 This story sees the return of writer Gareth Roberts whose previous Doctor Who credits include the Tenth Doctor stories "The Shakespeare Code" (2007), "The Unicorn and the Wasp" (2008) and "Planet of the Dead" (co-written with Russell T Davies in 2009). His most recent contribution was last season’s Eleventh Doctor story "The Lodger".
This is the first time, since the show was revived in 2005, that the penultimate episode of a season has not been the first of a two part story written by the head writer. The end of this episode however, does set up the series finale.
This story is a sequel of sorts to "The Lodger", featuring the return of both James Corden as Craig Owens and Daisy Haggard as Sophie.
This story guest stars Lynda Baron – her third Doctor Who credit. Previously she sang the catchy cowboy number ‘The Ballad of the Last Chance Saloon’ for the 1966 First Doctor story "The Gunfighters" and she also appeared as the villainous Captain Wrack in the 1983 Fifth Doctor story "Enlightenment".
BBC Radio 1 DJ Greg James appears in a non-speaking cameo role, as a man shopping for lingerie.
Directing this story is Steve Hughes - a newcomer to Doctor Who. His previous credits include episodes of Land Girls, Doctors and Holby City.
This is the first story produced by Denise Paul who has previously been credited as the Associate Producer for seven stories during this season.
The Doctor stops by to see Craig the day before he is due to die, as the Tenth Doctor popped in on his former companions before regenerating in the 2009/2010 story "The End of Time".
The Doctor’s comment to Craig ‘Oh, you've redecorated... I don't like it’ is an echo to when The Second said this, about the TARDIS to the Third Doctor, in the Tenth Anniversary special "The Three Doctors" and later in the Twentieth Anniversary special "The Five Doctors", when he was re-united with his old friend The Brigadier. The Fifth Doctor similarly expressed dislike for a TARDIS redecoration in the 2007 special Children in Need story "Time Crash".
Despite expressing a dislike for Craig's ‘redecorated’ house Craig explains to The Doctor that the reason his house looks different is that it is a different house to when they previously met. Craig is also heard to remark that he has inspected the upstairs level, alluding to the false extra floor in "The Lodger".
At one point The Doctor appears to read a book simply by flicking through its pages in less than a couple of seconds. It was established in the 1979 Fourth Doctor story "City of Death" that The Doctor is able to read and absorb literature in this time-saving fashion!
It is revealed again that The Doctor can ‘speak baby (see "A Good Man Goes to War").
While talking about name tags in the toy section, The Doctor reveals to Craig that he often forgets his own name. Madame de Pompadour previously suggested The Doctor's real name is a mystery to him in the 2006 Tenth Doctor story "The Girl in the Fireplace".
The Doctor can make people stop talking by simply saying ‘ssh!’ This is suggested by Craig to be hypnosis. This is not the first time he has used hypnosis. (see the 1977 Fourth Doctor story "The Sun Makers" and the 1985 Sixth Doctor story "Revelation of the Daleks").
The Doctor is heard to state that a robot dog is ‘not as much fun as I remember’ referring to K9.
The Doctor also echoes himself when he recites the mini-poem ‘Not a rat, a Cybermat’ that is from the Target novelisation of the 1975 Fourth Doctor story "Revenge of the Cybermen".
In a short scene it is revealed that Amy Pond has become famous as she's seen giving an autograph to a little girl. Posters seen in the department store indicate that she has taken up a modelling career and is advertising a fragrance named Petrichor which bears the slogan ‘For the girl who's tired of waiting’ – a reference to the numerous times Amy has been left waiting for The Doctor to return – and especially to the story "The Girl Who Waited". The Doctor also frequently refers to Amy as ‘the girl who waited’.
The name Petrichor was a psychic password, given by Idris, in "The Doctor's Wife" and means ‘the smell of dust after rain’.
It has been revealed that writer Gareth Roberts considered bringing the character of Craig Owen back when James Corden was cast and he saw his performance, saying that ‘It already felt like he was one of the Who family’. It was also his idea to bring back the Cybermen, because there were no other returning monsters in the series and he thought that ‘there should be a sense of history about The Doctor's final battle to save Earth before he heads off to meet his death'.
The Cybermen seen in this story, like those in "A Good Man Goes to War", do not bear the Cybus Industries logo on their chests.
Craig is unfamiliar with the Cybermen, suggesting that either the Battle of Canary Wharf (see the 2006 Tenth Doctor story "Army of Ghosts/Doomsday") was erased by the cracks or Craig simply didn't see the Cybermen like Donna Noble.
This story sees the first appearance of the Cybermats in the revived show – and their first appearance since "Revenge of the Cybermen".
The Cybermen's robotic helpers, first appeared in the 1967 Second Doctor story "The Tomb of the Cybermen". They then returned in the 1968 Story "The Wheel in Space" and again in the "Revenge of the Cybermen". More recently they featured in The Adventure Games story "Blood of the Cybermen".
When The Doctor tries to deactivate the Cybermat and discovers it has shielding, he says to Craig ‘Don't worry; I have an app for that’ - parodying the slogan used by Apple to advertise the iPhone's versatility. The sound of this ‘app’ used one of the ‘bonus sounds’ found on the toy version of the Eleventh Doctor's sonic screwdriver, unheard on the show until now.
Craig asks The Doctor if the Cybermen's teleport is like ‘beam me up’ from Star Trek.
Craig successfully throws off the Cybermen's conversion process. Mercy Hartigan managed to also do this shortly before her death in the 2008 Tenth Doctor story "The Next Doctor".
When The Doctor leaves Craig’s house for the final time he is seen taking some ‘TARDIS blue’ envelopes. Craig also gives him a Stetson as a parting gift. Both these items were seen in "The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon" – the opening story of this season (which for the ‘older’ Eeventh Doctor takes place after this story). The Doctor uses the envelopes to bring Amy, Rory, River Song, Canton Delaware and his younger self to Lake Silenco. While he is seen wearing the Stetson at the start of that story.
Given that in "The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon" the different versions of The Doctor give their ages as 909, and 1103, and all subsequent stories occur within a short time for Amy and Rory, this story therefore must take place approximately 200 years (from The Doctor's perspective) later than "The God Complex".
At the very end of this story part of the nursery rhyme, from "Night Terrors", is sung by Madame Kovarian with some new lines added.
River Song does not seem to remember Madame Kovarian or The Silence from her childhood.
Interestingly Madame Kovarian does not appear to be affected by The Silence's ability to make people forget their existence (see "The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon").
This story confirms that the ‘impossible astronaut’ is River Song.
This is the first single-episode story in which River Song appears, and her first appearance in a story that has not been written by Steven Moffat.
This is also the first regular-season story, since the show was revived in 2005 in which The Doctor does not have a regular companion with him at some point.
Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill were, however, credited in the opening sequence, as they had been during the rest of the season, despite them only appearing on screen for less than a minute. This marks the first time in the show that an actor's name has appeared in the opening credits for less than one minute of on-screen appearance. Arthur Darvill (who plays Rory) also does not have any lines in this story.
Following on after this story, on BBC3, was the twelfth chapter of the sixth series of Doctor Who Confidential. Titled "Open All Hours" it was presented by Russell Tovey and looked into the making of this story. The use of the title "Open All Hours" is a reference to the shop-based sitcom of the same name that starred Lynda Baron which aired from 1976 to 1985.
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The Firsts:
The first regular-season story, since the show was revived in 2005 in which The Doctor does not have a regular companion with him at some point.
The first single-episode story in which River Song appears, and her first appearance in a story that has not been written by Steven Moffat.
The first full Cybermen story in the Eleventh Doctor's era.
The first appearance of Cybermats in the revived television series and the first for 36 years - since the 1975 Fourth Doctor story "Revenge of the Cybermen".
The first time, since the show was revived in 2005, that the penultimate episode of a season has not been the first of a two part story written by the head writer.
The first Doctor Who story to be directed by Steve Hughes.
The first Doctor Who story to be produced by Denise Paul.
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(Position = 9 out of 13)
(Position = 165 out of 241)
