The Day of the Doctor (TV story): Difference between revisions

* The special had the working title of ''The Time War.''

''Main article: [[Cinema Introduction (The Day of the Doctor)]]''

* Talking about his refusal to return as the Ninth Doctor, [[Christopher Eccleston]] said, {{Quote|[W]hen I read the script, I felt that it was basically myself, Matt, and Dave riffing off the fact that we used to be the Doctors. I, personally, didn’t feel the narrative was strong enough, particularly for the Ninth Doctor, because I had taken quite a lot of abuse in my own country when I left. As the show was being celebrated, I was being abused in the press, and that was hard to take. And very confusing. So I looked at it and I thought, 'Is this really the way I want to come back?' And I decided it wasn’t.|[[Christopher Eccleston]]}} He, however, received the script without the Ninth Doctor and featuring the War Doctor, and thought that it was "immaculate".<ref>https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/why-christopher-eccleston-left-doctor-who/</ref> He later praised [[John Hurt]]'s performance, saying that Hurt offered more to the story than he could.

* In a complete ''Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special'' draft, the War Doctor calls himself "the Renegade."

* ''Radio Times'' credits [[David Tennant]] as "The Tenth Doctor", [[John Hurt]] as "The Other Doctor" (matching marketing materials and merchandise for the incarnation prior to the episode's broadcast) and [[Billie Piper]] as "Rose Tyler". This is also reflected in the closing credits where Piper is credited as Rose, despite her playing [[the Moment]] in Rose's form.

* [[Jonjo O'Neill]], who played [[McGillop]], is erroneously credited as "McGuillop" in ''Radio Times''.

* The ''Radio Times'' programme listing was accompanied by a small colour head-and-shoulders shot of the Eleventh Doctor and the Tenth Doctor in the wood, with the accompanying caption "Doctor Who / 7.50 p.m. / [[Matt Smith]] and [[David Tennant]] join forces in a tale celebrating 50 years of the show".

* The story is fronted by the version of the [[title sequence]] used on the original episode ''[[An Unearthly Child (TV story)|An Unearthly Child]]'', modified to include a BBC logo, and slightly shortened. This marks the sequence's first use since Episode 4 of ''[[The Moonbase (TV story)|The Moonbase]]'' in 1967, approximately 47 years prior; as such, ''The Day of the Doctor'' is the only episode to use a previously [[retire]]d title sequence, rather than use the current one or introduce a new one.

* Similar to ''[[The Two Doctors (TV story)|The Two Doctors]]'', the opening shot is in black and white, but quickly fades into colour.

* The TARDIS interior set floor was raised from its normal height during the filming of the special to help Jenna Coleman's stunt double ride Clara's motorbike into the TARDIS.

* The soundtrack playing while the Eleventh Doctor is hanging out of the TARDIS over London was first used in ''[[Aliens of London (TV story)|Aliens of London]]'' and ''[[World War Three (TV story)|World War Three]]''. This is an orchestral re-recording of the piece, first heard on the [[Doctor Who - Series 1 and 2 (soundtrack)|series 1 and 2 soundtrack]].

* This is the first episode since ''[[The Eleventh Hour (TV story)|The Eleventh Hour]]'' to feature the theme tune's middle eight section in the closing titles.

* The promise that the Doctors state is based on a passage from the [[Terrance Dicks]] reference book ''[[The Making of Doctor Who]]''. Different parts of the passage have been quoted through different ''Doctor Who'' products. One of these is the 1999 [[Comic Relief]] special ''[[The Curse of Fatal Death (TV story)|The Curse of Fatal Death]]'', written by Moffat himself.

** [[First Doctor]]: footage from ''[[The Daleks (TV story)|The Daleks]]'': "[[The Dead Planet]]", newly recorded audio by [[John Guilor]]<ref name="DWMSE 38"/>

** [[Second Doctor]]: footage from ''[[The Tomb of the Cybermen (TV story)|The Tomb of the Cybermen]]'' and ''[[The Mind Robber (TV story)|The Mind Robber]]'' - audio from ''[[The Seeds of Death (TV story)|The Seeds of Death]]''<ref name="DWMSE 38"/>

** [[Third Doctor]]: flipped footage from ''[[Colony in Space (TV story)|Colony in Space]]'' - audio from ''[[The Green Death (TV story)|The Green Death]]''<ref name="DWMSE 38"/>

** [[Fourth Doctor]]: flipped footage from ''[[Planet of Evil (TV story)|Planet of Evil]]''<ref name="DWMSE 38"/> - audio from unidentified serial{{source}}

** [[Fifth Doctor]]: footage from ''[[Frontios (TV story)|Frontios]]'' - audio from ''[[The Five Doctors (TV story)|The Five Doctors]]''<ref name="DWMSE 38"/>

** [[Sixth Doctor]]: footage and audio from ''[[Attack of the Cybermen (TV story)|Attack of the Cybermen]]''<ref name="DWMSE 38"/>

** [[Seventh Doctor]]: flipped footage and audio from ''[[Battlefield (TV story)|Battlefield]]'', footage from ''[[Doctor Who (TV story)|Doctor Who]]''<ref name="DWMSE 38"/>

** [[Eighth Doctor]]: footage from ''[[Doctor Who (TV story)|Doctor Who]]''<ref name="DWMSE 38"/>

** [[Ninth Doctor]]: footage from ''[[Rose (TV story)|Rose]]'' and ''[[The Parting of the Ways (TV story)|The Parting of the Ways]]''.<ref name="DWMSE 38"/> Also footage from ''[[Aliens of London (TV story)|Aliens of London]]''.{{source}}

* Similarly to ''[[The Five Doctors (TV story)|The Five Doctors]]'', the end credits list all the actors who have played the Doctor in the reverse order of their incarnations (with the exception of [[Peter Capaldi]], who remained uncredited for his brief appearance). As a result, [[Matt Smith]] and [[David Tennant]] are listed first and second respectively, but [[Christopher Eccleston]] is credited above [[John Hurt]]. This marks the first time Eccleston is credited as playing "The Doctor" as during his season he was credited as "Doctor Who" (Hartnell had previously been credited as "The Doctor" at the end of [[TV]]: ''[[The Five Doctors (TV story)|The Five Doctors]]'' after being credited as "Dr. Who" during his era).

* The photos of the Doctors used in the end credits are the same ones that appeared in [[TV]]: ''[[Nightmare in Silver (TV story)|Nightmare in Silver]]'' with two additional pictures inserted to represent the Eleventh Doctor and the War Doctor.

* One of the displays originally featured various Doctors, some of whom were implied to be from his future. Amongst them was a photo of [[Peter Cushing]]... with Kate explaining to a bemused Clara that ''[[Dr. Who and the Daleks (theatrical film)|Dr. Who and the Daleks]]'' and ''[[Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. (theatrical film)|Daleks: Invasion of Earth 2150 AD]]'' had been the work of some of the Doctor's former companions! References to the Cushing movies were ultimately deleted due to rights issues.<ref name="DWM 469">[[DWM 469]]{{which}}</ref><ref name="DWMSE 38"/>

* [[Peter Capaldi]]'s cameo was the last scene to be shot. It was added in post-production as one last surprise. His costume hadn't been decided on, so the crew shot a close-up of his eyes. It was filmed during his appearance at the end of ''[[The Time of the Doctor (TV story)|The Time of the Doctor]].'' <ref name="DWMSE 38"/>

* Much more music was composed and recorded for the episode than was actually used, including original pieces for the scene where the Eleventh Doctor hangs from the TARDIS, and a theme for the Curator called "[[Song for Four]]". The production team elected instead to use legacy music from previous episodes of the revived series. Much of the unused music is included on the [[Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack: The Day of the Doctor / The Time of the Doctor|soundtrack release]]. The aforementioned "Song for Four" would go on to be reworked for use in ''[[The Time of the Doctor]]'', retitled to "[[Snow over Trenzalore]]". The original unaltered piece was finally used in ''[[Deep Breath (TV story)|Deep Breath]]'' for the scene in which the Eleventh Doctor calls Clara.

* [[Matt Smith]] and [[Billie Piper]] had previously appeared together in an episode of ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secret_Diary_of_a_Call_Girl Secret Diary of a Call Girl].''

* [[Steven Moffat]] considered having the Tenth Doctor paired up with Rose, in part as a way of recognising the crucial role played by [[Billie Piper]] in the show's relaunch. However, he felt that Rose's story had been drawn to its ideal conclusion in ''[[Journey's End (TV story)|Journey's End]]'', and he did not want to undermine the work of [[Russell T Davies]]. Now, however, Moffat realised that the Moment could assume Rose's form, specifically, her manifestation after absorbing the power of the time vortex in ''[[The Parting of the Ways (TV story)|The Parting of the Ways]].'' [[Billie Piper]] agreed with Moffat's sentiments, despite loving the character of Rose.

* [[Steven Moffat]] considered using audio clips to incorporate [[Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart|the Brigadier]], but decided against it.

* Osgood was originally Kate's personal assistant before becoming a UNIT scientist.

* Osgood was named after [[Tom Osgood|Sergeant Tom Osgood]]. [[Steven Moffat]] intended for the pair to be father and daughter.

* Lord Bentham was named after [[Jeremy Bentham]].

* Early versions saw the Moment appear to the Ninth Doctor in the form of a young girl dressed in rags, while Clara accompanied the Eleventh Doctor through the portal to 1562. The portal's effects on the actions of the Tenth Doctor were to manifest themselves in the present day as the Eleventh Doctor became wracked with pain; this was similar to the Fifth Doctor's reaction when his past selves were removed from time in ''[[The Five Doctors (TV story)|The Five Doctors]]''.

* When [[Christopher Eccleston]] declined to appear, [[Steven Moffat]] considered assigning his role to [[Paul McGann]]. He then decided that he couldn't picture the [[Eighth Doctor]] as the one who ended the Time War. He ultimately wrote ''[[The Night of the Doctor (TV story)|The Night of the Doctor]]'' for McGann. He then turned to an alternative concept he had been formulating, featuring a "mayfly Doctor" who appears for a single episode, asking, "Would it be weird in the run of the series to have the 45th Doctor turn up and be played by [[Johnny Depp]] or someone? Would that be a cool thing to do?"

* [[John Hurt]] did not actually audition for the War Doctor, but had been asked by the production team and "said yes with remarkable speed".

* The War Doctor originally left the “No More” message behind at the Time Lord armoury from which he stole the Moment.

* Originally, Clara saved the Doctors from their cell in the Tower of London by convincing their jailer that she was a witch.  

* The intent of the program which the Doctors ran through their sonic screwdrivers was to unlock the door to the Black Archive, before it was decided that they should access that area via the ''Gallifrey Falls'' painting.  

* The War Doctor was originally referred to in the script as the Renegade and then the Other Doctor.

* The start of the War Doctor's regeneration in his TARDIS was a late addition. [[Steven Moffat]] was firm that this scene should be realised in a manner which would not imply [[Christopher Eccleston]]'s involvement, since he wanted to respect the actor's decision against participating in the special.

* [[Steven Moffat]] was developing ideas for the 50th anniversary episode as early as late [[2011]], when he stated that the team "knew what [they] want[ed] to do" and were "revving up" for the episode in an interview discussing his work on ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Tintin_(film) The Adventures of Tintin]'', and began writing the script in late [[2012]], announcing that, as a security precaution, he had not produced any copies, instead keeping it on his computer "under lock and key" until it was needed.

* The coda went through several variations before [[Steven Moffat]] arrived at its final form, although every version repurposed the image of the TARDIS parked upon a cloud, as in ''[[The Snowmen (TV story)|The Snowmen]]''. Initially, the spiral staircase used to access it in that adventure also appeared: as the Doctor ascended, his form shifted through each of his incarnations, starting with the First Doctor and culminating with the Eleventh Doctor. Later, the Eleventh Doctor instead exited the TARDIS into a gallery where paintings of each of his incarnations were hung. The War Doctor's portrait was turned to face the wall, but the Doctor now restored it to its proper orientation before emerging onto the cloud.

* Knowing that [[Matt Smith]] was planning to leave the series, [[Steven Moffat]] wrote the special specifically with the brief appearance of the Twelfth Doctor during the sequence of all of the Doctors uniting to save Gallifrey, prior to casting anyone in the role.  

* [[Steven Moffat]] later stated that it was his "plan from the start" that all the Doctors would fly in to save Gallifrey.

* No new Daleks were constructed for the special; instead, [[Nick Hurran]] drew upon the existing pool of casings, including those which had been built during the early years of the revival, as well as the more recent additions to their ranks from ''[[Asylum of the Daleks (TV story)|Asylum of the Daleks]]''.

* To preserve the secret of the War Doctor's identity, [[John Hurt]] was identified as “[[Omega]]” on the call sheet.

* While [[Matt Smith]], [[David Tennant]] and [[John Hurt]] appeared in the last scene, the first eight Doctors were played by stand-ins, their features being added in post-production.

* The War Doctor's console room was assembled at Roath Lock using elements which had been created for the First Doctor's TARDIS in ''[[An Adventure in Space and Time (TV story)|An Adventure in Space and Time]]''.

* Some of the War Doctor's trek across the desert was filmed against a greenscreen at Roath Lock.

* To minimise the risk of [[Tom Baker]]'s involvement being discovered, he was driven to Cardiff from his home in [[East Sussex]] through the dark pre-dawn hours. Once his footage was completed, Baker was chauffeured back the same afternoon, having found the experience bittersweet. He told Digital Spy: "[[Matt Smith]] is a darling young man – he made me very welcome. [But] he was the only one who welcomed me – I drove through the night to Cardiff, and Matt Smith came seeking me out, so full of joy and so happy to see me! He made it very, very easy acting with him, and I'm so glad he's going on to tumultuous success. Nobody else bothered with me at all. I was a bit nettled about that. They didn't have Matt's warmth. That's what he's good at, warmth... absolutely wonderful, and there's not much of him – he's sort of lean, and exudes this warmth".

* The advertisement for IM Foreman's junkyard was the same one created for [[An Adventure in Space and Time (TV story)|''An Adventure in Space and Time'']].

* A deleted scene saw the War Doctor insist to the Moment that, after he destroyed Gallifrey, he would no longer permit himself the luxury of regeneration.  

* [[Steven Moffat]] added new dialogue to the negotiations between UNIT and the Zygons which would make their final aim unclear, since he was considering revisiting the scenario in a future adventure. Originally, the humans were simply asked to provide the Zygons with enough technology to leave Earth.  

* [[Steven Moffat]] explained his choice of title to ''[[SFX (magazine)|SFX]]'', commenting that "... it's very rare in ''Doctor Who'' that the story happens to the Doctor. It happens to people around him, and he helps out – he's the hero figure who rides in and saves everybody from the story of the week. He is not the story of the week. In this, he is the story of the week. This is the day of the Doctor. This is his most important day. His most important moment. This is the one he'll remember, whereas I often think the Doctor wanders back to his TARDIS and forgets all about it."

* Filming took approximately five weeks. The first three days were spent at Roath Lock Studios. Some of the scenes set in the National Gallery and the Eleventh Doctor's TARDIS were filmed in the period.

* Miniatures constructed by [[Mike Tucker]] and his company [[The Model Unit]] were used in filming for the Time War sequences, including a model of a Time Lord staser cannon and the War Doctor flying his TARDIS into and subsequently destroying several Daleks.  

* The Dalek models used were 18-inch voice interactive toys produced by [[Character Options]]. The technique of using Dalek toys as models for filming was a common method of presenting entire armies in the classic series.

* [[Tom Baker]] had previously worked as a museum curator before he joined the army.

* The gag with the Doctor doing a double take when he spots an aged Fourth Doctor was proposed by [[Tom Baker]] himself during his convention appearances. He approached the showrunners with this idea as early as [[2007]], while praising [[David Tennant]]'s take on the role.

* [[John Hurt]] offhandedly turned down the role of the War Doctor when his agent phoned him to tell him he'd been offered the part. His wife overheard and insisted he take the part. He eventually came around, staying with the part for the rest of his life.

* According to [[Steven Moffat]], [[John Hurt]] gave a speech on his last day filming which went along the lines of, “I don’t want anyone to think I took this lightly or thought I was slumming it. This really meant something to me, to be the Doctor.”

* [[Steven Moffat]] told Digital Spy: "''The Day of the Doctor'' was a monster hit – I think I can say that – but the actual process of doing it was murder. It was an awful show to work on and I kept just wanting to give up. Because the truth is, there is a reason why there is only one Doctor, and there is absolutely no reason to have more than one".

* [[Matt Smith]] performed the stunt where the Eleventh Doctor is hanging above Trafalgar Square himself.

* [[Steven Moffat]] revealed during the 2020 tweetalong during [[COVID-19]] that [[John Hurt]] improvised the line "Which one is mine?"

* [[Steven Moffat]] indicated that the "classic Doctor" he would most like to feature in a new story was the First, stating, "You'd want him to come and say 'What in the name of God have I turned into?' That's the confrontation that you most want to see, to celebrate 50 years. Going round and round in circles on it I just thought, 'What about a Doctor that he never talks about?' And what if it is a Doctor who's done something terrible, who's much deadlier and more serious, who represents that thing that is the undertow in both [[David Tennant|David]] and [[Matt Smith|Matt]]. You know there's a terrible old man inside them. Well, here he is, facing the children he becomes, as it were." This idea would come to pass in ''[[Twice Upon a Time (TV story)|Twice Upon a Time]].''

* In an early draft of the script, the Moment also appeared in the role of the Curator. This was changed when [[Tom Baker]] became available. [[Steven Moffat]] has said it's possible to interpret the Curator as also being the Moment. However, Moffat believes that the Curator is a far future incarnation of the Doctor who chooses to revisit a different face every day.

* [[David Tennant]]'s other commitments meant that the Tenth Doctor doesn't sport his trademark spiky hairstyle.

* The opening scenes mimic the original open to ''[[An Unearthly Child (TV story)|An Unearthly Child]]'': the first shot shows a police officer going by a sign for [[76 Totter's Lane]], and the second shot is set at Coal Hill School as class dismisses. Clara is now a teacher at [[Coal Hill School]]. A sign shows that [[Ian Chesterton|I. Chesterton]] is chairman of the school's Board of Governors, also showing that a W. Coburn is headmaster — an in-joke reference to [[Anthony Coburn]], who wrote ''An Unearthly Child'', and [[Waris Hussein]], ''Doctor Who''{{'}}s original director.

* As Clara leaves the school, a clock can be seen to display the time as 5:16pm, the broadcast time of "[[An Unearthly Child (episode)|An Unearthly Child]]".

* When Kate realises there are multiple Doctors, she asks for one of her father's files code-named [[Cromer]], which is a reference to [[Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart|her father]] at first believing the [[anti-matter universe]] from ''[[The Three Doctors (TV story)|The Three Doctors]]'' to be Cromer.

* The access code for [[Jack Harkness' vortex manipulator]] is "1716231163". This is a reference to the time (17:16) and date (23.11.63) that the episode ''[[An Unearthly Child (episode)|An Unearthly Child]]'' first aired.