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David Tennant
Planet of the Ood
Tenth Doctor Logo


Synopsis


The Ood Attack
The Ood Attack
 The Doctor takes Donna to her first alien world - but the Ood-Sphere reveals some terrible truths about the Human Race.

Source: BBC DVD


General Information

Season: Thirty (New Series 4)
Production Code: 4-2
Story Number: 192 (New Series: 36)
Episode Number:741 (New Series: 45)
Number of Episodes: 1
Percentage of Episodes Held:100%
Production Dates: August - November 2007
Broadcast Date: 19 April 2008
Colour Status: Colour
Studio: BBC Wales (Upper Boat, Pontypridd)
Location: Trefil Quarry (Gwent), RAF St Athan (Barry), Aberthaw Cement Works, Hynix Building (Newport), Johnsey Estates (Pontypool) and Hensol Castle.
Writer:Keith Temple
Director:Graeme Harper
Producer:Susie Liggat
Executive Producers:Julie Gardner, Phil Collinson and Russell T Davies
Script Editor:Lindsey Alford
Editor:William Oswald
Production Executive:Julie Scott
Production Manager:Debbi Slater
Production Designer:Edward Thomas
Director of Photography:Rory Taylor
Casting Director:Andy Pryor CDG
Costume Designer:Louise Page
Make-Up Designer:Barbara Southcott
Cameramen:Jon Vidgen (Assistant) and Steven Hall (Operator)
Visual Effects:The Mill
Special Effects:Any Effects
Prosthetics:Millennium FX
Stunt Co-ordinator:Abbi Collins
Incidental Music:Murray Gold
Special Sounds (SFX Editor):Paul Jefferies
Sound Recordist:Julian Howarth
Sound Supervisor:Paul McFadden
Music Performed By:The BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Title Music:Ron Grainer and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Arranged by Murray Gold
Number of Doctors: 1
The Doctor: David Tennant (The Tenth Doctor)
Number of Companions: 1The Companion: Catherine Tate (Donna Noble) Guest Cast: Tim McInnerny (Mr Halpen) Additional Cast: Ayesha Dharker (Solana Mercurio), Adrian Rawlins (Dr Ryder), Roger Griffiths (Commander Kess), Paul Clayton (Mr Bartle), Paul Kasey (Ood Sigma), Tariq Jordan (Rep), Silas Carson (Voice of the Ood)Setting: Ood Sphere, Horsehead Nebula (4126) Villains:Mr Halpen and Ood

The Episodes

No. Episodes Broadcast
(UK)
Duration Viewers
(Millions)
In Archive
741The Planet of the Ood19 April 200843'35"7.5Yes

Total Duration 44 Minutes


Audience Appreciation

Average Viewers (Millions) 7.5
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2008)75.24%  (Position = 8 out of 11)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2009)72.48% Lower (Position = 79 out of 200)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2014)70.83% Lower (Position = 125 out of 241)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2023) Position = 18 out of 36


Archives


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



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Notes


Guest star Tim McInnerny is best known for playing Percy and Captain Darling in the Blackadder comedy series. He also appeared in the 2006 film Severance, which was written by Doctor Who and Torchwood writer James Moran.

The "red eye" phenomenon is explained as an effect of being possessed. In the first Ood story "The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit" they were under The Beast's control.

In this story The Doctor gives a possible time frame for both Ood stories as being in the 42nd century, during the Earth's second intergalactic empire.

It is also revealed that the Ood-Sphere is in the same solar system as the Sense-Sphere, the location for the 1964 First Doctor story "The Sensorites". Which could explain the similarities between the Ood and The Sensorites.

Donna Noble's role in this story was a deliberate attempt to further humanise The Doctor, and her opinion changing from visual disgust to empathy was an important element.

As mentioned previously in "Partners in Crime", Donna mentions the bees disappearing again. There is a real unexplained phenomenon relating to disappearing bees - Colony Collapse Disorder. Theories from viruses to mobile phone radiation have been put forward as the reason for increasingly deserted Honey Bee hives across the world.

The snow scenes were shot in a boiling hot week in August 2007, using fake snow. Previous frosty locations visited by The Doctor include Antarctica ("The Tenth Planet" (1966) and "The Seeds of Doom" (1976)), The Roof of the World in Tibet ("Marco Polo" (1964)), Necros ("Revelation of the Daleks" (1985)), Ribos ("The Ribos Operation" (1978)) Ice World ("Dragonfire (1987")), an icecano full of Daleks on Spiridon ("Planet of the Daleks" (1973)), the Ice Tombs of Telos ("The Tomb of the Cybermen" (1967)) and a glacier between Britain and the rest of Europe ("The Ice Warriors" (1967)).

Ood Sigma stands out as the only Ood to be identified by a logo - the greek letter 'sigma' - on his jacket.

The transformation of Halpen into an Ood was originally far more graphic, but after viewing the footage it was re-edited to be less horrific for a family audience.

When Ood Sigma mentions that The Doctor's song may soon end, several seconds are played of the music featured during the scene in which Rose Tyler was ultimately separated from The Doctor in "Army of Ghosts/Doomsday".

The end of this story contains a trailer for the first episode of the next story "The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky".

Following on immediately after this story, on BBC3, was the third chapter of the fourth series of Doctor Who Confidential, "Oods and Ends" presented by Anthony Head.



First and Last

The Firsts:

 The first Doctor Who story to be written by Keith Temple.


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The Plot

WARNING: May Contain SpoilersHide Text
A Snowy Arrival
A Snowy Arrival

The Doctor takes Donna Noble to her first alien world - the Ood Sphere in the year 4126. On landing find they come across a dying Ood. But before dying, the Ood's eyes turn red and it tries to attack Donna. The Doctor muses that the last time he met them, they were being influenced by The Beast. So he wonders what is influencing them this time.

On further investigation The Doctor and Donna find an industrial complex controlled by the Ood Operations Company, who are breeding and then distributing the willing servants to humanity throughout the cosmos. But something is going wrong with the Ood: their eyes are turning red, leading to acts of murder and ultimately a feral state. The search for answers leads The Doctor and Donna to uncover terrible truths about the human race and the origins of the Ood race.

As the ‘Red Eye’ phenomenon affecting the Ood increases The Doctor and Donna find themselves on the run and being hunted down by Ood Operations who are desperate to keep the ‘infection’ hidden from the visitors to the Ood Sphere – by any means – including killing any ‘infected’ Ood.

The Doctor
The Doctor

Donna finds herself trapped in a container full of Oods awaiting shipment and is horrified at the way the Ood are being treated as slaves. Despite being sympathetic to the Ood’s cause Donna is horrified when the eyes of the Ood in the container turn red and hears them chant "the circle must be broken".

Donna, with the help of The Doctor, manages to escape and they find themselves in another part of the complex where they find a batch of uncultivated Ood and they discover that instead of a translation sphere, the young Ood hold a "hind brain".

A 'Red-Eye' Ood
A 'Red-Eye' Ood

The Doctor and Donna are again captured by Ood Operations' security force and get to meet the head of Ood Operations, Mr Halpen, and his scientist, Dr Ryder. Shortly after this, the Ood begin a mass revolution, and the complex is evacuated. During all the confusion, caused by the mass outbreak, The Doctor and Donna follow Halpen and Dr Ryder to a locked warehouse, where they discover the third stage of the Ood’s race - a large brain.

But the brain's control of the Ood is being limited by a circle of pylons. Halpen plans to kill the brain, and by extension, all of the Ood, but is stopped by a joint effort between The Doctor, Donna, and Halpen's personal Ood, Ood Sigma.

It turns out that Ood Sigma has used Halpen's hair-loss medication to slowly convert Halpen into an Ood. This enables The Doctor to shut down the circle and so freeing all the Ood. Before leaving, Ood Sigma promises to include The Doctor and Donna in the Ood's song, but comments that The Doctor's song may soon end…

 
Ood Operations Company
Ood Operations Company
Donna and an Ood
Donna and an Ood
Dr. Ryder
Dr. Ryder
Mr Halpen & Ood Sigma
Mr Halpen & Ood Sigma
 
Donna Behind Bars
Donna Behind Bars
Ready for Shipment
Ready for Shipment
The Ood Attack
The Ood Attack
The Ood Brain
The Ood Brain




Quote of the Story


 'The Ood aren't born like this, they can't be - a species born to serve could never evolve in the first place. What does the company do to make them obey?'

The Doctor



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Release Information

FormatTitleRelease Date (UK)Code NumberCover ArtRemarks
Video
DVD
Partners in Crime - The Fires of Pompeii - Planet of the OodJune 2008BBCDVD 2605Photo-montage
Video
DVD
The Complete Fourth SeriesNovember 2008BBCDVD 2609Photo-montageBoxed set containing all 11 stories
Audio
CD
Original Television Soundtrack - Series 4October 2008SILCD1275Photo-montageMusic by Murray Gold
Video
DVD
Series 1 - 4 Box SetOctober 2009BBCDVD 3058Boxed set containing all 43 stories on 23 Discs
Video
Blu-Ray
The Complete Series 1-7 Box Set (Limited Edition)December 2013BBCBD 0242Photo-montageLimited Edition Blu-Ray boxed set containing all Series 1-7 stories at full 1080p high definition
Video
DVD
The Complete Fourth Series (2014 Re-release)August 2014BBCDVD 3968Photo-montageBoxed set containing all 11 stories
Video
DVD
The Complete David Tennant Years Box SetNovember 2014BBCDVD 4000Photo-montageBoxed set containing all 37 stories on 26 Discs
Video
Blu-Ray
The Complete Fourth Series Box SetAugust 2015BBCBD 0264Photo-montageBlu-Ray boxed set containing 11 stories
Video
Blu-Ray
The Complete Fourth Series Box Set (Limited Edition Steelbook)August 2019BBCBD 0467Photo-montageLimited Edition Blu-Ray Steelbook boxed set containing 11 stories
Video
Blu-Ray
Series 1 - 4 & Specials Blu-Ray CollectionNovember 2023BBCBD 0582Photo-montageBoxed set containing all Ninth and Tenth Doctor stories upscaled to high definition


In Print

FormatTitleRelease Date (UK)PublisherAuthorCover ArtRemarks
Novel
Novel
Planet of the OodJuly 2023BBC BooksKeith TempleTarget Collection. ISBN: 978-1-78594-826-8
CD
CD
Planet of the OodJuly 2023BBC AudioKeith TempleAudio version of the BBC Books Target Novel read by Silas Carsen.
Doctor Who Magazine - PreviewIssue 394 (Released: April 2008)
Doctor Who Magazine - ArticleIssue 395 (Released: May 2008)
Doctor Who Magazine - ReviewIssue 396 (Released: June 2008)
Doctor Who Magazine - Time TeamIssue 472 (Released: May 2014)
Doctor Who Magazine - The Fact of FictionIssue 542 (Released: October 2019)
Doctor Who DVD FilesVolume 23 (Released: November 2009)

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Photo Gallery


The Doctor and Companion

 
David Tennant
The Tenth Doctor

   

 
Catherine Tate
Donna Noble
 
   




On Release

DVD Cover
DVD Cover

BBC
VIDEO
Complete Series DVD Box Set
Complete Series DVD Box Set

BBC
VIDEO
Original Television Soundtrack Cover
Original Television Soundtrack Cover

BBC
AUDIO
Series 1-4 DVD Box Set
Series 1-4 DVD Box Set

BBC
VIDEO
   
Complete Series 1-7 Ltd Edition Blu-Ray Box Set
Complete Series 1-7 Ltd Edition Blu-Ray Box Set

BBC
VIDEO
Complete Series DVD Box Set<BR>(2014 Re-release)
Complete Series DVD Box Set
(2014 Re-release)

BBC
VIDEO
Complete David Tennant Years DVD Box Set
Complete David Tennant Years DVD Box Set

BBC
VIDEO
Complete Series Blu-Ray Box Set
Complete Series Blu-Ray Box Set

BBC
VIDEO
   
Complete Series Blu-Ray Limited Edition Steelbook Box Set
Complete Series Blu-Ray Limited Edition Steelbook Box Set

BBC
VIDEO
Series 1 - 4 & Specials Blu-Ray Collection Cover
Series 1 - 4 & Specials Blu-Ray Collection Cover

BBC
VIDEO



In Print

BBC Books Target Collection Cover
BBC Books Target Collection Cover

BBC
NOVEL
 
BBC Audio CD Cover
BBC Audio CD Cover

BBC
CD
   


Magazines

Doctor Who Magazine - Preview: Issue 394
Doctor Who Magazine - Preview: Issue 394

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who Magazine - Article: Issue 395
Doctor Who Magazine - Article: Issue 395

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who Magazine - Review: Issue 396
Doctor Who Magazine - Review: Issue 396

Marvel Comics
   
Doctor Who Magazine - Time Team: Issue 472
Doctor Who Magazine - Time Team: Issue 472

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who Magazine - The Fact of Fiction: Issue 542
Doctor Who Magazine - The Fact of Fiction: Issue 542

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who DVD Files: Volume 23
Doctor Who DVD Files: Volume 23

GE Fabbri
   

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