Doctor Who

The Idiot's Lantern - S2-E10

Factual error: One of the programs on the new television set is Animal, Vegetable, Mineral? In 1953, this quiz show was broadcast on Thursdays. But, it's the eve of the coronation, which makes it Monday the 1st of June. Animal, Vegetable, Mineral? wasn't on that evening.

The Impossible Planet (1) - S2-E11

Factual error: The Doctor (and the staff on the station) refer to the idea of a planet being in orbit around a black hole as 'impossible'. It is not. Gravity (and physics in general) works perfectly well outside of the event horizon. For all practical purposes - regarding orbiting around it - the black hole might as well be any other object, as long as it has an equal mass. (00:07:15 - 00:08:30)

The Doctor Dances (2) - S1-E10

Factual error: Magnetic tape recorders weren't available outside of Germany during World War II. True the tape recorder could have been captured from the Germans, but, as it was cutting-edge technology for 1941, it would hardly be likely to have ended up in a hospital office.

Dark Water - S8-E11

Factual error: When Clara is speaking on the phone to Danny at the start of the episode her phone shows the call waiting screen for an incoming call from him. (00:02:25)

MAdMaN

Rose - S1-E1

Factual error: In the opening shot of this episode, we see the Earth from space. The camera then zooms into Western Europe, the UK, London, then into Rose Tyler's flat, where a jump cut to an alarm clock shows it's 7:30am. But look again at the start of that sequence: it shows that it's daylight over the UK - and over the USA. This is of course impossible. When it is 7:30am in London, it is 2:30am in New York, as Eastern Time is 5 hours behind UK time. In New York at 2:30am it is not daylight, because it is the middle of the night. In addition, later episodes make it clear this episode is set in March. The North Pole is fully sunlit, which it never is in March, due to the equinox that happens that month. (00:00:50 - 00:02:00)

The Eleventh Hour - S5-E1

Factual error: When the Doctor spots Rory taking a photo of Prisoner Zero, we're shown a brief close-up of Rory's hospital identity badge. The date of issue is given as "30/11/1990". The main body of the episode is set in 2008, two years before Rory and Amy's wedding in 2010. It's further established in the episode that Rory and Amy played together as children after her first meeting with the Doctor in 1996, with Rory observing that Amy made him dress up as the Raggedy Doctor. Rory could not possibly have worked for the hospital for eighteen years at the time of the episode. (00:33:10)

Tailkinker

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Suggested correction: Continue watching the show as this is a clue and not a mistake. In later episodes Rory becomes the Last Centurion who watches over Amy for over 1,800 years while she is in the Pandorica. So while Rory was born in 1989, because of time travel and events that occurred to him, he's lived long enough to work at the hospital since 1990.

Bishop73

At that stage, Rory had not time-traveled at all. If he had been working at the hospital since 1990, he would have been a baby. And it was shown in "The Big Bang" that he works as a guard in the Museum where the Pandorica is kept in the alternate timeline, not at the hospital.

The Girl in the Fireplace - S2-E7

Factual error: Madame de Pompadour calls herself "Reinette" in 1727, whereas in actual fact, this was a nickname meaning "Little Queen" which was not given to her until 1730. (00:03:45)

The Impossible Planet (1) - S2-E11

Factual error: Ida, the science officer, says that the planet is in geostationary orbit around the black hole. However, the word "geostationary" applies very specifically to objects orbiting the planet Earth. Since a black hole is a type of star, this planet's orbit could be described as astrostationary, or even just stationary, but definitely not as geostationary. A science expert on an interstellar mission wouldn't make this mistake, and she wasn't dumbing things down, either, since "geostationary orbit" is already a pretty obscure topic for people unfamiliar with space technology. (00:07:40)

DavidK93

The Sound of Drums (2) - S3-E12

Factual error: When introducing himself to the Toclafane, President Winters refers to himself as "President-elect of the United States of America." President-elect is the title given to the victor of an American presidential election who has not yet been sworn in, between early November and January 20. This was a mistake on Russell T Davies' part, as he was under the impression it was a longer, formal title for the American president. (00:37:40)

The Christmas Invasion - S2-E2

Factual error: When the Doctor regrows his hand during the swordfight, he says that he can do this because he's still within the first 15 hours of his regeneration cycle, and there's still residual energy in his body. However: In both this scene, and the episode's opening scene, when the TARDIS arrives in London, it is full daylight. The episode takes place on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, 3-4 days after the Winter Solstice. London, at 51°N latitude, has a night longer than 15 hours at that time of year, meaning the Doctor should have been out of luck.

Vincent and the Doctor - S5-E10

Factual error: Amy inspires Vincent to paint sunflowers for his iconic Sunflowers painting. The episode takes place in 1890, even though Van Gogh completed Sunflowers two years earlier in 1888. (00:18:25)

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The Unquiet Dead - S1-E3

Factual error: When Rose is locked in the room and the bodies come toward her, you can see a modern-day electric light-switch to the side of the door she's trying to get through. When the Doctor hears her screaming for help and runs for her, you can see a central heating radiator. In fact, the undertaker's house has at least two radiators in different hallways. Both are wildly anachronistic for the time period. (00:16:30 - 00:17:08)

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Suggested correction: While the light switch is ahead of its time, the heating radiator was invented by Franz San Galli in 1855 and was immediately popular. It's possible that by 1869, when the episode takes place, that Mr. Sneed would have one.

The Impossible Planet (1) - S2-E11

Factual error: The graphics depicting the black hole show matter falling directly towards the centre of it. This would only happen if all the matter happened to be heading in that direction already. In reality, matter approaching the black hole at any other angle would swirl around the event horizon, like water going down a plughole.

paolog

Boom Town - S1-E11

Factual error: Emergency Service vehicles in Cardiff (indeed, throughout Wales) have their signs in bilingual English/Welsh. So the police cars and ambulances seen in this episode should have 'Heddlu'/'Police' and 'Ambwlance'/'Ambulance' bilingual logos. However, the police car seen after the earthquake has its label in Welsh only. (00:40:33)

The Sound of Drums (2) - S3-E12

Factual error: The army shoot at Martha's car and you can see sparks where the bullets bounce off her windscreen. But, at that close range, one of those things can go through a brick! I know you're supposed to allow a bit of disbelief, but this is taking it too far.

The Age of Steel (2) - S2-E9

Factual error: When Rose gets the message there are two things wrong with what you see on the phones screen: firstly on the top right of the screen you can see the icon for mute even though you heard the beep, and secondly that screen is for when you type in the number you want to call (text), not the screen for receiving a text.

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New Earth - S2-E4

Continuity mistake: As the camera zooms out when Rose is captured and Cassandra is about to "go" into Rose, the psychograft disappears, but in the next shot of Rose it appears again. (00:11:45)

LizzieWD

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Season 1 generally

Question: 1. Why was Rose not allowed to touch her past self without creating a paradox and causing those creatures to appear and eat everyone, but Amy was allowed to touch her younger self without any repercussions? 2. Why was Rose able to have the time vortex in her head for a few minutes and it only knocked her unconscious whereas the Doctor had it inside him for about 30 seconds and it basically killed him and caused his regeneration?

strikeand

Chosen answer: 1) When Stephen Moffat took over he ignored a lot of what had been developed before (there is not in-universe answer). 2) It would have killed Rose, so the Doctor absorbed the energy. His body regenerated before the energy could do a significant amount of damage that would prevent regeneration.

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