Flatline (TV story)
Flatline was the ninth episode of the eighth series of Doctor Who produced by BBC Wales. For scheduling reasons, it was a “Doctor-lite” episode.
Flatline was Jamie Mathieson’s first script for the show. Two years before writing it, he had pitched his ideas for a story to Steven Moffat, but was unsuccessful. When he again met with the executive producer, he showed him four ideas for episodes, complete with his own illustrations, aided by his background in art college. Taking an interest in the monster he had created for what would become Flatline, Moffat asked Mathieson to produce a story outline and he got the job to script the episode.
It was only after writing several drafts that he was told the episode would need to lock the Doctor away in a single location, as Peter Capaldi’s scenes for the episode needed to be filmed quickly to bide by the production schedule.
Mathieson decided to write a script where the Doctor was “in the dark”. For this to be successful, he had to create a unknown quantity to feature as his alien enemy. Much like his next creation, the Foretold, he elected to have no dialogue for the aggressors, allowing something about them to remain “unknowable”. (DWM 479)
Synopsis
In a council estate, Clara takes charge as beings from another dimension threaten the Earth...
Plot
to be added
Cast
- The Doctor - Peter Capaldi
- Clara - Jenna Coleman
- Danny Pink - Samuel Anderson
- Roscoe – John Cummins
- PC Forrest – Jessica Hayles
- Rigsy – Jovian Wade
- Fenton – Christopher Fairbank
- Al – Matt Bardock
- George – Raj Bajaj
- Bill – James Quinn
- Missy – Michelle Gomez
Crew
| Executive Producers Brian Minchin and Steven Moffat |
| Production Designer Michael Pickwoad | ||||||||||
| Casting Director Andy Pryor CDG
|
Music Murray Gold
|
Special Effects Real SFX | ||||||||
|
Original theme music by Ron Grainer • With thanks to the BBC National Orchestra of Wales | ||||||||||
| General production staff Script department Camera and lighting department |
Art department Costume department |
Make-up and prosthetics
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. |
References
to be added
Story notes
to be added
Ratings
to be added
Filming locations
to be added
Production errors
to be added
Continuity
- On Logopolis in 1981, the Doctor's TARDIS was reduced in size after the Tremas Master interfered with the Logopolitan's Block Transfer Computation. (TV: Logopolis)
Home video releases
DVD releases
to be added
Blu-ray releases
to be added
External links
to be added
