The Eleventh Hour (TV story)

"Why did you say five minutes?!"

- Amy Pond

The Eleventh Hour was the first episode of Matt Smith's first series. It featured the debut of Karen Gillan as new companion Amy Pond and Arthur Darvill as recurring character, Rory Williams.

Though not the first episode filmed of the 2010 series, it was 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 was also the public's first exposure to director Adam Smith's work on a Doctor Who universe programme.

The episode was extensively previewed prior to broadcast, with special screenings in several British cities as part of a special promotional tour at the end of March 2010, and a special US pre-screening at a major science-fiction convention. The first minute of the episode was released as a special preview on the digital Red Button service in the week prior to its first BBC One broadcast.

Synopsis
The Doctor has regenerated into a brand new man, but danger strikes before he can even recover. With the TARDIS wrecked, and the sonic screwdriver destroyed, the new Doctor has just 20 minutes to save the whole world - and only Amy Pond to help him.

Plot
The Doctor crash lands in Amy Ponds garden in the 1990s. The young Amy (then called Amelia) comes to investigate and sees a bedraggled and regenerated Eleventh Doctor struggling from a burnt out TARDIS. He claims to love apples and as such Amelia gives him one. It actually turned out he hated apples and Amelia helps him to find what his favourite food is. It turns out to be Fish Fingers and Custard. The Doctor then goes back to the TARDIS in an attempt to fix it. He promises he will be back in five minutes then promptly de-materialises. Twelve years later the Doctor once again shows up at the bottom of Amys garden and subsequently investigates Amys house. He is looking around the house when Amy comes up behind him and whacks him on the head using a cricket bat. Amy then dresses up as a WPC and questions the Doctor. The Doctor asks about Amelia Pond and Amy reveals that Amelia hasn't lived in the house for six months. The Doctor asks Amy to count how many rooms there are on the first floor. She counts five, however there is six as one of them is protected by a perception filter so that no-one but the trained few can see it. Amy is (understandably) shocked at this and investigates the room, ignoring the Doctors warnings not to. She comes face to face with Prisoner Zero, seemingly in its natural form. She dashes back to the Doctor and gives him his sonic screwdriver. As he tries to free himself Prisoner Zero breaks through the door and emerges as a human form with a dog. The Atraxi captain is then heard saying "Attention Prisoner Zero the human residence is surrounded" followed by "Prisoner Zero will be taken from the human residence or the human residence will be incinerated" and keeps repeating it. Back at the local hospital several patients in comas keep repeating one word; "Doctor".

Cast

 * The Doctor - Matt Smith
 * Amy Pond - Karen Gillan
 * Rory Williams - Arthur Darvill
 * Young Amy (Amelia) - Caitlin Blackwood
 * Mrs Angelo - Annette Crosbie
 * Barney Collins - Marcello Magni
 * Coma Patient - Peter Moyes
 * Mother - Olivia Colman
 * Mr Henderson - Arthur Fox
 * Ice-Cream Man - Perry Benson
 * Dr Ramsden - Nina Wadia
 * Children - Eden Monteath, Merlin Monteath
 * Himself - Sir Patrick Moore
 * Atraxi Voice - David de Keyser

Crew
to be added

Story Notes

 * The opening scene, which was released on BBC Red Button, was actually a pick-up. Not originally included in the final shooting script of the episode, it was written months after principal photography had wrapped on the episode. It technically had its own script, subtitled "Opening Sequence". At least two drafts were written, with the second being dated 17th December 2009 (WC: Doctor Who Video Explorer).
 * 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.
 * This is the only televised story starring a single incarnation of the Doctor to refer to the number of that incarnation in its title.
 * The episode included a sequence showing all previous ten incarnations of the Doctor.
 * Early press reports speculated that Sir Patrick Moore's appearance in this episode indicated that he had a larger part to play within the context of entire series.
 * As of this episode, a new logo, insignia, opening titles, theme tune, sonic screwdriver and TARDIS interior are used.
 * This story reveals that at least some sonic screwdrivers are grown/built by the TARDIS.
 * Amy Pond is the first modern Earth companion since the series' revival to not be from London. In the Confidential for this episode, Steven Moffat says that London-set stories had become a cliché and this was an attempt to avoid it.

Ratings
to be added

Filming Locations

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

Production errors
to be added

Continuity

 * The story begins wth the TARDIS crashing down to Earth. (DW: The End of Time)
 * The Doctor mentions that one of the rooms in Amy Pond's house has a perception filter around the door that stopped her from noticing the room, much like the TARDIS keys and the Torchwood Three lift. (DW: The Sound of Drums, TW: Everything Changes)
 * The Doctor uses the phrase "Wibbley Wobbley, Timey Whimey" which was first used by the Tenth Doctor in DW: Blink and again by both the Tenth and Fifth Doctors in DW: Time Crash.
 * The Doctor opens the TARDIS by clicking his fingers. (DW: Forest of the Dead       
 * The Shadow Proclamation is mentioned. (DW: The Stolen Earth/Journey's End, SJA: Prisoner of the Judoon)
 * All ten previous Doctors are projected by the Atraxi Captain, along with many enemies The Doctor faced in both the classic and the revived series

International Screenings
The Eleventh Hour received its international broadcast debut on 17th April 2010 when both BBC America in the US and Space in Canada broadcast it, followed by ABC1 in Australia on 18th April.

However, it had pre-broadcast public screenings in North America prior to its official broadcast launch. On the west coast, it premiered on 3rd April at WonderCon in San Francisco. Its east coast debut was on 14th April 2010 at a the Village East Cinema in Manhattan. This latter screening was sponsored by BBC America, and it was attended by Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Steven Moffat, who also fielded questions from the audience.

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.