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.).

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 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.

The Curse of Fenric - S26-E3

Plot hole: A line of dialogue in "The Curse of Fenric" indicates that the Russians planned to make their escape by "going to the North Way", in other words, escaping to Norway. However, the story is set in the summer of 1943, when Norway was under Nazi occupation. It would not be a smart idea for any Russian military personnel to head for Nazi-occupied Norway.

Vengeance on Varos - S22-E2

Plot hole: The energy weapons in this story fire a series of small red bullets, which cause numerous problems. For a start, the guns appear to have seven chambers, yet the bullets start from the same point; as they are separate bullets, surely the most minor of movements would mean they wouldn't emerge in a straight line. Later, when the Doctor steals a cart, the bullets are coming quite a distance towards the screen but the bullets don't get any bigger. Also, in the same scene, the Doctor passes through the area they seem to be travelling, yet the bullets just continue to pass in front of him.

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)

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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 the Spiders - S11-E5

Trivia: The first thing the Third Doctor does on-screen is collapse out of the TARDIS, which is also the last thing he does in that incarnation.

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Earthshock - S19-E6

Question: 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?

Answer: 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.

Daria Sigma

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