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. It also brought up some of the past interactions with royalty that the Doctor had in his other incarnations and what effects they've had. It also the third consecutive story in a row, which began with The End of Time. It also bears some resembelance to the plot of The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances given the problem could have been resolved without the Doctor's interference.

Synopsis
For Amy Pond's first trip through time and space, the Doctor brings his companion to the 33rd century, where all of Britain's citizens live onboard Starship UK, searching for a new home amongst the stars. However, the Doctor soon finds something amiss onboard the vessel. The citizens appear to fear "the smiling fellows in the booths" and ignore crying children. What is going on? What secrets does Starship UK hold at its depths?

Plot
On Starship UK in the late 33rd century, children sit in class waiting to be graded by their instructor, a Smiler. A boy called Timmy does not want to line up, and so he joins at the very 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 if 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; he asks to go to London. However, instead of heading to London, it drops down to Floor 0, with the floor in the vator opening to a red chasm beneath him as the Smiler in the vator shows its anger. Timmy screams in terror.

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, telling her that in the 29th century, solar flares burned the Earth and forced the entire human race to flee to the stars until it was all over. While they admire the ship's infrastructure, he tells her that they are observers and cannot interfere. When they spot Mandy crying silently on the scanner, 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. She exits the TARDIS and is immediately overwhelmed by everything around her. The duo explores the area, known locally as the London Market, with the Doctor encouraging Amy to notice everything. Abruptly, he stops and takes a glass of water off a nearby table, setting it on the floor and observing it for 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 they move towards her, followed closely by a dark-robed individual. The figure phones Hawthorne, controller of the Smilers, to report that he has seen the Doctor.

Hawthorne, likewise, calls a cloaked woman sitting in a bedchamber amidst a sea of water glasses; 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 on the floor 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 follow the little girl and ask her about the Smilers, because they are everywhere.

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" -- which Amy investigates despite Mandy's warnings that they are not allowed; it has something to do with the Smilers and "Below." She asks Amy whether she's Scottish, informing her that Scotland has its own ship. Meanwhile, the nearby Smiler's face turns angry as Amy enters the tent. Inside, she discovers a giant tentacle rising up through the ship from below; it attacks her and forces her back out of the tent, where she is immediately surrounded by a group of hooded men who put her to sleep as Mandy looks on.

Meanwhile, the Doctor descends a ladder into the ship's "engine" room. After examining the surrounding area, he meets the masked woman, who 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 in the marketplace earlier. He relays his suspicions that, in a ship of this size, the engines would have created some sort of disturbance on the surface of the water -- and yet there was none. In fact, it would appear that the ship has no engine at all. The woman replies in the affirmative and offers him a device that will lead him to Amy, promising they will meet again.

Amy regains consciousness in a voting booth. A machine scans her, confirming her name 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. She sees the film, a succession of subliminal images that suggests a huge influx of information. After the film, Amy quickly chooses to "forget." A recording of her subsequently appears on the screen, and 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 keep 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 recognises 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 becasue 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 a door and 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 become angry, but physically step out of the booths and move to attack them. They are rescued by the masked woman, who introduces herself as Liz 10 and reveals that she has followed the Doctor using the device she gave him earlier; she also has a gun capable of temporarily disabling 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 her body clock was slowed down to maintain her younger appearance). She believes that her government is conspiring against her and feeding her subjects to the beast. While investigating, she wears the mask to protect 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 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 figures; when Liz protests, the man'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 mean of flying: the ship has been constructed on its back, and its brain has been exposed to a large laser which sends out electric pulses to keep it moving. This laser causes the creature intense pain. The Doctor and Liz 10 are outraged by this cruelty, and the Queen demands that the creature be set free immediately. Hawthorne insists that he is simply obeying the orders of a higher 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 Liz 10.

Hawthorne plays a recording of Liz 10, confirming this hunch to her. In the video, she explains that the British people faced destruction when Earth was devastated by the solar flares, and the children screamed in pain. The creature, which she identifies as a star whale, is the last of its kind and appeared to the British people "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 pain; this will keep the creature floating in space, thus preserving the lives of the humans. He calls this a horrible solution, and expresses his anger at all of the humans who have allowed this to happen. With righteous indignation, he tells Amy off for pressing the "forget" button in the voting booth earlier, even though she did so from having to make such a difficult decision. 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 encouragement that she notice everything; she quickly ascertains that, while the tentacles will attack adults, they do not attack children. She realises that the star whale is, in fact, benevolent and has been 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 Hawthorne observing 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 just can't stand there and watch children cry." The Doctor and Amy 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. The Doctor and Amy set off to help Churchill. As the star whale continues to ferry humanity through the stars, another crack in the universe appears on 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

 * 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 at first believed would cause another effect, and so tried to avoid (Nancy tried to avoid Jamie for fear of becoming infected by Empty Child whilst Liz 10 always chose to forget since she believed releasing the star whale 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 (forty-five minutes) since DW: The Stolen Earth. The intervening episodes were all specials or extended, not including the amalgamated Dreamland.
 * Amy Pond's age is said to be thirteen hundred six. As she was twenty-one 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 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 DW: Bad Wolf in which David Tennant makes no appearance.
 * The Doctor had previously had a conversation with a human about Time Lords and humans looking the same, but being 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".
 * Terrence Hardiman (Hawthorne) would later play King Sitric in BFA: The Book of Kells.

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..
 * This episode was believed to be titled Meddling Monks by fans prior to transmission.

Production errors

 * 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 fringe is on his forehead. The next shot, it is pushed back. It returns to normal in all following shots.
 * 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.
 * In the scene where the winders kidnap Liz 10, the Doctor and Amy, despite only the winder's head rotating, the creature's whole body appears to have turned round in its clothes.

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 in 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 that the Tenth Doctor was knighted and exiled by Queen Victoria, (DW: Tooth and Claw) that he had a relationship with the "Virgin Queen", (DW: The End of Time, The Shakespeare Code) that he was an old drinking buddy of Henry XII, and that he had 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.
 * 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.
 * Amy Pond is nearly kicked off the TARDIS for bad behaviour ("When we're done I'm taking you home"); luckily her actions save the day, unlike Adam Mitchell whose (selfish) actions got him expelled from the TARDIS permanently. (DW: The Long Game)
 * The resolution of this episode bears a resemblance to that of DW: Rose. In both cases, a relatively new companion is responsible for saving the day, rather than the Doctor. Also, on both occasions the Doctor speaks with disdain about humans, and is surprised by his companion's resourcefulness.

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 7 June 2010 (UK only), featuring The Eleventh Hour, The Beast Below, Victory of the Daleks, and the featurette The Monster Diaries.