Series 2, Episode 4 | 1 part | First broadcast: 6 May 2006 | Writer: Steven Moffat | Director: Euros Lyn
Cast
- David Tennant as the Doctor
- Billie Piper as Rose Tyler
- Noel Clarke as Mickey Smith
- Sophia Myles as Reinette (Madame de Pompadour)
Summary
Investigating a series of mysterious windows into 18th-century France aboard a derelict 51st-century spaceship, the Doctor becomes entwined across the different ages of Reinette’s life as clockwork androids stalk the ship, harvesting its crew’s body parts to repair themselves using her as the final component. Forced to choose between saving Reinette and returning to his companions, the Doctor makes a poignant sacrifice of time itself, only to discover upon return that decades have passed and Reinette has long since died.
Interesting Facts
- Steven Moffat’s script won the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form, one of several Hugo wins for his Doctor Who episodes.
- The story is loosely inspired by the life of the real historical figure Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Madame de Pompadour, mistress of King Louis XV.
- The Doctor’s use of a horse to jump through a mirror linking the spaceship and 18th-century Versailles remains one of the show’s most memorable images.
- This episode is frequently ranked among the best of the revived series and helped cement Steven Moffat’s reputation before he became showrunner.
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