The Eleventh Hour (TV story)

	[[doctor::Eleventh Doctor]]
	Amy Pond (introduction; joins)
	Face Tendril Atraxi [1]
	Leadworth, Earth
	Steven Moffat
	Adam Smith
	Tracie Simpson
	203
	Series 5
	3rd April 2010
	1x 65 minute episode

The Eleventh Hour is the first episode of Matt Smith's first series. It marks the debut of Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill as part of the recurring cast.

Though not the first episode filmed of the 2010 series, it is nevertheless the public's first full exposure to a new production ethos, as shaped by then-new executive producers Steven Moffatt, Piers Wenger, and Beth Willis. It is also the public's first exposure to director Adam Smith's work on a Doctor Who universe programme.

The episode is scheduled to be extensively previewed prior to broadcast, with special screenings scheduled in several UK cities as part of a special promotional tour at the end of March, a special US pre-screening at a major science-fiction convention, and the BBC has announced that the first minute of the episode will be released as a special preview on the digital Red Button service from 24 March.

Synopsis

The Doctor has regenerated into a brand new man, but danger strikes before he can even recover. With the TARDIS wrecked, and the sonic screwdriver destroyed, the new Doctor has just 20 minutes to save the whole world - and only Amy Pond to help him.

Plot

The first minute of the episode was broadcast on BBC's red button service on the 24th of March 2010.

The episode starts from where The End of Time left off. The Doctor looks up at the central time rotor and cries, "Geronimo!" he then attempts to control the machine away from the Earth by clicking a few buttons, resulting in a large burst of sparks from the console causing the Doctor to fly back, landing in the remains of the chair at the side. He almost instently proceeds back to the console only to realise that a large chunk is missing from it, though due to regeneration trauma he still looks happy.

"Crashing! Ha ha!!" he cries, grabbing the scanner screen off the floor and looking at it's blank screen as if there is something on it. He shakes his head, and the TARDIS gives a final Thump. Then he runs to the door and falls to the floor outside. He bounces to his feet, disregards the fact that the TARDIS is lying on it's side and buzzes it with the sonic screwdriver, running around it and pulling loose wires. A girl runs up and asks him what he's doing. He answers, "Restarting the engines, or trying to. Is I? Am it? Whaddaya think? Oh, shut up, Doctor, get BACK TO WORK! Ha, ha!" the girl asks, "how can a box have engines?" the Doctor replies, "not a box, it's a time machine." the girl asks whether he's telling the truth, and asks if she can come. The Doctor replies, "not yet. Too dangerous, it's a bit unstable." The girl finally asks, "who are you?" he replies. "Glad you asked. I'm the Doctor!"

Cast

• The Doctor - Matt Smith
• Amy Pond - Karen Gillan
• Rory Williams - Arthur Darvill [3]
• Young Amy - Caitlin Blackwood [4]
• Mrs Angelo - Annette Crosbie [5]
• Barney Collins - Marcello Magni [6]
• Coma Patient - Peter Moyes [7]
• TBA - Olivia Colman [8]
• TBA - Arthur Fox

Crew

to be added

References

to be added

Story Notes

• According to the BBC trailer, this episode will be broadcast on Easter Saturday, 3 April 2010.
• The opening episode seen filming, features Matt Smith in the Tenth Doctor's battered attire, with his sonic screwdriver and TARDIS. It is thought to deal with his post-regeneration trauma. The episode is set in the fictional location of Leadworth, and features Amy Pond in a police officers uniform.
• In an interview in Doctor Who Magazine 417, Matt Smith and Karen Gillan talk about the "Scary" monster in episode one describing it as a "Face Tendril" and being used as a tennis ball on a stick in scenes, expressing them having to act scared with nothing scary there. This probably means the monster in episode one is computer generated. It was later revealed that the real name of the monster is the Atraxi. The creatures were described as "alien policemen". [9]
• According to Russell T. Davies in Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale, Moffat informed him in January 2008 that he had begun writing the first episode of Series 5.

Ratings

to be added

Filming Locations

• The White House, Llandaff, Cardiff
• Old Cemetery, Rhymney, Gwent
• The Vicarage, Rhymney, Gwent
• Abertillery Hospital, Aberbeeg, Abertillery
• The Cathedral Green, Llandaff, Cardiff

Rumours

• It was rumoured that the episode is set during the 1990s; however, a more detailed rumour says the Doctor meets Amy as a child in 1995 and as an adult in 2010. A short clip released in March is in line with this rumour.
• This episode will actually be 60 minutes long rather than the usual 45 minute format. It is unknown if this will be the pattern for the whole series.
• IMDB listed this episode as being broadcast on 13 March, but this is contradicted by the latest trailer.

Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors

to be added

Continuity

to be added

International screenings

It has been announced that The Eleventh Hour will receive its international broadcast debut on 17 April 2010 when both BBC America in the US and Space in Canada broadcast it, followed by ABC1 in Australia on 18 April.

However, the episode is scheduled to receive its North American premiere on 3 April, the same day as its UK broadcast, when it is screened during WonderCon in San Francisco.[10]

DVD/Blu-Ray Release

• BBC Video - Doctor Who Series Five - Volume One is scheduled for release on DVD and Blu-Ray on 7th June 2010 (UK only), featuring The Eleventh Hour, The Beast Below, Victory of the Daleks, and the featurette The Monster Diaries.
• A Full Series Boxed Set is believed to be released on DVD & Blu-Ray later in the year.

External Links

to be added