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Tardis
Tardis
The Story & the Engine Talk

The Story & the Engine was the fifth episode of Series 15 (also marketed, globally, as Season 2) of Doctor Who. It premiered on 10 May 2025.

With their appearance continuing directly after they both landed in 2007 and being absent during the main events of the previous story, this episode continues the story arc of the Doctor attempting to get Belinda back to 24 May 2025, with their latest attempt getting them closer than previously throughout the series as they land in the year 2019. The story is also the first in Series 15 not to focus on the mysterious appearances of Mrs Flood in random locations in different eras and places not on Earth, though Mrs Flood does make a quick appearance during the Doctor's story retelling a day in Belinda's life.

In addition to the Doctor's previous incarnations appearing through archive footage, the story also features a surprise cameo appearance from Jo Martin as the Fugitive Doctor, making her first appearance in the series following her last appearance in The Power of the Doctor. Along with the Fugitive Doctor's cameo, child actor Sienna-Robyn Mavanga-Phipps appears in a cameo reprising her role as Poppy, who was last seen in the Series 14 opening episode Space Babies.

Synopsis[]

In Lagos, the mysterious Barber reigns supreme. Can the Doctor stop his epic revenge?

Plot[]

To be added...

Cast[]

Uncredited[]

As the memories of the Doctor (archive footage):

Crew[]

To be added...

Worldbuilding[]

  • Mrs Flood passes Belinda in the hospital, as she is getting her pills.
  • The Doctor has watched all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films up until at least Avengers: Endgame, and his friend Sága didn't like the character of Thor as his "muscles were too small".
  • The TARDIS cuts the Doctor's hair for him.
  • The Fifteenth Doctor, while being seen as the Fugitive Doctor by Abby, mentions she "was busy in a different story that might be finished one day" to explain why she abandoned her.
  • The Doctor invokes the Daleks, Cybermen, Weeping Angels and Ice Warriors to get the Story Engine to work.

Notes[]

Comparison between BBC and Disney+ versions[]

To be added

Myths and Rumours[]

This episode was supposed to be about the God of Stories and a member of the pantheon. This was proven false.

Filming Locations[]

To be added

Ratings[]

To be added...

If you'd like to talk about narrative problems with this story — like plot holes and things that seem to contradict other stories — please go to this episode's discontinuity discussion.

Production errors[]

To be added

Continuity[]

Home video releases[]

DVD and Blu-ray[]

to be added

Footnotes[]