Doctor Who

Planet of the Spiders - S11-E5

Plot hole: At the climax of episode 2, the Doctor is about to catch Lupton when the latter simply teleports to safety. So why didn't he do that in the first place, before engaging in a 15-minute chase?

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The Three Doctors - S10-E1

Plot hole: The Brigadier says UNIT HQ is 'a Top Secret establishment'. It is, in fact, so secret that it has a large sign outside informing the world not only of its function, but also the name of the commanding officer.

Earthshock - S19-E6

Plot hole: The Cyber Leader states that he needs the Doctor to pilot the TARDIS. It makes no sense then, that he would try to kill the Doctor once inside, and before the TARDIS had landed in a safe place. (01:33:55)

The Keys of Marinus - S1-E5

Plot hole: Yartek tried to disguise himself as Arbitan by wearing Arbitan's robes and pulling the hood over his giant rubber head. Strangely enough, no-one seems to notice that "Arbitan" is now suddenly speaking with a completely different voice, and now has a two-foot-tall-head.

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The Three Doctors - S10-E1

Plot hole: After UNIT HQ disappears, you can see a patch of grass where the UNIT HQ used to be...but just exactly how can grass grow underneath a building?

Planet of Giants - S2-E1

Plot hole: The miniaturized TARDIS crew never interact with the other characters in this story, because, as the Doctor points out, the 'giants' will be unable to hear them, as their voices will be on a different wavelength. So why does the Doctor later suggest using the telephone to try to call for help?

The War Games - S6-E7

Plot hole: Despite being asked to memorise all the locations and war zone commanders, Zoe's photographic memory lets her down: her first words to the Mexican leader are 'Who are you?'.

The Invasion of Time - S15-E6

Plot hole: In the middle of chasing the Doctor, Stor abandons the idea of controlling Gallifrey in favour of destroying it for no readily apparent reason.

The Time Warrior - S11-E1

Plot hole: How did UNIT soldiers manage to get the TARDIS through an ordinary door into the Doctor's dorm in the research centre? The Doctor's labs in the various UNIT HQs had either double doors or a removable partition wall. The research centre is supposed to be an ordinary country house with single doors and solid walls. The TARDIS is larger than the average wardrobe and, unlike most modern wardrobes, doesn't come apart so it can be got through doorways. The TARDIS is known to be a "Type 40 capsule"...but there's never been any mention of the TARDIS being an IKEA-style "flat pack self-assembly" time machine...

Nightmare of Eden - S17-E4

Plot hole: When the Doctor goes into the CET projection of Eden, to fight the Mandrells, he disappears into the bushes on the left-hand side of the screen. Cue much shaking of foliage, and Tom Baker's cries of 'ooh', 'aargh' and 'ouch'. The Doctor then reappears with his clothes all tattered and torn, due to his 'fight' with the Mandrells...but the the fact that there is not a mark (not even a scratch) on Tom Baker is something of a giveaway that all Tom Baker did was disappear behind some bushes and do a quick change into a tattered version of his costume.

The Twin Dilemma - S21-E7

Plot hole: Azmael doesn't recognise the regenerated Doctor (In the shape of Colin Baker) whereas on most other occasions other Time Lords do recognize each other through telepathy. This is odd behaviour by Azmael, considering that Azmael and the Doctor HAVE actually met before, and possibly more than once. (Azmael last met the Doctor in the Doctor's fourth incarnation, and was the best teacher the Doctor ever had. On that occasion, Azmael got drunk.).

The War Games - S6-E7

Plot hole: The map of the "War Zones" where the Aliens are conducting their War Games can be seen several times in this story. The map is visibly divided into 11 zones. Yet, during this story, the "War Zones" visited or referred to total THIRTEEN.

Inferno - S7-E4

Plot hole: Just after the Doctor meets the Brigade Leader, he looks at the countdown and says in a very loud voice, "only 3 hours and 22 minutes". Several minutes later, when he leaves the office after stunning Benton, the countdown still reads 3 hours and 22 minutes. Did the countdown clock stop? (00:15:10 - 00:22:10)

The Wheel in Space - S5-E7

Plot hole: When the airlock door is opening at the end of the final episode, the Cyberman is the only one who appears to be affected by the air rushing out. Although 'rushing out' is probably overstating the speed of the 'explosive decompression'. It's not so much an explosion as a gentle breeze...

City of Death - S17-E2

Plot hole: In episode 4, watch what Romana does to Professor Kerensky's time machine in order to make it work. It is surprising that the time machine works at all, considering she is supposed to be in Paris at the time. Romana wires up the time machine to a British (i.e. 3-pin 240 volts) electric plug instead of a "continental" 3-pin 110 volt plug.

The Invisible Enemy - S15-E2

Plot hole: After the Doctor and Leela's clones fade, the camera pans to show Leela's knife. But since the knife was created in the cloning process, it should have faded out with Leela, the Doctor and their other personal items.

The Invisible Enemy - S15-E2

Plot hole: Why doesn't Lowe simply shoot Leela the second her back is turned? Moreover, why does he take them to get medical help? It's made clear that the virus has everything it needs on Titan.

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The Three Doctors - S10-E1

Revealing mistake: (Part 4) After Omega takes off his mask and looks in the mirror, when he sees that his physical body doesn't exist he puts his mask back on and screams, but when he shouts, "If I exist only by my will, then my will is to destroy," Omega's mask pops up off his face, and we can see the actor's blackened face as he shouts the last bit of his dialogue. (00:07:10)

Super Grover

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The Doctor: This is a situation that requires tact and finesse. Fortunately, I am blessed with both.

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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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Show generally

Question: In which season and episode is Gallifrey destroyed, or is it just a shocking new plot development for the new series?

Answer: 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.

DaveJB

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