The Doctor Falls (TV story)

The Doctor Falls, written by Steven Moffat, was the twelfth and final episode of the tenth series of Doctor Who produced by BBC Wales. It featured the departures of both Bill Potts and Nardole, and the apparent death of Missy after ensuring the end of her predecessor. Expanding on the Twelfth Doctor's regeneration teased in the previous episode, it saw him mortally wounded in battle against the Cybermen. The regeneration would be postponed, however, as the Doctor refused to change.

Finally, it featured the surprise return of the First Doctor now portrayed by David Bradley, who had previously portrayed William Hartnell in the docudrama An Adventure in Space and Time.

Synopsis

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Plot

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Cast

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The Doctor - David Bradley

Crew

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References

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Story notes

This marks David Bradley's first appearance as the First Doctor in a canon DWU television story. Bradley previously portrayed a fictionalised version of William Hartnell, the original actor to portray the First Doctor, in the non-DWU docudrama An Adventure in Space and Time, in which Bradley reenacted scenes from several First Doctor serials.

Ratings

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Filming locations

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Production errors

If you'd like to talk about narrative problems with this story — like plot holes and things that seem to contradict other stories — please go to this episode's discontinuity discussion.

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Continuity

The Doctor recalls last seeing Missy's predecessor heading to Gallifrey, deducing that the Time Lords cured his "little condition" before kicking him out. (TV: The End of Time)
The Doctor notes the Cybermen have risen from Mondas (AUDIO: Spare Parts, TV: The Tenth Planet) to Telos, (TV: The Tomb of the Cybermen) Earth, (TV: Rise of the Cybermen / The Age of Steel) Planet 14 (TV: The Invasion) and Marinus. (COMIC: The World Shapers)
The Doctor recounts his various victories over the Cybermen: on Telos where he sealed them into their ice tombs, (TV: The Tomb of the Cybermen) Voga, (TV: Revenge of the Cybermen), Canary Wharf (TV: Army of Ghosts / Doomsday) and Planet 14. (COMIC: The World Shapers, TV: The Invasion)
The Doctor reminds Bill how she remembered the truth during the reign of the Monks. (TV: The Lie of the Land)
Bill is reunited with Heather in the form of sentient oil. (TV: The Pilot)
Missy uses her sonic umbrella. (TV: World Enough and Time)
The Master uses a modified laser screwdriver. (TV: Last of the Timelords)
The Doctor has a brief recall of all of his past companions from his ninth incarnation onwards, just before his body attempts to regenerate. The Fourth and Fifth Doctor similarly had this occur to him. Likewise, the last face he sees is the Master's. (TV: The Caves of Androzani, Logopolis)
- he recalls Rose from Bad Wolf (TV story), Martha from Daleks in Manhattan (TV story)/Evolution of the Daleks (TV story), Donna from Partners in Crime (TV story), Jack from Utopia (TV story), Vastra from The Name of the Doctor (TV story), Jenny from The Crimson Horror (TV story), Sarah Jane from The Stolen Earth (TV story), Amy from The Impossible Astronaut (TV story), River from The Pandorica Opens (TV story) and even Clara from Last Christmas (TV story).
As he begins regenerating, the Doctor says "I don't want to go", the exact same words his tenth incarnation said before regenerating. (TV: The End of Time) He also reiterates the last lines of his eleventh incarnation. (TV: The Time of the Doctor)
The Doctor resists regenerating. He has previously done this when nearing the end of his tenth incarnation. (TV: The End of Time)
It was revealed Heather gave her tears to track Bill, explaining how Bill was still able to cry despite being a Cyberman. (TV: World Enough and Time)
The Doctor meets his first incarnation. He has met this version of himself on numerous previous occasions. (TV: The Three Doctors, The Five Doctors, The Day of the Doctor)
The Twelfth Doctor's regeneration is caused by the Cybermen, resembling how the First Doctor regenerated due to an encounter with them. (TV: The Tenth Planet)

Home video releases

DVD releases

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Blu-ray releases

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Digital releases

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External links

Official The Doctor Falls page on the Doctor Who website