Death of the Doctor (TV story)
Death of the Doctor was the third story of Series 4 of The Sarah Jane Adventures. It saw the return of Josephine Grant and the appearance of the Eleventh Doctor.
Synopsis
When the Doctor is declared dead, old companions Sarah Jane and Jo Grant meet for the very first time, and join forces to discover the truth. As an interstellar conspiracy gathers around UNIT HQ, Clyde finds that he holds the fate of the Time Lord in his hand – quite literally!
Plot
Part 1
The story begins with Sarah Jane, Rani and Clyde talking to Luke when Mr Smith alerts them that UNIT armed forces are converging on the house, and sure enough several UNIT soldiers and jeeps arrive at the house. Sarah Jane forbids them from crossing into her house and the commanding officer, Colonel Kareem informs the group that the Doctor is dead, and that it is most definitely him, despite Sarah Janes protests that it can't be. It is claimed that the Doctor died in the Wastelands of the Crimson Heart, where he had saved the lives of 500 children from the Scarlet Monstrosity. A race called the Shansheeth [3] have retrieved the body and are holding a funeral for the Doctor at UNIT Base 5, buried underground in the Snowdon mountains. Sarah Jane still believes that the Doctor must be alive, and so goes along to search for evidence that this is a hoax.
Upon arrival at the base, they find that few other people have been invited, as it is difficult to know who. Many also couldn't make it including the Brigadier, who is stranded in Peru. The team also find, to their surprise Groske working in the base, similar to Graske with who they have many problems with before. The Doctor's body is to be blasted into space via a huge rocket, built by the Groske. They proceed to the ceremony of remembrance, however Clyde feels a blue static before arriving, which he is unerved at. At the ceremony, music is played witch recalls memories for all about the Doctor; for Sarah Jane it is memories of the Third and Fourth Doctors, while for Rani and Clyde it is their encounters with the Doctor at Sarah Jane's Wedding. Clyde then realises that the blue static he occured earlier was the same as that keeping the Doctor from his TARDIS at the wedding. The ceremony is interupted by the clumsy arrival of Jo Jones (nee Grant), as she drops a vase of flowers. She is accompanied by her grandson, Santiago. The two former companians chat, as do the children, and both women agree that they are sure that the doctor must still be alive.
In their dormatory, the two women make a list of enemies that might try to fake the Doctor's death, while the children leave and wander round the base. Outside the room, Clyde again receives a shock on his hand, and the children realise that it is Artron energy, the same energy used at the wedding to make the TARDIS phase in and out of reality, and the effect is exactly the same as when clyde touched the TARDIS before when it was phasing in and out of reality. they encounter a Groske who shouts "closer and closer" at them. Clyde, desperate to find out more persues him down an air vent, where they watch as the Shansheeth plot to make the two companians relive their days with the doctor and therefore drain their minds killing them in the process. The Shansheeth play music down the ventelation shafts to the women in their dorm, where they start to recollect their adventures with the Doctor. The children are discovered by the Shansheeth when the blue static gives away their position. The children flee where they run into Sarah Jane and Jo who sense they are in trouble. After recollecting what the shansheeth are doing, they are suprised to hear the Doctor talking through Clyde. However, the next minute Clyde appears normal. He then gains the Doctors hands before swapping with the Doctor. The Doctor, now in the UNIT base explains that he used Clyde's residual Artron Energy to make a complicated swap of 10,000 light years. The result of this is, as the Doctor realises, is that he can fight the Shansheeth while Clyde however is where the Doctor just was: trapped in danger on an alien world. Back on Earth, the Shansheeth catch up with the group where the Doctor confronts them. The Doctor is then is hit by an energy beam from the Shansheeth and ends in a cliffhanger.
Cast
- Sarah Jane Smith - Elizabeth Sladen
- Clyde Langer - Daniel Anthony
- Rani Chandra -Anjli Mohindra
- Mr. Smith - Alexander Armstrong
- Luke Smith - Tommy Knight
- The Doctor - Matt Smith
- Jo Grant - Katy Manning
- Santiago Jones - Finn Jones
- Tia Karim - Laila Rouass
- Tenth Doctor - David Tennant (archive footage)
- Fourth Doctor - Tom Baker (archive footage)
- Third Doctor - Jon Pertwee (archive footage)
Crew
to be added
References
- Liz Shaw is mentioned as being stranded on a Moon Base.
- The Brigadier is mentioned as being standed in Peru, an ongoing mission.
- Sarah Jane remembers the last time she saw the Doctor in DW: The End of Time.
- Tia Karim mentions that the Groske are just like the Graske but blue and tame. The Groske were stranded on the Earth in 2006.
- Jo and Sarah both reminisce their trips to Peladon, specifically their encounter with Aggedor.
- Jo has 7 children and 12 grandchildren with a 13th on the way.
- Sarah Jane and Jo mention Daleks, Cybermen, Zygons, Axons, Autons and Azal.
Story notes
- Russel T. Davis thought about using Death of the Doctor as the name for the End of Time Part 2 (REF: The Writers Tale: The Final Chapter)
Ratings
to be added
Myths
to be added
Filming locations
to be added
Production errors
to be added
Continuity
- Sarah Jane refers to when she last met the Doctor and correctly thinks he regenerated. (DW: The End of Time)
- Flashbacks to DW: The End of Time and SJA: The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith are shown, as well as flashbacks to the Third and Fourth Doctors. The latter being from DW: The Hand of Fear.
- Sarah Jane notes that she arrived (DW: The Time Warrior) soon after Jo left. (DW: The Green Death)
- Clyde is still fascinated with UNIT. (SJA: The Last Sontaran)
- The Doctor and Amy visited a Moon base (possibly the same one mentioned here) in NSA: Apollo 23.
Timeline
- This occurs after The Vault of Secrets
- This occurs before The Empty Planet
For Doctor Who
- This occurs after The Eleventh Hour
Home video releases
DVD releases
to be added
Blu-ray releases
to be added
See also
to be added
External links
to be added
Footnotes
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