"Turn Left" is the eleventh episode of the
fourth series of 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 written by showrunner
Russell T Davies
Stephen Russell Davies (born 27 April 1963), better known as Russell T Davies, is a Welsh screenwriter and television producer whose works include ''Queer as Folk'', '' The Second Coming'', ''Casanova'', the 2005 revival of the BBC One scien ...
and 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 21 June 2008.
David Tennant
David John Tennant (''né'' McDonald; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He rose to fame for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor (2005–2010 and 2013) in the BBC science-fiction TV show ''Doctor Who'', reprising the rol ...
only makes a small contribution to this "Doctor-lite" episode as 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 ...
. The story instead focuses on the Doctor's companion,
Donna Noble (
Catherine Tate
Catherine Jane Ford (born 5 December 1969), known professionally as Catherine Tate, is an English actress, comedian and writer. She has won numerous awards for her work on the BBC sketch comedy series '' The Catherine Tate Show'' (2004–2007) ...
) and her encounters with former companion
Rose Tyler
Rose Tyler is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. She was created by series producer Russell T Davies and portrayed by Billie Piper. With the revival of ''Doctor Who'' in 2005, Rose was introd ...
(
Billie Piper
Billie Paul Piper (born Leian Paul Piper; 22 September 1982) is an English actress and former singer. She initially gained recognition as a singer after releasing her debut single "Because We Want To" at age 15, which made her the youngest woman ...
). The episode's narrative focuses on an
alternative history
Alternate history (also alternative history, althist, AH) is a genre of speculative fiction of stories in which one or more historical events occur and are resolved differently than in real life. As conjecture based upon historical fact, alte ...
where the Doctor dies during the events of the 2006 Christmas special "
The Runaway Bride". The episode depicts a
dystopia caused by the Doctor's death, leaving Rose to convince Donna to save the world. The beginning and end of the episode take place in the show's normal continuity, and the end features a cliffhanger that leads directly into the series finale "
The Stolen Earth
"The Stolen Earth" is the twelfth episode of the Doctor Who (series 4), fourth series and the 750th overall episode of the British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was first broadcast on BBC One ...
".
Davies' writing and Tate's performance were acclaimed, and the episode was praised for its depiction of dystopia in a scene characterised by the internment of a foreign citizen. The episode was the fourth-most-watched programme in the week it was broadcast, with 8.1 million viewers, and the
Appreciation Index
The Audience Appreciation Index (AI) is an indicator measured from 0 to 100 of the public's appreciation for a television or radio programme, or broadcast service, in the United Kingdom.
Until 2002, the AI of a programme was calculated by the B ...
of the episode was 88, considered excellent. The episode was one of two ''Doctor Who'' stories in the fourth series to be nominated for a
Hugo Award in the
Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form category.
Plot
Donna
Donna may refer to the short form of the honorific ''nobildonna'', the female form of Don (honorific) in Italian.
People
* Donna (given name); includes name origin and list of people and characters with the name
* Roberto Di Donna (born 1968), ...
gets a free reading from a fortune teller who helps her recall the event that led to her meeting 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 ...
. Donna remembers when she was at an intersection looking for a new job, Donna wanted to turn left to get a well-paid
temp position, while her mother Sylvia wanted her to turn right as to take a permanent job as a personal assistant. Donna ultimately turned left. The fortune teller makes Donna choose again and forces her to turn right. As she makes this new choice, a large beetle working for
the Trickster attaches itself to her back and she loses consciousness.
Donna's decision creates an alternative reality in which she never met the Doctor after turning right and the Doctor drowns in the flood killing the Racnoss children, making him unable to intervene in several other events affecting contemporary Earth. Changes include the deaths of the Doctor's former
companions Sarah Jane 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 ...
;
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, ...
being transported to the
Sontarans' home planet; and the space-going ''Titanic'' crashing into Buckingham Palace, killing millions of London's residents. Britain is placed under
martial law
Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory.
Use
Marti ...
; the government transfers all non-British citizens into
internment camp
Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...
s.
Rose
A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...
mysteriously appears to Donna and gives Donna advice which saves her and her family from the destruction of London, but they are forcibly displaced. Later, after noticing the stars are disappearing from the sky, Donna is convinced to come with Rose. Rose explains that the stars are going out in every universe and that the fabric of reality is collapsing, allowing Rose to travel between universes. Rose insists that the Doctor is the only one who can stop it.
Donna is transported back in time minutes before she would turn right, but is too far away to contact her past self in time. She walks in front of a passing truck which hits her, creating a traffic jam along the right-hand turning, causing her past self to turn left instead. As Donna lies dying on the ground, Rose whispers a message for the Doctor into her ear. The alternative universe disintegrates, and Donna wakes up. The beetle falls off Donna's back and dies and the fortune teller runs away. Donna recalls Rose's message was the words: "Bad Wolf". The Doctor and Donna then find the words "Bad Wolf" written everywhere. The Doctor rushes into the
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 ...
and announces that the universe is about to end.
Production
![Donna (3408798997)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Donna_%283408798997%29.jpg)
Cast notes
Chipo Chung
Chipo Tariro Chung (born 17 August 1977) is a Zimbabwean actress and activist based in London.
Early life and education
Chung was born as a refugee in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Her given name Chipo means "gift" in the Shona language. She spent h ...
previously appeared as Chantho, the assistant of Professor Yana, in the
series 3 Series 3 may refer to:
* 3 Skypephone Series, the mobile phone series
* Apple Watch Series 3, smart watch
* Aston Martin Lagonda Series 3, the automobile model
* Aston Martin V8 Series 3, the automobile model
* BMW 3 Series, the automobile model li ...
episode "
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 ...
". Ben Righton also reprised his role as medical student Oliver Morgenstern, his last appearance being in "
Smith and Jones".
Writing
"Turn Left" is a "Doctor-lite" episode: a means of reducing production costs that has David Tennant in a reduced role.
"Turn Left" was written to complement "
Midnight" which was recorded at the same time: "Midnight" featured the Doctor in the central role and "Turn Left" focused on Donna and Rose.
The episode was written by the show's head writer and executive producer,
Russell T Davies
Stephen Russell Davies (born 27 April 1963), better known as Russell T Davies, is a Welsh screenwriter and television producer whose works include ''Queer as Folk'', '' The Second Coming'', ''Casanova'', the 2005 revival of the BBC One scien ...
. He compared the main concept of the episode – life without the Doctor – to the 1998 film ''
Sliding Doors
A sliding door is a type of door which opens horizontally by sliding, usually horizontal to a wall. Sliding doors can be mounted either on top of a track below or be suspended from a track above. Some types slide into a space in the parallel ...
''. Davies hoped to pose a question to the viewer: "Does the Doctor cause or prevent death?" The episode focuses on the scale of deaths without the Doctor; the implicit death toll surprised Davies when he wrote the script.
Tennant cited the deaths that surrounded his character as a major part of the Doctor's guilt.
The episode's tone phrase was "life during wartime"; Davies reflected his description by comparing the
labour camp
A labor camp (or labour camp, see spelling differences) or work camp is a detention facility where inmates are forced to engage in penal labor as a form of punishment. Labor camps have many common aspects with slavery and with prisons (especi ...
s, to which foreigners such as the Italian Rocco Colasanto (
Joseph Long) were sent, to the
Nazi concentration camps of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
– most notably
Auschwitz-Birkenau – through script directions and Wilf's expository dialogue:
Davies emphasised developing the characters of Rose and Donna;
Susie Liggat, the episode's producer, thought Rose describing Donna as "the most important woman in the whole of creation" was therapeutic for the former character
and Donna's realisation that she must die was intended as the epitome of the character's maturation.
A key component of the episode is the return of Rose, portrayed by
Billie Piper
Billie Paul Piper (born Leian Paul Piper; 22 September 1982) is an English actress and former singer. She initially gained recognition as a singer after releasing her debut single "Because We Want To" at age 15, which made her the youngest woman ...
. Piper's return was planned during filming of the
second series; in January 2006, Piper made a pact promising to return to film several more episodes.
Davies and Piper cited her other projects – specifically, her roles as
Belle de Jour in ''
Secret Diary of a Call Girl
''Secret Diary of a Call Girl'' is a British drama television series that aired from 27 September 2007 to 22 March 2011 on ITV2, based on the blog and books by the pseudonymous Belle de Jour. It stars Billie Piper as Belle, a high-end London ...
'', the eponymous character in the BBC adaptations of
Philip Pullman
Sir Philip Nicholas Outram Pullman (born 19 October 1946) is an English writer. His books include the fantasy trilogy '' His Dark Materials'' and '' The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ'', a fictionalised biography of Jesus. In 2008, ''T ...
's
Sally Lockhart
Veronica Beatrice "Sally" Lockhart (later Goldberg) is a fictional character in a series of books by Philip Pullman.
Sally Lockhart is a dazzling 16-year-old, middle-class orphan whose father taught her a variety of useful things: accounting, mar ...
quartet, and Fanny Price in the
ITV adaptation of ''Mansfield Park'' – to explain that her departure was permanent.
Davies created the expectation of Rose's return by mentioning her in dialogue and featuring Piper in cameo appearances in "
Partners in Crime", "
The Poison Sky
"The Poison Sky" is the fifth episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was broadcast on BBC One on 3 May 2008. The episode features both former companion Martha Jones and the alien Sontarans. It ...
", and "
Midnight".
Davies started writing the episode on 27 October 2007. He was several weeks behind schedule and had to decline an appearance at the
National Television Awards
The National Television Awards (often shortened to NTAs) is a British television awards ceremony, broadcast by the ITV network and initiated in 1995. The National Television Awards are the most prominent ceremony for which the results are vot ...
four days later in order to hand the script in on time. He described writing the script as "a lot harder to rip through because it needs so much construction"; he admitted that the opening scene could have been three times longer than his written version, itself longer than any opening scene he ever wrote.
He was cautious that his script should not clash with
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 showrunner, writer and executive producer of the science fiction television series ''Doct ...
's two-part story "
Silence in the Library
"Silence in the Library" is the eighth episode of the fourth series of the revived British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who''. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 31 May 2008. It is the first of a two-part story; the second part, ...
" and "
Forest of the Dead
"Forest of the Dead" is the ninth episode of the fourth series of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was first broadcast by BBC One on 7 June 2008. It is the second of a two-part story; the first part, "Silence in ...
" – then scheduled to be aired as the ninth and tenth episodes – because Moffat's story also contained a parallel world.
Davies was delayed due to the death of Howard Attfield, who portrayed Donna's father Geoff, and the difficulty of writing Rose's expository dialogue; he had to rush the script's ending to ensure it was ready to film. He finished the script on 2 November so the rest of the production team could prepare the episode for filming.
Davies explained the episode's climax – the effects of Rose's warning – in the companion episode of ''
Doctor Who Confidential
''Doctor Who Confidential'' is a documentary series created by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) to complement the revival of the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Each episode was broadcast on BBC T ...
''. The words caused no inherent harm; "Bad Wolf" acts as a warning sign for the Doctor, and Rose's invocation of the phrase signals that the parallel universes Rose and the Doctor inhabit are collapsing into each other.
Davies declined to state whether the episode was part of the series finale; he preferred to stay out of the imminent fan debate.
The episode was described by ''
Doctor Who Magazine'' as "partly acting as a prelude to the two-part series climax".
Time Beetle
The "Time Beetle", which was responsible for the creation of the alternate universe, was described in the episode's script as "a huge black beetle... shiny carapace, spindly black legs moving and flexing, mandibles clacking together". Its design was influenced by the
Giant Spider of Metebelis 3 that clung to Sarah Jane Smith's back in ''
Planet of the Spiders
''Planet of the Spiders'' is the fifth and final serial of the 11th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in six weekly parts on BBC1 from 4 May to 8 June 1974. It was Jon Pertwee's fina ...
''.
The beetle's normal Earth-like appearance was deliberate; prosthetic designer Niell Gorton thought that familiarity would ease the narrative and cited the cat nuns from "
New Earth" and the
Judoon
The Judoon are a fictional extraterrestrial life, extraterrestrial species of mercenary police from the British science fiction on television, science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who'' and Spin-off (media), its spin-offs, first appear ...
from "
Smith and Jones" as examples.
The prosthetic was made using fibreglass and fitted on a harness in order not to burden Catherine Tate's performance.
The episode's director
Graeme Harper
Graeme Harper (born 11 March 1945) is a British television director. He is best known for his work on the science-fiction series ''Doctor Who'', for which he is the only person to have directed episodes of both the original run (1963–89) and ...
explained in the episode's
commentary
Commentary or commentaries may refer to:
Publications
* ''Commentary'' (magazine), a U.S. public affairs journal, founded in 1945 and formerly published by the American Jewish Committee
* Caesar's Commentaries (disambiguation), a number of works ...
that only psychic characters such as Lucius from "
The Fires of Pompeii
"The Fires of Pompeii" is the second episode of the fourth series of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was broadcast on BBC One on 12 April 2008. Set shortly before and during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD ...
" were aware of the beetle's existence.
The Doctor refers to this creature as one of the "
Trickster's brigade";
the Trickster (
Paul Marc Davis) is a recurring enemy in ''Doctor Who'' spin-off series ''
The Sarah Jane Adventures
''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' is a British science fiction television programme that was produced by BBC Cymru Wales for CBBC, created by Russell T Davies, and starring Elisabeth Sladen. The programme is a spin-off of the long-running BBC ...
'' whose
modus operandi is to alter history by changing pivotal moments. Russell T Davies explicitly links the Time Beetle to this villain from ''Sarah Jane'', and in ''Doctor Who Confidential'', a clip from the ''Sarah Jane''
episode
An episode is a narrative unit within a larger dramatic work or documentary production, such as a series intended for radio, television or streaming consumption.
The noun ''episode'' is derived from the Greek term ''epeisodion'' (), meaning th ...
in which the Trickster threatens to go after the Doctor is shown. The events of this episode amount to his fulfilment of that promise.
Filming
The episode was primarily filmed in the seventh production block between 26 November and 8 December 2007, alongside filming of "Midnight".
The first scenes were filmed in Bay Chambers, Cardiff; the housing office where Donna's family was relocated to Leeds was filmed in a storage area adjacent to the photocopying business.
The following evening saw filming of Rose and Donna's first meeting in
Butetown
Butetown (or ''The Docks'', cy, Tre-biwt) is a district and community in the south of the city of Cardiff, the capital of Wales. It was originally a model housing estate built in the early 19th century by the 2nd Marquess of Bute, for whose t ...
,
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
. Scenes set on "Monday 25
une 2007 – specifically, Donna preparing to turn at the junction, and her future self racing to ensure she turns left – were filmed between 27 November and 29 November, in the order they were aired. A double had to portray Tate in the car; Tate did not have a driving licence. Donna's race to prevent herself from turning right was filmed on St Isan Road in Cardiff, which was locked off for safety concerns.
During the evenings of the 27th and the 28th, scenes on Wilfred's allotment in Leeds were filmed; and on 29 November, Rose's second meeting with Donna and Piper's cameo in "Partners in Crime" were filmed.
The first studio scene – Donna in the fortune teller's room – was filmed on 30 November 2007, on a re-dressed
Torchwood Hub set at the show's
Upper Boat Studios.
The outdoor scenes in Shan Shen – comprising Tennant's entire contribution to the episode – were filmed on 1 December 2007 in
Splott
Splott ( cy, Y Sblot) is a district and community in the south of the city of Cardiff, capital of Wales, just east of the city centre. It was built up in the late 19th century on the land of two farms of the same name: Upper Splott and Lower Spl ...
and near the
Cardiff Royal Infirmary
Cardiff Royal Infirmary ( cy, Ysbyty Brenhinol Caerdydd) (also known as the CRI or YBC) is a hospital in central Cardiff, Wales. It is managed by the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.
History
The hospital has its origins in the Cardiff ...
. The shoot was marred by difficulties: rain delayed re-dressing the alley from the ''
hanzi'' banners and posters to the Bad Wolf versions; and several extras left at lunchtime because of a misunderstanding over their payment.
The final scene filmed on the day was the Doctor's examination of the Time Beetle in the fortune teller's room.
The scenes in the country hotel were filmed at Egerton Grey Country House Hotel in Porthkerry on 3 December 2007.
The scenes in the terraced street in
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...
were filmed in Machen Street,
Penarth, on 4 December and 5 December. The cast listened to
The Pogues
The Pogues were an English or Anglo-Irish Celtic punk band fronted by Shane MacGowan and others, founded in Kings Cross, London in 1982, as "Pogue Mahone" – the anglicisation of the Irish Gaelic ''póg mo thóin'', meaning "kiss my arse" ...
' "
The Wild Rover" and
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
's "
Bohemian Rhapsody
"Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock band Queen, released as the lead single from their fourth album, '' A Night at the Opera'' (1975). Written by lead singer Freddie Mercury, the song is a six-minute suite, notable for its lack o ...
" before singing the songs themselves.
Graeme Harper
Graeme Harper (born 11 March 1945) is a British television director. He is best known for his work on the science-fiction series ''Doctor Who'', for which he is the only person to have directed episodes of both the original run (1963–89) and ...
decided to focus on
Jacqueline King
Jacqueline King is a British stage and television actress known for her role in Alan Ayckbourn's theatre production of '' GamePlan'' and as recurring character Sylvia Noble in ''Doctor Who'' from 2006 to 2023.
Career
King trained at the Brist ...
in the scene when her character,
Sylvia Noble
Over the course of its many years on television, the long-running British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'' has not only seen changes in the actors to play the Doctor, but in the supporting cast as well.
Companions
The Doctor ...
, stares vacantly in a despondent manner as Donna talks to her; Harper considered the scene to be "Jacqueline's moment" and thought the scene would be more powerful if the focus was kept on one character.
The outdoor scenes were filmed on 5 December: the Colasanto family being sent to a labour camp was filmed during the day, and the
ATMOS devices ejecting exhaust fumes was filmed in the evening.
Filming continued with a night shoot on 6 December; scenes inside and outside the pub on Christmas Day were filmed in the Conway pub in
Pontcanna before relocating to a nearby park to film scenes contemporary with the events of "The Poison Sky". Thompson Park was originally scheduled for the shoot; the location was changed at short notice to Sophia Gardens because Tate was suffering from a mild case of
influenza.
The final scenes to be filmed – the scenes in the makeshift UNIT base – were filmed in a decommissioned steel factory in
Pontypool on 7 December and 8 December. Filming for the episode was completed with pick-up shots in January 2008.
Because the episode had a low budget, it relied heavily on stock footage and pre-existing graphics: the ''Titanics descent into
Buckingham Palace and the American television report of the populace being transformed into Adipose utilised footage from "Voyage of the Damned" and "Partners in Crime", respectively, and images of the Racnoss Webstar and the ignited sky had already been created by
The Mill.
The episode's small budget impeded production: Davies wanted the TARDIS prop to be on fire until he was reminded that he was writing "the cheap episode".
Broadcast and reception
Ratings
"Turn Left" was watched by 8.09 million viewers – a 35% share of the total television audience – and received an
Appreciation Index
The Audience Appreciation Index (AI) is an indicator measured from 0 to 100 of the public's appreciation for a television or radio programme, or broadcast service, in the United Kingdom.
Until 2002, the AI of a programme was calculated by the B ...
score of 88: considered Excellent.
It was the fourth-most-watched programme of the week, the highest position a regular episode of ''Doctor Who'' had ever achieved to that point: the 2007 Christmas special "Voyage of the Damned" was the second-most-watched television program on Christmas Day;
and "
The Stolen Earth
"The Stolen Earth" is the twelfth episode of the Doctor Who (series 4), fourth series and the 750th overall episode of the British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was first broadcast on BBC One ...
" and "
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 c ...
" were second and first, respectively.
Among readers of ''
Doctor Who Magazine'', the episode was voted the second-best story of the fourth series, behind "The Stolen Earth" and "Journey's End", with an average rating of 8.81/10;
and the episode was the fourth best-received episode of the fourth series among members of the
Doctor Who Forum, with an approval rating of 88.0%.
Reception and analysis
''Monsters Within''
Stephen James Walker, a writer of reference works on ''Doctor Who'', included an extensive analysis and review of the episode in his "unauthorised guide to Doctor Who's
fourth series", ''Monsters Within''. Walker attributed the episode's origin as an allusion to other prominent alternate history works, such as ''
It's a Wonderful Life
''It's a Wonderful Life'' is a 1946 American Christmas fantasy drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra, based on the short story and booklet ''The Greatest Gift'', which Philip Van Doren Stern self-published in 1943 and is in turn loos ...
'' and ''Sliding Doors'', and applauded the mention of the Trickster as an "unexpected but welcome cross-franchise reference". He was surprised that the format of a "companion-lite" episode followed by a "Doctor-lite" episode had not been attempted before because he thought it was an "ideal compromise".
He thought that Tate portrayed the "unenlightened" version of Donna far better than in "The Runaway Bride", describing her acting as "far removed from the totally unappealing character she was to start with". Most of his analysis of Donna was in conjunction with analysis of Davies' writing; he lauded the parallels between the maturation of Donna in the fourth series and of the alternate Donna in "Turn Left" as "brilliant writing".
Walker dedicated a large portion of his analysis to Rose. He thought that Billie Piper was "distinctly below par", citing her gaunt and malnourished appearance, new hairstyle, and slight lisp as reasons why her acting was not her finest. He criticised her role in the episode as being "far less well worked out" than Donna's, being inquisitive about several concepts: why Rose was shocked when she heard the Doctor had died, but later being knowledgeable about Donna's history and destiny; whether Rose was travelling between universes or just time-travelling; why Rose herself didn't convince Donna to turn left instead of sending Donna on a suicide mission; why Rose didn't change her clothes between her appearances; and why Rose refused to tell anyone her name. He noted the allusion to the concept of the power of names previously referred to in "
The Shakespeare Code
"The Shakespeare Code" is the second episode of the third series of the revived British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was broadcast on BBC One on 7 April 2007. According to the BARB figures this episode was seen by 7.23 mi ...
", "
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 ...
", and "
Silence in the Library
"Silence in the Library" is the eighth episode of the fourth series of the revived British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who''. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 31 May 2008. It is the first of a two-part story; the second part, ...
", but ultimately theorised that the reason was so Davies could set up the episode's cliffhanger.
Walker described the episode as "quite adult
or a family drama venturing into some unexpectedly dark territory at times". He commended Davies for "highlighting the contrasting aspects of human nature" in the aftermath of the disaster: the positive side represented by Wilfred's "Blitz spirit" and the "good humoured" and "morale-boosting" sing-along; and the negative side represented by resentment from the Nobles' new neighbours, Sylvia's depression, and, most notably, the internment of foreign citizens in labour camps. He continued by comparing Colasanto's internment to Donna calling him
Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...
several scenes before; he felt that the internment cast the jibe in an "even worse light". Walker thought that the country's transformation into a
fascist dictatorship was a "veiled political point" written by Davies; he cited "the population of the ''
Daily Mail''-reading
home counties
The home counties are the counties of England that surround London. The counties are not precisely defined but Buckinghamshire and Surrey are usually included in definitions and Berkshire, Essex, Hertfordshire and Kent are also often included ...
forced to experience living as refugees and asylum seekers" and UNIT troops aiming at unarmed civilians as reasons why the episode was "the most subversive
he show
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
has ever been".
Closing, Walker congratulated director Graeme Harper for demonstrating "his incredible versatility" in directing the vastly different "
The Unicorn and the Wasp
"The Unicorn and the Wasp" is the seventh episode of the fourth series of the revived British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was aired on BBC One on 17 May 2008.
Set in an English manor house in 1926, shortly before the ...
" and "Turn Left", and wrote that any concerns about the plot were "overshadowed" by the script's "inventiveness, intelligence, and sheer boldness". He finished by calling the episode "one of the most extraordinary in ''Doctor Whos long history".
Walker ranked the story as his fifth-favourite episode of the fourth series, between "Silence in the Library" and "
Midnight".
Critical reception
The episode received mostly positive reviews from critics, many citing the power of Tate's performance. Ben Rawson-Jones of
Digital Spy gave the episode four stars out of five. Comparing it to ''
Sliding Doors
A sliding door is a type of door which opens horizontally by sliding, usually horizontal to a wall. Sliding doors can be mounted either on top of a track below or be suspended from a track above. Some types slide into a space in the parallel ...
'' and discussing the trope of
alternate histories
Alternate history (also alternative history, althist, AH) is a genre of speculative fiction of stories in which one or more historical events occur and are resolved differently than in real life. As conjecture based upon historical fact, alter ...
, he thought the concept was overused, but "an intriguing endeavour" and that Davies balanced frivolity and "bleak darkness".
Describing the writing as "powerful ... for a family show ... Wilf poignantly remembers the similar horrors he has experienced in the last World War". Of Piper's acting, he compared her accent to "
avingher mouth numbed with
local anaesthetic
A local anesthetic (LA) is a medication that causes absence of pain sensation. In the context of surgery, a local anesthetic creates an absence of pain in a specific location of the body without a loss of consciousness, as opposed to a general ...
".
Mark Wright of ''
The Stage
''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. It was founded in 1880. It contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at those wh ...
'' gave a favourable review of the episode. He referred to his review of "Midnight", when he said that it was Davies' best script so far and wondered if Davies would better it with the last three episodes, and wrote that the episode "possibly just nudges ahead" of "Midnight". Wright explained that "Turn Left" struck resonance with him because the episode highlighted how important the Doctor is to the fictional universe. His review praised Tate's acting as Donna before she met the Doctor as a "real character performance" which exemplified Tate's multi-faceted portrayal. His main points of criticism were the appearance of Rose and the Time Beetle prosthetic: he was "non-plussed" by Rose's reappearance, but he admitted that Piper was an "integral part of the early success of new ''Who''"; and he thought the prosthetic beetle was "an unconvincing lump of plastic" and was reminiscent of the classic series' low budget. He closed his review by saying the episode "says as much about Doctor Who’s past as well as its future", and looked forward to the last two episodes of the series.
Travis Fickett of
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game 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 distri ...
gave the episode a 7.8/10 rating. Characterising the episode as "the quiet before the storm, the seemingly innocuous bottle episode that ends up being the precursor to a slam-bang conclusion", he wrote that the episode "gets the job done", specifically praising Tate for her ability to "carry the weight of the episode". He highlighted the cliffhanger of the scene – when the Doctor realises that Donna has met Rose, and subsequently deduces the universe is in danger – as the best moment in the episode; he wrote that it was "a great moment, and sets up a premise suitably large for Davies' farewell episodes." He criticised two major points of the episode: he thought the beetle prosthetic did not look convincing, and undermined Donna's questions of why people were looking at her back; and he thought the episode was Davies' highlight reel, reminiscent of someone reminding the viewer of an event and then moving to the next slide. Closing, he wrote that there was a sense that "something was missing from the proceedings", but commented that the episode "serves as a good set up for the two-part climax of season four".
Simon Brew of cult television blog ''Den of Geek'' said "Turn Left" was "really really good", saying that it allowed Tate and Cribbins to act more flexibly and that other supporting actors could learn from Cribbins' contribution to the episode. Brew was critical of Piper's acting, the beetle prosthetic, and that Tate occasionally acted like characters from
her eponymous show.
"This was still an intriguing episode, very well handled. The continual shifts in the tone of the script worked a treat, as every time it looked like things were being allowed to lighten, things once again took a turn for the worse. And it’s setting up a potentially corking concluding double bill, for not only the series, but also RTD’s four-season story arc."
Notes
References
External links
*
*
Shooting Script for "Turn Left"
{{Use dmy dates, date=September 2019
Turn Left
"Turn Left" is the eleventh episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was written by showrunner Russell T Davies and broadcast on BBC One on 21 June 2008.
David Tennant only makes a small contr ...
2008 British television episodes
Post-apocalyptic television episodes
Apocalyptic television episodes
Alternate history television episodes
Doctor Who stories set on Earth
UNIT serials
Television episodes about parallel universes
Television episodes about nuclear accidents