Wild Blue Yonder (Doctor Who): Difference between revisions
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"'''Wild Blue Yonder'''" is the second of the [[Doctor Who (2023 specials)|2023 60th anniversary specials]] of the British science fiction television programme ''[[Doctor Who]]'' |
"'''Wild Blue Yonder'''" is the second of the [[Doctor Who (2023 specials)|2023 60th anniversary specials]] of the British science fiction television programme ''[[Doctor Who]]''. It was first broadcast on [[BBC One]] on 2 December 2023, and was written by [[Russell T Davies]] and directed by [[Tom Kingsley]]. [[David Tennant]] stars as the [[Fourteenth Doctor]], alongside [[Catherine Tate]] as [[Donna Noble]], with [[Bernard Cribbins]] posthumously guest starring as [[Wilfred Mott]]. The episode is dedicated to Cribbins' memory, following his death in July 2022. |
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Set directly after the events of "[[The Star Beast (Doctor Who)|The Star Beast]]", the episode focuses on the Doctor and Donna being stranded on a spaceship at the edge of the universe |
Set directly after the events of "[[The Star Beast (Doctor Who)|The Star Beast]]", the episode focuses on the Doctor and Donna being stranded by the TARDIS on a deserted spaceship at the edge of the universe, where they encounter a pair of bizarre, sadistic shapeshifting duplicates of themselves intent on causing havoc |
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== Plot == |
== Plot == |
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A malfunctioning TARDIS drags the Doctor and Donna across space and time, landing briefly in 1666 where they encounter [[Isaac Newton]], accidentally causing the word "gravity" to be replaced with "mavity". It eventually lands on |
A malfunctioning TARDIS drags the Doctor and Donna across space and time, landing briefly in 1666 where they encounter [[Isaac Newton]], accidentally causing the word "gravity" to be replaced with "mavity". It eventually lands on an abandoned spaceship, ejecting the Doctor and Donna and spewing out flames to the tune of 'Wide Blue Yonder' before shutting down. To fix the [[TARDIS]], the Doctor leaves his [[sonic screwdriver]] in the key hole, only for both to suddenly disappear after the pair left it to investigate the ship. Donna panics over them seemingly being stranded, but the Doctor reassures her, explaining that the TARDIS auto-repair had re-enabled the Hostile Action Displacement System, which causes the ship to dematerialise in dangerous circumstances and return once the danger has abated. |
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The Doctor and Donna investigate the spaceship, discovering they are at the edge of universe. There are no stars or signs of life, and the only mobile thing is a robot the Doctor nicknames "Jimbo" that is slowly walking down the ship's corridor. A voice occasionally declares various nonsensical words, causing the ship's layout to reconfigure. They split up and get to work on trying to get the ship up and running, but encounter strange doppelgangers of each other that lack the concept of size and shape and constantly distort and morph into animalistic versions of themselves self-dubbed "Not-Things". The Doctor and Donna barely escape from giant versions of the Not-Things, deducing that their doppelgangers have also begun assimilating their memories and way of thinking. |
The Doctor and Donna investigate the spaceship, discovering they are at the edge of universe. There are no stars or signs of life, and the only mobile thing is a robot the Doctor nicknames "Jimbo" that is slowly walking down the ship's corridor. A voice occasionally declares various nonsensical words, causing the ship's layout to reconfigure. They split up and get to work on trying to get the ship up and running, but encounter strange doppelgangers of each other that lack the concept of size and shape and constantly distort and morph into animalistic versions of themselves self-dubbed "Not-Things". The Doctor and Donna barely escape from giant versions of the Not-Things, deducing that their doppelgangers have also begun assimilating their memories and way of thinking. |
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After being separated from each other by the ship's constant reconfigurations, the Doctor and Donna both encounter one another in different parts of the ship, unable to tell whether the other is a Not-Thing. Donna outwits the Not-Doctor and forces it to reveal itself, but the Not-Donna fools the Doctor after claiming she knew about the [[The Timeless Children|Timeless Child]] and the [[Doctor Who (series 13)|Flux]] via the metacrisis. Eventually, all four meet up again, and the real Doctor and Donna are able to successfully identify each other. |
After being separated from each other by the ship's constant reconfigurations, the Doctor and Donna both encounter one another in different parts of the ship, unable to tell whether the other is a Not-Thing. Donna outwits the Not-Doctor and forces it to reveal itself, but the Not-Donna fools the Doctor after claiming she knew about the [[The Timeless Children|Timeless Child]] and the [[Doctor Who (series 13)|Flux]] via the metacrisis. Eventually, all four meet up again, and the real Doctor and Donna are able to successfully identify each other. The Doctor uses [[superstition]] to fool the Not-Things, drawing a line of salt and telling them that they have to stay behind it. They reveal that they come from the darkness beyond the edge of the universe, wanting to escape it and cause chaos. They break past the salt and chase the pair again. The Doctor realises that the doppelgangers are deliberately frightening them to better assimilate to their way of thinking. Following this line of logic, the Doctor realises that the ship's now-dead captain also knew this and set in motion a series of events so slow that the Not-Things would be unable to understand it. |
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The Doctor |
The Not-Doctor, now almost entirely in line with the real Doctor's way of thinking, deduces that the announced phrases were a countdown and that Jimbo was slowly walking towards a self-destruct button in a last ditch effort to kill them. The Not-Things race to stop the countdown while the Doctor speeds it up. The TARDIS returns, once again to the tune of 'Wide Blue Yonder' just before the bomb goes off, and the Doctor enters it. He nearly takes the Not-Donna, but ejects it after noticing its wrist is too thick and rescues the real Donna just as the ship explodes, killing both Not-Things. The Doctor and Donna collapse, traumatised. |
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Later, the Doctor expresses regret over |
Later, the Doctor expresses regret over invoking a superstition at the edge of the universe, feeling that it triggered something. He asks Donna whether she truly remembers anything from the metacrisis but she claims not to. The pair return to [[Camden Market]] and are greeted by [[Wilfred Mott]], who is overjoyed to see them both, but alludes to a danger in the present day. Suddenly, a riot spontaneously begins around them, with a plane nearly crashing into the TARDIS. |
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== Production == |
== Production == |
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[[David Tennant]] and [[Catherine Tate]] both returned to the series as part of the 60th anniversary specials.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Doctor Who: Here they come |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2022/doctor-who-david-tennant-14th-doctor |access-date=23 October 2022 |website=Doctor Who}}</ref> Tennant stars as the [[Fourteenth Doctor]] while Tate reprises her role as [[Donna Noble]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=David Tennant and Catherine Tate return to Doctor Who |url=https://www.doctorwho.tv/news-and-features/david-tennant-catherine-tate-return |access-date=15 May 2022 |website=Doctor Who}}</ref> The episode marked the final appearance of [[Bernard Cribbins]] as [[Wilfred Mott]], who died in July 2022, shortly after completing filming for the episode; it is dedicated to Cribbins' memory.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Jeffery|first1=Morgan|title=Doctor Who's Wild Blue Yonder marked Bernard Cribbins' final appearance|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-wilf-final-scene-newsupdate/|work=Radio Times|date=2 December 2023}}</ref> Additionally, [[Nathaniel Curtis]] stars as [[Isaac Newton]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=It's a Sin star Nathaniel Curtis makes surprise Doctor Who appearance |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/nathaniel-curtis-doctor-who-newsupdate/ |access-date=3 December 2023 |website=Radio Times |language=en-GB}}</ref> [[Tom Kingsley]] directed the episode.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Laford |first=Andrea |date=2022-09-06 |title=Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials: third director discovered |url=https://cultbox.co.uk/news/headlines/doctor-who-60th-anniversary-specials-third-director-discovered |access-date=2023-12-06 |website=CultBox |language=en-US}}</ref> |
[[David Tennant]] and [[Catherine Tate]] both returned to the series as part of the 60th anniversary specials.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Doctor Who: Here they come |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2022/doctor-who-david-tennant-14th-doctor |access-date=23 October 2022 |website=Doctor Who}}</ref> Tennant stars as the [[Fourteenth Doctor]] while Tate reprises her role as [[Donna Noble]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=David Tennant and Catherine Tate return to Doctor Who |url=https://www.doctorwho.tv/news-and-features/david-tennant-catherine-tate-return |access-date=15 May 2022 |website=Doctor Who}}</ref> The episode marked the final appearance of [[Bernard Cribbins]] as [[Wilfred Mott]], who died in July 2022, shortly after completing filming for the episode; it is dedicated to Cribbins' memory.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Jeffery|first1=Morgan|title=Doctor Who's Wild Blue Yonder marked Bernard Cribbins' final appearance|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-wilf-final-scene-newsupdate/|work=Radio Times|date=2 December 2023}}</ref> Additionally, [[Nathaniel Curtis]] stars as [[Isaac Newton]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=It's a Sin star Nathaniel Curtis makes surprise Doctor Who appearance |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/nathaniel-curtis-doctor-who-newsupdate/ |access-date=3 December 2023 |website=Radio Times |language=en-GB}}</ref> [[Tom Kingsley]] directed the episode.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Laford |first=Andrea |date=2022-09-06 |title=Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials: third director discovered |url=https://cultbox.co.uk/news/headlines/doctor-who-60th-anniversary-specials-third-director-discovered |access-date=2023-12-06 |website=CultBox |language=en-US}}</ref> |
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Plot and cast details surrounding the episode were deliberately kept vague in the |
Plot and cast details surrounding the episode were deliberately kept vague in the build-up to the episode, with [[Russell T Davies]] stating that this choice was owed to the uncomplicated premise of the episode, claiming that out of the specials it was "the simplest of the lot." This secrecy lead to some speculation amongst fans that the episode would feature major cameos from past Doctors, although that was not the case.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Doctor Who boss Russell T Davies responds to 'disappointment' following Wild Blue Yonder secrecy|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a46024484/doctor-who-wild-blue-yonder-secrecy-explained/|first1=Dan|last1=Seddon|date=4 December 2023|access-date=30 December 2023|website=Digital Spy}}</ref> |
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== Broadcast and reception == |
== Broadcast and reception == |
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Revision as of 12:42, 31 December 2023
| 302 – "Wild Blue Yonder" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Doctor Who episode | |||
 Promotional poster | |||
| Cast | |||
Others
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| Production | |||
| Directed by | Tom Kingsley | ||
| Written by | Russell T Davies | ||
| Script editor | Scott Handcock | ||
| Produced by | Vicki Delow | ||
| Executive producer(s) |
| ||
| Music by | Murray Gold | ||
| Series | 2023 specials | ||
| Running time | 54 minutes | ||
| First broadcast | 2 December 2023 | ||
| Chronology | |||
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"Wild Blue Yonder" is the second of the 2023 60th anniversary specials of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 2 December 2023, and was written by Russell T Davies and directed by Tom Kingsley. David Tennant stars as the Fourteenth Doctor, alongside Catherine Tate as Donna Noble, with Bernard Cribbins posthumously guest starring as Wilfred Mott. The episode is dedicated to Cribbins' memory, following his death in July 2022.
Set directly after the events of "The Star Beast", the episode focuses on the Doctor and Donna being stranded by the TARDIS on a deserted spaceship at the edge of the universe, where they encounter a pair of bizarre, sadistic shapeshifting duplicates of themselves intent on causing havoc
Plot
A malfunctioning TARDIS drags the Doctor and Donna across space and time, landing briefly in 1666 where they encounter Isaac Newton, accidentally causing the word "gravity" to be replaced with "mavity". It eventually lands on an abandoned spaceship, ejecting the Doctor and Donna and spewing out flames to the tune of 'Wide Blue Yonder' before shutting down. To fix the TARDIS, the Doctor leaves his sonic screwdriver in the key hole, only for both to suddenly disappear after the pair left it to investigate the ship. Donna panics over them seemingly being stranded, but the Doctor reassures her, explaining that the TARDIS auto-repair had re-enabled the Hostile Action Displacement System, which causes the ship to dematerialise in dangerous circumstances and return once the danger has abated.
The Doctor and Donna investigate the spaceship, discovering they are at the edge of universe. There are no stars or signs of life, and the only mobile thing is a robot the Doctor nicknames "Jimbo" that is slowly walking down the ship's corridor. A voice occasionally declares various nonsensical words, causing the ship's layout to reconfigure. They split up and get to work on trying to get the ship up and running, but encounter strange doppelgangers of each other that lack the concept of size and shape and constantly distort and morph into animalistic versions of themselves self-dubbed "Not-Things". The Doctor and Donna barely escape from giant versions of the Not-Things, deducing that their doppelgangers have also begun assimilating their memories and way of thinking.
After being separated from each other by the ship's constant reconfigurations, the Doctor and Donna both encounter one another in different parts of the ship, unable to tell whether the other is a Not-Thing. Donna outwits the Not-Doctor and forces it to reveal itself, but the Not-Donna fools the Doctor after claiming she knew about the Timeless Child and the Flux via the metacrisis. Eventually, all four meet up again, and the real Doctor and Donna are able to successfully identify each other. The Doctor uses superstition to fool the Not-Things, drawing a line of salt and telling them that they have to stay behind it. They reveal that they come from the darkness beyond the edge of the universe, wanting to escape it and cause chaos. They break past the salt and chase the pair again. The Doctor realises that the doppelgangers are deliberately frightening them to better assimilate to their way of thinking. Following this line of logic, the Doctor realises that the ship's now-dead captain also knew this and set in motion a series of events so slow that the Not-Things would be unable to understand it.
The Not-Doctor, now almost entirely in line with the real Doctor's way of thinking, deduces that the announced phrases were a countdown and that Jimbo was slowly walking towards a self-destruct button in a last ditch effort to kill them. The Not-Things race to stop the countdown while the Doctor speeds it up. The TARDIS returns, once again to the tune of 'Wide Blue Yonder' just before the bomb goes off, and the Doctor enters it. He nearly takes the Not-Donna, but ejects it after noticing its wrist is too thick and rescues the real Donna just as the ship explodes, killing both Not-Things. The Doctor and Donna collapse, traumatised.
Later, the Doctor expresses regret over invoking a superstition at the edge of the universe, feeling that it triggered something. He asks Donna whether she truly remembers anything from the metacrisis but she claims not to. The pair return to Camden Market and are greeted by Wilfred Mott, who is overjoyed to see them both, but alludes to a danger in the present day. Suddenly, a riot spontaneously begins around them, with a plane nearly crashing into the TARDIS.
Production
David Tennant and Catherine Tate both returned to the series as part of the 60th anniversary specials.[1] Tennant stars as the Fourteenth Doctor while Tate reprises her role as Donna Noble.[2] The episode marked the final appearance of Bernard Cribbins as Wilfred Mott, who died in July 2022, shortly after completing filming for the episode; it is dedicated to Cribbins' memory.[3] Additionally, Nathaniel Curtis stars as Isaac Newton.[4] Tom Kingsley directed the episode.[5]
Plot and cast details surrounding the episode were deliberately kept vague in the build-up to the episode, with Russell T Davies stating that this choice was owed to the uncomplicated premise of the episode, claiming that out of the specials it was "the simplest of the lot." This secrecy lead to some speculation amongst fans that the episode would feature major cameos from past Doctors, although that was not the case.[6]
Broadcast and reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Rotten Tomatoes (Tomatometer) | 100%[7] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Empire |  [8] |
| The Guardian |  [9] |
| The Daily Telegraph | [10] |
| The i | [11] |
Broadcast
"Wild Blue Yonder" was broadcast on 2 December 2023 as the second of the three 2023 specials, filmed for the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who.[12]
Ratings
"Wild Blue Yonder" was watched by 4.83 million viewers overnight, and an Appreciation Index score of 83.[13] It was the third-most watched programme of the night.[14] The consolidated ratings gave a figure of 7.14 million viewers, ranking the episode as the ninth most watched programme of the week, beaten only by that week's episodes of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! and Strictly Come Dancing.[15]
Critical reception
The special received positive reviews, with praise mainly towards Tennant and Tate's dual performances and the tone. On Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator website, 100% of 13 critics gave "Wild Blue Yonder" a positive review. The site's consensus reads "'Wild Blue Yonder' gets real weird with the formula, and yet it hits home as classic Doctor Who with its heartfelt attention paid to the characters."[7]
The Guardian's Martin Belam rated the special a 4/5, describing the acting as "impeccable" and further praising the visual effects.[16]
Home media
"Wild Blue Yonder", along with the other two specials "The Star Beast" and "The Giggle", were released on home media on 18 December 2023.[17]
In print
| Author | Mark Morris |
|---|---|
| Series | Doctor Who book: Target novelisations |
| Publisher | BBC Books |
Publication date | 7 December 2023 (eBook) 11 January 2024 (paperback) 1 February 2024 (audiobook) |
| Pages | 176 |
| ISBN | 9781785948466 |
A novelisation of the episode, written by Mark Morris, was released as an eBook 7 December 2023[18] and is due to be released in paperback on 11 January 2024 as part of the Target Collection[19][20] and as an audiobok read by Bonnie Langford 1 February 2024.[21]
References
- ^ "Doctor Who: Here they come". Doctor Who. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- ^ "David Tennant and Catherine Tate return to Doctor Who". Doctor Who. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
- ^ Jeffery, Morgan (2 December 2023). "Doctor Who's Wild Blue Yonder marked Bernard Cribbins' final appearance". Radio Times.
- ^ "It's a Sin star Nathaniel Curtis makes surprise Doctor Who appearance". Radio Times. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ Laford, Andrea (6 September 2022). "Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials: third director discovered". CultBox. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
- ^ Seddon, Dan (4 December 2023). "Doctor Who boss Russell T Davies responds to 'disappointment' following Wild Blue Yonder secrecy". Digital Spy. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ a b "Doctor Who: Wild Blue Yonder". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
- ^ King, Jordan (4 December 2023). "Doctor Who: Wild Blue Yonder Review". Empire. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
- ^ Belam, Martin (2 December 2023). "Doctor Who: Wild Blue Yonder - 60th anniversary special recap". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- ^ Hogan, Michael (2 December 2023). "Doctor Who: Wild Blue Yonder, review: a jaw-dropping injection of sheer Saturday night magic". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- ^ Bacon, Jess (2 December 2023). "Doctor Who: Wild Blue Yonder review: A true masterclass in television". The i. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- ^ "Doctor Who's 60th Anniversary TX Dates Revealed!". BBC. 25 October 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
- ^ "Ratings Update". Doctor Who News. 5 December 2023. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
- ^ "Doctor Who: Wild Blue Yonder ratings revealed". Radio Times. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
- ^ "Most viewed programmes Barb". Retrieved 13 December 2023.
- ^ Belam, Martin (2 December 2023). "Doctor Who: Wild Blue Yonder - 60th anniversary special recap". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ "Doctor Who 60th Anniversary specials available to pre-order on Steelbook, DVD and Blu-ray". Retrieved 26 October 2023 – via Doctor Who.
- ^ Morris, Mark. "Doctor Who: Wild Blue Yonder (Target Collection)" – via www.penguin.co.uk.
- ^ Griffin, Louise (14 July 2023). "Doctor Who 60th anniversary special novelisations confirmed". Radio Times.
- ^ Morris, Mark. "Doctor Who: Wild Blue Yonder (Target Collection)". Penguin.co.uk. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ "Doctor Who: Wild Blue Yonder" – via www.penguin.co.uk.
External links
- "Wild Blue Yonder" at BBC Online
- "Wild Blue Yonder" at the Doctor Who Stories Website
- "Wild Blue Yonder" on Tardis Wiki, the Doctor Who Wiki
- "Wild Blue Yonder" at IMDb
