The Beast Below (TV story)

The Beast Below was the second episode of the fifth series of BBC Wales Doctor Who. It was notable for featuring Amy Pond's first trip in the TARDIS.

Synopsis
The Doctor takes Amy on her first trip in the TARDIS 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 late 33rd century, children sit in class waiting to be graded by their instructor, an automated machine known as a Smiler. A boy called Timmy does not want to line up and joins at the end; the Smiler calls Timmy a bad boy and gives him a zero. As the students walk out, Timmy's friend Mandy reminds him that he cannot take the vator because students aren't allowed when they have a zero; she leaves in one, promising to wait for him at the bottom. Not wanting to walk twenty decks to London, Timmy enters the second vator as it arrives; but instead of heading to London, it drops down to Floor 0, with the floor in the vator opening to a red chasm beneath. Timmy drops into it as the Smiler shows its anger.

Elsewhere, Amy is suspended in space outside the TARDIS, with the Doctor standing at the ledge holding her ankle to keep her from floating away. He notices Starship UK as he pulls Amy back inside, and informs her that in the 29th century, solar flares roasted the Earth and forced the entire human race to flee to the stars until it was over. While they admire the ship's infrastructure, he tells her that they are observers and cannot get involved; however, they produce an image of Mandy crying silently over the scanner, and the Doctor appears upset by it. Amy asks him whether it's hard not to interfere -- only for the Doctor to suddenly appear onscreen, asking Mandy if she needs help. The little girl runs away from him, and the Doctor beckons for Amy to join him outside. She exits the TARDIS and is immediately astounded by everything around her; the duo explore the area, known locally as the London Market, with the Doctor encouraging Amy to notice all sorts of things. Abruptly, he stops and takes a glass of water off a nearby table, setting it on the floor and studying it a brief moment before returning it. He informs Amy that this is a police state: the government controls everything.



The Doctor spots Mandy crying across the room and the two go to her, followed closely by a dark-robed individual. This figure, observing the two from afar, phones Hawthorne, controller of the Smilers, to report that he has seen the Doctor.

Hawthorne, likewise, phones a cloaked woman sitting in a bedchamber amidst a sea of glasses filled with water; he tells her that there has been a sighting. The woman tells him that she will take a look at the monitors and grabs a porcelain mask sitting next to her before leaving.

The Doctor and Amy observe Mandy from a bench; the Doctor tells his companion that the girl is not getting any attention from passing adults, which means that they likely know what is making her cry and are simply too afraid to talk about it. The Doctor encourages Amy to pursue the girl and ask her about the Smilers -- they're everywhere, and, contrary to the rest of the ship, impeccably clean. The Doctor, meanwhile, goes off to conduct his own investigation.

Amy heeds the Doctor's orders, encountering Mandy in a street. They discover a sealed-off part of the road -- which Mandy refers to as a "hole" -- that Amy decides to investigate despite Mandy's warnings that they are not allowed; it has something to do with the Smilers and "Below." She asks Amy if she's Scottish, informing her that Scotland has its own ship. Meanwhile, the nearby Smiler's face turns angry as Amy succeeds in breaking the lock that seals off the hole; entering the tent, she discovers a giant tentacle rising up through the ship from below; it attacks her and forces her back out, where she is surrounded by a group of hooded men who put her to sleep as Mandy looks on.

The Doctor, meanwhile, descends a ladder into the ship's "engine" room; after examining the surrounding area, he meets the masked woman. She tells him that she is conducting an investigation similar to the Doctor's, and demands to know why he thought to put the glass of water on the floor of the marketplace earlier; he relays his suspicions that, in a ship of this size, there would have been engine vibration on deck, and the water would have moved -- and yet, it didn't. In fact, it would appear that the ship has no engine at all. The woman replies in the affirmative and offers a device that will lead him to Amy, promising that they will meet again.

Amy regains consciousness in a voting booth. A machine scans her, confirming her information and reading her age as 1,306 years -- which amuses her -- and her marital status as unknown, which unsettles her. The screen switches to a video narrated by a man in a smart suit who tells her that she will now be shown the truth of the ship's travels; afterwards, she will be faced with the choice to "forget" everything she's learned in the booth or to "protest," which may have terrible consequences for everyone on board the ship.

She sees the film, a succession of subliminal images that suggest a huge influx of information. After the film, Amy quickly chooses to forget. A recording she made appears on the screen; in it, she orders herself to find the Doctor and get him off the ship to keep him from investigating. The door to the booth opens, with the Doctor and Mandy waiting for her outside; Amy quickly stops the message to prevent the Doctor from seeing it. The Doctor deduces that a machine in the lamp above her head has made her forget the last twenty minutes. The machine scans the Doctor and recognizes the Doctor as an alien, which surprises Amy as he looks human; the Doctor retorts that she looks Time Lord because they came first. However, he sadly informs her that there are no more Time Lords left because there was a "bad day."

After tinkering with the machine, the Doctor presses the "protest" button; the door shuts and the floor rolls out from beneath them, sending the two travellers down a chute to the same red abyss that Timmy fell into earlier. They land in a puddle of red slime which the Doctor quickly ascertains is food refuse; he tells Amy that they are standing on the tongue of a large beast, which presumably eats anyone who protests. He uses his sonic screwdriver to make the owner of the tongue vomit the Doctor and Amy out into an overspill pipe, where they are confronted with another "forget" button. If they press the switch, they will forget what they've seen and be readmitted into the ship. When they refuse to press the switch, the Smilers at the end of the corridor not only turn to anger, but physically step out of the booths and move to attack. They are rescued by the masked woman -- who calls herself Liz 10 -- who has followed the Doctor using the device she gave him earlier, and who has a gun capable of temporarily disarming the Smilers.

Liz 10 reveals herself to be Queen Elizabeth the Tenth of the United Kingdom. The Doctor deduces that the creature who owns the tongue is sending up the roots which Amy discovered in the workman's tent. Liz 10, who has Mandy with her, explains that she has been investigating the creature for ten years -- ever since she came to the throne at the age of forty (she explains that they "slowed her body clock" to maintain her younger looks). She believes that her government is conspiring against her and feeding her subjects to the beast. While investigating, she wears the mask to hide her identity; the Doctor notes that because the mask is made of porcelain, it has been made to perfectly fit her face.

Hawthorne is made aware that the the Queen is close to uncovering the creature conspiracy, and orders the hooded men to start a pre-arranged protocol. The Doctor, Amy, Liz 10, and Mandy are captured by the hooded men; when Liz protests, one of the men's face turns, revealing himself to be half-human, half-Smiler. They are taken to the Tower of London in the bowels of the ship, where Liz 10 meets Hawthorne, who seems to be a senior member of the government. The Doctor reveals that the creature, whom they previously thought was malevolent, is, in fact, the ship's means of flying: the ship has been built around it, and the pain center of its brain has been exposed to a large laser which sends out electrical shocks to keep it moving. The Doctor and Liz are outraged by this cruelty, and the Queen demands that it be set free immediately. Hawthorne insists that he is simply obeying the orders of the highest authority; he also reveals that while the creature will eat the adults sent to it, it never harms the children.

The Doctor has already deduced that Liz 10 has been Queen for hundreds of years, but has chosen to forget her past years of rule whenever she discovered the truth about the creature; he has come to this conclusion because the Queen's mask is hundreds of years old, yet was clearly made specifically for her.

Hawthorne plays a recording of Liz 10, confirming this hunch to be true. In the video, she explains that the British people faced destruction when Earth was devastated by solar flares, with the children screaming in pain. The creature, which she identifies as a star whale and the last of its kind, appeared "like a miracle." The government captured it and used it to power their spaceship. Liz 10 is presented with two buttons -- "forget" and "abdicate," which will end her rule and release the star whale, destroying the ship and all who live on board.

The Doctor allows the humans present to hear the star whale's screams of pain through the use of the sonic screwdriver. He tells them that he has no choice but to kill the conscious functions of the creature in order to keep it from feeling the pain; the creature will remain floating in space, preserving the lives of the humans, though it will be a vegetable. He calls this a horrible solution, and expresses his anger at all of the humans who allowed this to happen -- including Amy, whom he tells off for pressing the "forget" button, even though she did so to keep him from having to make such a difficult decision regarding the fate of the whale and humanity. He tells her that when they're done, he's taking her home.

However, as the Doctor sets up the massive electrical charge which will render the star whale brain-dead, Amy remembers the Doctor's previous order that she notice everything; she quickly ascertains that, while the tentacles will attack adults, they do not attack children. She realizes that the star whale is, in fact, benevolent and is voluntarily propelling the ship for the humans because of its compassion for the children. She makes Liz 10 press the "abdicate" button, and the brain stimulus halts; however, the creature continues to power the ship, with Hawthore noting that they have increased speed. Explaining her deduction, Amy says that "if you are very old and the last of your kind" like the star whale -- though she is looking at the Doctor -- then "you can't just stand there and watch children cry."

Later, Amy presents the Doctor with Liz 10's mask and a message from the Queen -- there will be no more secrets aboard Starship UK. The Doctor informs Amy that she couldn't have known how the whale would react; but she merely responds that she could, because she'd seen it before -- in him. They are reconciled and disappear without saying goodbye, hurrying back to the TARDIS.

Amy is about to reveal her impending marriage to the Doctor when the phone in the TARDIS rings; it's the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, who has found himself in a spot of bother -- as the shadow of a Dalek glides into view in his office. The Doctor and Amy set off to respond to this call for help. As the star whale continues to ferry humanity through the stars, another crack in the universe appears in the hull of the ship.

Cast

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

Story notes

 * This episode was incorrectly assumed to be titled Meddling Monks by fans prior to transmission.
 * Sophie Okenedo is credited as Liz 10 on-screen, and as Liz in Radio Times.
 * A cut line, revealed in an Eleventh Doctor Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition, would have stated there were other nation-ships and there used to be travel between them, but that Starship UK sealed off its 'borders' several decades ago.
 * 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.
 * Also like DW: The Doctor Dances, the resolution to the main problem of the plot is solved by an action people have at first believed would have caused another effect, and so previously tried to avoid (Nancy tried to avoid her son Jamie of fear of becoming infected by Empty Child whilst Liz 10 always chose to forget since she believed that by releasing the star whale, it would destroy Starship UK).
 * This story leads directly into the next, Victory of the Daleks.
 * Another crack can 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 Series 5 theme of cracks appearing throughout the universe.
 * Amy stopping the Doctor from killing the star whale echoes Donna Noble's pleas for the Tenth Doctor to stop his attack on the Racnoss and her children in DW: The Runaway Bride.
 * This is the first average length Doctor Who episode (45 minutes) since DW: The Stolen Earth, the intervening episodes all being specials or extended, not including the amalgamated Dreamland.
 * Amy Pond's age is said to be 1306 years old, and as she was 21 in 2010, this episode takes place in the year 3295.
 * A red telephone box, exactly the same as the one destroyed by the sonic screwdriver in Leadworth, appears early in the episode in the background.
 * There are several references and similarities between this episode and Star Wars. Liz 10 says to the Doctor; "Help us, Doctor. You're our only hope." echoing Princess Leia's holographic message in Episode IV. The Doctor and Amy are shunted down into a pile of refuse echoing another scene in Episode IV. The scenes inside the star whale and when they look outward through the jaws are reminiscent of the sequence in Episode V with the space slug. Lastly, near the end, the scene change between the climax and the denouement features a vertical transitional wipe similar to Lucas' wipe style.
 * This episode aired on the same day as the K9 episode, Sirens of Ceres was first broadcast on Disney XD in Britain. It also aired on the same day that Liberation was first broadcast on Network Ten in Australia.
 * This is the first episode since The Parting of the Ways in which David Tennant makes no appearance.
 * The Doctor had previous had a conversation with a human about Time Lords and humans looking the same, but different internally. (DW: Planet of the Dead)
 * This is the only episode to use the new Eleventh Doctor opening theme in the "Next Time trailer".

Ratings
6.7 million - First broadcast

8.42 million - Final BARB ratings

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 as playing 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
During the opening scene, when the Doctor has just pulled Amy back into the TARDIS, he looks at the camera and appears shocked by his error, visibly jumping but quickly recovers.
 * When Timmy boards the elevator at the beginning of the episode, the Smiler is smiling at the occupants' standing area. However, before it rotates to its "frown face", it is already seen with its frown face aimed toward the standing area in the external view-shot of the elevator.
 * When Amy's age is given as 1306, the computer screen reads 1308 instead.
 * When the Doctor and Amy are in the star whale's mouth, the light given off by the sonic screwdriver is the previous version's blue, instead of the usual current green.
 * The star whale's mouth is clearly depicted at the end of the episode as being in open space. However, when the Doctor and Amy are "ejected" from said mouth, they land inside the ship, as opposed to outside of it. No logical explanation is given for this.
 * The Union Flag shown on the side of the ship includes the elements of the St. Andrews cross even though Scotland is stated to have chosen to become independent.
 * After being thrown out of the mouth of the star whale, the Doctor's bangs are on his forehead. The next shot, they are pushed back. They return to normal in all following shots.

Continuity

 * The Doctor had previously taken a companion on adventure in just her pyjamas, namely Tegan in DW: Snakedance.
 * 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. Precisely how this happened is unclear, as Magpie was an apparently unmarried and childless owner of a single television shop who died at the events of that episode. It's entirely possible, however, that someone else (perhaps Tommy Connolly) capitalised on the brand in his honour, or that he had a sibling that inherited his business after his death.
 * 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. This episode leads straight into DW: Victory of the Daleks.
 * Liz Ten is the queen of Starship UK. She mentions the Tenth Doctor being knighted and exiled by Queen Victoria (DW: Tooth and Claw) and his relationship with the "Virgin Queen" (DW: The End of Time, The Shakespeare Code), as well as being an old drinking buddy of Henry XII and having tea and scones with Liz 2.
 * The Doctor tells Amy Pond about being the last of his race shortly after she joins him, much as he did with Rose, Martha, and Donna shortly after each of them joined him as a travelling companion.
 * 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). The Doctor also mentions that the Time Lords came before the human race.
 * The concept of a gigantic space-borne "whale" was first devised by Pat Mills for his unused Who script, The Song of the Space Whale produced by Big Finish Productions as BFA: The Song of Megaptera. The star whale may be a nod to that.
 * The star whale's exposed brain being restrained by humans is similar to the Ood Brain in DW: Planet of the Ood. Just as in that story, the brain was released in the end, and the restrained creature was freed. Similarly, the Doctor allows the beast's screams of pain to be heard by others, just as the Doctor uses his telepathic powers to let Donna hear the Ood's song.
 * As in a previous Moffat story, The Girl in the Fireplace, the "villains" are clockwork (or at least clockwork-based) androids. In both episodes however they are not the true villains, but working under commands given to them.
 * Amy asked the Doctor if he was a parent and he ignored the statement; he did the same to Rose's "what" when he told her he was a dad once in DW: Fear Her.
 * The star whale bears some semblance, and may be related to, the creature from TW: Meat.

Timeline

 * This story occurs after DW: The Eleventh Hour
 * This story occurs before DW: Victory of the Daleks

Home video releases

 * BBC Video - Doctor Who Series Five - Volume One was released 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.