"The Sound of Drums" is the twelfth episode of the
third series of the revived 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''. It was broadcast on
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
on 23 June 2007. It is the second of three episodes that form a linked narrative, following "
Utopia
A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book '' Utopia'', describing a fictional island societ ...
" and followed by "
Last of the Time Lords
"Last of the Time Lords" is the thirteenth and final episode of the third series of the revived British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who''. It was broadcast on BBC One on 30 June 2007. It is the last of three episodes that form a ...
".
In the episode, set in the 21st century, the alien
time traveller the Master (
John Simm
John Ronald Simm (born 10 July 1970) is an English actor, director, and musician. He is best known for playing Sam Tyler in ''Life on Mars'', the Master in ''Doctor Who,'' and DS Roy Grace in ''Grace.'' His other television credits include '' S ...
) uses a network of mobile phone satellites to hypnotise the world and influence the population of the United Kingdom into electing him Prime Minister. Following the election, he makes contact with an invading race he calls the
Toclafane.
Plot
The
Tenth Doctor
The Tenth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the main protagonist of the BBC science fiction television franchise ''Doctor Who''. He is played by David Tennant in three series as well as nine specials. As with previous incarnations of ...
,
Jack
Jack may refer to:
Places
* Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community
* Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community
* Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas, USA
People and fictional characters
* Jack (given name), a male given name, ...
, and
Martha
Martha (Hebrew: מָרְתָא) is a biblical figure described in the Gospels of Luke and John. Together with her siblings Lazarus and Mary of Bethany, she is described as living in the village of Bethany near Jerusalem. She was witness ...
escape the Futurekind by using Jack's vortex manipulator to return to present-day London. They quickly learn that
the Master has taken on the persona of Harold Saxon, and is the newly elected
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
. The Master has created a
phone network called Archangel which subliminally influenced the population to vote for him. The three narrowly avoid a bomb placed in Martha's flat and learn that Martha's family has been arrested. The Master contacts them to gloat about his seeming victory, and reveals that the three are wanted criminals.
Hiding in an abandoned building, the Doctor uses parts of Martha's laptop and his
TARDIS
The TARDIS (; acronym for "Time And Relative Dimension In Space") is a fictional hybrid of the time machine and spacecraft that appears in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and its various spin-offs. Its exterior a ...
keys to create perception filters so they can move about unnoticed. He explains some of the Master's past and tells them how, as a child, the Master looked into the time vortex and was driven mad. They see a TV report that the Master is planning to reveal humanity's
first contact the next day with an alien race known as the Toclafane.
UNIT
Unit may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* UNIT, a fictional military organization in the science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''
* Unit of action, a discrete piece of action (or beat) in a theatrical presentation
Music
* ''Unit'' (a ...
takes over the meeting and moves it to the
flying aircraft carrier ''Valiant''. The Master accepts the changes and boards the ''Valiant'' with his wife Lucy. The Doctor, Martha, and Jack teleport aboard and discover that the TARDIS has been converted by the Master into a Paradox Machine that is building up power to be activated at the appointed time of first contact.
The Doctor, Martha, and Jack enter the
bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
of the ''Valiant'' as the first four Toclafane appear on board. The Master orders the Toclafane to kill
US President
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...
Winters. The Master reveals that he can see around the perception filters, and uses his laser screwdriver to kill Jack and artificially age the Doctor 100 years using Professor Lazarus's
genetic manipulation technology, and
DNA he took from the Doctor's severed hand (which Jack took aboard the TARDIS). Jack, having been revived, gives Martha his vortex manipulator and tells Martha to get off the ''Valiant''.
The Master brings Martha's family onto the bridge as the Paradox Machine activates. A massive rift opens above the ''Valiant'', allowing six billion Toclafane to descend upon Earth and kill one-tenth of the Earth's population. Martha tends to the aged Doctor, and he whispers into her ear. She uses the vortex manipulator to teleport away, and promises to come back.
Continuity
Whilst the boy Master wears a black-and-white outfit like those worn by the first Time Lords seen on screen, in ''
The War Games
''The War Games'' is the seventh and final serial of the sixth season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which originally aired in ten weekly parts from 19 April to 21 June 1969.
In the serial, an unnamed alien r ...
'' in 1969,
the adult Time Lords are depicted dressed in the ceremonial robes first seen in ''
The Deadly Assassin
''The Deadly Assassin'' is the third serial of the 14th season of the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 30 October to 20 November 1976. It is the first seri ...
'' in 1976. Created by then BBC staff designer
James Acheson
James Acheson (born 13 March 1946) is a British costume designer. He was educated at Colchester Royal Grammar School and studied at Wimbledon School of Art. He has designed costumes and sets for television, theatre, opera, ballet and film, work ...
prior to his film career, the huge stiff collars of these outfits remained the distinctive look for officials of the Doctor's race. The collars used were the originals, on loan from the Doctor Who Exhibition in
Blackpool.
The Seal of
Rassilon
Rassilon is a fictional character in the British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. In the backstory of the programme, he was the founder of Time Lord society on the planet Gallifrey and its first lea ...
—the equally well-established Gallifreyan symbol employed by Acheson (originally in the non-Time Lord-related ''
Revenge of the Cybermen
''Revenge of the Cybermen'' is the fifth and final serial of the 12th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 19 April to 10 May 1975. It was the first ...
'')—appears here for the first time since its prominent use in the
television movie
A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...
.
When talking to the world's press cameras toward the end of the episode, the Master begins his speech "Peoples of the Earth, please attend carefully." This paraphrases part of a speech he gave in episode four of ''
Logopolis
''Logopolis'' is the seventh and final serial of the 18th season of the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 28 February to 21 March 1981. It was Tom Baker's last ...
'' (1981), which began "Peoples of the Universe, please attend carefully."
The Master refers to his wife, Lucy Saxon, as his faithful "
companion", a title regularly assumed by the travelling partners of the Doctor.
The Master is shown enjoying an episode of ''
Teletubbies
''Teletubbies'' is a British children's television series created by Anne Wood and Andrew Davenport for the BBC. The programme focuses on four differently coloured characters known as the Teletubbies, named after the television screens on t ...
'', continuing a fascination with children's television first seen in ''
The Sea Devils
''The Sea Devils'' is the third serial of the ninth season of the long-running British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in six weekly parts on BBC1 from 26 February to 1 April 1972. It was written by M ...
'' (1972), when he was shown watching ''
Clangers
''Clangers'' (usually referred to as ''The Clangers'') is a British stop motion, stop-motion children's television series, consisting of short films about a family of mouse, mouse-like creatures who live on, and inside, a small moon-like planet ...
''. He wryly analyses both series' characters, remarking how amazing it would be if they were real.
When confronting Lucy about her husband's fictitious life history, Vivien Rook refers to the fall of
Harriet Jones
Harriet Jones is a fictional character played by Penelope Wilton in the long-running British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who''. Having worked previously with lead writer and executive producer Russell T Davies, Wilton was keen ...
, who first appeared as an MP in "
Aliens of London" before being elected Prime Minister by the time of "
The Christmas Invasion
"The Christmas Invasion" is a 60-minute special episode of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast on BBC One on 25 December 2005. This episode features the first full-episode appearance of David Te ...
". Although that episode hinted at her downfall due to the Doctor's intervention (due to her having a
vote of no confidence
A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...
in the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...
), this episode confirms it, mentioned as being at the same point that the Master appeared.
In his first cabinet session, the Master refers to the reconstruction of the Cabinet Rooms and
Downing Street
Downing Street is a street in Westminster in London that houses the official residences and offices of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Situated off Whitehall, it is long, and a few minutes' walk f ...
, which were destroyed at the climax of "
World War Three
World War III or the Third World War, often abbreviated as WWIII or WW3, are names given to a hypothetical worldwide large-scale military conflict subsequent to World War I and World War II. The term has been in use since at ...
".
Martha's television is branded Magpie Electricals—this company originally rented and sold televisions manufactured by other companies in the 1950s, as seen in "
The Idiot's Lantern".
The Master reveals that he was responsible for Tish getting the job working for
Professor Lazarus—whose work he was funding—in "The Lazarus Experiment", hoping to trap the Doctor and Martha. In that episode a circular symbol can be seen throughout the main building featured, the same symbol is visible as being part of the Master's ring in this episode, a hint that he is connected to the Lazarus project. He has since incorporated the genetic manipulation technology into his new laser screwdriver.
The Doctor had previously been prematurely aged in ''
The Leisure Hive
''The Leisure Hive'' is the first serial of the 18th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 30 August to 20 September 1980. It marks the return of John ...
'' (1980).
This is the first episode in which it is explicitly established that the TARDIS' anachronistic nature goes largely unnoticed in part due to its "perception filter". This was previously hinted by ''Torchwood'' episode "
Everything Changes", where it was explained that this property of the TARDIS had been welded to a pavement slab. The second use of the term was in "
Human Nature
Human nature is a concept that denotes the fundamental dispositions and characteristics—including ways of thinking, feeling, and acting—that humans are said to have naturally. The term is often used to denote the essence of humankind, or ...
" where the Doctor noted that his TARDIS could place one on his fob watch.
US President Winters states that
UNIT
Unit may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* UNIT, a fictional military organization in the science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''
* Unit of action, a discrete piece of action (or beat) in a theatrical presentation
Music
* ''Unit'' (a ...
protocols for alien first contact were established in 1968; this was the year UNIT was introduced to the series in ''
The Invasion''.
Winters, the President of the United States, refers to himself as "President-elect".
The Doctor makes reference to having to end the Time War. This is echoed in "
The Satan Pit
"The Satan Pit" is the ninth episode of the second series of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast on 10 June 2006. It is the second part of a two-part story. The first part, " The Impossible Plane ...
" when the Beast calls the Doctor the "killer of his own kind", suggesting explicitly the Doctor's involvement with the destruction of all the Time Lords in the last great Time War. This is also alluded to in "Journey's End" to a lesser extent, and "The End of Time". In "The Day of the Doctor" it's later revealed that the Tenth Doctor had a hand in it as well as his past
War Doctor
The War Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television programme '' Doctor Who''. He was portrayed by the English actor John Hurt. Although he precedes Christopher Eccleston's Ninth Doctor in the ...
incarnation and his future
eleventh incarnation, but that things didn't end as he had previously believed.
The Master, as Saxon, offers Lucy Saxon a Jelly Baby whilst inside the Valiant. These were a favourite sweet of the Fourth Doctor and the Master offers them to his wife in a similar way.
"Vote Saxon" posters also appear at various points throughout Series 3 and at least once in the ''
Torchwood
''Torchwood'' is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. A spin-off of the 2005 revival of ''Doctor Who'', it aired from 2006 to 2011. The show shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growin ...
'' episode "
Captain Jack Harkness".
Outside references
Writing in the episode's BBC Fact File, Peter Ware observes that the Master's introduction of the Jones family as having come "all the way from prison" is similar to the style used in the TV show ''
This Is Your Life''.
When the Master addresses the nation, he opens with 'Britain, Britain, Britain'. This is a reference to the popular British comedy ''
Little Britain'', which opened with
Tom Baker
Thomas Stewart Baker (born 20 January 1934) is an English actor and writer. He is well known for his portrayal of the fourth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' from 1974 to 1981.Scott, Danny. (1 ...
's narrator saying the same. Tom Baker also played
The Fourth Doctor.
Production and publicity
This episode, along with "
Utopia
A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book '' Utopia'', describing a fictional island societ ...
" and "
Last of the Time Lords
"Last of the Time Lords" is the thirteenth and final episode of the third series of the revived British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who''. It was broadcast on BBC One on 30 June 2007. It is the last of three episodes that form a ...
", are treated in several sources as a three-part story, the first such story in the revived series of ''Doctor Who''. However, Russell T Davies has said that he regards "Utopia" as a separate story, but notes that the determination is arbitrary.
Some of the car action sequences in this episode were filmed by Freema Agyeman herself rather than a stunt double, and took place at Harbour View Road, Penarth. David Tennant's makeup in which he is aged 100 years was inspired by the
First Doctor
The First Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series '' Doctor Who''. He was portrayed by actor William Hartnell.
Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-old alien Time ...
,
William Hartnell
William Henry Hartnell (8 January 1908 – 23 April 1975) was an English actor. He is best remembered for his portrayal of the first incarnation of the Doctor in '' Doctor Who'' from 1963 to 1966. In film, Hartnell notably appeared in '' Bri ...
.
The episode was advertised on
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
, a version of which is seen in the episode itself.
Also during the broadcast, drums can be heard. There is also a different trailer that showed still shots of the Doctor,
over the top of which Mr Saxon's speech, in which he says, "what this country really needs, right now, is a doctor", can be heard and at the end there is a small clip of him showing his trademark smile, making his intent to kill the Doctor public.
The celebrity appearances in the episode itself differ from those in the trailer, most noticeably that of Ann Widdecombe, who appears alone in the trailer but alongside Mr Saxon in the episode. The BBC had created two
in connection with these episodes, www.votesaxon.co.uk and /www.haroldsaxon.co.uk/. The latter site, at one time, did replicate the video and web pages seen by the characters in "The Sound of Drums".
". The spin-off websit
states her name as "Mal Loup". This is mangled French for "Bad Wolf". This newscaster's name has subsequently been specified in the end credits as "Trinity Wells".
Zoe Thorne previously voiced the
" (2007). William Hughes, who plays the young Master, played the even younger Casanova in the eponymous
written by Russell T. Davies, in which David Tennant plays the adult Casanova.
The drumming motif used several times in the story bears similarities to the underbeat of the
.
within this episode. The song, from the album ''
'', has the phrases "the sound of drums" and "here come the drums" in its lyrics. The Master cues the music track by triumphantly declaring "here come the drums" at the end of the episode.