The Tsuranga Conundrum (TV story)

The Tsuranga Conundrum
Doctor:	Thirteenth Doctor
Companion(s):	Graham, Ryan, Yaz
Main enemy:	Pting
Main setting:	Tsuranga, 67th century
Key crew
Writer:	Chris Chibnall
Director:	Jennifer Perrott
Producer:	Alex Mercer
Release details
Story number:	280
Premiere broadcast:	4 November 2018
Premiere network:	BBC One
Format:	1x51 minute episode
Official trailer
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Memorable moment
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Behind the scenes video
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Doctor Who television stories
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Production order
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Next →	Kerblam!

The Tsuranga Conundrum was the fifth episode of series 11 of Doctor Who.

The episode followed the Thirteenth Doctor and her companions caught up on a hospital ship and facing a new threat, the Pting, a creature that only consumes non-organic matter. The story also expanded on Ryan's family backstory regarding losing his mother.

Synopsis

As the Thirteenth Doctor and her friends end up stranded without the TARDIS on a hospital ship in space, with a strange and potentially deadly intruder on board, it is up to them, the crew, and the patients to figure out what it is, what it wants, and how to stop it before the creature tears the ship apart.

Plot

On Seffilun 27 in a junk galaxy, the Thirteenth Doctor, Ryan, Yasmin, and Graham are hunting for something the Doctor desires to find with special detectors retrieved from the TARDIS parked nearby. While looking, they find something; the Doctor realises that it is a sonic mine and accidentally triggers it. It explodes just as Yaz asks how long they have.

The Doctor awakes on a hospital ship Tsuranga, finding the others alright despite her own apparent pain in her side. Exploring the ship, the Doctor meets some of the patients being transported – Eve Cicero, a renowned general; her brother Durkas; Eve's synth robot partner Ronan; and Yoss, a pregnant man. After gaining access to the ship's systems, the Doctor, alongside head nurse Astos, notice something heading for the ship. They realise it is an alien entity, which gains access to the ship and starts damaging its escape pods. Astos becomes trapped in one that he is inspecting, and dies when the pod is jettisoned into space and explodes.

Helped by Mabli, Astos' colleague, the Doctor learns that the entity is a Pting, a creature that eats non-organic material and is classed as highly dangerous. Learning that the ship will be remotely detonated if the space-station detects the creature aboard, the Doctor works to prevent this happening. While Yasmin and Ronan defend the ship's power source from the Pting, Ryan and Graham offer to help Mabli with Yoss as he enters labour. Meanwhile, the Doctor, Eve and Durkas focus on gaining manual control of the ship. During this time, the Doctor learns that Eve has a critical heart condition that could kill her if she interfaces with the ship. Despite this, Eve sacrifices herself to protect everyone aboard the ship by keeping it safe, before Durkas assumes control in her place.

The Doctor suddenly deduces that the Pting was attracted to the ship looking for energy sources, its true food source. With this knowledge, she returns to the ship's power source where she rationalises it has a built-in failsafe bomb. Removing it, she primes the device and feeds it to the Pting, giving it ample energy before she jettisons it into space. Durkas safely brings the Tsuranga to the space-station, while Ryan and Graham help Yoss give birth successfully. Before leaving to recover her TARDIS with the others, the Doctor joins Mabli and the patients in honouring the death of Eve for her courage in protecting them

Cast

• The Doctor - Jodie Whittaker
• Graham O'Brien - Bradley Walsh
• Ryan Sinclair - Tosin Cole
• Yasmin Khan - Mandip Gill
• Astos - Brett Goldstein
• Mabli - Lois Chimimba
• Eve Cicero - Suzanne Packer
• Durkas Cicero - Ben Bailey-Smith
• Ronan - David Shields
• Yoss - Jack Shalloo

Crew

Executive Producers   Matt Strevens and Chris Chibnall

Co-executive producer   Sam Hoyle

Series Producer   Nikki Wilson

General production staff Head of Production - Radford Neville Executive Producer for the BBC - Ben Irving Production Executive - Tracie Simpson Line Producer - Steffan Morris Production Manager - James DeHaviland Supervising Location Manager - Iwan Roberts Location Manager - Lyn Moses Unit Manager - Jac Jones Production Co-ordinator - Sandra Cosfeld Assistant Production Co-ordinator - Jessica Elise Evans Production Secretary - Jade Stephenson Executive Assistant - Caroline Cook Unit Drivers - Sean Evans, Paul Watkins, Jolyon Davey Unit Medic - Glyn Evans Business Affairs - Carol Griggs, Steve Robson Production Accountant - Laurence Parker Assistant Accountants - Helen Searle, Kate Barber-Williams Script department Series Script Editor - Sheena Bucktowonsing Script Editor - Fiona McAllister Assistant Script Editor - Hannah Mason Camera and lighting department 1st Assistant Director - Ben Rogers 2nd Assistant Director - Delmi Thomas 3rd Assistant Director - Christopher J Thomas Assistant Directors - Lauren Pate, Sion Eirug Script Supervisor - Nicki Coles Camera Operator - Mark McQuoid ACO Focus Pullers - Jonathan Vidgen, Steve Rees Grip - John Robinson Assistant Grip - Ash Whitfield Camera Assistants - Gethin Williams, Scott Waller, Cai Stephens Gaffer - Mark Hutchings Best Boy - Andy Gardiner Electricians - Bob Milton, Gawain Nash, Andrew Williams, Gareth Sheldon	Art department Supervising Art Director - Dafydd Shurmer Assistant Art Director - Lissa Lamona Art Department Co-ordinator - Isabelle Kennedy Art Department Accountant - Karen Evans Petty Cash Buyer - Kayleigh Powell Trainee Buyer - Georgia Reece Set Decorator - Vicki Male Set Designers - Julia Jones, Zsofia Ekler Storyboard Artist - Michael Collins Concept Artist - Darren Fereday Graphic Designer - Richard Wells Standby Props - Matthew Ireland, Cerys Lewis Standby Carpenter - Paul Jones Prop Hands - Atiff Tahir, John Thomas, Tom Major Standby Art Director - Anwen Haf Rigging - Shadow Scaffolding Standby Rigger - Colin Toms HOD Painter - Steve Fudge Chargehand Painters - Mark Reece, Lloyd Reece Storeman - Charlie Malik Prop Master - Paul Aitken Props Chargehand - Stuart Rankmore Prop Fabrication - Penny Howarth Specialist Prop Maker - Nick Robatto Construction Manager - Mark Painter Workshop Manager - Mark Hill Workshop Assistant - Chris Slocombe Construction Chargehands - Dean Tucker, John Sinnott Construction Drivers - Darren Bousie, Jason Tylke Practical Electrician - Matthew Dunford Scenic Artists - Jeremy Duckham, Gemma Dorie Carpenters - Terry Horle, Joseph Painter, Mat Ferry, Tim Burke, Campbell Fraser, Chris Daniels, George Rees, Jonathan Tylke Costume department Assistant Costume Designers - Emma Burnand, Simon Marks Costume Assistants - Ian Fowler, Andie Mear, Jenny Tindle, Holly Williams	Make-up and prosthetics Make-up Supervisor - Emma Cowen Make-up Artists - Amy Riley, Charlotte Giles Junior Make-up Artist - Hanna Lewis-Jones Casting Casting Associate - Ri McDaid-Wren Casting Assistant - Louis Constantine General post-production staff Post-production Supervisor - Ceres Doyle Post-production Co-ordinator - Claire Rees Assistant Editors - David Davies, Hayley Williams On-line Editors - Geraint Pari Huws, Christine Kelly Special and visual effects VFX Editor - Martyn Western Colourist - Gareth Spensley Head Modelmaker - Lee Radford Sound Sound Recordist - Deian Llŷr Humphreys Dubbing Mixer - Howard Bargroff Sound Maintenance Engineers - Tam Shoring, Christopher Goding Dialogue Editor - Darran Clement ADR Editor - Matthew Cox SFX Editor - Harry Barnes Foley - Bang Post Production

Not every person who worked on this adventure was credited. The absence of a credit for a position doesn't necessarily mean the job wasn't required. The information above is based solely on observations of the actual end credits of the episodes as broadcast, and does not relay information from IMDB or other sources.

References

The Doctor

• The Doctor has a stethoscope.
• The Doctor claims she is a doctor of medicine, science, engineering, candy floss, LEGO, philosophy, music, problems, people and hope, but mostly hope.
• The Doctor awards points to and claims to keep score of everything her companions accomplish.

Culture

• Yaz compares the Tsuranga to the Red Cross.
• Astos says he made a rookie mistake.
• Danger levels mentioned are chalice and beetroot.
• Graham mentions how he has watched every episode of Call the Midwife, although he looks away at the squeamish parts.
• Yoss needed doulas for his birthing. Graham and Ryan agreed to do it.

Species

• Gifftan males and females can both become pregnant, with males only birthing male children and vice-versa. Gifftan young are gestated for a week in a pregnancy sac before the sac is painlessly cut open during birth.
• Gifftan babies are born with two umbilical cords.
• Images of Davros, a Cyberman, an Ood, a Weeping Angel, a Raxacoricofallapatorian, a Sontaran, a Silent, a Silurian, and a Zygon appear on a console screen in rapid succession before Mabli selects a briefing on the Pting.
  • These are given as the Perils of the Constant Division with Pting labelled Item Seven Alpha Cubed.
• Time Lords possess an organ called an ectospleen. When damaged they can cause pain.
• Eve Cicero went up against the Aeons.
• The Doctor compares the Pting to a mouse.

Food and beverages

• The Doctor compares the bomb to a piece of large cheese.
• Yoss thinks Avocado Pear is a person. Ryan and Graham discuss whether they're fruits or vegetables.

People

• Eve Cicero is a Neuro pilot with Pilot's Heart, although she plays it off as Corden Fever.
  • She is mentioned in the Book of Celebrants for her part in defeating the Army of the Aeons in the Battle of the Underkind.
• The Doctor is also in the Book of Celebrants, though Eve thinks her inclusion was a chapter and the Doctor describes it as 'more a volume'.
• Ryan mentions Grace's funeral, his dad and his mum's death.
• The Doctor calls to meeting, Poirot-style.
• Astos was Chief Medic.
• Eve graduated to Neuro Fleet Commander with record speed.
• Due to the Doctor's babbling, Ronan and Yaz says they experience comprehension deficiency.
• When Yaz says the number 51, the Doctor says that it's a pentagonal number, atomic number of antimony and that it's the number of federalist papers written by Alexander Hamilton. She also says that she loves that show and has seen all 900 casts.
• Yoss gives birth to Avocado Inkl naming him such, thinking there's an Earth hero called Avocado Pear.

Biology

• Yoss' internal fluids breaks due to his son coming.

Locations

• The junk planets Seffilun 27 and Seffilun 59 are located in a Junk galaxy.
• The TARDIS team had just been rainbathing in the upward tropics of Kinstarno.
• Keebans are from the Keeba galaxy.
• Yoss is stationed in Pod Two.
• The Tsuranga is heading for Resus One, specifically the Tsuranga Hub.
• The Tsuranga has entered the edges of the Constant Division.
• Ronan says complaints are filed to Keeba Central.
• The Tsuranga is being routed through an asteroid field.
• Yaz mentions England as she kicks the Pting.
• Graham and Yoss mentions Earth.

Medicine

• Eve uses adrenaline blockers to get through her condition.
• Mabli gives Yoss pain management for his birth.

Technology

• The TARDIS team is searching the junk planet with modified metal detectors.
• Graham found a sonic mine. The Doctor failed at putting it in temporal lock.
• The Tsuranga patients all have to wear medtags, indicating their full bio-history, allergies, fluid levels, lifespan data.
• The TARDIS team were rescued by robo-dredgers.
• All assessment zones on the Tsuranga have privacy indicators built in.
• Ronan is a Clone Drone Android.
• The Tsuranga is a QuadZone Rescue Craft.
• Resus One has post-recuperation onward teleports.
• The Tsuranga has a NavChamber for navigation.
• The Tsuranga has self-repairing shielding.
• The Tsuranga has two life pods. One in portside and one in starboard.
• The staff uses comm dots to communicate on great distances.
• Everyone onboard the Tsuranga has ocular recorders. Yaz says it's like a posh version of her uniform camera.
• Resus One can perform remote structural termination (RST) to the Tsuranga.
• Without the central systems, the Tsuranga loses heat and oxygen.
• The Tsuranga has stazers onboard.
• if the ship's auto-routing were broken, Resus One would go straight to Hostility Protocols.
• The Tsuranga has BirthBuds installed in the pods.
• Anti-matter drives were used in the 67th century to power their ships.
  • The Doctor compares the particle accelerator to the iPhone version of CERN.
  • The Doctor says that the particle accelerator smashes the atoms together, like a little anti-matter factory, to produce positrons, which are then stored very carefully inside electric and magnetic fields. The positrons interact with the fuel materials to produce heat, which produces thrust.
• Yaz uses a MedBlanket to pick up the Pting.
• Eve attaches herself to a VR control system to control the ship.
• The Doctor's sonic screwdriver is self-rebooting.
• Every Tsurangan Rescue Craft has a bomb built in.
• Graham mentions how Ryan spends time on YouTube.

Sport

• Yaz mentions footballer Siobhan Chamberlain when kicking the Pting down a corridor on the Tsuranga.

Story notes

• Pretty much every scientific fact about anti-matter given by the Doctor in this episode is true to real science. However, in reality, because antimatter is produced via pair production, energy gained by antimatter-matter reactions would not exceed the energy required to create it; therefore energy generation would have to be performed by captured antimatter that has not been manufactured.
• Tim Price receives a creator credit for the Pting, the first time such a credit is given on a creature or character's first appearance.

Ratings

• 6.12 million (UK overnight)
• 7.76 million (UK final)

Filming locations

to be added

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.

to be added

Continuity

• The Doctor notes that she has "only just" recovered her TARDIS. (TV: The Ghost Monument) So she doesn't want to lose it again.
• The Doctor says "snap" when her and the general say the same thing. She has said this in her second, sixth, (TV: The Two Doctors) tenth (TV: Time Crash) and twelfth (TV: Twice Upon a Time) incarnations.
• The Doctor uses her stethoscope. It was commonly used by her tenth incarnation (TV: Evolution of the Daleks, Midnight, The Next Doctor) and occasionally her eleventh incarnation. (TV: The Lodger)
• The Doctor and her friends have been rescued from a perilous situation before by a passing ship. (TV: The Ghost Monument)
• Ryan mentions how his dad did not come to Grace O'Brien's funeral. (TV: The Woman Who Fell to Earth)
• Graham still calls the Doctor "Doc". (TV: Rosa, Arachnids in the UK)
• Graham once more tries to fist bump Ryan only for the man to refuse as it's "uncool" of him. (TV: Rosa)
• Ryan elaborates on his mother's death. (TV: The Woman Who Fell to Earth)
• Graham mentions the fact that Ryan spends time on YouTube. (TV: The Woman Who Fell to Earth)
• The Doctor's sonic screwdriver is once again eaten. (TV: The Eleventh Hour, A Christmas Carol)
• Once again, the Thirteenth Doctor loses possession of her TARDIS. (TV: Twice Upon a Time) She also lost it during her first, (TV: Marco Polo) second, (TV: The Faceless Ones, The Evil of the Daleks, COMIC: Egyptian Escapade) third, (COMIC: Backtime) fourth, (TV: The Ark in Space, AUDIO: The Beast of Kravenos) eighth, (AUDIO: A Life in the Day, The Sontaran Ordeal) tenth, (TV: The Impossible Planet, Blink, Utopia, Voyage of the Damned, The Poison Sky) eleventh (TV: Amy's Choice, The Lodger, The Doctor's Wife) and twelfth incarnations. (TV: Face the Raven)
• The Doctor loves the musical Hamilton, and has seen it many times throughout her lives. (COMIC: The Long Con)
• Graham mentions that Ryan is descended from an Earth nurse. (TV: The Woman Who Fell to Earth)

Home video releases

DVD releases

to be added

Blu-ray releases

to be added

Digital releases

to be added

External links

• Official The Tsuranga Conundrum page on the Doctor Who website