On a flying visit to Cardiff, The Doctor is reintroduced to a familiar face. Shortly after, the TARDIS spins out of control and its crew find themselves transported to the end of the universe. There they discover that the remnants of the human race are under threat from the savage Futurekind.
Even The Doctor finds the situation rather disconcerting, but a committed science professor refuses to accept that his people are beyond help. Is he more than he seems?
NOTES
The Doctor, in comparing his and Jack’s respective time-traveling devices, comments about Jack having a “space hopper” (the Vortex Manipulator), while he has a “sports car” (the TARDIS). Donna Noble, in the later episode “Planet of the Ood”, makes a similar comment early on about a shuttle passing over head, the Doctor has a little blue box While the shuttle is a Ferrari.
Martha inquires about the earthquake in Cardiff a couple of years ago, and the Tenth Doctor claims he had a bit of trouble with the Slitheen. This refers to the events of the 2005 episode “Boom Town“. He also states that he was a different man back then, the episode took place during the Ninth Doctor’s tenure.
Yana recalls that he was found as a child “on the coast of the Silver Devastation”, a place from where the Face of Boe was said to have come in the 2005 episode”The End of the World“.
The truth behind the existence of ‘Utopia‘ and the fate of the humans seen in this episode is revealed in “Last of the Time Lords“.
While walking through the Silo, the Tenth Doctor comments on how the human race has survived to the end of the universe, describing them as ‘indomitable’. The Fourth Doctor gave a similar speech about the human race in The Ark in Space.
Sir Derek Jacobi is the fifth incarnation of The Master, John Simm is the sixth. Sir Derek Jacobi also played The Master in Scream of the Shalka.
John Bell was the 9 yearold who won the Blue Peter competition.
As is routine for post-2005 Doctor Who, a NEXT TIME trailer for the next episode is shown at the end of the episode.
