The Doctor jumps at the chance to take a journey across the planet Midnight to see a breathtaking waterfall. Donna opts to top up her tan instead, but as the journey gets under way, it’s clear the Time Lord would have been grateful to have heron his side. A sinister knocking on the wall of the shuttle bus triggers a shocking series of events – and the terrified passengers’ paranoia soon sparks a witch-hunt.
NOTES
David Troughton, cast here as Professor Hobbes, was a late replacement for Sam Kelly, who broke his leg and had to withdraw from the production. Troughton joined the rest of the cast in Cardiff with just two days notice. Now known for his stage work with the RSC as well as television, he is the son of Patrick Troughton, who portrayed the Second Doctor. He has had long association with series since the 1960s, appearing as an (uncredited) extra in the Second Doctor serial “The Enemy of the World“, as Private Moor in the Second Doctor serial “The War Games“, and as King Peladon in the Third Doctor serial “The Curse of Peladon“. He has appeared in The Doctor Who audio dramas Cuddlesome, The Judgement of Isskar, The Destroyer of Delights, and The Chaos Pool. He is unrelated to the directorof the episode, Alice Troughton.
Rose is seen on one of the shuttle screens. A similaroccurrence was in The Poison Sky, where she appeared on the TARDIS monitor screen, again calling out to The Doctor. She was also glimpsed briefly in Partners In Crime. On all three occasions The Doctor has been oblivious to her presence.
Dee Dee talks about the Lost Moon of Poosh – this is not the only planet to go missing in recent episodes. Lost planets are also mentioned in Partners In Crime and The Fires of Pompeii.
The Tenth Doctor uses his frequently adopted pseudonym of ‘John Smith’.
Rose and Martha are both mentioned by The Doctor in his attempts to test Sky’s abilities. He also names the Medusa Cascade, which has been name-checked several times, firstly in Last of the Time Lords and periodically since.
As is routine for post-2005 Doctor Who, a “NEXT TIME” trailer for the next episode is shown at the end of the episode.
