The Doctor's Daughter
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"The Doctor's Daughter" is the sixth 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 ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
''. 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, p ...
on 10 May 2008. Set on the planet Messaline, the episode features Georgia Moffett as
Jenny Jenny may refer to: * Jenny (given name), a popular feminine name and list of real and fictional people * Jenny (surname), a family name Animals * Jenny (donkey), a female donkey * Jenny (gorilla), the oldest gorilla in captivity at the time of ...
, the cloned daughter of the series' protagonist, the alien time traveller 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 ...
(
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 ...
). The plot of the episode involves two factions of clones descended from a group of human and alien Hath pioneers, each of whom are seeking to wipe out the other side with a lost artefact called the Source, while the Doctor also comes to accept Jenny as his real daughter.


Plot

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 ap ...
takes 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 ...
,
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 to ...
and
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), ...
to the planet Messaline. As they emerge from the TARDIS, they are met by human soldiers who force the Doctor to stick his hand into a progenation machine. The Doctor's daughter, whom Donna later names
Jenny Jenny may refer to: * Jenny (given name), a popular feminine name and list of real and fictional people * Jenny (surname), a family name Animals * Jenny (donkey), a female donkey * Jenny (gorilla), the oldest gorilla in captivity at the time of ...
, emerges from the machine. They are soon confronted by the other occupants of the planet, the Hath. The Hath take Martha hostage. Jenny causes an explosion that traps Martha on the other side of the corridor. Martha tends to an injured Hath and earns their trust. The Doctor and Donna meet with General Cobb, who explains that, initially, the humans were meant to live with the Hath, but a dispute arose over something called "the Source", which Cobb believes has the power to end the war by wiping out the Hath. The Doctor inadvertently reveals the location of the Source to the humans and the Hath. The two sides prepare for battle. The Doctor confides privately to Donna that he is resistant to Jenny travelling with them because she reminds him too much of everyone who was killed in the Time War. Donna becomes intrigued by a series of numbered plaques that she notices in each room. The Doctor, Donna, and Jenny reach the Source, which is a terraforming device within a colonising spaceship. Donna realises that the plaques represent the dates each part of the building was completed; according to the dates, the ship landed only seven days ago. The humans and Hath have bred so many generations through the progenation machines that their own history has degraded into myth. The Doctor determines the original cause of the conflict was a power vacuum created after the death of the mission commander. By travelling over the surface with a Hath's help, Martha reunites with the Doctor and Donna near the Source shortly before both armies arrive. The Doctor declares the war to be over and releases the terraforming agent. Cobb tries to shoot the Doctor. Jenny steps in the way and takes a bullet to the chest, and the Doctor holds her as she dies. The Doctor picks up Cobb's gun and holds it to his head, but refuses to shoot him. He declares that the humans and Hath should build their new society based on peace. Martha returns home. Meanwhile, on Messaline, Jenny suddenly revives. She then commandeers a rocket and leaves the planet.


Production


Writing

Russell T Davies has stated that this episode " does exactly as it says on the tin". Jenny's death was originally to take place in what Davies called "a Generic Spaceship Room", but producer
Phil Collinson Philip Collinson (born 26 August 1970) is a British television producer. He was initially an actor, before switching to working behind the cameras in the industry as a script editor and writer on programmes such as ''Springhill'' and ''Emmerda ...
suggested filming the scene at
Plantasia Plantasia is a large public hothouse, located in the Parc Tawe retail park, Swansea, Wales that opened in 1990. Information Plantasia exhibits a wide range of tropical plants, insects, reptiles, amphibians, mammals and fish. There is ...
botanical garden in
Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...
. Having Jenny come back to life at the end of the episode was
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 idea.


Casting

Georgia Moffett, who plays Jenny, is the real-life daughter of
Fifth Doctor The Fifth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Peter Davison. Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-old alien Time Lord from t ...
actor
Peter Davison Peter Malcolm Gordon Moffett (born 13 April 1951), known professionally as Peter Davison, is an English actor with many credits in television dramas and sitcoms. He made his television acting debut in 1975 and became famous in 1978 as Tristan ...
and ''
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' (sometimes referred to as ''HG2G'', ''HHGTTG'', ''H2G2'', or ''tHGttG'') is a comic science fiction, comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. Originally The Hitchhiker's Guide to th ...
'' actress
Sandra Dickinson Sandra Dickinson (née Searles) is an American-British actress. She trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. She has often played characters who fell into the trope of a dumb blonde with a high-pitched voice. Early life Di ...
.
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 ...
described the episode by saying "We get to see the Doctor's daughter, played by the Doctor's daughter." Georgia Moffett had previously auditioned for a role in "
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 ...
" in 2007. Her role as Jenny was not chosen because of her father; it was entirely coincidental, but nevertheless a "great PR coup" for the series. Moffett previously appeared alongside her father in the Big Finish audio story ''
Red Dawn ''Red Dawn'' is a 1984 American action drama film directed by John Milius with a screenplay by Milius and Kevin Reynolds. The film depicts a fictional World War III centering on a land invasion of the continental United States by an alliance o ...
'' and drama series ''
Fear, Stress & Anger ''Fear, Stress & Anger'' is a British sitcom that aired on BBC Two in 2007. Starring Peter Davison and Pippa Haywood, it was written by Michael Aitkens. There is no studio audience or laugh track. Cast * Peter Davison – Martin Chadwick *Pippa ...
''. In ''Doctor Who Confidential'', Peter Davison stated that, after he finished filming "
Time Crash "Time Crash" is a mini-episode of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was broadcast on 16 November 2007, as part of the BBC One telethon for the children's charity Children in Need. Written by Steven Moffat, it sta ...
", he said to Moffett " owit's your turn". Tennant and Moffett, who met on the episode, started dating some time after filming the episode, and married on 30 December 2011.


Broadcast and reception

Unofficial figures indicated that "The Doctor's Daughter" was watched by 6.6 million viewers, giving it a 38.4% share of the total television audience. The final consolidated figure was 7.33 million viewers. While most programmes received lower figures than the previous week, ''Doctor Who'' had increased its audience. The top rated programme of the day was still ITV1's ''
Britain's Got Talent ''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloquially ...
'', although its audience was down by a million at 8.17 million. ''Doctor Who'' was the highest rated programme on BBC1 for the day and had the biggest share of any programme on Saturday. The episode 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"). "The Doctor's Daughter" received mixed reviews. David Chater of ''The Times'' described it as "A wonderful episode – funny, exciting and strangely moving."Times review 10 May 2008
/ref> Martin Anderson of ''Den of Geek!'' stated that it was "rather good – though badly plot-holed". He noted that it was yet another episode of ''Doctor Who'' "undermined by
Murray Gold Murray Jonathan Gold (born 28 February 1969) is an English composer for stage, film, and television and a dramatist for both theatre and radio. He is best known as the musical director and composer of the music for ''Doctor Who'' from 2005, unti ...
's incessant music". He also described the episode as "quite redolent of
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 Doctor, fourth incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor in the science fiction television series ''Doctor Wh ...
-era ''Who'', with plenty of dark and cheap corridors to run down and two under-manned warring factions for the Doctor to bring peace to". For '' SFX's'' Ian Berriman, the running up and down corridors was reminiscent of
Lenny Henry Sir Lenworth George Henry (born 29 August 1958) is a British actor, comedian, singer, television presenter and writer. Henry gained success as a stand-up comedian and impressionist in the late 1970s and early 1980s, culminating in ''The Lenn ...
's 1985 ''Doctor Who''
spoof Spoof, spoofs, spoofer, or spoofing may refer to: * Forgery of goods or documents * Semen, in Australian slang * Spoof (game), a guessing game * Spoofing (finance), a disruptive algorithmic-trading tactic designed to manipulate markets __NOTOC__ ...
featured on ''
The Lenny Henry Show ''The Lenny Henry Show'' is a comedy sketch show (and in its 1987–1988 incarnation, a sitcom) featuring Lenny Henry. It was originally broadcast between 1984 and 1988, and was later revived twice, in 1995 and 2004–2005. History Original vers ...
''. Berriman described the episode as "underwhelming", citing that because one "always suspect she's a
redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Entertainment * ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi * Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after b ...
" it is difficult to care for Jenny. Although "reasonably diverting", Berriman argues that budgetary constraints make "the story feel so enclosed" and that the episode's plot, likened to " old-school Trek", seems too similar to that of the
Sontaran The Sontarans ( ) are a fictional race of extraterrestrial humanoids principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. A warrior race characterised by their ruthlessness and fearlessness of death, they w ...
two-parter immediately prior to this adventure because both involve "militarism" and "cloning". ''
Newsround ''Newsround'' (stylised as ''newsround'', and originally called ''John Craven's Newsround'' before his departure in 1989) is a BBC children's news programme, which has run continuously since 4 April 1972. It was one of the world's first televi ...
s
Lizo Mzimba Lizo Mzimba is an English journalist and television presenter, currently the Entertainment Correspondent for BBC News. Early life He attended the independent Solihull School (during which time he was also leader of the Birmingham Schools' Sy ...
also notes the similarities with "
The Sontaran Stratagem "The Sontaran Stratagem" is the fourth episode of the fourth series of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as The Doctor. The episode was broadcas ...
" and "
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 ...
". Mzimba asserts that the episode's "biggest problem" is that it tries "to cram an enormous amount into 45 minutes" with most of the "interesting" and new ideas not getting "the attention they deserve" resulting in the audience not caring about either the human fighters or the Hath and thereby limiting a "sense of danger or menace". Mzimba observes that, since her return in "The Sontaran Stratagem", Martha shares little onscreen time with the Doctor therefore reducing the emotional impact of her departure in this episode. He describes Moffett as "superb", with Berriman calling her "cute as a button". Berriman praises Tennant's performance, but Anderson suggests that Tennant shouts too much. Anderson asserts that "Donna's role as the Doctor's conscience is beginning to take shape" describing this as "refreshing" in a companion and noting that "Tate has toned down the grating voice a tad".


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Doctor's Daughter, The Tenth Doctor episodes 2008 British television episodes Television episodes set in the future Fiction set in the 7th millennium or beyond