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→‎200th story: I'd like you to not get rid of the dead references while I'm writing; they're placeholders for when I fill out all of the citations. Plus Tom Spilsbury note.
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Lady Christina, after stealing a valuable gold artifact from a museum, escapes the police by riding on the same [[Buses in London|London bus]] as the Doctor, who seems to be looking for something. The bus, pursued by the police, suddenly passes through a wormhole and ends up on an alien planet covered by sand. The Doctor and the other passengers find the wormhole is still present but that the bus protected them like a [[Faraday cage]], and they would need to get the bus mobile to safely make the return trip. [[UNIT]] is called into the scene in London, commanded by Capt. Magambo. The Doctor is able to contact UNIT through modified cell phones, and learns from UNIT's scientific adviser, Dr. Malcolm Taylor, that the wormhole is growing, growing several miles wide. Carmen, an older lady with claimed psychic abilities, hears numerous voices from all around them. While the other passengers work to free the bus, the Doctor and Lady Christina scout the planet, taking a keen interest in what seems to be an incoming sandstorm.
Lady Christina, after stealing a valuable gold artifact from a museum, escapes the police by riding on the same [[Buses in London|London bus]] as the Doctor, who seems to be looking for something. The bus, pursued by the police, suddenly passes through a wormhole and ends up on an alien planet covered by sand. The Doctor and the other passengers find the wormhole is still present but that the bus protected them like a [[Faraday cage]], and they would need to get the bus mobile to safely make the return trip. [[UNIT]] is called into the scene in London, commanded by Capt. Magambo. The Doctor is able to contact UNIT through modified cell phones, and learns from UNIT's scientific adviser, Dr. Malcolm Taylor, that the wormhole is growing, growing several miles wide. Carmen, an older lady with claimed psychic abilities, hears numerous voices from all around them. While the other passengers work to free the bus, the Doctor and Lady Christina scout the planet, taking a keen interest in what seems to be an incoming sandstorm.


The two encounter a Tritovore,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/s4/episodes/?episode=s0_06&action=fearfactor |title=Doctor Who - Episodes - Series Four |publisher=BBC |date=2008-03-28 |accessdate=2009-04-12}}</ref> an anthropomorphic fly species, who takes them to their wrecked spaceship. The Doctor helps to assure them of the situation, learning they were making a routine delivery to the planet and crashed. He uses the ship's probes to discover that but a year ago, the planet housed a billion-strong population but were turned to sand, their psychic memories resonating with Carmen. The probe further reveals the oncoming sandstorm is actually a large number of stingray-like aliens with metallic, organic exoskeletons, the cause of the destruction of the planet's surface. The Doctor determines the species consume the surface of each planet, and then move quickly in large numbers to create a wormhole and use it to move to a new planet to consume, in this case, Earth. With Lady Christina's burglary skills, the two help the Tritovore to recover a power crystal and its pedestal from a deep well in the ship; however, Lady Christina's presence awakes an alien in the Tritovore's hull and it begins to pursue them. The group flee back to the bus, but the Tritovores are consumed by the alien.
The two encounter a Tritovore,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/s4/episodes/?episode=s0_06&action=fearfactor |title=Doctor Who - Episodes - Series Four |publisher=BBC |date=2008-03-28 |accessdate=2009-04-12}}</ref> an anthropomorphic fly species, who takes them to their wrecked spaceship. The Doctor helps to assure them of the situation, learning they were making a routine delivery to the planet and crashed. He uses the ship's probes to discover that but a year ago, the planet housed a billion-strong population but were turned to sand, their psychic memories resonating with Carmen. The probe further reveals the oncoming sandstorm is actually a large number of manta ray-like aliens, the cause of the destruction of the planet's surface. The Doctor determines the species consume the surface of each planet, and then move quickly in large numbers to create a wormhole and use it to move to a new planet to consume, in this case, Earth. With Lady Christina's burglary skills, the two help the Tritovore to recover a power crystal and its pedestal from a deep well in the ship; however, Lady Christina's presence awakes an alien in the Tritovore's hull and it begins to pursue them. The group flee back to the bus, but the Tritovores are consumed by the alien.


The Doctor quickly uses the pedestal the crystal was on to allow the bus to fly, using the gold from the artifact Lady Christina stole as the means to interface the alien technology with the bus. The Doctor flies the bus back through the wormhole safely but are followed by three aliens before Taylor is able to close up the wormhole. UNIT dispatches the aliens and the bus passengers are debriefed by UNIT. The Doctor recommends that the two teenagers should be hired because they were good in reacting to the crisis. Christina expects to be taken on as the Doctor's companion, but he coldly rejects her, because he does not want to loose another companion. Shortly afterwards, he releases her from handcuffs by [[sonic screwdriver]] and allows her to escape police custody in the flying bus.
The Doctor quickly uses the pedestal the crystal was on to allow the bus to fly, using the gold from the artifact Lady Christina stole as the means to interface the alien technology with the bus. The Doctor flies the bus back through the wormhole safely but are followed by three aliens before Taylor is able to close up the wormhole. UNIT dispatches the aliens and the bus passengers are debriefed by UNIT. The Doctor recommends that the two teenagers should be hired because they were good in reacting to the crisis. Christina expects to be taken on as the Doctor's companion, but he coldly rejects her, because he does not want to loose another companion. Shortly afterwards, he releases her from handcuffs by [[sonic screwdriver]] and allows her to escape police custody in the flying bus.
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===Filming===
===Filming===
[[File:Nazwa sand dunes 01.jpg|thumb|200px|The episode was partially filmed in the [[Dubai]] deserts.]]
Rumours of overseas shooting in [[Dubai]] were confirmed by Davies in interviews in late January, who indicated the need for a desert on "a proper alien planet".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sfx.co.uk/page/sfx?entry=doctor_whobai|title=Doctor Whobai|date=28 January 2009|accessdate=29 January 2009|publisher=[[SFX (magazine)|SFX]]|author=Nick Setchfield}}</ref> At the same time, reports emerged that a 1980 [[Bristol VR]] double-decker bus — previously alluded to as a major element of the story<ref name=BBCnews /> — had been substantially damaged during transport to Dubai. Subsequently, the bus was partially reconstructed and used in filming although substantial rewrites were necessary to maintain the production schedule.<ref>Michelle Ryan Interview, "The Paul O'Grady Show" Channel 4, 5pm, 8 April 2009.</ref><ref name=TelegraphBus>{{cite web|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/4368782/Doctor-Who-filming-disrupted-as-double-decker-bus-wrecked.html|title=Doctor Who filming disrupted as double decker bus wrecked|date=28 January 2009|accessdate=29 January 2009|publisher=Daily Telegraph|author=Ben Leach}}</ref> [[Russell T Davies]] later explained that only one page of the script had been altered to incorporate the damage, and that there was, "...no crisis. None at all."<ref name="ProdNotes"/>
Rumours of overseas shooting in [[Dubai]] were confirmed by Davies in interviews in late January, who indicated the need for a desert on "a proper alien planet".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sfx.co.uk/page/sfx?entry=doctor_whobai|title=Doctor Whobai|date=28 January 2009|accessdate=29 January 2009|publisher=[[SFX (magazine)|SFX]]|author=Nick Setchfield}}</ref> At the same time, reports emerged that a 1980 [[Bristol VR]] double-decker bus — previously alluded to as a major element of the story<ref name=BBCnews /> — had been substantially damaged during transport to Dubai. Subsequently, the bus was partially reconstructed and used in filming although substantial rewrites were necessary to maintain the production schedule.<ref>Michelle Ryan Interview, "The Paul O'Grady Show" Channel 4, 5pm, 8 April 2009.</ref><ref name=TelegraphBus>{{cite web|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/4368782/Doctor-Who-filming-disrupted-as-double-decker-bus-wrecked.html|title=Doctor Who filming disrupted as double decker bus wrecked|date=28 January 2009|accessdate=29 January 2009|publisher=Daily Telegraph|author=Ben Leach}}</ref> [[Russell T Davies]] later explained that only one page of the script had been altered to incorporate the damage, and that there was, "...no crisis. None at all."<ref name="ProdNotes"/>


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===200th story===
===200th story===
"Planet of the Dead" was advertised as ''Doctor Who'''s 200th story. Writer Russell T Davies admitted that the designation was arbitrary and debatable, based upon how fans counted the unfinished serial ''[[Shada]]'', the season-long fourteen-part serial ''[[The Trial of a Time Lord]]'', and the series three finale consisting of "[[Utopia (Doctor Who)|Utopia]]", "[[The Sound of Drums]]" and "[[Last of the Time Lords]]".<ref name="ProdNotes" /> Davies personally disagreed about counting ''The Trial of a Time Lord'' as one serial—arguing that it "[felt] like four stories" to him—and grouping "Utopia" with its following episodes, but agreed that it was only an opinion which did not override any others.<ref name="ProdNotes" /> Gareth Roberts inserted a reference to the landmark—specifically, the bus number is 200—and Davies emailed the show's publicity team to advertise the special as such.<ref name="ProdNotes">{{cite journal |last=Davies |first=Russell T |authorlink=Russell T Davies |date=1 April 2009 (cover date) |title=Production Notes |journal=[[Doctor Who Magazine]] |issue=406 |page=4 |publisher=[[Panini Comics]]|location=[[Royal Tunbridge Wells]], [[Kent]]}}</ref>
"Planet of the Dead" was advertised as ''Doctor Who'''s 200th story. Writer Russell T Davies admitted that the designation was arbitrary and debatable, based upon how fans counted the unfinished serial ''[[Shada]]'', the season-long fourteen-part serial ''[[The Trial of a Time Lord]]'', and the series three finale consisting of "[[Utopia (Doctor Who)|Utopia]]", "[[The Sound of Drums]]" and "[[Last of the Time Lords]]".<ref name="ProdNotes" /> Davies personally disagreed about counting ''The Trial of a Time Lord'' as one serial—arguing that it "[felt] like four stories" to him—and grouping "Utopia" with its following episodes, but agreed that it was only an opinion which did not override any others.<ref name="ProdNotes" /> Gareth Roberts inserted a reference to the landmark—specifically, the bus number is 200<ref name="factfile" />—and Davies emailed the show's publicity team to advertise the special as such.<ref name="ProdNotes">{{cite journal |last=Davies |first=Russell T |authorlink=Russell T Davies |date=1 April 2009 (cover date) |title=Production Notes |journal=[[Doctor Who Magazine]] |issue=406 |page=4 |publisher=[[Panini Comics]]|location=[[Royal Tunbridge Wells]], [[Kent]]}}</ref> ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]''{{'}} editor [[Tom Spilsbury]] acknowledged the controversy in the magazine's 407th issue, which ran a reader survey of all 200 stories.<ref>DWM 407 editor's notes</ref>


===Casting===
===Casting===
Comedian [[Lee Evans (comedian)|Lee Evans]] plays Professor Malcolm Taylor, a scientific doctor at UNIT devoted to the Doctor. Roberts noted that Evans' character unintentionally became a "loving" caricature of ''Doctor Who'' fandom.<ref name=BBCnews>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/s4/news/latest/090123_news_01 |title=All aboard for next special |accessdate=25 January 2009 |publisher=BBC |date=23 January 2009 }}</ref> [[Michelle Ryan]] plays Lady Christina de Souza, a character with "... a mysterious past who's going to have a huge impact on the Doctor". 'UNIT' Captain Erisa Magambo is played by [[Noma Dumezweni]], reprising her role from "[[Turn Left (Doctor Who)|Turn Left]]".<ref name=BBCnews /> Adam James plays [[Inspector|Detective Inspector]] McMillan.<ref name="thetennanttapes1"/>
Comedian [[Lee Evans (comedian)|Lee Evans]] plays Professor Malcolm Taylor, a scientific doctor at UNIT devoted to the Doctor. Roberts noted that Evans' character unintentionally became a "loving" caricature of ''Doctor Who'' fandom.<ref name="DWMroberts" /><ref name=BBCnews>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/s4/news/latest/090123_news_01 |title=All aboard for next special |accessdate=25 January 2009 |publisher=BBC |date=23 January 2009 }}</ref> [[Michelle Ryan]] plays Lady Christina de Souza, a character with "... a mysterious past who's going to have a huge impact on the Doctor". 'UNIT' Captain Erisa Magambo is played by [[Noma Dumezweni]], reprising her role from "[[Turn Left (Doctor Who)|Turn Left]]".<ref name=BBCnews /> Adam James plays [[Inspector|Detective Inspector]] McMillan.<ref name="thetennanttapes1"/>


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 00:07, 12 April 2009

204 – Planet of the Dead
Doctor Who special
Cast
Guest
Production
Directed byJames Strong[6]
Written byRussell T Davies and Gareth Roberts[5][6]
Script editorLindsey Alford
Produced byTracie Simpson[6]
Executive producer(s)Russell T Davies
Julie Gardner
Production code4.15[6]
Series2009 Easter special
Running time60 minutes [7]
First broadcast11 April 2009
Chronology
← Preceded by
"The Next Doctor" 		Followed by →
"The Waters of Mars"
List of episodes (2005–present)

"Planet of the Dead" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who that was broadcast on 11 April 2009.[8] It is the first of four specials to be broadcast throughout 2009 and early 2010.

Plot

Lady Christina, after stealing a valuable gold artifact from a museum, escapes the police by riding on the same London bus as the Doctor, who seems to be looking for something. The bus, pursued by the police, suddenly passes through a wormhole and ends up on an alien planet covered by sand. The Doctor and the other passengers find the wormhole is still present but that the bus protected them like a Faraday cage, and they would need to get the bus mobile to safely make the return trip. UNIT is called into the scene in London, commanded by Capt. Magambo. The Doctor is able to contact UNIT through modified cell phones, and learns from UNIT's scientific adviser, Dr. Malcolm Taylor, that the wormhole is growing, growing several miles wide. Carmen, an older lady with claimed psychic abilities, hears numerous voices from all around them. While the other passengers work to free the bus, the Doctor and Lady Christina scout the planet, taking a keen interest in what seems to be an incoming sandstorm.

The two encounter a Tritovore,[9] an anthropomorphic fly species, who takes them to their wrecked spaceship. The Doctor helps to assure them of the situation, learning they were making a routine delivery to the planet and crashed. He uses the ship's probes to discover that but a year ago, the planet housed a billion-strong population but were turned to sand, their psychic memories resonating with Carmen. The probe further reveals the oncoming sandstorm is actually a large number of manta ray-like aliens, the cause of the destruction of the planet's surface. The Doctor determines the species consume the surface of each planet, and then move quickly in large numbers to create a wormhole and use it to move to a new planet to consume, in this case, Earth. With Lady Christina's burglary skills, the two help the Tritovore to recover a power crystal and its pedestal from a deep well in the ship; however, Lady Christina's presence awakes an alien in the Tritovore's hull and it begins to pursue them. The group flee back to the bus, but the Tritovores are consumed by the alien.

The Doctor quickly uses the pedestal the crystal was on to allow the bus to fly, using the gold from the artifact Lady Christina stole as the means to interface the alien technology with the bus. The Doctor flies the bus back through the wormhole safely but are followed by three aliens before Taylor is able to close up the wormhole. UNIT dispatches the aliens and the bus passengers are debriefed by UNIT. The Doctor recommends that the two teenagers should be hired because they were good in reacting to the crisis. Christina expects to be taken on as the Doctor's companion, but he coldly rejects her, because he does not want to loose another companion. Shortly afterwards, he releases her from handcuffs by sonic screwdriver and allows her to escape police custody in the flying bus.

In the episode's closing moments, Carmen predicts that the Doctor's "song" is "nearly over", something that the Ood previously told the Doctor in "Planet of the Ood". She also tells him that "it is returning from the darkness" and that "he will knock four times."

Continuity

During the first phone call between the Doctor and Malcolm, Malcolm mentions he had read all the UNIT files on the Doctor, the Doctor then mentions, "What was your favourite- the giant robot?", referring to the Fourth Doctor adventure Robot.

Production

Pre-production and writing

Showrunner and head writer Russell T Davies co-wrote the episode with Gareth Roberts. "Planet of the Dead" was a departure from Roberts' usual stories—Roberts had previously only written psuedo-historical stories—and instead consisted of "wild" science fiction elements from his literary career and teenage imagination. The episode had no clear concept—such as Charles Dickens and ghosts appearing in "The Unquiet Dead" or Shakespeare and witches in "The Shakespeare Code"—and instead was a deliberate "clash [of concepts] with many disparate elements". Roberts explained he was cautious to ensure that each element had to "feel precise and defined ... like we meant that", giving Arc of Infinity as an example where such control was not enforced.[10]

Pre-production on the four specials started on 20 November 2008, four days before scheduled because the episode's overseas filming in Dubai required the extra planning time.[11] Two weeks later, the production team was on a recce for the special and the final draft of the script was completed.[12] The episode is directed by James Strong and production began on 19 January in Wales.[13][6] Russell T Davies described "Planet of the Dead" as "a great big adventure, a little bit Indiana Jones, a little bit Flight of the Phoenix, a little bit Pitch Black."[14]

Filming

Rumours of overseas shooting in Dubai were confirmed by Davies in interviews in late January, who indicated the need for a desert on "a proper alien planet".[15] At the same time, reports emerged that a 1980 Bristol VR double-decker bus — previously alluded to as a major element of the story[13] — had been substantially damaged during transport to Dubai. Subsequently, the bus was partially reconstructed and used in filming although substantial rewrites were necessary to maintain the production schedule.[16][17] Russell T Davies later explained that only one page of the script had been altered to incorporate the damage, and that there was, "...no crisis. None at all."[18]

It is the first episode of Doctor Who to be filmed in HD.[19]

200th story

"Planet of the Dead" was advertised as Doctor Who's 200th story. Writer Russell T Davies admitted that the designation was arbitrary and debatable, based upon how fans counted the unfinished serial Shada, the season-long fourteen-part serial The Trial of a Time Lord, and the series three finale consisting of "Utopia", "The Sound of Drums" and "Last of the Time Lords".[18] Davies personally disagreed about counting The Trial of a Time Lord as one serial—arguing that it "[felt] like four stories" to him—and grouping "Utopia" with its following episodes, but agreed that it was only an opinion which did not override any others.[18] Gareth Roberts inserted a reference to the landmark—specifically, the bus number is 200[20]—and Davies emailed the show's publicity team to advertise the special as such.[18] Doctor Who Magazine' editor Tom Spilsbury acknowledged the controversy in the magazine's 407th issue, which ran a reader survey of all 200 stories.[21]

Casting

Comedian Lee Evans plays Professor Malcolm Taylor, a scientific doctor at UNIT devoted to the Doctor. Roberts noted that Evans' character unintentionally became a "loving" caricature of Doctor Who fandom.[22][13] Michelle Ryan plays Lady Christina de Souza, a character with "... a mysterious past who's going to have a huge impact on the Doctor". 'UNIT' Captain Erisa Magambo is played by Noma Dumezweni, reprising her role from "Turn Left".[13] Adam James plays Detective Inspector McMillan.[3]

References

  1. ^ Cook, Benjamin (11–17 April 2009), "Sands of time", Radio Times, pp. pp. 16-20 {{citation}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  2. ^ Tribe, Steve (2009). Doctor Who: Companions and Allies. BBC Books. p. 96. ISBN 978-1-846-07749-4. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  3. ^ a b "Doctor Who - The Tennant Tapes". BBC. 28 March 2009. Retrieved 28 March 2009.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Planet of the Dead listing". Radio Times. 11-17 April 2009 (cover date). {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ "Series Five". BBC. 3 September 2007. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Get ready for Planet of the Dead!". Doctor Who Magazine (404). Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent: Panini Comics: 5. 4 February 2009 (cover date). {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ "Doctor Who - Saturday 11 April - Programme Details". Radio Times. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
  8. ^ "Press Office - Network TV Programme Information BBC Week 15". BBC. 1 April 2009. Retrieved 1 April 2009.
  9. ^ "Doctor Who - Episodes - Series Four". BBC. 2008-03-28. Retrieved 2009-04-12.
  10. ^ Roberts, DWM406
  11. ^ DWM 403 production notes
  12. ^ DWM 404 production notes
  13. ^ a b c d "All aboard for next special". BBC. 23 January 2009. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
  14. ^ Colville, Robert (11 April 2009). "Russell T Davies Doctor Who interview: full transcript". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 11 April 2009.
  15. ^ Nick Setchfield (28 January 2009). "Doctor Whobai". SFX. Retrieved 29 January 2009.
  16. ^ Michelle Ryan Interview, "The Paul O'Grady Show" Channel 4, 5pm, 8 April 2009.
  17. ^ Ben Leach (28 January 2009). "Doctor Who filming disrupted as double decker bus wrecked". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 29 January 2009.
  18. ^ a b c d Davies, Russell T (1 April 2009 (cover date)). "Production Notes". Doctor Who Magazine (406). Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent: Panini Comics: 4. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ DWM 405 page 12
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference factfile was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ DWM 407 editor's notes
  22. ^ Cite error: The named reference DWMroberts was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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