The Descendants of Pompeii (webcast)
The Descendants of Pompeii was a webcast that was made specifically for the Doctor Who: Lockdown! event.
An unspecified incarnation of the Doctor was revealed in a twist ending to have been silently watching the entire video call which makes up the bulk of the story. However, this Doctor did not physically appear in the webcast.
Plot
Evie hosts a video call with her mother Maxine through VidChatX, who struggles to turn on her camera. Maxine turns it on by accident, much to Evie's amusement. Maxine calls her daughter "Evelina", annoying Evie since she thinks her full name makes her sound ancient. Evie asks her mother why she named her "Evelina" to which Maxine responds that she simply liked how it sounded and counts Evie lucky she didn't let her dad call her "Rainbow".
Maxine then reveals she is drinking wine while her husband is out, then asks if Evie has spoken to her brother Quin, to which she replies she has and that he is busy with patients, though says he is doing okay. Maxine remarks that she is proud of him for being a doctor. This prompts Evie to note how there is a pattern between each of their jobs: Quin is a doctor like their granddad, her father was an architect just like her great-granddad, while she is a writer just like their grandma. Meanwhile, Maxine works in the police just like Evie's great-grandmother. Maxine doesn't think much of it though mentions her mother used to say their family had a guardian angel. Evie admits she sometimes feels as though that is true, believing someone does watch over them, like a friend through time.
Before she can think further, Maxine's microwave dings, prompting Maxine to end the call to eat her food, but not before teasing Evie that the guardian angel is watching her. Evie jokingly agrees, believing their family is nothing more than lucky. Maxine ends the call, leaving Evie alone to wonder if someone really does watch over her family. She privately thanks them and then leaves the call.
However, though Evie was hosting the call, it stays on. An additional caller that was lurking in the background leaves soon afterwards, finally ending the call.
Cast
Crew
- Written by - James Moran
- Music & sound design - Murray Gold
- Edited by - James Moran
- With thanks to - Russell T Davies
- Produced by - Emily Cook
References
- Evie has three folders on her desktop, labelled "Gifs", "Family Tree Research", and "Book Pitches", respectively, as well as a file labelled "Pompeii Research".
- Evie and Maxine use a software called VidChatX to video call each other.
- Maxine drinks a "cheeky" South Africa during the video chat.
- Evie notes how the same professions seem to run throughout the family: Quin and Evie's grandfather are doctors, Evie's father is an architect, as was her great-grandfather, Evie is a writer, as was her grandmother, and Maxine is in the police, as was Evie's great-grandmother.
Notes
- Evie and Maxine are played by Francesca Fowler and Tracey Childs, respectively, who previously portrayed their Pompeii ancestors Evelina and Metella in The Fires of Pompeii.
- The fact that Evie and Maxine are communicating through a video chat is an indirect reference to the real life lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, one of several to appear in media released for the Doctor Who: Lockdown! event. The reason for why the two are communicating in this way is never made apparent during the story.
Continuity
- Evie and Maxine are the descendants of Lobus Caecilius. (TV: The Fires of Pompeii)
