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David Tennant
Blink
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Synopsis


It Moved!
It Moved!
 In an old, abandoned house, the Weeping Angels wait. Only The Doctor can stop them, but he’s lost in time.

Source: BBC DVD


General Information

Season: Twenty Nine (New Series 3)
Production Code: 3-10
Story Number: 186 (New Series: 30)
Episode Number:734 (New Series: 38)
Number of Episodes: 1
Percentage of Episodes Held:100%
Working Titles:"Sally Sparrow and the Weeping Angels"
Production Dates: November 2006 - January 2007
Broadcast Date: 09 June 2007
Colour Status: Colour
Studio: BBC Wales (Upper Boat, Pontypridd)
Location: Cardiff Bay, Caerphilly Miners' Hospital, Field Park Road (Newport), Pontcanna and other locations in Newport (including Fields House).
Writer:Steven Moffat
Director:Hettie MacDonald
Producer:Phil Collinson
Executive Producers:Julie Gardner and Russell T Davies
Script Editor:Helen Raynor
Editor:Jamie McCoan
Production Executive:Julie Scott
Production Manager:Debbi Slater
Production Designer:Edward Thomas
Director of Photography:Ernie Vincze BSC
Casting Director:Andy Pryor CDG
Costume Designer:Ray Holman
Make-Up Designer:Emma Bailey
Cameraman:Stephen Andrews (Assistant)
Visual Effects:The Mill
Special Effects:Any Effects
Prosthetics:Millennium FX
Stunt Co-ordinators:Crispin Layfield and Glenn Marks
Incidental Music:Murray Gold
Special Sounds (SFX Editor):Paul Jefferies
Sound Recordist:Ray Parker
Sound Supervisor:Paul McFadden
Sound Editor:Doug Sinclair
Music Performed By:The BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Title Music:Ron Grainer and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Arranged by Murray Gold
Number of Doctors: 1
The Doctor: David Tennant (The Tenth Doctor)
Number of Companions: 1The Companion: Freema Agyeman (Martha Jones) Additional Cast: Carey Mulligan (Sally Sparrow), Lucy Gaskill (Kathy Nightingale), Finlay Robertson (Larry Nightingale), Richard Cant (Malcolm Wainwright), Michael Obiora (Billy Shipton), Louis Mahoney (Old Billy), Thomas Nelstrop (Ben Wainwright), Ian Boldsworth (Banto), Ray Sawyer (Desk Sergeant)Setting: London (2007), Hull (1920), London (1969) and London (2008) Villain: The Weeping Angels

The Episodes

No. Episodes Broadcast
(UK)
Duration Viewers
(Millions)
In Archive
734Blink09 June 200743'38"6.6Yes

Total Duration 44 Minutes


Audience Appreciation

Average Viewers (Millions) 6.6
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2007)93.11%  (Position = 1 out of 10)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2009)91.61% Lower (Position = 2 out of 200)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2014)91.87% Higher (Position = 2 out of 241)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2023) Position = 1 out of 36


Archives


 This story exists and is held in the BBC's Film and Videotape Library.



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Notes


"Blink" is based on a story that Steven Moffat wrote for The Doctor Who Annual 2006 – "What I Did on My Christmas Holidays by Sally Sparrow".

Although The Doctor only appears briefly in this story, in the early years of Doctor Who there were episodes where he didn't appear at all! The Doctor is entirely absent from "The Keys of Marinus" (parts 3 and 4), "Mission to the Unknown" and "The Massacre of St. Bartholomew's Eve" (parts 2 and 3).

In addition to the Weeping Angels, The Doctor has encountered a number of other creatures which are nearly as old as the universe itself. These include the Racnoss ("The Runaway Bride"), the Carrionites ("The Shakespeare Code"), and Fenric ("The Curse of Fenric"). Not one of them has been friendly.

On average, it takes between 300-400 milliseconds to blink. Depending on the circumstances, a human blinks between 3 and 30 times a minute. If confronted by a Weeping Angel, the time endured without blinking can be increased significantly.

Many DVDs, including a large number of the Doctor Who releases, have 'Easter Eggs' on them. However, The Doctor's message to Sally hasn't featured on any of them. Yet.

One humorous sequence edited out of this story would have formed part of the pre-credits teaser. After Sally discovered the message behind the wallpaper, writer Steven Moffat had requested the sound of cliched horror movie music. This would turn out to be Sally's mobile phone ringtone, and it was actually Kathy calling her friend from a pub. Also cut was Larry's admission in the epilogue that he regularly checks to ensure that the Weeping Angels are still petrified.

The end of this story contains a trailer for the next story "Utopia".

Following on immediately after this story, on BBC3, was the tenth chapter of the third series of Doctor Who Confidential, "Do You Remember The First Time?" presented by Anthony Head.

This story was voted, by readers of the Doctor Who Magazine as the best television story broadcast in 2007. In the Doctor Who Magazine 'Mighty 200' poll in 2009 this story was voted as the second best story.

This story won the 2008 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form.



First and Last

The Firsts:

 The first Doctor Who story to be directed by Hettie MacDonald.

 Emma Bailey's first involvement in the show as Makeup Artist.

 Ray Holman's first involvement in the show as Costume Designer.

 The first appearance of The Weeping Angels.


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The Plot

WARNING: May Contain SpoilersHide Text
A Weeping Angel
A Weeping Angel

When Sally Sparrow breaks into an old, abandoned house she gets more than she bargained for. While taking photographs she notices, behind a pealing piece of wallpaper, part of a message. Curious as to what the rest of the message is she pulls of the remaining wallpaper and is astounded to find a message addressed to her written in 1969 from someone called The Doctor. The message tells her to duck. Which she does and so misses being hit by a flying projectile. She is also warned to watch out for the Weeping Angels.

Sally is completely baffled and so the following day she returns to the abandoned house with her friend Kathy Nightingale. When a young man arrives at the door Sally is presented with a parcel addressed to herself – inside she finds a letter from Kathy and a number of photos. The letter though is dated from the 1920’s. Thinking this is some form of joke Sally goes looking for Kathy, who she left inside the house when she went to answer the door. But her friend is nowhere to be found. Sally investigates upstairs and finds a number of statues – all are of angels and all are covering their faces. One of the statues is holding a key which Sally takes. Convinced that one of the statues moved Sally rushes from the house. As she runs down the driveway she is watched from a number of windows by the statues.

The letter from Kathy leads Sally to a video store where Kathy's brother Larry works and then a local police station where she goes to report the dissaperance of her friend. It is then that the pieces of this mystery start to come together. Kathy has been transported back to the 1920’s by an ancient alien race that are made of stone when looked at. But when not being observed they can move about. And if they touch you then you will be transported back in time – and this is what has happened to Kathy and then to the police officer Sally talks to. It is while at the police station that Sally also finds the TARDIS – but of course she is not aware that it is a time machine that belongs to The Doctor and that the key she found is for the TARDIS.

The Doctor's Message
The Doctor's Message

A number of clues left by The Doctor leads Sally to watch a hidden message, known as an Easter Egg, left by The Doctor on all 17 DVD’s that Sally owns. It is revealed by a strange transcript that The Doctor and Martha Jones have fallen foul of the Weeping Angels and have both become trapped in 1969 without the TARDIS.

Larry has already watched the Easter Egg but does not understand its meaning as it is only half of a conversation between The Doctor and somebody else. When Sally watches it and starts to question The Doctor it becomes clear that they can have a conversation – but how is this possible? How can The Doctor appear on the DVD and know what Sally is going to say back to him when the Easter Egg has been pre-recorded?

Sally Sparrow and Kathy Nightingale
Sally Sparrow and Kathy Nightingale

More importantly in the Easter Egg The Doctor warns Sally that she must not let the Weeping Angels touch her and to prevent that happening then she and Larry must not blink.

Realising the terrible danger they are in, and that The Doctor and Martha are relying on them, Sally and Larry must find a way out of the abandoned house and into the TARDIS so that they can return it to The Doctor. All without becoming another of the Weeping Angels victims.

Therefore whatever they do, they must not blink…

 
Reciving Post from the Past
Reciving Post from the Past
A Weeping Angel
A Weeping Angel
Sally Sparrow
Sally Sparrow
The Doctor's Video Message
The Doctor's Video Message
 
It Moved!
It Moved!
Trapped in the Past
Trapped in the Past
Don't Blink!
Don't Blink!
Sally and Larry Trapped
Sally and Larry Trapped




Quote of the Story


 'People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually, from a non-liner, non-subjective viewpoint, it’s more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff.'

The Doctor



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Release Information

FormatTitleRelease Date (UK)Code NumberCover ArtRemarks
Video
DVD
Human Nature - The Family of Blood - BlinkJuly 2007BBCDVD 2383Photo-montage
Video
DVD
The Complete Third Series (Standard Version)November 2007BBCDVD 2579Photo-montageBoxed set containing all 11 stories
Video
DVD
The Complete Third Series (Amazon Version)November 2007BBCDVD 2579Photo-montageBoxed set containing all 11 stories
Video
DVD
The Complete Third Series (Woolworths Version)November 2007BBCDVD 2579Photo-montageBoxed set containing all 11 stories
Audio
CD
Original Television Soundtrack - Series 3November 2007SILCD1250Photo-montageMusic by Murray Gold
Video
DVD
Series 1 - 4 Box SetOctober 2009BBCDVD 3058Boxed set containing all 43 stories on 23 Discs
Video
Blu-Ray
The Complete Series 1-7 Box Set (Limited Edition)December 2013BBCBD 0242Photo-montageLimited Edition Blu-Ray boxed set containing all Series 1-7 stories at full 1080p high definition
Video
DVD
The Complete Third Series (2014 Re-release)August 2014BBCDVD 3967Photo-montageBoxed set containing all 11 stories
Video
DVD
The Complete David Tennant Years Box SetNovember 2014BBCDVD 4000Photo-montageBoxed set containing all 37 stories on 26 Discs
Video
Blu-Ray
The Complete Third Series Box SetAugust 2015BBCBD 0263Photo-montageBlu-Ray boxed set containing 11 stories
Video
Blu-Ray
The Complete Third Series Box Set (Limited Edition Steelbook)May 2018BBCBD 0436Photo-montageLimited Edition Blu-Ray Steelbook boxed set containing 11 stories
Video
Blu-Ray
Series 1 - 4 & Specials Blu-Ray CollectionNovember 2023BBCBD 0582Photo-montageBoxed set containing all Ninth and Tenth Doctor stories upscaled to high definition


In Print

No Book Release
Doctor Who Magazine - PreviewIssue 383 (Released: June 2007)
Doctor Who Magazine - ArticleIssue 384 (Released: July 2007)
Doctor Who Magazine - After ImageIssue 385 (Released: August 2007)
Doctor Who Magazine - Time TeamIssue 464 (Released: October 2013)
Doctor Who Magazine - The Fact of FictionIssue 570 (Released: December 2021)
Doctor Who DVD FilesVolume 19 (Released: September 2009)

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Photo Gallery


The Doctor and Companion

 
David Tennant
The Tenth Doctor

   

 
Freema Agyeman
Martha Jones
 
   




On Release

DVD Cover
DVD Cover

BBC
VIDEO
DVD Box Set<BR>(Standard Version)
DVD Box Set
(Standard Version)

BBC
VIDEO
DVD Box Set<BR>(Amazon Version)
DVD Box Set
(Amazon Version)

BBC
VIDEO
DVD Box Set<BR>(Woolworths Version)
DVD Box Set
(Woolworths Version)

BBC
VIDEO
   
Original Television Soundtrack Cover
Original Television Soundtrack Cover

BBC
AUDIO
Series 1-4 DVD Box Set
Series 1-4 DVD Box Set

BBC
VIDEO
Complete Series 1-7 Ltd Edition Blu-Ray Box Set
Complete Series 1-7 Ltd Edition Blu-Ray Box Set

BBC
VIDEO
Complete Series DVD Box Set<BR>(2014 Re-release)
Complete Series DVD Box Set
(2014 Re-release)

BBC
VIDEO
   
Complete David Tennant Years DVD Box Set
Complete David Tennant Years DVD Box Set

BBC
VIDEO
Complete Series Blu-Ray Box Set
Complete Series Blu-Ray Box Set

BBC
VIDEO
Complete Series Blu-Ray Limited Edition Steelbook Box Set
Complete Series Blu-Ray Limited Edition Steelbook Box Set

BBC
VIDEO
Series 1 - 4 & Specials Blu-Ray Collection Cover
Series 1 - 4 & Specials Blu-Ray Collection Cover

BBC
VIDEO
   



Magazines

Doctor Who Magazine - Preview: Issue 383
Doctor Who Magazine - Preview: Issue 383

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who Magazine - Article: Issue 384
Doctor Who Magazine - Article: Issue 384

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who Magazine - After Image: Issue 385
Doctor Who Magazine - After Image: Issue 385

Marvel Comics
   
Doctor Who Magazine - Time Team: Issue 464
Doctor Who Magazine - Time Team: Issue 464

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who Magazine - The Fact of Fiction: Issue 570
Doctor Who Magazine - The Fact of Fiction: Issue 570

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who DVD Files: Volume 19
Doctor Who DVD Files: Volume 19

GE Fabbri
   

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