Sleep No More (TV story)
Sleep No More was the ninth episode of the ninth series of Doctor Who produced by BBC Wales.
It broke away from the traditional filming style of the series by featuring a unique and non-musical title sequence and depicting the events of the story through a found-footage style of direction, featuring all of its scenes in a manner that suggests they were being viewed through video recordings rather than in third-person.
It also was the first episode of Doctor Who to have its title given during the closing credits rather than the opening credits. The only other time that a television story did not feature a title during the opening titles was the 2005 Children in Need Special, which did not display any discernible title at all.
Synopsis
From footage in the Le Verrier space station, the Doctor and Clara are shown to be up against terrifying Sandmen in a situation which involves sleep and lots of death.
Plot
Professor Gagan Rassmussen breathlessly introduces a video he’s assembled from found footage, warning would-be viewers of the recording’s inherent (but unspecified) danger.
Nagata and her team (Chopra, Deep-Ando, and Grunt 474) dock with the Le Verrier space station, armed and ready to execute a rescue mission. The soldiers’ personal equipment apparently includes helmet-cams which — in addition to the station’s security system — document their unsuccessful search for Le Verrier’s personnel.
Instead, they encounter Clara and the Doctor, who present psychic paper to identify themselves as engineers stress-testing the station’s structural integrity. Together, the sextet search the corridors, commenting on 38th-century architecture which blends Japanese and Indian elements.
Cast
- The Doctor - Peter Capaldi
- Clara - Jenna Coleman
- Professor Rassmussen - Reece Shearsmith
- Nagata - Elaine Tan
- Chopra - Neet Mohan
- 474 - Bethany Black
- Deep-Ando - Paul Courtenay Hyu
- Sandmen - Paul Davis, Tom Wilton, Matthew Doman
- Morpheus Presenter - Zina Badran
- Hologram Singer - Natasha Patel
- Hologram Singer - Elizabeth Chong
- Hologram Singer - Nikkita Chadha
- Hologram Singer - Gracie Lai
Uncredited cast
- Voice of the Computer - Nikki Wilson[1]
Crew
to be added
References
- The Morpheus sleep deprivation pods play a hologram of four female singers performing the song "Mr. Sandman", and is used as a key on the security system. The Doctor also recites the lyrics "Part of the furniture?" from the song "Consider Yourself" from the musical Oliver!
- The Doctor argues with Clara's naming of the Sandmen, saying that he does the naming. He complains that "it's the Silurians all over again."
- The Doctor quotes from Macbeth, and mentions Shakespeare.
- The sleep deprivation pods are named Morpheus after the Greek god of dreams.
- The Doctor mentions "the Great Catastrophe".
- Grunts are artificially grown human soldiers.
Story notes
- This is the first televised episode of Doctor Who to carry no opening titles. The episode title and writer credit were instead placed at the start of the closing credits. The Big Finish audio story LIVE 34 previously utilised a similar format of presentation, with no titles or credits whatsoever. However, when Rassmussen's initial video footage ends, the series title appears in the form of a code. The name Clara Oswald is also present; The R in Doctor and W in Who form part of the words.
- The story is notable for using the found footage format, and for using elements of first person monologue told by Professor Rassmusssen.
- It is also notable for being the first episode in the series to cast an openly transgender actress, Bethany Black.[2]
- The Radio Times programme listing was accompanied by a small colour head-and-shoulders shot of a helmeted Nagata, with the accompanying caption "Doctor Who / 8.15 p.m. / Found footage shows what fate befell the rescue mission led by Nagata (Elaine Tan)".
- Writer Mark Gatiss had visited the countries Japan and India previous to writing this episode, which in turn inspired the use of them in this episode.[source needed]
- This is the first TV story written by Mark Gatiss to be set in the future rather than the past.
- The Doctor mentions "The Great Catastrophe". After the airing of this episode, writer Mark Gatiss confirmed it was a reference to Frontios.[source needed]
- The space station in this story is named after French mathematician Urbain Le Verrier.
Ratings
- BBC One Overnight: 4.0m
- BBC America Overnight: to be added
Filming location
to be added
Production errors
to be added
Continuity
- The Rani previously used sleep deprivation to improve her workforce on Miasimia Goria. (TV: The Mark of the Rani, AUDIO: Planet of the Rani)
- The Doctor uses his psychic paper and sonic sunglasses. (TV: The End of the World et al.; The Magician's Apprentice, et al.)
- Nagata suspects the space station could be attacked by space pirates. (TV: The Space Pirates)
- The Doctor says, "When I say run, run," which the Second and Fifth Doctors often said. (TV: The Power of the Daleks, The Tomb of the Cybermen, Castrovalva, Warriors of the Deep)
- The Doctor references his preference for being the one to name the monsters. (TV: Flatline) He also invokes the naming of the Silurians. (TV: Doctor Who and the Silurians)
- Despite her earlier actions regarding them, Clara has been entrusted with a TARDIS key. (TV: Dark Water)
- The Doctor has heard "Mr. Sandman" performed before. (TV: Delta and the Bannermen)
- This is not the first time the Doctor's adventure becomes the subject of a recording that, if played, would infect and kill its audience. (AUDIO: Dead Air)
Home video releases
DVD releases
to be added
Blu-ray releases
to be added
External links
to be added
