Eve of the Daleks (TV story)

Eve of the Daleks was the 2022 New Year Special of Doctor Who. It continued from the end of The Vanquishers, which saw the Doctor's TARDIS still damaged from the Great Disruption. Attempting to reboot it, the Thirteenth Doctor accidentally traps ELF Storage and everyone inside it within a time loop. It also dealt with the consequences of the Doctor allowing the Dalek War Fleet to be destroyed in the final Flux event, with Dalek Executioners being sent to exterminate the Doctor in revenge.

Notably, the episode was the first to explicitly establish Yasmin Khan's feelings toward the Doctor as being romantically inclined.

Synopsis
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Plot
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Cast

 * The Doctor - Jodie Whittaker
 * Yasmin Khan - Mandip Gill
 * Dan Lewis - John Bishop
 * Sarah - Aisling Bea
 * Nick - Adjani Salmon
 * Dalek Operator 1 - Barnaby Edwards
 * Dalek Operator 2 - Nicholas Pegg
 * Additional Dalek Operator - Jon Davey
 * Voice of the Daleks - Nicholas Briggs
 * Mary - Pauline McLynn
 * Karl - Jonny Dixon

The TARDIS

 * The TARDIS' Cloister Bell tolls.

ELF Storage

 * Prohibited items for storage in ELF Storage included stolen or illegal goods, humans, animals, tyres, cash, plants, food, cars, guns, ammunition, and toxic, hazardous, and radioactive materials.
 * Nick's unit is filled with items that belonged to his ex-girlfriends, which he kept in case they asked for them back.

Holidays and celebrations

 * The majority of the story is set on New Year's Eve, with New Year's Day dawning by the end.
 * Sarah's mother and friends are at New Year's Eve parties.
 * ELF Storage's entrance hall is adorned with Christmas trees and Christmas lights.

Individuals

 * Sarah recieves New Year text messages from Megan, Laura, and others.
 * Nick's ex-girlfriends included Simona, Lucy, and Nicole.
 * Mary claims that she met Sarah's father on New Year's Eve. They actually met on 7 January, which Mary claims to be "the same thing".
 * Sarah inherited ELF Storage from her deceased great-uncle Barry.

Technology

 * Sarah's mobile phone cannot be put on silent.

Popular culture

 * Nick puts a Monopoly game, which belonged to his ex-girlfriend, Simona, into storage.
 * The Doctor claims she and Yaz "would be so good on ".
 * Dan compares the time loop to Groundhog Day.

Romance

 * Dan notices that the Doctor and Yaz have romantic feelings towards each other, even when both deny it.
 * Mary tells her daugter that New Year's Eve is the best time to meet a man.
 * Nick has "a lot" of ex-girlfriends, including Simona, Lucy, and Nicole. The sheer number of them, coupled with Nick's apparent obsessiveness over their possessions, prompts a worried Yaz to ask him if they're all "still alive".

Foods and beverages

 * One of Jeff's storage units is filled with shelves full of cans of Beef N Beans.

Story notes

 * This episode is partially set on the same day it was broadcast, 1 January 2022. This makes it one of only nine episodes in the revived series to do so, after Rose on 5 March 2005, The End of Time: Part One on 25 December 2009, The Big Bang on 26 June 2010, The Impossible Astronaut on 22 April 2011, Resolution on 1 January 2019, Revolution of the Daleks on 1 January 2021, The Halloween Apocalypse on 31 October 2021, and the directly preceding episode, The Vanquishers on 5 December 2021.
 * This episode has the longest cold opening in the franchise, running just over nine minutes, ten seconds. The previous episode to hold this title was The Return of Doctor Mysterio.
 * Unlike The End of Time: Part Two and Resolution, the endboard for this episode had the letters MMXXII, which is the correct year for the broadcasting date which was 2022. This also happened with Revolution of the Daleks which had the letters MMXXI, which is also the correct year for the broadcasting date which was 2021.
 * When Jodie Whittaker first read the script for this episode and saw that the Doctor gets exterminated in the opening minutes, she genuinely believed that she had been written out of the show earlier than she thought she was going to be.
 * At one point, one of the Daleks says "I am NOT Nick!". The man providing the voice for the Dalek was 'Nick' Briggs.

Ratings

 * Overnights: 3.21 million
 * Consolidated: to be added

Filming locations
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Production errors
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Continuity

 * Daleks have previously pursued the Doctor with the intent of executing them. (TV: The Chase)
 * The Doctor resets the TARDIS to remove debris left over after the Great Disruption, such as multiple doors. (TV: The Halloween Apocalypse)
 * The Fourth Doctor previously used his sonic screwdriver to interfere with Daleks on Proxima Major, causing more than just weapon interference. This included interference in their speech circuits and motor circuits. (AUDIO: The Dalek Contract/The Final Phase) Similarly, the Thirteenth Doctor had previously used her sonic screwdriver successfully to interfere with the Reconnaissance Dalek's weaponry, as it wasn't "fully in sync yet". (TV: Resolution)
 * The Doctor states her sonic screwdriver is unable to resonate concrete. The Ninth Doctor learned this fact when he was unable to use it to escape from the Empty Child with Rose Tyler. (TV: The Doctor Dances)
 * Dan mentions that the Doctor saved the universe "last week". (TV: The Vanquishers)
 * The Daleks accuse the Doctor of destroying the Dalek War Fleet during the Flux, which she counters was a Sontaran plan that she had only hijacked. (TV: The Vanquishers)
 * Yaz accuses the Doctor of "leaving us all the time". The Thirteenth Doctor has ended up separated from Yaz and other companions several times, including midway through Spyfall, before Revolution of the Daleks, and during a three year gap in Survivors of the Flux.
 * Dan notices that Yaz has romantic feelings for the Doctor. Yaz didn't realise that it was so obvious. The Doctor is aware but pretending she isn't. (TV: Arachnids in the UK)
 * Dan mentions Yaz watching the hologram of the Doctor. (TV: Survivors of the Flux)
 * The Doctor mentions not having seen this much gunpowder since 1605 alluding to Guy Fawkes' attempted destruction of parliament, which was witnessed by the Doctor, (GAME: The Gunpowder Plot) and also Yaz. (PROSE: Black Powder)
 * Sarah utters "Oh, my giddy aunt!" while on the run from the Daleks. This phrase was often used by the Second Doctor. (TV: The Krotons)
 * Karl Wright briefly returns. (TV: The Woman Who Fell to Earth)

Home video releases
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