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 Written by the show’s lead writer Steven Moffat this story sees The Doctor (played by Peter Capaldi) battling his old enemies the Daleks and while he attempts to save his companion Clara Oswald (played by Jenna Coleman). Julian Bleach reprises his role as Davros and Michelle Gomez reprises her role as Missy, the current incarnation of The Master.
The first episode of this two-part story is not to be confused with the Virgin Books' The Missing Adventures novel "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" by Christopher Bulis.
Making a welcome return to the show, since the 2014 story "Dark Water/Death in Heaven", is Michelle Gomez as Missy (aka The Master). Steven Moffat, lead writer and Executive Producer has commented: 'Everybody hide - Michelle Gomez as Missy was an instant hit last year, so she’s straight back to plague The Doctor and Clara in the series opener. But what brings her back into their lives is the last thing they’d expect'.
Julian Bleach returns as Davros, the creator of the Daleks. This role was originally played by Michael Wisher in the 1975 Fourth Doctor story "Genesis of the Daleks", before David Gooderson took the part in the 1979 Fourth Doctor story "Destiny of the Daleks". For Davros’ next few appearances ("Resurrection of the Daleks", "Revelation of the Daleks" and "Remembrance of the Daleks") he was portrayed by Terry Molloy before Julian Bleach played the part in the 2008 Tenth Doctor story "The Stolen Earth/Journey’s End".
To keep Davros' return a surprise, Julian Bleach was not credited prior to airing. Also the young Davros, played by Joey Price, is not credited as Davros, but rather as ‘Boy’.
Having appeared in "The Day of The Doctor" - the shows’ 50th anniversary special - and the 2014 story "Dark Water/Death in Heaven", Jemma Redgrave returns to the show again playing the part of Kate Lethbridge-Stewart.
Also returning to the guest cast is the Laurence Olivier Award nominee and film, television, radio and stage actress Kelly Hunter as the Shadow Architect. She last played this role in "The Stolen Earth/Journey's End".
Having played Ohila in the 2013 mini-story "The Night of The Doctor" Clare Higgins also joins the guest cast. Also guest starring is Jaye Griffiths who is better known for appearing in Silent Witness and Casualty.
Uncredited cast members include Demi Papaminas (as a School Girl) and David Hobday (as the Grey Dalek).
This story has been directed by Hettie Macdonald - whose previous directing credit on Doctor Who was the highly acclaimed 2007 Tenth Doctor story "Blink" - the Hugo Award-winning story that introduced the Weeping Angels.
This story is the first season opener, since the show returned in 2005, to be directed by a woman.
This was the second Season Thirty Five (New Series 9) two-part story to be filmed. The read-through took place on Monday 9th February 2015 with filming beginning in Cardiff later that same week on Thursday 12th February. Some scenes were also recorded on the island of Tenerife in February 2015.
The exterior scenes on Skaro, featuring Missy and Clara, were shot in Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands. The crew had previously filmed on Lanzarote, another of the islands, for the lunar sequences in the 2014 story of "Kill the Moon" and way back in 1984 that same island was utilised on a location shoot for "Planet of Fire".
The credits for the first episode list the creators of the Kahler, Skullions, Hath, Blowfish, Ood, and Sycorax, all of whom were present when Colony Sarff was searching for The Doctor. This is the Skullions' first appearance on Doctor Who, having previously appeared in The Sarah Jane Adventures.
The Doctor gets the crowd to complete the title of All the Young Dudes. He is also seen and heard playing an electric guitar. When The Doctor spies Clara and Missy, he plays the opening notes to Roy Orbison's Oh, Pretty Woman.
The Doctor's guitar playing was prompted by the fact that Peter Capaldi was in a band when he was younger.
The Doctor's playing electric guitar and teaching medieval people echoes the movies Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, films featuring two rocker teens who travel back in time - in a telephone call box - and teach historical figures their customs.
When The Doctor says he's been in Essex all day, Bors reminds him that he's been there for three weeks. Bors is also heard calling The Doctor a magician.
The Doctor refers to spending a day in a bowtie - reference to his previous incarnation - and the day before that in a long scarf - a reference to his fourth incarnation.
The Doctor says he no longer has a screwdriver ‘I’m over screwdrivers…’ – Having given the young Davros his sonic screwdriver and it wearing out with age, The Doctor decided against carrying around another screwdriver and instead revealed that he now has a pair of sonic sunglasses.
The Doctor has used a sonic screwdriver since the 1968 Second Doctor story "Fury from the Deep". One version was destroyed by the Terrileptils in the 1982 Fifth Doctor story "The Visitation" leaving him apparently without a sonic screwdriver until the Seventh Doctor’s final adventure in 1996. Different Doctors have used different-looking versions of the device, a fact directly referenced in "The Day of The Doctor" where it served as a metaphor for his changing appearance (‘Same software… different case!’).
The Doctor’s ‘sonic shades’ are the latest in a long line of sound-based devices to feature in the Doctor Who universe. Others include Sarah Jane Smith’s ‘sonic lipstick’, Captain Jack Harkness' sonic blaster and, of course, the sonic screwdriver. The Doctor also used a sonic lance in the 1985 Sixth Doctor story "Attack of the Cybermen", whilst the Ice Warriors came armed with sonic canons and, in "Partners in Crime", the ill-fated Miss Foster carried a sonic pen.
Missy is heard to exclaim ‘Ooh. Never seen that before’, referring to The Master's altercations with the Fifth Doctor (and/or possibly employing a vulgar innuendo).
Davros’ words ‘Compassion, Doctor. It has always been your greatest indulgence…’ echo those spoken by his creations in the 2010 Eleventh Doctor story "Victory of the Daleks": ‘The Doctor has failed! His compassion is his greatest weakness! Daleks have no such weakness!’
The Doctor had previously contemplated his death on a battlefield, at Trenzalore ("The Time of The Doctor").
The First Doctor and the Fourth Doctor make brief appearances during Missy's exposition of her account of The Doctor's fight with 50 android assassins.
Regenerative energy can apparently be used to renew any life form if extracted from a Time Lord's body.
During the second part of this story The Doctor, Missy and Davros all mention how The Doctor ran away from Gallifrey. The Doctor is heard to say that he left Gallifrey because he was bored. The Second Doctor previously said the same in "The War Games". According to The Master he left on a whim because an unlocked TARDIS was nearby (see the audio story "The Light at the End"), while in "Robot of Sherwood" Clara Oswald told Robin Hood that The Doctor ‘was moved to steal a TARDIS and fly among the stars, fighting the good fight because he found the plight of the oppressed and weak too much to bear’.
In the scene where Clara is teaching she is heard to mention the English novelist, Jane Austen. The last time this famous writer was referenced in the show was also by Clara and on that occasion The Doctor corrected her regarding the year which Austen’s best known work, Pride and Prejudice, was written. Clara also claims that Jane Austen was a ‘phenomenal kisser’.
Missy insults Clara, calling her ‘nano-brain’. In the 2014 story "Deep Breath" the Twelfth Doctor previously insulted humans, calling them pudding-brains.
Clara is surprised by The Doctor's hug, knowing he doesn't like it (see "Deep Breath" and "Listen"). He reminds her that it's a way to hide one's face ("Dark Water/Death in Heaven").
Clara combines her computer skills and talent for understanding behaviour to find The Doctor. She previously did the same to find Miss Kizlet's uploaded victims in "The Bells of Saint John".
Clara, upon deducing The Doctor's location and intent, is heard to say ‘Do not go gentle into that good night’ - quoting the first line of Dylan Thomas’ poem of the same title.
The scene where Clara is being put into the Dalek mirrors a scene from her debut episode, "Asylum of the Daleks." A similar tactic was used by Ian Chesterton in "The Daleks", the first Dalek story, and again in the Third Doctor 1973 story "Planet of the Daleks" by Rebec, a Thal. The Doctor also concealed himself in what appeared to be a Dalek’s shell during "The Space Museum".
When Clara is trapped inside a Dalek she tries to identify herself to The Doctor, but actually says ‘I am a Dalek’. A previous version of herself was locked inside a Dalek casing for so long it conditioned her to say only things that a Dalek would say (see "Asylum of the Daleks").
During this scene Clara is also heard saying ‘Affirmative’ when confirming that she is inside the Dalek. K9 always said this when in agreement as did Handles (in "The Time of The Doctor") and the Cyber-converted Danny Pink in "Dark Water/Death in Heaven".
Missy refers to the Cloister Wars and the President's wife. She also refers to selfies when threatening to kill a UNIT guard.
Missy claims that three bullets to each of a Time Lord's hearts and two bullets to their brain stem simultaneously could prevent regeneration.
The words Missy uses to announce that she is alive are similar to the words Sherlock uses to tell Watson he is alive in the BBC series Sherlock.
Missy treats her apparent resurrection as no big deal - having been shot by a Cyberman in full view of Clara and The Doctor on Earth at the end of "Dark Water/Death in Heaven". This is the latest of several instances where The Master has escaped from certain death with no explanation as to how he survived (see: "Castrovalva", "Planet of Fire" and "Survival").
Missy tells Clara to ‘say something nice’, or else she will kill all of the UNIT personnel accompanying her.
Clara refers to the fact that Missy constantly tries to kill The Doctor (see the 1971 Third Doctor story "Terror of the Autons").
Missy is seen using a Vortex manipulator. She describes vortex manipulator time travel as being ‘cheap and nasty’.
The Doctor reminds Clara that he and Missy have known each other a long time (see: "Terror of the Autons", "Utopia" and BBC Books' The Eighth Doctor Stories novel "The Eight Doctors" by Terrance Dicks and Virgin Books' The Missing Adventures novel "The Dark Path" by David A. McIntee.
Missy is heard asking Clara if Danny Pink is still dead (see "Dark Water/Death in Heaven").
Missy again points out that she'd rather be called a Time Lady than a Time Lord.
This is not the first time that The Master and the Daleks have worked together (see "Frontier in Space"). It is though The Master's first encounter with Davros.
Missy tells a Dalek to inform the Supreme Dalek that ‘the bitch is back’. This is an allusion to the Elton John song, The Bitch Is Back.
This is also a rare use of the mild expletive ‘bitch’ in the show. This is notable as this story premiered during pre-watershed hours on BBC One and Doctor Who is often considered to be a family-friendly television show. To further denote the rarity of this language on the show, this expletive was last heard (having been spoken by former companion Rose Tyler) in the 2005 Ninth Doctor story "The End of the World".
It is revealed that instead of dying Missy and Clara teleport out of the city using the energy emitted by the Daleks (through the use of a device to teleport them away nanoseconds before they are shot which made it appear that they had been disintegrated by the Daleks). In the scene that follows, at the beginning of the second episode, it is revealed this is how Missy survived after being shot by the cyber-converted Brigadier at the end of " Dark Water/Death in Heaven".
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The Firsts:
The first story of Season Thirty Five (New Series 9).
The first encounter between the Twelfth Doctor and Davros.
The Master's first encounter with Davros.
The first Doctor Who story where Davros is seen prior to his disfigurement.
This Doctor Who story shows Davros turn off his eyestalk bulb and open his own eyes for the first time.
The first time a Special Weapons Dalek has been shown to apparently talk on-screen.
The Skullions' first in the show, having previously appeared in The Sarah Jane Adventures.
The first season opener, since the show returned in 2005, to be directed by a woman.
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(Position = 2 out of 9)
