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{{Doctorwhobox
{{Doctorwhobox
| image = [[Image:Pompeii the last day 1.jpg|250px]]
| image =
| caption = The eruption of [[Mount Vesuvius]], here depicted in BBC production ''[[Pompeii: The Last Day]]'', is the background to the narrative of the episode.
| caption =
| number = 194
| number = 194
| serial_name = The Fires of Pompeii
| serial_name = The Fires of Pompeii
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The episode takes place during the [[Mount Vesuvius#Eruption of 79|79AD eruption of Mount Vesuvius]]. In the episode, the [[Doctor (Doctor Who)|Doctor]] is faced with a moral dilemma: whether to recuse from the situation or to save the population of Pompeii. The Doctor's activities in Pompeii are impeded by the rock-like Pyrovile, and their allies, the Sybilline Sisterhood, who are using the volcano to convert the humans to Pyroviles.
The episode takes place during the [[Mount Vesuvius#Eruption of 79|79AD eruption of Mount Vesuvius]]. In the episode, the [[Doctor (Doctor Who)|Doctor]] is faced with a moral dilemma: whether to recuse from the situation or to save the population of Pompeii. The Doctor's activities in Pompeii are impeded by the rock-like Pyrovile, and their allies, the Sybilline Sisterhood, who are using the volcano to convert the humans to Pyroviles.


The episode was filmed in Rome's [[Cinecittà]] studios, the first time ''Doctor Who'' took cast abroad for filming since its revival.<ref name="RTTX">{{cite journal |year=2008 |month=April |title=Doctor Who Watch|journal=[[Radio Times]] |issue=12-18 April 2008 |pages=pp 10-15|accessdate=2008-04-06 |publisher=[[BBC]] }}</ref> The production of the episode was impeded by a fire near the sets several weeks before filming.
The episode was filmed in Rome's [[Cinecittà]] studios, the first time ''Doctor Who'' has filmed abroad since its revival.<!--Don't change this: the shots of NYC in Daleks in Manhattan were pick-up shots only--> The production of the episode was impeded by several events, most notably a fire near the sets several weeks before filming started and the production team being delayed while crossing Europe.


==Plot==
==Plot==
===Synopsis===
The [[Doctor (Doctor Who)|Doctor]] ([[David Tennant]]) and [[Donna Noble]] ([[Catherine Tate]]) arrive in what the Doctor believes to be be first century Rome. After an earthquake, he realises that they are not in Rome: they have materialised in [[Pompeii]] on [[23 August]] [[79]], one day before the eruption of [[Mount Vesuvius]]. When he returns to the TARDIS' location, he is told it was sold to a [[Lucius Caecilius Iucundus]] ([[Peter Capaldi]]), a marble sculptor.
The [[Doctor (Doctor Who)|Doctor]] ([[David Tennant]]) and [[Donna Noble]] ([[Catherine Tate]]) arrive in what the Doctor believes to be be first century Rome. After an earthquake, he realises that they are not in Rome: he has materialised in [[Pompeii]] on [[23 August]] [[79]], one day before the eruption of [[Mount Vesuvius]]. When he returns to the TARDIS' location, he is told it was sold to a [[Lucius Caecilius Iucundus]] ([[Peter Capaldi]]), a marble sculptor.


The episode's antagonists are the Pyrovile, giant rock-like creatures whose home planet was destroyed. They operate secretly; the Sybilline Sisterhood act as their proxies. They use the Sisterhood, which is comprised of a high priestess ([[Victoria Wicks]]), Spurrina ([[Sasha Behar]]), and Thalina (Lorraine Burroughs), to make prophecies while converting them to stone to incubate new Pyroviles. The Sisterhood is inducting Caecilius' daughter Evelina ([[Francesca Fowler]]) and is allied to the local [[augur]] Lucius ([[Phil Davis]]). The Doctor is disturbed by their knowledge of [[London]], [[Gallifrey]], the Doctor's name, and Lucius' latest commission, a marble circuit board.
The episode's antagonists are the Pyrovile, giant rock-like creatures whose home planet was destroyed. They operate secretly; the Sybilline Sisterhood act as their proxies. They use the Sisterhood, which comprises of a high priestess ([[Victoria Wicks]]), Spurrina ([[Sasha Behar]]), Thalina (Lorraine Burroughs), to make prophecies while converting them to stone. The Sisterhood is inducting Caecilius' daughter Evelina ([[Francesca Fowler]]) and is allied to the local [[augur]] Lucius ([[Phil Davis]]). The Doctor is disturbed by their knowledge of [[London]], [[Gallifrey]], the Doctor's name, and Lucius' latest commission, a marble circuit board.


The Doctor breaks into Lucius' home and discovers that Lucius is creating an energy converter. He is accosted by Lucius, who sends a Pyrovile to kill the Doctor. The confusion allows the Sisterhood to kidnap Donna briefly; the Doctor follows them and frees Donna. They escape into the Sisterhood's [[hypocaust]] system and travel into the centre of Mount Vesuvius.
The Doctor breaks into Lucius' home and discovers that Lucius is creating an energy converter. He is accosted by Lucius, who sends a Pyrovile to kill the Doctor. The confusion allows the Sisterhood to kidnap Donna briefly; the Doctor follows them and frees Donna. They escape into the Sisterhood's [[hypocaust]] system and travel into the centre of Mount Vesuvius.
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The last scene takes place six months later in Rome. Caecilius' family are shown to be successful: Caecilius is running a profiting business, Evelina has become a socialite, and his son Quintus (Francois Pandolfo) is training to become a doctor. Before Quintus leaves, he pays tribute to the [[Lares|family's household gods]], the Doctor and Donna.
The last scene takes place six months later in Rome. Caecilius' family are shown to be successful: Caecilius is running a profiting business, Evelina has become a socialite, and his son Quintus (Francois Pandolfo) is training to become a doctor. Before Quintus leaves, he pays tribute to the [[Lares|family's household gods]], the Doctor and Donna.


==Continuity==
===Continuity===
The Doctor refers to the eruption as "volcano day", a phrase also used by [[Jack Harkness]] and the [[Ninth Doctor]] in "[[The Empty Child]]" and "[[The Doctor Dances]]".<ref>{{cite episode | title = [[The Empty Child]] | series = [[Doctor Who]] | credits = Writer [[Steven Moffat]], Director [[James Hawes]], Producer [[Phil Collinson]] | network = [[BBC]] | station = [[BBC One]] | city = Cardiff | airdate = 2005-05-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite episode | title = [[The Doctor Dances]] | series = [[Doctor Who]] | credits = Writer [[Steven Moffat]], Director [[James Hawes]], Producer [[Phil Collinson]] | network = [[BBC]] | station = [[BBC One]] | city = Cardiff | airdate = 2005-05-28}}</ref> The Shadow Proclamation, an intergalactic code invoked in "[[Rose (Doctor Who)|Rose]]", "[[The Christmas Invasion]]", and "[[Partners in Crime (Doctor Who)|Partners in Crime]]" is used by the Doctor when speaking to the Pyrovile.<ref>{{cite episode | title = [[The Christmas Invasion]] | series = [[Doctor Who]] | credits = Writer [[Russell T. Davies]], Director [[James Hawes]], Producer [[Phil Collinson]] | network = [[BBC]] | station = [[BBC One]] | city = Cardiff | airdate = 2005-12-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite episode | title = [[Partners in Crime (Doctor Who)|Partners in Crime]] | series = [[Doctor Who]] | credits = Writer [[Russell T. Davies]], Director [[James Strong (director)|James Strong]], Producer [[Phil Collinson]] | network = [[BBC]] | station = [[BBC One]] | city = [[Cardiff]] | airdate = 2008-04-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite episode | title = [[Rose (Doctor Who)|Rose]] | series = [[Doctor Who]] | credits = Writer [[Russell T. Davies]], Director [[Keith Boak]], Producer [[Phil Collinson]] | network = [[BBC]] | station = [[BBC One]] | city = Cardiff | airdate = 2005-03-26}}</ref> The Medusa Cascade, mentioned by the [[Master (Doctor Who)|Master]] in "[[Last of the Time Lords]]";<ref>{{cite episode | title = [[Last of the Time Lords]] | series = [[Doctor Who]] | credits = Writer [[Russell T. Davies]], Director [[Colin Teague]], Producer [[Phil Collinson]] | network = [[BBC]] | station = [[BBC One]] | city = Cardiff | airdate = 2007-06-30}}</ref> Executive producer [[Russell T Davies]] stated that the Cascade would "come back to haunt us".<ref name="PiCpreview">{{cite journal|last=Spilsbury|first=Tom|date=[[April 2008]]|title=The Gallifrey Guardian: Series Four Episode 1: Partners in Crime: Back in Business!|journal=[[Doctor Who Magazine]]|publisher=[[Panini|Panini Publishing Ltd]]|location=[[Tunbridge Wells]], [[Kent]]|issue=394|pages=6-7|accessdate=2008-04-10}}</ref> The Doctor also admits minor responsibility for the [[Great Fire of Rome]], which was depicted at the end of ''[[The Romans (Doctor Who)|The Romans]]''.<ref>{{cite serial | title = [[The Romans (Doctor Who)|The Romans]] | episode = Inferno | series = [[Doctor Who]] | credits = Writer [[Dennis Spooner]], Director [[Christopher Barry]], Producers [[Verity Lambert]], [[Mervyn Pinfield]] | network = [[BBC]] | station = [[BBC One|BBC1]] | city = London | airdate = 1965-02-06}}</ref>
*A previous Big Finish audio storyline, The Fires of Vulcan (featuring the Seventh Doctor and Mel) shares the same historical setting and event.
*In the pre-credits sequence, the Doctor can be heard referring to the day of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius as "volcano day". In the 2005 episode "The Doctor Dances", Captain Jack Harkness also uses the phrase "Volcano Day" in relation to the Pompeii eruption.
*Gallifrey - first mentioned by name in the revived series in "The Runaway Bride" - is mentioned by name, as is its destruction "by fire" in the Time War.
*This episode is not the first occurence of the TARDIS being mistaken for 'modern art', having previously been done so in the Fourth Doctor adventure, City of Death.
*The Doctor refers to having been in Rome previously, and states that the Great Fire of Rome was "nothing to do with me - well, a little bit" - this refers to the First Doctor's accidental responsibility for it in The Romans.
*For the second consecutive episode (this idea is also mentioned by Miss Foster in "Partners in Crime"), one of the principal causes of alien presence is the destruction or loss of an important planet for them: an Adiposean breeding planet was 'lost', while the planet Pyrovillia has been 'taken'.
*The Medusa Cascade, referred to by the Master in "Last of the Time Lords" is mentioned.
*The Doctor mentions the Shadow Proclamation, when ordering a Pyrovile using a human host to reveal its species. It has been mentioned before in "Partners in Crime", "The Christmas Invasion", "Fear Her" and "Rose".
*The Doctor refers to San Francisco and its San Andreas Fault. The Eighth Doctor visited San Francisco in the TV Movie and the novel Unnatural History.
*The Doctor's explanation of fixed points in time addresses an issue dating back to The Aztecs, concerning the mutability (or lack thereof) of established history.
*The formulation of Time Lord as "Lord of Time", here used by Evelina, was also used by the Doctor himself in "The Girl in the Fireplace" and "The Family of Blood".
*The Doctor's acknowledging that Donna was right in that "sometimes I need someone" to stop and humanise him, quoting some of her last words to him in "The Runaway Bride".
*The line "she is returning" almost certainly refers to a story arc, possibly referring to rose tyler's return as witnessed in 'partners in crime'.
*The episode's monsters were originally to be called the "Pyrovillaxians". The name then shortened to "Pyrovellians", and finally arrived at "Pyrovile".<ref name="facts">{{cite web
| url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/s4/episodes/?episode=s4_02&action=factfile
| title = The Fires of Pompeii - Fact File
| date = [[2008-04-12]]
| accessdate = 2008-04-12
| publisher = [[BBC]]}}</ref>

==Historical references==
*The episode places a Sibylline sisterhood and the Sibylline religion in Pompeii, and it as being a cult founded by "Sibyl". The Sibyl was in fact an oracle of Apollo based at Cumae, rather than a goddess or religious figure of her own right, whilst the Sibylline oracles were kept in Rome.
*As they watch the eruption, the Doctor tells Caecilius that "you will be remembered" in thousands of years' time. Whilst this also a general reference to the rediscovery of Pompeii in the 18th century, it also refers to Caecilius, Quintus and Metella specifically, who are attested in the archaeological record. Their house has been found and (without Evelina, who is an invention) they feature in the Cambridge Latin Course Book I, a Latin textbook widely used in secondary school education in Britain, which is set in Pompeii and in which the whole family (barring Quintus) die in the eruption. There is in fact no archaeological evidence as to whether or not the family died in the eruption, and as such the Doctor's saving them is not per se 'changing history'.
*Caecilius is shown here as a marble merchant, when he was in fact an auction middle-man and banker.
*Caecilius disapprovingly refers to Quintus mixing with "Etruscans and Christians". Christianity in Pompeii is not attested, but has been a running theme in fictional depictions of the city since the novel The Last Days of Pompeii.
*Lucius Petrus Dextrus is an augur, an attested priestly position in Roman society, and vestal virgins, amphorae, haruspexes, the Appian Way, Alexandria, a thermopolium and the Roman consumption of ants in honey and dormice and attitudes to "dignity in death" are also referenced.
*The Doctor refers to going to Rome to see the Colosseum, Pantheon and Circus Maximus, and Donna refers to going to Pompeii's amphitheatre to make a public announcement of the eruption.
*The Doctor refers to San Francisco as another example of where, like Pompeii, humans chose not to move away from a natural disaster area (though, due to its similarity to Latin, Caecilius takes this to be the name of a new local restaurant).
*Lucius Petrus Dextrus is not an attested historical figure, and his name is similar to that of the punning cod-Latin of Up Pompeii and the Asterix series (the latter of which counts Moran and Russell T Davis among its fans), loosely translating from Latin and Greek as "stone right arm".
*The Doctor refers to Donna's Roman dress as a toga, when in fact it is a stola or chiton. For a Roman woman to wear a toga was seen as a mark of shame or prostitution.
*Donna's instructions to the fleeing inhabitants of Pompeii to evacuate to the hills not the beach is based on Pliny the Younger's account of the eruption. The sea level rose due to pumice from the eruption and his uncle's warships could thus not reach the beach to carry out a rescue, whilst massed skeletons in beach huts (of those awaiting a rescue by sea) have been found in the nearby town of Herculaneum.
*The Doctor's statement that the Romans have no word for volcano is correct but, though Caecilius' derivation of it from the Roman fire god Vulcan is correct, they in fact continued to have no word for it even after the eruption. The first use of the word "volcano" in English is attested by the Oxford English Dictionary as occurring in 1613, and its equivalents in other languages also only appeared at this time.<ref name="facts"/>

==Outside references==
*Donna asks Evelina if she shops at TK Maximus, a pun on TK Maxx.
*Trapped in the heart of the volcano, Donna refers to one of the Pyroviles as "Rocky IV", referencing the film.
*When asked to identify himself, the Doctor states "I'm...Spartacus" to which Donna adds, "And so am I." This is a reference to the film Spartacus and to the scene in it in which all the slaves declare "I'm Spartacus!".
*Apologising for Donna's manners, the Doctor states "don't mind her, she's from Barcelona", referencing Basil Fawlty's catchphrase from Fawlty Towers.<ref name="facts"/>


==Production==
==Production==
⚫
{{quotebox|align=left|width=300px|quote=How does [the Doctor] decide who lives, who dies, when to intervene, and when not to? If you do save them, where do you stop? Do you remake the universe according to what you think is right and wrong?|source=[[James Moran]]<ref name="DWM394">{{cite journal|last=Spilsbury|first=Tom|date=[[April 2008]]|title=The Gallifrey Guardian: Series Four Episode 2: The Fires of Pompeii: Volcano Day!|journal=[[Doctor Who Magazine]]|publisher=[[Panini|Panini Publishing Ltd]]|location=[[Tunbridge Wells]], [[Kent]]|issue=394|pages=8-9|accessdate=2008-04-14}}</ref>}}
===Writing===
===Writing===
⚫
The episode was written by [[James Moran]], who previously wrote the film ''[[Severance (film)|Severance]]'' and the ''[[Torchwood]]'' episode "[[Sleeper (Torchwood)|Sleeper]]". Moran had difficulty writing the episode, and had to rewrite the Doctor's opening line over twenty times.<ref name="RTTX">{{cite journal |year=2008 |month=April |title=Doctor Who Watch|journal=[[Radio Times]] |issue=12-18 April 2008 |pages=pp 10-15|accessdate=2008-04-06 |publisher=[[BBC]] }}</ref>
⚫
{{quotebox|align=right|width=300px|quote=How does [the Doctor] decide who lives, who dies, when to intervene, and when not to? If you do save them, where do you stop? Do you remake the universe according to what you think is right and wrong?|source=[[James Moran]]<ref name="DWM394">{{cite journal|last=Spilsbury|first=Tom|date=[[April 2008]]|title=The Gallifrey Guardian: Series Four Episode 2: The Fires of Pompeii: Volcano Day!|journal=[[Doctor Who Magazine]]|publisher=[[Panini|Panini Publishing Ltd]]|location=[[Tunbridge Wells]], [[Kent]]|issue=394|pages=8-9|accessdate=2008-04-14}}</ref>}}
⚫
The episode was written by [[James Moran]], who previously wrote the film ''[[Severance (film)|Severance]]'' and the ''[[Torchwood]]'' episode "[[Sleeper (Torchwood)|Sleeper]]". Moran had difficulty writing the episode, and had to rewrite the Doctor's opening line over twenty times.<ref name="RTTX"/>


Moran worked closely with executive producer [[Russell T Davies]] because of the constraints imposed by filming.<ref name="DWM394" /> Davies encouraged Moran to insert linguistic jokes similar to those in the comic book series ''[[Asterix]]'', such as ''Lucius Petrus Dextrus'' (Lucius Stone Right Arm) and [[TK Maxx]]imus. Davies also based the ancillary characters of Metalla ([[Tracey Childs]]) and Quintus from characters in the [[Cambridge Latin Course]].<ref name="confidential">{{cite episode |title=The Italian Job |series=Doctor Who Confidential |serieslink=Doctor Who Confidential |network=BBC |station=BBC Three |airdate=2008-04-12 |season=4 |number=2 }}</ref>
Moran worked closely with executive producer [[Russell T Davies]] because of the constraints imposed by filming.<ref name="DWM394" /> Davies encouraged Moran to insert linguistic jokes similar to those in the comic book series ''[[Asterix]]'', such as ''Lucius Petrus Dextrus'' (Lucius Stone Right Arm) and [[TK Maxx]]imus. Davies also based the ancillary characters of Metalla ([[Tracey Childs]]) and Quintus from characters in the [[Cambridge Latin Course]].<ref name="confidential">{{cite episode |title=The Italian Job |series=Doctor Who Confidential |serieslink=Doctor Who Confidential |network=BBC |station=BBC Three |airdate=2008-04-12 |season=4 |number=2 }}</ref>
Line 108: Line 72:
| publisher = [[Digital Spy]]}}</ref><ref>{{citation |last=Cook |first=Benjamin |date=[[2007-11-14]] (cover date) |title= International Playboy|periodical=[[Doctor Who Magazine]] |issue=388 |page=p. 54}}</ref> Other locations suggested were in Malta and Wales, but the size of the project, the biggest since the show's revival, resulted in production taking place in Italy.<ref name="confidential" /> Cinecittà had accepted the BBC's request despite the show's small budget to promote the studios.<ref name="DWM394" />
| publisher = [[Digital Spy]]}}</ref><ref>{{citation |last=Cook |first=Benjamin |date=[[2007-11-14]] (cover date) |title= International Playboy|periodical=[[Doctor Who Magazine]] |issue=388 |page=p. 54}}</ref> Other locations suggested were in Malta and Wales, but the size of the project, the biggest since the show's revival, resulted in production taking place in Italy.<ref name="confidential" /> Cinecittà had accepted the BBC's request despite the show's small budget to promote the studios.<ref name="DWM394" />


Filming an episode abroad had been suggested in 2004,<ref name="DWM394"/> but the episode was the first such occasion.<ref name="confidential"/> Planning began in April 2007, before Moran had written the script, and continued until the production team travelled to Italy.<ref name="confidential"/> Moving to Rome caused problems for the production team: the equipment truck was delayed for several hours at the Swiss border; the special effects team were delayed for twenty-four hours at [[HMRC|Customs]] in [[Calais]].<ref name="confidential"/> The production team only had 48 hours to film on location. The aftermath of the eruption was filmed on the same night as the location shots. To create the falling ash, the special effects team used a large mass of cork, which was used as a "constant supply of debris raining down".<ref name="RTTX"/>
Filming an episode abroad had been suggested in 2004,<ref name="DWM394" /> but the episode was the first such occasion.<ref name="confidential" /> Planning began in April 2007, before Moran had written the script, and continued until the production team travelled to Italy.<ref name="confidential" /> Moving to Rome caused problems for the production team: the equipment truck was delayed for several hours at the Swiss border; the special effects team were delayed for twenty-four hours at [[HMRC|Customs]] in [[Calais]].<ref name="confidential" /> The production team only had 48 hours to film on location. The aftermath of the eruption was filmed on the same night as the location shots. To create the falling ash, the special effects team used a large mass of cork, with a "constant supply of debris raining down".<ref name="RTTX" />

==Broadcast and Reception==
The episode was broadcast on [[12 April]] [[2008]] and recieved an overall overnight audience estimate of 8.1 million veiwers,<ref>http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/apr/14/television.itv1</ref> giving it 36.7% share of the audience and was just beaten by ITV1's ''[[Britain's Got Talent]]'' which got 8.8 million. The audience peaked in the last quarter hour at 8.5 million. The programme currently stands as the 11th most watched of the week.


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 09:09, 14 April 2008

194 – "The Fires of Pompeii"
Doctor Who episode
File:Pompeii the last day 1.jpg
The eruption of Mount Vesuvius, here depicted in BBC production Pompeii: The Last Day, is the background to the narrative of the episode.
Cast
Guest
Production
Directed byColin Teague
Written byJames Moran
Produced byPhil Collinson
Executive producer(s)Russell T. Davies
Julie Gardner
Production code4.2
SeriesSeries 4
Running time45 mins
First broadcast12 April 2008
Chronology
← Preceded by
"Partners in Crime" 		Followed by →
"Planet of the Ood"
List of episodes (2005–present)

"The Fires of Pompeii" is the second episode of fourth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 12 April 2008.

The episode takes place during the 79AD eruption of Mount Vesuvius. In the episode, the Doctor is faced with a moral dilemma: whether to recuse from the situation or to save the population of Pompeii. The Doctor's activities in Pompeii are impeded by the rock-like Pyrovile, and their allies, the Sybilline Sisterhood, who are using the volcano to convert the humans to Pyroviles.

The episode was filmed in Rome's Cinecittà studios, the first time Doctor Who has filmed abroad since its revival. The production of the episode was impeded by several events, most notably a fire near the sets several weeks before filming started and the production team being delayed while crossing Europe.

Plot

Synopsis

The Doctor (David Tennant) and Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) arrive in what the Doctor believes to be be first century Rome. After an earthquake, he realises that they are not in Rome: he has materialised in Pompeii on 23 August 79, one day before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. When he returns to the TARDIS' location, he is told it was sold to a Lucius Caecilius Iucundus (Peter Capaldi), a marble sculptor.

The episode's antagonists are the Pyrovile, giant rock-like creatures whose home planet was destroyed. They operate secretly; the Sybilline Sisterhood act as their proxies. They use the Sisterhood, which comprises of a high priestess (Victoria Wicks), Spurrina (Sasha Behar), Thalina (Lorraine Burroughs), to make prophecies while converting them to stone. The Sisterhood is inducting Caecilius' daughter Evelina (Francesca Fowler) and is allied to the local augur Lucius (Phil Davis). The Doctor is disturbed by their knowledge of London, Gallifrey, the Doctor's name, and Lucius' latest commission, a marble circuit board.

The Doctor breaks into Lucius' home and discovers that Lucius is creating an energy converter. He is accosted by Lucius, who sends a Pyrovile to kill the Doctor. The confusion allows the Sisterhood to kidnap Donna briefly; the Doctor follows them and frees Donna. They escape into the Sisterhood's hypocaust system and travel into the centre of Mount Vesuvius.

Mount Vesuvius is being used by the Pyrovile to convert the human race to Pyroviles. The Doctor realises the volcano will not erupt if the energy converter is running, and switches it off, triggering the eruption of Vesuvius. Despite Donna's efforts, she and the Doctor are only able to save Caecilius' family, who watch Pompeii's destruction from a hillside.

The last scene takes place six months later in Rome. Caecilius' family are shown to be successful: Caecilius is running a profiting business, Evelina has become a socialite, and his son Quintus (Francois Pandolfo) is training to become a doctor. Before Quintus leaves, he pays tribute to the family's household gods, the Doctor and Donna.

Continuity

The Doctor refers to the eruption as "volcano day", a phrase also used by Jack Harkness and the Ninth Doctor in "The Empty Child" and "The Doctor Dances".[1][2] The Shadow Proclamation, an intergalactic code invoked in "Rose", "The Christmas Invasion", and "Partners in Crime" is used by the Doctor when speaking to the Pyrovile.[3][4][5] The Medusa Cascade, mentioned by the Master in "Last of the Time Lords";[6] Executive producer Russell T Davies stated that the Cascade would "come back to haunt us".[7] The Doctor also admits minor responsibility for the Great Fire of Rome, which was depicted at the end of The Romans.[8]

Production

How does [the Doctor] decide who lives, who dies, when to intervene, and when not to? If you do save them, where do you stop? Do you remake the universe according to what you think is right and wrong?

James Moran[9]

Writing

The episode was written by James Moran, who previously wrote the film Severance and the Torchwood episode "Sleeper". Moran had difficulty writing the episode, and had to rewrite the Doctor's opening line over twenty times.[10]

Moran worked closely with executive producer Russell T Davies because of the constraints imposed by filming.[9] Davies encouraged Moran to insert linguistic jokes similar to those in the comic book series Asterix, such as Lucius Petrus Dextrus (Lucius Stone Right Arm) and TK Maxximus. Davies also based the ancillary characters of Metalla (Tracey Childs) and Quintus from characters in the Cambridge Latin Course.[11]

The episode was heavily based on a moral question posed to the Doctor by Donna: whether to warn the population of Pompeii, or to recuse from the situation.[9][11] Moran also had to deal with the intensity and sensitivity required when writing about the eruption.[11] Davies and Moran both appreciated Catherine Tate's performance, and cited Donna's ability to humanise the Doctor and help him deal with "lose-lose situations" as the reason the Doctor travels with companions.[9]

Filming

"The Fires of Pompeii" was filmed at the Cinecittà studios in Rome.

The episode was filmed at the Cinecittà studios in Rome in September 2007.[11] Several weeks before filming started, a fire disrupted the production team.[12][13] Other locations suggested were in Malta and Wales, but the size of the project, the biggest since the show's revival, resulted in production taking place in Italy.[11] Cinecittà had accepted the BBC's request despite the show's small budget to promote the studios.[9]

Filming an episode abroad had been suggested in 2004,[9] but the episode was the first such occasion.[11] Planning began in April 2007, before Moran had written the script, and continued until the production team travelled to Italy.[11] Moving to Rome caused problems for the production team: the equipment truck was delayed for several hours at the Swiss border; the special effects team were delayed for twenty-four hours at Customs in Calais.[11] The production team only had 48 hours to film on location. The aftermath of the eruption was filmed on the same night as the location shots. To create the falling ash, the special effects team used a large mass of cork, with a "constant supply of debris raining down".[10]

References

  1. ^ Writer Steven Moffat, Director James Hawes, Producer Phil Collinson (2005-05-21). "The Empty Child". Doctor Who. BBC. BBC One. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ Writer Steven Moffat, Director James Hawes, Producer Phil Collinson (2005-05-28). "The Doctor Dances". Doctor Who. BBC. BBC One. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ Writer Russell T. Davies, Director James Hawes, Producer Phil Collinson (2005-12-25). "The Christmas Invasion". Doctor Who. BBC. BBC One. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ Writer Russell T. Davies, Director James Strong, Producer Phil Collinson (2008-04-05). "Partners in Crime". Doctor Who. BBC. BBC One. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ Writer Russell T. Davies, Director Keith Boak, Producer Phil Collinson (2005-03-26). "Rose". Doctor Who. BBC. BBC One. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ Writer Russell T. Davies, Director Colin Teague, Producer Phil Collinson (2007-06-30). "Last of the Time Lords". Doctor Who. BBC. BBC One. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ Spilsbury, Tom (April 2008). "The Gallifrey Guardian: Series Four Episode 1: Partners in Crime: Back in Business!". Doctor Who Magazine (394). Tunbridge Wells, Kent: Panini Publishing Ltd: 6–7. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ Writer Dennis Spooner, Director Christopher Barry, Producers Verity Lambert, Mervyn Pinfield (1965-02-06). "Inferno". The Romans. Doctor Who. BBC. BBC1. {{cite serial}}: Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ a b c d e f Spilsbury, Tom (April 2008). "The Gallifrey Guardian: Series Four Episode 2: The Fires of Pompeii: Volcano Day!". Doctor Who Magazine (394). Tunbridge Wells, Kent: Panini Publishing Ltd: 8–9. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ a b "Doctor Who Watch". Radio Times (12-18 April 2008). BBC: pp 10-15. 2008. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); |pages= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h "The Italian Job". Doctor Who Confidential. Season 4. Episode 2. 2008-04-12. BBC. BBC Three. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ "'Doctor Who' Rome set hit by fire". Digital Spy. 2007-08-11. Retrieved 2007-08-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ Cook, Benjamin (2007-11-14 (cover date)), "International Playboy", Doctor Who Magazine, no. 388, p. p. 54 {{citation}}: |page= has extra text (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)

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