The Witchfinders (TV story)

The Witchfinders was the eighth episode of series 11 of Doctor Who.

This story was notable for being the first time on screen, the Thirteenth Doctor faces sexism in a past era due to her new gender.

Synopsis
Team TARDIS lands in early 17th century England in the midst of a witch trial, and despite her own non-interference policy, the Thirteenth Doctor cannot help but try and stop the killings. However, with King James growing suspicious of the Doctor and her ways, it is up to her friends to play Witchfinders and uncover the hidden mysteries behind the trials.

Plot
The Thirteenth Doctor is attempting to take her friends to see the coronation of Elizabeth I. However, as Team TARDIS walks into a village, Graham is more convinced that the Doctor missed the mark again. Yaz wonders where they are, to which the Doctor is unsure; the TARDIS withheld the exact temporal location from. Noticing a party being held, the Doctor sees a tub full of apples and bobs for one. Yaz asks the boy at the tub if they're celebrating Halloween; he says its not, only Sunday. The Doctor muses at the idea; "happy Sunday." Graham notes by the Northern accent, they are close to home. Suddenly the villagers are called to attend a meeting of some sort. Graham suggests to the Doctor that they go investigate.

At the river, landlady Becka Savage is condemning an old woman called Mother Twiston for witchcraft via a dunking. Team TARDIS arrives, disturbed at the sight. Ryan reminds them that the Doctor has always told them not to interfere with the past. After the old woman shares some parting words with her granddaughter across the river, Becka dunks her. The Doctor is outraged; she tosses her coat to Graham and jumps in the river to save the old woman. Though she manages to pull the woman to shore, the shock and lack of air was too much for her; she passes away.

The Doctor tells Becka that the old woman wasn't a witch and she's a murderer. Becka demands to know who the Doctor is, as Graham, Ryan and Yaz join them. The Doctor, after forgetting she left the psychic paper in her coat, walks over to Graham and pulls it out of her coat pocket. It displays a title of authority: witch finder general. The Doctor tells Becka that she is to leave Willa, the granddaughter, alone; this was done out of protection due to the paranoia of the villagers that Willa may be a witch due to being related to Mother Twiston.

Becka offers to take the Doctor and her companions to her manor, so they may discuss how to deal with witches. As they walk, Yaz asks why Becka hasn't a carriage; Becka explains that she shot them because they were possessed by the devil. Team TARDIS find the idea ridiculous. The Doctor asks how the devil has manifested itself; to which Becka lists several natural things that have gone wrong. The Doctor tells Yaz to go back and talk with Willa to find out more about what's been going on in Bilehurst Cragg. Unknown to them a masked figure is watching them from the trees.

In Becka's manor, the Doctor wonders why the village is celebrating so much. Becka explains defeating the devil is a cause of celebration. They've successfully destroyed 35 witches. The Doctor, Ryan and Graham are disgusted with Becka, as she's clearly been scapegoating women to explain the terrible conditions of the land. The Doctor says that King James would have something to say about her methods. At that moment, the masked man enters and removes his mask, revealing himself to be King James I; he travels incognito due to his numerous enemies. He has traveled to this village after hearing rumors of Becka's heroic efforts to drive the devil out of her town. The Doctor brandishes the psychic paper again to pass herself as a witch finder general; however, due to the king's sexism, he instead reads it as witch finder assistant, making him think Graham is in charge. The Doctor instead says she works to gain the trust of witches so they can be trapped, while Ryan states he does paperwork. Despite Team TARDIS's attempts to disuade the duo against more senseless murder, both agree that by the end of the day, they will have driven the devil out of the town, even if it means killing everyone in it.

In the meantime, Yaz finds Willa doing some kind of ceremony for her grandmother, whom she just buried recently. Before Yaz can approach to talk to her, she sees a tendril reach out of the ground and attempt to grab Willa. Yaz grabs the nearby shovel and smashes the tendril with everything she's got, reducing it to shreds. Willa is scared and runs away.

In Becka's manor, the Doctor goes snooping around while she has Graham and Ryan keep the king and Becka occupied. The king pulls out a kit of witchfinding tools, which include body parts (much to their disgust). He gifts Graham the hat of his previous witchfinder general, whom he shot for betrayal; he gives Ryan an amulet to protect against evil. When the king decides to go out witch hunting, Graham and Ryan attempt to talk him into taking more elaborate measures by making a list of suspicious people and talking to the townsfolk. However, King James is up for a witch hunt and leaves promptly. Both are annoyed.

Elsewhere, the Doctor finds Becka's room, which has a large ax in it, along with several hankies and an empty medicine bottle. Graham and Ryan join her, but neither can come to the conclusion she's missing on these facts. Yaz rejoins them, telling the Doctor about the tendril attack. The Doctor scans the mud that came from it with the sonic screwdriver, which tells her its just plain mud. She decides to go with Yaz to talk with Willa, assigning Graham and Ryan to keeping King James occupied while she's busy.

Yaz leads the Doctor to Willa's home, introducing her. However, Willa tells them that she's getting as far away from Bilehurst Cragg as she can before the villagers kill her next. The Doctor tells Willa that she can help, earning an invitation inside. Inside the Twiston home are several bottles and herbs, which Willa explain are used to make medicine; she makes them tea. Willa says she feels ill, to which the Doctor says is not true via a scan with the sonic; she's in good health. Yaz explains that Willa feels ill because of the hatred and mistrust people have towards her, something she had to deal with for a year; however, she learned how to overcome the feeling and move forward. They ask about Becka, whom Willa reveals to be her cousin; she simply got lucky and married into a life of privilege. The only fight Mother Twiston and Becka ever had was about Becka chopping down her favorite tree simply because it blocked her view of the hill. Willa wishes to finish her prayer, to which the Doctor says is the best way to get more information; she takes a bottle for a sample of the tendril.

In the forest, King James tells Ryan about his youth. His father had been murdered by his mother, who was beheaded as punishment; Ryan understands the pain, having lost his mother and grandmother. However, King James then goes on to explain three regents raised him, and all three died in odd ways. Because of such, he's never trusted another person in his whole life. However, he's made it his life mission to drive the devil out of his country. At that moment, a scream is heard; everyone splits up. Graham and Ryan head one way, while the King, Becka and his men head another.

At Mother Twiston's burial site, the Doctor examines a piece of the tendril, which is made of mud. As Willa continues her prayer, Mother Twiston suddenly appears out of the grave, all muddy; Willa lets out a scream The Doctor realizes that there is something in the mud, sentient and its filling dead bodies; she then thinks better of the idea, its want bodies regardless if they're dead. That's why the tendril went after Willa. Yaz goes to get Graham and Ryan. The Doctor wonders if the creature wants the piece of mud she collected, giving it away; she quickly pulls back, not wanting the sentient mud to fill her body. The creature absorbs the mud, gaining better posture and calm. Suddenly, others arrive. Willa thinks they're witches, but the Doctor tells her they're not. The King's group arrives, making the same mistake.

The Doctor brandishes her sonic screwdriver, telling the creatures that they will not be threatening this world. She tells the King that these are not demons of the underworld, but a threat from the heavens above. A solider goes to attack them, against the Doctor's pleas not to; the result is a pulse of energy that sends him flying back, dead. Becka yells for the "witches" to leave, which they do. The Doctor is left confused, but then remembers Willa's story about the tree; she asks Becka if anything strange happened when she did. However, Becka instead accuses the Doctor of witchcraft, because of her magic wand and all these odd things have only happened after her arrival. The King is easily swayed, asking Willa for her opinion. Willa states it was odd her friends called her "the Doctor". The Doctor is annoyed, because "If I was still a bloke, I wouldn't have to deal with this and be half-way done by now." The King believes that the name comes from the necromancer Dr. D, telling his men to seize the Doctor so she can be tried.

Elsewhere in the forest, Yaz has found Graham and Ryan. They overhear news that another witch has been found. They know that the Doctor would have put a stop to another senseless murder, but then come to the conclusion that she must have been showing off her sonic screwdriver or advanced knowledge.

The Doctor's hands are bound and tied up in the center of town. The King approaches, asking how her "magic wand" works. The Doctor asks him what he wants, and he says that he wants to know the secrets of existence from an agent of the devil. Annoyed, the Doctor tells him that she's not a witch or an agent of the devil, but will tell him secrets of existence in exchange for her wand. The King is not fooled by her words, but she tells that she knows the truth about his mother. She left him when he was barely a year old and was used as a scapegoat to resolve the murder of his father. Now he has to live with never knowing what she knew or how she felt. The Doctor tells him that if he wants to know the secrets of existence, he must first understand the human heart.

At the river, the Doctor removes her jacket before sitting on the dunking branch; she notices Becka's hand cause a reaction upon touching it. The tree gives off a flowing circuit pattern, making the Doctor realizes Becka is connected in some way beyond the usual superstitious paranoia. Smiling, the Doctor tells her that she can't keep up her ruse anymore, as mud trickles down Becka's eyes. Graham, Ryan and Yaz arrive, yelling for the people to let the Doctor go. However, they pay no mind to them, instead demanding Becka dump the Doctor. King James says that if the Doctor is innocent, death will prove it. After a few moments, the King orders the branch lifted. However, the Doctor is not on it. Instead, she emerges from the water a few feet away. King James thinks it means the Doctor is a powerful witch. However, the Doctor says that's not the case; she's just good at holding her breath and learned how to escape from chains from Houdini.

The mud creatures arrive with Becka's ax, prompting Graham to ask what they want. The Doctor explains that they're after Becka, because something happened when she cut down the tree. Becka apologizes to the king, believing she let the devil into herself upon chopping down the tree. She fought it off with medicine from her grandmother, but when she asked her to chop off the infected leg, she refused; Becka used the witch trials as an excuse to kill her to keep her secret. Becka begins leaking mud and vomiting it. The mud creatures surround her as the alien instead takes over. The king thinks the devil is possessing them, but the Doctor tells him that's not it. When asked what they are, the possessed Becka tells them that they are the Morax; they were imprisoned on this planet for wars crimes. But thanks to Becka's blunder, they have been freed. They now want King James as a vessel. When Team TARDIS defends him, the Morax release a blast of energy that knocks everyone out.

Everyone awakes later to find the Morax have taken King James. The Doctor explains that Morax were reduced to their basic DNA for storage and the security system needs to be rebooted. Yaz criticizes the lock for being a tree, to which the Doctor explains is what it ended up looking like after billions of years. Right now they need to break off the branches and light them on fire. The branches are like Semtex to the Morax, which they can use to repel them.

Night at the stump that was once the lock holding the Morax back. The Queen Morax/Becka calls for her husband to emerge from the prison and take the King's body. However, the Doctor's team arrive and fend them off with the lit branches. The Doctor plunges her branch into the stump and sonics it, causing the system to reboot and suck the Morax out of the bodies of the deceased. The Queen declares that she will not leave. The King tells her that she will and stabs her with a torch. Becka dissolves along with the queen. The Doctor gives the king an angry glare as her defends his actions as Becka having confessed to being a witch.

The next day, Team TARDIS is ready to depart. The king asks Ryan to be his new protector, but Ryan turns down the job, giving back the talisman. Graham likewise gives back the hat. Willa tells the Doctor and Yaz that she will continue being a healer, or rather a doctor. King James tells the Doctor that though they prefer different methods, they both care about people. The Doctor coldly tells him that there had better not be anymore witch hunts, or they will come back and punish him for it. With her usual cheekiness, the Doctor tells the king about Clarke's Law and that she's about to prove it to him. After Ryan, Yaz and Graham board the TARDIS, the Doctor shuts the door behind the four of them. The TARDIS then leaves, leaving the king confused and Willa smiling

Cast

 * The Doctor - Jodie Whittaker
 * Graham O'Brien - Bradley Walsh
 * Ryan Sinclair - Tosin Cole
 * Yasmin Khan - Mandip Gill
 * King James - Alan Cumming
 * Becka Savage - Siobhan Finneran
 * Willa Twiston - Tilly Steele
 * Old Mother Twiston - Tricia Kelly
 * Smithy - Arthur Kay
 * Alfonso - Stavros Demetraki

Uncredited

 * Mud Witch - Marina Stoimenova

Crew
to be added

Story notes

 * Several Biblical sayings are given in this story. However, some are misattributed: while the Doctor says "Love thy neighbor" originates from the New Testament, it is actually first said in the Old Testament Book of Leviticus.

Ratings

 * 5.66 million (UK overnight)

Filming locations

 * Little Woodham - Bilehurst Cragg

Production errors
to be added

Continuity

 * The Doctor has met James I before, in her first incarnation. (PROSE: The Plotters)
 * The Doctor reminds her friends not to mess with history. (TV: Rosa)
 * The Doctor mentions having been a "bloke", (TV: An Unearthly Child et al.) and laments that she used to command more authority. She previously noted that, as a man, she was allowed to go anywhere. (PROSE: The Good Doctor)
 * James and Becka blame Satan for local troubles. The Doctor says she doesn't believe in Satan. The Tenth Doctor previously met a beast who called himself Satan, which the Doctor speculated had inspired many cultures' myths about the Devil, or the Horned Beast. (TV: The Satan Pit)
 * King James notes to Ryan that people have tried to blow him up. (PROSE: The Plotters, GAME: The Gunpowder Plot)
 * Ryan refers to the death of his nan and mum. (TV: The Woman Who Fell to Earth, The Tsuranga Conundrum)
 * Yaz refers to another time in her life where prejudice got to her. (TV: Rosa)
 * The Tenth Doctor was previously accused of witchcraft by the Sycorax leader after he used excess regeneration energy to regrow his severed hand. (TV: The Christmas Invasion) The Sixth Doctor was called a warlock by the Carrionites after he commanded the use of an incantation found in Reminiscences of the Peculiar. (AUDIO: The Carrionite Curse) The Doctor's granddaughter Susan was also accused of witchcraft — and hunted — during the Salem witch trials in 1692. (PROSE: The Witch Hunters)
 * The Doctor uses her respiratory bypass system. (TV: Pyramids of Mars, Four to Doomsday, AUDIO: Return of the Krotons)
 * The Doctor mentions having met Harry Houdini. (AUDIO: Smoke and Mirrors, PROSE: Houdini and the Space Cuckoos, The Great Escape, COMIC: Theatre of the Mind)
 * The Doctor once again tries calling her friends "gang", "team", and "fam". (TV: The Woman Who Fell to Earth)
 * The Doctor previously met another alien race that could possess corpses in her ninth incarnation. (TV: The Unquiet Dead)
 * The Third Doctor and Jo Grant once discussed Clarke's Law upon the moment the Doctor made it appear Bessie could move on her own, when in reality he had wired the engine with a remote control. (TV: The Dæmons) The Seventh Doctor also once quoted Clarke's Law to Ace. (TV: Battlefield)

DVD releases
to be added

Blu-ray releases
to be added

Digital releases
to be added