Turn Left (TV story)

It's coming, Donna. It's coming from across the stars and nothing can stop it...Rose Tyler

Synopsis

Donna’s entire world collapses, but there’s no sign of the Doctor. Instead, she finds help from a mysterious blonde woman – a traveller from a parallel universe. But, as Donna and Rose Tyler combine forces, are they too late to save the whole of creation from the approaching darkness?

Plot

On the planet Shan Shen, the Doctor and Donna are walking through the stalls. Donna wonders of by herself and comes across a fortune teller. Reluctant at first, Donna eventually decides to have her fortune told by her.

In the fortune teller's hut, the fortune teller tells her to "turn right". The scene then flashbacks to Donna and her mum in the car, deciding which job she will do. Her mum then convinces her to "turn right", so that Donna doesn't meet the Doctor.

During a Christmas party, Donna's friend keeps looking at her back, when the Webstar attacks London. Because Donna doesn't help the Doctor escape from the fight the Empress of the Racnoss he dies. Donna then discovers that the Doctor was killed and meets Rose; but when Donna checks her back Rose disappears.

Donna's boss then tries to fire her, but is interupted by large grey clouds. Then a nearby hospital disappears (this also happens in Smith and Jones). The hospital soon returns and one medical student survives. Martha, Sarah Jane Smith and Luke Smith. Donna then meets Rose again and she remarks that people are constantly looking at her back. Rose then tries to persuade Donna to leave London at Christmas. Donna and her family take a holiday (away from London), when on Christmas Day, a replica of the RMS Titanic falls towards Buckingham Palace (as seen in the 2007 Christmas Special Voyage of the Damned) and it destroys London. After London's destruction, many of the residents of South Eastern England and Donna and her family are moved to Leeds, whey they are forced to share a house with many other families. The Americans tried to help England by sending them money, but many Americans were killed by being transformed into Adipose, (as seen in Partners in Crime).

Outside, the house gunshots are heard, as all of the ATMOS equiped cars are releasing poisonous gases. The Torchwood team (named as Ianto Jones and Gwen Cooper) are reported dead. Donna then meets Rose again and they discuss The Doctor (although Donna doesn't know he exists). Rose then reveals that Donna will die. One of the families living with Donna, are told they are going to be moved to a labour camp and Donna's grandfather comments how this is simliar to World War II. Donna and her grandfather are stargazing, when he comments that the constellation Orion has disappeared, when all of the other stars start to "go out".

Donna is then taken to a UNIT base by Rose, where Donna dicovers that she has a giant beetle on her back. Then UNIT use the TARDIS, to transport Donna back to time when she decides to "turn right". Donna stops herself "truning left" by getting run over by a truck. Rose then appears and whispers two words (Bad Wolf into Donna's ear. Then Donna dies.

Back on Shan Shen, the Doctor enters into the fortune teller's tent and discovers Donna. They talk about what happen and Donna vaugely describes Rose and tells the Doctor what Rose whispered into her ear. The Doctor then runs out of the tent and discovers that the word Bad Wolf is written on the TARDIS.

He and Donna run into the TARDIS and discover that is it gone red inside, (it slighlty resembles the Paradox machine, the Master had created. Donna asks what happened and the Doctor says: "The end of the universe".

Cast

Production crew

to be added

References

Martha Jones, Sarah Jane Smith, Jack Harkness, Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones are mentioned.
Maria Jackson, Luke Smith and Clyde Langer are mentioned.
Martha Jones is mentioned by Oliver Morgenstien saying that he got his last breath of her thus survivng the Royle Hope disaster.
When examining the Time beetle the Doctor states that it's something to do with The Trickster.

Story notes

Without The Doctor's intervention, Martha Jones dies when the Judoon attack the hospital where she works. Sarah Jane Smith and her teenage assistants also die in the hospital - with the Doctor dead, she has taken it upon herself to investigate the hospital.
Jack Harkness, Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones die destroying the Sontarans
This is the first story to feature Rose in a starring role since Doomsday.
Lucius Petrus Dextrus from The Fires of Pompeii says that "she is returning" when seeing the future. This is most likely a reference to Rose's return in this episode.
Billie Piper was seen at the end of Partners in Crime, as well as a short cameo in The Poison Sky and another in Midnight.
Chipo Chung was last seen in the episode Utopia as the Malmooth, Chantho. She plays a human character in this story.
This is the 'Doctor-lite' episode of the series, similar to Love and Monsters and Blink, albeit with a much darker storyline.
A reference to something on Donna's back was last heard in The Fires of Pompeii when Lucius Petrus Dextrus saw into the future 'something on your back' is a back story arc as it has never been mentioned up to this episode.
In DWM it said that Donna will receive a free tarot card reading and find out something bad is going to happen. When she is receiving it there will also be something behind her lurking in the curtains. The Tarot person will also look for a specific event in Donna's pasT. The Fortune Teller Is Also Meant To Be The One Who Causes The Destruction By Sending Donna To An Alternate Reality Where She Never Meet The Doctor So He Died At The Hands Of The Racnoss
Part of this episode is filmed in China Town, though not the one in London, but recreated in Cardiff. Chinese people living in South Wales were invited to be background extras via Facebook at the end of 2007. They had to reply to the Doctor Who casting crew with their name and sizes for costumes to be made for them and they were paid approx £70 for the day. David Tennant was seen in 'China Town' when he took time out of filming though staying on location to appear on Blue Peter to appeal to viewers to donate shoes to their Shoebiz appeal.
If the Doctor died, then in Roman times, the Pyroviles would have taken over the world. Also he wouldn't have been able to prevent the Cult of Skaro's plan in New York

Ratings

to be added

Continuity

In The Sontaran Strategem the Sat Nav kept saying Turn Left. This could have something to do with this episode.
The explanations above for what would've happened of the Doctor died take on a similar context to the Unbound series and DWM:Time & Time Again
Captain Jack mentioned telling someone they should have turned left during a joke in 'Boom Town' In fact, a few of the episodes from the new series have the phrase turn left in them.
Bad Wolf returns as a warning for the end of the universe. Bad Wolf was last heard in Doomsday.
The Cloister Bell is heard, again as a warning. The Cloister was last heard in Time Crash.
Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones are mentioned and they may appear in the next episode
The Webstar and RMS Titanic are seen.

DVD and Other releases

This is due to be released in the Series 4 boxset in November 2008 along with the rest of the Series.
It will be released as Series 4 Volume 4 alongside The Stolen Earth and Journey's End in September 2008.

External links

to be added

Template:Series 4

Synopsis

Plot

Cast

Production crew

References

Story notes

Ratings

Continuity

DVD and Other releases

See also

External links