Michelle Gomez (Missy), Jemma Redgrave (Kate Stewart), Jullian Bleach (Davros), Jami Reid-Quarrell (Colony Sarff), Jaye Griffiths (Jac), Harki Bhambra (Mike), Daniel H offmann-Gill (Bors), Joey Price (Boy), Benjamin Cawley (Kanzo), Aaron Neil (Mr Dunlop), Clare Higgins (Ohila), Nicholas Briggs (Voice of the Daleks), Kelly Hunter (Shadow Architect), Alison (India Ria Amarteifio), Dasharn Anderson (Ryan), Stefan Adegbol (Newsreader), Shin-Fei Chen (Newsreader), Lucy Newman-Williams (Newsreader), Demi Papaminas (School Girl), Barnaby Edwards (Dalek), Nicholas Pegg (Dalek), Jonathan Ojinnaka (Soldie)
CREW
Written by
Steven Moffat
Directed by
Hettie MacDonald
Produced by
Peter Bennett
SYPNOSIS
‘Where is The Doctor?’ When the skies of Earth are frozen by a mysterious alien force, Clara needs her friend. But where is The Doctor, and what is he hiding from? As past deeds come back to haunt him, old enemies will come face to face, and for The Doctor and Clara, survival seems impossible.
NOTES
The Magician’s Apprentice was the first episode of the ninth series of Doctor Who
Whilst playing the electric guitar, the Twelfth Doctor gets a crowd in medieval England to chant the word “dude”, most likely a reference to “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure”. In the film, the two rock musician protagonists often use the word”dude”, and also use a time machine disguised as a phonebox to visit medieval England.
The Doctor also gets the crowd to complete the phrase”all the young dudes”, the title of a song written by David Bowie, originally recorded and released as a single by Mott the Hoople in 1972.
To keep Davros’s return a surprise, Julian Bleach went uncredited until the episode’s release.
In Welsh, “Sarff” means”serpent”.
This was the first series opener since Doctor Who returned in 2005 to be directed by a woman.
The episode’s credited list the creators of the Kahler, Skullions, Hath, Blowfish, Ood, and Sycorax, all of whom were present when Colony Sarff was searching for The Doctor. This is the Skullions’ first appearance on Doctor Who, having previously appeared in The Sarah Jane Adventures.
This is the first time a Special Weapons Dalek has been shown to talk on-screen, and also reveals that the gold square windows encircling its dome actually light up. This trait was subject to debate andspeculation ever since the Special Weapons Dalek model first appeared in Remembrance of the Daleks, because that particular Dalek was never shown speaking, nor was the one seen in Asylum of the Daleks.
Missy reintroduces herself to UNIT on their computer screens with her song “Hey Missy”. (Death in Heaven)
Missy throws her return, not being dead, away as no big deal, and Clara also asks how she can be alive, having been shot by a Cyberman. (Death in Heaven)
Clara mentions that it happens now and then that The Doctor is not to be found anywhere.
The silver/blue model used from The Daleks to The Space Museum.
The Emperor Dalek’s personal guard from The Evil of the Daleks.
The grey/black model used from Day of the Daleks to Remembrance of the Daleks.
The Special Weapons Dalek from Remembrance of the Daleks.
A black Dalek resembling Dalek Sec, who maintained a presence in the series from: Army of Ghosts / Doomsday to Daleks in Manhattan / Evolution of the Daleks.
The incumbent bronze model that has been in use since Dalek.
Clara is still teaching classes about Jane Austen, only this time she seems to have met her. (The Caretaker)
The Doctor had previously contemplated his death on a battlefield, at Trenzalore (The Time of the Doctor)
As UNIT tracks locations that The Doctor has visited in the past across the globe in an attempt to deduce where he could have gone for his last destination, Jac notes San Martino, (The Masque of Mandragora), Troy (The Myth Makers), multiple visits to New York (The Chase, Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks, The Angels Take Manhattan, The Monsters from the Past, Time Bomb, Dinosaurs in New York!, The Greed of the Gavulav, The Doctor and the Nurse, Cat’s Cradle: Warhead, Christmas on a Rational Planet, Presence, Best Seller, Femme Fatale, Beautiful Chaos, The Forgotten Army, Blackout, Invaders from Mars), and three possible versions of Atlantis. (The Underwater Menace, The Dæmons, The Time Monster, Transit, Antidote to Oblivion, Scavenger)
The Doctor invented the word”dude”.
The Doctor jokes about having bought his tank online from his fish, meaning fish-tank. Saying it will be hilarious in a few centuries.
Clara says The Doctor will “go Scottish” if UNIT doesn’t have a reason for calling him. (Deep Breath)