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Synopsis

Aliss Fenly

Far in the future on a tough, brutal planet The Doctor and Belinda find themselves stranded on the inhospitable Planet 6-7-6-7.

There they team up with a platoon of troopers who have been sent to investigate Colony Base 15 - a mining operation that they have lost contact with.

Arriving at the installation they soon discover that within the devastated mining colony there is only one survivor and to discover the truth, The Doctor and Belinda must face absolute terror.

Something is very wrong indeed... And that something soon reveals itself to be at the heart of The Doctor's worst nightmares…

General Information

Season:

Forty Two (New Series 15)

Production Code:

15-3

Story Number:

315 (New Series: 159)

Episode Number:

887 (New Series: 191)

Number of Episodes:

Percentage of Episodes Held:

100%

Working Titles:

"The Thirteen"

Production Dates:

February 2024

Broadcast Date:

26 April 2025

Colour Status:

HD Colour

Studio:

Wolf Studios (Cardiff, Wales)

Location:

Pant-y-Ffynnon Quarry, Bridgend

Writers:

Russell T Davies and Sharma Angel Walfall

Director:

Amanda Brotchie

Series Producer:

Vicki Delow

Producer:

Chris May

Executive Producers:

Jane Tranter, Joel Collins, Julie Gardner, Phil Collinson and Russell T Davies

Brand Director for BBC Studios:

Vanessa Hamilton

Production Executive for BBC Studios:

John Hamer

Executive Producer for the BBC:

Nick Lambon

Co-Producer:

Jess Gardiner

Assistant Directors:

Christopher J. Thomas (1st), Charlie Campbell (2nd), Jennifer Day (3rd) and Rosey-Pepper Mortley (Crowd 2nd)

Director's Assistant:

Abdoul Razak Ceesay

Producer's Assistant:

Jamie McKee

Script Supervisors:

Richard Pask and Ines Mayorga (Assistant)

Script Editors:

David Cheung and Hilla Hamidi (Assistant)

Editors:

Ulrike Munch, Emily Lawrence (Assistant), Joseph Keirle (Assistant), Yas Downess (Assistant), Harri McAinsh (VFX) and Catrin Rees (VFX Assistant)

Colourist:

Gareth Spensley

Production Executive:

Steffan Morris

Junior Production Executive:

Charlotte Cox

Production Manager:

Delmi Thomas

Production Assistant:

Lisa Elena Williams

Post Production Producer:

Ceres Doyle

Post Production Supervisor:

Louise Sutton

Location Managers:

Alex Moore, Misha James (Assistant) and Shuaib Said (Assistant)

Supervising Location Manager:

Iwan Roberts

Studio Managers:

Richard Balshaw and Lloyd Di Mauro (Assistant)

Unit Manager:

Kyle Yates

Production Designer:

Phil Sims

Director of Production:

Emily Russell

Director of Photography:

Nick Dance BSC

Casting Director:

Andy Pryor CDG/CSA

Online Editors:

Christine Kelly and Monika Bednarczyk (Assistant)

Line Producer:

Angela Phillips

Costume Designer:

Pam Downe

Hair & Make-Up Designer:

Julie Kendrick

Cameramen:

Andrea Jovanovska (Clapper Loader), Sarah MacLeod (Clapper Loader), Martin Stephens ACO (Operator), Steve Rees (Operator), Chai Lee Tan (Trainee) and Salma Salah (Trainee)

Visual Effects:

Freefolk

VFX Producer:

Anne Akande

VFX Supervisor:

Dave Houghton

Additional VFX:

BBC Wales Graphics

Special Effects:

Real SFX

Creature Design:

Painting Practice

Stunt Co-ordinator:

Derek Lea

Stunt Performers:

Andrius Davidenas, Ayesha Hussain, Christian Cole, David Cheung, Hannah Grant, Kai Martin, Kim McGarrity, Nadia Hansell, Paul Joseph and Rachael Evelyn

Incidental Music:

Murray Gold

Sound Recordist:

Alex Thompson

Re-recording Mixer:

Paul McFadden

Music Performed By:

BBC National Orchestra of Wales

Music Conducted By:

Alastair King

Assistant to Composer:

Sam Dinley

Music Mixed By:

Jake Jackson

Score Preperation By:

Dave Foster

Music Supervisors:

Ollie White and Estera Dabrowska (Assistant)

Music Editor:

Marnie Davidge

Title Sequence:

Painting Practice & Realtime Visualisation

Title Music:

Ron Grainer and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Arranged by Murray Gold

British Sign Language Consultant:

Sarah Lawrence

British Sign Language Consultant (Assistant):

Simon Deacy

British Sign Language Interpreters:

Yasmin Al-Kalamchi, Kirsty Edwards and Tabi St Clair

Medical Advisor:

Matthew Casson

Additional Story Development:

Temi Wilkey

Number of Doctors:

The Doctor:

Ncuti Gatwa (The Fifteenth Doctor)

Number of Companions:

The Companion:

Varada Sethu (Belinda Chandra)

Guest Cast:

Rose Ayling-Ellis (Aliss Fenly), Anita Dobson (Mrs Flood)

Additional Cast:

Annabel Brook (Hanno Yeft), Luke Rhodri (Callo Rence), Bethany Antonia (Mo Gilliben), Gaz Choudhry (Kai Sabba), Christopher Chung (Cassio Palin-Paleen), Caoilfhionn Dunne (Shaya Costallion), Gary Pillai (Albie Bethick), Frankie Lipman (Sal Van Hyten), Paul Kasey (It Has No Name), Jermaine Dominique (Ulric Dazen), Amy Tyger (Val Vivo), Meg Abernethy Hope (Trooper 5), Beyagy Demba (Trooper 6), Sophie Cull (Trooper 7), Paul Skudder (Trooper 9), Umit Gozuacik (Trooper 10)

Setting:

Planet 6-7-6-7 (AKA Planet Midnight)

Villain:

Midnight Entity

The Episodes

No.	Episodes	Broadcast (UK)	Duration	Viewers (Millions)	In Archive
887	The Well	26 April 2025	47'57"	3.2	Yes

Total Duration

48 Minutes

Audience Appreciation

Average Viewers (Millions)

3.2

Archives

This story exists and is held in the BBC's Film and Videotape Library.

Notes

In this story The Doctor and his travelling companion, Belinda Chandra, arrive on a mining colony where contact has been completely lost. Upon investigation, they discover a sole survivor, the crew's deaf cook named Aliss. But it soon transpires that she has an alien entity attached to her that kills anyone who steps behind her.

This alien is revealed to be the Midnight Entity - so making this story to feature the second appearance and the return of this invisible being, that the Tenth Doctor first encountered 17 years prior in the 2008 story "Midnight" - thus making this story a sequel to "Midnight".

This story was the first in this season to feature a new writer, Sharma Angel-Walfall, who co-wrote the script together with Russell T Davies. It was directed by Amanda Brotchie and has been hailed, by showrunner Russell T Davies, as the darkest and most terrifying story to date.

Sharma Angel-Walfall is one of the five guest writers in this season. Prior to being hired, Sharma Angel-Walfall had been working with Jane Tranter on another Bad Wolf production. Jane Tranter suggested her to Russell T Davies. Prior to their meeting, Russell T Davies read a ‘supernatural-horror-type drama’ script of Sharma Angel-Walfall's which was used as a basis for the tone for this story.

It has been revealed that Sharma Angell-Walfall had aspired to work with him when she made it into the television industry. She and Russell T Davies engaged in a lot of ‘back and forth’ regarding the story, working closely with him to develop the story.

The part of Aliss is portrayed by deaf actress Rose Ayling-Ellis, who communicates using British Sign Language (BSL). Executive Producer Phil Collinson has revealed that the role was not written with a deaf actress in mind and that Russell T Davies had to change part of the script when Rose Ayling-Ellis was suggested by casting director Andy Pryor. Rose Ayling-Ellis and Ncuti Gatwa use BSL to communicate with each other. After these changes were made, the script was submitted for a compliance reading by a consultant which came back with a glowing report, particularly surrounding a line describing how hearing people experience paranoia around those using sign language. Rose Ayling-Ellis was excited to appear in Doctor Who, having wanted to do so for some time.

Christopher Chung appears in this story as Cassio. He is best known for his role as Roddy Ho in Apple TV's Slow Horses. He also previously auditioned for two other Doctor Who stories prior to being cast in this story, including the 2017 Twelfth Doctor story "Knock Knock".

Paul Kasey portrayed the Midnight Entity (credited as ‘It Has No Name’), which was never seen in "Midnight". Paul Kasey filmed scenes with Rose Ayling-Ellis right behind her in order to convey the feeling of the creature whose presence that Aliss would feel in this story.

Anita Dobson makes a further appearance as Mrs Flood - the enigmatic recurring character featured as part of the series' ongoing story arc.

The remainder of the guest cast includes Caoilfhionn Dunne and Bethany Antonia. Playing the part of Shaya Costallion, Caoilfhionn Dunne previously played the part of Jackie Walsh in the Bad Wolf production Industry. While Bethany Antonia, who has voiced multiple characters for the Big Finish Productions audio stories, played the part of Mo Gilliben.

When teasing about this season Russell T Davies revealed that one story in this season would contain an ‘unexpected sequel’. Many theories arose that "The Well" would be that story, with assumptions that it could be a follow-up to a number of stories, including the 2006 Tenth Doctor story "The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit", the 2008 Tenth Doctor story "Midnight", the 2009 Tenth Doctor story "The Waters of Mars", or the 2023 Fourteenth Doctor story "Wild Blue Yonder". It ultimately ended up being a sequel to "Midnight", with this story taking place on the same planet but 400,000 years later.

This story was originally planned to focus on Nigerian spirits known as Orishas. After it was determined they could not be included, due to conflicts with the real-world religion and it was felt that the script was not treating the Orishas with an appropriate level of respect, this story was converted into a sequel to the 2008 Tenth Doctor story "Midnight". Russell T Davies then realised that the actions in the script aligned with the behaviours of the Midnight Entity, so decided instead to rework this story as a direct sequel.

Russell T Davies has revealed that he had considered naming this story "The Thirteen", because ‘thirteen go in...’.

Before production commenced, the actors portraying troopers attended a boot camp on the 29th January 2024, which was taught by a former member of the military. A deaf awareness course was also held for the cast and crew so that they could be trained in the British Sign Language. A consultant was also present on set to ensure the sign language was accurate and authentic.

This story was filmed in this season's third production block, along with the preceding story, "Lux". Location filming took place at the Pant-y-Ffynnon Quarry in Bridgend, Wales on the 1st February 2024. This same location had been previously used as a filming location in the 2023 Thirteenth Doctor story "The Power of The Doctor". Some recording sessions occurred as late as 2am in subzero temperatures.

Both Ncuti Gatwa and Varada Sethu agreed that this story was the most-difficult to film, with Varada Sethu revealing that she got migraines from her costume and had to have her stunt double record her remaining scenes. The space helmets proved difficult for the actors, as they would mist up and cause breathing and hearing issues. Timing the filming so none of the helmets would mist up proved difficult. The costume proved difficult to put on, with Varada Sethu stating that the costume required three people to attach and de-attach. Each costume was made specially for each actor. Ncuti Gatwa stated that the lack of a visual for the Midnight Entity greatly aided in his performance.

Stunts were used for the story's opening, which depicted The Doctor and Belinda falling from a spaceship in orbit. Wires and green screen were used for this scene. Wires were similarly used for moments where the Entity threw people into the air. A four-point winch system was utilised in place of a conventional method to allow for simpler and more accurate movements. Stunts continued to be filmed the day after principal photography had concluded with a GoPro camera being used to capture different points of view.

Archive footage from "Midnight" was included in this story.

The Doctor and Belinda again change their clothes in the same way they did in their previous story, "Lux", which The Doctor had also previously done with Ruby Sunday in "The Devil's Chord".

When The Doctor and Belinda change into spacesuits the sound of ‘Toxic’ by Britney Spears can be heard. This song was previously used in the 2005 Ninth Doctor story "The End of the World".

Mrs Flood also briefly appears at the end of the story: this time, she is seen in a videocall as a superior official to the mining crew. Her appearance here continues the enigmatic nature of the character that has been hinted and shown since her first appearance in "The Church on Ruby Road", and continues the story arc of Mrs Flood somehow appearing in different eras of time that was first seen in the previous story, "Lux".

Mrs Flood is known to Shaya's platoon as ‘Squadron Leader Chinchappa’. In her short scene it is revealed that she is pleased that The Doctor is using his Vindicator device. She is also seen with an image of the Vindicator outside the Palazzo from the events of "Lux".

It is revealed that the planet Midnight has been renamed to Planet 6-7-6-7. As in "Midnight", the atmosphere of Planet 6-7-6-7 is still charged with raw galvanic radiation. This story is set 400,000 years afterwards, after the planet's x-tonic star had collapsed into a grey star and its diamond surface has been mined away.

Continuing directly after their encounter with the Lux Imperator in the previous story, this story continues the main story arc of The Doctor being unable to get the TARDIS to return Belinda to the 24th May 2025, this is compounded when questioned the soldiers have never heard of Earth or humans.

A box in the colony hallway can be seen with symbols on its side which were previously established as being numerical symbols from the language from "Wild Blue Yonder". These numbers are faintly visible when The Doctor runs past the box while chasing Shaya Costallion during this story's climax. They were more clearly visible in promotional material relating to Doctor Who: Unleashed showcasing the set used for this story.

Persuading the soldiers that they have been sent by their superiors, Belinda compares herself and The Doctor to mystery shoppers. This is similar to "Mummy on the Orient Express", where Captain Quell thought the Twelfth Doctor was one. The soldiers assuming The Doctor and Belinda have been sent to test them is also reminiscent of the Ninth Doctor's encounter with reporters Cathica Santini Khadeni and Suki Macrae Cantrell in "The Long Game".

This story contains an error where Rose Ayling-Ellis' hearing aid can be seen in a number of scenes. Her character is not supposed to have one.

This story was simultaneously released on BBC iPlayer at 8am and on Disney+ in the United States at 12am (Pacific Daylight Time) on the 26th April 2025. The BBC One broadcast was delayed as a result of the 2024/25 FA Cup semi-finals and was transmitted at 7:20pm.

This story received overnight viewing figures of 1.9 million, an improvement on the previous story.

This story received largely positive responses from critics, who highlighted the cast performances. Reception to the return of the Midnight Entity was mixed; some reviewers felt it was an effective usage of the Entity, while others felt the return to be unnecessary, and that it detracted from the Entity's overall mystery.

A novelisation of this story, written by Gareth L. Powell, along with an audio version, read by Caoilfhionn Dunne, were released in July 2025 as part of the Target Collection.

First and Last

The Firsts:

The first Doctor Who story written by Sharma Angel Walfall.

The first encounter with the Midnight Entity since the 2008 Tenth Doctor story "Midnight".

Story Images

Show Text

The Doctor and Belinda

The Doctor Exits the TARDIS

On Planet 6-7-6-7

Inside the Mining Colony

Shaya Costallion

Trooper Cassio

Aliss Fenly

Nurse Belinda

The Doctor

It's Behind Aliss

Shaya Shoots Belinda

Mrs Flood

Quote of the Story

'Look at me. I can. I will. I do.'

The Doctor

Release Information

Format	Title	Release Date (UK)	Code Number	Cover Art	Remarks
DVD	The Complete Fifteenth Series Box Set	August 2025	BBCDVD 4621	Photo-montage	DVD boxed set containing 7 stories from New Series 15 along with the 2024 Christmas Special "Joy to the World"
Blu-Ray	The Complete Fifteenth Series Box Set	August 2025	BBCBD 0627	Photo-montage	Blu-Ray boxed set containing 7 stories from New Series 15 along with the 2024 Christmas Special "Joy to the World"
Blu-Ray	The Complete Fifteenth Series Box Set (Limited Edition Steelbook)	August 2025	BBCBD 0626	Photo-montage	Limited Edition Blu-Ray Steelbook boxed set containing 7 stories from New Series 15 along with the 2024 Christmas Special "Joy to the World"

In Print

Format	Title	Release Date (UK)	Publisher	Author	Cover Art	Remarks
Novel	The Well	July 2025	BBC Books	Gareth L Powell		Target Collection. ISBN: 978-1-52997-031-9 (Paperback)
CD	The Well	July 2025	BBC Audio	Gareth L Powell		Audio version of the BBC Books Novel read by Caoilfhionn Dunne.

Doctor Who Magazine - Preview	Issue 615 (Released: April 2025)
Doctor Who Magazine - After Image	Issue 619 (Released: August 2025)

Photo Gallery

The Doctor and Companion

The Fifteenth Doctor

Belinda Chandra

On Release

DVD Cover

VIDEO

Blu-Ray Cover

VIDEO

Blu-Ray Steelbook Cover

VIDEO

In Print

BBC Books Paperback Target Collection Cover

NOVEL

BBC Audio CD Cover

Magazines

Doctor Who Magazine - Preview: Issue 615

Doctor Who Magazine - After Image: Issue 619

Who's Who

Who Me

Episodes of the
Fifteenth Doctor

Season 42 (New Series 15)

References

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