The Beast Below (TV story)

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

- Poetry 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
Starship UK is floating through space - the words 'Yorkshire', 'Kent' and 'Surrey' visible on some of the buildings. The scene cuts to a classroom on board Starship UK where a line of children are receiving praise from a Smiler. One boy, Timmy, stays seated until his sister, Mandy, persuades him to join the line. When it is his turn to face the Smiler, he doesn't receive any praise, instead getting a 0, but the Smiler turns it's head 360 degrees to show its frowning face. Because Timmy got 0, he isn't allowed on the lifts back down to his house in London. He protests about having to walk down 20 decks and wants to take the lift. However, his sister says that if he were to ride a lift, he would get sent down 'below'. As soon as the lift has gone, he steps into the other one and says to go to London. On the screen, a girl reads out some verses - ending in 'The man above might say hello, expect no love from the Beast Below'. The Smiler in the lift turns its face from happy to frowning and then looks at Timmy. Suddenly, the lift shudders and starts plunging down to Floor Number 0. On arriving, the floor opens up onto a deep red cavern, and as Timmy falls in the Smiler's frowning face swivels and is replaced by an almost demonic face.

The scene cuts to the TARDIS drifting through space with the doors open, with the Doctor holding Amy as she joyfully drifts around. The Doctor pulls her in and comments that he was not lying to Amy when he stated it was a space ship. While Amy goes mad with enthusiasm, the Doctor notices a ship flying under the TARDIS. The Doctor sets a course for the ship and tells Amy about the Sun turning on Earth, and all of humanity migrating to the stars.

The Doctor tells Amy that as this is not their time, they should only observe and not get involved in affairs. As Amy comments on how hard that is, she notices that the Doctor has already left and is trying to talk to Mandy, who is silently crying.

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, continuing the new theme of cracks appearing throughout the universe.
 * Unusually for the a story written by Steven Moffat, nobody dies on screen.
 * 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 all being specials or extended.

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
to be added

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 XVII 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.