The Pilot (TV story)

 was the first episode of the tenth series of Doctor Who produced by BBC Wales. It introduced the Twelfth Doctor's new companion, Bill Potts.

According to Steven Moffat in a video introduction, "series 10 sort of begins the show again. [The Pilot] introduces everything you need to know about Doctor Who, and tips you into the universe". Indeed, through Bill's eyes now, viewers are introduced again to the character of the Doctor, his TARDIS, his enemies the Daleks, and his versatile tool, the sonic screwdriver.

Synopsis
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Plot
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Cast

 * The Doctor - Peter Capaldi
 * Bill - Pearl Mackie
 * Nardole - Matt Lucas
 * Moira - Jennifer Hennessy
 * Heather - Stephanie Hyam
 * Voice of the Daleks - Nicholas Briggs

Crew
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Story notes

 * Before filming started, a two-minute scene featuring the Doctor and Bill known as Friend From the Future was broadcast in April 2016, set during the encounter in the Dalek warzone. Parts of this scene were adapted into the episode. (DWM 511)
 * The setting of this story bears some resemblance to the unfinished TV story Shada. Both stories feature Time Lords (in Shada Chronotis, in The Pilot the Doctor) who settle in colleges as eccentric professors for an extended period of time. Both feature opening shots of a student (in Shada Chris Parsons, in The Pilot Bill Potts) entering their studies and noticing the TARDIS, parked in the corner.
 * The plot element of having the Doctor travel to various obscure locations in the universe as he continuously encounters the same entity has previously been used in the season-long-arc of Titan's Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor Year 2; where the Eleventh Doctor's team was stalked by a being known as the Then and the Now.
 * During the scene when the Doctor is about to wipe Bill's memory and she upset tells him to imagine if someone did it to him, Clara's Theme plays. This is a reference to the events of TV: Hell Bent.

Ratings
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Filming locations
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Production errors
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Continuity

 * The Doctor has framed photographs on his desk of both his lost wife River Song (TV: The Wedding of River Song, The Husbands of River Song, Forest of the Dead) and his granddaughter Susan. (TV: An Unearthly Child - The Dalek Invasion of Earth)
 * The Doctor pilots the TARDIS to the Dalek-Movellan War. (TV: Destiny of the Daleks)
 * The Doctor has previously met sentient liquid beings, the Kar-Charratans on Kar-Charrat. (AUDIO: The Genocide Machine)
 * The Doctor relents on wiping Bill's memory when she poses the question of how he would feel if it happened to him, clearly bringing back his memories (or lack-there-of) of Clara Oswald. (TV: Hell Bent)
 * In his office the Doctor has his bust of Beethoven, previously seen in Before the Flood. Similar to that episode, he also plays Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.

DVD releases
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Blu-ray releases
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Digital releases
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