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Jodie Whittaker
The Ghost Monument
Thirteenth Doctor Logo


Synopsis


The Ghost Monument
The Ghost Monument
 Still reeling from their first encounter, can The Doctor and her new friends stay alive long enough in a hostile alien environment to solve the mystery of Desolation?

 And just who are Angstrom and Epzo?

Source: BBC Website


General Information

Season: Thirty Seven (New Series 11)
Production Code: 11-2
Story Number: 278 (New Series: 122)
Episode Number:842 (New Series: 146)
Number of Episodes: 1
Percentage of Episodes Held:100%
Production Dates:
Broadcast Date: 14 October 2018
Colour Status: HD Colour
Studio: BBC Wales (Roath Lock Studios, Cardiff)
Location:
Writer:Chris Chibnall
Director:Mark Tonderai
Series Producer:Nikki Wilson
Producer:Alex Mercer
Executive Producers:Chris Chibnall and Matt Strevens
Co-Executive Producer:Sam Hoyle
Executive Producer for the BBC:Ben Irving
Assistant Directors:Lauren Pate and Sion Eirug
Script Supervisor:Nicki Coles
Script Editors:Fiona McAllister and Hannah Mason (Assistant)
Series Script Editor:Sheena Bucktowonsing
Editors:Rebecca Trotman, David Davies (Assistant), Hayley Williams (Assistant) and Dan Rawlings (VFX)
Colourist:Gareth Spensley
Head of Production:Radford Neville
Production Executive:Tracie Simpson
Production Manager:James DeHaviland
Production Assistant:Alexandra Bahiyyih Wain
Post Production Supervisor:Ceres Doyle
Production Designer:Arwel Wyn Jones
Director of Photography:Tico Poulakakis
Casting Director:Andy Pryor CDG
Line Producer:Steffan Morris
Costume Designer:Ray Holman
Make-Up Designer:Claire Pritchard-Jones
Cameramen:Cai Stephens (Assistant), Drew Marsden (Assistant), Gethin Williams (Assistant), Mark Tonderai (B Operator) and Mark McQuoid (Operator)
Visual Effects:DNEG TV
Special Effects:Real SFX
Stunt Co-ordinators:Crispin Layfield and Dani Biernat
Stunt Performers:Belinda McGinley and Will Mackay
Incidental Music:Segun Akinola
Special Sounds (SFX Editor):Harry Barnes
Sound Recordist:Deian Llyr Humphreys
Dubbing Mixer:Howard Bargroff
Music Orchestrated By:Alec Roberts
Music Recorded By:Goetz Botzenhardt and Darren Williams
Music Mixed By:Olga Fitzroy
Title Sequence:Ben Pickles
Title Music:Ron Grainer and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Arranged by Segun Akinola
South Africa Crew - Producer: Adam Friedlander
South Africa Crew - Line Producer: Alan Shearer
South Africa Crew - Production Manager: Daniela Springer
South Africa Crew - Camera Operators: George Amos and Derek Ueckermann
South Africa Crew - Camera Loaders: Kyle Oberholzer and Tshepo Nthako
South Africa Crew - Sound Mixer: Derek Mansvelt
Number of Doctors: 1
The Doctor: Jodie Whittaker (The Thirteenth Doctor)
Number of Companions: 3The Companions: Bradley Walsh (Graham O'Brien), Tosin Cole (Ryan Sinclair) and Mandip Gill (Yasmin Khan) Additional Cast: Susan Lynch (Angstrom), Shaun Dooley (Epzo), Art Malik (Ilin), Ian Gelder (Voice of the Remnants)Setting: Planet Desolation Villains:SniperBots and The Remnants

The Episodes

No. Episodes Broadcast
(UK)
Duration Viewers
(Millions)
In Archive
842The Ghost Monument14 October 201848'47"8.7Yes

Total Duration 49 Minutes


Audience Appreciation

Average Viewers (Millions) 8.7
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2023) Position = 18 out of 24


Archives


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



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Notes


This is the second story of Season Thirty Seven (New Series 11). It was written by showrunner and Executive Producer Chris Chibnall and was directed by Mark Tonderai.

This story starts were the previous story ("The Woman Who Fell to Earth") ended - with The Doctor and her three new friends floating in space.

Shaun Dooley (who played the part of Epzo) was announced to be appearing in this season in July 2018, while after the previous story "The Woman Who Fell to Earth", was broadcast, it was confirmed that Susan Lynch (who played the part of Angstrom) and Art Malik (who played the part of Ilin) would be among a number of guest actors that would also appear.

This story marks the debut of the new title sequence for Season Thirty Seven (New Series 11) due to it being left out of the preceding story, making this the first time this has been done.

This title sequence marks the first time since the 1987 Seventh Doctor story "Time and The Rani", with the exception of "The Day of The Doctor" and "Sleep No More", that the TARDIS does not appear. It also marks the first time since the 2012 Eleventh Doctor story "The Snowmen", with the exception of "The Night of The Doctor", "The Day of The Doctor", "Dark Water/Death in Heaven" and "Sleep No More" in which The Doctor's face or eyes do not appear in the title sequence.

This story marks the first time since the 2008 Tenth Doctor story "Partners in Crime" that there is no scene shown before the title sequence.

This story also marks the first time since the mini-episode "Time", as well as the second time overall, in which the titles start outside, and then zooms inside, the Time Vortex effect.

Cosmetic changes as of this story include a new TARDIS interior design and slight modifications to its exterior. Namely the St. John Ambulance badge has been removed from the front door, marking its absence for the first time since "The End of Time", having been present for the entirety of Steven Moffat’s era of the show.

This is the first story, since the 2015 Twelfth Doctor story "The Husbands of River Song", to not have any scenes on Earth.

Filming for this story began in January 2018 in South Africa. According to the cast the drought meant they were limited to two-minute showers, while the hot weather led to Tosin Cole developing heatstroke.

All the aerial shots were provided by Timeslice Cinematography.

The Doctor is seen using Venusian Aikido to paralyse Epzo temporarily (see "Inferno", "The Sea Devils", "Robot of Sherwood", "World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls" and the Big Finish Productions audio stories "Faith Stealer" and "Last of the Cybermen").

This story continued exploring the warrior race Stenza which appeared in the previous story, as well as introducing an element of The Doctor's past by mentioning ‘The Timeless Child’.

Yasmin Khan compares The Doctor's TARDIS to a police box on Surrey Street.

The Doctor notes how her TARDIS has redecorated itself in contrast to her predecessors. She admits that she actually likes the new design.

The new TARDIS console dispenses a biscuit, similar to that of the function of the food machine as seen in the First Doctor stories "The Daleks" and "The Edge of Destruction" and "The Space Museum".

The Doctor has been on a spaceship crash-landing on a planet before (See "The Night of The Doctor"). Unlike last time, there were no casualties this time.

The Doctor has encountered a space rally before in the 1983 Fifth Doctor story "Enlightenment").

Angstrom and Epzo are competitors in the last ever Rally of the Twelve Galaxies. In this story they have reached the final stage. The Doctor compares the event to Paris-Dakar race, but in space.

The prize of the rally is 3.2 trillion Krin. One krin is worth 200 Kavlons, 90 Forvalars, or 4,000 Trynties. Unfamiliar with the currency discussed, The Doctor notes that she is 'a bit behind' on exchange rates.

The Doctor reiterates her dislike of guns (see "The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky", "The Doctor's Daughter", "The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon", "The Curse of the Black Spot", "Into the Dalek" and "World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls").

Events from the previous story are mentioned including how Ryan Sinclair dislikes climbing ladders, Grace's death and the Stenza.

The Doctor disables the robots using an electromagnetic pulse (see "Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel" and "Voyage of the Damned").

The Doctor warns everyone about the water in a similar way that the Tenth Doctor did on Mars in the 2009 story "The Waters of Mars".



First and Last

The Firsts:

 The first Doctor Who story to be directed by Mark Tonderai.

 Fiona McAllister's first involvement in the show as Script Editor.

 First appearance of the new title sequence for Season Thirty Seven (New Series 11) due to it being left out of the preceding story.

 The first time since the 1987 Seventh Doctor story "Time and The Rani", with the exception of "The Day of The Doctor" and "Sleep No More", that the TARDIS does not appear in the title sequence.

 The first time since the 2008 Tenth Doctor story "Partners in Crime" that there is no scene shown before the title sequence.

 The first story, since the 2015 Twelfth Doctor story "The Husbands of River Song", to not have any scenes on Earth.


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The Plot

WARNING: May Contain SpoilersHide Text
Drifting in Space
Drifting in Space

After accidentally finding themselves floating in the vacuum of deep space (see the previous story "The Woman Who Fell to Earth"), The Doctor and her new friends (Graham O'Brien, Ryan Sinclair and Yasmin Khan) are rescued by two spaceships which are competing in an intergalactic race.

Blurred and disorientated, Ryan is awoken from a pod by Graham in a dark spaceship, being piloted by Angstrom. She tells them they are on descent to the ‘final planet’, and warns Graham and Ryan to brace themselves. Meanwhile, on the other spaceship, Yasmin wakes up inside a MediPod outside of the control deck and walks in to find the Thirteenth Doctor arguing with the pilot, Epzo, about how to steady the crashing spaceship. The planet the spaceship was heading for is no longer in it's correct orbit - hence why they ended up floating in space. However, rescuing The Doctor and Yasmin has depleted the spaceship's fuel and so The Doctor suggests that Epzo ejects the back half of the spaceship so that they can make it down to the planet - which Epzo identifies as Desolation. Reaching the dead, yet hostile planet, The Doctor and her three companions try and determine where they are, while Epzo and Angstrom have a discussion about the other spaceships who failed to emerge from hyperjump.

Hearing an alarm in the distance, the group trek over the desert to find a tent at the bottom of a sand dune. Going inside to investigate they meet a strange man calling himself Ilin who The Doctor deduces, along with the tent is a long-distance hologram. Ilin explains that Angtrom and Epzo are the remaining two participants in the final Rally of the Twelve Galaxies. They are on the last leg and have to survive the dangers of the planet to reach a site known as the Ghost Monument before the planet completes a single rotation. The winner will receive a financial reward, of 3.2 trillion Krin, and be taken off the planet while the loser will be left behind, stranded.

Rescue
Rescue

After Angstrom and Epzo are sent on their way, The Doctor insists that Ilin show her what the Ghost Monument actually looks like. Ilin reluctantly produces a hologram on the table. To The Doctor's joy, it's her TARDIS stuck in mid-phasing due to the damage it has suffered. Having discovered their way off the planet Ilin's hologram then disappears and The Doctor's group follow Epzo and Angstom outside as the tent also disappears. Joining the pilots in their race, The Doctor promises to get her new friends home once they have reached the finish line.

While her companions discuss whether or not The Doctor will be able to get them home, they approach a boat on a stretch of water. While Ryan and Graham look at the boat's engine – which does not seem to be working, The Doctor and Yasmin find that the water is infested with millions of flesh-eating microbes. Graham and Ryan then have a breakthrough repairing the boat’s engine and they make way across the water, using it to reach the ruins of a former civilisation. While Epzo and Angstrom go their separate ways, The Doctor and her companions explore the ruins. The Doctor is cautious when the readings on her sonic screwdriver aren't clear. While they all explore different parts of the building, Epzo trips a hidden sensor which activates a platoon of SniperBots.

Angstrom
Angstrom

While initially inactive, Epzo fires at one of the robots which then fires back hitting Epzo. The shot however, actives the rest of the robots which shoot at The Doctor and her companions. Running into an enclave, they find an inactive SniperBot and discover that everything in the perimeter is being used for target practice, including the shooting range in which they are standing in.

The Doctor uses the remains of the SniperBot to temporarily disable the others with an electromagnetic pulse allowing them to escape to safety and to regroup. During this time, The Doctor learns that Angstrom seeks the cash prize to save her family from ethnic cleansing by the Stenza, while Epzo is out for himself due to his upbringing to distrust others.

The Doctor is able to hack into Angstrom’s tracker and inputs the SniperBot's information which leads them to a hatchway that takes them into an underground tunnel beneath the ruins. There they discover an experimentation facility. While Epzo goes for a nap and everybody else explores The Doctor manages to sync Angstrom's tracker to the facility's computer. This enables her to discover an entire tunnel system mapped out, giving them the chance to navigate underground and so use the tunnels as a shortcut to the finish line so avoiding the threat that is on the planet's surface. They also discover a form of writing scorched into the floor, left by whoever ran the facility. Translating The Doctor uncovers some of the planet's history. The group learn that the facility was run by a group of scientists who had been captured, tortured and made to work, under duress to create weapons of mass destruction for the Stenza. The also discover that when any of the scientists died their bodies would be cleared up by cloth-like creatures called the Remnants.

Epzo
Epzo

Meanwhile the Remnants of the scientists attack Epzo in his sleep, nearly killing him, but The Doctor, Graham and Angstrom hear his cries and manage to save him. Yasmin and Ryan then run in to tell The Doctor about the SniperBots who have gained access to tunnels forcing them to flee. As they make their escape the SniperBots shut down the life support in the tunnels, leaving them all with no choice but to go back to the surface where they find themselves forced to a gas-ridden area on the surface by more of the Remnants who encircle the group. The Remnants then start to coax The Doctor by cryptically referencing something from her past. Telling everybody to dig themselves into the ground, The Doctor kills the Remnants with Epzo's self-lighting cigar by igniting the gas.

By daybreak, the party have made it to the site of the Ghost Monument, where another holographic tent is situated. But Epzo and Angstrom can't agree on who really wins, so The Doctor has them enter at the same time and declare themselves as joint winners. Ilin is displeased by this arrangement but concedes nonetheless. However, to The Doctor's horror he refuses to take The Doctor and her companions off planet with the pilots. The hologram, along with Epzo and Angstom, then vanishes around them, stranding The Doctor and her three companions on the planet.

A despondent Doctor apologises to her friends for stranding them when she hears the TARDIS trying to materialise in the distance. The Doctor uses her sonic screwdriver to fully materialise it. Happy to be reunited with her beloved time machine The Doctor offers her friends a trip home as she promised.

Upon entering The Doctor is overjoyed to discover that the TARDIS has rebuilt and redecorated its control room in her absence. Graham, Yasmin and Ryan are in shock and awe at the TARDIS’s interior and the revelation that it is a time machine. With that, The Doctor starts the engines to take the others home, even having a custard cream biscuit dispensed to her from the console as the TARDIS dematerialises.

 
Ryan and Graham
Ryan and Graham
Ilin
Ilin
A SniperBot
A SniperBot
Joint Victory
Joint Victory
 
The TARDIS Materialises
The TARDIS Materialises
Reunited with the TARDIS
Reunited with the TARDIS
Entering the TARDIS
Entering the TARDIS
Home Sweet Home
Home Sweet Home




Quote of the Story


 'We’re all alone. That’s how we start, and end, and its the natural state of all points in between.'

Epzo



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Release Information

FormatTitleRelease Date (UK)Code NumberCover ArtRemarks
Video
DVD
The Complete Eleventh Series Box SetJanuary 2019BBCDVD 4296Photo-montageDVD boxed set containing 10 stories
Video
Blu-Ray
The Complete Eleventh Series Box SetJanuary 2019BBCBD 0437Photo-montageBlu-Ray boxed set containing 10 stories
Video
Blu-Ray
The Complete Eleventh Series Box Set (Limited Edition Steelbook)January 2019BBCBD 0455Photo-montageLimited Edition Blu-Ray Steelbook boxed set containing 10 stories
Audio
CD
Original Television Soundtrack - Series 11January 2019Photo-montageMusic by Segun Akinola


In Print

No Book Release
Doctor Who Magazine - PreviewIssue 530 (Released: November 2018)
Doctor Who Magazine - ReviewIssue 531 (Released: December 2018)
Doctor Who Magazine - Time TeamIssue 532 (Released: Winter 2018/2019)

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Photo Gallery


The Doctor and Companions

 
Jodie Whittaker
The Thirteenth Doctor

   

Bradley Walsh
Graham O'Brien
Tosin Cole
Ryan Sinclair
Mandip Gill
Yasmin Khan
   




On Release

Complete Series DVD Box Set
Complete Series 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
Original Television Soundtrack Cover
Original Television Soundtrack Cover

BBC
AUDIO
   



Magazines

Doctor Who Magazine - Preview: Issue 530
Doctor Who Magazine - Preview: Issue 530

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who Magazine - Review: Issue 531
Doctor Who Magazine - Review: Issue 531

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who Magazine - Time Team: Issue 532
Doctor Who Magazine - Time Team: Issue 532

Marvel Comics
   

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