The Impossible Planet
Encyclopedia
"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. The base crew are drilling to the centre of the world, to claim the power that keeps it in orbit for the good of the Human Empire. However, an ancient evil is down there too, and it is awakened.
The story was first broadcast on 3 June 2006.
arrives inside a "Sanctuary Base" used for deep-space expeditions; as Doctor
and Rose
explore it, they discover strange alien writing that the TARDIS is unable to translate. After a slight misunderstanding when first meeting the Ood
, a docile race of empathic servants who work on the station, the travellers meet the crew of the base, led by acting Captain Zachary Cross Flane. The crew, which includes Science Officer Ida Scott, Head of Security Mr Jefferson, Ethics Committee Rep Danny Bartock, Trainee Maintenance Scooti Manista, and archaeologist Toby Zed, are on an expedition on an anomalous planet, named "Krop Tor", in orbit around a black hole. Zack explains that a gravity well exists around the planet, allowing them to safely enter or leave the event horizon
of the black hole, and that it is generated by an immense energy force ten miles within it, which they are drilling towards to understand its power. As the Doctor and Rose are acquainting themselves with the crew, the base is struck by a planet-quake, causing the section of the base containing the TARDIS to fall into the planet, and the two become resigned to help out the crew.
As the drill nears its target, a malevolent presence begins to make itself known; the Ood's translation spheres reveal messages about the Beast awaking, while Toby is unknowingly possessed by the Beast. The possessed Toby kills Scooti when she discovers him surviving outside the base without any protective gear. When drilling is complete, the Doctor offers to go with Ida into the bowels of the planet. After travelling down the shaft, the Doctor and Ida find a large circular disk, inscribed with more undecipherable markings, which the Doctor believes is a door. As they watch, the door begins to open; simultaneously, the Beast repossesses Toby and the Ood. The possessed Toby warns Rose and the remaining crew that the planet is now falling towards the black hole, and that the Beast is free, while the Ood, now claiming to be the Legion
of the Beast, begin to close in on them, whilst the voice of the Beast says; "The pit is open and I am free...!".
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 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 is the first part of a two-part story, followed by "The Satan Pit
The Satan Pit
"The Satan Pit" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is the second part of a two-part story, following "The Impossible Planet". With the TARDIS seemingly lost, Rose and the remaining humans are trapped on the base with the possessed Ood, while the planet...
". The TARDIS
TARDIS
The TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s...
lands in a base on a planet orbiting a black hole
Black hole
A black hole is a region of spacetime from which nothing, not even light, can escape. The theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass will deform spacetime to form a black hole. Around a black hole there is a mathematically defined surface called an event horizon that...
, an allegedly impossible situation that stumps even the Doctor. The base crew are drilling to the centre of the world, to claim the power that keeps it in orbit for the good of the Human Empire. However, an ancient evil is down there too, and it is awakened.
The story was first broadcast on 3 June 2006.
Plot
The TARDISTARDIS
The TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s...
arrives inside a "Sanctuary Base" used for deep-space expeditions; as Doctor
Doctor (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....
and Rose
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...
explore it, they discover strange alien writing that the TARDIS is unable to translate. After a slight misunderstanding when first meeting 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 ....
, a docile race of empathic servants who work on the station, the travellers meet the crew of the base, led by acting Captain Zachary Cross Flane. The crew, which includes Science Officer Ida Scott, Head of Security Mr Jefferson, Ethics Committee Rep Danny Bartock, Trainee Maintenance Scooti Manista, and archaeologist Toby Zed, are on an expedition on an anomalous planet, named "Krop Tor", in orbit around a black hole. Zack explains that a gravity well exists around the planet, allowing them to safely enter or leave the event horizon
Event horizon
In general relativity, an event horizon is a boundary in spacetime beyond which events cannot affect an outside observer. In layman's terms it is defined as "the point of no return" i.e. the point at which the gravitational pull becomes so great as to make escape impossible. The most common case...
of the black hole, and that it is generated by an immense energy force ten miles within it, which they are drilling towards to understand its power. As the Doctor and Rose are acquainting themselves with the crew, the base is struck by a planet-quake, causing the section of the base containing the TARDIS to fall into the planet, and the two become resigned to help out the crew.
As the drill nears its target, a malevolent presence begins to make itself known; the Ood's translation spheres reveal messages about the Beast awaking, while Toby is unknowingly possessed by the Beast. The possessed Toby kills Scooti when she discovers him surviving outside the base without any protective gear. When drilling is complete, the Doctor offers to go with Ida into the bowels of the planet. After travelling down the shaft, the Doctor and Ida find a large circular disk, inscribed with more undecipherable markings, which the Doctor believes is a door. As they watch, the door begins to open; simultaneously, the Beast repossesses Toby and the Ood. The possessed Toby warns Rose and the remaining crew that the planet is now falling towards the black hole, and that the Beast is free, while the Ood, now claiming to be the Legion
Legion (demon)
Legion is a group of demons referred to in the Christian Bible. The New Testament outlines an encounter where Jesus healed a man from Gadarenes possessed by demons while traveling, known as Exorcising the Gerasenes demonic.- In the Bible :...
of the Beast, begin to close in on them, whilst the voice of the Beast says; "The pit is open and I am free...!".
Cast notes
- The voice of the Beast is provided by Gabriel WoolfGabriel WoolfGabriel Woolf is an English film and television actor.-Career:His roles include Sir Percival in the 1953 film,Knights of the Round Table and Sutekh in the 1975 Doctor Who serial Pyramids of Mars....
, who is best known in Doctor Who for playing Sutekh the Destroyer in the Fourth DoctorFourth DoctorThe Fourth Doctor is the fourth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC British television science-fiction series Doctor Who....
serial Pyramids of MarsPyramids of MarsPyramids of Mars is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 25 October to 15 November 1975.-Synopsis:...
(1975). One of the names that the possessed Ood have for the Beast is SatanSatanSatan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
. Coincidentally, the Fourth Doctor states that Sutekh has been known by many aliases, including the Typhonian beast and Satan. However, Woolf was cast only after the episode had been written and filmed. - Danny WebbDanny Webb (actor)Danny Webb is a British television and film actor. He may be best known for his role as the prisoner Morse in Alien 3. He has appeared in many famous British television programmes including The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, Emmerdale Farm, Our Friends in the North, A Touch of Frost, Agatha...
also appeared in the audio plays The Girl Who Never WasThe Girl Who Never WasThe Girl Who Never Was is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It takes place in Singapore in 1942 & 2008.-Plot:After the loss of C'rizz, Charley demands to be taken home...
and The Dark HusbandThe Dark HusbandThe Dark Husband is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. -Cast:*Seventh Doctor - Sylvester McCoy*Ace - Sophie Aldred*Hex - Philip Olivier*Ori - Danny Webb...
. - Writer Matt JonesMatt Jones (writer)Matthew David Jones is a British television writer and producer, who has worked on a variety of popular drama programmes for several television networks in the UK....
also wrote, as Matthew Jones, the Virgin New AdventuresVirgin New AdventuresThe Virgin New Adventures were a series of novels from Virgin Publishing based on the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who...
novel Bad TherapyBad TherapyBad Therapy is an original novel written by Matthew Jones and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Seventh Doctor, Chris and Peri....
, featuring the Seventh DoctorSeventh 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 Chris CwejChris CwejChristopher Rodonanté Cwej, usually just known as Chris Cwej, is a fictional character from the Virgin New Adventures range of spin-offs based on the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who...
. He was script editor on Russell T Davies' Channel 4Channel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
series Queer as Folk. - Shaun Parkes previously starred with David Tennant in the BBC's 2005 CasanovaCasanova (2005 TV serial)Casanova is a 2005 British television comedy drama serial, written by television scriptwriter Russell T Davies and directed by Sheree Folkson...
serial written by Russell T Davies. He was also in Things to Do Before You're 30Things To Do Before You're 30Things to Do Before You're 30 is a British film about a group of twenty-something friends trying desperately to hang on to the friendship of their youth while the responsibility of adulthood is tearing them in different directions...
with Billie Piper. - Silas Carson previously played various alien voices in The End Of The WorldThe End of the World (Doctor Who)"The End of the World" is the second episode of Series One of the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who. Written by show runner Russell T Davies and directed by Euros Lyn, the episode was first broadcast on 2 April 2005....
, as well as several characters in the Star WarsStar WarsStar Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
prequel trilogy, most notably JediJediThe Jedi are characters in the Star Wars universe and the series's main protagonists. The Jedi use a power called the Force and weapons called lightsabers, which emit a controlled energy flow in the shape of a sword, in order to serve and protect the Republic and the galaxy at large from conflict...
master Ki Adi Mundi. - Paul Kasey also plays a WeevilWeevil (Torchwood)Weevils are a fictional extraterrestrial species from the British science fiction television series Torchwood, first appearing in the episode "Everything Changes". As Jack Harkness explains in that episode, the name "Weevil" is applied to them by Torchwood, but as communication with them is...
and Blowfish in TorchwoodTorchwoodTorchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...
, alongside many other monsters & aliens in Doctor Who including the Cybermen and JudoonJudoonThe Judoon are a fictional extraterrestrial species of mercenary police from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-offs. They first appeared in the episode Smith and Jones in 2007....
Continuity
- In this episode, the Doctor is seen wearing a pair of black hi-top Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars with his brown, striped suit. This is the only time this combination has been seen, other than in the second part of this story, and in the episode "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...
". The black All-Stars are usually paired with the Doctor's tuxedoTuxedoA tuxedo is a type of semi-formal dress for men.Tuxedo may also refer to:-Places:Canada* Tuxedo, Winnipeg, Manitoba, a city neighborhood** Tuxedo , a provincial electoral district in Manitoba...
, while his brown, striped suit is usually paired with his white pair of All-Stars. - The Doctor encountered adversaries who used a black hole in The Three Doctors, The Horns of NimonThe Horns of Nimon-Outside references:The plot of this serial incorporates aspects of the story of Theseus and the Minotaur - a fact the Doctor comments on at the end of the last episode...
and The Trial of a Time LordThe Trial of a Time LordThe 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...
. The Tractators in FrontiosFrontiosFrontios is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts from 26 January to 3 February 1984.-Synopsis:...
could also control gravity. - The TARDIS arrives randomly and the Doctor asks 'her' what's wrong and postulates indigestion. The TARDIS was previously said to be suffering indigestion after 'swallowing' 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....
via the Eye of HarmonyEye of HarmonyThe Eye of Harmony is an artificial black hole created by the Time Lords to provide energy for their home world of Gallifrey and their time travel technology in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-First appearances:...
– also a black hole – in the TV movie. - Zack mentions that he took over when Captain Walker, the original expedition commander, was lost on the voyage in. Captain Walker appears in the TARDISODETARDISODETardisodes are mini-episodes of the television programme Doctor Who created to accompany the 2006 series of the programme. Made by Doctor Who producers BBC Wales, each Tardisode is approximately 60 seconds long and serves as an introduction to one of the actual 45-minute episodes...
accompanying this episode, seen being given the assignment to go to Krop Tor. - In the episode the human government is "the Empire". When reporting Scooti's death, Jefferson gives what appears to be the date as "Forty-three K, two point one". Although no further explanation is given for what the numbers mean, this episode is set no earlier than 200 years before "Planet of the OodPlanet 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...
", set in 4126, as the translator devices were created 200 years before that point. - Rose refers to the dinner ladyLunch LadyLunch lady is an American slang term for a woman who cooks and serves food in a school cafeteria; the equivalent British English term is "dinner lady". In Britain, a dinner lady also patrols the school playgrounds during the lunch breaks to maintain order amongst the children...
job she had in "School ReunionSchool Reunion (Doctor Who)"School Reunion" is the third episode in the second series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It first aired on 29 April 2006. The episode's narrative takes place some time after the events of "The Christmas Invasion"...
" when talking to an Ood serving food. - The Doctor mentions that TARDISes are grown rather than built. However, this seemingly contradicts Warriors' GateWarriors' GateWarriors' Gate is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was written by the English author Stephen Gallagher and first broadcast in four weekly parts from 3 January to 24 January 1981...
, in which it is mentioned that K-9K-9 (Doctor Who)K-9, or K9, is the name of several fictional robotic canines in the long-running British science fiction television series, Doctor Who, first appearing in 1977...
has a full set of TARDIS blueprints and Romana can build one with the help of the time-sensitive Tharils. OmegaOmega (Doctor Who)Omega is a fictional character from the long-running British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. In the context of the series, Omega is known as one of the founding fathers of the Time Lords of the planet Gallifrey, and is a revered figure in Time Lord history together with the equally...
also boasted that he would be able to build a new TARDIS while stranded on 20th century Earth in Arc of InfinityArc of InfinityArc of Infinity is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts from 3 January to 12 January 1983...
. Actor John BarrowmanJohn BarrowmanJohn 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...
mirrored this comment when talking about the piece of "TARDIS coral" Captain JackJack HarknessCaptain 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...
keeps in his office at "the HubTorchwood InstituteThe Torchwood Institute is a fictional secret organization from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-off series Torchwood. It was established in 1879 by Queen Victoria after the events of "Tooth and Claw". Its prime directive, is to defend the earth against...
" in a special feature in Radio TimesRadio TimesRadio Times is a UK weekly television and radio programme listings magazine, owned by the BBC. It has been published since 1923 by BBC Magazines, which also provides an on-line listings service under the same title...
October 28–November 3, 2006, he also mentioned a "carving process" which may mean that these previous comments are still correct if one has access to enough "TARDIS coral". Another "grown" spaceship was seen in the Seventh DoctorSeventh 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....
serial BattlefieldBattlefield (Doctor Who)Battlefield is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from September 6 to September 27, 1989. It was the last appearance of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart in Doctor Who....
(1989). - This episode sees Rose's "Superphone" lose its signal for the first time; however, it is still able to receive a message from the Beast. Rose's mobile phone is a different unit from her previous one, as the Doctor gave the old one to MickeyMickey SmithMickey 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...
at the end of "The Age of SteelThe Age of Steel"The Age of Steel" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on 20 May 2006 and is the second part of a two-part story that was the first to feature the Cybermen since Silver Nemesis in 1988. The first part, "Rise of the Cybermen", was...
" in order to defeat the remaining dormant CybermenCybermanThe Cybermen are a fictional race of cyborgs who are amongst the most persistent enemies of the Doctor in the British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. Cybermen were originally a wholly organic species of humanoids originating on Earth's twin planet Mondas that began to implant more...
. - At one point toward the end of the episode, the (recently possessed) Ood begin to list the names that have been used to label "The Beast". One of them is AbaddonAbaddonAbaddon in the Revelation of St. John, is the king of tormenting locusts and the angel of the bottomless pit. The exact nature of Abaddon is debated, but the Hebrew word is related to the triliteral root אבד , which in verb form means "to perish."...
, a demon, who features as a major element in the episode End of DaysEnd of Days (Torchwood)"End of Days" is the thirteenth episode and the first series finale of the British science fiction television series Torchwood. It originally aired on BBC Three on 1 January 2007, alongside the previous episode, "Captain Jack Harkness". The episode was written by Chris Chibnall and directed by...
of the spin-off series TorchwoodTorchwoodTorchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...
.
Production
- Scenes of bodies floating in space were filmed on the underwater stage at Pinewood StudiosPinewood StudiosPinewood Studios is a major British film studio situated in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, approximately west of central London. The studios have played host to many productions over the years from huge blockbuster films to television shows to commercials to pop promos.The purchase of Shepperton...
, the first time the series has used this facility, not counting the charity special Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal DeathDoctor Who and the Curse of Fatal DeathDoctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death is a four-episode special of Doctor Who made for the Red Nose Day charity telethon in the United Kingdom, and broadcast on BBC One on 12 March 1999...
. - In the accompanying Doctor Who ConfidentialDoctor Who ConfidentialDoctor 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, "You've Got the Look", Russell T Davies said that he likes to think that the Ood come from a planet near to that of the Sensorites from 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...
serial The SensoritesThe SensoritesThe Sensorites is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from June 20 to August 1, 1964. The story is notable for its early demonstration of Susan's telepathy and references to the Doctor and her home planet.-Plot:The...
(1964), as he suggests the races are similar in some respects. In "Planet of the OodPlanet 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...
", this is confirmed. - This is the first episode of the 2005 revival of Doctor Who to use a quarry as an alien planet — quarries were frequently used in this manner in the original series. Other familiar elements include video-overlay holograms (EarthshockEarthshockEarthshock is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts from 8 March to 16 March 1982...
, 1982) and the "base under siege" motif used in many Doctor Who stories. - This episode features no direct reference to TorchwoodTorchwoodTorchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...
, unlike most of the others in this series. However, like "Bad WolfBad Wolf"Bad Wolf" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on June 11, 2005. The TARDIS crew find themselves trapped in the Gamestation, also known as Satellite 5, where they must battle to survive the cruel games...
" in the 2005 series, such references would only appear in one half of a two-part story, as is evident with the one made in "The Satan Pit". - For the first time in the 2006 series the tie-in game to this episode is not on the Defending the Earth! website, although it can be found on the BBC Doctor Who website.
- In the commentary for "The Satan Pit", producer and chief writer, Russell T Davies, said that an early draft of the script called for the role of the Ood to be filled by Raxacoricofallapatorians, the same species as the SlitheenSlitheenThe Slitheen are a family of massive, bipedal extraterrestrials from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and they are adversaries of the Doctor. They first appeared in the 2005 series episodes "Aliens of London" and "World War Three", and subsequently recur in later episodes of...
. Their race would have been enslaved and they wished to awaken the Beast, whom they believed to be a god that could free them. - The Ood masks had their eyes in non-human positions, so the actors who played them were essentially blind.
- During an interview with the production crew, it was noted that the sanctuary base was based on the spaceship Nostromo from the movie AlienAlien (film)Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto. The film's title refers to its primary antagonist: a highly aggressive extraterrestrial creature which...
. - Executive producer Russell T Davies cited this episode's expensive production as a reason why much of the new series' stories are set on present-day Earth.
Outside references
- This episode has numerous references to HellHellIn many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
, and the Number of the BeastNumber of the BeastThe Number of the Beast is a term in the Book of Revelation, of the New Testament, that is associated with the first Beast of Revelation chapter 13, the Beast of the sea. In most manuscripts of the New Testament and in English translations of the Bible, the number of the Beast is...
, 666. The Doctor states that the power source to generate the gravitational field would have to be "66 every 6 seconds"; a character announces that a computer readout is 66.6; the room where the TARDIS was parked was Base Storage 6; the story's two episodes are broadcast on either side of the week of 6 June 2006 (06/06/06). - As they watch Scooti drift towards the black hole, Jefferson recites the lines, "And how can man die better than facing fearful odds, / For the ashes of his fathers, and the temples of his Gods," from MacaulayThomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron MacaulayThomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay PC was a British poet, historian and Whig politician. He wrote extensively as an essayist and reviewer, and on British history...
's 1842 poem Horatius, Stanza XXVII, about the heroism of Horatius CoclesHoratius CoclesPublius Horatius Cocles was an officer in the army of the ancient Roman Republic who famously defended the Pons Sublicius from the invading army of Lars Porsena, king of Clusium in the late 6th century BC, during the war between Rome and Clusium.-Background:...
. - The Doctor's line "This'll be the best Christmas WalfordWalfordWalford is a fictional borough of east London in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. The name Walford is both a street in Dalston where one of the series' creators, Tony Holland, lived and a blend of Walthamstow, where Holland was born, and Stratford. The suffix 'ford' is also found throughout East...
has ever had" is a reference to the long-running soap EastEndersEastEndersEastEnders 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...
, in which Christmas storylines are generally miserable despite characters proclaiming the above hope. - The differential forms of Maxwell's equationsMaxwell's equationsMaxwell's equations are a set of partial differential equations that, together with the Lorentz force law, form the foundation of classical electrodynamics, classical optics, and electric circuits. These fields in turn underlie modern electrical and communications technologies.Maxwell's equations...
can clearly be seen written on the table that the Doctor and Rose are sitting at while they are watching the Scarlet System being swallowed by the black hole. - Both the physical appearance of the Ood and the concept of a sleeping, malevolent entity are reminiscent of the CthulhuCthulhuCthulhu is a fictional character that first appeared in the short story "The Call of Cthulhu", published in the pulp magazine Weird Tales in 1928. The character was created by writer H. P...
stories of H. P. LovecraftH. P. LovecraftHoward Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
. - Some of the off-screen door opening and closing sound effects are taken from the original Doom (video game).
- During the night shift, Maurice RavelMaurice RavelJoseph-Maurice Ravel was a French composer known especially for his melodies, orchestral and instrumental textures and effects...
's BoléroBoléroBoléro is a one-movement orchestral piece by Maurice Ravel . Originally composed as a ballet commissioned by Russian ballerina Ida Rubinstein, the piece, which premiered in 1928, is Ravel's most famous musical composition....
is played around the base. - When the possessed Ood first identify themselves as 'Legion', they quote directly from the Gospel of MarkGospel of MarkThe Gospel According to Mark , commonly shortened to the Gospel of Mark or simply Mark, is the second book of the New Testament. This canonical account of the life of Jesus of Nazareth is one of the three synoptic gospels. It was thought to be an epitome, which accounts for its place as the second...
- "My name is LegionLegion (demon)Legion is a group of demons referred to in the Christian Bible. The New Testament outlines an encounter where Jesus healed a man from Gadarenes possessed by demons while traveling, known as Exorcising the Gerasenes demonic.- In the Bible :...
: for we are many." (5:9)
Broadcast and DVD release
- This is the first episode to be given a rating beyond 5 by the BBC's fear forecasters. The episode was given a rating of 6 - Amy, the youngest, rating it a 3, and the other three rating it a six, making the number "666Number of the BeastThe Number of the Beast is a term in the Book of Revelation, of the New Testament, that is associated with the first Beast of Revelation chapter 13, the Beast of the sea. In most manuscripts of the New Testament and in English translations of the Bible, the number of the Beast is...
" visible. The next episode to be given above a 5 on the Fear Forecast was "BlinkBlink (Doctor Who)"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...
", which was given a 5.5. - Overnight viewing figures for the episode were 5.94 million, peaking at 6.78 million. This is the lowest single rating for the new series to date, though by a slim margin. However, the episode still obtained a 39.8% share of the audience and was the second highest rated programme of the evening, behind CasualtyCasualty (TV series)Casualty, stylised as Casual+y, is a British weekly television show broadcast on BBC One, and the longest-running emergency medical drama television series in the world. Created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, it was first broadcast on 6 September 1986, and transmitted in the UK on BBC One. The...
. The final ratings for the episode were 6.32 million viewers. - This episode and "The Satan PitThe Satan Pit"The Satan Pit" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is the second part of a two-part story, following "The Impossible Planet". With the TARDIS seemingly lost, Rose and the remaining humans are trapped on the base with the possessed Ood, while the planet...
" were released in the UK, together with "Love & MonstersLove & 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...
", as a basic DVDDVDA 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....
with no special features on 7 August 2006.