 This story has been written by returning writer Tom MacRae whose first contribution to the show was the 2006 Tenth Doctor story "Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel".
This is the first Doctor Who story directed by Nick Hurran. His previous credits include The Last Detective, starring Peter Davison and he directed all six episodes of ITV’s 2009 remake of The Prisoner. He also worked on dramas such as Bonekickers, Outside Edge and Boon.
This story’s original title was "The Visitors' Room". This changed to "The Visiting Hour" and later, the one-word title, "Kindness". Despite many reports to the contrary, there was no late change to this story’s title and at no point was it ever called "The Green Anchor".
The title, "The Girl Who Waited" references The Doctor's nickname of Amy, given because she waited for him for so long when they first met in the 2010 story "The Eleventh Hour" and again in the 2010 story "The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang".
The cast list for this story is the shortest of any full length story since the show was revived in 2005. Not counting the regular cast only three additional actors took part and of these only two received a credit as Stephen Bracken-Keogh (Voice of Handbots) was not listed in the end credits.
Almost every line in this story is spoken by The Doctor, Amy or Rory. This is rare but not unique for a Doctor Who story. The 1963 First Doctor story "The Edge of Destruction" featured only The Doctor and his companions due to it having taken place entirely within the TARDIS.
This story’s main plot and unique moral choice at the centre of the story made it a character study of the relationship between Amy and Rory.
The Doctor insists that the TARDIS cannot sustain two Amys, yet it contained two Amys, two Rorys and two Eleventh Doctors in the special 2011 Comic Relief two-part Doctor Who mini-story, "Space/Time", two incarnations of The Doctor in the 1973 story "The Three Doctors" and again in the 2007 special Children in Need story "Time Crash".
The TARDIS' ability to sustain the paradox of a person in two different points of their timestream was previously shown in the 2005 Ninth Doctor story "Father's Day" as the TARDIS was unable to maintain the paradox of Rose Tyler touching her infant self. The TARDIS previously was only able to sustain a paradox by rebuilding its time rotor into a Paradox Machine (see the 2007 Tenth Doctor story "The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords". Two versions of The Brigadier were also seen in the 1983 Fifth Doctor story "Mawdryn Undead".
Amy previously met past/future versions of herself in the 2010 story "The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood", "The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang" and "Space/Time".
It has been revealed that the original idea was to have an older actress play the part of the older Amy. Karen Gillan, however, volunteered to play the older version of her character, with the aid of prosthetics. She also developed different body-language, vocal range and attitude for the new individual, whose character has changed after being left behind and in danger.
It has been revealed that Karen Gillan studied with a voice coach and movement coach to ensure her depiction of the older Amy was definitively spot on. Matt Smith called her performance in this story ‘absolutely fantastic’ and has suggested it is her best work to date on the show.
Amy is heard calling The Doctor ‘Raggedy Man’, referring to the memory of him as the Raggedy Doctor she grew up with after meeting him in "The Eleventh Hour".
Listen out for when Amy talks about Rory being the most beautiful man she's ever met. Although not vital to the plot it has been revealed that since the first draft of the script Executive Producer Beth Willis loved this section so much that she mentioned to writer Tom MacRae that whatever happened this speech should make it to the final version.
It seems that The Doctor is still willing to accept blame for the TARDIS landing too late in Amy's timestream, even though in "The Doctor's Wife" established that such misdirection’s were often the result of the TARDIS herself making a decision as to whether The Doctor would land.
Amy is the first companion to have constructed a sonic screwdriver - aside from Jackson Lake using a common screwdriver to make a noise in the 2009 Christmas special "The Next Doctor".
The Sonic screwdriver was previously referred to as a sonic probe by the Daleks in the 2006 Tenth Doctor story "Army of Ghosts/Doomsday".
While this story marks the first appearance of The Doctor's camera glasses, similarly capable contact lenses have been used in the spin-off series Torchwood.
Rory is heard to remark to Amy that the camera glasses look better than a fez, referring to the fez The Doctor insisted looked ‘cool in "The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang". In the 1988 Seventh Doctor story "Silver Nemesis" Ace is seen wearing a fez in that story.
At one point The Doctor refers to jettisoning TARDIS rooms for power, as previously shown in the 1982 Fifth Doctor story "Castrovalva" and "The Doctor's Wife".
This story also contains a reference to the fact that The Doctor has two hearts. This was first established in the 1970 Third Doctor story "Spearhead From Space" when an X-ray is taken when The Doctor finds himself unconscious and taken to a hospital.
During this story a painting that looks very much like the famous Mona Lisa is seen hanging on a wall and is then used as a weapon against one of the Handbots. In the 2009 The Sarah Jane Adventures story "Mona Lisa's Revenge" the painting came to life. The Mona Lisa also featured in the 1979 Fourth Doctor story "City of Death".
When the older Amy puts her hand up on the glass of the TARDIS door, her hand can also be seen on the glass from the inside. This is the first time on screen that this effect has been seen, indicating the TARDIS door windows are not opaque but translucent.
Both Twitter and a Disneyland on the planet Clom are mentioned. Clom was first mentioned in the 2006 Tenth Doctor story "Love & Monsters".
Following on after this story, on BBC3, was the ninth chapter of the sixth series of Doctor Who Confidential. Titled "What Dreams May Come" it was presented by Russell Tovey and looked into the making of this story.
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The Firsts:
The first Doctor Who story where a companion uses there own sonic screwdriver.
The first appearance of The Doctor's camera glasses.
The first Doctor Who story to be directed by Nick Hurran.
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(Position = 5 out of 13)
(Position = 91 out of 241)
