Doctor Who

The Masque of Mandragora - S14-E1

Factual error: Giuliano explains to Sarah that he thinks the world is round as though this were radical. But this was the common belief throughout the late Middle Ages. The argument was about how big the Earth was and the ignorance about the existence of a continent between Europe and Asia.

Invasion of the Dinosaurs - S11-E2

Continuity mistake: In episode 3, Sarah is hit on the head by debris knocked loose by the escaping dinosaur. It hits her on the back of her head or shoulders - but the later bruises and scratches are on her forehead.

The Curse of Fenric - S26-E3

Deliberate mistake: One major mishap occurred just prior to editing, when a videotape containing various close-up and insert shots was accidentally wiped. At that point, there was no way that the director (Nicholas Mallett) could go back and rerecord the material, and so he was forced to work without it. This meant using footage that would usually have been discarded or replaced. The 'give aways' that reveal that Mallet had to work around the problems of the missing footage are (a) the lack of any close-ups of any of the actors in the final 10 minutes of episode 4, and (b) the continuity error involving the flames in the laboratory for the same period...the flames go from low to high and back to low from shot to shot.

City of Death - S17-E2

Revealing mistake: In episode 2, when Scaroth locks the Doctor, Romana and Duggan in the basement dungeon, and Duggan lights the lamp, notice that Tom Baker is standing between that lamp and the actual stage light used to brighten the scene. So, as the lamp is lit in front of him, Tom Baker's BACK (and not his front) glows bright under the increased illumination.

The Trial of a Time Lord 13-14 (aka The Ultimate Foe) - S23-E4

Audio problem: All of the scenes of the trial have some sort of sound problems. Among other things, sound bites from earlier on appear from seemingly nowhere, and, if you listen carefully, you can hear someone calling out the cue "Take 6", which should have been edited out quite easily, but wasn't.

The Curse of Fenric - S26-E3

Continuity mistake: Near the end of episode 4 of "The Curse of Fenric", when Ace and the Doctor run out of the exploding bunker, the Doctor stumbles in the mud and puts his hand out to stop himself falling, getting mud all over it. The Doctor even stops to look at his muddied hand, in an almost symbolic gesture. Then the director goes in for the close-ups with the Doctor and Ace, and when the Doctor puts his hand up to rub Ace's nose (same hand), it's perfectly clean.

Robot - S12-E1

Plot hole: The linchpin of the plot makes no sense whatsoever. In an effort to diffuse international tension, the superpowers would allow Britain to publish the codes that would allow anyone in the world to launch their nuclear missiles? And then, after going through the drama of not one but two countdowns, it's revealed that the superpowers can just activate safety over-rides to prevent the launch. So how in Hades did the SRS have any threat whatsoever to wield over them and issue their demands?

The Ice Warriors - S5-E3

Plot hole: We twice see a map of how far the ice is away from the house, once in the first episode, and later in episode five. The ice has moved most of the way across the map in this time, and the distance it has moved is stated to be a 100 metres. This would place it only 20 metres from the base. The problem with the distance is that it takes Penley quite a while to get the injured Jamie to the base, including a stretch across open ground. Also, The Ice Warriors weapon targeter suggests the base is as much as two kilometres away. So just how far away is the ice; 20 metres, 2 kilometers...or somewhere in between?

The Green Death - S10-E5

Other mistake: The end titles of episodes 2, 5, and 6 of "The Green Death" were run backwards and upside-down. According to some published accounts, this was due to the telecine operator forgetting to rewind the end title film sequence before playback.

The Robots of Death - S14-E5

Revealing mistake: When Taren Capel is modifying a Voc robot, there is a shot of the robot's agitated hands as he reassures it. On the robot's silver gloves, the "Marigold" logo is visible. ('Marigold' make rubber gloves that are used when washing dishes). Perhaps that particular Voc robot had been assigned to dish-washing duty that day...

Survival - S26-E4

Revealing mistake: The shot of the two motorbikes colliding with each other and exploding into flames is very unconvincing. Watch carefully, and you can "see the join" where a shot of the two motorbikes passing each other (and NOT colliding) is replaced by a "staged" fiery explosion.

The Tomb of the Cybermen - S5-E1

Factual error: When the group divide up into parties, the leader says they need to be at the rocket at 1630, so meet here at 1625. He then goes on to say that will give them an hour to look for anyone that's missing. The other actors seem to notice his mistake because they either look puzzled or look off camera, probably seeing if anyone would shout "Cut."

Matty W

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Planet of Giants - S2-E1

Trivia: This Doctor Who story was originally scripted and produced as a four-episode story, but, just two weeks before transmission, upon viewing the story, co-creators Sydney Newman and Donald Wilson felt that the final two episodes (Episode 3, 'Crisis'; and Episode 4, 'The Urge to Live') should be combined into a single episode. The new 'condensed' episode incorporated the opening titles of 'Crisis' with the closing credits of 'The Urge to Live'.

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Answer: TARDISes are generally available for properly authorised use on Gallifrey; they're not usually assigned to a particular Timelord on a long-term basis. The Doctor stole his when he left his homeworld.

Tailkinker

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