Specials, Episode 6 | 1 part | First broadcast: 15 November 2009 | Writer: Russell T Davies & Phil Ford | Director: Graeme Harper
Cast
- David Tennant as the Doctor
- Lindsay Duncan as Captain Adelaide Brooke
- Peter O’Brien as Ed Gold
- Chook Sibtain as Andy Stone
Summary
Landing on Mars in 2059, the Doctor realizes with horror that he has arrived at Bowie Base One on the exact day history records as the base’s destruction, a fixed point in time he knows he must not interfere with. As a parasitic, water-borne infection begins possessing the crew one by one, the Doctor’s resolve finally breaks, and he chooses to defy the laws of time itself to save Captain Adelaide Brooke and her crew, with devastating consequences.
Interesting Facts
- This story marks a major turning point for the Tenth Doctor, who explicitly declares himself the “Time Lord Victorious” as he oversteps the boundaries of a fixed point in time.
- It was the first Doctor Who story to premiere on a weeknight in years, breaking from the usual Saturday or holiday broadcast slot.
- The episode’s grim, horror-tinged tone and ambiguous ending was widely praised as one of the darkest hours of the revived series.
- This was the first of the specials to signal the impending regeneration storyline that would conclude with “The End of Time.”
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