The Timeless Children
| 295b – "The Timeless Children" | |||
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| Doctor Who episode | |||
| Cast | |||
Guest
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| Production | |||
| Directed by | Jamie Magnus Stone | ||
| Written by | Chris Chibnall | ||
| Script editor | Fiona McAllister | ||
| Produced by | Nikki Wilson | ||
| Executive producer(s) |
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| Music by | Segun Akinola | ||
| Series | Series 12 | ||
| Running time | 2nd of 2-part story, 65 minutes | ||
| First broadcast | 1 March 2020 | ||
| Chronology | |||
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"The Timeless Children" is the tenth and final episode of the twelfth series of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who, first broadcast on BBC One on 1 March 2020. It was written by Chris Chibnall, and directed by Jamie Magnus Stone. It is the second of a two-part story; the previous episode, "Ascension of the Cybermen", aired on 23 February.
The episode stars Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor, alongside Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole, and Mandip Gill as her companions, Graham O'Brien, Ryan Sinclair and Yasmin Khan, respectively. The episode also stars Sacha Dhawan as The Master.
Plot
The Master persaudes the Doctor to join him on Gallifrey, where he forces her to enter the Matrix. He shows her the birth of the Time Lords from the native Shobogans due to the work of Tecteun, a space explorer that had found a "timeless child" with infinite capacity to regenerate. Her studies of the child led her to be able to graft that capacity into the Shobogans, transforming them into Time Lords. The Master then reveals to the Doctor that she is the "timeless child". The Master continues to show the Doctor that Tecteun had also inducted her into a clandestine organisation called the Division, but all of the Doctor's memories have been erased since, with only snippets masked as the story of the Irish policeman Brendan.
With the Doctor trapped in the Matrix, the Master tricks Ashad to come to Gallifrey, killing him with his tissue compresion eliminator as to get the Cyberium. With its knowledge, the Master creates a race of infinitely-regenerating Cybermen, using the bodies of Time Lords, which he will use to take over the universe. In the Matrix, a vision of Doctor Ruth gives the Doctor a means to escape by overloading the Matrix with all of her memories from her past regenerations.
On board the Cyber-carrier, Bescot is killed, while Yaz and Graham successfully hide from the invading Cybermen in empty Cyber-armor. They subsequently save the lives of Ryan, Ethan, and Ko Sharmus from Cybermen forces sent to the planet by Ashad. The group gather and agree to go through the portal to Gallifrey.
The Doctor regroups with her companions, and discover Ashad's minaturised body which contains the Death Particle from the Cyberium, capable of destroying all organic life on a planet. She programs another TARDIS, from the available supply, to take her allies home while taking one of Ko Sharmus' explosives to set off the Death Particle. She is unable to trigger it when goaded by the Master, but Ko Sharmus appears and takes it, as penance for failing to suitably hide the Cyberium. The Doctor escapes in another TARDIS as the explosion consumes Gallifrey{{snd}though the Master is heard telling his twelve Cyber-Time Lords “All of you, through here, now.”
The Doctor's allies arrive on 21st century Earth in their TARDIS. The Doctor lands the other TARDIS near her own, but as she prepares to take off, she is arrested by the Judoon and taken to a prison planet.
Production
Development
"The Timeless Children" was written by Chris Chibnall.[1][2] Further episode details were announced in Doctor Who Magazine #548 in early February 2020.[2]
Casting
Julie Graham was cast as Ravio in the episode.[2] Ian McElhinney and Steve Toussaint were announced as guest stars in the two-part finale, "Ascension of the Cybermen" / "The Timeless Children"; however, Toussaint did not appear in this episode after his character was killed in the events of "Ascension of the Cybermen".[3]
Filming
Jamie Magnus Stone directed the fifth block of the ninth and tenth episodes.[4]
Broadcast and reception
| Aggregate scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| Rotten Tomatoes (Average Score) | |
| Rotten Tomatoes (Tomatometer) | |
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| Source | Rating |
| The A.V. Club | |
| Entertainment Weekly | |
| Metro |   [5] |
| Radio Times | |
| The Independent | [6] |
| The Telegraph | [7] |
Television
"The Timeless Children" aired on 1 March 2020.[2] It is the second of a two-part story; the previous episode, "Ascension of the Cybermen", aired on 23 February.[2]
Ratings
Critical reception
References
- ^ "Doctor Who Series 12 will start and end with two-parters". Denofgeek. 27 December 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Laford, Andrew (6 February 2020). "Doctor Who Magazine reveals titles of two-part series finale". Cultbox. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- ^ "Doctor Who Series 12: Ian McElhinney and Steve Toussaint to star in Doctor Who". CultBox. 6 February 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
- ^ "Doctor Who Series 12: new directors discovered". CultBox. 20 May 2019.
- ^ "Doctor Who series 12 finale The Timeless Children rewrites history books | Metro News". Metro.co.uk. 2020-02-14. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
- ^ Ed Power. "Doctor Who review, The Timeless Children: There's so much going on it becomes overwhelming". The Independent. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
- ^ Michael Hogan. "Doctor Who: The Timeless Children, review: a giddy, baffling rush of a finale". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
External links
- "The Timeless Children" at the BBC Doctor Who homepage
- "The Timeless Children" on Tardis Wiki, the Doctor Who Wiki
- "The Timeless Children" at IMDb