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Blink (Doctor Who)
Encyclopedia
"Blink" is the 10th episode of the third series of the new production of the British
science fiction television
series Doctor Who
. It was first broadcast on 9 June 2007, and is the only episode in the 2007 series written by Steven Moffat
; the episode is based on a previous short story written by Moffat for the 2006 Doctor Who Annual, "'What I Did on My Christmas Holidays' By Sally Sparrow".
The episode focuses on a young woman, Sally Sparrow, trying to solve the connection between 17 disparate DVD titles, and statues that move when no-one is looking at them. Just as in 2006's "Love & Monsters
", the Doctor and his companion have very little screen time, allowing another episode to be filmed simultaneously. It is consequently referred to as a "Doctor-lite" episode.
The episode was well received by critics. For "Blink", Steven Moffat won the BAFTA Craft
and BAFTA Cymru
awards for Best Writer, and the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form.
" behind the peeling wallpaper addressed to her, warning her of the "Weeping Angels
". Sally returns the next day with her friend Kathy Nightingale to explore further; Kathy disappears as at the same time a young man claiming to be Kathy's grandson delivers a letter to Sally. The letter from Kathy explains, just moments ago from Sally's perspective, that Kathy suddenly found herself in the 1920s in Hull
. Kathy settled down with a husband and led a peaceful life and, in the letter, requests Sally to let her closest relative, her brother Larry, know of her disappearance. Sally finds a yale key hanging from the hand of one of the statues and takes it before leaving.
Sally visits Larry at a DVD
rental store
and finds that he has documented a series of "easter eggs" across seventeen unrelated DVDs, each with the same man calling himself "The Doctor
" having half of a conversation with the viewer. Larry gives Sally a list of the DVDs as she leaves for the police station. There, she meets Detective Inspector Billy Shipton, who explains that there have been several disappearances at the Drumlins and shows her an impound
lot containing vehicles abandoned near the Drumlins, including a locked fake police box
. Sally leaves, but remembers the key she found and returns to find that Billy and the phonebox have disappeared. She immediately receives a call from a much older Billy on his death bed at the hospital and visits him. Billy explains that after she left the lot, he discovered the Angels trying to retrieve the police box. Billy then suddenly found himself in 1969 and met the Doctor, who asked him to relay a message to Sally decades later; Billy subsequently married and started a video production house and was responsible for putting the easter eggs on the DVDs. Before Billy dies, he tells Sally the Doctor's message to her: to look at the list of DVDs. Sally discovers that the list is her own DVD collection and realises the easter eggs are meant for her.
Sally and Larry return to the Drumlins with a portable DVD player and watch the entirety of the easter egg. Sally discovers she can "converse" with the Doctor as, in the past, he possesses a complete version of the transcript that is currently being compiled in the present by Larry as he watches. The Doctor explains that he and Martha Jones
were transported to the past by the Weeping Angels, beings that feed off the potential time energy of others. The Angels are "quantum locked
", allowing them to move incredibly fast when unobserved but when they are seen, they literally turn to stone. They cover their eyes to avoid looking at each other, giving them their "weeping" appearance. He warns Sally not to look away or even blink when they are around. The Doctor tells them they are seeking his TARDIS—the fake police box—to acquire its potential power, which could have catastrophic results. When the Doctor comes to the end of the transcript, Sally realises Larry has stopped writing it due to the presence of an Angel in the room and the two quickly escape to the basement. There, they discover the Angels have brought the TARDIS and Sally and Larry take shelter inside it as the Angels surround them. Inside, a hologram of the Doctor informs them that the TARDIS has detected a control disc—the DVD they have just watched—which can activate it for one journey; upon doing so the TARDIS dematerialises, leaving the two of them behind. However, with the TARDIS gone, the Angels have been tricked into observing each other, permanently frozen as statues staring at each other.
A year later, Sally and Larry have opened a DVD and book store together, though Sally's insistence on keeping a folder of the events for the Doctor worries Larry. Larry longs for a romantic relationship, but Sally insists their relationship is defined as "just a shop." As Larry steps out for an errand, Sally sees the Doctor and Martha hurriedly leave a taxi in front of the shop, carrying a bow and quiver of arrows and goes to meet them. When they do not recognise her, she realises that they have yet to experience the events that sent them to the past and hands over her folder of information, warning the Doctor he may need it in his future, thus completing the ontological paradox. The Doctor and Sally say their goodbyes as Larry returns, surprised to see the man from the easter egg. Sally and Larry return to the shop hand in hand, hinting that she is now ready for a romantic relationship. The episode ends with a repeat of the Doctor's warning to Sally, this time directed at the viewer
, overlaid with flashes of famous bronze and stone statues.
short story from the Doctor Who Annual 2006 called "'What I Did on My Christmas Holidays' by Sally Sparrow". "What I Did" is presented as a homework essay from Sally, though only 12 years old, who encounters evidence of the Ninth Doctor
's presence from the past in her aunt's house while visiting. "What I Did" includes several elements that are reused in "Blink", including messages under the wallpaper and an ontological paradox involving a conversation between Sally and the Doctor, prerecorded on a video cassette
, based on a written transcript (the essay itself); however, instead of the Angels, "What I Did" features the Doctor and the TARDIS inadvertently separated twenty years in time by a fault in the time machine, and the Doctor is able to instruct Sally how to bring it back to him in the past. "Blink" is the third story of the revived series to be adapted for television by the same writer from a piece of their spin-off writing. It follows "Human Nature
"/"The Family of Blood
", which were adaptations by Paul Cornell
of his novel Human Nature, and "Dalek
", which had the basic premise as well as some scenes and dialogue adapted by Robert Shearman from his audio drama Jubilee
.
"Blink" is referred to as a "Doctor-Lite" episode because the Doctor and/or his companion have very little screen time. This allowed two episodes to be filmed simultaneously. This practice had begun with 2006's "Love & Monsters
", and would continue for 2008's "Turn Left
" and "Midnight
".
Hettie MacDonald
is the first female director of a Doctor Who episode since the Sixth Doctor
serial The Mark of the Rani
.
Although they are never shown moving on screen, all of the Weeping Angels were played by actors wearing makeup and prosthetics. Footage of them being put into costume and moving on the set can be seen in the Doctor Who Confidential
episode associated with "Blink", "Do You Remember The First Time?".
Location shooting for scenes set at the Police Station Garage took place at the Coal Exchange and Mount Stuart Square, Cardiff Bay
.
and BAFTA Cymru
awards for Best Writer for his work on this episode. It also won the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form, and Carey Mulligan
received the Constellation Award for Best Female Performance in a 2007 Science Fiction Television Episode. The episode was nominated for the Nebula Award
for Best Script, but lost to Pan's Labyrinth
by Guillermo del Toro
. This episode also received the award for Best Story in the Doctor Who Magazine
2007 Survey.
The BBC Fear Forecasters (four children, aged 6, 8, 10 and 14, who rate each episode on how scary children will find it) gave this episode a 5.5 rating ("Off the Scale"). The only other episode with a rating above 5 is "The Impossible Planet
", which received a 6 ("Beyond Fear"). A notice for parents was also attached to the top of the page, recommending that parents record the episode and watch it in the daytime with their children, as it was one of the scariest episodes yet. This warning is similar to the warning that was attached for "The Empty Child
"/"The Doctor Dances
", both of which were also written by Steven Moffat.
In Doctor Who Magazine
s 2009 poll to find the greatest Doctor Who serial ever "Blink" came in second place after Peter Davison's final story, The Caves of Androzani
.
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...
science fiction television
Science fiction on television
Science fiction first appeared on a television program during the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary world not limited by the constraints of reality; this makes television an excellent medium...
series Doctor Who
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...
. It was first broadcast on 9 June 2007, and is the only episode in the 2007 series written 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...
; the episode is based on a previous short story written by Moffat for the 2006 Doctor Who Annual, "'What I Did on My Christmas Holidays' By Sally Sparrow".
The episode focuses on a young woman, Sally Sparrow, trying to solve the connection between 17 disparate DVD titles, and statues that move when no-one is looking at them. Just as in 2006's "Love & Monsters
Love & Monsters
"Love & Monsters" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. In this episode, an ordinary man named Elton Pope becomes obsessed with a man called the Doctor and his strange blue box, and joins a group of like-minded people in hopes of finding him...
", the Doctor and his companion have very little screen time, allowing another episode to be filmed simultaneously. It is consequently referred to as a "Doctor-lite" episode.
The episode was well received by critics. For "Blink", Steven Moffat won the BAFTA Craft
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.-Introduction:...
and BAFTA Cymru
BAFTA Cymru
BAFTA Cymru is the Welsh branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.Formed in 1991, they hold an annual awards ceremony to recognise achievement by performers and production staff in Welsh-made films and television programmes...
awards for Best Writer, and the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form.
Synopsis
In 2007, Sally Sparrow enters the dilapidated house, Wester Drumlins, to look for subjects to photograph but instead finds eerie angel-like statues and messages from "the DoctorDoctor (Doctor Who)
The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and has also featured in two cinema feature films, a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....
" behind the peeling wallpaper addressed to her, warning her of the "Weeping Angels
Weeping Angels
The Weeping Angels are a fictional ancient race of aliens from the Doctor Who television series, featured in the Tenth Doctor episode "Blink", and the Eleventh Doctor episodes "The Time of Angels", "Flesh and Stone" and in a cameo appearance in Series 6's "The God Complex"...
". Sally returns the next day with her friend Kathy Nightingale to explore further; Kathy disappears as at the same time a young man claiming to be Kathy's grandson delivers a letter to Sally. The letter from Kathy explains, just moments ago from Sally's perspective, that Kathy suddenly found herself in the 1920s in Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
. Kathy settled down with a husband and led a peaceful life and, in the letter, requests Sally to let her closest relative, her brother Larry, know of her disappearance. Sally finds a yale key hanging from the hand of one of the statues and takes it before leaving.
Sally visits Larry at a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
rental store
Rental shop
A rental shop, also known as a video library, is a business that allows a consumer to temporarily obtain a reusable good or product for a specified period of time in exchange for payment, a process known as renting...
and finds that he has documented a series of "easter eggs" across seventeen unrelated DVDs, each with the same man calling himself "The 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...
" having half of a conversation with the viewer. Larry gives Sally a list of the DVDs as she leaves for the police station. There, she meets Detective Inspector Billy Shipton, who explains that there have been several disappearances at the Drumlins and shows her an impound
Impounded vehicle auction
An impounded vehicle auction is a type of auction that specializes in selling abandoned and disabled vehicles. Once a car is towed by municipalities or private companies and the requisite time has passed, the cars are auctioned to recover the cost of towing and storage.These auctions are...
lot containing vehicles abandoned near the Drumlins, including a locked fake police box
TARDIS
The TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s...
. Sally leaves, but remembers the key she found and returns to find that Billy and the phonebox have disappeared. She immediately receives a call from a much older Billy on his death bed at the hospital and visits him. Billy explains that after she left the lot, he discovered the Angels trying to retrieve the police box. Billy then suddenly found himself in 1969 and met the Doctor, who asked him to relay a message to Sally decades later; Billy subsequently married and started a video production house and was responsible for putting the easter eggs on the DVDs. Before Billy dies, he tells Sally the Doctor's message to her: to look at the list of DVDs. Sally discovers that the list is her own DVD collection and realises the easter eggs are meant for her.
Sally and Larry return to the Drumlins with a portable DVD player and watch the entirety of the easter egg. Sally discovers she can "converse" with the Doctor as, in the past, he possesses a complete version of the transcript that is currently being compiled in the present by Larry as he watches. The Doctor explains that he and 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...
were transported to the past by the Weeping Angels, beings that feed off the potential time energy of others. The Angels are "quantum locked
Quantum Zeno effect
The quantum Zeno effect is a name coined by George Sudarshan and Baidyanath Misra of the University of Texas in 1977 in their analysis of the situation in which an unstable particle, if observed continuously, will never decay. One can nearly "freeze" the evolution of the system by measuring it...
", allowing them to move incredibly fast when unobserved but when they are seen, they literally turn to stone. They cover their eyes to avoid looking at each other, giving them their "weeping" appearance. He warns Sally not to look away or even blink when they are around. The Doctor tells them they are seeking his TARDIS—the fake police box—to acquire its potential power, which could have catastrophic results. When the Doctor comes to the end of the transcript, Sally realises Larry has stopped writing it due to the presence of an Angel in the room and the two quickly escape to the basement. There, they discover the Angels have brought the TARDIS and Sally and Larry take shelter inside it as the Angels surround them. Inside, a hologram of the Doctor informs them that the TARDIS has detected a control disc—the DVD they have just watched—which can activate it for one journey; upon doing so the TARDIS dematerialises, leaving the two of them behind. However, with the TARDIS gone, the Angels have been tricked into observing each other, permanently frozen as statues staring at each other.
A year later, Sally and Larry have opened a DVD and book store together, though Sally's insistence on keeping a folder of the events for the Doctor worries Larry. Larry longs for a romantic relationship, but Sally insists their relationship is defined as "just a shop." As Larry steps out for an errand, Sally sees the Doctor and Martha hurriedly leave a taxi in front of the shop, carrying a bow and quiver of arrows and goes to meet them. When they do not recognise her, she realises that they have yet to experience the events that sent them to the past and hands over her folder of information, warning the Doctor he may need it in his future, thus completing the ontological paradox. The Doctor and Sally say their goodbyes as Larry returns, surprised to see the man from the easter egg. Sally and Larry return to the shop hand in hand, hinting that she is now ready for a romantic relationship. The episode ends with a repeat of the Doctor's warning to Sally, this time directed at the viewer
Fourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
, overlaid with flashes of famous bronze and stone statues.
Continuity
- A holographic projection of the Tenth Doctor can be seen in this episode. Earlier projections of the Doctor are those of the SeventhSeventh DoctorThe Seventh Doctor is the seventh incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by the actor Sylvester McCoy....
and EighthEighth DoctorThe Eighth Doctor is the eighth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Paul McGann...
Doctors in the television movie, the NinthNinth DoctorThe 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....
seen in "The Parting of the WaysThe Parting of the Ways"The Parting of the Ways" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on 18 June 2005. It was the second episode of the two-part story that featured Christopher Eccleston making his last appearance as the Ninth Doctor...
", and another of the Tenth Doctor's projections in "DoomsdayDoomsday (Doctor Who)"Doomsday" is the thirteenth and final episode in the second series of the revival of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on 8 July 2006 and is the conclusion of a two-part story; the first part, "Army of Ghosts", was broadcast on 1 July 2006...
". - The TARDIS fading away around Sally and Larry is similar to the effect used in "The Parting of the Ways", in which the TARDIS materialises around RoseRose TylerRose 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...
and a DalekDalekThe Daleks are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Within the series, Daleks are cyborgs from the planet Skaro, created by the scientist Davros during the final years of a thousand-year war against the Thals...
. A similar trick is used in "The Runaway BrideThe Runaway Bride (Doctor Who)"The Runaway Bride" is a special episode of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who, starring David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor...
", in which it fades in around the Doctor and DonnaDonna NobleDonna 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,...
, and in "LogopolisLogopolisLogopolis is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 28 February to 21 March 1981. It was Tom Baker's last story as the Doctor and marks the first appearance of Peter Davison in the role...
", in which it materialises around the MasterMaster (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....
's TARDIS. - The Doctor says "I'm rubbish at weddings, especially my own" when explaining to Sally that he experiences events out of sequence. He has in the past referred to being a father in "The Empty ChildThe Empty Child"The Empty Child" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on 21 May 2005. It is the first of a two-part story. The concluding episode, "The Doctor Dances", was broadcast on 28 May...
" and "Fear HerFear Her"Fear Her" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on 24 June 2006.The episode takes part on the day of the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, almost exclusively on a fictitious cul-de-sac named after the British athlete...
", and would do so again in "The Doctor's DaughterThe Doctor's Daughter"The Doctor's Daughter" is the sixth episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 10 May 2008.- Synopsis :...
", and formerly travelled with his granddaughterSusan ForemanSusan 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...
. The First DoctorFirst DoctorThe First Doctor is the initial incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by the actor William Hartnell from 1963 to 1966. Hartnell reprised the role in the tenth anniversary story The Three Doctors in 1973 - albeit in a...
is accidentally betrothed to the lady Cameca in The AztecsThe Aztecs (Doctor Who)-VHS and DVD releases:*The serial was released on VHS in 1992.*On 21 October 2002, it was released on Region 2 DVD. This release was the first Doctor Who DVD to use the VidFIRE process throughout the whole production.-External links:Fan reviews...
. In "The Family of BloodThe 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...
", the Doctor as John Smith foresees an alternative future as a human, in which he has a successful marriage and raises a family. The Eighth DoctorEighth DoctorThe Eighth Doctor is the eighth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Paul McGann...
also married in the novel The Adventuress of Henrietta StreetThe Adventuress of Henrietta StreetThe Adventuress of Henrietta Street is a BBC Books original novel written by Lawrence Miles and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Eighth Doctor, Fitz and Anji....
. In The End of TimeThe End of TimeThe End of Time: The Next Revolution in Our Understanding of the Universe, also sold with the alternate subtitle The Next Revolution in Physics, is a 1999 science book in which the author Julian Barbour argues that time exists merely as an illusion.-Auto-biography:The book begins by describing how...
The Doctor states that before he answered the call of the Ood, he got married to "Good Queen Bess", one of the more favourable nicknames of Queen Elizabeth IElizabeth I of EnglandElizabeth 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...
. This may go some way to explaining the Queen's anger upon meeting the Doctor at the end of "The Shakespeare CodeThe 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...
". Furthermore, River SongRiver Song (Doctor Who)River Song is a fictional character played primarily by Alex Kingston in the British science-fiction series Doctor Who. River Song was introduced to the series as an experienced future companion of series protagonist the Doctor, an alien Time Lord who travels through time in his TARDIS...
mentions to the Eleventh DoctorEleventh DoctorThe 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"...
in the series 5 finale that he always dances at weddings, playfully alluding to being married herself though not specifying to whom. At the end of the sixth series, River does indeed marry the Doctor. - Larry gives Sally the list of DVDs from a folder with a CunardCunard LineCunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century...
White Star LineWhite Star LineThe Oceanic Steam Navigation Company or White Star Line of Boston Packets, more commonly known as the White Star Line, was a prominent British shipping company, today most famous for its ill-fated vessel, the RMS Titanic, and the World War I loss of Titanics sister ship Britannic...
sticker on it. White Star were the operators of the ill-fated RMS Titanic. The Ninth Doctor was photographed in Southampton with a family due to travel on the RMS Titanic; the photograph is shown in "RoseRose (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....
". A starship modeled after the Titanic is featured in the later Christmas special "Voyage of the DamnedVoyage 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 again in an alternate timeline in "Turn LeftTurn Left (Doctor Who)"Turn Left" is the eleventh episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was written by showrunner Russell T Davies and broadcast on BBC One on 21 June 2008....
" . - The Doctor would later mention the events of this episode and Sally Sparrow to 'The Doctor' in 2008 episode "The Next Doctor".
- The Weeping Angels are referred to by the Lord President of Gallifrey in The End of TimeThe End of TimeThe End of Time: The Next Revolution in Our Understanding of the Universe, also sold with the alternate subtitle The Next Revolution in Physics, is a 1999 science book in which the author Julian Barbour argues that time exists merely as an illusion.-Auto-biography:The book begins by describing how...
, when he forces two dissenting Time Lords to adopt their eye-covering pose as a sign of disgrace. - The Angels returned in the episodes "The Time of AngelsThe Time of Angels"The Time of Angels" is the fourth episode in the fifth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who, first broadcast on 24 April 2010 on BBC One. It is the first episode of a two-part story written by showrunner Steven Moffat and directed by Adam Smith; the second episode was...
" and "Flesh and StoneFlesh and Stone"Flesh and Stone" is the fifth episode of the fifth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Written by showrunner Steven Moffat and directed by Adam Smith, the episode was first broadcast on 1 May 2010 on BBC One...
" in 2010 and an illusion of the Angels appears representing a character's greatest fear in the 2011 episode "The God ComplexThe God Complex"The God Complex" is the eleventh episode of the sixth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC One, BBC America and Space on 17 September 2011.-Plot summary:...
".
Production
Part of the story of "Blink" is based on Moffat's own Ninth DoctorNinth 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....
short story from the Doctor Who Annual 2006 called "'What I Did on My Christmas Holidays' by Sally Sparrow". "What I Did" is presented as a homework essay from Sally, though only 12 years old, who encounters evidence of 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....
's presence from the past in her aunt's house while visiting. "What I Did" includes several elements that are reused in "Blink", including messages under the wallpaper and an ontological paradox involving a conversation between Sally and the Doctor, prerecorded on a video cassette
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
, based on a written transcript (the essay itself); however, instead of the Angels, "What I Did" features the Doctor and the TARDIS inadvertently separated twenty years in time by a fault in the time machine, and the Doctor is able to instruct Sally how to bring it back to him in the past. "Blink" is the third story of the revived series to be adapted for television by the same writer from a piece of their spin-off writing. It follows "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...
"/"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...
", which were adaptations by Paul Cornell
Paul Cornell
Paul Cornell is a British writer best known for his work in television drama as well as Doctor Who fiction, and as the creator of one of the Doctor's spin-off companions, Bernice Summerfield....
of his novel Human Nature, and "Dalek
Dalek (Doctor Who episode)
"Dalek" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who that was first broadcast on 30 April 2005. It should not be confused with the first Dalek serial, The Daleks...
", which had the basic premise as well as some scenes and dialogue adapted by Robert Shearman from his audio drama Jubilee
Jubilee (Doctor Who audio)
Jubilee is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Elements of the story were reworked by Rob Shearman to create the television episode "Dalek" in the 2005 series.-Plot:...
.
"Blink" is referred to as a "Doctor-Lite" episode because the Doctor and/or his companion have very little screen time. This allowed two episodes to be filmed simultaneously. This practice had begun with 2006's "Love & Monsters
Love & Monsters
"Love & Monsters" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. In this episode, an ordinary man named Elton Pope becomes obsessed with a man called the Doctor and his strange blue box, and joins a group of like-minded people in hopes of finding him...
", and would continue for 2008's "Turn Left
Turn Left (Doctor Who)
"Turn Left" is the eleventh episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was written by showrunner Russell T Davies and broadcast on BBC One on 21 June 2008....
" and "Midnight
Midnight (Doctor Who)
"Midnight" is the tenth episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 14 June 2008. The episode placed much more emphasis on the role of David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor than in the rest of the fourth series, with the...
".
Hettie MacDonald
Hettie MacDonald
Hettie MacDonald is a British director who won a Grand Prix award, an International Jury Award - Honorable Mention and a People's Choice Award for her work on the film Beautiful Thing. She has also directed for television and the stage....
is the first female director of a Doctor Who episode since the Sixth Doctor
Sixth Doctor
The Sixth Doctor is the sixth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Colin Baker...
serial The Mark of the Rani
The Mark of the Rani
The Mark of The Rani is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in two weekly parts from 2 February to 9 February 1985...
.
Although they are never shown moving on screen, all of the Weeping Angels were played by actors wearing makeup and prosthetics. Footage of them being put into costume and moving on the set can be seen in the 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...
episode associated with "Blink", "Do You Remember The First Time?".
Location shooting for scenes set at the Police Station Garage took place at the Coal Exchange and Mount Stuart Square, Cardiff Bay
Cardiff Bay
Cardiff Bay is the area created by the Cardiff Barrage in South Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The regeneration of Cardiff Bay is now widely regarded as one of the most successful regeneration projects in the United Kingdom. The Bay is supplied by two rivers to form a freshwater lake round the...
.
Reception
"Blink" has been widely recognised as an exceptional episode of Doctor Who. Writer Steven Moffat was awarded the 2008 BAFTA CraftBritish Academy of Film and Television Arts
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.-Introduction:...
and BAFTA Cymru
BAFTA Cymru
BAFTA Cymru is the Welsh branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.Formed in 1991, they hold an annual awards ceremony to recognise achievement by performers and production staff in Welsh-made films and television programmes...
awards for Best Writer for his work on this episode. It also won the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form, and Carey Mulligan
Carey Mulligan
Carey Hannah Mulligan is an English actress. She made her film debut as Kitty Bennet in Pride & Prejudice . She had roles in numerous British programmes and, in 2007, made her Broadway debut in The Seagull to critical acclaim....
received the Constellation Award for Best Female Performance in a 2007 Science Fiction Television Episode. The episode was nominated for the Nebula Award
Nebula Award
The Nebula Award is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America , for the best science fiction/fantasy fiction published in the United States during the previous year...
for Best Script, but lost to Pan's Labyrinth
Pan's Labyrinth
Pan's Labyrinth is a 2006 Spanish Spanish-language dark fantasy film, written and directed by Mexican film-maker Guillermo del Toro. It was produced and distributed by the Mexican film company Esperanto Films...
by Guillermo del Toro
Guillermo del Toro
Guillermo del Toro is a Mexican director, producer, screenwriter, novelist and designer. He is mostly known for his acclaimed films, Blade II, Pan's Labyrinth and the Hellboy film franchise. He is a frequent collaborator with Ron Perlman, Federico Luppi and Doug Jones...
. This episode also received the award for Best Story in the Doctor Who Magazine
Doctor Who Magazine
Doctor Who Magazine is a magazine devoted to the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
2007 Survey.
The BBC Fear Forecasters (four children, aged 6, 8, 10 and 14, who rate each episode on how scary children will find it) gave this episode a 5.5 rating ("Off the Scale"). The only other episode with a rating above 5 is "The Impossible Planet
The Impossible Planet
"The Impossible Planet" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is the first part of a two-part story, followed by "The Satan Pit". The TARDIS lands in a base on a planet orbiting a black hole, an allegedly impossible situation that stumps even the Doctor...
", which received a 6 ("Beyond Fear"). A notice for parents was also attached to the top of the page, recommending that parents record the episode and watch it in the daytime with their children, as it was one of the scariest episodes yet. This warning is similar to the warning that was attached for "The Empty Child
The Empty Child
"The Empty Child" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on 21 May 2005. It is the first of a two-part story. The concluding episode, "The Doctor Dances", was broadcast on 28 May...
"/"The Doctor Dances
The Doctor Dances
"The Doctor Dances" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on 28 May 2005. It is the second of a two-part story and saw Jack Harkness, played by John Barrowman, join the Doctor as a companion. The first part, "The Empty Child", was...
", both of which were also written by Steven Moffat.
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...
s 2009 poll to find the greatest Doctor Who serial ever "Blink" came in second place after Peter Davison's final story, The Caves of Androzani
The Caves of Androzani
The Caves of Androzani is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts from 8–16 March 1984. It was Peter Davison's last regular appearance as the Doctor, and marks the first appearance of Colin Baker in the role...
.
Fandom and popular culture
- Larry describes Wester Drumlins as "Scooby-DooScooby-Doo (character)Scoobert "Scooby" Doo is the eponymous character and the protagonist in the Scooby-Doo animated television series created by the popular American animation company Hanna-Barbera...
's house", a reference to the dilapidated mansions that the Scooby-DooScooby-DooScooby-Doo is an American media franchise based around several animated television series and related works produced from 1969 to the present day. The original series, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, was created for Hanna-Barbera Productions by writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears in 1969...
Mystery Inc. gang would usually visit. The BBC fact file notes that 1969, the year Martha, the Doctor and Billy are sent to, is the first year Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!Scooby-Doo, Where are You!Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! is the first incarnation of the long-running Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoon Scooby-Doo. It premiered on September 13, 1969 at 10:30 a.m. EST and ran for two seasons on CBS as a half-hour long show. Twenty-five episodes were produced...
aired. The name of the dilapidated house, Wester Drumlins, is taken from a previous residence of Steven Moffat from the late 1990s. The newspaper shown to Kathy in 1920 has the headline "Hull F.C. to play Hull Kingston RoversHull Kingston RoversHull Kingston Rovers or Hull KR is an English professional rugby league football club based in Hull, England. The club formed in 1882 and currently competes in Super League, having won promotion from National League One in 2006...
", a reference to the two professional Rugby LeagueRugby leagueRugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
teams in Hull.
- Billy mentions that the windows of the TARDIS are the wrong size for a real police boxPolice boxA police box is a British telephone kiosk or callbox located in a public place for the use of members of the police, or for members of the public to contact the police...
. In 2004, when the first photographs of the new series' TARDIS prop were revealed, there was a vigorous discussion of the box's dimensions on the Outpost GallifreyOutpost GallifreyOutpost Gallifrey was a fan website for the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was active as a complete fan site from 1995 until 2007, then existing solely as a portal to the still-active parts of the site, including its news page and forums Outpost Gallifrey was a fan website...
Doctor Who discussion forum, in which some fans complained that the prop's windows were too big. Writer Steven Moffat has confirmed that this line is an in-jokeIn-jokeAn in-joke, also known as an inside joke or in joke, is a joke whose humour is clear only to people who are in a particular social group, occupation, or other community of common understanding...
aimed at the Outpost Gallifrey forum.
- A line spoken by the Doctor, "The angels have the phone box", is rhetorically repeated by Larry and prompts him to say "I've got that on a T-shirt"; as expected by Moffat and Murray GoldMurray GoldMurray 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...
, this led online retailers such as ThinkGeekThinkGeekThinkGeek is an American online retailer that caters to computer enthusiasts and other "geeky" social groups. Their merchandise includes clothing, electronic and scientific gadgets, unusual computer peripherals, office toys, pet toys, child toys, and caffeinated drinks and candy...
, ZazzleZazzleZazzle is an online retailer that allows users to upload images and create their own merchandise , or buy merchandise created by other users, as well as use images from participating companies...
, and CafePress to offer versions of such a product for sale.
- The trock band Chameleon CircuitChameleon Circuit (band)Chameleon Circuit is a band known for creating music inspired by the British television series Doctor Who. Composed of popular UK YouTube vloggers and Doctor Who fans, the band released their self-titled debut album on 1 June 2009....
made a song about this episode. The song's title is "Blink."
- There has been a MinecraftMinecraftMinecraft is a sandbox-building independent video game written in Java originally by Swedish creator Markus "Notch" Persson and now by his company, Mojang, formed from the proceeds of the game. It was released as an alpha on May 17, 2009, with a beta version on December 20, 2010...
mod made which introduces weeping angels into the game. The name of this mod is the "Weeping Angels Mod."
External links
- "Don't blink" - episode trailer
- "What I Did On My Holidays," by Sally Sparrow – the original short story on which the episode was based