Time (TV story)

Time is a Doctor Who television story written by Steven Moffat for Comic Relief 2011. It is the second half of a two-part story that begins with DW: Space.

Synopsis
The Doctor, Amy, and Rory are stuck in a space loop, trapping them in the TARDIS forever. Only one person can save them: another Amy Pond?

Plot
Continuing from the end of DW: Space, the new Amy explains that she is Amy from slightly in the future, as she stepped into the TARDIS exterior, which has drifted slightly into the future, and it sent her into the TARDIS interior slightly in the past. The present Amy is confused and is told it's only what the future Amy was told when she was in the present Amy's place. Future Amy says that present Amy enters the exterior of the TARDIS after slapping Rory. Rory wonders why he must be slapped and the Doctor tells them this timeline must be maintained or they would end up with two Amys forever; he asks Rory what he would do then. Rory begins thinking about it. Amy, catching on to his train of thought, slaps him for the idea.

The Doctor rushes Amy to the police box, but Amy stops to compliment her future self's appearance, saying she'd give herself a driver's licence. The future Amy flirts back with her past self. Annoyed, the Doctor says, "Oh, this is how it ends: Pond flirting with herself. True love at last." He then apologises to Rory in case he has hurt his feelings, but Rory has no problem with it as he is too interested in watching his wife flirting with herself. The present Amy enters the box to become the future Amy, making there once again one Amy. Amy wonders if things are okay now, but the Doctor tells them that they are still trapped.

Another Amy appears through the interior TARDIS door again, with a second Rory in tow. The Doctor asks them why they entered and Rory tells him that they were told to do so by him and jumbles up his words explaining that he's about to tell the present Amy and Rory to enter the police box. Present Rory asks if he has to remember all of this, but he's told by future Rory it just happens spontaneously. Amy flirts with herself again, but the Doctor tells her to stop and forces Amy and Rory into the police box. Amy then wonders what they should do now, but the Doctor tells her and Rory to stay where they are to stave off further complication.

Rory asks the Doctor what he is doing and the Doctor explains that he is setting up a controlled temporal implosion to reset the TARDIS, but since he doesn't know which lever to pull; if he doesn't get this right "we're all going to die". Amy then chastises him for not knowing what to do, but the Doctor tells her that though he doesn't know now, he will in a moment. A second Doctor walks through the doors and says to pull the wibbly lever. The Doctor thanks himself and does so, entering the police box before it dematerialises.

The Doctor explains that everything is back to normal and there is no longer any danger of the localised time field imploding and destroying all causality. He then says, "But just in case...Pond, put some trousers on" before returning to work on the console. Amy glares at Rory, who can't find anything to say in his defense and walks off. Amy then smiles and walks off to comply with the Doctor's demand.

Cast

 * Eleventh Doctor - Matt Smith
 * Amy Pond - Karen Gillan
 * Rory Williams - Arthur Darvill

Credited on episode as broadcast

 * Writer - Steven Moffat
 * Producer - Annabella Hurst-Brown
 * Director - Richard Senior

Uncredited
to be added

Story notes

 * This episode, along with Space, was written especially for Comic Relief 2011.
 * This episode is the fourth story to feature only the main cast. (DW: The Edge of Destruction, Children in Need Special, Space)
 * This story was the first multi-part charity episode since Dimensions in Time.
 * Moffat, in an interview with Doctor Who Magazine, confirmed that the two-part mini-episode, just like recent Children in Need specials, is considered canonical.

Ratings

 * 10.26 million (BARB)

Filming locations
to be added

Production errors
As the Doctor begins to tell Amy and Rory to enter the police box, Amy's hand can be seen on the TARDIS door handle as she smiles at her double. The scene cuts to a wide shot in the middle of the Doctor's line, and Amy's hand is suddenly at her side.

Continuity

 * This story is set entirely in the TARDIS. (DW: The Edge of Destruction, Children in Need Special, Time Crash, Amy's Choice, Space, Space, , Bad Night, Good Night, First Night, Last Night)
 * This is the second time that a character has made an implied reference to having sex with duplicates. Captain Jack Harkness made a similar reference when the Meta-Crisis Tenth Doctor appears alongside his progenitor. (DW: Journey's End) In this instance, Rory gives Amy a meaningful look when the Doctor asks what he would do with two Amys, which leads Amy to slap Rory.
 * Amy would once again meet a future version of herself in DW: The Girl Who Waited.
 * The Fourth Doctor wondered if similar occurrences had made his TARDIS appear within itself, but in that case it was the Master's TARDIS. (DW: Logopolis)

DVD releases
This episode was released on disc 1 of the Series 6 box set.

Blu-ray releases
to be added

iTunes Releases
This episode was released on iTunes in the Series 6 set (series only purchase).

Time