Human Nature (TV story)

Human Nature was the eighth episode of the third series of Doctor Who. It introduced the Chameleon arch and its ability to change Time Lord's DNA and saw the Doctor become human. The episode was based on a novel of the same name.

Synopsis
England 1913, and a schoolteacher called John Smith has strange dreams of adventures in time and space.

Plot
The Tenth Doctor and Martha barely make it into the TARDIS as some sort of energy weapon discharges behind them. After ascertaining that their pursuers had not seen their faces, the Doctor explains that they are being pursued by aliens who have stolen a Time Agent's vortex manipulator and can follow the TARDIS anywhere.

The Doctor sees only one way out: since their pursuers have very short lifespans, he and Martha can hide from them until they die naturally. He considers their plight and comes to a decision: he entrusts Martha with a pocket watch, explaining that his Time Lord consciousness will be kept in the watch while he uses the TARDIS' Chameleon Arch to transform himself into a human.

A few months later, in November 1913, schoolteacher John Smith is settling into his new job at the Farringham School for Boys, ably assisted by his maid, Martha. A quiet, introspective, and somewhat absent-minded man, John finds a creative outlet in a journal he keeps of his strange and vivid dreams. Fascinated by his extraordinary dreams of adventures in space and time, he begins to confide in Matron Joan Redfern, the school's nurse.

Meanwhile, a group of John's students are studying in their dormitory room. One of them, Timothy Latimer, is bullied by a fellow student, Hutchinson, as much for his obvious intelligence as for his uncanny and unsettling ability to know things he shouldn't or couldn't possibly know. Another student, Jeremy Baines, tires of teasing Latimer and announces to Hutchinson and the others that he knows the location of a secret stash of beer in the woods, and will bring some back for the boys to enjoy in secret. He sneaks out by climbing down a ladder outside his window.

Baines has just found the cache of beer, in the woods near the school, when he sees a strange green light land on the field just beyond the woods. Curious, he investigates the light source, and stumbles across an entrance to an invisible spaceship. There, he meets its occupants, gaseous creatures who call themselves the Family. He asks to see their forms, but they reply that that is easy: soon, they will sound familiar. He screams.

Hutchinson and the other boys are getting impatient when Baines returns, without the secret stash of beer. He is also behaving unusually, sniffing the air as though he has a cold.

Joan Redfern confronts Martha and asks about John's strange behaviour, but Martha cannot tell her the truth. She finds refuge in the TARDIS, which has been hidden safely out of sight, and reviews instructions that the Doctor hastily recorded just before his transformation. But the instructions are notably lacking: the Doctor did not foresee that his human self might fall in love.

Meanwhile, Tim Latimer is summoned to John Smith's office to retrieve a book. While Smith looks for it, Latimer is drawn to the pocket watch that contains the Tenth Doctor's Time Lord memories and abilities. The boy opens it, briefly seeing the Doctor's world, but closes it quickly as he hears Smith approaching. Latimer slips the watch into his pocket and scurries away, unnerved.

Latimer inspects his prize, unaware that each time he opens the watch, a diffuse trace is detected by the pursuers, who now number three, as the Family have possessed two other villagers: Mr. Clark from nearby Oakham Farm becomes the Family's Father, and schoolgirl Lucy Cartwright becomes the Daughter.

John Smith and Nurse Redfern discuss his Journal of Impossible Things while on a walk around the village.

Meanwhile, the Family uses scarecrows as their mindless soldiers to capture Jenny, Martha's fellow maid, and Mother of Mine possesses her. Jenny then returns to the school and engages Martha in conversation. Martha quickly realises Jenny has been taken over. She runs to Smith, who is with Redfern preparing to go to the village dance that evening. She finds that the watch is gone, and tries in vain to restore him to his Time Lord configuration without it. Smith, shocked at Martha's behaviour, promptly fires her and leaves for the village dance with Nurse Redfern.

The pursuers crash the dance and reveal that John Smith is the Doctor in human form. Smith still refuses to believe it. They take Martha and Joan hostage and demand that the bewildered schoolteacher choose which of them they should kill: his friend or his lover.

Cast

 * The Doctor/John Smith - David Tennant
 * Martha Jones - Freema Agyeman
 * Joan Redfern - Jessica Hynes
 * Jenny - Rebekah Staton
 * Tim Latimer - Thomas Sangster
 * Jeremy Baines - Harry Lloyd
 * Hutchinson - Tom Palmer
 * Farmer Clark - Gerald Horan
 * Lucy Cartwright - Lauren Wilson
 * Mr Rocastle - Pip Torrens
 * Mr Phillips - Matthew White
 * Doorman - Derek Smith
 * Mr Chambers - Peter Bourke

Story notes

 * When the Doctor is speaking to Joan he names his parents as Sydney and Verity. This is clearly a reference to Sydney Newman, the original creator of Doctor Who, and Verity Lambert, the first producer.
 * This is the first occurrence of an explicitly racist comment within the new series directed at a companion.
 * Radio Times credits David Tennant as 'John Smith', and not the Doctor. On-screen credits read 'The Doctor/Smith'.
 * During the video instructions that the Doctor has recorded for Martha, a deleted scene for the episode reveals that instruction number five stated that the Doctor hated pears (before a number of improvised statements by Tennant that were intended to be "fast forwarded" when shown). The declaration of the Doctor's distaste for pears was removed, and the fast forward implemented just before this instruction was said, as the BBC felt that it may encourage children to stop eating pears.
 * The BBC logo does not appear on screen at any point during the episode, wheras it usually appears at the beginning of the cold opening or during the opening titles.

Ratings

 * 7.1 million (overnight)
 * 7.74 million (final ratings)
 * 0.87 million (BBC3 repeat ratings)

Filming locations

 * Llandaff Cathedral, Llandaff, Cardiff
 * St Fagans National History Museum, Cardiff
 * Tredegar House, Newport
 * Treberfydd House, Llangasty, Brecon
 * BBC Broadcasting House, Llandaff, Cardiff
 * Cwm Ifor Farm, Caerphilly

Production errors

 * Joan puts her stethoscope in her ears backwards when listening to John Smith's single heart.
 * When John Smith throws the cricket ball to stop the baby carriage from reaching where the piano is going to fall, the rope is revealed snapping just seconds after the ball has left his hand. In the wide shot showing the aftermath, the carriage is a good fifteen feet from the crashed piano.

Continuity

 * The visual flashes come from: DW: Dalek, Rise of the Cybermen, The Impossible Planet, The Christmas Invasion, Tooth and Claw, Army of Ghosts, The Runaway Bride and The Lazarus Experiment.
 * Perception filters were first mentioned by Captain Jack Harkness in TW: Everything Changes. They later play a large role in DW: Utopia and The Sound of Drums.
 * The music signature for Lucy Cartwright is extremely similar to that of the young girl who is used as the Renegade Daleks' Battle computer in DW: Remembrance of the Daleks.
 * John Smith mentions that he learned to draw on Gallifrey, to which Joan responds by asking if it is in Ireland. This is similar to the dialogue between the Fourth Doctor and his examiner in DW: The Hand of Fear.
 * At one point when the watch is opened, the Doctor is heard saying, "You Are Not Alone". This was said by the Face of Boe in DW: Gridlock and plays an important part in DW: Utopia.
 * Also when the watch is opened, the Doctor is heard saying, "I've always wanted to do that", a quote he previously used during his tenth incarnation.
 * Martha's Myspace blog states that she and the Doctor were attending the 2007 Eurovision concert when the Family found them.
 * This story introduced the Chameleon Arch, which would play a major role in DW: Utopia.
 * John Smith teaches a lesson on Napoléon Bonaparte's defeat at the Battle of Waterloo on 18 June 1815. The Doctor had been present for the battle during both his second and sixth incarnations. (PDA: World Game, BFA: The Curse of Davros)
 * Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright met Napoléon at a young age. (DW: The Reign of Terror) The Third Doctor also recalled having at one point met Napoléon. (DW: Day of the Daleks)
 * In the begining of the episode, when John Smith is walking through the school, the old Bunyan hymn To be a Pilgrim is heard. The lyrics may be taken to reference the return of The Master, and even his ship the Valiant. (DW: Utopia/The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords)

Timeline

 * Human Nature takes place after NSA: Wooden Heart.
 * Human Nature takes place before DW: The Family of Blood.

Home video releases

 * This episode has been released with The Family of Blood and Blink on the Series 3 Volume 3 DVD.
 * It is also part of the series 3 DVD box set.