Palmerdale and the others hear someone on the stairs. Skinsale opens the door and, despite Reuben being right in front of him, looks downstairs and calls out to the Doctor before turning and suddenly spotting the lumbering keeper. See more...
For a show with a "Circus and Clowns" theme, it is appropriate that this Doctor Who story was filmed in a tent. It wasn't planned that way, but the studio at BBC TV Centre in London that was originally to be used for filming 'The Greatest Show In The Galaxy' had to be closed at short notice when the presence of dangerous white asbestos was discovered in the studio's structure. With no alternative studios available, filming was switched to a marquee temporarily erected in the car park of the BBC Studios at Elstree. See more...
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The "questions" section is for any random questions that occurred to you while watching this film, or anything you didn't entirely understand, and which Google or the IMDb can't help with. Submit them as a question, and hopefully someone will answer (the bold comments in brackets) - check back regularly. If the answer is wrong, or missing information, please use the "clarify answer" option. Don't feel limited - want to know what music played in a certain scene? Whether this was the first film to use a certain effect? Here's the place to ask!
If the Doctor gets a TARDIS, does that mean other Timelords get a TARDIS as well? [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.]
Answered by Tailkinker
In which season and episode is Gallifrey destroyed, or is it just a shocking new plot development for the new series? [It was never destroyed on-screen; it was intact at the end of the TV movie, and destroyed by the start of the 2005 series. It was destroyed in the novel "The Ancestor Cell," but in a completely different manner to what happened in the series.]
Answered by DaveJB
Is it ever at all stated why the Doctor left Gallifrey? [It's principally related to the Time Lord's strict non-intervention policy, which stated that they should only observe events, not interfere in any way. The Doctor staunchly disagreed, believing that they had a moral duty to protect the universe from evil. That, combined with his own wanderlust and desire to see and experience the wonders of the cosmos, was what ultimately drove him to steal the TARDIS and take up the life of a renegade.]
Answered by Tailkinker
Why does Dortman only play with white chess pieces at the beginning of episode 3? [If you look carefully, they are white and grey.]
Why did The Daleks want Earth? What was it that made them specifically choose Earth to invade? Also, why did they intend on turning the Earth into a massive spacecraft when they already have their own fleet?
Why did The Doctor leave Susan? [The Doctor left Susan because she fell in love with a human who had asked her to marry him. The Doctor probably thought that it was better for Susan to stay in one place rather than travelling all over the cosmos with him.]
Answered by Agent Angel
Why was The Dalek in the water?
What caused the first Doctor to regenerate? Was it old age? [No, it was the result of the Cybermen's draining Earth of energy to their world, that also affected the Doctor, draining his energy as well, causing him to regenerate.]
Is it ever stated why The Master looks in such a bad condition? [The Master has run out of regenerations - he's keeping his failing body alive through sheer willpower, but it's a losing battle, as his appalling condition shows.]
Answered by Tailkinker
Why exactly is the Watcher present during this story? What's his purpose? Why is he never present during any other of the Doctors' regenerations? [The Watcher is The Doctor in a transitional state between regenerations. He likely shows up only this time because the entire existence of the universe is at stake.]
Answered by Captain Defenestrator
Towards the end of episode 4, The Master transmits a message to the peoples of the universe, saying that if they do not acknowledge his rule, he will send a signal to close the CVE and restart the collapse of the universe. My questions are: How does The Master expect the peoples of the universe to respond to him in time? And what happens if the peoples of the universe don't comply with The Master's demands? Would he just close the CVE anyway? [Two possibilities. 1: They can reply on the same frequency he's transmitting from. 2: He intends to close the CVE anyway and this is simply an act of cruelty.]
Answered by Captain Defenestrator
The Master has shown himself to be extremely intelligent, so why didn't he know that killing all those Logopolitans would set off a chain reaction, resulting in the end of the universe? Also, why did he hold the planet to ransom? What was he hoping to gain by doing this? [The Master seemed to know what would happen, and exploited this to his own ends. His goal was to gain control of the entire universe, by giving people a choice: die with the universe as it is destroyed (by natural means, no less!), or accept his as their Master, with the only way to keep the universe going.]
Why did The Master create a recursive loop with his and The Doctor's Tardis?
Why are Block Transfer Computations spoken aloud?
If The Master had closed the CVE it would have resulted in the total destruction of the universe. Would he have really closed the CVE if the peoples of the universe hadn't responded to him? Isn't that the complete opposite of what The Master wants, i.e. complete control of the universe? Also, if the universe had been destroyed, who and what would he have left to control? [The Master is insane. If he can't control the universe, he'd rather see it destroyed.]
Answered by Captain Defenestrator
In Earthshock, season 19, at the end of episode 3, the Cyber Leader views his troops marching down the corridor. Each column is headed by a Cyber Leader. Is this a mistake, or is there more than one Cyber Leader allowed per army? [In 'The Five Doctors', three separate Cyberleaders are definitely used. So it's likely that Cyberleaders are like unit commanders, of which a fair-sized army might have several.]
Answered by Daria Sigma
Why does The Master come up with these ridiculously elaborate plans to kill The Doctor when he could have killed him at the beginning of the first episode, just after his regeneration, when he was very weak? [Because he wouldn't be satisfied simply killing The Doctor when he's weak and infirm. The Master needs to outsmart him.]
Answered by Captain Defenestrator
During The Five Doctors, why did Borusa give The Doctor enemies to fight? Wouldn't he want The Doctor's journey to the Dark Tower to go as smoothly as possible without the threat of death and interference?
How did The Master survive being burned alive at the end of 'Planet of Fire'?
What caused the sixth Doctor to regenerate into the seventh? Is it ever stated? [Injuries sustained by having his TARDIS yanked out of the Time Vortex by The Rani.]
Answered by Captain Defenestrator
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