 This is the fifth story of Season Thirty Seven (New Series 11). It was written by showrunner and Executive Producer Chris Chibnall and was directed by Jennifer Perrott.
Australian director Jennifer Perrott came over to the UK to film this story, along with the seventh story "Kerblam!".
After the premiere story, "The Woman Who Fell to Earth" of this season was broadcast, it was announced that Brett Goldstein, Lois Chimimba, and Ben Bailey-Smith would be among a number of guest actors that would appear in this season They play Astos, Mabli and Durkas Cicero respectively. This story also guest stars Suzanne Packer as Eve Cicero, David Shields as Ronan, and Jack Shalloo as Yoss Inkl.
The Pting creature was created and named by writer Tim Price, who worked in the story room early in this season's development. It has been reported that Chris Chibnall told Marcus Hearn of Doctor Who Magazine that the team loved the ‘brilliant and unusual name for the alien’.
Tim Price receives a creator credit for the Pting, the first time such a credit is given on a creature or character's first appearance.
Pretty much every scientific fact about anti-matter given by The Doctor in this story is true to real science.
When The Doctor tells Mabli You're a medic, I'm the Doctor’. Malbi queries this by stating ‘A doctor of medicine?’. This prompts The Doctor to clarify this by saying ‘Well, medicine, science, engineering, candyfloss, Lego, philosophy, music, problems, people, hope. Mostly hope’.
The Doctor reveals that Time Lords possess an organ called an exo-spleen which when damaged can cause pain.
Graham O'Brien is heard calling The Doctor ‘Doc’ as he has done previously in "Rosa", and "Arachnids in the UK".
Graham is heard to say how he has watched every episode of Call the Midwife, although he always looked away at the squeamish parts.
It is revealed that Gifftan males and females can become pregnant, with males only birthing male children and vice-versa. Gifftan young are gestated for a week in a pregnancy sac before the sac is painlessly cut open during birth. Gifftan babies are also born with two umbilical cords.
Images of a Cyberman, an Ood, a Weeping Angel, a Raxacoricofallapatorian, a Sontaran, a member of The Silence, a Silurian, and a Zygon appear on a console screen in rapid succession before Mabli selects a briefing on the Pting.
Once again, The Doctor loses possession of her TARDIS (see "Twice Upon a Time"). She also lost it several times during her tenth incarnation (see "The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit", "Blink", "Utopia" and "The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky").
The Doctor is heard to say ‘snap’ when her and the general say the same thing. The Sixth Doctor, Tenth Doctor and Twelfth Doctor said this previously (see "The Two Doctors", "Time Crash" and "Twice Upon a Time").
The Doctor's sonic screwdriver is once again eaten (see "A Christmas Carol" and "The Eleventh Hour").
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The Firsts:
The first Doctor Who story to be directed by Jennifer Perrott.
The Thirteenth Doctor’s first encounter with a Cyberman, an Ood, a Weeping Angel, a Sontaran, a Silurian and a Zygon (albeit as images on a screen).
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