The Rings of Akhaten (TV story)

The Rings of Akhaten was the seventh regular episode of the seventh series of Doctor Who produced by BBC Wales.

	Eleventh Doctor
	Clara
	The Mummy, the Vigil, the Old God
	Akhaten
	Neil Cross
	Farren Blackburn
	Marcus Wilson Denise Paul
	232
	6 April 2013
	1x45 minute episode
	3.7
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Doctor Who television stories
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Synopsis

Clara Oswald wants to see something awesome, so the Doctor whisks her off to the inhabited rings of the planet Akhaten, where the Festival of Offerings is in full swing. Clara meets the young Queen of Years as the pilgrims and natives ready for the ceremony. But something is stirring in the pyramid, and a sacrifice will be demanded.

Plot

to be added

Cast

• The Doctor - Matt Smith
• Clara Oswald - Jenna-Louise Coleman
• Merry - Emilia Jones
• Dave Oswald - Michael Dixon
• Ellie Oswald - Nicola Sian
• The Chorister - Chris Anderson
• The Mummy - Adrian Cook
• Dor'een - Karl Greenwood

References

• The Doctor tells Clara that he's been to Akhaten with his granddaughter before.
• The Doctor tells Clara that the one thing she needs to know about him, aside from his two hearts, is that he doesn't walk away.
• Clara tells Merry that she hated history.
• Clara mentions the Doctor being 1,000 years old.
• The Doctor tells Akhaten that he has been to a universe where "a mad man" controlled the laws of physics. (TV: The Mind Robber)

Story notes

to be added

Ratings

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Filming locations

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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.

• The crack on the glass case containing the mummy disappears and reappears between shots.
• The leaf that Clara has in this episode is different to the one shown in the previous episode. In fact, they come from different trees; the one from Bells is from a maple and this one's from a birch.

Continuity

• The Doctor wears Amy's reading glasses. (TV: The Angels Take Manhattan, The Snowmen, The Bells of Saint John)
• Clara's leaf is featured and the story behind it is explained. (TV: The Bells of Saint John)
• Clara's book, 101 Places to See, used to belong to her mother. (WC: The Bells of Saint John: A Prequel, TV: The Bells of Saint John)
• The Doctor again mentions seeing the beginning of the universe. (TV: Destiny of the Daleks)
• This is not the first time the Doctor has faced a living star, although he implied that it was the first time he'd faced one so massive. (TV: 42)
• The Doctor mentions the Last Great Time War. (TV: The End of Time)
• The Doctor mentions bringing his granddaughter to Akhaten at some point in time, though she is not mentioned by name.
  • This marks the first mention of Susan Foreman in the revived series.
• The Doctor recalls being in a universe where the laws of physics were controlled by a madman. (TV: The Mind Robber)

Home video releases

to be added

External links

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