Marco Polo - S1-E4
Factual error: The story is set in 1289, when Marco Polo was anxious to leave China against Kublai Khan's wishes, so what's Polo doing on the Pamir Plateau?
Marco Polo - S1-E4
Factual error: "Peking" is mentioned several times in this story, but this is an anachronism - this story is set in the year 1289 when Peking (now called Beijing) was known as "Khan-balik".
The Dalek Invasion of Earth - S2-E2
Factual error: The Doctor states that The Daleks invaded Earth because it is the only planet with a magnetic core. In fact, every planet in the solar system has a magnetic core.
The Romans - S2-E4
Factual error: Nero seems to be middle-aged, but the historical Nero was 27 at the time Rome burned.
The Romans - S2-E4
Factual error: The geographical references in this story are somewhat suspect. Assissium is the modern town of Assissi, some 70 miles north of Rome and the same distance east from the sea. The Great Fire of Rome took place in July 64AD.
Factual error: In episode one, Abraham Lincoln seems to have affected a southern accent and put on some weight.
Factual error: Billy Claiborne, the only member of the Clanton gang to survive the O.K. Corrall shoot-out, is conspicuous by his total absence in this story. Maybe that's how he survived?
Factual error: This story is set in London in 1966 - the Post Office Tower was completed in October 1965). July 12th 1966 was a Saturday, not a Monday.
Factual error: The story "The War Machines" is (probably) set in London in July 1966. At the time, England, and more specifically London, was hosting the F.I.F.A. World Cup Soccer Tournament. But you wouldn't know it from watching this Doctor Who story... Sir Charles Summers mentions July 12th (1966), which was the day after England played Uruguay at Wembley and the day before Mexico played France. The other matches involving those four were played in London during the time the events of "The War Machines" are supposed to take place, but no mention is made of the fact, there are no foreign football supporters roaming the streets and no flags or posters on display. Did the story take place in an "alternate reality" London of July 1966?
Factual error: During every outdoor scene in Antarctica, heavy blizzards are shown raging constantly. In reality, such blizzards are extremely rare at the South Pole, thanks to the almost total absence of precipitation Antarctica is effectively a desert, as the air is very dry: with very little moisture in the air, rain or snow is almost impossible.
Factual error: In the first close-up view of Mondas, the planet is spinning rapidly so that we can see that its continents are identical to Earth's. But this would mean that Mondas is spinning on its axis once every few seconds - tens of thousand of times faster than Earth. This would be such a fast rotation that the planet would not be able to hold together under the centrifugal force.
Factual error: In Episode 3, Zarof fires a gun. The muzzle is seen and a sound is heard but the gun doesn't move and there's no smoke or bullet, no flash or anything at all. (00:23:05)
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."
Factual error: The Doctor postulates that ammonium sulphide will poison The Ice Warriors because the Martian atmosphere is composed mainly of nitrogen. However, it is the EARTH's atmosphere that is mainly nitrogen (78%) whereas Mars' atmosphere is 95.3% carbon dioxide.
Factual error: It is stated that removing all the plants caused carbon dioxide levels to drop. But plants absorb carbon dioxide, so removing them would create an increase.
Factual error: It is claimed that a meteor shower has been diverted towards the Wheel by a star in M13 (the Hercules Cluster) going nova. As M13 is a globular cluster in the galactic halo, some 34,000 light years away from Earth, it would have to be one almighty nova to affect the course of a meteor shower in our solar system - due to the countless gravitational forces between M13 and the plane of the Milky Way - and been caused at least 34,000 years before the time of the story.
Factual error: The Doctor meets Jamie at a time after the Battle of Culloden. But here Jamie says he met him in 1745. Culloden took place in 1746.
Factual error: The calendar which shows the date to be Monday, 2nd March, 2472, is two days out. 2nd March 2472 will be a Wednesday. And who made the calendar if the colonists left Earth over a year earlier?
Factual error: When the inside of an apple is exposed to the air for about fifteen minutes it oxidises and goes brown, but Jo's breakfast apple goes brown by the end of the scene. (This is assuming she wasn't deliberately eating a brown apple).
Factual error: How did potatoes come to appear in a 12th century kitchen? The potato was unknown in England until Sir Walter Raleigh brought them from back from the Americas on one of his voyages in the late 16th century, at least 400 years after the period in which this story is set.
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 ★