Doomsday (Doctor Who)

In the Torchwood Institute's sphere chamber in One Canada Square,{{refn|group=N|Referred to in this episode as Torchwood Tower.}} four Daleks known as the Cult of Skaro have emerged from the Void ship, along with the Genesis Ark, a prison ship built by the Time Lords to imprison the Daleks. The Cybermen who took control of Torchwood confront Dalek Thay, offering an alliance. Dalek Thay declines, and kills two Cybermen, resulting in the Cyber Leader declaring war on the Daleks.

A strike team takes the Tenth Doctor to the parallel Earth{{refn|group=N|This parallel Earth appeared in the 2006 episodes "Rise of the Cybermen" and "The Age of Steel".}} to meet with Pete Tyler. The Doctor theorises that millions of Cybermen coming through from the parallel Earth to the Earth in the Doctor's universe is beginning the process that will lead to both planets falling into the Void. The Doctor explains that Pete is dead in his universe,{{refn|group=N|As depicted in the 2005 episode "Father's Day".}} but Pete's wife Jackie is alive.

In the sphere chamber, the Doctor allows the Cybermen to enter and attack the Daleks. Mickey accidentally activates the Ark while escaping with the Doctor, Pete and Rose. Dalek Sec takes the Ark outside. Pete saves Jackie from the Cybermen and the two embrace. The Doctor then takes everyone to the control room. Outside, the Ark opens. Millions of Daleks emerge and begin killing humans and Cybermen on a global scale.

The Doctor explains that if he opens the breach and reverses it, anyone who has travelled between the two separate worlds will be pulled in, including Rose, Mickey and Pete. The Doctor sends them along with Jackie to the parallel Earth. Rose jumps back to help the Doctor. The Doctor and Rose open the breach and hang on to magnetic clamps as the Cybermen and Daleks are pulled into the Void, but Dalek Sec escapes using a temporal shift.{{refn|group=N|The 2007 episode "Daleks in Manhattan" reveals that all four of the Cult of Skaro survive the battle.}} Rose loses her grip and starts to fall towards the Void, but at the last second, Pete transports Rose back to the parallel Earth as the breach is closed.

Some time later, Rose has a dream where she hears the Doctor's voice calling her. Rose, her parents, and Mickey follow the voice to a remote bay in Norway where the Doctor sends a holographic message through one last small breach between universes. Rose breaks down in tears and tells the Doctor that she loves him; before the Doctor can finish his reply, the breach seals completely and the Doctor's image disappears. In the TARDIS, a mysterious woman in a wedding dress appears in front of the Doctor.{{refn|group=N|Credited as "the Bride" and unidentified on screen, this character is named Donna Noble in the following episode "The Runaway Bride".}}

File:Space City 2016 - Billie Piper (26730678884).jpg portrayed by Billie Piper (pictured) who made the decision to leave the role a year prior.]]

The concept of the Daleks and Cybermen appearing together on screen is not new; in December 1967, the BBC approached Terry Nation to have both races in a serial, but Nation vetoed this idea. The concept came to Davies while mapping out the 2006 series: the story would both serve to resurrect the popular Daleks and provide a suitable exit for Piper, who had decided to leave Doctor Who after two series.{{cite magazine|last=Pixley|first=Andrew|date=August 2006|title=Army of Ghosts/Doomsday|magazine=Doctor Who Magazine|publisher=Panini Comics|volume=The Doctor Who Companion: Series 2|location=Royal Tunbridge Wells|issue=Special Edition 14|pages=92–101}} "Doomsday" is the first episode in the history of Doctor Who where the Cybermen and the Daleks appear on-screen together; Cybermen and Daleks were both featured in "The Five Doctors" and "Army of Ghosts", but in separate scenes.{{cite serial | title = The Five Doctors | series = Doctor Who | credits = Terrance Dicks (writer), Peter Moffatt, John Nathan-Turner (uncredited) (directors), John Nathan-Turner (producer) | network = BBC | station = BBC1 | airdate = 23 November 1983}}{{cite episode | title = Army of Ghosts | series = Doctor Who | series-no = 2 | number = 12 | credits = Russell T Davies (writer), Graeme Harper (director), Phil Collinson (producer) | network = BBC | station = BBC One | airdate = 1 July 2006}}

The two-part finale was originally going to take place in Cardiff on the time rift, which was the focus of the episodes "The Unquiet Dead" and "Boom Town". When Torchwood was commissioned in 2005, Davies decided to base the spin-off in Cardiff and relocate "Army of Ghosts" and "Doomsday" to Canary Wharf in London.

An item of discussion between the production staff was over who would rescue Rose; Davies and Julie Gardner wanted Pete to rescue her, while Clarke and Phil Collinson wanted Mickey. The role was ultimately given to Pete, to emphasise that he had accepted Rose as a surrogate daughter. The Doctor's intended reply to Rose was also discussed; Davies, who left the reply unspecified, stated he didn't know when asked by Collinson on the episode's commentary track, and Gardner vehemently believed the Doctor would reciprocate Rose's love.

Some elements of the story were inspired by Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. Pullman was "flattered" by the references in the episode, and compared Davies' actions to his own practice of referencing works.{{cite news | title = Would Pullman write for Dr Who? | publisher = Newsround | date = 7 December 2007 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_7130000/newsid_7132700/7132741.stm | access-date = 9 December 2007 | archive-date = 2 December 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121202112034/http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_7130000/newsid_7132700/7132741.stm | url-status = live }}

File:Southerndown beach.jpg beach in Wales was used as the backdrop to the Doctor's farewell to Rose Tyler.]]

To ensure that Clarke and Dingwall were available for filming, the story was filmed in the season's third production block with "Rise of the Cybermen" and "The Age of Steel". Filming for the story started on 2 November 2005 on location in Kennington, London, but did not become the primary focus of the production crew until 29 November, when filming began on the scenes in and around the sphere chamber. The scenes of the Tyler family residence in Pete's World were filmed at Coedarhydyglyn on 21 November, and the subsequent scene of the Tylers driving through Norway was filmed at Bridgend on 6 December. Scenes in the lever room, the main setting for the story, were filmed on 12–15 December 2005 and 3–5 January 2006. Greenscreen work for Rose being sucked into the void took place on 13 January, and the skirmish between the military and Cybermen on the bridge was filmed on 15 January.

Other location shooting took place at the Coal Exchange and Mount Stuart Square, Cardiff Bay.{{cite web

|url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/arts/sites/doctor-who-wales/alllocations/cardiff-coal-exchange-mount-stuart-square

|title= Walesarts, Coal Exchange and Mount Stuart Square, Cardiff Bay

|publisher= BBC

|access-date= 30 May 2010

|archive-date= 15 February 2016

|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160215003729/http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/arts/sites/doctor-who-wales/alllocations/cardiff-coal-exchange-mount-stuart-square

|url-status= live

}} The penultimate scene of the episode, the Doctor's farewell to Rose, was filmed on 16 January 2006 at Southerndown beach in the Vale of Glamorgan, which was the last day of filming for Clarke and Dingwall.{{cite web

|url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/arts/sites/doctor-who-wales/alllocations/southerndown-beach

|title= Walesarts, Southerndown beach, Vale of Glamorgan

|publisher= BBC

|access-date= 30 May 2010

|archive-date= 5 March 2012

|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120305124308/http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/arts/sites/doctor-who-wales/alllocations/southerndown-beach

|url-status= live

}}{{cite video

|people = Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner, Phil Collinson

|title = Commentary for "Doomsday"

|url = http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/mood-commentary.mp3

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070120043211/http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/mood-commentary.mp3

|archive-date=20 January 2007

|format = mp3

|publisher = BBC

|access-date =30 October 2007

}}{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/confidential/index13.shtml|title=Episode 13: Finale|work=Doctor Who Confidential|publisher=BBC|access-date=29 October 2007|format=Embedded Flash object|archive-date=28 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140228065414/http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/confidential/index13.shtml|url-status=live}} The last scene of "Doomsday", Catherine Tate's appearance in the TARDIS as Donna Noble (credited as "The Bride"), was filmed on 31 March during the wrap party. To ensure the secrecy of Rose's departure and Tate's appearance, only Piper and Tennant were given scripts of the departure scene, and director Graeme Harper was not informed of the final scene until the last possible second.

{{listen|width=300px|filename=Doomsday.ogg|title="Doomsday"|description=The beginning of the song "Doomsday".|format=OGG}}

As well as using existing music, such as the themes for the Daleks, Cybermen, and Rose, Murray Gold specially composed a piece of music for Rose's farewell entitled "Doomsday", which featured vocal work from Melanie Pappenheim. Instead of using the swelling violins that Davies and the rest of the production team had expected, Gold took a minimalist approach. When pitching the track to the production team, Gold described the track as representing Rose's unbridled energy and determination as she searches for the Doctor. He later said, "I wanted to get that kind of throbbing, sort of hurt sound of quite emotional rock, because I thought that's what Rose would do if she was hurting and ran up to her bedroom and locked herself in her room and had a good old cry, really."{{cite episode | title = Music and Monsters | series = Doctor Who Confidential | network = BBC | station = BBC One | airdate = 25 December 2006}} The piece uses the same vocal work from "Rose", when Rose first enters the TARDIS, thus creating a bookend effect. It is a favourite among fans and of executive producer Julie Gardner, and is one of the reasons, along with Pappenheim's overall contribution and the "Song for Ten" from "The Christmas Invasion", that the soundtrack of both series was released several months later.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2006/07/17/33953.shtml|title=Who soundtrack soon|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080317165950/http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2006/07/17/33953.shtml|archive-date=17 March 2008|date=17 July 2006|access-date=6 July 2011|publisher=BBC}}{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2006/11/06/37664.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202221723/http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2006/11/06/37664.shtml|archive-date=2 February 2009 |title=Soundtrack details|date=6 November 2006|access-date=6 July 2011|publisher=BBC}}

File:Doctor Who Exhibition (4429341755).jpg

File:Doctor Who exhibit (1986850266).jpg

To protect as much information concerning the episode as possible, the final scene of "Army of Ghosts" was withheld from all pre-screeners given to reviewers. The BBC website's Fear Forecasters, a panel who rate the episodes, were not allowed to see "Doomsday" before its airing,{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/episodes/2006/fear/f-armyofghosts.shtml |title=Fear Forecast: "Army of Ghosts" |access-date=25 February 2007 |work=BBC Doctor Who website |publisher=BBC |archive-date=14 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130114173857/http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/episodes/2006/fear/f-armyofghosts.shtml |url-status=live }} and access to copies was restricted; the website thus does not have a Fear Forecast for the episode.{{cite web|title=Fear Forecast|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/episodes/fearforecast.shtml|publisher=BBC|access-date=5 July 2011|archive-date=15 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120615000241/http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/episodes/fearforecast.shtml|url-status=live}} Despite this, the Dalek Sec prop, which had been previously unused in the series, had invaded the stage at the 2006 BAFTA Television Awards while the production team were collecting an award. A similar moratorium would be placed on the following series' finale, "Last of the Time Lords".{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_6760000/newsid_6763700/6763787.stm|publisher=CBBC|title=What did Lizo think of Doctor Who?|date=18 June 2007|access-date=21 June 2007|archive-date=8 July 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070708060208/http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_6760000/newsid_6763700/6763787.stm|url-status=live}}

The episode's finalised average viewing figure was 8.22 million viewers and was, excepting World Cup games, the second most-watched television programme of the week, behind an episode of Coronation Street, and eighth most-watched overall. The companion episode of Doctor Who Confidential gained just over one million viewers, making it the second most watched programme on a non-terrestrial channel that week.{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090216151446/http://www.gallifreyone.com/cgi-bin/viewnews.cgi?id=EEVFuyAyZybLSaHPyi&tmpl=newsrss|url=http://www.gallifreyone.com/cgi-bin/viewnews.cgi?id=EEVFuyAyZybLSaHPyi&tmpl=newsrss|title=Doomsday Final Ratings, and Series Two Recap|work=Doctor Who News Page|last=Lyon|first=Shaun|date=20 July 2006|archive-date=16 February 2009}} The ratings for the episode were higher than the following World Cup match between Germany and Portugal, which had a million fewer viewers.{{cite web|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/07/14/geektv_14_july/|title=World Cup streaming fails to score|first=Jane|last=Hoskyn|publisher=The Register; TV Scoop|access-date=10 August 2017|archive-date=31 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120131061658/http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/07/14/geektv_14_july/|url-status=live}}

"Doomsday" is one of the most popular episodes of the revived Doctor Who. It gained an audience Appreciation Index (AI) of 89, which was the highest figure for nearly two years—it was later surpassed by "The Stolen Earth", which had an AI of 91{{cite web|url=http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2008/06/stolen-earth-ai-figure-and-digital_4031.html|title=The Stolen Earth – AI and Digital Ratings|first=Matt|last=Hilton|date=30 June 2008|publisher=Doctor Who News Page|access-date=30 June 2008|archive-date=6 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160406163309/http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2008/06/stolen-earth-ai-figure-and-digital_4031.html?m=1|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2007/04/smith-and-jones-ai-figure_5305.html|title=Smith and Jones AI figure|date=2 April 2007|access-date=24 January 2008|first=Matt|last=Hilton|publisher=Doctor Who News Page|archive-date=5 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150405081723/http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2007/04/smith-and-jones-ai-figure_5305.html?m=1|url-status=live}}—and is the first episode of Doctor Who to receive a perfect 10 rating on IGN,{{Cite web |last=Haque |first=Ahsan |date=2006-12-23 |title=Doctor Who: "Doomsday" Review |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/12/23/doctor-who-doomsday-review |access-date=2023-12-01 |website=IGN |language=en |archive-date=28 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230928031044/https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/12/23/doctor-who-doomsday-review |url-status=live }} who congratulated Davies on making an action-packed episode so emotional.{{cite web|first=Ahsan|last=Haque|date=22 December 2006|url=http://uk.tv.ign.com/articles/752/752207p1.html|access-date=2 November 2007|title=Doomsday review|website=IGN|archive-date=6 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206061817/http://uk.tv.ign.com/articles/752/752207p1.html|url-status=live}} Television Without Pity gave the episode an A+ rating.{{cite web|first=Jacob |last=Clifton |url=http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/doctor_who/doomsday_2.php |publisher=Television Without Pity |title=Hold the Line With Me: Doomsday recap |work=Doctor Who reviews |date=31 December 2006 |access-date=2 November 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080421200137/http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/doctor_who/doomsday_2.php |archive-date=21 April 2008}} The Stage commented that the Dalek–Cybermen conflict was the "only thing worth watching" at the weekend, overshadowing even the World Cup Final, and that the parting scene was "beautifully written and movingly played," with "not a dry eye in the universe".{{cite news|url=http://www.thestage.co.uk/features/feature.php/13256/tv-review|title=TV review|date=17 July 2006|access-date=22 December 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220193003/http://www.thestage.co.uk/features/feature.php/13256/tv-review|archive-date=20 February 2012|newspaper=The Stage|first=Harry|last=Venning}} Dek Hogan of Digital Spy felt that the episode was "beautifully balanced and with moments of high excitement and touching poignancy" and that the single oil tear shed by the Cyberman version of Hartman was a "nice touch". He criticised Catherine Tate's appearance as being unnecessary to end the episode and for "breaking the mood".{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/a34710/horses-for-courses.html|title=Horses for Courses|date=9 July 2006|access-date=22 December 2007|publisher=Digital Spy|work=Dek's TV Diary|first=Dek|last=Hogan|archive-date=2 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070902113814/http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/a34710/horses-for-courses.html|url-status=live}} Stephen Brook of The Guardian thought that the episode was "a highpoint of the modern series, highly emotional, scary and genuinely exciting", while Rose's departure was "brilliantly handled". He positively compared the episode's plot of a war between "the greatest monsters in the programme history" against the film Alien vs. Predator.{{cite web |last=Brook |first=Stephen |date=10 July 2006 |title=Doctor Who: that was the year that was |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/organgrinder/2006/jul/10/doctorwhothatwastheyeart |access-date=25 January 2008 |work=The Guardian |archive-date=4 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131204061833/http://www.theguardian.com/media/organgrinder/2006/jul/10/doctorwhothatwastheyeart |url-status=live }}

After its initial airing, the episode was released on DVD, with "Fear Her" and "Army of Ghosts", on 25 September 2006.{{cite web|url=http://www.bbcshop.com/invt/bbcdvd1964|title=Doctor Who: Series 2 Volume 5|work=BBC Shop|publisher=BBC|access-date=7 January 2008|archive-date=7 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207162700/http://www.bbcshop.com/invt/bbcdvd1964|url-status=live}} It was first aired on CBC Television on 19 February 2007.{{cite web|url=http://www.gallifreyone.com/thisweek.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070209185153/http://www.gallifreyone.com/thisweek.php|title=Vol 10, No 6|work=This Week in Doctor Who|archive-date=9 February 2007 |access-date=7 January 2008|publisher=Doctor Who News Page; Internet Archive}} The story ("Army of Ghosts" and "Doomsday") was one of three from the second series of Doctor Who to be nominated for the 2007 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form; the other stories nominated were "School Reunion" and "The Girl in the Fireplace",{{cite web|url=http://www.nippon2007.us/hugo_nominees.php|title=Nippon 2007 Hugo Nominees|publisher=World Science Fiction Society|access-date=29 March 2007|archive-date=26 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131126151348/http://www.nippon2007.us/hugo_nominees.php|url-status=live}} the latter winning the award.{{cite web| url = http://www.thehugoawards.org/index.php?page_id=127| title = 2007 Hugo Awards| publisher = World Science Fiction Society| work = thehugoawards.org| date = 1 September 2007| access-date = 1 September 2007| archive-date = 8 July 2013| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130708101608/http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/2007-hugo-awards/| url-status = live}}

In a 2014 poll by SFX, 90,000 readers voted the farewell scene between the Doctor and Rose as the greatest sci-fi moment ever.{{cite web |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/06/25/doctor-who-david-tennant-billie-piper-top-sci-fi-scene_n_5528675.html |title=Doctor Who 'Doomsday' Scene With David Tennant, Billie Piper Voted SFX's Greatest Sci-Fi Scene Ever - Who Else Triumphed? |date=25 June 2014 |website=HuffPost |access-date=28 June 2014 |archive-date=14 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140814112552/http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/06/25/doctor-who-david-tennant-billie-piper-top-sci-fi-scene_n_5528675.html |url-status=live }}

{{Reflist|group=N}}

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{{wikiquote|Tenth Doctor#Doomsday .5B2.13.5D|"Doomsday"}}

• {{DoctorWhoTV}}
• [https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/doctorwho/ram/tardisode13?size=16x9&bgc=CC0000&nbram=1&bbram=1&bbwm=1&nbwm=1 TARDISODE 13]
• [https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/doctorwho/ram/13preview?size=16x9&bgc=CC0000&nbram=1&bbram=1&nbwm=1&bbwm=1 Episode trailer shown at the end of "Army of Ghosts"]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070120043211/http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/mood-commentary.mp3 Episode commentary by Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner and Phil Collinson] (MP3)
• [https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/episodes/2006/flash/homepages/index-doom.shtml "Doomsday" episode homepage]
• {{BBCDWnew| year=2006 | id=doomsday |title=Doomsday}}
• {{IMDb episode|0756450|Doomsday}}

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