Tooth and Claw (Doctor Who)

Last updated

169 "Tooth and Claw"
Doctor Who episode
Cast
Others
Production
Directed by Euros Lyn
Written by Russell T Davies
Script editor Simon Winstone
Produced by Phil Collinson
Executive producer(s)Russell T Davies
Julie Gardner
Music by Murray Gold
Production code2.2
Series Series 2
Running time45 minutes
First broadcast22 April 2006 (2006-04-22)
Chronology
 Preceded by
"New Earth"
Followed by 
"School Reunion"
List of Doctor Who episodes (2005–present)

"Tooth and Claw" is the second episode of the second series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who , which was first broadcast on BBC One on 22 April 2006.

Contents

The episode is set in Scotland in 1879. In the episode, a group of warrior monks intend to use an alien werewolf (Tom Smith) to take over the British Empire and start an "Empire of the Wolf" by turning Queen Victoria (Pauline Collins) into a werewolf.

Plot

The Tenth Doctor and Rose land on the Scottish moors in 1879. They encounter a carriage carrying Queen Victoria, who has been forced to travel by roads to Balmoral Castle as a fallen tree has blocked the train line to Aberdeen, which is feared to be a potential assassination attempt. The Doctor poses as the Queen's protector, and he and Rose join the Queen as she travels to the Torchwood Estate, a favourite of her late husband Prince Albert, to spend the night. The royal party is unaware that the Torchwood Estate has been captured by a group of monks led by Father Angelo, forcing its owner, Sir Robert MacLeish, to play into their ruse as they take the place of the house's servants and guards. The monks, having arranged for the fallen tree to force the Queen to the estate, have brought a man that turns into a werewolf, hoping to pass its nature to the Queen and create a new "Empire of the Wolf".

The costume and set of the werewolf, as shown at the Doctor Who Experience. Tooth and claw (3133021620).jpg
The costume and set of the werewolf, as shown at the Doctor Who Experience.

The Doctor soon realises the trap they have fallen into, and helps to save Rose, the Queen, and Sir Robert from Father Angelo's men and the werewolf by taking shelter in the estate's library, its wood coated with oil of mistletoe wood to stave off the beast. They study the library and discover evidence collected by Sir Robert's father, a polymath, and Prince Albert which indicates the werewolf is an alien being that fell to Earth and inhabited multiple generations of hosts. The Doctor also realises that the estate was designed as a trap for the werewolf, as by use of its strange telescope along with the Queen's Koh-i-Noor diamond, its cut fashioned by Prince Albert, they can destroy the alien lifeform.

Sir Robert sacrifices himself to allow the Doctor, Rose, and the Queen to prepare the telescope in the observatory. They are able to trap and kill the werewolf in the concentrated light of the full moon collected by the diamond. The next day, the Queen gives the Doctor and Rose knighthoods before banishing them from the British Empire. In honour of Sir Robert's sacrifice and his father's ingenuity, she orders the creation of the Torchwood Institute to help defend Britain from further alien attacks, declaring that “if the Doctor should return, then he should beware, because Torchwood will be waiting.”

Continuity

The Doctor introduces himself as "James McCrimmon". Jamie McCrimmon (Frazer Hines) was a young (fictional) Scottish piper from the 18th Century, and a companion of the Second Doctor. [1]

Production

Filming took place between 26 September and 27 October 2005. In the scene where the Doctor and Rose meet the Queen's guards, the Doctor slips into a Scottish accent, which is a reference to actor David Tennant's heritage. Michelle Duncan and Jamie Sives were unable to attend the readthrough for this story, and their parts were read by Tennant's parents, who happened to be visiting the Doctor Who set. Tennant told reporters at the series' press launch, "Because it's set in Scotland they were delighted to be asked to read in. My mum played Lady Isobel and my dad played Captain Reynolds and they were in seventh heaven. And they were genuinely cheesed off when they didn't get asked to play the parts for real! I was like, 'Chill-out, Mum and Dad, back in your box!'" [2]

Treowen House in Dingestow, Wales, was one of the sites for filming this episode, representing Torchwood House in the Scottish Highlands. [3] Exterior shots were filmed at Craig-y-Nos Castle, Swansea Valley. [4] The monk fight scene was filmed at a courtyard in Dyffryn Gardens, St Nicholas. [5]

At one point during filming, Billie Piper's hair caught fire. [6] Interviewed in Doctor Who Confidential , director Euros Lyn said that various martial arts films were viewed in researching the opening fight sequence, including Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon . [7]

The werewolf in this story is computer-generated. Pauline Collins stated in a BBC press release that there were two performance artists who demonstrated the movements that the werewolf would do and talked about the problems of overacting in a situation where one was simply reacting to a green screen. [8] A deleted scene was included on the boxset DVD, where the Doctor and Rose, after being knighted and exiled from the British Empire, run off towards the TARDIS.

Cast notes

Pauline Collins appeared previously in the series as Samantha Briggs in the Second Doctor serial The Faceless Ones (1967). [1] This makes her the third actor from the classic series to appear in the new series, following William Thomas ( Remembrance of the Daleks and "Boom Town") and Nisha Nayar ( Paradise Towers and "Bad Wolf"/"The Parting of the Ways"). Collins had been offered a role as a companion in 1967, but had turned this down. [1] [9] According to the accompanying episode commentary, actor Tom Smith, who played the Host, attended drama school with David Tennant.

When Sir Robert offers to precede the Queen out of the window, she calls him "my Sir Walter Raleigh". Actor Derek Riddell had played Raleigh in the BBC drama The Virgin Queen , screened earlier in the year. The script originally had Victoria refer to Sir Francis Drake, until Riddell pointed out that this would have been incorrect for the reference the Queen was making.

Broadcast and reception

Overnight ratings for the episode peaked at 10.03 million (during one five-minute segment). The audience Appreciation Index was 83. [10] The episode received an average of 9.24 million viewers, taking the timeshift into account. [11]

This episode was released on 5 June 2006 as a basic DVD with no special features, together with "School Reunion" and "The Girl in the Fireplace", and as part of a second series boxset on 20 November 2006. This release included an audio commentary by writer Russell T Davies, visual effects supervisor David Houghton and supervising art director Stephen Nicholas.

Ian Berriman of SFX was highly positive of the episode, calling it "frigging ace" and praising Collins' portrayal of Queen Victoria. He particularly praised Davies' writing and the tone of the episode. [12] IGN's Ahsan Haque gave the episode a 7.8 out of 10 rating, highlighting the cinematography and special effects used on the werewolf. However, he thought that the story was "entertaining" and had a "few exciting moments", but it was unsatisfying with elements such as the werewolf chase feeling out of place for Doctor Who. [13] For the website in 2010, Matt Wales named "Tooth and Claw" the seventh best Tenth Doctor episode. [14] However, Dek Hogan of Digital Spy was less positive about the episode, finding it a let-down after the series opener, though he thought the wolf "looked great". [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rose Tyler</span> Fictional character in the TV series Doctor Who

Rose Tyler is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. She was created by series producer Russell T Davies and portrayed by Billie Piper. With the revival of Doctor Who in 2005, Rose was introduced as a new travelling companion of the series protagonist, the Doctor, in his ninth and tenth incarnations. The companion character, intended to act as an audience surrogate, was key in the first series to introduce new viewers to the mythos of Doctor Who, which had not aired regularly since 1989. Rose became the viewers' eyes into the new world of the series, from the companion's perspective. Piper received top billing alongside Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant for the duration of her time as a regular cast member. The character was a series regular for all of Series 1 (2005) and 2 (2006). Piper later reprised the role in a supporting capacity in Series 4 (2008) and the New Year's special "The End of Time" (2010). Piper further played a sentient weapon called the Moment, which utilises Rose's image, in the 50th anniversary special "The Day of the Doctor" (2013).

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

The Tenth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He is played by David Tennant in three series as well as nine specials. The character has also appeared in other Doctor Who spin-offs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mickey Smith</span> Fictional character in the TV series Doctor Who

Mickey Smith is a fictional character in the BBC One science fiction television series Doctor Who. He is portrayed by British actor Noel Clarke and was the show's first televised black companion. The character is introduced as the ordinary, working class boyfriend of Rose Tyler, a London shopgirl who becomes a travelling companion to the Ninth and Tenth incarnations of an alien Time Lord known as the Doctor. Mickey first appears in the first episode of the 2005 revival, "Rose". Initially someone who struggles in the face of danger, Mickey nevertheless acts as an Earth-based ally to the Doctor and Rose. In the second series he joins the pair as a second companion of the Doctor's, though he leaves during the 2006 series to pursue his own adventures. He returns to aid the Doctor and Rose in the series finale later that year, and then again for the 2008 finale "Journey's End," as well as fleetingly in 2010 in the Tenth Doctor send-off "The End of Time".

"The Parting of the Ways" is the thirteenth episode and the season finale of the revived first series of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who. The episode was first broadcast on BBC One on 18 June 2005. It was the second episode of the two-part story. The first part, "Bad Wolf", was broadcast on 11 June.

"The Christmas Invasion" is a 60-minute special episode of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who, first broadcast on BBC One on 25 December 2005. It was written by showrunner and executive producer Russell T Davies and was directed by James Hawes.

"Army of Ghosts" is the twelfth and penultimate episode in the second series of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who which was first broadcast on BBC One on 1 July 2006. It is the first episode of a two-part story; the concluding episode, "Doomsday", was first broadcast on 8 July.

"New Earth" is the first episode of the second series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 15 April 2006.

Doomsday (<i>Doctor Who</i>) Episode of Doctor Who

"Doomsday" is the thirteenth and final episode in the second series of the revival of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on 8 July 2006 and is the conclusion of a two-part story; the first part, "Army of Ghosts", was broadcast on 1 July 2006. The two-part story features the Daleks, presumed extinct after the events of the 2005 series' finale, and the Cybermen, who appeared in a parallel universe in the 2006 episodes "Rise of the Cybermen" and "The Age of Steel". Both species unexpectedly arrive on Earth at the conclusion of "Army of Ghosts".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Torchwood Institute</span> Fictional secret organization in the Doctor Who and Torchwood universe

The Torchwood Institute, or simply Torchwood, is a fictional secret organisation from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-off series Torchwood. It was established in 1879 by Queen Victoria after the events of "Tooth and Claw". Its prime directive is to defend Earth against supernatural and extraterrestrial threats. It is later revealed in "Army of Ghosts" that the Torchwood Institute has begun to use their findings to restore the British Empire to its former glory. To those ends, the organisation started to acquire and reverse engineer alien technology. Within Torchwood, an unofficial slogan evolved: "If it's alien, it's ours". According to one base director, Yvonne Hartman, its nationalist attitude includes refusing to use metric units.

"The Runaway Bride" is a special episode of the long-running British science fiction television programme Doctor Who, starring David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor. It was produced as the Doctor Who Christmas special for 2006, broadcast on 25 December, and aired between the second and third series of the relaunched show.

Day One (<i>Torchwood</i>) 2006 Torchwood episode

"Day One" is the second episode of the first series of the British science fiction television series Torchwood. Directed by Brian Kelly, the episode was first broadcast on the digital channel BBC Three on 22 October 2006 with the series pilot, "Everything Changes", and later repeated on terrestrial channel BBC Two on 25 October. It was the first work in the Doctor Who universe to be written by future Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall.

"Smith and Jones" is the first episode of the third series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 31 March 2007. It sees the debut of Freema Agyeman as medical student Martha Jones. Agyeman had previously appeared as Martha's cousin Adeola in the 2006 episode "Army of Ghosts". The episode also introduced Martha's family, her mother Francine, father Clive, sister Tish, and brother Leo.

Partners in Crime (<i>Doctor Who</i>) 2008 Doctor Who episode

"Partners in Crime" is the first episode of the fourth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 5 April 2008. The episode reintroduced actor and comedian Catherine Tate as Donna Noble, who had previously appeared in the 2006 Christmas Special "The Runaway Bride". In the episode, Donna and the alien time traveller the Tenth Doctor meet while separately investigating Adipose Industries, a company that has created a revolutionary diet pill. Together, they attempt to stop the death of thousands of people in London after the head of the company, the alien Miss Foster, creates short white aliens made from human body fat. The episode's alien creatures, the Adipose, were created using the software MASSIVE, commonly used for crowd sequences in fantasy and science fiction films.

Fragments (<i>Torchwood</i>) 2008 Torchwood episode

"Fragments" is the twelfth episode of the second series of the British science fiction television series Torchwood, which was broadcast on BBC Three on 21 March 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cultural depictions of Queen Victoria</span>

Queen Victoria has been portrayed or referenced many times.

Journeys End (<i>Doctor Who</i>) 2008 Doctor Who episode

"Journey's End" is the thirteenth and final episode of the fourth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on BBC One on 5 July 2008. It is the second episode of a two-part crossover story featuring the characters of spin-off shows Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures, preceded by "The Stolen Earth", which aired on 28 June. At 65 minutes in length, it was approximately 20 minutes longer than a standard fourth-series episode. It marked the final regular appearances of every companion introduced in the Russell T Davies era, including Catherine Tate as Donna Noble.

<i>Doctor Who</i> series 2 2006 series of Doctor Who

The second series of British science fiction programme Doctor Who began on 25 December 2005 with the Christmas special "The Christmas Invasion". A regular series of thirteen episodes was broadcast weekly in 2006, starting with "New Earth" on 15 April and concluding with "Doomsday" on 8 July. In addition, two short special episodes were produced; a Children in Need special and an interactive episode, as well as thirteen minisodes titled Tardisodes. It is the second series of the revival of the show, and the twenty-eighth season overall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Planet of the Dead</span> 2009 Doctor Who episode

"Planet of the Dead" is the first of four special episodes of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who broadcast in between mid-2009 and early 2010. It was simultaneously broadcast on BBC One and BBC HD on 11 April 2009. The specials served as lead actor David Tennant's final stories as the Tenth Doctor. He is joined in the episode by actress Michelle Ryan, who plays Lady Christina de Souza, a one-off companion to the Doctor. The episode was written by Russell T Davies and Gareth Roberts, the first co-writing credit since the show's revival in 2005. "Planet of the Dead" serves as the 200th story of Doctor Who.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donna Noble</span> Fictional character in the TV series Doctor Who

Donna Noble is a fictional character in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Portrayed by British actress and comedian Catherine Tate, she is a companion of the Tenth and Fourteenth Doctors. Originally appearing in the closing scene of the show's 2006 series and as a special guest star in its following Christmas special, "The Runaway Bride", Tate was not expected to reprise her role as Donna; for series 3 (2007), the Doctor travelled alongside medical student Martha Jones. However, Tate expressed interest in returning to the role, and returned as a series regular in series 4 (2008), the subsequent 2009–2010 Christmas and New Year's special, and in the 60th anniversary specials in 2023.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Ruediger, Ross (6 October 2006). "Doctor Who Recap: Season 2, Episode 2, "Tooth and Claw"". Slant Magazine . Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  2. "David Tennant and Billie Piper Q&A". BBC. 3 April 2006. Retrieved 3 April 2006.
  3. "Treowen Manor". Doctor Who Locations. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  4. "Walesarts, Craig-y-Nos Castle, Swansea Valley". BBC. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  5. "Walesarts, Dyffryn Gardens, St Nicholas". BBC. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  6. Ross, Peter (9 April 2006). "Inside the Tardis: Doctor Who unplugged". Sunday Herald . Retrieved 23 January 2007. [ permanent dead link ]
  7. "Fear Factor". Doctor Who Confidential . Series 2. Episode 2. 22 April 2006. BBC. BBC Three.
  8. BBC Press Office (7 April 2006), Programme Information: Network TV Week 17, 22–28 April 2006. Press release, PDF, pp. 4–5: "By Royal appointment".
  9. "Pauline Collins interview". Radio Times . April 2006. Archived from the original on 9 January 2010. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
  10. Tooth and Claw Overnight Ratings Archived 3 May 2006 at the Wayback Machine (23 April)
  11. UK Ratings and AI Report Archived 19 June 2006 at the Wayback Machine (May 3)
  12. Berriman, Ian (28 April 2006). "Doctor Who 2.2 Tooth and Claw". SFX . Archived from the original on 4 May 2006. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
  13. Haque, Ahsan (9 October 2006). "Doctor Who: "Tooth and Claw" Review". IGN . Retrieved 26 March 2012.
  14. Wales, Matt (5 January 2010). "Top 10 Tennant Doctor Who Stories". IGN . Retrieved 26 March 2012.
  15. Hogan, Dek (24 April 2006). "Hungry like the wolf". Digital Spy . Retrieved 29 April 2012.

Bibliography