Utopia (Doctor Who)
Template:Future television episode
| 191 - Utopia | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Cast | |||
| Production | |||
| Directed by | Graeme Harper | ||
| Written by | Russell T. Davies | ||
| Executive producer(s) | Russell T. Davies Julie Gardner | ||
| Production code | 3.11 | ||
| Series | Series 3 | ||
| First broadcast | 16 June 2007 | ||
| Chronology | |||
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"Utopia" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It will be broadcast on BBC One on 16 June 2007,[1] and is the eleventh episode of Series 3 of the revived Doctor Who series. This episode sees the return of Captain Jack Harkness.[2], and the introduction of a character called the Professor, played by Derek Jacobi. The Daily Mirror reports that Jacobi's character will be "a 'good guy'" who "plays a key role in preventing the world from ending."[3]
"Utopia" is also the name of an unrelated short story featuring the Seventh Doctor, published in the Big Finish collection Short Trips: Farewells.
Plot
As the Doctor and Martha stop to refuel from the Cardiff Rift, Captain Jack Harkness runs towards the TARDIS and clings to its outside as it dematerialises and hurtles out of control landing at the end of the universe. There they find themselves on the distant planet Malcassairo, where they find the savage Futurekind ruling the wilderness, while a lonely Professor tries in vain to save the last of the human race. [4]
Cast
- The Doctor — David Tennant
- Martha Jones — Freema Agyeman
- Captain Jack Harkness — John Barrowman
- The Professor — Sir Derek Jacobi
- TBA — René Zagger[citation needed]
- TBA — Chipo Chung[citation needed]
- TBA — Neil Reidman[citation needed]
- TBA — Paul Marc Davies[citation needed]
- Creet — John Bell[citation needed]
Cast notes
- This is Derek Jacobi's third involvement in Doctor Who. The first was in the September 2003 audio drama Deadline, where he played a screenwriter who believes himself to be the Doctor. The second was several months later, in the webcast Scream of the Shalka, where he played a robot copy of the Master. David Tennant also had a minor role in Scream of the Shalka.
Continuity
- Captain Jack was last seen at the end of the Torchwood episode "End of Days" looking off-screen while the familiar sounds of the TARDIS are heard in the background. The Torchwood team find Jack gone, and the place in a mess. Also, the Doctor notes in the Jonathan Ross clip below that the rift has been active recently (which might explain why the TARDIS only needed 20 seconds to refuel on it this time, rather than the maximum of 48 hours in "Boom Town") — this also occurred in this Torchwood episode
- A BBCi trailer showed a brief clip of The Doctor and Jack running down a corridor.
- At the conclusion of "The Lazarus Experiment", a special trailer was aired showing highlights of upcoming episodes; amongst them is a scene with Captain Jack leaping mid air in slow-motion, accompanied by the sounds of a TARDIS dematerialising, as well as him coming out of apparent unconsciousness and asking "Was someone kissing me?". The trailer also shows Derek Jacobi's character looking off-camera and saying "God help him".
- In the clip of this episode shown on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, when Martha enquires as to the earthquake in Cardiff a couple years ago, the Doctor claims "a bit of trouble with the Slitheen", referring to the events of the 2005 episode "Boom Town" (which was set in 2006). He also states how he was "a different man back then" referring to the fact this happened when he was the Ninth Doctor.
Production
- As Captain Jack runs towards the TARDIS in the clip, a remixed version of the Torchwood theme song can be heard. This is the third time a theme from Torchwood has appeared on Doctor Who. The first was in "Army of Ghosts", and the second (briefly) in "The Runaway Bride".[citation needed]
- This episode will feature the winner of a Blue Peter competition to appear in an episode of Doctor Who in Series 3. The runners-up will feature as extras. A Doctor Who Special of Blue Peter will be shown on Wednesday 13th June 2007.[citation needed]
Pre-broadcast publicity
- A clip for this episode was shown on the May 18th episode of Friday Night with Jonathan Ross on which John Barrowman appeared as a guest. The clip showed the TARDIS materialising at the Roald Dahl Plass in Cardiff with Captain Jack running towards it screaming the Doctor's name. The Doctor appears surprised as he sees Jack on the monitor, but nevertheless sets the TARDIS in motion. Jack jumps through the air and grasps on to the machine as it dematerialises. The console explodes and the Doctor looks on in disbelief as they head further than 100 trillion years into the future; the Doctor concludes they are heading to "the end of the universe". Meanwhile, Jack is still holding on to the TARDIS, yelling for the Doctor, as it travels through the time vortex. The clip can be seen here.
References
- ^ "Doctor Who UK airdate announced". News. Dreamwatch. February 27, 2007.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Cook, Benjamin (2006-09-13 cover date). "BRAVE NEW WORLDS". Doctor Who Magazine (373): 28–35.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Methven, Nicola (2007-01-25). "JACOBI'S A HERO IN DR WHO". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 2007-01-26.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Doctor Who – Utopia Ep 11/13". News. BBC Press Office.