The Day of the Doctor

In 2013, the Eleventh Doctor and Clara Oswald are brought by military organisation UNIT head Kate Stewart to the National Gallery to investigate figures missing from three-dimensional paintings—a technology developed by the Doctor's people, the Time Lords. In 1562, an earlier incarnation of the Doctor, the Tenth Doctor, discovers that shapeshifting Zygons have infiltrated the court of Elizabeth I. In the midst of the destructive Time War between the Time Lords and the Daleks, the War Doctor—an even earlier incarnation of the Doctor—plans to trigger a sentient superweapon called the Moment to destroy both sides. The Moment's humanoid interface, resembling Rose Tyler, opens a fissure bringing all three Doctors together to 1562 England. The Doctors discover that the Zygons are entering the three-dimensional paintings to freeze themselves in suspended animation. The Zygons break out of the paintings in 2013 and take the forms of UNIT staff, including Stewart, per their plan to colonise Earth with UNIT's advanced technology kept in the Tower of London. The real Stewart confronts her Zygon double and starts a countdown for a nuclear warhead beneath the Tower that will destroy the UNIT's technology along with London. The three Doctors, unable to land their TARDIS in the Tower, use the stasis technology to enter a painting which was relocated to the Tower. The Doctors use UNIT's mind-wiping equipment to make Stewart and her Zygon double temporarily unaware of their true identities. They stop the countdown and both sides negotiate a peace treaty. The War Doctor, convinced that detonating the Moment will save more lives in the long term, returns to the Time War. The other Doctors follow him and reluctantly agree to shoulder the responsibility of destroying the Time Lords' planet Gallifrey, but Clara insists that there must be a peaceful solution. Aided by ten of their other incarnations, the Doctors use the stasis technology to attempt to suspend Gallifrey in a pocket universe. Gallifrey vanishes and the surrounding Dalek warships obliterate themselves in the crossfire. The three Doctors and Clara return to the National Gallery, unsure whether their plan worked. After the War Doctor and Tenth Doctor leave, the Eleventh Doctor meets the National Gallery's elderly curator, who resembles the Doctor's fourth incarnation. He implies that Gallifrey was indeed saved but is now "lost". Reflecting on his dreams, the Eleventh Doctor vows to find Gallifrey and return home. ==Cast==

The Doctor • Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor, the incumbent incarnation of the Doctor when the special aired. • David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor. Tennant headlined the series from 2005 to 2010. • Peter Capaldi is briefly seen in an uncredited appearance as the Twelfth Doctor; he took over the lead role from Smith in the following episode, "The Time of the Doctor" (2013). • Tom Baker makes an uncredited appearance as the Curator, implied to be a future incarnation of the Doctor who has "revisited" the Fourth Doctor's form. • Billie Piper as the likeness of Rose Tyler, which is used by the Moment, a sentient Gallifreyan weapon of mass destruction. • Tristan Beint as Tom, a schoolteacher • Jemma Redgrave as Kate Stewart and her Zygon duplicate • Ingrid Oliver as Osgood, a UNIT scientist, and her Zygon duplicate • Chris Finch as a Time Lord soldier • Peter de Jersey as Androgar, a Time Lord • Ken Bones as The General, a Time Lord • Philip Buck as Arcadia father • Sophie Morgan-Price as a Time Lord. • Joanna Page as Queen Elizabeth I and her Zygon duplicate • Orlando James as Lord Bentham • Jonjo O'Neill as McGilliop and his Zygon duplicate • Tom Keller as Atkins • Aidan Cook and Paul Kasey as Zygons • Nicholas Briggs as the voice of the Daleks and the Zygons • Barnaby Edwards and Nicholas Pegg as Daleks ==Production==

Writing and casting stated "The Day of the Doctor" was the episode he was most proud of as Doctor Who showrunner.Head writer Steven Moffat was developing a commemorative 50th anniversary episode of Doctor Who as early as late 2011, when he stated the production team were "revving up for it". He ended the final episode of series 7, "The Name of the Doctor" (2013), with the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) entering his timestream to rescue Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman). Moffat had "no idea what [the Doctor would] find there. I just knew that whatever he found there would launch the 50th." Doctor Who traditionally celebrates its anniversaries with "multi-Doctor" stories. All surviving actors who played the Doctor were invited to reprise their roles in The Three Doctors (1972–1973), "The Five Doctors" (1983) and Dimensions in Time (1993). However, Moffat personally felt this was something of a false tradition as The Three Doctors aired a year ahead of the tenth anniversary. Moffat wanted to focus on a key turning point in the Doctor's life which would "change the narrative" of the series and propel it into the next 50 years. He decided this key moment would be the Doctor's destruction of his home planet Gallifrey in the Time War, an off-screen event cryptically referenced in previous series. His "first version" of the script primarily involved the Doctor's three most recent incarnations, as played by Smith, David Tennant and Christopher Eccleston. Due to the stress and anticipation surrounding the 50th anniversary, Moffat described the special's development as "a tough, tough time". As Coleman was initially the only performer contracted for the special, Moffat developed a substitute plotline where after the Doctor is wiped from existence, Clara encounters various alternative incarnations of the Doctor portrayed by famous guest stars. Smith and Tennant ultimately came on board, but Eccleston declined to reprise his role of the Ninth Doctor following meetings with Moffat. Moffat pitched a solution to BBC higher-ups to excuse Eccleston's absence: "What if there was an incarnation of the Doctor none of us knew about? And, coincidentally, he was played by the most famous actor in the world?" John Hurt, Moffat's first choice to portray this incarnation, His incarnation, the War Doctor, is retroactively placed between Paul McGann's Eighth Doctor and Eccleston's Ninth Doctor. The War Doctor's battered costume signified that he was "a rougher, tougher Doctor" and Hurt's request to keep his beard added to this effect. The Moment, a sentient superweapon, was not initially intended to be played by Billie Piper. Sophie Morgan-Price, who portrayed a Time Lord in the episode, was Redgrave's uncredited double for scenes when Stewart interacts with her Zygon duplicate. Welsh actress Joanna Page was cast as Queen Elizabeth I. Page is the third actress to portray Elizabeth I on Doctor Who, following Vivienne Bennet in The Chase (1965) and Angela Pleasence in "The Shakespeare Code" (2007). Tom Baker, who played the Fourth Doctor from 1974 to 1981, was cast as the mysterious "Curator" of the National Gallery, implied to be a future incarnation of the Doctor. Baker considered turning down the role, but was convinced by then-producer Caroline Skinner with the promise he could "tamper with the script". Moffat stated it was "irresistible" for the anniversary special to feature Baker, as the longest-serving and oldest actor to play the Doctor. Recording The BBC had trialled 3D broadcasting since summer 2011, and it was decided that "The Day of the Doctor" would be recorded and broadcast in 3D. Doctor Who's 30th anniversary special, Dimensions in Time, had similarly been filmed in 3D. On 17 April, Smith, Coleman, Piper and Tennant filmed scenes in Chepstow, Monmouthshire, and some scenes were shot in Chepstow Castle. The opening shot of the special, set outside Coal Hill School, was shot in Cardiff on 2 May. Principal photography completed on 5 May. Filming completed on 3 October, with Peter Capaldi shooting his Twelfth Doctor cameo whilst on the TARDIS set for "The Time of the Doctor". Post-production and effects .The 3D episode took longer than usual to shoot and post-produce, since visual effects compositing had to be done for both left and right images. Producer Marcus Wilson involved the model unit early, off the back of their work on previous episodes. Miniatures constructed by Mike Tucker and his company The Model Unit were used in filming for the Time War sequences, including a model of a Time Lord staser cannon and the War Doctor flying his TARDIS into and subsequently destroying several Daleks. The Dalek models used were 18-inch voice interactive toys produced by Character Options. The technique of using Dalek toys as models for filming was a common method of presenting entire armies in the classic series. == Continuity references ==

As Doctor Who's 50th anniversary special, "The Day of the Doctor" contains several references to previous stories. The opening scene heavily references the series's first episode "An Unearthly Child" (1963), with the original title sequence leading into a shot of a policeman walking past an "I.M. Foreman" sign. Clara works at Coal Hill School, a key location in that episode, and the school's sign also references past figures: Ian Chesterton, a companion of the Doctor introduced in "An Unearthly Child", and W. Coburn, a nod to writer Anthony Coburn. The Time War was referenced in previous episodes, albeit never outright shown on screen. The Tenth Doctor mentioned the Fall of Arcadia in "Doomsday" (2006). The Moment, originally mentioned in The End of Time (2009–2010), takes the form of "Bad Wolf", an omnipotent being which manifested in Rose Tyler during "The Parting of the Ways" (2005). UNIT's Black Archive, which was introduced in The Sarah Jane Adventures story Enemy of the Bane (2008), contains props from previous episodes, such as River Song's high heels from "The Time of Angels"/"Flesh and Stone" (2010), the Magna-Clamps from "Doomsday", a Supreme Dalek head from "The Stolen Earth"/"Journey's End" (2008), a Cyberman head, a Dalek tommy gun from "Daleks in Manhattan"/"Evolution of the Daleks" (2007), Amy Pond's sonic probe from "The Girl Who Waited" (2011), a clockwork robot face mask from "The Girl in the Fireplace" (2006) and Jack Harkness's vortex manipulator. A pinboard with photos of several of the Doctor's companions is seen. When the Doctors unite to save Gallifrey, the General says, "I didn't know when I was well-off. All twelve of them." recalling the Brigadier from The Three Doctors: "Three of them, eh? I didn't know when I was well-off." Prior to regenerating, the War Doctor states he is "wearing a bit thin", the same line said by the First Doctor in The Tenth Planet (1966). The Tenth Doctor tells the Eleventh, "It's good to know my future is in safe hands", the same line said by the First Doctor to the Fifth in "The Five Doctors". The Tenth Doctor's final words in the special are "I don't want to go", his final words in The End of Time. ==Marketing==

Casting leaks On 30 March 2013, certain subscribers to Doctor Who Magazine accidentally received their issue five days before the official release date, which included the official announcement that Tennant, Piper and Hurt would appear in the special. Tom Baker revealed his casting to The Huffington Post a few days before broadcast: "I am in the special. I'm not supposed to tell you that, but I tell you that very willingly and specifically; the BBC told me not to tell anybody but I'm telling you straight away." Minisodes Shortly after principal photography ended, two prequel mini-episodes written by Moffat, both focusing on the Time War, were recorded at Roath Lock Studios. "The Night of the Doctor", released online on 14 November, saw Paul McGann reprise the role of the Eighth Doctor on screen for the first time since his debut in Doctor Who (1996). In the minisode, the Eighth Doctor is temporarily resurrected by the Sisterhood of Karn in the aftermath of a spaceship crash, and persuaded to regenerate into a warrior-like incarnation (the War Doctor) to take action to end the Time War. "The Last Day", released 20 November, depicts found footage of a Gallifreyan soldier killed by a Dalek in the Fall of Arcadia. Chris Finch reprised his role from "The Day of the Doctor" as a Time Lord soldier. Trailers The first trailer for the special was shown to attendees of San Diego Comic-Con in July 2013. The BBC's decision not to immediately release the trailer online for viewing by UK audiences was met with controversy. On 26 July, the BBC responded to criticisms by saying the trailer was intended to be exclusive to Comic-Con attendees and that UK-exclusive content would be forthcoming. The special's title was revealed on 10 September 2013. A 40-second trailer aired in the United Kingdom at 8pm GMT on 9 November. Due to the leak of a trailer earlier on 9 November on BBC Latin America's Facebook page, the BBC officially released it ahead of schedule. A second official trailer was released shortly thereafter. A clip from the episode was shown during the BBC's Children in Need telethon on Friday 15 November. On 10 and 11 November 2013, certain BBC One idents were "interrupted" by short clips of the Smith in character as the Eleventh Doctor. 50 year trailer presented in high-resolution colour, which took several hours to create. Red Bee Media was hired to work on the "50 year trailer" promoting the special. It was directed by Matt Losasso and produced by Carrie Hart. Red Bee Media conceived the outline to emphasise that the episode would be shown in 3D. Major elements were recorded at Stage 1 of Black Island Studios in London from 15 to 16 August 2013, with actors hired to pose as key characters, over whom the original actors' features were placed. Images of Smith and Coleman were captured on 2 September in London, while Smith's narration was recorded on 5 October during recording of "The Time of the Doctor". To recreate camera movements in the software Flame, cameras were tracked and stabilised before being recreated into a stable camera movement, which allowed the inclusion of more subtle references from the show. On 7 November, a video starring Smith in character as the Eleventh Doctor was released promoting the hashtag, promising exclusive content. A website was launched to reveal the content. ==Broadcast and reception==

Television "The Day of the Doctor" was simultaneously broadcast in 94 countries at 7:50pm GMT on 23 November 2013. This was done in order to avoid plot leaks. It achieved the Guinness World Record for "the world's largest ever simulcast of a TV drama". The episode originally aired on BBC One, Cinemas In the United Kingdom, the episode was released in Cineworld, Vue, Odeon, and independent cinemas. It was released in Hoyts, Event, Village and limited independent cinemas in Australia. It aired in Cineplex cinemas in Canada and in Event Cinemas in New Zealand. In the United States it was released only at AMC, Century, Cinemark and Regal cinemas. In Mexico, the episode was released exclusively in 20 select Cinemark 3D theatres. Cinema screenings featured an introductory sketch featuring Dan Starkey as Sontaran commander Strax and Hurt, Tennant and Smith as the Doctors. Critical reception "The Day of the Doctor" received critical acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, the special has 100% approval rating based on 18 reviews, and an average rating of 9.41/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor is a joyous marker in the series, uniting two of the most beloved Time Lords and setting them together on a rousing adventure full of crowd-pleasing nods and winks." Simon Brew of Den of Geek praised the special, calling it "terrific", and stating that it was "pulsating with comedy, ambition, and top to bottom entertainment." However, he commented negatively on the conclusion of the Zygon subplot, stating it "just fizzled out a little, after a strong build up", and felt that the retcon of the Doctor saving Gallifrey felt "like years of darkness was sort-of sorted out in 20 minutes (albeit with no little gravitas)". Jon Cooper of the Daily Mirror gave the episode five stars, stating that it "not only gives hardcore fans a beautiful reinvention of their favourite show but also gives casual viewers a stonking story and a reminder why we all love this show so much." SFX gave the episode five out of five stars, noting that it was not perfect but those were "churlish niggles". Despite the non-linear structure and numerous references to the series' past, SFX called the story itself "surprisingly simple". It praised the three Doctors and commented on how it linked the past, present, and future of the show. Chris Taylor of Mashable stated that the episode is "one designed to please fans and newcomers alike," and that it "shows why the Doctor is finding his way into ever more homes and hearts." Dan Martin of The Guardian praised the episode, stating that it "couldn't possibly live up to expectations. And it didn't – it exceeded them." He commended Hurt's performance and acknowledged that "a multi-Doctor story was a necessary but dangerous move". Ratings Overnight figures revealed that the episode had a total of 10.18 million viewers for the live broadcast in the United Kingdom. For the week, it was the number one most-watched series on British television, a feat only three other Doctor Who episodes had ever achieved. The box office takings for the cinema screenings totalled £1.7m, which placed it at number three in the UK film chart for the week, behind The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Gravity. In addition, "The Day of the Doctor" became the most requested show within 24 hours on BBC iPlayer with 1.27 million requests, which rose to 2.9 million by 3 December. It was named the most-watched drama of 2013 based on the final viewing figures. It received an Appreciation Index of 88. The live simulcast on BBC America had a total audience of 2.4 million viewers, briefly becoming the largest audience in the channel's history, until the broadcast of "The Time of the Doctor". Worldwide, cinema screenings brought $10.2 million at the box office. The cinema screenings in the USA, on a total of 660 screens nationwide, took a total of US$4.8m (approx £3m) at the box office. The special had a total of 1.95 million viewers for its two broadcasts in Australia, with 590,000 watching the live broadcast on ABC1, and another 1.36 million watching the repeat at 7:30pm, while the cinema box office takings totalled AU$1.54m, putting it at number three in the Australian film chart. In addition, the episode received 51,000 plays on the online ABC iview in a single day. A total of 42,000 viewers watched the simultaneous screening in New Zealand, with a total of 177,510 viewers watching the 8.30pm repeat, which was Prime's highest rating show for the day. The figure includes live and timeshifted viewers. This means there was a total of 219,510 viewers for all screenings. A total of 1.7 million viewers watched the two broadcasts on Canadian channel Space, making it the most watched entertainment programme in Canada on the day, with the 1.1m watching the live broadcast at 2.50pm EST being the channel's largest ever audience. Social analytics website SecondSync revealed that Doctor Who generated almost 500,000 tweets on Twitter during its broadcast, with the peak number of tweets occurring at the beginning of the broadcast, at 12,939 tweets per minute. Awards and nominations "The Day of the Doctor" won the Audience Award at the 2014 BAFTA Awards. It was also nominated for the 2014 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form; it lost to the Game of Thrones episode "The Rains of Castamere" (2013). In a 2014 poll conducted by Doctor Who Magazine, "The Day of the Doctor" was voted the most popular televised Doctor Who story of the series' first 50 years. ==Home media==

"The Day of the Doctor" was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 2 December 2013; the latter edition included the episode in 3D. The special was re-released on DVD and Blu-ray in September 2014 as part of the "50th Anniversary Collector's Edition" alongside "The Name of the Doctor", "The Night of the Doctor", "The Time of the Doctor", An Adventure in Space and Time and The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot. Soundtrack In November 2014, Silva Screen Records released a two-CD soundtrack album for "The Day of the Doctor" and "The Time of the Doctor". In print A novelisation written by Steven Moffat was released in paperback and digital formats in April 2018 as part of the Target Collection. ==Notes==