DVD and Other Releases

to be added

See Also

• The War Games
• The Three Doctors
• The Dark Path
• The Face of the Enemy
• The Deadly Assassin

External Links

• Official BBC Website - Episode Guide: The Sound of Drums