Doctor Who: The Eleventh Hour

"The Eleventh Hour" is the first episode of season five of the 2005 British science fiction/action revival series Doctor Who. It is the fifty-sixth episode of the series overall and the 752nd episode of all Doctor Who episodes combined. It was directed by Adam Smith with a script written by Steven Moffat. It premiered on BBC One in the United Kingdom on April 3rd, 2010, and on Syfy and BBC America on April 17th, 2010.

Notes & Trivia

 * Doctor Who was developed by Sydney Newman and the British Broadcasting Corporation. It premiered on BBC One in November, 1963.


 * There are a total of fifteen credited cast members in this episode.


 * Actress Olivia Colman's name is spelled as Olivia Coleman in this episode.


 * This is the first episode of Doctor Who directed by Adam Smith. His next episode is 5x04, "The Time of Angels".


 * This is the eighth episode of Doctor Who written by Steven Moffat. It is the first of six episodes that he writes from season five. He previously wrote the season four episode "Forest of the Dead". His next episode is "The Beast Below".


 * This is the first full appearance of Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor. The previous Doctor was played by actor David Tennant who regenerated into the Eleventh Doctor at the end of season four's "The End of Time (Part 2)".


 * This is the first appearance of Amy Pond. Her full name is Amelia Jessica Pond. Actress Caitlin Blackwood plays young Amelia, while Karen Gillan plays adult Amelia, or "Amy". She will become a companion to the Eleventh Doctor beginning with this episode, and continue as such until the fifth episode of season seven, "The Angels Take Manhattan".


 * This is the first appearance of Arthur Darvill in the role of Rory Williams. He will become a companion to the Eleventh Doctor beginning with this episode, and continue as such until the fifth episode of season seven, "The Angels Take Manhattan".


 * Patrick Moore plays himself in this episode. Patrick Moore is a TV host for various astronomy related programs.


 * This is the first television acting work for Eden Monteath.


 * This is the first television acting work for Merin Monteath.


 * This is the last known television acting work for Arthur Cox. He is also known for playing a character named Cully in "The Dominators" storyline from 1968, which featured Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor. His character on the original series was a member of a humanoid race called Dulcians.

Allusions & Story notes

 * The title of this episode has a dual meaning. The phrase Eleventh Hour refers to the final moments leading up to the culmination of an event. It is taken from the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard in the Book of Matthew in the New Testament of the King James Bible. The title also refers to the fact that this episode spotlights the eleventh incarnation of The Doctor.


 * As with most newly regenerated Doctors, this one is "still cooking" and is undergoing certain physiological alterations. Much like the Tenth Doctor in "The Christmas Invasion", this Doctor's behavior is affected by certain types of foods. He discovers early on that he does not care for the taste of apples, bacon, buttered bread, or baked beans. The only thing that seems to sort him out is fish sticks dipped in custard.


 * One of the enduring character traits of the new Doctor is his sudden, and seemingly whimsical appreciation for certain Earth fashions. In the case of this episode, bow ties. His fondness for such things is usually expressed in some variations of the words "I like bow ties now. Bow ties are cool" (obviously substituting the words bow tie for whatever it is that catches his interest at any given moment).


 * Interdimensional multi-forms from outer space are apparently afraid of wood according to The Doctor. While the comparison is likely not intentional, it does bear some similarity to the Starheart, also known as the Green Flame of Life, which was a mystical entity imprisoned by the Guardians of the Universe in DC Comics titles. The Starheart powered the Green Lantern ring worn by the original Green Lantern, Alan Scott. The ring had a vulnerability to wood.


 * Her accent not withstanding, this episode establishes that Amy Pond is Scottish. While actress Karen Gillan, who plays adult Amy is in fact Scottish, Caitlin Blackwood, who plays young Amelia is actually Irish. Fortunately, American audiences probably won't notice the difference.


 * Amelia Pond thinks England is rubbish.
 * There is a span of fourteen years that takes place between the time that the Doctor first meets young Amelia Pond, and when he reunites with her as an adult. The 1996 flashback takes place in the month of April.


 * Apparently there is a library and a swimming pool somewhere in the TARDIS. At some point, the library was actually in the swimming pool. The Doctor seems to have lost track of what happened to both of these areas.


 * "Wibbley-wobbley timey-wimey" is a quasi-recurring phrase used by not only this Doctor, but also by the Tenth Doctor. The Tenth Doctor said it in "Blink" and in "Time Crash".


 * Reference is made to Santa Claus in this episode. Santa Claus is a mythical figure who flies across the world on Christmas Eve distributing gifts to children. Amelia Pond prays to Santa Claus in the 1996 flashback, even though it is closer to Easter. As it turns out, Santa Claus is an actual living entity in the Doctor Who universe. The Twelfth Doctor will encounter him in the 2014 Christmas Special, "Last Christmas", where he will be played by actor Nick Frost.

Quotes

 * Amelia Pond: Who are you?
 * The Doctor: I don't know yet. I'm still cooking.

....


 * The Doctor: Look at that.
 * Amelia Pond: Are you okay?
 * The Doctor: Just had a fall. All the way down there, right to the library. Hell of a climb back up.
 * Amelia Pond: You're soaking wet.
 * The Doctor: I was in the swimming pool.
 * Amelia Pond: You said you were in the library.
 * The Doctor So was the swimming pool.

....
 * Amy Pond: You came back.
 * The Doctor: Of course I came back. I always come back. There's nothing wrong with that.
 * Amy Pond: But you kept the clothes.
 * The Doctor: Well, I just saved the world. The whole planet, for about the millionth time. No charge. Yeah, shoot me. I kept the clothes.
 * Amy Pond Including the bow tie.
 * The Doctor: Yeah, it's cool. Bow ties are cool.

....
 * The Doctor: Amy Pond. The girl who waited. You waited long enough.
 * Amy Pond: When I was a kid, you said there was a swimming pool. And a library, and the swimming pool was in the library.
 * The Doctor: Yeah, not sure where it's got to now. It'll turn up. So, coming?
 * Amy Pond: No.
 * The Doctor: You wanted to come 14 years ago.
 * Amy Pond: I grew up.
 * The Doctor: Don't worry. I'll soon fix that.