Last of the Time Lords (TV story)

Last of the Time Lords was the thirteenth and final episode of the third series of Doctor Who. It marked the departure of Jack Harkness and Martha Jones as companions, and the "death" of the Master.

Synopsis
Earth has been conquered and the Master rules supreme, with the Doctor his prisoner. Only Martha Jones can save the world...

Cast

 * The Doctor - David Tennant
 * Martha Jones - Freema Agyeman
 * Captain Jack Harkness - John Barrowman
 * The Master - John Simm
 * Lucy Saxon - Alexandra Moen
 * Francine Jones - Adjoa Andoh
 * Tish Jones - Gugu Mbatha-Raw
 * Clive Jones - Trevor Laird
 * Thomas Milligan - Tom Ellis
 * Alison Docherty - Ellie Haddington
 * Lad - Tom Golding
 * Woman - Natasha Alexander

Story notes

 * Utopia, The Sound of Drums and Last of the Time Lords have a combined running time of 2 hours 21 minutes. This makes it not only the longest continuous story of the revived series, but the longest since the Sixth Doctor's The Trial of a Time Lord. It beats The End of Time by just six minutes (and this is only because Last of the Time Lords is 51 minutes long, six minutes longer than a standard episode).
 * The Master seems to be a Scissor Sisters fan. He's singing along to "I Can't Decide" from their Ta-Dah album on the flight deck of the Valiant. This segment is absent from the iTunes version of the episode (likely for music licensing reasons). The episode is also cut between the opening credits and the "One year later" subtitle on the iTunes version, for unknown reasons.
 * The sound of the Master's laugh can be heard while a finger with a red painted finger nail picks up the Master's ring. The character who picked up the ring is seen in The End of Time.
 * Since the programme's revival, this is the first (and so far only) series finale not to feature the Daleks (discounting the 2009 Specials).
 * The Doctor trying to redeem the Master and the funeral pyre at the end could be a reference to Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi. Additionally, the Master's ring getting picked up by a laughing, unseen figure is reminiscent of the end of the film Flash Gordon.
 * The Doctor states a desire to take Martha to meet Agatha Christie, foreshadowing The Unicorn and the Wasp in which he follows through with this wish, only with Donna Noble.
 * The title Last of the Time Lords had previously been reported as a working title for one of the (ultimately aborted) big-screen adaptations of the series planned between 1989 and 2005; a poster showing the title Doctor Who: Last of the Time Lords even appeared in some film trade publications.
 * Lucy, who was very loving towards her husband in The Sound of Drums, in this episode appeared to be very afraid of him, and she even had marks around her eye. According to the commentary this is because the Master's power went to his head and he started to physically abuse her. Hence one of the reasons she joins in saying the Doctor's name, and she shot the Master after he was defeated.
 * The iTunes version of this episode is 45 minutes long, same as a regular episode is, while the episode on DVD and the original broadcasting on BBC is 51 minutes and contains extra scenes.
 * This was the final episode to give screen credit to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for its help in co-funding the series; the CBC would continue its involvement in Series 4, but would not be credited on screen.
 * The Toclafane's origin is similar to that of the Somnus Foundation in BFA: Singularity. Singularity also featured technology that focused the collective psychic energy of humanity, like the satellites in this story.
 * The episode features the surprise revelation that Jack was once known as the Face of Boe, suggesting that the character encountered in DW: The End of the World, New Earth and Gridlock is in fact a future version of Jack Harkness. Writer Russell T Davies reportedly tried to backpedal from this in the DVD commentary, leading to speculation as to whether this is actually the case. However multiple interviews on DVD and in other media by producer Julie Gardner and actors David Tennant and John Barrowman have all indicated without ambiguity that Jack is destined to become the Face of Boe. According to Gardner during a panel presentation at the 2008 San Diego Comic Con, Barrowman wasn't aware of the revelation until fairly late in production.

Ratings

 * 8.61 million - Final Ratings
 * 0.86 million - BBC Three Sunday repeat

Myths and rumours

 * The Toclafane were rumored to be an early form of Dalek created by the Master. This was proved false.
 * As Freema Agyeman's departure from the series had been previously reported, there were rumours that Martha Jones might die in this episode. Once again, the rumour turned out to be false.
 * Some have claimed that it is Donna Noble (or maybe even Lucy Saxon) who picks up the ring after it falls from the Master's grip near the end of the episode. Russell T Davies joked in the audio commentary of this episode that it was the hand of the Rani. In The End of Time the character was revealed to be a prison warden.

Filming locations

 * Cwrt-y-Vil Road, Penarth
 * Nippon Electric Glass UK (Trident Park), Cardiff Bay (Lower decks of the Valiant)
 * RAF St Athan (MOD St Athan), Vale of Glamorgan
 * South Luton Place, Adamsdown, Cardiff (Street where Martha confronts the Master)
 * Aberthaw Power Station, Aberthaw (Exterior of professor Docherty's lab)
 * Vaynor Quarry, Trefechan, Merthyr Tydfil (Location of the Doctor and the Master's fight)
 * Whitmore Bay, Barry Island (Location of when Martha arrives by boat onto beach)
 * Roald Dahl Plass, Cardiff (Martha and the Doctor bid Jack goodbye)
 * Alexandra Gardens, Cardiff (Location where Martha gives professor Docherty flowers)
 * BBC Studios, Treforest Industrial Estate, Upper Boat, Pontypridd

Production errors

 * When the Master attempts to use his laser screwdriver on the psychically empowered Doctor, the laser light from the prop is reflecting off the lens of the camera he is pointing it at, which tells you there is a camera there.
 * When the Master uses his laser screwdriver to regenerate the Doctor, while he is in fast motion, on the tv screen Martha is looking at you can clearly see Lucy's arms are also in fast motion.
 * When Martha asks Proffesor Doctery to find out what the disc contains, the exact amount of electricity required is "A current of 58.5 kiloamperes, transfering a chrge od 510 megajoules precisely" she is wrong  as th unit of carge is the Coloumb not the Joule

Continuity

 * The 'Toclafane' are the last humans seen in DW: Utopia.
 * This episode is the fifth of the continuous arc (the end of one episode immediately leading into another) that starts in the Torchwood episode Captain Jack Harkness, switches over to Doctor Who in Utopia and ends in Voyage of the Damned.
 * As referenced by the Master, the Third Doctor fought the Sea Devils in DW: The Sea Devils and the Axons in The Claws of Axos. The Master was present for both events.
 * Earth was first referred to as Sol 3 in DW: The Deadly Assassin.
 * The central London UNIT base appeared in DW: Spearhead from Space and Terror of the Autons
 * The idea of a devastated London over run by rabid dogs was first shown in NA: Blood Heat.
 * Jack returns to Cardiff for season two of Torchwood. TW: Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang takes place immediately after this one (although it is suggested in the later episode that some hours or possibly days pass before Jack actually reunites with his team, as it's daytime when he leaves the Doctor, but night when he finds the team).
 * The TARDIS has previously held back a paradox in EDA: The Shadows of Avalon to The Ancestor Cell.
 * An explanation of why the Master is afraid of the Doctor is first suggested in DW: The Mind of Evil where the Master's nightmare image is the Doctor towering over him and laughing.
 * While previous regenerations of the Doctor imply regeneration is a partly involuntary feature of Time Lords, the Master's choice to die rather than regenerate shows that a Time Lord has some control over his regenerative process. This is supported by Romana's regeneration in DW: Destiny of the Daleks where she is seen "trying on" various forms before settling on one for her new body.
 * Jack Harkness later obtains the missing digit needed to reactivate his Time Agency wrist strap's teleportation functions from Martha Jones following her use of Project Indigo in DW: The Stolen Earth.
 * In a deleted scene, before leaving the Doctor, Jack recites the "the 21st century is when it all changes and you've got to be ready" monologue heard at the beginning of all Torchwood episodes. TW: Fragments would later reveal that Jack is (perhaps unconsciously) paraphrasing the last words of former Torchwood 3 member Alex Hopkins.
 * Isomorphic controls were mentioned in DW: Pyramids of Mars.

Timeline
For the Doctor
 * Last of the Time Lords occurs after: DW: The Sound of Drums
 * NSA: The Story of Martha takes place during this story
 * DW: ''Time Crash occurs during the final minutes of this story
 * Last of the Time Lords occurs before: DW: Voyage of the Damned

For Jack Harkness For The Master
 * Last of the Time Lords occurs after DW: The Sound of Drums
 * Last of the Time Lords occurs before TW: Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang
 * Last of the Time Lords occurs after DW: The Sound of Drums
 * Last of the Time Lords occurs before DW: The End of Time

Home video releases

 * This has been released along side Utopia and The Sound of Drums
 * It is also part of the series 3 DVD boxset.
 * Also, it was released on iTunes, available for download onto an Apple iPod.