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Matt Smith
A Christmas Carol
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Synopsis


Summoning the Shark
Summoning the Shark
 Four thousand souls aboard a crashing space liner are going to die - and Kazran Sardick doesn't give a hoot. He controls the machinery that can save them, but he refuses to lift a finger. And on Christmas Eve, too! The Doctor thinks he sees a glimmer of hope, so he embarks on a journey back through Kazran's past in a desperate attempt to change the future…



General Information

Season: Thirty Two (New Series 6)
Production Code: 6-X
Story Number: 213 (New Series: 57)
Episode Number:770 (New Series: 74)
Number of Episodes: 1
Percentage of Episodes Held:100%
Production Dates: July - October 2010
Broadcast Date: 25 December 2010
Colour Status: HD Colour
Studio: BBC Wales (Upper Boat, Pontypridd)
Location: Mir Steel (Newport); Coal Exchange (Mount Stuart Square, Cardiff Bay); Wrinstone House (Wenvoe) and Dupont Building (Mamhilad Park Industrial Estate, Pontypool, Wales).
Writer:Steven Moffat
Director:Toby Haynes
Producer:Sanne Wohlenberg
Executive Producers:Beth Willis, Piers Wenger and Steven Moffat
Script Executive:Lindsey Alford
Editor:Adam Recht
Production Executive:Julie Scott
Production Manager:Steffan Morris
Production Assistant:Charlie Coombes
Production Designer:Michael Pickwoad
Director of Photography:Stephan Pehrsson
Casting Director:Andy Pryor CDG
Line Producer:Diana Barton
Costume Designer:Barbara Kidd
Make-Up Designer:Barbara Southcott
Cameramen:Simon Ridge (Assistant), Svetlana Miko (Assistant) and Robert Arrowsmith (Operator)
Visual Effects:The Mill
Special Effects:Real SFX
Prosthetics:Millennium FX
Stunt Co-ordinator:Crispin Layfield
Stunt Performer:Gordon Seed
Incidental Music:Murray Gold
Special Sounds (SFX Editor):Paul Jefferies
Sound Recordist:Bryn Thomas
Sound Supervisor:Paul McFadden
Music Orchestrated By:Ben Foster
Music Conducted By:Ben Foster
Music Performed By:The BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Music Recorded By:Gerry O'Riordan
Music Mixed By:Jake Jackson
Title Sequence:Frame Store
Title Music:Ron Grainer and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Arranged by Murray Gold
Number of Doctors: 1
The Doctor: Matt Smith (The Eleventh Doctor)
Number of Companions: 2The Companions: Karen Gillan (Amy Pond) and Arthur Darvill (Rory Williams) Guest Cast: Michael Gambon (Kazran/Elliot Sardick), Katherine Jenkins (Abigail) Additional Cast: Laurence Belcher (Young Kazran), Danny Horn (Adult Kazran), Leo Bill (Pilot), Pooky Quesnel (Captain), Micah Balfour (Co-pilot), Steve North (Old Benjamin), Bailey Pepper (Boy and Benjamin), Tim Plester (Servant), Nick Malinowski (Eric), Laura Rogers (Isabella), Meg Wynn-Owen (Old Isabella)Setting: Sardicktown (44th century) Villain:Kazran Sardick

The Episodes

No. Episodes Broadcast
(UK)
Duration Viewers
(Millions)
In Archive
770A Christmas Carol25 December 201061'42"12.1Yes

Total Duration 1 Hour 2 Minutes


Audience Appreciation

Average Viewers (Millions) 12.1
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2011)75.60%  (Position = 8 out of 13)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2014)72.60% Lower (Position = 97 out of 241)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2023) Position = 8 out of 39


Archives


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



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Notes


This story is the sixth Doctor Who Christmas Special since the programme’s revival in 2005.

"A Christmas Carol" is loosely based on the Charles Dickens novel of the same name, with Kazran Sardick being Ebenezer Scrooge, The Doctor being the ‘Ghost of Christmas Past’ and ‘Ghost of Christmas Future’ and Amy Pond being the ‘Ghost of Christmas Present’.

Charles Dickens’ classic novel was first published in December 1843 and versions of the tale have been filmed regularly since the early twentieth century. Actors who have played the central figure of Ebenezer Scrooge include Simon Callow (who also played the part of Charles Dickens in the 2005 Tenth Doctor story "The Unquiet Dead") and Mark Strickson, who is better known as playing the part of the Fifth Doctor’s companion, Vislor Turlough.

This story features Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins, making her acting debut alongside Harry Potter and The Singing Detective actor Michael Gambon.

Other members of the cast include: Laurence Belcher (Little Dorrit), Leo Bill (Jekyll, Ashes to Ashes, Alice in Wonderland), Pooky Quesnel (EastEnders, Fine Days, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix), Micah Balfour (The Bill, The Time of Your Life) and Bailey Pepper (Guess with Jess).

This is the first story, since the show was revived in 2005, in which the role ‘Script Editor is not used. Instead, the same job is credited as ‘Script Executive’.

This story marks the debut of the show’s new Production Designer, Michael Pickwoad. His previous credits include Withnail & I (1987), the 2009 version of The Prisoner and Longford which received a BAFTA nomination for Best Production Design.

Steven Moffat becomes only the third person to write an episode of Doctor Who that receives its first broadcast on Christmas Day. The first was Terry Nation who wrote "The Feast of Steven", the seventh episode of the 1965 First Doctor story "The Daleks' Master Plan". Forty years later, Russell T Davies wrote the 2005 Tenth Doctor Christmas Special "The Christmas Invasion" and subsequently "The Runaway Bride", "Voyage of the Damned", "The Next Doctor" and "The End of Time".

This is the first Christmas special not to feature David Tennant (with the exception of a very brief cameo of Matt Smith, as the Eleventh Doctor, at the end of "The End of Time").

Murray Gold continues his theme of having a special song for the Christmas Specials.

For the first time Arthur Darvill, who plays companion Rory Williams, is included in the opening credits.

This is the first Christmas special since "The Christmas Invasion" to feature The Doctor’s regular companions.

The ‘policewoman’ kissogram costume Amy Pond wears during this story was last seen in "The Eleventh Hour" and Rory Williams’ Roman Centurion’s outfit was previously worn by his Auton self in the Season Thirty One (New Series 5)’s finale "The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang". The two claim that they have gotten used to the outfits.

If you think that the interior design and look of the crashing space liner is very familiar this is because it is based on the style of the Starfleet ships from the 2009 Star Trek film, with a similar layout (though more compact) and touchscreen controls. There is also moderate use of lens flares during the scenes on the ship, which also was seen during the interior shots of the various ships in Star Trek as well.

The Doctor is amused by Kazran’s claim that the weather controls are isomorphic. This is possibly because he has previously claimed that the TARDIS is isomorphic and can only be controlled by him - a questionable fact as we have seen several companions operate his time machine! The word itself is centuries old and derives from 'isos' meaning 'the same' or 'equal' in Greek and 'morphe' meaning shape.

The Doctor has previously observed and attempted to use devices with isomorphic controls to no avail, a notable example being The Master's Laser Screwdriver in the 2008 Story "The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords").

The Doctor produces a photograph of himself with the famous scientist Albert Einstein. The Doctor has previously mentioned knowing Einstein and previously suggested that the two were friends in the 1987 story "Time and The Rani" - the first adventure to feature the Seventh Doctor.

The Doctor is seen, once again, in a Fez, this time in a photo, and one time when unfreezing Abigail. Also during one of his visits to Abigail, The Doctor wears a scarf, similar to the one worn by the Fourth Doctor.

Paul Cornell’s short story "The Hopes and Fears of All the Years" also features The Doctor visiting an individual every year at Christmas time (though in the case of this short story on Christmas Day rather than Christmas Eve) by virtue of time travel. Both stories also involve The Doctor arriving on the scene by coming down the chimney.

In the scene where Abigail states she cannot enter her home before seeing The Doctor already inside closely resembles The Doctor telling Amy not to interfere before she sees him doing so in "The Beast Below".

Listen out for when Amy says ‘Don't be late, Doctor, just this once - a reference to "The Eleventh Hour"). The Doctor also sends a message to Amy saying ‘Come Along Pond’.

The end of Abigail’s song features the repeated line ‘Silence will fall all around’.

The first significant clip of this story was broadcast on 19 November 2010, during the Children in Need annual telethon.

This story was broadcast on 25 December 2010 on both BBC One and BBC America, making it the first story to premiere on the same day in both the United Kingdom and the United States.

Following on immediately after this story, on BBC3, was an untitled episode of Doctor Who Confidential presented by Russell Tovey. This programme was 55 minutes long and looked into the making of this story.

For the sixth Christmas Day in a row, Doctor Who pulled in a massive number of viewers for the channel. "A Christmas Carol" averaged 12.1 million viewers on BBC One and its new counterpart BBC One HD - exactly the same who tuned in for the first episode of "The End of Time" exactly a year earlier.

"A Christmas Carol" also became the most-watched story of the Eleventh Doctor’s era - bettering his 10.1 million debut in "The Eleventh Hour" by over two million viewers. This story also became the fourth most-watched Doctor Who story of the revived show (of the 58 stories and 74 episodes shown at the time).

"A Christmas Carol" was also the first story to have been simulcast on BBC One HD, which launched in November 2010. Earlier in the year Matt Smith's debut season (Season Thirty One) had been broadcast on BBC HD, which would often feature a very different line-up to BBC One itself.

Not included in the above rating are viewers who watched via the BBC's iPlayer service. "A Christmas Carol" was accessed 0.8 million times over the 14 days it was available.



First and Last

The Firsts:

 Though not technically part of Season Thirty Two (New Series 6) this is the first real story of this season.

 The first Christmas special not to feature David Tennant (with the exception of a very brief cameo of Matt Smith, as the Eleventh Doctor, at the end of "The End of Time").

 The first Christmas special since "The Christmas Invasion" to feature The Doctor’s regular companions.

 The first time Arthur Darvill, who plays companion Rory Williams, is included in the opening credits.

 The first use, in Doctor Who, of the role ‘Script Executive’ instead of ‘Script Editor'.

 The first Doctor Who story to be produced by Sanne Wohlenberg.

 Michael Pickwoad's first involvement in the show as Production Designer.

 Lindsey Alford's first involvement in the show as Script Executive.

 The first Doctor Who story to premiere on the same day in both the United Kingdom and the United States.


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The Plot

WARNING: May Contain SpoilersHide Text
Kazran Sardick
Kazran Sardick

Recently married Amy Pond and Rory Williams are celebrating their honeymoon aboard a space liner, with 4001 other passengers, when it becomes disabled by an odd cloud system shrouding a human-inhabited planet. Unbeknown to Amy, Rory, or the crew of the stricken space liner, the clouds surrounding the planet are controlled through an antenna-like spire by the bitter, peevish, old Kazran Sardick.

The Doctor, alerted by Amy’s distress call, lands the TARDIS in Kazran’s spire and tries to convince him to turn off the cloud controls, as The Doctor is unable to operate the controls himself as they are isomorphically locked so that only respond to Kazran, but the miser refuses as Kazran, like his late father, considers the rest of the population of the planet little more than cattle and so does not care for the lives aboard the space liner. He even refuses, for no apparent reason, to release a young woman, Abigail, from cryogenic storage to her sister’s family.

While talking to Kazran, The Doctor recognises that Kazran’s father has had a significant effect on Kazran’s life. While communicating with Amy, and on learning that the space liner only has an hour before it crashes, The Doctor also realises that the population of the planet is celebrating its form of the Christmas holiday. This gives The Doctor an idea and so he devises a scheme inspired by Charles Dickens’ "A Christmas Carol", the idea being to influence Kazran in his past and present to become more compassionate, and turn off the spire, allowing the space liner to land safely - so preventing the death of over four thousand innocent lives.

Rory and Amy Arrive on the Bridge
Rory and Amy Arrive on the Bridge

The Doctor visits the young Kazran shortly after his father had struck him for trying to experiment with a unique phenomenon of the planet: the ability of all manner of fish to ‘swim’ in the foggy air. The Doctor discovers the ice in the clouds contain a weak electrical charge; this is what allows the fish to swim, but is also what is disrupting the space liner. While experiment with the fish, by using his sonic screwdriver as bait, The Doctor is surprised when a large shark attacks them and swallows The Doctor’s sonic screwdriver.

The Doctor is able to recover half of his sonic screwdriver but inadvertently harms the shark in the process preventing it to return to swimming in the clouds. The Doctor realises that only if he had some sort of life support container then he could transport the shark safely to the clouds. Young Kazran shows The Doctor a system of cryogenic chambers beneath the spire, where Kazran’s father stores family members, as ‘security’, for those people he has lent money too.

The Doctor Talking to Amy and Rory
The Doctor Talking to Amy and Rory

While in the cryogenic chamber The Doctor discovers the cryogenic chamber containing Abigail and introduces her to Kazran. The Doctor and Kazran are then chased by the shark which has been enticed to the chamber by the second half of The Doctor’s sonic screwdriver. Both are saved by the recently revived Abigail whose singing resonates with the ice crystals so calming the shark. This allows The Doctor to return the shark to the clouds.

Before putting Abigail back into her chamber, Kazran promises that he and The Doctor will return every Christmas Eve to celebrate it with Abigail. The Doctor keeps this promise, travelling forward every year to reunite Kazran and Abigail, taking them across time and space, and watching them develop a romance after he is introduced to her family. However, after several Christmas Eves, Abigail reveals to Kazran a secret that leads to Kazran deciding to end the tradition and to leave Abigail in cryogenic storage indefinitely. Realising that he is unable to change history, The Doctor gives the broken half of the sonic screwdriver to Kazran to use when he needs it. Meanwhile, in the present, older Kazran enjoys his many new memories, but, heartbroken at Abigail’s fate, he still refuses to disable the spire.

From the space liner, Amy then appears to present-time Kazran as a hologram. She shows Kazran the crew of the doomed liner, singing Christmas carols, using the musical vibrations to partially stabilize the space liner within the cloud system, just as Abigail calmed the shark. Kazran though waves away the holograms, continuing to refuse to release the controls.

Communicating with The Doctor
Communicating with The Doctor

Having failed again to get Kazran to change his mind The Doctor reappears and tries to show Kazran his future. It is then that Kazran reveals Abigail’s secret, that she was dying before she was frozen and that with each day, she spends out of the cryogenic chamber, is one day closer to that event. Now, because of all the Christmas Eve’s she has spent with the young Kazran and The Doctor she can live only one more day outside of the chamber. Fully admitting that he will die alone, Kazran values the one day left he has with Abigail over the thousands on the liner or the population of the planet.

For one final attempt to get Kazran to change his mind The Doctor brings the young Kazran into the present; he is shocked by his elder self’s revelation. This change is reflected in the newly compassionate older Kazran, and he agrees at last to release the spire controls. But they find, however, that The Doctor’s interference has changed Kazran’s bio-signature enough that the controls no longer recognise him.

The Doctor, seemingly thwarted after all his efforts, concocts a new plan. By unfreezing Abigail he gets her to sing through the broken half of his sonic screwdriver. While the other half, that is still inside the shark, resonates the ice crystals so disrupting the cloud field enough for the space liner to land safely. Aware that Abigail will die after only one day, Karzan releases her. As she comforts Karzan, reminding him they have had many Christmas Eves together, she informs him that it is time for Christmas Day to come.

With The Doctor’s plan a success the space liner lands safely on the planet. As a consequence of the breakup of the clouds it starts to snow across the city. After returning the young Kazran back to his past, The Doctor, Amy and Rory are reunited. As they leave in the TARDIS the old Kazran and Abigail celebrate a shark-driven carriage ride together.

 
The Doctor Visits the Young Kazran
The Doctor Visits the Young Kazran
The Doctor
The Doctor
Abigail in Cryogenic Storage
Abigail in Cryogenic Storage
Abigail
Abigail
 
The Shark Ride
The Shark Ride
The Honeymoon Couple
The Honeymoon Couple
Reunited at Last
Reunited at Last
The Doctor Outside the TARDIS
The Doctor Outside the TARDIS




Quote of the Story


 'On every world, wherever people are, in the deepest part of the winter, at the exact mid-point... everybody stops, and turns, and hugs. As if to say, 'Well done, everyone... we're halfway out of the dark'. Back on Earth, we called this Christmas. Or the Winter Solstice. But do you know what I call it? I call it expecting something for nothing!'

Kazran



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Release Information

FormatTitleRelease Date (UK)Code NumberCover ArtRemarks
Video
DVD
A Christmas CarolJanuary 2011BBCDVD 3346Photo-montageIncludes: "Doctor Who Confidential Christmas Special 2010" and "Doctor Who at the Proms 2010"
Video
Blu-Ray
A Christmas CarolJanuary 2011BBCBD 0132Photo-montageIncludes: "Doctor Who Confidential Christmas Special 2010" and "Doctor Who at the Proms 2010"
Audio
CD
A Christmas CarolMarch 2011Music by Murray Gold
Video
DVD
Doctor Who Gift Set 2011: A Christmas CarolOctober 2011BBCDVD 3545Photo-montageIncludes: "Doctor Who Confidential Christmas Special 2010" and "Doctor Who at the Proms 2010" and The Dalek Handbook by Steve Tribe and James Goss
Video
DVD
The Complete Sixth Series Box SetNovember 2011BBCDVD 3430Photo-montageDVD boxed set containing all 12 stories
Video
Blu-Ray
The Complete Sixth Series Box SetNovember 2011BBCBD 0153Photo-montageBlu-Ray boxed set containing all 12 stories
Video
DVD
The Complete Sixth Series Box Set (Limited Edition)November 2011BBCDVD 3564Photo-montageLimited Edition DVD boxed set containing all 12 stories
Video
Blu-Ray
The Complete Sixth Series Box Set (Limited Edition)November 2011BBCBD 0193Photo-montageLimited Edition Blu-Ray boxed set containing all 12 stories
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
Audio
CD
The 50th Anniversary CollectionDecember 2013Photo-montageOriginal Television Soundtracks
Video
DVD
The Time of the Doctor & Other Eleventh Doctor Christmas Specials Box SetJanuary 2014BBCDVD 3884Photo-montage
Video
Blu-Ray
The Time of the Doctor & Other Eleventh Doctor Christmas Specials Box SetJanuary 2014BBC3DBD 0265Photo-montage3D Blu-Ray
Video
DVD
The Complete Sixth Series (2014 Re-release)August 2014BBCDVD 3970Photo-montageBoxed set containing all 12 stories
Video
DVD
The Christmas Specials Box Set (Limited Edition)October 2015BBCDVD 4059Photo-montageBoxed set containing 10 Christmas stories
Video
Blu-Ray
The Christmas Specials Box Set (Limited Edition)October 2015BBCBD 0314Photo-montageBlu-Ray boxed set containing 10 Christmas stories
Video
Blu-Ray
The Complete Sixth Series Box Set (Limited Edition Steelbook)August 2020BBCBD 0505Photo-montageLimited Edition Blu-Ray Steelbook boxed set containing 12 stories


In Print

No Book Release
Doctor Who Magazine - PreviewIssue 429 (Released: January 2011)
Doctor Who Magazine - ReviewIssue 430 (Released: February 2011)
Doctor Who Magazine - The Fact of FictionIssue 468 (Released: January 2014)
Doctor Who Magazine - Time TeamIssue 507 (Released: January 2017)
Doctor Who DVD FilesVolume 80 (Released: January 2012)

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Photo Gallery


The Doctor and Companions

 
Matt Smith
The Eleventh Doctor

   

Karen Gillan
Amy Pond
 
Arthur Darvill
Rory Williams
   




On Release

DVD Cover
DVD Cover

BBC
VIDEO
Blu-Ray Cover
Blu-Ray Cover

BBC
VIDEO
Original Television Soundtrack Cover
Original Television Soundtrack Cover

BBC
AUDIO
Doctor Who Gift Set 2011 (DVD)
Doctor Who Gift Set 2011 (DVD)

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

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

BBC
VIDEO
Ltd Edition DVD Box Set
Ltd Edition DVD Box Set

BBC
VIDEO
Ltd Edition Blu-Ray Box Set
Ltd Edition Blu-Ray 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
The 50th Anniversary Collection Cover
The 50th Anniversary Collection Cover

BBC
AUDIO
The Time of the Doctor DVD Cover
The Time of the Doctor DVD Cover

BBC
VIDEO
The Time of the Doctor Blu-Ray Cover
The Time of the Doctor Blu-Ray Cover

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

BBC
VIDEO
DVD Christmas Stories Box Set
DVD Christmas Stories Box Set

BBC
VIDEO
Blu-Ray Christmas Stories Box Set
Blu-Ray Christmas Stories Box Set

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

BBC
VIDEO
   



Magazines

Doctor Who Magazine - Preview: Issue 429
Doctor Who Magazine - Preview: Issue 429

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who Magazine - Review: Issue 430
Doctor Who Magazine - Review: Issue 430

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who Magazine - The Fact of Fiction: Issue 468
Doctor Who Magazine - The Fact of Fiction: Issue 468

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who Magazine - Time Team: Issue 507
Doctor Who Magazine - Time Team: Issue 507

Marvel Comics
   
Doctor Who DVD Files: Volume 80
Doctor Who DVD Files: Volume 80

GE Fabbri


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