2009 Christmas specials (Doctor Who)
Encyclopedia
The End of Time is a two-part Doctor Who
special, originally broadcast on BBC One
in the United Kingdom
on 25 December 2009 and 1 January 2010. This is the last story for David Tennant
as the Tenth Doctor
and sees his character regenerating into his eleventh incarnation
, played by Matt Smith. It is also the last Doctor Who story written and produced by Russell T Davies, who shepherded the series' return to British television in 2005 and served as the series' executive producer and chief writer. Davies was succeeded as executive producer and showrunner by Steven Moffat
.
Bernard Cribbins
, who appeared in the story "Voyage of the Damned
" and throughout Series 4
as Wilfred Mott
, grandfather of Donna Noble
, acts as the companion
to the Doctor in this two-part story. The special also features the return of many other actors to the show, including Catherine Tate
, John Simm
, Jacqueline King
, Alexandra Moen
, Billie Piper
, Camille Coduri
, Freema Agyeman
, Noel Clarke
, John Barrowman
, Elisabeth Sladen
, Tommy Knight
, Jessica Hynes and Russell Tovey
.
The story also features the Time Lord
s, returning as a civilisation for the first time since The Trial of a Time Lord
in 1986. Since the series returned in 2005, the race had been absent due to its loss in the Time War
, appearing only in a brief flashback in "The Sound of Drums
".
that his archnemesis the Master
(John Simm
) will shortly return, heralding "the end of Time itself". On present day Earth, a cult loyal to the Master attempt to resurrect him; the Master's ex-wife, Lucy Saxon (Alexandra Moen
) sabotages the ceremony however, and the Master is brought back suffering from constant hunger, also having gained superhuman strength and speed along with energy projection from his constantly expending energy. The Doctor attempts to trace the Master, on Christmas Eve, and encounters his friend Wilfred Mott
(Bernard Cribbins
), to whom the Doctor explains a prophecy that he is to die soon. The Doctor tracks the Master to wastelands outside of London, where the Master subdues him and forces him to listen to the sound of drums in his head. The Doctor discovers that the sound is not a symptom of the Master's insanity, but before he can learn more, the Master is abducted by troops and placed in the custody of billionaire Joshua Naismith (David Harewood
).
Wilfred is repeatedly warned by an apparitional woman in white (Claire Bloom
), claiming an old service pistol to protect the Doctor, before he is joining him in his time machine, the TARDIS
. They travel to the Naismith estate where they discover Naismith is in possession of an alien "Immortality Gate" and has enlisted the Master to fix its programming. Aliens of the Vincocci species reveal themselves and attempt to explain that the device is a simple medical device from their homeworld, but are unsuccessful. The Master ultimately uses the device to replace all of humankind with his DNA, creating a 'Master Race'; exceptions to this are Wilf, who is shielded from its effects, and Wilf's granddaughter Donna
(Catherine Tate
), a former companion
of the Doctor who acquired Time Lord biological traits in an earlier adventure. The Master and his doppelgangers taunt the Doctor, who can only look on in horror.
Far across the Universe, the episode's narrator (Timothy Dalton
) remarks that the Master's removal of humanity is only the beginning of far greater events; the narrator is revealed to be the Lord President of the Time Lord
s—the Doctor and Master's species— who addresses a vast chamber full of other Time Lords, and announces that it is "the day the Time Lords returned. For Gallifrey! For victory! For the end of Time itself!"
to the Master in the present day to strengthen the connection between present-day Earth and Gallifrey, which presently is "timelocked" in the middle of a Time War
, shortly before its destruction, a fate which it is otherwise unable to escape. Gallifrey materialises above Earth, and all the other horrors of the Time War are likely to follow. The Doctor, armed with Wilfred's gun, breaks into the room from above, but vacillates over whether to kill the Master or the President in order to sever the link; he eventually spots the whitepoint star and shoots it instead. As he does this, he catches sight of and recognises the woman in white from earlier, and is saddened. As the Time Lords are drawn back into the Time Lock, the President—whom the Doctor names, at the last minute, as Rassilon
—attempts to kill the Doctor, but the Master intervenes, sacrificing himself in an act of revenge against Rassilon. In a flash of light, the Time Lords, the Master, and Gallifrey all disappear. Taking a moment to realise his victory, the Doctor hears four knocks, the sound which he has been told will precede his death. He finds Wilfred, having returned to help the Doctor, still trapped in the Gate's isolation chamber that will be flooded with radiation due to the Master's modifications; only the self-sacrifice of another will free him. The Doctor releases Wilfred, collapsing in agony as he receives a massive dose of radiation. Although he survives initially as his body absorbs the radiation, the healing of the Doctor's wounds shows his regeneration
process has begun, which means he will soon change appearance and personality.
After taking Wilfred home, the Doctor somberly visits past companions and acquaintances. Companions Martha Jones
(Freema Agyeman
) and Mickey Smith
(Noel Clarke
) have married and are working as freelance alien hunters; the Doctor saves them from a Sontaran
sniper
. The Doctor rescues Luke Smith (Tommy Knight
) from an oncoming car, and silently acknowledges Luke's mother, former companion Sarah Jane Smith
(Elisabeth Sladen
). At an extraterrestrial bar, the Doctor passes a note to a despondent Captain Jack Harkness
(John Barrowman
), encouraging him to start a conversation with Midshipman Alonso Frame (Russel Tovey), seated next to him. The Doctor appears at a book-signing by Verity Newman (Jessica Hynes), the great-granddaughter of Joan Redfern (Hynes), from the episodes "Human Nature
" and "The Family of Blood
", and asks whether Joan was happy. Newman's book, A Journal of Impossible Things, is based on Joan's diaries, concerning her earlier love affair with the Doctor. He then attends Donna's wedding, and gives her a winning lottery ticket
bought with money borrowed from Donna's deceased father to assure their financial future. Finally, the Doctor visits Rose Tyler
(Billie Piper
), on New Year's Day 2005, the year when she meets him as the Ninth Doctor
. He tells her she will have "a great year
". As the Doctor struggles towards the TARDIS, Ood Sigma (Paul Casey
) appears before the Doctor, and tells him the universe will sing him to sleep and that "this song is ending, but the story never ends"; a diegetic symphony then accompanies the Doctor as he regenerates. The Doctor says "I don't want to go", and the violent energy his body releases as he transforms shatters the TARDIS windows and sets the console room ablaze. With his regeneration complete, the Eleventh Doctor
(Matt Smith) inspects his new body before realizing that the TARDIS is hurtling back to Earth.
" and refers to her nickname, 'The Virgin Queen'. At the end of "The Shakespeare Code
" Queen Elizabeth appears infuriated at seeing The Doctor (calling him her sworn enemy); he does not recall meeting her and presumes he will meet her in his future.
During "Last of the Time Lords
", an unknown woman's hand is seen collecting the Master's ring from the pyre once it is cold; this scene is revisited, showing the woman to be a member of the Harold Saxon cult, and who uses the ring to resurrect the Master.
One of the two dissident Time Lords, described as "The Woman" in the credits, visits Wilfred on several occasions, appearing and disappearing in unexplained ways. When she lowers her arms to stare at the Tenth Doctor he appears to recognise her, but when later asked by Wilfred about her identity, the Doctor evades the question. British newspapers The Daily Telegraph
and The Daily Mail identified the character as the Doctor's mother as early as April 2009. Russell T. Davies wrote in an email to the author of The Writers Tale, "I like leaving it open, because then you can imagine what you want. I think the fans will say it's Romana
. Or even the Rani. Some might say that it's Susan
's mother, I suppose. But of course it's meant to be the Doctor's mother."
The Doctor at one point addresses the Lord President as "Rassilon
", the name of the founder of Time Lord society from the classic series, although the character is only identified in the credits as 'The Narrator / Lord President'. In the accompanying episode of Doctor Who Confidential
, Russell T Davies stated that the character's name was indeed Rassilon.
Verity Newman is played by Jessica Hynes, the same actress who played Joan Redfern in the episodes "Human Nature" and "The Family of Blood". The name "Verity Newman" is based on Doctor Who creator Sydney Newman
and the show's first producer, Verity Lambert
. Professor John Smith averred that his parents were Verity and Sydney. A pocket watch featured prominently in the plot of both Hynes's original episodes, and a pocket watch is featured on the cover of Newman's book.
After regenerating, the Eleventh Doctor is disappointed that he is "still not ginger", referring to the Tenth Doctor's comment "Aw, I wanted to be ginger... I've never been ginger!" in "The Christmas Invasion
". This line was a source of complaint for some viewers, leading the BBC to issue a statement clarifying its intent.
During the period between his exposure to the radiation and his eventual regeneration, the Doctor is shown visiting his past companions, as well as the granddaughter of a woman he once fell in love with. Afterwards, the comic strip "Lucky Heather" in Doctor Who Adventures
magazine indicated that he also visited his comic strip companions Heather McCrimmon and Wolfgang "Wolfie" Ryter. Ultimately, a 2010 episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures
entitled Death of the Doctor
suggests that the Doctor may have actually visited virtually all of his past companions during this time, including Jo Grant
, whom he had known during his third incarnation
.
The Christmas specials constitute Davies' last script for Doctor Who and Julie Gardner
's last job producing the series. It also is the last episode Tennant is appearing in, having elected to leave with Davies and Gardner to allow Davies' successor Steven Moffat to start with a clean slate. In issue 407 of Doctor Who Magazine
, Davies wrote about the night when he finished the script:
When asked about the emotional impact of writing his last Doctor Who script, he said, "I would have thought that when I handed in the last script I might have burst into tears or got drunk or partied with 20 naked men, but when these great moments happen you find that real life just carries on. The emotion goes into the scripts." Tennant and Julie Gardner separately said that they cried when they read the script.
The last three specials of 2009 are foreshadowed in the episode "Planet of the Dead
", when the low-level psychic character Carmen gives the Doctor the prophecy, "You be careful, because your song is ending, sir. It is returning, it is returning through the dark. And then... oh, but then... he will knock four times." This evokes memories of the Ood
prophecy to the Doctor and Donna in "Planet of the Ood
". Tennant explained the prophecy meant that the Doctor's "card [had become] marked" and the three specials would thus be darker—characterising "Planet of the Dead" as the "last time the Doctor gets to have any fun"—and that the subject of the prophecy was not the obvious answer:
Writing in his regular column in Doctor Who Magazine
issue 416, Davies revealed that the original title for "Part One" of The End of Time was "The Final Days of Planet Earth", while "Part Two" was always referred to as "The End of Time". Due to the sheer scale of the story, however, it was decided that both instalments needed the same title, differentiated by part numbers. Although the original series used a single title for multi-episode stories for most of its run, this is the first story in the revived series to use such a convention.
Davies's script for the second episode finished with the Tenth Doctor's final line, "I don't want to go." He then sent the script to his successor Steven Moffat, who is responsible for all of the Eleventh Doctor's dialogue that follows.
. Jessica Hynes was filmed signing a book titled A Journal of Impossible Things, by Verity Newman.
Filming also took place at Tredegar House
in Newport
,Tredegar House, Newport: 51.561572°N 3.028142°W which had previously been used for the filming of the 2008 Christmas special "The Next Doctor". John Simm
, who played the Master
in the 2007 series finale episodes "Utopia
", "The Sound of Drums
" and "Last of the Time Lords
", was spotted on location during the Tredegar House filming.
Filming that took place during the Easter Bank Holiday was widely covered by the British press: Catherine Tate filmed several scenes in the episode in Swansea, including one filmed in the Kardomah CaféKardomah Café, Swansea: 51.620235°N 3.945369°W and another depicting her character getting a parking ticket. Other filming locations included Nant Fawr Road in Cyncoed
, CardiffNant Fawr Road, Cardiff: 51.521021°N 3.172055°W — the previously regular location used for the Noble household — where filming on 12 April showed Cribbins wearing reindeer antlers and boarding a minibus.
Filming took place in the following week on Victoria Road, Penarth
,Victoria Road, Penarth: 51.432287°N 3.180515°W in an area which is regularly used for a location for Sarah Jane Smith
's neighbourhood in The Sarah Jane Adventures
. Elisabeth Sladen, who plays Sarah Jane Smith, and Tommy Knight
, who plays her son Luke, were filmed on location with David Tennant.
On the night of 20–21 April, Cribbins filmed a Christmas scene on Wharton StreetWharton Street, Cardiff: 51.479795°N 3.177221°W in Cardiff's city centre
, with a large Christmas tree and brass band.
The science fiction website io9
published a photograph showing Tennant alongside Simm and Timothy Dalton, with Dalton dressed in Time Lord
robes. Rumours of Dalton's involvement in the specials had previously appeared in British tabloids. On 26 July 2009, io9 published an interview with David Tennant in which he confirmed Dalton's involvement in the specials.
". In November 2009 a special preview of the opening moments on the Ood Sphere was shown on the Children in Need
telethon. The pre-Christmas publicity trailer and promotional clips also showed a selection of scene excerpts from part one.
Following the broadcast of part one, a trailer for part two was released on the BBC Doctor Who website.
The BBC also released the first two minutes (after the opening titles) of part two.
and The Royle Family
with a provisional viewing figure of 10.0 million viewers. The episode achieved a 42.2% share of the total viewing audience, and an appreciation index score of 87, considered 'Excellent'. This figure was considerably lower than for earlier Christmas specials.
Final consolidated ratings placed Part One as the third most watched program of Christmas Day, behind The Royle Family and EastEnders with a final figure of 11.57 million viewers. This is the highest timeshift that the show has received since its revival (the previous highest being 11.4 million for The Next Doctor in Christmas 2008). When simulcast HD figures are added to the BBC One transmission, Doctor Who actually comes out as the most watched show on Christmas Day with a total of 12.04 million viewers, narrowly ahead of The Royle Family and EastEnders.
Overnight ratings placed Part Two as the second most-watched programme of New Year's Day, behind EastEnders, with a provisional viewing figure of 10.4 million viewers (including 389,000 watching on BBC HD). The episode achieved a 35.5% share of the total viewing audience on an evening where an estimated 30 million viewers were watching TV in the UK.
Official BARB ratings placed Part Two as the second most watched programme of the week behind EastEnders at 11.79 million viewers; however, when the simulcast figures on BBC HD are added, an additional 480,000 viewers bring the total figure to 12.27 million. When this figure is recognised, the program becomes the most watched of the week. This makes The End of Time only the third instance in which the show has achieved such an honour in its extensive history.
In his review of Part Two published the day after transmission, Andrew Pettie of The Daily Telegraph
awarded a rating of four stars out of five, summing up the episode as "a barnstorming hour of family entertainment." Despite expressing slight dissatisfaction with the plot, which he perceived as excessively complicated, Pettie admitted that the episode "charged forward with such apocalyptic brio it was hard to be unduly worried about what, precisely, was going on." Praising Tennant's final performance as the Doctor, he also commented on the "unnerving experience" of seeing the character so helpless in his final appearance, but ended his review on a note of optimism for the future of the series with a new lead actor: "[Matt] Smith's youth and lack of fame make his Doctor Who an exciting prospect."
on 26 December 2009 and 2 January 2010, on BBC America
. The broadcast of part two on 2 January helped BBC America to earn its highest ever primetime rating. The two episodes also reached the top two positions on the US iTunes
store, where they were available to purchase for download by American users.
Both episodes were first shown in Canada back-to-back on 2 January 2010, on Space.
Prime Television New Zealand
broadcast Part 1 on 7 February 2010 and Part 2 on 14 February 2010.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation
broadcast Part 1 on 14 February 2010, and Part 2 on 21 February 2010.
, were included in the specials soundtrack on 4 October 2010, released by Silva Screen Records.
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
special, originally broadcast on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on 25 December 2009 and 1 January 2010. This is the last story for David Tennant
David Tennant
David Tennant is a Scottish actor. In addition to his work in theatre, including a widely praised Hamlet, Tennant is best known for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, along with the title role in the 2005 TV serial Casanova and as Barty Crouch, Jr...
as the Tenth Doctor
Tenth Doctor
The Tenth Doctor is the tenth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is played by David Tennant, who appears in three series, as well as eight specials...
and sees his character regenerating into his eleventh incarnation
Eleventh Doctor
The Eleventh Doctor is the eleventh incarnation of the protagonist of the BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. Matt Smith plays this incarnation, replacing David Tennant's Tenth Doctor in the 2010 episode "The End of Time, Part Two"...
, played by Matt Smith. It is also the last Doctor Who story written and produced by Russell T Davies, who shepherded the series' return to British television in 2005 and served as the series' executive producer and chief writer. Davies was succeeded as executive producer and showrunner by Steven Moffat
Steven Moffat
Steven Moffat is a Scottish television writer and producer.Moffat's first television work was the teen drama series Press Gang. His first sitcom, Joking Apart, was inspired by the breakdown of his first marriage; conversely, his later sitcom Coupling was based upon the development of his...
.
Bernard Cribbins
Bernard Cribbins
Bernard Cribbins, OBE is an English character actor, voice-over artist and musical comedian with a career spanning over half a century who came to prominence in films in the 1960s, has been in work consistently since his professional debut in the mid 1950s, and as of 2010 is still an active...
, who appeared in the story "Voyage of the Damned
Voyage of the Damned (Doctor Who)
"Voyage of the Damned" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. First broadcast on 25 December 2007, it is 72 minutes long and the third Christmas special since the show's revival in 2005...
" and throughout Series 4
Doctor Who (series 4)
The fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 25 December 2007 with the Christmas special "Voyage of the Damned". Following the special, a regular series of thirteen episodes aired, starting with "Partners in Crime" on 5 April 2008 and ending with "Journey's End"...
as Wilfred Mott
Wilfred Mott
Wilfred "Wilf" Mott is a recurring fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, played by Bernard Cribbins. He is the maternal grandfather of the Tenth Doctor's companion Donna Noble, and father of character Sylvia Noble...
, grandfather of Donna Noble
Donna Noble
Donna Noble is a fictional character played by Catherine Tate in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A secretary from Chiswick, London, she is a companion of the Tenth Doctor, appearing in one scene at the end of the final episode of the 2006 series,...
, acts as the companion
Companion (Doctor Who)
In the long-running BBC television science fiction programme Doctor Who and related works, the term "companion" refers to a character who travels with, and shares the adventures of the Doctor. In most Doctor Who stories, the primary companion acts as both deuteragonist and audience surrogate...
to the Doctor in this two-part story. The special also features the return of many other actors to the show, including Catherine Tate
Catherine Tate
Catherine Tate is an English actress, writer, and comedian. She has won numerous awards for her work on the sketch comedy series The Catherine Tate Show as well as being nominated for an International Emmy Award and four BAFTA Awards...
, John Simm
John Simm
John Simm is an English stage and screen actor. In recent years he is best known for his roles as Sam Tyler in the detective drama Life on Mars and as The Master in the revival of the science fiction series Doctor Who, but he has also starred in many highly acclaimed award-winning television...
, Jacqueline King
Jacqueline King
-Career:King trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. After training she worked as an actor in Africa, Canada, America, Sri Lanka and UAE.On returning to the UK, she appeared in several Alan Ayckbourn productions, including the original runs of Comic Potential and the Damsels in Distress...
, Alexandra Moen
Alexandra Moen
Alexandra Moen is an English actress, best known for her roles as Emily James in the British TV drama Hotel Babylon, as Tamsin in the TV drama Tripping Over and as Lucy Saxon in the closing episodes of the 2007 series of "Doctor Who"....
, Billie Piper
Billie Piper
Billie Paul Piper is an English singer and actress.She began her career in the late 1990s as a pop singer and then switched to acting. She started in acting and dancing and was talent spotted at the Sylvia Young stage school by Smash Hits magazine who wanted a "face" for their magazine...
, Camille Coduri
Camille Coduri
Camille Coduri is an English actress. She is best known for her role in Doctor Who as Jackie Tyler.-Career:She featured in the film comedies Nuns on the Run and King Ralph...
, Freema Agyeman
Freema Agyeman
Freema Agyeman is a British actress who is best known for playing Martha Jones, former companion of the Tenth Doctor in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, and itsspin-off series Torchwood...
, Noel Clarke
Noel Clarke
Noel Anthony Clarke is an English actor, director and screenwriter from London. He is best known for playing Wyman Norris in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and Mickey Smith in Doctor Who...
, John Barrowman
John Barrowman
John Scot Barrowman is a Scottish-American singer, actor, dancer, musical theatre performer and media personality. Born in Glasgow yet growing up in Illinois after his family emigrated to the United States when he was eight years old, Barrowman was encouraged to further his love for music and...
, Elisabeth Sladen
Elisabeth Sladen
Elisabeth Clara Heath-Sladen was an English actress best known for her role as Sarah Jane Smith in the British television series Doctor Who. She was a regular cast member from 1973 to 1976, alongside both Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker, and reprised the role many times in subsequent decades, both on...
, Tommy Knight
Tommy Knight
Thomas 'Tommy' Lawrence Knight is an English actor best known for playing Luke Smith in The Sarah Jane Adventures.-Personal life:...
, Jessica Hynes and Russell Tovey
Russell Tovey
Russell George Tovey is an English actor with numerous television, film and stage credits. Tovey is best known for playing the role of werewolf George Sands in the BBC's supernatural drama Being Human which started in 2008...
.
The story also features the Time Lord
Time Lord
The Time Lords are an ancient extraterrestrial race and civilization of humanoids in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, of which the series' eponymous protagonist, the Doctor, is a member...
s, returning as a civilisation for the first time since The Trial of a Time Lord
The Trial of a Time Lord
The Trial of a Time Lord is a fourteen-part British science fiction serial of the long running BBC series Doctor Who. The serial, produced as the twenty-third season of the Doctor Who television series, aired in weekly episodes from 6 September to 6 December 1986...
in 1986. Since the series returned in 2005, the race had been absent due to its loss in the Time War
Time War (Doctor Who)
The Time War, more specifically called The Last Great Time War, is a conflict within the fictional universe of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
, appearing only in a brief flashback in "The Sound of Drums
The Sound of Drums
"The Sound of Drums" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 23 June 2007, and is the twelfth episode of Series 3 of the revived Doctor Who series...
".
Part One
The Doctor learns from the psychic alien OodOod
The Ood are a fictional alien species with telepathic abilities from the long running science fiction series Doctor Who. In the series' narrative, they live in the distant future ....
that his archnemesis the Master
Master (Doctor Who)
The Master is a recurring character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He is a renegade Time Lord and the archenemy of the Doctor....
(John Simm
John Simm
John Simm is an English stage and screen actor. In recent years he is best known for his roles as Sam Tyler in the detective drama Life on Mars and as The Master in the revival of the science fiction series Doctor Who, but he has also starred in many highly acclaimed award-winning television...
) will shortly return, heralding "the end of Time itself". On present day Earth, a cult loyal to the Master attempt to resurrect him; the Master's ex-wife, Lucy Saxon (Alexandra Moen
Alexandra Moen
Alexandra Moen is an English actress, best known for her roles as Emily James in the British TV drama Hotel Babylon, as Tamsin in the TV drama Tripping Over and as Lucy Saxon in the closing episodes of the 2007 series of "Doctor Who"....
) sabotages the ceremony however, and the Master is brought back suffering from constant hunger, also having gained superhuman strength and speed along with energy projection from his constantly expending energy. The Doctor attempts to trace the Master, on Christmas Eve, and encounters his friend Wilfred Mott
Wilfred Mott
Wilfred "Wilf" Mott is a recurring fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, played by Bernard Cribbins. He is the maternal grandfather of the Tenth Doctor's companion Donna Noble, and father of character Sylvia Noble...
(Bernard Cribbins
Bernard Cribbins
Bernard Cribbins, OBE is an English character actor, voice-over artist and musical comedian with a career spanning over half a century who came to prominence in films in the 1960s, has been in work consistently since his professional debut in the mid 1950s, and as of 2010 is still an active...
), to whom the Doctor explains a prophecy that he is to die soon. The Doctor tracks the Master to wastelands outside of London, where the Master subdues him and forces him to listen to the sound of drums in his head. The Doctor discovers that the sound is not a symptom of the Master's insanity, but before he can learn more, the Master is abducted by troops and placed in the custody of billionaire Joshua Naismith (David Harewood
David Harewood
David Harewood is a British actor.-Biography:David Harewood was born and grew up in the Small Heath area of Birmingham, England, where he attended St. Benedict's Junior School and Washwood Heath Comprehensive School. As a schoolboy, he excelled at all sports—from sprinting to basketball to rugby...
).
Wilfred is repeatedly warned by an apparitional woman in white (Claire Bloom
Claire Bloom
Claire Bloom is an English film and stage actress.-Early life:Bloom was born in the North London suburb of Finchley, the daughter of Elizabeth and Edward Max Blume, who worked in sales...
), claiming an old service pistol to protect the Doctor, before he is joining him in his time machine, the TARDIS
TARDIS
The TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s...
. They travel to the Naismith estate where they discover Naismith is in possession of an alien "Immortality Gate" and has enlisted the Master to fix its programming. Aliens of the Vincocci species reveal themselves and attempt to explain that the device is a simple medical device from their homeworld, but are unsuccessful. The Master ultimately uses the device to replace all of humankind with his DNA, creating a 'Master Race'; exceptions to this are Wilf, who is shielded from its effects, and Wilf's granddaughter Donna
Donna Noble
Donna Noble is a fictional character played by Catherine Tate in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A secretary from Chiswick, London, she is a companion of the Tenth Doctor, appearing in one scene at the end of the final episode of the 2006 series,...
(Catherine Tate
Catherine Tate
Catherine Tate is an English actress, writer, and comedian. She has won numerous awards for her work on the sketch comedy series The Catherine Tate Show as well as being nominated for an International Emmy Award and four BAFTA Awards...
), a former companion
Companion (Doctor Who)
In the long-running BBC television science fiction programme Doctor Who and related works, the term "companion" refers to a character who travels with, and shares the adventures of the Doctor. In most Doctor Who stories, the primary companion acts as both deuteragonist and audience surrogate...
of the Doctor who acquired Time Lord biological traits in an earlier adventure. The Master and his doppelgangers taunt the Doctor, who can only look on in horror.
Far across the Universe, the episode's narrator (Timothy Dalton
Timothy Dalton
Timothy Peter Dalton ) is a Welsh actor of film and television. He is known for portraying James Bond in The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill , as well as Rhett Butler in the television miniseries Scarlett , an original sequel to Gone with the Wind...
) remarks that the Master's removal of humanity is only the beginning of far greater events; the narrator is revealed to be the Lord President of the Time Lord
Time Lord
The Time Lords are an ancient extraterrestrial race and civilization of humanoids in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, of which the series' eponymous protagonist, the Doctor, is a member...
s—the Doctor and Master's species— who addresses a vast chamber full of other Time Lords, and announces that it is "the day the Time Lords returned. For Gallifrey! For victory! For the end of Time itself!"
Part Two
The Doctor and Wilfred are rescued from the Master by the Vinvocci, taking refuge on their orbiting ship. Meanwhile, the Time Lord President receives a prophecy about the future after the Time War, and so schemes to use the Master to one day escape. They are able to put a signal in the young Master's head as a small child, creating the drum beat he has heard all his life. When the Master clones himself billions of times, the Time Lord President also sends a "whitepoint star" from their home planet GallifreyGallifrey
Gallifrey is a fictional planet in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who and is the homeworld of the Doctor and the Time Lords...
to the Master in the present day to strengthen the connection between present-day Earth and Gallifrey, which presently is "timelocked" in the middle of a Time War
Time War (Doctor Who)
The Time War, more specifically called The Last Great Time War, is a conflict within the fictional universe of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
, shortly before its destruction, a fate which it is otherwise unable to escape. Gallifrey materialises above Earth, and all the other horrors of the Time War are likely to follow. The Doctor, armed with Wilfred's gun, breaks into the room from above, but vacillates over whether to kill the Master or the President in order to sever the link; he eventually spots the whitepoint star and shoots it instead. As he does this, he catches sight of and recognises the woman in white from earlier, and is saddened. As the Time Lords are drawn back into the Time Lock, the President—whom the Doctor names, at the last minute, as Rassilon
Rassilon
Rassilon is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. In the backstory of the programme, he was the founder of Time Lord society on the planet Gallifrey...
—attempts to kill the Doctor, but the Master intervenes, sacrificing himself in an act of revenge against Rassilon. In a flash of light, the Time Lords, the Master, and Gallifrey all disappear. Taking a moment to realise his victory, the Doctor hears four knocks, the sound which he has been told will precede his death. He finds Wilfred, having returned to help the Doctor, still trapped in the Gate's isolation chamber that will be flooded with radiation due to the Master's modifications; only the self-sacrifice of another will free him. The Doctor releases Wilfred, collapsing in agony as he receives a massive dose of radiation. Although he survives initially as his body absorbs the radiation, the healing of the Doctor's wounds shows his regeneration
Regeneration (Doctor Who)
Regeneration, in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, is a biological ability exhibited by Time Lords, a race of fictional humanoids originating on the planet Gallifrey. This process allows a Time Lord who is old or mortally wounded to undergo a transformation into a new...
process has begun, which means he will soon change appearance and personality.
After taking Wilfred home, the Doctor somberly visits past companions and acquaintances. Companions Martha Jones
Martha Jones
Martha Jones is a fictional character played by Freema Agyeman in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-off series, Torchwood. She is a companion of the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who, replacing Rose Tyler...
(Freema Agyeman
Freema Agyeman
Freema Agyeman is a British actress who is best known for playing Martha Jones, former companion of the Tenth Doctor in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, and itsspin-off series Torchwood...
) and Mickey Smith
Mickey Smith
Mickey Smith is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, played by Noel Clarke.Mickey is introduced as the boyfriend of the Ninth and Tenth Doctor's companion Rose Tyler, and a recurring character on the programme...
(Noel Clarke
Noel Clarke
Noel Anthony Clarke is an English actor, director and screenwriter from London. He is best known for playing Wyman Norris in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and Mickey Smith in Doctor Who...
) have married and are working as freelance alien hunters; the Doctor saves them from a Sontaran
Sontaran
The Sontarans are a fictional extraterrestrial race of humanoids from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, and also seen in spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures. They were created by writer Robert Holmes.-Culture:...
sniper
Sniper
A sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
. The Doctor rescues Luke Smith (Tommy Knight
Tommy Knight
Thomas 'Tommy' Lawrence Knight is an English actor best known for playing Luke Smith in The Sarah Jane Adventures.-Personal life:...
) from an oncoming car, and silently acknowledges Luke's mother, former companion Sarah Jane Smith
Sarah Jane Smith
Sarah Jane Smith is a fictional character played by Elisabeth Sladen in the long-running British BBC Television science-fiction series Doctor Who and its spin-offs K-9 and Company and The Sarah Jane Adventures....
(Elisabeth Sladen
Elisabeth Sladen
Elisabeth Clara Heath-Sladen was an English actress best known for her role as Sarah Jane Smith in the British television series Doctor Who. She was a regular cast member from 1973 to 1976, alongside both Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker, and reprised the role many times in subsequent decades, both on...
). At an extraterrestrial bar, the Doctor passes a note to a despondent Captain Jack Harkness
Jack Harkness
Captain Jack Harkness is a fictional character played by John Barrowman in Doctor Who and its spin-off series, Torchwood. He first appeared in the 2005 Doctor Who episode "The Empty Child" and reappeared in the remaining episodes of the 2005 series as a companion of the ninth incarnation of the...
(John Barrowman
John Barrowman
John Scot Barrowman is a Scottish-American singer, actor, dancer, musical theatre performer and media personality. Born in Glasgow yet growing up in Illinois after his family emigrated to the United States when he was eight years old, Barrowman was encouraged to further his love for music and...
), encouraging him to start a conversation with Midshipman Alonso Frame (Russel Tovey), seated next to him. The Doctor appears at a book-signing by Verity Newman (Jessica Hynes), the great-granddaughter of Joan Redfern (Hynes), from the episodes "Human Nature
Human Nature (Doctor Who episode)
"Human Nature" is the eighth episode of the third series of the revived British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is the first episode of a two-part story written by Paul Cornell adapted from his 1995 Doctor Who novel Human Nature...
" and "The Family of Blood
The Family of Blood
"The Family of Blood" is the ninth episode of Series 3 of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Preceded by "Human Nature", it is the second episode of a two-part story written by Paul Cornell adapted from his 1995 Doctor Who novel Human Nature...
", and asks whether Joan was happy. Newman's book, A Journal of Impossible Things, is based on Joan's diaries, concerning her earlier love affair with the Doctor. He then attends Donna's wedding, and gives her a winning lottery ticket
National Lottery (United Kingdom)
The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established by the then...
bought with money borrowed from Donna's deceased father to assure their financial future. Finally, the Doctor visits Rose Tyler
Rose Tyler
Rose Marion Tyler is a fictional character portrayed by Billie Piper in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who, and was created by series producer Russell T Davies...
(Billie Piper
Billie Piper
Billie Paul Piper is an English singer and actress.She began her career in the late 1990s as a pop singer and then switched to acting. She started in acting and dancing and was talent spotted at the Sylvia Young stage school by Smash Hits magazine who wanted a "face" for their magazine...
), on New Year's Day 2005, the year when she meets him as the Ninth Doctor
Ninth Doctor
The Ninth Doctor is the ninth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is played by Christopher Eccleston....
. He tells her she will have "a great year
Rose (Doctor Who)
"Rose" is the first episode of Series One of the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who. Written by show runner Russell T Davies and directed by Keith Boak, the episode was first broadcast on 26 March 2005....
". As the Doctor struggles towards the TARDIS, Ood Sigma (Paul Casey
Paul Casey
Paul Alexander Casey is an English golfer who is a member of the world's top two professional golf tours, the U.S.-based PGA Tour and the European Tour. In 2009 he achieved his highest position, third, in the Official World Golf Rankings....
) appears before the Doctor, and tells him the universe will sing him to sleep and that "this song is ending, but the story never ends"; a diegetic symphony then accompanies the Doctor as he regenerates. The Doctor says "I don't want to go", and the violent energy his body releases as he transforms shatters the TARDIS windows and sets the console room ablaze. With his regeneration complete, the Eleventh Doctor
Eleventh Doctor
The Eleventh Doctor is the eleventh incarnation of the protagonist of the BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. Matt Smith plays this incarnation, replacing David Tennant's Tenth Doctor in the 2010 episode "The End of Time, Part Two"...
(Matt Smith) inspects his new body before realizing that the TARDIS is hurtling back to Earth.
Continuity
At the start of "Part One" the Doctor explains his delay to Ood Sigma. Among his various adventures, he mentions having married "Good Queen BessElizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
" and refers to her nickname, 'The Virgin Queen'. At the end of "The Shakespeare Code
The Shakespeare Code
"The Shakespeare Code" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 7 April 2007, and is the second episode of Series 3 of the revived Doctor Who series. According to the BARB figures this episode was seen by 7.23 million viewers and was...
" Queen Elizabeth appears infuriated at seeing The Doctor (calling him her sworn enemy); he does not recall meeting her and presumes he will meet her in his future.
During "Last of the Time Lords
Last of the Time Lords
"Last of the Time Lords" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 30 June 2007, and is the thirteenth and final episode of Series 3 of the revived Doctor Who series...
", an unknown woman's hand is seen collecting the Master's ring from the pyre once it is cold; this scene is revisited, showing the woman to be a member of the Harold Saxon cult, and who uses the ring to resurrect the Master.
One of the two dissident Time Lords, described as "The Woman" in the credits, visits Wilfred on several occasions, appearing and disappearing in unexplained ways. When she lowers her arms to stare at the Tenth Doctor he appears to recognise her, but when later asked by Wilfred about her identity, the Doctor evades the question. British newspapers The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
and The Daily Mail identified the character as the Doctor's mother as early as April 2009. Russell T. Davies wrote in an email to the author of The Writers Tale, "I like leaving it open, because then you can imagine what you want. I think the fans will say it's Romana
Romana
Romana, short for Romanadvoratrelundar, is a fictional character in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
. Or even the Rani. Some might say that it's Susan
Susan Foreman
Susan Foreman is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The granddaughter and original companion of the First Doctor, she was played by actress Carole Ann Ford from 1963 to 1964, in the show's first season and the first two stories of the second season...
's mother, I suppose. But of course it's meant to be the Doctor's mother."
The Doctor at one point addresses the Lord President as "Rassilon
Rassilon
Rassilon is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. In the backstory of the programme, he was the founder of Time Lord society on the planet Gallifrey...
", the name of the founder of Time Lord society from the classic series, although the character is only identified in the credits as 'The Narrator / Lord President'. In the accompanying episode of Doctor Who Confidential
Doctor Who Confidential
Doctor Who Confidential is a documentary series created by the British Broadcasting Corporation to complement the revival of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Each episode was broadcast on BBC Three on Saturdays, immediately after the broadcast of the weekly...
, Russell T Davies stated that the character's name was indeed Rassilon.
Verity Newman is played by Jessica Hynes, the same actress who played Joan Redfern in the episodes "Human Nature" and "The Family of Blood". The name "Verity Newman" is based on Doctor Who creator Sydney Newman
Sydney Newman
Sydney Cecil Newman, OC was a Canadian film and television producer, who played a pioneering role in British television drama from the late 1950s to the late 1960s...
and the show's first producer, Verity Lambert
Verity Lambert
Verity Ann Lambert, OBE was an English television and film producer. She is best known as the founding producer of the science-fiction series Doctor Who, a programme which has become a part of British popular culture, and for her association with Thames Television...
. Professor John Smith averred that his parents were Verity and Sydney. A pocket watch featured prominently in the plot of both Hynes's original episodes, and a pocket watch is featured on the cover of Newman's book.
After regenerating, the Eleventh Doctor is disappointed that he is "still not ginger", referring to the Tenth Doctor's comment "Aw, I wanted to be ginger... I've never been ginger!" in "The Christmas Invasion
The Christmas Invasion
"The Christmas Invasion" is a 60-minute special episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is Christmas, but there is little cause for celebration as planet Earth is invaded by aliens known as the Sycorax...
". This line was a source of complaint for some viewers, leading the BBC to issue a statement clarifying its intent.
During the period between his exposure to the radiation and his eventual regeneration, the Doctor is shown visiting his past companions, as well as the granddaughter of a woman he once fell in love with. Afterwards, the comic strip "Lucky Heather" in Doctor Who Adventures
Doctor Who Adventures
Doctor Who Adventures is a magazine based on the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who. It is published by BBC Magazines and aimed at 6–13 year-olds, a different demographic from the Doctor Who Magazine readership...
magazine indicated that he also visited his comic strip companions Heather McCrimmon and Wolfgang "Wolfie" Ryter. Ultimately, a 2010 episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures
The Sarah Jane Adventures
The Sarah Jane Adventures is a British science fiction television series, produced by BBC Cymru Wales for CBBC, created by Russell T Davies and starring Elisabeth Sladen...
entitled Death of the Doctor
Death of the Doctor
Death of the Doctor is a two-part story of The Sarah Jane Adventures which was broadcast on CBBC on 25 and 26 October 2010. It is the third story of the fourth series. This episode features the return of Katy Manning to the role of Jo Grant and a guest appearance by Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor...
suggests that the Doctor may have actually visited virtually all of his past companions during this time, including Jo Grant
Jo Grant
Josephine "Jo" Grant is a fictional character played by Katy Manning in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
, whom he had known during his third incarnation
Third Doctor
The Third Doctor is the third incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by actor Jon Pertwee....
.
Writing
Davies described the story as "huge and epic, but also intimate." Davies had been planning the story for some time, indicating that it continued the trend of series finales being progressively more dramatic:The Christmas specials constitute Davies' last script for Doctor Who and Julie Gardner
Julie Gardner
Julie Gardner is a Welsh television producer. Her most prominent work has been serving as executive producer on the 2005 revival of Doctor Who and its spin-off shows Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures...
's last job producing the series. It also is the last episode Tennant is appearing in, having elected to leave with Davies and Gardner to allow Davies' successor Steven Moffat to start with a clean slate. In issue 407 of Doctor Who Magazine
Doctor Who Magazine
Doctor Who Magazine is a magazine devoted to the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
, Davies wrote about the night when he finished the script:
When asked about the emotional impact of writing his last Doctor Who script, he said, "I would have thought that when I handed in the last script I might have burst into tears or got drunk or partied with 20 naked men, but when these great moments happen you find that real life just carries on. The emotion goes into the scripts." Tennant and Julie Gardner separately said that they cried when they read the script.
The last three specials of 2009 are foreshadowed in the episode "Planet of the Dead
Planet of the Dead
"Planet of the Dead" is the first 2009 special of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who that was simultaneously broadcast on BBC One and BBC HD on 11 April 2009. It was the second of five special episodes broadcast throughout 2009 and early 2010, which served as lead actor...
", when the low-level psychic character Carmen gives the Doctor the prophecy, "You be careful, because your song is ending, sir. It is returning, it is returning through the dark. And then... oh, but then... he will knock four times." This evokes memories of the Ood
Ood
The Ood are a fictional alien species with telepathic abilities from the long running science fiction series Doctor Who. In the series' narrative, they live in the distant future ....
prophecy to the Doctor and Donna in "Planet of the Ood
Planet of the Ood
"Planet of the Ood" is the third episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 19 April 2008. It features the return of the Ood, who appeared in the second series episodes "The Impossible Planet" and "The Satan Pit".The episode...
". Tennant explained the prophecy meant that the Doctor's "card [had become] marked" and the three specials would thus be darker—characterising "Planet of the Dead" as the "last time the Doctor gets to have any fun"—and that the subject of the prophecy was not the obvious answer:
Writing in his regular column in Doctor Who Magazine
Doctor Who Magazine
Doctor Who Magazine is a magazine devoted to the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
issue 416, Davies revealed that the original title for "Part One" of The End of Time was "The Final Days of Planet Earth", while "Part Two" was always referred to as "The End of Time". Due to the sheer scale of the story, however, it was decided that both instalments needed the same title, differentiated by part numbers. Although the original series used a single title for multi-episode stories for most of its run, this is the first story in the revived series to use such a convention.
Davies's script for the second episode finished with the Tenth Doctor's final line, "I don't want to go." He then sent the script to his successor Steven Moffat, who is responsible for all of the Eleventh Doctor's dialogue that follows.
Filming
The first location filming for this story took place on Saturday, 21 March 2009 at a bookstore in CardiffCardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
. Jessica Hynes was filmed signing a book titled A Journal of Impossible Things, by Verity Newman.
Filming also took place at Tredegar House
Tredegar House
Tredegar House in Newport, set in the 90 acre Tredegar Park, is one of the best examples of a 17th century Charles II country house mansion in the United Kingdom.-History of the Building:...
in Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
,Tredegar House, Newport: 51.561572°N 3.028142°W which had previously been used for the filming of the 2008 Christmas special "The Next Doctor". John Simm
John Simm
John Simm is an English stage and screen actor. In recent years he is best known for his roles as Sam Tyler in the detective drama Life on Mars and as The Master in the revival of the science fiction series Doctor Who, but he has also starred in many highly acclaimed award-winning television...
, who played the Master
Master (Doctor Who)
The Master is a recurring character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He is a renegade Time Lord and the archenemy of the Doctor....
in the 2007 series finale episodes "Utopia
Utopia (Doctor Who)
"Utopia" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 16 June 2007 and is the eleventh episode of series three of the revived Doctor Who series...
", "The Sound of Drums
The Sound of Drums
"The Sound of Drums" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 23 June 2007, and is the twelfth episode of Series 3 of the revived Doctor Who series...
" and "Last of the Time Lords
Last of the Time Lords
"Last of the Time Lords" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 30 June 2007, and is the thirteenth and final episode of Series 3 of the revived Doctor Who series...
", was spotted on location during the Tredegar House filming.
Filming that took place during the Easter Bank Holiday was widely covered by the British press: Catherine Tate filmed several scenes in the episode in Swansea, including one filmed in the Kardomah CaféKardomah Café, Swansea: 51.620235°N 3.945369°W and another depicting her character getting a parking ticket. Other filming locations included Nant Fawr Road in Cyncoed
Cyncoed
Cyncoed is a community in the north of the city of Cardiff, capital of Wales. Located in the north east of the city, Cyncoed is one of the most affluent suburbs of Cardiff, and of Wales in general. It has some of the highest property prices in Wales...
, CardiffNant Fawr Road, Cardiff: 51.521021°N 3.172055°W — the previously regular location used for the Noble household — where filming on 12 April showed Cribbins wearing reindeer antlers and boarding a minibus.
Filming took place in the following week on Victoria Road, Penarth
Penarth
Penarth is a town and seaside resort in the Vale of Glamorgan , Wales, 5.2 miles south west from the city centre of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff and lying on the north shore of the Severn Estuary at the southern end of Cardiff Bay...
,Victoria Road, Penarth: 51.432287°N 3.180515°W in an area which is regularly used for a location for Sarah Jane Smith
Sarah Jane Smith
Sarah Jane Smith is a fictional character played by Elisabeth Sladen in the long-running British BBC Television science-fiction series Doctor Who and its spin-offs K-9 and Company and The Sarah Jane Adventures....
's neighbourhood in The Sarah Jane Adventures
The Sarah Jane Adventures
The Sarah Jane Adventures is a British science fiction television series, produced by BBC Cymru Wales for CBBC, created by Russell T Davies and starring Elisabeth Sladen...
. Elisabeth Sladen, who plays Sarah Jane Smith, and Tommy Knight
Tommy Knight
Thomas 'Tommy' Lawrence Knight is an English actor best known for playing Luke Smith in The Sarah Jane Adventures.-Personal life:...
, who plays her son Luke, were filmed on location with David Tennant.
On the night of 20–21 April, Cribbins filmed a Christmas scene on Wharton StreetWharton Street, Cardiff: 51.479795°N 3.177221°W in Cardiff's city centre
Cardiff city centre
Cardiff city centre is the central business district of Cardiff, Wales. The area is tightly bounded by the River Taff to the west, the Civic centre to the north and railway lines and two railway stations - Central and Queen Street - to the south and east respectively...
, with a large Christmas tree and brass band.
The science fiction website io9
Io9
io9 is a blog launched in 2008 by Gawker Media. The blog focuses on the subjects of science fiction, futurism, and advancements in the fields of science and technology....
published a photograph showing Tennant alongside Simm and Timothy Dalton, with Dalton dressed in Time Lord
Time Lord
The Time Lords are an ancient extraterrestrial race and civilization of humanoids in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, of which the series' eponymous protagonist, the Doctor, is a member...
robes. Rumours of Dalton's involvement in the specials had previously appeared in British tabloids. On 26 July 2009, io9 published an interview with David Tennant in which he confirmed Dalton's involvement in the specials.
Trailers and previews
A teaser trailer, featuring Timothy Dalton's opening narration and brief shots of the main characters, was shown at Comic-Con 2009. A 'Next Time' trailer, consisting some of the Ood Elder's monologue with excerpts from various scenes in part one, was included at the end of "The Waters of MarsThe Waters of Mars
"The Waters of Mars" is the second 2009 special of British science fiction television series Doctor Who, broadcast on BBC One on 15 November 2009. It aired on BBC America on 19 December 2009 and was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK on 11 January 2010 and in the US on 2 February 2010...
". In November 2009 a special preview of the opening moments on the Ood Sphere was shown on the Children in Need
Children in Need 2009
Children in Need 2009 was a campaign held in the United Kingdom to raise money for Children in Need. It culminated in a live broadcast on BBC One which began on the evening of Friday 20 November and ran through to the morning of Saturday 21 November. The broadcast was hosted by Terry Wogan, Tess...
telethon. The pre-Christmas publicity trailer and promotional clips also showed a selection of scene excerpts from part one.
Following the broadcast of part one, a trailer for part two was released on the BBC Doctor Who website.
The BBC also released the first two minutes (after the opening titles) of part two.
Broadcast and reception
Overnight ratings placed Part One as the third most-watched programme of Christmas Day, behind EastEndersEastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
and The Royle Family
The Royle Family
The Royle Family is a popular, BAFTA award-winning television comedy drama produced by Granada Television for the BBC, which ran for three series between 1998 and 2000, and specials from 2006 onwards...
with a provisional viewing figure of 10.0 million viewers. The episode achieved a 42.2% share of the total viewing audience, and an appreciation index score of 87, considered 'Excellent'. This figure was considerably lower than for earlier Christmas specials.
Final consolidated ratings placed Part One as the third most watched program of Christmas Day, behind The Royle Family and EastEnders with a final figure of 11.57 million viewers. This is the highest timeshift that the show has received since its revival (the previous highest being 11.4 million for The Next Doctor in Christmas 2008). When simulcast HD figures are added to the BBC One transmission, Doctor Who actually comes out as the most watched show on Christmas Day with a total of 12.04 million viewers, narrowly ahead of The Royle Family and EastEnders.
Overnight ratings placed Part Two as the second most-watched programme of New Year's Day, behind EastEnders, with a provisional viewing figure of 10.4 million viewers (including 389,000 watching on BBC HD). The episode achieved a 35.5% share of the total viewing audience on an evening where an estimated 30 million viewers were watching TV in the UK.
Official BARB ratings placed Part Two as the second most watched programme of the week behind EastEnders at 11.79 million viewers; however, when the simulcast figures on BBC HD are added, an additional 480,000 viewers bring the total figure to 12.27 million. When this figure is recognised, the program becomes the most watched of the week. This makes The End of Time only the third instance in which the show has achieved such an honour in its extensive history.
In his review of Part Two published the day after transmission, Andrew Pettie of The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
awarded a rating of four stars out of five, summing up the episode as "a barnstorming hour of family entertainment." Despite expressing slight dissatisfaction with the plot, which he perceived as excessively complicated, Pettie admitted that the episode "charged forward with such apocalyptic brio it was hard to be unduly worried about what, precisely, was going on." Praising Tennant's final performance as the Doctor, he also commented on the "unnerving experience" of seeing the character so helpless in his final appearance, but ended his review on a note of optimism for the future of the series with a new lead actor: "[Matt] Smith's youth and lack of fame make his Doctor Who an exciting prospect."
International broadcast
The episodes were first shown in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on 26 December 2009 and 2 January 2010, on BBC America
BBC America
BBC America is an American television network, owned and operated by BBC Worldwide, and available on both cable and satellite.-History:The channel launched on March 29, 1998, broadcasting comedy, drama and lifestyle programs from BBC Television and other British television broadcasters like ITV and...
. The broadcast of part two on 2 January helped BBC America to earn its highest ever primetime rating. The two episodes also reached the top two positions on the US iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
store, where they were available to purchase for download by American users.
Both episodes were first shown in Canada back-to-back on 2 January 2010, on Space.
Prime Television New Zealand
Prime Television New Zealand
Prime is the seventh national free-to-air television station in New Zealand. The station airs a mixed group of programmes, largely imported from Australia, the UK and the United States, as well as free-to-air rugby union, cricket and rugby league matches....
broadcast Part 1 on 7 February 2010 and Part 2 on 14 February 2010.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
broadcast Part 1 on 14 February 2010, and Part 2 on 21 February 2010.
DVD release
Both parts of The End of Time were released on DVD in the UK in January 2010 as a double pack with "The Waters of Mars". The specials were also released on the same day on DVD and Blu-ray in a collection entitled Doctor Who - The Complete Specials. The set includes "The Next Doctor", "Planet of the Dead", "The Waters of Mars" and The End of Time. In North America, The End of Time was released in February 2010 on DVD and Blu-ray, as a single release, and as part of a package of the final four David Tennant specials.Soundtrack
Selected pieces of score from this two-part special, as composed by Murray GoldMurray Gold
Murray Gold is an English composer for stage, film, and television and a dramatist for both theatre and radio.-Television:Gold has been nominated for a BAFTA four times in the category Best Original Television Music, for Vanity Fair , Queer as Folk , Casanova and Doctor Who...
, were included in the specials soundtrack on 4 October 2010, released by Silva Screen Records.