The Beast Below (TV story)

"The man above might say hello, expect no love from the Beast Below!"

- Poem Girl

The Beast Below is the second episode of Matt Smith's first series.

Synopsis
The Doctor takes Amy to the distant future, where she finds Britain in space. Starship UK houses the future of the British people, as they search the stars for a new home. But as Amy explores, she encounters the terrifying Smilers and learns a deadly truth inside the Voting Booth.

Plot
On the Starship UK in the 29th Century, school children are in class. A boy called Timmy does not want to line up; his friend Mandy says he has to. He behind everyone else, where they are waiting for a Smiler to give them their result. When it gets to Timmy's turn, the Smiler says he is a bad boy, its face changes, and says he gets a zero. As the students walk out the classroom, Mandy tells Timmy that can't take the vator, as he got a zero. She enters the vator with everyone else, and the doors close. Not wanting to walk twenty floors to London, Timmy enters a second vator. Instead of heading to London, the vator drops to Floor 0, and the floor opens as the Smiler in the vator shows its anger.

The Doctor is showing Amy space above the Starship UK, she is flying in the air, with the Doctor in the Tardis holding her leg.The Doctor notices Starship UK and gets Amy in, he says in the 29th Century that Solar Flares roast the Earth and the entire Human race moved out until it was all over. The Doctor says that Starship UK where all of the United Kingdom went, to escape the solar flares. The Doctors says that they are observers only and they cannot get involved, on the Tardis moniter they view Mandy she looks upset and Amy Notices. The Doctor approaches her much to Amy's disbelieve. She comes out the Tardis and is supprised and astounded by everything around her. They explore and area called London market noticing all sorts of changes. The Doctor approaches a man with a glass of water and oplaces it on the floor, he then puts it back on the table saying to Amy that it is a nanny state and that the Government controls everything. The Doctor spots the crying girl and they go up to her only to be followed by a robed man. The robed man phones Hawthrone controller of the Smilers. He phones to report that he has seen the doctor.

Hawthorne then calls a cloaked woman saying that there has been a sighting of someone looking at the water. The woman has a Porcelin Mask with her and says she will have a look with the monitors.

The Doctor tells Amy that the girl is not recieving attention from any of the aduts, which means that something is wrong and they know about it. He tells Amy that the adults are affraid of something The Doctor then asks Amy to pursue the girl.

Amy finds Mandy, they find a booth that is sealed of, Amy try's to enter it, only to find Mandy saying, they are not supposed to talk about the Smilers and "Below". Mandy says to Amy that she sounds Scottish, Mandy then tells her that Scotland wanted its own ship. Amy comments that Nothing every Changes for them. Mandy wonders who the doctor is and then Amy says she was getting married. Amy then enters the booth as a Smiler near bye turns around revealing its red eyes. Amy then explores what is inside the tent, but finds that there is a giant tenticle sticking out. It then begins to attack her, she exits the booth and finds she is surrounded by the robed men, who put her to sleep, in front of Mandy.

The Doctor climbs down a ladder and meets a Masked Woman who calls herself Liz 10.

Cast

 * The Doctor - Matt Smith
 * Amy Pond - Karen Gillan
 * Liz 10 - Sophie Okonedo
 * Hawthorne - Terrence Hardiman
 * Morgan - Christopher Good
 * Timmy - Alfie Field
 * Peter - David Ajala
 * Mandy - Hannah Sharp
 * Poem Girl - Catrin Richards
 * Winder - Jonathan Battersby
 * Voice of Smilers \ Winder - Chris Porter
 * Winston Churchill - Ian McNeice

Story Notes

 * Like DW: The End of the World, this episode featured the Doctor taking a new companion into the distant future for her first trip in the TARDIS.
 * This story leads directly into the next.
 * Another crack could be seen at the very end of the story, in roughly the same shape as the crack on Amy's wall and the TARDIS monitor in DW: The Eleventh Hour, continuing the new theme of cracks appearing throughout the universe.
 * Nobody is killed in this story, as with previous Moffat stories (which only feature deaths from natural causes on screen and sometimes have nobody die at all), unusually for the series.
 * Counting his flashback appearance in the previous story, this is the first episode to not show David Tennant since Series 1's Bad Wolf.
 * This is the first average length Doctor Who episode since DW: The Stolen Earth, the following episodes all being specials or extended.
 * If Amy Pond's age is said to be 1306 years old, and she was 21 in 2010, then the year is most likely 3295.

Ratings
to be added

Filming Locations

 * Mamhilad, Monmouthshire, Wales

Rumours

 * It was originally rumoured that Sophie Okonedo was to play the character called "Liz Ten" which then was rumoured to be "Queen Elizabeth X". Sophie Okonedo was confirmed to play The Masked Woman. In dialogue, it was confirmed that her character was indeed "Elizabeth X". In the credits, she was listed as "Liz 10".
 * It was rumoured that The Doctor and Amy will be swallowed by a creature 'The Beast' and have to make the 'Beast' regurgitate then to escape. This is proven more likely with them both being drenched (having wet clothes) in the trailer. The Doctor and Amy actually managed to escape being swallowed, only entering the creature's mouth..

Production errors

 * When Amy Pond is in the Voting Booth, the voice says that she is 1,306 years old. However, on the computer screens, at the same time, it lists her age as 1,308 years old.


 * The name of the ship isn't quite accurate. It is called the "Starship UK", despite the fact that Mandy clearly tells Amy that Scotland wanted their own ship. The logo of the Starship UK, which can be seen behind the man in the video in the Voting Booth also shows Scotland, despite this. The flags everywhere are Union Flags, rather than English flags. The "Starship England" may have been a more accurate name, of course depending on whether Wales and/or Northern Ireland had been part of the Starship UK, which is unknown.

Continuity

 * A sign with Magpie Electricals can be seen, the brand was first created by Mr Magpie in DW: The Idiot's Lantern and has continued to appear in many stories set years later.
 * The advent of the Earth being rendered uninhabitable by solar flares not long before the 30th century is a plot point previously featured in DW: The Ark in Space/The Sontaran Experiment.
 * Winston Churchill calls the Doctor at the end of the episode, and the shadow of a Dalek is seen.
 * Liz Ten is the queen of Starship UK. She mentions the Doctor being knighted and exiled by Queen Victoria (DW: Tooth and Claw) and his relationship with the "Virgin Queen" (DW: The End of Time ), as well as Henry XII and Liz 2. His relationship with the "Virgin Queen" led into the ending of DW: The Shakespeare Code
 * The Doctor tells Amy Pond about being the last of his race shortly after she joined him, much like he did with Rose, Martha, and Donna shortly after they joined him.


 * Minor reference is made to the events of DW: The End of Time
 * The crack, previously seen on Amy's wall and the TARDIS' monitor (DW: The Eleventh Hour), is seen on the side of Starship UK.
 * The Doctor's "You look human/You look Time Lord" exchange with Amy mirrors a similar conversation between his previous incarnation and Lady Christina de Souza. (DW: Planet of the Dead)

DVD/Blu-Ray release

 * BBC Video - Doctor Who Series Five - Volume One is scheduled for release on DVD and Blu-Ray on 7th June 2010 (UK only), featuring The Eleventh Hour, The Beast Below, Victory of the Daleks, and the featurette The Monster Diaries.