The Eleventh Hour (TV story)

The Eleventh Hour is the first episode of Matt Smith's first series. It marks the debut of Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill as part of the recurring cast.

Though not the first episode filmed of the 2010 series, it is nevertheless the public's first full exposure to a new production ethos, as shaped by then-new executive producers Steven Moffatt, Piers Wenger, and Beth Willis. It is also the public's first exposure to director Adam Smith's work on a Doctor Who universe programme.

Synopsis
After his explosive regeneration damages his TARDIS, the eleventh version of the Doctor crash lands on Earth. There, he meets a young woman named Amy Pond and clashes with the mighty Face Tendril.

Plot
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Cast

 * The Doctor - Matt Smith
 * Amy Pond - Karen Gillan
 * Rory - Arthur Darvill
 * Young Amy - Caitlin Blackwood
 * Mrs Angelo - Annette Crosbie
 * Barney Collins - Marcello Magni
 * Coma Patient - Peter Moyes
 * TBA - Olivia Colman
 * TBA - Arthur Fox

Crew
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Story Notes

 * According to the BBC trailer, this episode will be broadcast on Easter Saturday, 3 April 2010.
 * The opening episode seen filming, features Matt Smith in the Tenth Doctor's battered attire, with his sonic screwdriver and TARDIS. It is thought to deal with his post-regeneration trauma. The episode is set in the fictional location of Leadworth, and features Amy Pond in a police officers uniform.
 * In an interview in Doctor Who Magazine 417, Matt Smith and Karen Gillan talk about the "Scary" monster in episode one describing it as a "Face Tendril" and being used as a tennis ball on a stick in scenes, expressing them having to act scared with nothing scary there. This probably means the monster in episode one is computer generated.
 * According to Russell T. Davies in Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale, Moffat informed him in January 2008 that he had begun writing the first episode of Series 5.

Ratings
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Filming Locations

 * The White House, Llandaff, Cardiff
 * Old Cemetery, Rhymney, Gwent
 * The Vicarage, Rhymney, Gwent
 * Abertillery Hospital, Aberbeeg, Abertillery
 * The Cathedral Green, Llandaff, Cardiff

Rumours

 * Rumours say that the episode is set during the 1990s; however, a more detailed rumour says the Doctor meets Amy as a child in 1995 and as an adult in 2010.
 * This episode will actually be 60 minutes long rather than the usual 45 minute format. It is unknown if this will be the pattern for the whole series.
 * IMDB listed this episode as being broadcast on 13 March, but this is contradicted by the latest trailer.

Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors
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Continuity
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International screenings
It has been announced that The Eleventh Hour will receive its international broadcast debut on 17 April 2010 when both BBC America in the US and Space in Canada broadcast it, followed by ABC1 in Australia on 18 April.

However, the episode is scheduled to receive its North American premiere on 3 April, the same day as its UK broadcast, when it is screened during WonderCon in San Francisco.

DVD/Blu-Ray Release

 * BBC Video - Doctor Who Series Five - Volume One is scheduled for release on DVD and Blu-Ray on 7th June 2010 (UK only), featuring The Eleventh Hour, The Beast Below, Victory of the Daleks, and the featurette The Monster Diaries.
 * A Full Series Boxed Set is believed to be released on DVD & Blu-Ray later in the year.