The Idiot's Lantern (TV story)

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Synopsis

London, 1953: on the eve of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation, Mr. Magpie is selling televisions from his little shop at an amazingly low price. It must be an alien plot ...

Plot

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Cast

Crew

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References

  • The Doctor quotes Kylie Minogue's song "Never Too Late." Minogue would later appear as a guest star in the episode Voyage of the Damned, playing Astrid Peth.
  • The Doctor and Rose try to arrive in 1956 to see Elvis Presley's performance on the Ed Sullivan Show in New York City, but arrive mistakenly in London, three years earlier.
  • Torchwood is mentioned by the police officer (though the mention doesn't appear to be noticed by the Doctor).
  • The Doctor drives a motorcycle out of the TARDIS. This is the first time a vehicle has been shown leaving (yet alone kept inside) the TARDIS.

Story Notes

  • This story had working titles of: Mr Sandman, Sonic Doom, The One-Eyed Monster.
  • The Idiot's Lantern was originally to have been the ninth episode of the Series 2.
  • Originally, The Doctor was supposed to have a line about having trouble with radio transmitters, which was supposed to be a reference to Logopolis, where the Fourth Doctor fell from the Pharos Project transmitter.

Ratings

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Myths

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Location Filming

  • Alexandra Palace, Wood Green, London
  • Florentia Street in Cathays, Cardiff
  • Blenheim Road in Pen-y-lan, Cardiff
  • Cardiff Royal Infirmary
  • Veritair Limited tarmac at the Cardiff Heliport on Cardiff Bay

Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors

  • How do the people survive without mouths/noses for air? The Doctor says they are in "complete neural shut down" and just "ticking over" implying that they needn't breathe.
  • Though it's clearly stated in the episode that the grandmother is Rita Connolly's mother, she is credited as Grandma Connolly. Grandma Connolly is Tom Connolly's grandmother.
  • The Doctor and Conolly have their faces sucked into the TV along with the inspector when they search the TV store. Apparently, since the Doctor and Conolly have been around the same time as the Inspector, how come the Doctor and Conolly survive and the Inspector's face is gone? (Perhaps it can only focus on one person at a time and was just holding the others in place.) Then why on Earth didn't she get the Doctor first as he posed the largest threat?

Continuity

DVD Releases

See also

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External Links

Template:Series 2

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