The Lodger (TV story)

The Lodger is the eleventh episode of Series 5.

Synopsis
The Doctor forgets to set the TARDIS controls leaving Amy trapped inside as she ends up travelling one week into the future, without the Doctor. This leaves the Doctor trapped on Earth as he awaits the return of his TARDIS. While the Doctor waits, he discovers there's a house on Aickman road with a staircase that people go up, but never down... To solve the mystery of the man upstairs, the Doctor must pass himself off as a normal human being, and share a flat with Craig Owens.

Plot
to be added

Cast

 * The Doctor - Matt Smith
 * Amy Pond - Karen Gillan
 * Craig Owens - James Corden
 * Sophie - Daisy Haggard
 * Avatar Man - Darrell Heath
 * Steven - Owen Donovan
 * Sean - Babatunde Aleshe
 * Michael - Jem Wall
 * Sandra - Karen Seacombe
 * Clubber - Kamara Bacchus
 * Claudio - Marcus O' Donovan

Production crew
to be added

Story notes

 * This episode was mistakenly entitled Reality Check, A Clinical Finish, Don't Go Up The Stairs, and Something At the Top Of The Stairs.
 * "The Lodger" is also a comic strip story by Gareth Roberts. Roberts has confirmed this story is an adaption of the basic premise of the other, however he has stated that they differ quite a lot in that the comic was written for different characters (the Tenth Doctor and Mickey Smith) and focused on the "domestic set-up" while the TV story involves "something at the top of the stairs". This wouldn't be the first time that a non-televised story had been adapted on the TV series, the Human Nature story being an example of adaption to the TV series.
 * The Doctor will wear a football kit and play on a football team with Craig in the episode.
 * The Doctor gets blown out of the TARDIS.
 * The Doctor will wear some kind of ear piece as seen in the trailer and the picture above.
 * The football team the Doctor and Craig play for is called the King's Arms.
 * The Doctor was good in sports in DW: Black Orchid when he played good during a game of cricket.
 * Four clips of the episode show the Doctor saying that he doesn't know why people call him the Doctor and Craig Owens showing him the dampness in the corner of the wall, Craig showing him his room and cooking a meal, after eating the meal, giving him his keys and looking at the dampness in the corner of the wall again and the Doctor and Craig playing football, the Doctor playing very well, Sophie taking a liking to him and Craig feeling bad because Sophie is really liking the Doctor because he scored a goal, were all released on the BBC Doctor Who website on the 10th of June 2010.
 * A teaser has implied that several Doctors including the First and Second will appear, mentioning a character appearing for the fourth time (First Doctor) this series, another for the third time (Second Doctor), and others for the second (all the other Doctors).

Ratings
to be added

Rumours

 * It is rumoured that either the Timoreen, the Ha'rik, or the Skarkish will appear – primarily because these were all listed as "new aliens" to appear in Series 5.
 * This episode will be the one that features the Blue Peter Competition TARDIS console.
 * As this episode is before the finale, it most likely will have a foreshadowing (like in and ) or link right into the finale (like  and ).
 * It is likely that this episode will lead directly into the next as Claudio played by Marcus O' Donovan is listed to appear in both this episode and the following one, DW: The Pandorica Opens.
 * Another reason to suggest that it leads into the finale is because Craig has a van Gogh ticket on his fridge, and a van Gogh painting will have something to do with the finale.
 * Amy will remember, or begin to remember, Rory by the end of the episode.

Filming locations
to be added

Production errors
to be added

Continuity

 * On Craig Owen's fridge is a ticket to the Vincent van Gogh exhibition at the Musée d'Orsay, which the Doctor, Amy and later van Gogh himself visit in the previous episode. (DW: Vincent and the Doctor)

Home video releases
BBC Video - Doctor Who Series Five - Volume Four will feature The Lodger, The Pandorica Opens and The Big Bang. It will be released on Monday 6th September 2010 (UK Only) on DVD and Blu-ray.