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The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos

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Synopsis

Tzim-Sha

On the planet of Ranskoor Av Kolos lie the remains of a brutal battlefield. But as The Doctor, Graham, Yaz and Ryan answer nine separate distress calls, they discover the planet holds far more secrets.

Who is the mysterious commander with no memory? What lies beyond the mists? Who or what are the Ux?

The answers will lead The Doctor and her friends towards a deadly reckoning.

Source: BBC Website

General Information

Season:	Thirty Seven (New Series 11)
Production Code:	11-10
Story Number:	285 (New Series: 129)
Episode Number:	850 (New Series: 154)
Number of Episodes:	1
Percentage of Episodes Held:	100%
Production Dates:
Broadcast Date:	09 December 2018
Colour Status:	HD Colour
Studio:	BBC Wales (Roath Lock Studios, Cardiff)
Location:

Writer:

Chris Chibnall

Director:

Jamie Childs

Series Producer:

Nikki Wilson

Producer:

Alex Mercer

Executive Producers:

Chris Chibnall and Matt Strevens

Co-Executive Producer:

Sam Hoyle

Executive Producer for the BBC:

Ben Irving

Assistant Directors:

Lauren Pate and Sion Eirug

Script Supervisor:

Nicki Coles

Script Editors:

Fiona McAllister and Hannah Mason (Assistant)

Series Script Editor:

Sheena Bucktowonsing

Editors:

David Fisher, David S J Davies (Assistant), Hayley Williams (Assistant) and Martyn Western (VFX)

Colourist:

Gareth Spensley

Head of Production:

Radford Neville

Production Executive:

Tracie Simpson

Production Manager:

James DeHaviland

Production Assistant:

Ellie Simmons

Post Production Supervisor:

Ceres Doyle

Production Designer:

Arwel Wyn Jones

Director of Photography:

Sam Heasman

Casting Director:

Andy Pryor CDG

Line Producer:

Steffan Morris

Costume Designer:

Ray Holman

Make-Up Designer:

Claire Pritchard-Jones

Cameramen:

Dan Patounas (Assistant), Scott Waller (Assistant), Sophie Hardcastle (Assistant) and Mark McQuoid (Operator)

Visual Effects:

DNEG

Special Effects:

Real SFX

Prosthetics:

Millennium FX

Special Creature Effects:

Millennium FX

Incidental Music:

Segun Akinola

Special Sounds (SFX Editor):

Harry Barnes

Sound Recordist:

Deian Llyr Humphreys

Dubbing Mixer:

Howard Bargroff

Music Recorded By:

Olga Fitzroy

Music Mixed By:

Goetz Botzenhardt

Title Sequence:

Ben Pickles

Title Music:

Ron Grainer and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Arranged by Segun Akinola

Additional Creature Design:

Robert Allsopp & Associates

Number of Doctors:

The Doctor:

Jodie Whittaker (The Thirteenth Doctor)

Number of Companions: 3The Companions: Bradley Walsh (Graham O'Brien), Tosin Cole (Ryan Sinclair) and Mandip Gill (Yasmin Khan) Guest Cast: Phyllis Logan (Andinio), Mark Addy (Paltraki) Additional Cast: Percelle Ascott (Delph), Samuel Oatley (Tzim-Sha), Jan Le (Umsang)Setting: Planet Ranskoor Av Kolos (5425) Villain:Tzim-Sha

The Episodes

No.	Episodes	Broadcast (UK)	Duration	Viewers (Millions)	In Archive
850	The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos	09 December 2018	49'40"	6.5	Yes

Total Duration

50 Minutes

Audience Appreciation

Average Viewers (Millions)

6.5

Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2023)

Position = 23 out of 24

Archives

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

Notes

This is the tenth story of Season Thirty Seven (New Series 11). It was written by showrunner and Executive Producer Chris Chibnall and was directed by Jamie Childs.

This story acted as a bookend to the main part of Season Thirty Seven (New Series 11) by marking the return of Tzim-Sha, who had previously appeared in the first story, "The Woman Who Fell to Earth". It also granted closure to Graham O'Brien and Ryan Sinclair's grief over Grace's death that occurred in the same story and became a recurring theme throughout this season.

Unlike in "The Woman Who Fell to Earth", Tzim-Sha is listed in the credits with his real name, instead of The Doctor's nickname ‘Tim Shaw’.

To keep the return of Tzim-Sha a surprise, actor Samuel Oatley was not credited for this role in the Radio Times.

The Doctor brings up the new coat she bought from a charity shop and indirectly references the fact that she was still wearing the Twelfth Doctor's coat when she met Tzim-Sha.

The Doctor tries to call her companions ‘fam’ once more. This time though Yasmin Khan expresses a liking to it while Ryan and Graham still hate it (see "The Woman Who Fell to Earth", "Arachnids in the UK" and "The Witchfinders").

Events from the companions' first encounter with the Thirteenth Doctor are referred to throughout - Namely Grace O'Brien's death as a result of Tzim-Sha is discussed by Graham, Ryan and The Doctor.

Ryan is heard again calling Graham his granddad (see "It Takes You Away").

Ryan once more is seen using a gun against the SniperBots (see "The Ghost Monument").

The Ux believe in ‘The Creator’. Because they are isolated from the rest of the universe, they believed that the first being they encountered was their god. This turned out to be Tzim-Sha after he was defeated in the first story of this season, "The Woman Who Fell to Earth".

Tzim-Sha recalls how the Stenza recall device and DNA bombs sent him to Ranskoor Av Kolos, badly injured.

Tzim-Sha uses SniperBots that were first seen on the planet Desolation (see "The Ghost Monument").

The Doctor mentions the TARDIS regressing a Slitheen back into an egg in "Boom Town" and towing the Earth halfway across the universe in "The Stolen Earth/Journey's End".

The Doctor refers to her TARDIS as a ghost monument (see "The Ghost Monument").

The Doctor uses the TARDIS telepathic circuits again and mentions having used them before with Yasmin's grandmother's watch (see "Demons of the Punjab").

The Doctor summons the TARDIS using her sonic screwdriver, something the War Doctor did quite frequently (see the Big Finish Productions War Doctor audio story "The Thousand Worlds").

When Delph is trapped, in the device to harness the powers of his mind, bears similarities to when The Master once trapped Adric and used his mind to create Castrovalva (see the 1982 Fifth Doctor story "Castrovalva").

The Doctor previously met somebody else who stole and miniaturised planets in the 1978 Fourth Doctor story "The Pirate Planet".

Story Images

Show Text

Paltraki Greats The Doctor

The Doctor

Tzim-Sha (Masked)

Paltraki

Tzim-Sha

Graham

Ryan

Yasmin

Ryan and Graham Defeat Tzim-Sha

Tzim-Sha Defeated

Andinio and Delph

The Doctor Outside Her TARDIS

Quote of the Story

'I need to be honest with you, because I am really grateful for everything you've done for me. Well, for us, you know. Everywhere we've been, all the adventures. Been amazing. But if that is the creature from Sheffield, I will kill it, if I can, for what it did to Grace.'

Graham

Release Information

Format	Title	Release Date (UK)	Code Number	Cover Art	Remarks
DVD	The Complete Eleventh Series Box Set	January 2019	BBCDVD 4296	Photo-montage	DVD boxed set containing 10 stories
Blu-Ray	The Complete Eleventh Series Box Set	January 2019	BBCBD 0437	Photo-montage	Blu-Ray boxed set containing 10 stories
Blu-Ray	The Complete Eleventh Series Box Set (Limited Edition Steelbook)	January 2019	BBCBD 0455	Photo-montage	Limited Edition Blu-Ray Steelbook boxed set containing 10 stories
CD	Original Television Soundtrack - Series 11	January 2019		Photo-montage	Music by Segun Akinola

In Print

No Book Release

Doctor Who Magazine - Preview	Issue 532 (Released: Winter 2018/2019)
Doctor Who Magazine - Review	Issue 534 (Released: February 2019)

Photo Gallery

The Doctor and Companions

The Thirteenth Doctor

Graham O'Brien

Ryan Sinclair

Yasmin Khan

On Release

Complete Series DVD Box Set

VIDEO

Complete Series Blu-Ray Box Set

VIDEO

Complete Series Blu-Ray Limited Edition Steelbook Box Set

VIDEO

Original Television Soundtrack Cover

AUDIO

Magazines

Doctor Who Magazine - Preview: Issue 532

Doctor Who Magazine - Review: Issue 534

Who's Who

Who Me

Episodes of the
Thirteenth Doctor

Season 37 (New Series 11)

References

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