Series 7 of Doctor Who, sometimes known as Season 33 to avoid confusion with the original Season 7, was a transitional series, both within the narrative and behind the scenes. Matt Smith continued as the Eleventh Doctor, but series 7 part 1 saw the exit of Amy Pond and Rory Williams, and Clara Oswald was introduced thereafter. With a new companion, and an anniversary year starting, Doctor Who gained a new title sequence, the Doctor gained a wholly new outfit, a new TARDIS interior, and a new mystery: who is this impossible girl, he meets again and again?
Series 7 was broadcast on BBC One between 2012 and 2013, and, like Series 6, it was split into two parts. The BBC first announced the new series, which contained fourteen episodes, on the official Doctor Who site on 8 June 2011.
Series 7 began its run on 1 September 2012 with five regular, stand-alone episodes which aired between 1 September 2012 and 29 September 2012 and a Christmas special. These were followed by the remaining eight episodes, which aired between 30 March 2013 and 18 May 2013.
Series 7 was followed by a series of 2013 specials, in honour of the programme's 50th anniversary. This was the last full series with Matt Smith's Doctor.
Overview
Series 7 has been described at being a series of "movies" squeezed into forty five minutes, although The Snowmen was sixty minutes. The first half is about the Doctor deleting himself from the universe to hide himself from the deadly Silence, who attempted to assassinate him in series 6 to stop him from answering the Question. During this time, the Doctor regularly visits Amy Pond and Rory Williams and also meets his grandfather-in-law Brian Williams. The Doctor meets his wife, River Song, in the final episode of the first half of the series, which involved the Weeping Angels who separated him from Amy and Rory forever.
As established in The Name of the Doctor, in Asylum of the Daleks and The Snowmen and thousands of other encounters with the Doctor before, echoes of Clara Oswald were sent through time with the purpose of saving the Doctor, dying in at least the lives in Asylum and The Snowmen. The Doctor, not knowing who Clara was, realised that both incarnations of her were the same woman and believed there would be more versions of her somewhere in the universe. He found and travelled with the original Clara from 2013, determined to solve the mystery of the "impossible girl". To save the Doctor from having his victories undone by the Great Intelligence, Clara followed the Intelligence into the wound of the Doctor's timeline from his tomb on Trenzalore, sacrificing herself to save the Doctor many times over.
Matt Smith, continued to play the Eleventh Doctor throughout all of series 7.
Karen Gillan, who played Amy Pond, and Arthur Darvill, who played Amy's husband Rory Williams, returned for the first five episodes, departing in The Angels Take Manhattan. This episode also featured River Song, played by Alex Kingston, who again returned for the season finale.
Jenna Coleman debuted as the original, 21st century version of Clara Oswald, the Doctor's newest companion, from The Bells of Saint John. Prior to this episode, echoes of Clara spread through time, known as Oswin Oswald in the Dalek Asylum and Clara Oswin Oswald in Victorian London, appeared in Asylum of the Daleks and The Snowmen respectively, also played by Coleman, and dying at the end of each story. Other versions of Clara existing at various prior eras of the show were also played by Coleman in The Name of the Doctor.
Cast
- The Doctor - Matt Smith
- Clara Oswald - Jenna Coleman, Sophie Downham
- Amy Pond - Karen Gillan
- Rory Williams - Arthur Darvill
- Madge Arwell - Claire Skinner
- introducing John Hurt as the Doctor
Recurring
- Daleks - operated by Barnaby Edwards, Nicholas Pegg and voiced by Nicholas Briggs
- Brian Williams - Mark Williams
- Kate Stewart - Jemma Redgrave
- River Song - Alex Kingston
- Jenny Flint - Catrin Stewart
- Madame Vastra - Neve McIntosh
- Strax - Dan Starkey
- Newsreader – Olivia Hill
- The Great Intelligence - Richard E Grant and additionally voiced by Ian McKellen
- Ellie Oswald - Nicola Sian
- Angie Maitland - Eve De Leon Allen
- Artie Maitland - Kassius Carey Johnson
- Dave Oswald - Michael Dixon
- Cybermen - Aidan Cook and voiced by Nicholas Briggs
Guest
- Lily Arwell - Holly Earl
- Solomon - David Bradley
- Kahler-Tek - Andrew Brooke
- Shakri - Steven Berkoff
- Captain Latimer - Tom Ward
- Dr Walter Simeon - Richard E Grant, Cameron Strefford
- Miss Kizlet - Celia Imrie
- Merry - Emilia Jones
- Mummy - Aidan Cook
- Captain Zhukov - Liam Cunningham
- Professor Grisenko - David Warner
- Lieutenant Stepashin – Tobias Menzies
- Skaldak - Spencer Wilding and voiced by Nicholas Briggs
- Alec Palmer - Dougray Scott
- Emma Grayling - Jessica Raine
- Gregor Van Baalen - Ashley Walters
- Bram Van Baalen - Mark Oliver
- Tricky Van Baalen - Jahvel Hall
- Winifred Gillyflower - Diana Rigg
- Ada Gillyflower - Rachael Stirling
- Webley - Jason Watkins
- Ludens Nimrod Kendrick Cord Longstaff XLI - Warwick Davis
Production
Crew
Producers
Before the airing of series 7, it was announced that both Beth Willis and Piers Wenger would step down as executive producers. Willis' last credit was on The Wedding of River Song; however, Piers Wenger stayed for one episode longer, and produced The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe.
A new executive producer named Caroline Skinner joined Steven Moffat to produce The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe onwards, but it was announced before the broadcast of the spring half of series 7 that she was departing the show after just one season and would be replaced by BBC Wales Head of Drama, Faith Penhale.[1]
Writers
Head writer Steven Moffat wrote seven episodes. He has written the 2011 Christmas special, episodes one and five in the autumn run, the Children in Need mini-episode, the 2012 Christmas special, episodes six and thirteen of the spring run, and the 50th anniversary special.
Chris Chibnall and Toby Whithouse, who had both written episodes for multiple previous series of Doctor Who, returned to contribute scripts for the Autumn run. Chibnall wrote episodes two and four, while Whithouse wrote episode three.
Mark Gatiss also returned, writing episodes eight and eleven.
Another returning writer was Steve Thompson, who wrote episode ten.
Fantasy author Neil Gaiman (who previously wrote The Doctor's Wife), wrote episode twelve.
Luther creator Neil Cross made his Doctor Who debut with episode seven, as well as writing episode nine.
Directors
Returning director Nick Hurran directed episodes one and five. Douglas Mackinnon, another returning director directed episodes four and eight.
New director Farren Blackburn directed the 2011 Christmas special, as well as episode seven.
Saul Metzstein, another director new to Doctor Who, directed episodes two, three, eleven, thirteen and the 2012 Christmas special.
A handful of new directors directed one episode each in the spring half of the series. These are: Colm McCarthy, Jamie Payne, Mat King and Stephen Woolfenden, who directed episodes six, nine, ten and twelve respectively.
Filming
Filming for series 7 began on 20 February 2012.[2] Episode three was filmed in Spain,[3] as were some scenes for episode one. Filming for episode five saw the crew return to America. This time, they were filming in New York.[4]
Television stories
Christmas special
| Episode Number |
Title | Writer | Director | Prequel | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe | Steven Moffat | Farren Blackburn | Prequel | Arabella Weir's first role on the TV series. The Doctor reestablishes contact with the Ponds. |
Mini-episodes
| Episode Number |
Title | Writer | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | Good as Gold | The Children of Ashdene School | Saul Metzstein | Reappearance of a Weeping Angel. |
| N/A | Pond Life | Chris Chibnall | Saul Metzstein | Amy and Rory get into a serious fight that nearly ends their marriage. Cameo of an Ood. |
Regular series
Autumn half
| Episode Number |
Title | Writer | Director | Prequel | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Asylum of the Daleks | Steven Moffat | Nick Hurran | Pond Life and Asylum of the Daleks Prequel | Reappearance of the Daleks, including cameos of older models from the classic series. First appearance of Clara Oswald. Amy and Rory reconcile. First instances of the flickering lights which foreshadow the events of the Series 7A finale. |
| 2 | Dinosaurs on a Spaceship | Chris Chibnall | Saul Metzstein | Reappearance of the Silurians. First appearance of Brian Williams. David Bradley's first physical role in a Doctor Who production. | |
| 3 | A Town Called Mercy | Toby Whithouse | Saul Metzstein | The Making of the Gunslinger | The Doctor nearly commits murder when his actions in the Time War are ridiculed. The Doctor is now 300 years older than when he first left Amy and Rory on Earth in Series 6. |
| 4 | The Power of Three | Chris Chibnall | Douglas Mackinnon | Reappearance of UNIT and Brian Williams. Reintroduction of Kate Stewart, now played by Jemma Redgrave; last seen in the 1995 direct-to-video production Downtime, this marks Kate's first appearance on Doctor Who proper. | |
| 5 | The Angels Take Manhattan | Steven Moffat | Nick Hurran | Reappearance of the Weeping Angels and River Song. Final appearances of Amy Pond and Rory Williams. A webcast, P.S., was later released, detailing an unfilmed scene which would have shown their fate, and featured the last appearance of Brian Williams. |
Christmas special
| Episode Number |
Title | Writer | Director | Prequel | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | The Snowmen | Steven Moffat | Saul Metzstein | The Great Detective, Vastra Investigates and The Battle of Demons Run: Two Days Later | Reintroduction of the Great Intelligence. Second introduction of Clara Oswald. Reappearance of Vastra, Strax and Jenny Flint. First appearance of the memory worm species. Debut of the Eleventh Doctor's new TARDIS console room. |
Spring half
The remaining eight episodes of series 7 began airing on 30 March, 2013.
| Episode Number |
Title | Writer | Director | Prequel | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | The Bells of Saint John | Steven Moffat | Colm McCarthy | The Bells of Saint John: A Prequel | Reappearance of the Great Intelligence and UNIT. Third introduction of Clara Oswald. Debut of the Eleventh Doctor's Victorian costume. |
| 7 | The Rings of Akhaten | Neil Cross | Farren Blackburn | Clara's first TARDIS trip into space. First hints given that the TARDIS is adverse to her presence. Introduction of the Long Song leitmotif. | |
| 8 | Cold War | Mark Gatiss | Douglas Mackinnon | Reintroduction of the Ice Warriors. | |
| 9 | Hide | Neil Cross | Jamie Payne | The Doctor's TARDIS begins to antagonise Clara; Clara witnesses the lifetime of the planet Earth from start to end. | |
| 10 | Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS | Steve Thompson | Mat King | Extensively explores the Doctor's TARDIS to a degree last equaled in the 1996 TV movie. | |
| 11 | The Crimson Horror | Mark Gatiss | Saul Metzstein | Reappearance of Vastra, Strax and Jenny Flint. | |
| 12 | Nightmare in Silver | Neil Gaiman | Stephen Woolfenden | Reintroduction of the Mondasian Cybermen. | |
| 13 | The Name of the Doctor | Steven Moffat | Saul Metzstein | She Said, He Said and Clarence and the Whispermen | Reappearance of the Great Intelligence, River Song, Vastra, Strax and Jenny Flint. Introduction of the War Doctor. Explanation of Clara's multiple lives. |
DVD Box Set Mini-episodes
These three mini-episodes were released on the series 7 DVD boxset.
| Episode Number |
Title | Writer | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | Clara and the TARDIS | Steven Moffat | Focuses on Clara's relationship with the TARDIS. The Doctor does not appear but Clara views images of past companions. | |
| N/A | Rain Gods | Neil Gaiman | Reappearance of River Song. | |
| N/A | The Inforarium | Steven Moffat | Details how the Doctor erased himself from history. |
Episode notes
- This is the first series to have special "movie" posters made featuring titles, cast and credits.
- For the first time in Doctor Who, this series had no two-parters in it. Asylum of the Daleks through The Angels Take Manhattan form a loose story arc involving Amy and Rory, whereas the mystery of Clara is a background arc contained in the remaining episodes of the season.
- This is the second series of Doctor Who in which all the stories have the same number of episodes, the first being season 18.
- During Series 7, Matt Smith appeared as the Doctor in a spoof titled One Born Every Minute, aired on 15 March 2013 as part of the annual Comic Relief appeal.
Aliens and enemies
- Daleks
- Dalek puppets
- Dalek Prime Minister
- Nanogene
- Solomon
- Robot 1 and Robot 2
- Dinosaurs
- Silurians
- Kahler-Tek
- Kahler-Jex
- Shakri
- Weeping Angels
- Great Intelligence
- Walter Simeon
- Snowmen
- Spoonheads
- Miss Kizlet
- The Mummy
- Vigil
- Old God
- Ice Warrior
- The Crooked Man
- Time zombies
- Winifred Gillyflower
- Mr Sweet
- Cybermen
- Cybermites
- The Whisper Men
Adaptations and merchandising
Home media
DVD
Blu-ray
Stories set during this season
Novels
- Dark Horizons
- Terrible Lizards
- Horror of the Space Snakes
- Extra Time
- The Water Thief
- The Angel's Kiss: A Melody Malone Mystery
- Devil in the Smoke: An Adventure for the Great Detective
- Plague of the Cybermen
- The Dalek Generation
- Shroud of Sorrow
Audiobooks
Footnotes
- ↑ Executive Producer Moves On. BBC - Doctor Who. Retrieved on 13 March 2013.
- ↑ Morgan Jeffery (9 February 2012). 'Doctor Who' to resume filming this month, Saul Metzstein to direct. Digital Spy. Retrieved on 23 August 2012.
- ↑ The Doctor Who Team (16 July 2012). New Series: Dinosaurs and Mercy!. BBC - Blogs - Doctor Who. Retrieved on 7 November 2012.
- ↑ "Marcus" (24 March 2012). Production: Convention News. Doctor Who News. Retrieved on 23 August 2012.