| Destination: Skaro | Gallery | Talk |
Destination: Skaro[1] — also simply titled Doctor Who Children in Need Special 2023[2] — was a televised minisode broadcast on 17 November 2023 on BBC One for Children in Need, written by Russell T Davies[3] in celebration of the 60th anniversary.
Much like the 2005 Children in Need special Born Again [+]Russell T Davies, Doctor Who (BBC One, 2005). had done with the Tenth Doctor, Destination: Skaro marked the first full appearance of the Fourteenth Doctor on-screen, following his debut in The Power of the Doctor [+]Chris Chibnall, Doctor Who Centenary Special 2022 (BBC One, 2022).. In the interim, he saw multiple appearances in other media, including the comic story Liberation of the Daleks [+]Alan Barnes, DWM Comics (Panini Comics, 2022-2023)., which lead directly into Destination: Skaro by bringing the Doctor to Skaro during its epilogue.
While mainly comedic in tone, Destination: Skaro was notable for bringing the Doctor back to the genesis of the Daleks, where he ended up unintentionally becoming part of a Bootstrap paradox by inspiring key elements of their development, such as accidentally giving away the name "Dalek" for the Mark III Travel Machine, as well as their battle cry, "Exterminate", and inspiring the suction arm by replacing the multi-dextrous claw with a plunger after having accidentally destroyed it. However, dialogue in the minisode indicates that it is set in a different timeline to Genesis of the Daleks [+]Terry Nation, Doctor Who season 12 (BBC1, 1975).. Destination: Skaro also marked the first time an adult Davros was shown before his disfigurement in a visual medium, and the second time he had been seen on-screen without the need for his life support chair, coming after his appearance as a child in The Magician's Apprentice [+]Steven Moffat, Doctor Who series 9 (BBC One|BBC One]], 2015). and The Witch's Familiar [+]Steven Moffat, Doctor Who series 9 (BBC One, 2015)..
Publisher's summary[]
In this special Children in Need episode, the Doctor hurtles through space and time to a crucial point in the Daleks' history.
Plot[]
Davros and his assistant, Castavillian, are building the first iteration of a mutant-housing Mark III Travel Machine. Castavillian tries coming up with a new name for the Machine, using different anagrams of Kaled, though none of which Davros approves of. Hearing a request from Nyder over an intercom, Davros leaves, telling Castavillian not to touch anything. As Castavillian laments his inability to come up with a good anagram, he hears an inexplicable wheezing and groaning.
Suddenly, the Doctor's TARDIS crashes into the room, smashing into a wall. The Fourteenth Doctor opens the door and, after greeting the bewildered Castavillian, starts rambling about regenerating from a "really brilliant woman" into an old face, until he realises his violent landing has accidentally smashed the multi-dextrous claw off the Machine, and apologises. Then he sees the Machine, and realises that it's a Dalek, which Castavillian picks up on approvingly. As the Doctor notes that he was lucky that he wasn't "exterminated", he realises that he has accidentally travelled to the "genesis of the Daleks", with Castavillian noting down everything he says. Hurriedly, he legs it back to the TARDIS, retrieves a plunger, and throws it to Castavillian. The Doctor runs back into the TARDIS and tells Castavillian he "was never [t]here" as the TARDIS dematerialises.
Panicking, Castavillian sticks the plunger on to the Dalek in place of the claw. Davros re-enters and sees the plunger stuck on to the Dalek. Castavillian looks at him nervously - but Davros, after a pause, only says, "I like it."
Cast[]
Uncredited cast[]
- Voice of Nyder/the Dalek - Nicholas Briggs[4]
- Dalek Operator - Barnaby Edwards/Julian Bleach|[source needed]
Worldbuilding[]
- Davros mentions that the war caused the Kaleds to mutate.
- Davros identifies the bonded polycarbide shell, multi-dextrous claw and ruby ray blaster as part of the Travel Machine's arsenal.
- The anagrams Castavillian proposes for the Travel Machine's name are "Lekad", "Adlek", "Klade",[nb 1] and "Edlak".
- When the Doctor realises that he is inspiring the development of the Daleks by saying his future knowledge with Castavillian in earshot writing it down, creating a bootstrap paradox, he fears it will result in the timelines and canon "rupturing."
Notes[]
- The title "Destination: Skaro" was only given by Russell T Davies on a post on his Instagram.[1]
- Destination: Skaro is a prequel to TV: Genesis of the Daleks [+]Terry Nation, Doctor Who season 12 (BBC1, 1975)., positing that several parts of Dalek culture were introduced by the Doctor via a bootstrap paradox. It also refers to the creation of the Daleks as the "genesis of the Daleks", a name for the event that had previously been used in various spin-offs, such as the webcast Who Are The Daleks? [+]Error: Code 2 - no data stored in variables, cache or SMW., the book The Time Traveller's Almanac [+]Steve Tribe, BBC Books (2008)., and the short story Sevrin [+]Error: Code 2 - no data stored in variables, cache or SMW..
- Destination: Skaro was the first time an adult Davros was seen prior to his disfigurement in live action, though this time of his life had previously been depicted in Big Finish Productions' I, Davros audio dramas Davros [+]Lance Parkin, Main Range (Big Finish Productions, 2003)., Purity [+]James Parsons and Andrew Stirling-Brown, I, Davros (Big Finish Productions, 2006). and Corruption [+]Lance Parkin, I, Davros (Big Finish Productions, 2006).. He had also previously been shown as a child in The Magician's Apprentice [+]Steven Moffat, Doctor Who series 9 (BBC One|BBC One]], 2015). and The Witch's Familiar [+]Steven Moffat, Doctor Who series 9 (BBC One, 2015).. Russell T Davies stated on Doctor Who: Unleashed that he did not want to depict Davros as he looked in the past to avoid associating a disfigured wheelchair user with "evil", particularly during Children in Need, where those with physical disabilities and mobility issues are among those who are helped by the charity.
- According to Doctor Who: Unleashed, Destination: Skaro was filmed on David Tennant's birthday, almost a year after he had wrapped production on the 60th anniversary specials. This would place the date of filming as 18 April 2023.
- Destination: Skaro contradicts elements of the audio dramas Davros [+]Lance Parkin, Main Range (Big Finish Productions, 2003). and I, Davros, such as the scene where Davros constructs the Mark I Travel Machine, which was done after he was confined to his wheelchair, and Davros is already shown acquainted with Nyder, despite the audio releases depicting their first meeting as happening when Nyder rescued Davros from the attack that disfigured him.
- The view of Skaro from space closely resembles its appearance in TV: Doctor Who [+]Matthew Jacobs, Doctor Who Television Movie (Fox Broadcasting Company, 1996)..
- Davros identifies the Dalek's gunstick as a "ruby ray blaster", harkening back to the Doctor Who Annual 2006 game TARDIS Teaser [+]Justin Richards and Gareth Roberts, Doctor Who Annual 2006 (Panini UK, 2005)., which established that some Dalek flying saucers are equipped with ruby ray lasers.
- One of the anagrams Castavillian proposes for the Mark III Travel Machine is "Klade"; the Klade, as seen in several BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures novels, such as PROSE: Father Time [+]Lance Parkin, BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures (BBC Books, 2001)., were often hinted at being the future evolutions of the Daleks.
- In addition to voicing the Daleks, Nicholas Briggs performed the voice of Nyder, doing an impression of actor Peter Miles, who portrayed Nyder in Genesis of the Daleks [+]Terry Nation, Doctor Who season 12 (BBC1, 1975)..[4]
- The TARDIS's "Crystal" desktop theme, used mainly by the Thirteenth Doctor, can be seen through the doors when the Doctor is about to leave Skaro, as the next story to feature the Fourteenth Doctor, The Star Beast [+]Russell T Davies, adapted from Doctor Who and the Star Beast (Pat Mills and John Wagner), Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials (BBC One and Disney+, 2023)., would debut a new desktop theme. However, while the Thirteenth Doctor's TARDIS desktop theme could be seen briefly, the actual set had been dismantled prior to the filming of the 2023 specials, which were filmed a year prior to Destination: Skaro.
- An hour has passed for the Doctor since the Thirteenth Doctor's regeneration; this aligns with Davies' intent[6] that COMIC: Liberation of the Daleks [+]Alan Barnes, DWM Comics (Panini Comics, 2022-2023)., set immediately after TV: The Power of the Doctor [+]Chris Chibnall, Doctor Who Centenary Special 2022 (BBC One, 2022)., takes places over the course of a single hour.
Production errors[]
to be added
Continuity[]
- The Dalek's casing is made from polycarbide. (TV: Remembrance of the Daleks [+]Ben Aaronovitch, Doctor Who season 25 (BBC1, 1988).)
- An hour has passed since the Thirteenth Doctor's regeneration. (TV: The Power of the Doctor [+]Chris Chibnall, Doctor Who Centenary Special 2022 (BBC One, 2022).)
- The Doctor saying, "Sixty minutes ago, I was this really brilliant woman", draws a parallel to the Thirteenth Doctor telling Yaz Khan and Ryan Sinclair that "half an hour ago, [she] was a white-haired Scotsman" when they first met. (TV: The Woman Who Fell to Earth [+]Chris Chibnall, Doctor Who series 11 (BBC One, BBCA, Space and Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2018).)
Home media releases[]
Digital releases[]
Following its broadcast on television, Destination: Skaro was added to BBC iPlayer's Whoniverse catalog of Doctor Who content as a title separate from Doctor Who (2023-), under the name Doctor Who Children in Need Special 2023. It was also released on YouTube under the title, Fourteenth Doctor is Here! | BBC Children in Need 2023 | Doctor Who, around the same time.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 @russelltdavies63 on instagram.com
- ↑ Doctor Who Children in Need Special 2023 on bbc.co.uk
- ↑ Doctor Who: The TARDIS lands during BBC Children In Need on bbc.co.uk
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Big Finish Podcast - 26 November 2023 Eleven Chimes Time: 15 minutes
- ↑ Children In Need Special - The Fourteenth Doctor (2023) on bbc.co.uk./writersroom
- ↑ DWM 584 - The Strip of a Lifetime
Footnotes[]
External links[]
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
