The Vanquishers (TV story)

, prefixed in the title sequence with Chapter Six and in other sources with Flux, was the sixth episode of series 13 of Doctor Who. It formed the sixth and final chapter of the six-part serial Doctor Who: Flux.

It brought an end to the storylines of Swarm and Azure and saw Inston-Vee Vinder finally reunited with his pregnant wife Bel after they spent most of the season looking for one another.

It was the first televised story to see the Doctor coming face to face with the embodiment of Time, although such a thing had previously been presented in the Virgin New Adventures novels.

The episode gave a similar ominous warning of impending doom for the Thirteenth Doctor as had been previously given to the Tenth Doctor in the 2009 special Planet of the Dead.

Synopsis
Having taken control of Divison's base in the Void, and of the precious fob watch containing the memories stolen from the Doctor by Tecteun, Swarm and Azure stand poised to achieve their ultimate revenge. Meanwhile, the Sontarans, working in conjunction with the Grand Serpent, have taken Earth once again as part of a gleeful scheme to exploit the Flux to become the dominant species in the cosmos once and for all, surpassing even the Daleks and the Cybermen. With the help of Joseph Williamson and his tunnels through time, the Doctor's stranded companions must unite to vanquish the ultimate threats to life in the universe.

Plot
to be added

Cast

 * The Doctor - Jodie Whittaker
 * Yasmin Khan - Mandip Gill
 * Dan Lewis - John Bishop
 * Swarm - Sam Spruell
 * Azure - Rochenda Sandall
 * Williamson - Steve Oram
 * Professor Jericho - Kevin McNally
 * Karvanista - Craige Els
 * Bel - Thaddea Graham
 * Kate Stewart - Jemma Redgrave
 * Sontaran Commander Stenck - Jonathan Watson
 * Grand Serpent - Craig Parkinson
 * Senstarg/Shallo/Kragar - Dan Starkey
 * Claire Brown - Annabel Scholey
 * Vinder - Jacob Anderson
 * Diane - Nadia Albina
 * Ood - Simon Carew
 * Voice of the Ood - Silas Carson
 * Passenger - Jonny Mathers
 * Stevie (Grand Serpent Victim) - Sonny Walker
 * Voice of the Daleks/Cybermen - Nicholas Briggs

Uncredited cast

 * Time - Sam Spruell
 * Time - Jodie Whittaker

Crew
to be added

Individuals

 * The Doctor gives Joseph Williamson a "Paul Hollywood handshake".

Story notes
The Vanquishers is set on the same day it was broadcast: 5 December 2021. This makes it one of only six episodes in the revived series to do so. The other five instances were part one of The End of Time for 25 December 2009, The Big Bang for 26 June 2010, The Impossible Astronaut for 22 April 2011, Resolution for 1 January 2019, and The Halloween Apocalypse for 31 October, 2021.

Incidentally, this means that both the first chapter and the final chapter of Doctor Who: Flux were broadcast on the day they take place.

Ratings
to be added

Filming locations
to be added

Production errors

 * When the Doctor speaks to Yaz as Dan leaves to find his bedroom in the Doctor's TARDIS, Dan can initially be seen walking up the steps to the corridor but disappears when the camera zooms in on Yaz.

Continuity

 * The Doctor asks Karvanista about their past, revealing she saw him in her past at the Temple of Atropos. (TV: Once, Upon Time)
 * Claire recalls the Doctor being taken away by the Weeping Angels. (TV: Village of the Angels)
 * Dan realises him releasing Karvanista was what the wise man was referring to by "fetch your dog". (TV: Survivors of the Flux)
 * The Doctor is warned about her impending regeneration, as was the Tenth Doctor in TV: Planet of the Ood and Planet of the Dead.

DVD releases
to be added

Blu-ray releases
to be added

Digital releases
to be added