Death Is the Only Answer (TV story)

Death Is the Only Answer was a mini-episode of Doctor Who broadcast as part of Doctor Who Confidential.

Plot
The Doctor has entered the TARDIS control room, happily tossing a newly aquired fez in his hands, commenting that he has missed it and can't believe River destroyed his previous one. The Doctor trips and the fez lands on one of the levers while the Doctor pulls another one by accident while trying to steady himself. The fez vanishes and the Doctor notices a time portal opening on the stairs. However, he is more concerned by the lack of his fez and looks under the console.

Albert Einstein emerges from the portal with the fez on his head and a beaker of green liquid, confused as to where he is, but remembering the sound of the TARDIS engine, Einstein calls for the Doctor. The Doctor looks up and Einstein asks how his old fez (the one the Doctor was happy about) got back on his head

The Doctor is happy to see his old buddy and gives him a hug, wondering how he got in the TARDIS. Einstein explains that he has been working on his on time machine, but when he tried to turn it off, he ended up in the TARDIS. The Doctor then wonders how Albert's attempts are going. Einstein explains he burned his eyebrows off, nearly died twice and fell off a cliff; however, he believes he is quite close to perfecting it. He shows the Doctor the liquid as the Doctor uses his sonic screwdriver to examine it, saying he believes the liquid to be the key to his time machine. The Doctor tells him it is not.

Einstein then wonders how he got in the TARDIS and the Doctor explains that since Einstein is the original owner of the fez, when it hit the lever on the console, it opened a time window and brought him there. The Doctor then tells Albert not to try stealing the TARDIS (again). Einstein then tells the Doctor that he promised to return his toothbrush. However, the Doctor regretfully tells him the Daleks exterminated it last week (or century).

Einstein then goes back to asking about the liquid and asks the Doctor if it's not bionic fusion liquid. The Doctor tells Einstein that he will run some tests on it, but Einstein tells him that since it's his liquid, he will examine it and asks where his bicarbonated processing machine. The Doctor only sighs that 20th century sceintists want to do everything themselves. Albert prepares to look for his machine and calls the TARDIS "old trash". The Doctor angrily yells to Albert that the TARDIS will be around until the end of time (which it was). At the same time, the liquid in Albert's beaker spurts out and hits his face.

The Doctor then warns him not to drink it, only to find Albert has turned into a red-eyed Ood with translation sphere. He is a bit amused at first that Albert's new look is an Ood, down to every last detail. Ood Albert uses his translation sphere to repeat "Death is the only answer" as he advances on the Doctor. The Doctor tries to reach Albert's intellect within his new Ood form, but is unsucceful until he waves a yo-yo in front of him and lies that it is the power source to his time machine.

The Doctor throws a lever on the console and an energy screen goes over Albert, returning him to normal. Albert is confused and the Doctor partially explains that he went a little odd (Ood) and tells Albert to keep his fried hair as it looks "more sciencey". The Doctor drops Albert off on 18 September 1945, and leaves for another adventure; unnoticed by the Doctor, a bit of Einstein's liquid remains on the console room floor, bubbling and moving on its own.

Cast

 * The Doctor - Matt Smith
 * Albert Einstein - Nickolas Grace
 * Ood - Paul Kasey

Story notes

 * This special was broadcast on BBC Three as part of the Doctor Who Confidential episode When Time Froze.
 * Doctor Who Confidential and BBC Learning had teamed up in a competition for UK students aged 9-11 to write a script for a Doctor Who short. The winning script was chosen by Doctor Who producers Steven Moffat, Piers Wenger and Beth Willis and Controller of BBC Learning Saul Nassé. The writers of the winning script were Adam, Daniel, Katie, and Ben, Year Six students at Oakley C.E. Junior School in Basingstoke.
 * For their on-screen credit, the only credit in the episode, the authors were collectively known as the Children of Oakley Junior School. This form of on-screen credit is unique in the history of the franchise.
 * Aspects of this episode's production were covered in a regular "Script to Screen" feature, which appeared in every Confidential episode from River Runs Wild through its premiere within When Time Froze.
 * A shortened version of the Doctor Who opening titles was used.
 * After being cast as the Eleventh Doctor, Matt Smith famously wrote several (unpublished) Doctor Who short stories, in order to help him prepare for the role. According to several interviews, one of these stories featured the Doctor meeting Einstein.

Ratings
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Myths
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Filming locations
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Production errors
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Continuity

 * The Doctor has obtained a new fez, one which had been previously owned by Albert Einstein. He mentions River Song blowing up his old fez. (DW: The Big Bang)
 * Albert Einstein gets temporarily turned into or replaced by an Ood. Their last appearance was in DW: The Doctor's Wife.
 * The Doctor states that "This old Trash will be around until the end of time. In fact, it was."
 * This is the second time Einstein has been seen in the TARDIS, and references are made to unseen adventures of Einstein and the Doctor. His first appearance was with the Seventh Doctor in DW: Time and the Rani explaining that the TARDIS was all relative. He once had his picture taken with the Eleventh Doctor and Father Christmas at Frank Sinatra's hunting lodge.
 * The Doctor also wore his fez while sharing adventures with Kazran Sardick and Abigail Pettigrew, and when appearing in a Laurel and Hardy film. (DW: A Christmas Carol, The Impossible Astronaut)

Timeline

 * This story occurs at an indeterminate point after DW: The Big Bang.