The Ghost Monument

Last updated

278 –"The Ghost Monument"
Doctor Who episode
Cast
Others
Production
Directed by Mark Tonderai
Written by Chris Chibnall
Script editorFiona McAllister
Produced by Nikki Wilson
Executive producer(s)
  • Chris Chibnall
  • Matt Strevens
  • Sam Hoyle
Music by Segun Akinola
Series Series 11
Running time49 minutes [1]
First broadcast14 October 2018 (2018-10-14)
Chronology
← Preceded by
"The Woman Who Fell to Earth"		Followed by →
"Rosa"
List of episodes (2005–present)

"The Ghost Monument" is the second episode of the eleventh series of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who . It was written by showrunner and executive producer Chris Chibnall, directed by Mark Tonderai, and first broadcast on BBC One on 14 October 2018.

Contents

In the episode, the Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker), an alien time traveller, accidentally transports her human friends Graham O'Brien (Bradley Walsh), Ryan Sinclair (Tosin Cole), and Yasmin Khan (Mandip Gill) to a distant solar system, whereupon they become part of an interplanetary alien rally that crash lands at their final stop on the hostile planet of Desolation. Becoming involved in the race themselves, the Doctor and her friends find themselves seeking out the finish line, revealed to be the TARDIS, in order to get back to Earth.

"The Ghost Monument" is the first to air the programme's title sequence for Whittaker's tenure, which was omitted from the season's premiere, "The Woman Who Fell to Earth". The episode was viewed by 9.00 million viewers and received generally positive reviews from critics.

Plot

After arriving in deep space by mistake, the Thirteenth Doctor and her friends are rescued by Angstrom and Epzo, two humanoid pilots competing in a large intergalactic race. Reaching the dead, yet hostile planet of Desolation, slightly removed from its gravity field, the group and pilots meet with the race's organiser Ilin, using a long-distance hologram. Both pilots learn that the race's final event involves reaching an object referred to as the Ghost Monument for extraction before the planet completes a single rotation. A curious Doctor learns from Ilin's data that it is the TARDIS, stuck in mid-phasing due to the damage it suffered. Joining the pilots in their race, the Doctor promises to get her new friends home once they have reached the finish line.

The group and the pilots locate and repair a solar-powered boat, using it to reach the ruins of a former civilisation that is now inhabited by sniper robots. The Doctor uses the remains of one robot to temporarily disable the others with an electromagnetic pulse, locating a series of tunnels the group can use as a shortcut to the finish line. During this time, the Doctor learns that Angstrom seeks the cash prize to save her family from ethnic cleansing by the Stenza, while Epzo is out for himself due to his upbringing to distrust others. Uncovering Desolation's history in the tunnels, the group learn that the residents died from creating weapons of mass destruction for the Stenza, with the dead cleared up by cloth-like creatures called the Remnants. Trapped by a group of Remnants when forced to a gas-ridden area on the surface, the Doctor destroys them with Epzo's self-lighting cigar igniting the gas.

Reaching the monument's location, the Doctor convinces the pilots to claim joint victory in Ilin's holographic tent. Ilin reluctantly agrees to this, but refuses to teleport the Doctor and her friends off the planet with the pilots. A despondent Doctor apologises to her friends for stranding them, but pauses when she hears the TARDIS emerging, using her sonic screwdriver to fully materialise it. With her ship returned, finding that it changed itself both externally and internally in her absence, the Doctor offers her friends a trip home as she promised.

Production

Casting

Shaun Dooley was announced to be appearing in the series in July 2018, [2] while after the premiere episode, "The Woman Who Fell to Earth", was broadcast, it was confirmed that Susan Lynch and Art Malik would be among a number of guest actors that would appear in the series. [3] [4]

Filming

Exterior shots for the episode took place within South Africa, marking the first time that Doctor Who conducted filming within the country. [5] The choice of site by showrunner Chris Chibnall aimed to provide the right environment for this story, though this encountered issues when filming began in January 2018. [6] One major issue faced by the cast and crew during the three weeks of exterior shooting was a severe drought that restricted cast members to two minutes for showers. The heat at the location also led to one member, Tosin Cole, to develop heatstroke, requiring treatment. [6]

The interior scenes – including those involving Art Malik’s character Ilin – were primarily filmed back in the United Kingdom once the cast had finished in South Africa, at Cardiff’s Roath Lock Studios. [6]

Broadcast and reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Rotten Tomatoes (Average Score)7.54 [7]
Rotten Tomatoes (Tomatometer)93% [7]
Review scores
SourceRating
Entertainment Weekly B+ [8]
Daily Mirror Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
IndieWire A− [10]
New York Magazine Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [11]
Radio Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [12]
The A.V. Club B− [13]
The Independent Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [14]
TV Fanatic4.7/5 [15]

Television

The new opening title sequence was not included in the premiere episode, "The Woman Who Fell to Earth", but instead premiered in this episode. [16]

Ratings

The episode was watched by 7.11 million viewers overnight, making it the third highest program of the week, accounting for an audience share of 33.4%. [17] The episode received a total of 9.00 million viewers and an Audience Appreciation Index score of 82. [18]

In the United States, the broadcast on BBC America had 1.12 million viewers for the night. [19]

Critical reception

"The Ghost Monument" received positive reviews from critics. [20] The episode holds an approval rating of 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average score of 7.54. The website's consensus reads "The return of an old friend and a new nightmare-inducing monster make 'The Ghost Monument' both a powerful step forward and fun callback to the Doctors of yesteryear." [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>Doctor Who</i> series 11 2018 series of Doctor Who

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thirteenth Doctor</span> Fictional character from Doctor Who

The Thirteenth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who. She is played by Jodie Whittaker, the first woman to portray the character, in three series as well as five specials.

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"The Woman Who Fell to Earth" is the first episode of the eleventh series and the 845th episode overall of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who. It was written by new head writer and executive producer Chris Chibnall, directed by Jamie Childs, and was first broadcast on BBC One on 7 October 2018. It stars Jodie Whittaker in her first full appearance as the Thirteenth Doctor, and introduces the Doctor's new companions – Bradley Walsh as Graham O'Brien, Tosin Cole as Ryan Sinclair, and Mandip Gill as Yasmin Khan. The episode also guest stars Sharon D. Clarke, Johnny Dixon, and Samuel Oatley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graham O'Brien</span> Fictional character in the TV series Doctor Who

Graham O'Brien is a fictional character created by Chris Chibnall and portrayed by Bradley Walsh in the long-running British sci-fi television series Doctor Who. A retired bus driver from Essex who is in remission from cancer, the character is portrayed as an everyman. In the show's eleventh series, starting with the first episode, he served as a companion of the thirteenth incarnation of the alien time traveller known as the Doctor until the 2021 New Year's Special "Revolution of the Daleks".

Yasmin Khan (<i>Doctor Who</i>) Fictional character in the TV series Doctor Who

Yasmin "Yaz" Khan is a fictional character created by Chris Chibnall and portrayed by Mandip Gill in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. In the show's eleventh series, starting with the first episode, Yasmin serves as a companion of the Thirteenth Doctor, an incarnation of the alien time traveller known as the Doctor ; she would part ways with the Doctor in "The Power of the Doctor", the Thirteenth Doctor's final episode, and was the last person with her before she regenerated on her own. She is one of just two full-time companions to be present throughout the entirety of an incarnation's tenure, the other being Rose Tyler who starred alongside Christopher Eccleston's Ninth Doctor.

"Rosa" is the third episode of the eleventh series of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who. It was written by Malorie Blackman and executive producer Chris Chibnall, and directed by Mark Tonderai, and was first broadcast on BBC One on 21 October 2018.

"Arachnids in the UK" is the fourth episode of the eleventh series of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who. It was written by showrunner and executive producer Chris Chibnall, directed by Sallie Aprahamian, and first broadcast on BBC One on 28 October 2018.

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"Orphan 55" is the third episode of the twelfth series of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who, first broadcast on BBC One on 12 January 2020. It was written by Ed Hime, and directed by Lee Haven Jones.

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References

  1. ↑ "Ratings Guide". Doctor Who News. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  2. ↑ Fullerton, Huw (19 July 2018). "Has Doctor Who just revealed a surprise new guest star?" . Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  3. ↑ Fullerton, Huw (7 October 2018). "Doctor Who casts Mark Addy, Chris Noth and Julie Hesmondhalgh in mysterious new roles" . Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  4. ↑ Graham, Alison. "Doctor Who – Series 11 – Episode 2 The Ghost Monument". Radio Times . Archived from the original on 28 October 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  5. ↑ Daly, Helen (14 October 2018). "Doctor Who season 11 location: Chris Chibnall drops SHOCK episode 2 bombshell". Daily Express . Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 "Where was Doctor Who: The Ghost Monument filmed?". Radio Times . 14 October 2018. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 "Doctor Who – Season 11, Episode 2". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  8. ↑ "'Doctor Who' recap: A happy reunion". EW.com. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  9. ↑ Jackson, Daniel (14 October 2018). "Doctor Who review: The Ghost Monument has "strong characters" but "bland" baddie". Mirror.co.uk. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  10. ↑ Nguyen, Hanh (15 October 2018). "'Doctor Who' Delivers a 'Proper Awesome' Episode That Is Pacifist, Pro-Science, and Anti-Gun". Indiewire.com. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  11. ↑ "Doctor Who Recap: Brains Beat Bullets". Vulture.com. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  12. ↑ "Doctor Who: The Ghost Monument review: "a clearly told adventure, realised with pace and panache"". Radio Times . Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  13. ↑ "The new era of Doctor Who is off to the intergalactic races". Tv.avclub.com. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  14. ↑ "Doctor Who episode 2 review: The Ghost Monument is a dystopian rhapsody with phasers set to stunning" . The Independent. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  15. ↑ "Doctor Who Season 11 Episode 2 Review: The Ghost Monument". TV Fanatic. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  16. ↑ Kelly, Stephen (8 October 2018). "13 questions (and some answers) we have about Jodie Whittaker's Doctor Who debut". Radio Times. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  17. ↑ "The Ghost Monument - Overnight Viewing Figures". Doctor Who News. 15 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  18. ↑ "The Ghost Monument - Official Ratings". Doctor Who News. 22 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  19. ↑ "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 10.14.2018". Showbuzz Daily. 16 October 2018. Archived from the original on 16 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  20. ↑ "Doctor Who News – The Ghost Monument – Press Reviews". Doctor Who News. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
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