"The Magician's Apprentice" is the first episode of the ninth series of the British

science fiction television Science fiction first appeared in television programming in the late 1930s, during what is called the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary ...

series ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

''. It was first broadcast on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...

on 19 September 2015. The episode was written by

showrunner A showrunner is the top-level executive producer of a television series. The position outranks other creative and management personnel, including episode directors, in contrast to feature films, in which the director has creative control over th ...

Steven Moffat Steven William Moffat (; born 18 November 1961) is a Scottish television writer, television producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his work as the second showrunner and head writer of the 2005 revival of the BBC sci-fi television ser ...

and directed by Hettie MacDonald. It is the first of a two-part story; the second part, " The Witch's Familiar", aired on 26 September. In the episode, the alien time traveller

the Doctor The Doctor, sometimes known as Doctor Who, is the protagonist of the long-running BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. An extraterrestrial Time Lord, the Doctor travels the universe in a time travelling spaceship called th ...

(

Peter Capaldi Peter Dougan Capaldi (; born 14 April 1958) is a Scottish actor, director, singer and guitarist. He portrayed the Twelfth Doctor, twelfth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction series ''Doctor Who'' (2013–2017) and Malcolm Tucker i ...

) disappears and gives a confession dial—his version of a last

will and testament A will and testament is a legal document that expresses a person's (testator) wishes as to how their property (estate (law), estate) is to be distributed after their death and as to which person (executor) is to manage the property until its fi ...

—to his former childhood friend Missy ( Michelle Gomez). Missy and the Doctor's companion Clara (

Jenna Coleman Jenna-Louise Coleman (born 27 April 1986) is an English actress. She began her television career by playing Jasmine Thomas in the soap opera ''Emmerdale'' from 2005 to 2009, followed by a recurring role in the BBC school-based drama series ''Wat ...

) track down the location of the Doctor before his expected death, and the three are taken prisoner on the planet

Skaro The Daleks ( ) are a fictional extraterrestrials in fiction, extraterrestrial race of extremely xenophobic mutants principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. They were conceived by writer Terry Na ...

where a weak and dying

Davros Davros () is a fictional Character (arts), character from the long-running British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He was created by screenwriter Terry Nation, originally for the 1975 serial '' ...

( Julian Bleach)—an enemy of the Doctor and the creator of the

Dalek The Daleks ( ) are a fictional extraterrestrial race of extremely xenophobic mutants principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. They were conceived by writer Terry Nation and first appeared in th ...

race—seeks the Doctor after recalling an encounter from Davros' childhood. Filming began in February 2015 in

Tenerife Tenerife ( ; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands, an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. With a land area of and a population of 965,575 inhabitants as of A ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. The episode was watched by 6.54 million viewers and received positive reviews.

Prologues

Prologue

The

Twelfth Doctor The Twelfth Doctor is an incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor, the protagonist of the British Science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Scottish actor Peter Capaldi in three ...

has returned to the planet Karn. There, Ohila of the Sisterhood explains that someone has been seeking him across all time and space. She asks the Doctor if he will go, insisting: "You owe that creature nothing." He says that he will, but that he will first 'hang out' for a bit.

"The Doctor's Meditation"

Another prologue to the episode, titled "The Doctor's Meditation", was released in

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

on 15 and 16 September 2015, alongside a 3D cinematic release of " Dark Water" and " Death in Heaven". On 18 September, this was released on

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, and also made available through other online channels. In this prologue, the Doctor appears in medieval times alongside Bors, who appears to be a loyal friend, and in the 6 minute clip, questions who he must face, asking whether he faces an old friend or a foe. The Doctor replies that he must meditate, but has trouble doing so.

Plot

The Doctor, travelling across a war-ravaged landscape, encounters a young boy trapped in a field of "handmines". After throwing the boy his sonic screwdriver so he can communicate with him, the Doctor encourages the boy and tries to save him, until he learns that the boy is

, the future creator of the

s, and as a result, abandons him. On present-day Earth, all the planes are frozen in mid-flight. Clara is summoned to

UNIT Unit may refer to: General measurement * Unit of measurement, a definite magnitude of a physical quantity, defined and adopted by convention or by law **International System of Units (SI), modern form of the metric system **English units, histo ...

headquarters to help contact the Doctor. While there, they are contacted by Missy, who needed to get UNIT's attention to arrange a meeting with Clara. At a café, Missy asks Clara for help finding the Doctor as Missy had received his "confession dial", the

Time Lord The Time Lords are a fictional ancient race of extraterrestrial life, extraterrestrial people in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Time Lords are so named for their command of time travel technology and their Nonli ...

s' equivalent of a last

, and believes the Doctor may think he is dying. Clara helps Missy track down the Doctor to

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

in 1138. Clara and Missy find the Doctor has spent the last several weeks partying. Colony Sarff, a composite being made from numerous snakes, and an agent of Davros, tells the Doctor that Davros is dying. Sarff presents the Doctor with the sonic screwdriver the Doctor gave to Davros years before. The Doctor feels shame for having abandoned Davros as a boy, and agrees to be taken away; Missy and Clara persuade Sarff to take them as well. As they leave, Bors is revealed to be a Dalek "

puppet A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or Legendary creature, mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. Puppetry is an ancient form of theatre which dates back to the 5th century BC in anci ...

" and secures the Doctor's

TARDIS The TARDIS (; acronym for "Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space") is a fictional hybrid of a time machine and spacecraft that appears in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and its various spin-offs. While a TARDI ...

for the Daleks. Sarff takes them to a

space station A space station (or orbital station) is a spacecraft which remains orbital spaceflight, in orbit and human spaceflight, hosts humans for extended periods of time. It therefore is an artificial satellite featuring space habitat (facility), habitat ...

, and the Doctor is led alone to Davros, who shames the Doctor for his actions in the past. Meanwhile, Missy is suspicious of the gravity of the station, and shows Clara that the station is just an illusion, as they are on the planet

, the Dalek homeworld. They are captured by the Daleks and taken to a room where the TARDIS has been procured. The Doctor attempts to plead for their lives, but Davros says he has no control over the Daleks, and Missy, Clara, and the TARDIS are seemingly destroyed. Davros derides the Doctor's compassion as his "greatest indulgence" and wants him to confess, finally, that "compassion is wrong". On the battleground, the Doctor speaks to young Davros in the Doctor's personal future. The Doctor pulls out a Dalek weapon and vows to save his friend the only way he can.

Continuity

A Kaled soldier is depicted armed with a bow and arrow; this is an allusion to a line spoken by Harry Sullivan in ''

Genesis of the Daleks ''Genesis of the Daleks'' is the fourth serial of the twelfth season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was written by Terry Nation and directed by David Maloney, and originally broadcast in six weekly parts fr ...

'' (1975): "they're going to finish off with bows and arrows". Colony Sarff visits the Maldovarium, a bar last seen in 2011's " A Good Man Goes to War". The scene features several returning aliens: the

Sycorax Sycorax is an unseen character in William Shakespeare's play ''The Tempest'' (1611). She is a vicious and powerful witch and the mother of Caliban (character), Caliban, one of the few native inhabitants of the island on which Prospero, the he ...

, the Hath, the

Ood The Ood are an alien species with telepathic abilities from the long-running science fiction series ''Doctor Who''. In the series' narrative, they live in the distant future (circa 42nd century). The Ood are portrayed as a slave race, natura ...

and a Tivolian. The Shadow Proclamation, an intergalactic police force last appearing in 2008's " The Stolen Earth", also briefly returns, featuring the Shadow Architect (from the same episode) and a Judoon. The Sisterhood of Karn, already seen in the 2013 teaser "

The Night of the Doctor "The Night of the Doctor" is a mini-episode of the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. It was made available on BBC iPlayer and YouTube on 14 November 2013, as part of the BBC One lead-up to the show's 50th anniversa ...

", originally appeared in the 1976 serial ''

The Brain of Morbius ''The Brain of Morbius'' is the fifth serial of the Doctor Who (season 13), 13th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC One, BBC1 from 3 to 24 January 1976. Th ...

''. UNIT seeks the Doctor using a computer algorithm, plotting on a map the locations of various crises at which he has been rumoured to have appeared. These correspond with locales for many of the Doctor's past adventures: San Martino (''

The Masque of Mandragora ''The Masque of Mandragora'' is the first serial of the Doctor Who (season 14), 14th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC One, BBC1 from 4 to 25 September 19 ...

'');

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

('' The Chase'', " Daleks in Manhattan"/" Evolution of the Daleks", and "

The Angels Take Manhattan "The Angels Take Manhattan" is the fifth episode of the Doctor Who (series 7), seventh series of the revived British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast on BBC One on 29 September 2012. It is the last in th ...

") and three possible appearances in

Atlantis Atlantis () is a fictional island mentioned in Plato's works '' Timaeus'' and ''Critias'' as part of an allegory on the hubris of nations. In the story, Atlantis is described as a naval empire that ruled all Western parts of the known world ...

(''

The Time Monster ''The Time Monster'' is the fifth and final serial of the Doctor Who (season 9), ninth season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in six weekly parts on BBC One, BBC1 from 20 May to 24 June 1 ...

'', '' The Underwater Menace'', and '' The Dæmons''). Davros plays excerpts from his prior conversations with the Doctor's earlier incarnations, ranging from ''Genesis of the Daleks'' to "The Stolen Earth". Most notably, he shows footage (from ''Genesis of the Daleks'') of the

Fourth Doctor The Fourth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Tom Baker. Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-old alien Time Lord from ...

asking the question "if someone who knew the future pointed out a child to you and told you that that child would grow up totally evil, to be a ruthless dictator who would destroy millions of lives, could you then kill that child?" Several different designs of the Daleks from across the series' history reappear in the episode, alongside their creator, Davros, and their home planet, Skaro. The first Dalek shown in the episode is a blue-and-silver model as first seen in 1963.

Outside references

Clara, upon deducing the Doctor's location and intent, says " Do not go gentle into that good night", the first line of the titular poem by

Dylan Thomas Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer, whose works include the poems " Do not go gentle into that good night" and " And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" ''Un ...

. When the Doctor spies Clara and Missy, he plays the opening notes to

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for his distinctive and powerful voice, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. Orbison's most successful periods were ...

's "

Oh, Pretty Woman "Oh, Pretty Woman", or simply "Pretty Woman", is a song recorded by Roy Orbison and written by Orbison and Bill Dees. It was released as a single in August 1964 on Monument Records and spent three weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, '' ...

". The Doctor's playing

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external electric Guitar amplifier, sound amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar. It uses one or more pickup (music technology), pickups ...

and teaching medieval people the term "

dude ''Dude'' is Regional vocabularies of American English, American slang for an individual, typically male. From the 1870s to the 1960s, dude primarily meant a male person who dressed in an extremely fashionable manner (a dandy) or a conspicuous ...

" echoes the movies ''

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure ''Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure'' is a 1989 American science fiction comedy film directed by Stephen Herek and written by Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon. The first installment of the ''Bill & Ted'' franchise, it stars Keanu Reeves, Alex Win ...

'' and ''

Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey ''Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey'' is a 1991 American science fiction comedy film, and the feature directorial debut of Pete Hewitt. It is the second film in the ''Bill & Ted'' franchise, and a sequel to ''Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure'' (1989) ...

'', films featuring two rocker teens who travel back in time – in a telephone call box – and teach historical figures their customs. Actor

plays the guitar himself and was part of a

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

band called The Dreamboys in the early 1980s alongside

Craig Ferguson Craig Ferguson (born 17 May 1962) is a Scottish-American actor, comedian, writer and television host. He is best known for having hosted the CBS late-night talk show ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' (2005–2014). He is the winner of ...

Production

Shooting on the episode began on 12 February. To provide the necessary Dalek props, some were taken from the nearby

Doctor Who Experience Since the first broadcast of the British science-fiction television serial ''Doctor Who'' in 1963, there have been a number of exhibitions of Theatrical property, props, costumes and Theatrical scenery, sets relating to the show throughout the ...

exhibition. Scenes set on Skaro's surface were filmed on

, one of the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

Cast notes

Kelly Hunter had previously appeared as the Shadow Architect in the

series 4 Series 4 could refer to: * Aston Martin Lagonda Series 4, the automobile model * BMW 4 Series, the automobile model line * GeForce 4 series The GeForce 4 series (codenames below) refers to the fourth generation of Nvidia's GeForce line of graph ...

episode "The Stolen Earth", with Julian Bleach also having appeared as Davros in that episode and its conclusion, "

Journey's End ''Journey's End'' is a 1928 dramatic play by English playwright R. C. Sherriff, set in the trenches near Saint-Quentin, Aisne, towards the end of the First World War. The story plays out in the officers' dugout of a British Army infantry com ...

Clare Higgins Clare Frances Elizabeth Higgins (born 10 November 1955) is an English actress. She is a three-time winner of the Olivier Award for Best Actress; for '' Sweet Bird of Youth'' (1995), ''Vincent in Brixton'' (2003), and ''Hecuba'' (2005). She mad ...

played Ohila of the Sisterhood of Karn in the mini-episode "

", which was part of the 50th Anniversary specials in 2013, and again in the season finale " Hell Bent". Jami Reid-Quarrell made a subsequent appearance as "The Veil" in "Heaven Sent", the penultimate episode of Series 9.

Promotion

The trailer for the episode was released on 5 September 2015.

Cinema screenings

A cinema screening of "The Magician's Apprentice" was held on 27 August 2015 in Edinburgh as part of The Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival. It was also screened along with "The Witch's Familiar" on 10 September 2015 in Cardiff by BAFTA Cymru with a Q&A session following.

Broadcast and reception

The episode was watched by 6.54 million viewers, the lowest consolidated rating for the programme since the

Matt Smith Matthew Robert Smith (born 28 October 1982) is an English actor. He is known for playing the Eleventh Doctor in the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' (2010–2013), Prince Philip in Netflix's historical series ''The Crown ( ...

episode " The Crimson Horror". There were 1.3 million "download requests" through the BBC's iplayer service. The overnight viewing figures indicated the episode was watched by 4.58 million viewers on

BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and Flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includ ...

, the lowest overnight figure for a series opener since the show returned in 2005. It gained a 21.2% share of its timeslot and came second for the night, behind ''

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–200 ...

''. It received an Appreciation Index score of 84. The episode broke records on

BBC America BBC America is an American basic cable network that is owned by AMC Networks. The channel primarily airs sci-fi and action series and films, as well as selected programs from the BBC (such as its nature documentary series). Unlike the BBC's ...

with 1.1 million viewers in the 18–49 category. All together, 1.97 million watched on the night in the United States.

Critical reception

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, 83% of 18 critics gave the episode a positive review, with an average rating of 8.7/10. The site's consensus reads, "In 'The Magician's Apprentice', Peter Capaldi and the writers settle into an emotionally engaging tone while raising the stakes for the Twelfth Doctor". Scott Collura of

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

awarded the episode a 9.4 out of ten, deemed "amazing". He went on to say "The Twelfth Doctor can have lots of fun in this episode, but he can also hit some real dark patches too. And it’s the climatic 'sic''reveal/cliffhanger here that will help bring this Doctor towards the latter emotional state". He further praised the episode's writing, stating that the episode " eliversa real jolt to the system for both the Doctor and the viewer to start off Season 9". Patrick Mulkern of ''

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...

'' rated the episode as 5/5, praising the episode's story and concept. He said "Steven Moffat promised us a season opener that feels like a finale and, boy, does he deliver. In fact he delivers boy. Boy Davros. A brilliant idea – just waiting for someone to have it". However, he also noted that "there’s no real sense of jeopardy . . . in a universe where everything is now 'unzappable'". Nick Setchfield of SFX also gave the episode five stars, claiming it was "full of wit and menace" and "unafraid to take on the show's museum piece classics". However, Benji Wilson in ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'' gave it 3/5, saying that the "jury is still out" and questioning whether "seemingly catastrophic events" can be very thrilling in the ''Doctor Who'' universe which "keeps reminding you you're not supposed to take it seriously". In 2023, ''The Daily Telegraph'' ranked the episode the 33rd best in the show's entire run.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Magician's Apprentice (Doctor Who) Twelfth Doctor episodes 2015 British television episodes Television episodes written by Steven Moffat The Master (Doctor Who) television stories Dalek television stories Doctor Who stories set on Earth UNIT serials Fiction set in the 1130s Television episodes set in England Essex in fiction Television episodes set in London Television episodes set in the 2010s