Doctor Who (2005): Midnight

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Location: Planet Midnight
Date: unknown
Enemies: unknown - possessive creature
While visiting the planet Midnight, a beautiful luxury planet, full of lavish and hightech cities, a terrifying problem arises that leaves the Doctor powerless. Read full recap »

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Writers:: Russell T. Davies

Director:: Alice Troughton

Stars:: Catherine Tate (Donna Noble); David Tennant (The Tenth Doctor)

Guest Star:: Ayesha Antoine (Dee Dee Blasco); David Troughton (Professor Hobbes); Daniel Ryan (Biff Cane); Lesley Sharp (Sky Silvestry); Rakie Ayola (Hostess); Lindsey Coulson (Val Cane); Colin Morgan (Jethro Cane); Duane Henry (Mechanic Claude); Tony Bluto (Driver Joe)

When the Hostess approaches the front of the cabin to apologise for the breakdown of the entertainment system, the boom operator can be seen reflected in the window behind her. edit »
'Extonic' is a made up word with no meaning in English, either casual or scientific. In the episode, Professor Hoops descibes it as "raw galvanic radiation". A term which is also effectively made up, as galvanism is the induction of an electric current from a chemical reaction, thus something which produces electrical current (electrons), not radiation. edit »
Midnight is the first of the new series episodes not to show the TARDIS in anything other than the title sequence. The last time this happened was in Genesis of the Daleks in 1975. edit »
When the Doctor asks if everyone is okay, Rose's face can briefly be seen on the monitor behind him, mouthing his name. edit »
David Troughton is the son of Second Doctor Patrick Troughton. David has also previously appeared in classic Doctor Who, appearing as Private Moor in the 1969 Patrick Troughton story The War Games and as King Peladon in the 1972 Jon Pertwee story The Curse Of Peladon. He also appeared as an uncredited extra in the Patrick Troughton story The Enemy Of The World. edit »

Overnight UK viewing figures for this episode were 7.3 million, with the final viewing figure at 8.05 million. edit »
This episode was originally intended to be episode eight, before Steven Moffat's two-parter, but was pushed back to episode ten. The name of the shuttle bus, Crusader 50, was a reference to it originally being the 50th episode of the new series to be screened. edit »
Although she appears in this episode, Billie Piper has no dialogue and doesn't directly interact with David Tennant. edit »
International Air Dates:
United States: 11 July 2008
Australia: 7 September 2008 edit »
This episode features very little of Donna, as Catherine Tate was busy filming the next episode, Turn Left. edit »

Hostess: Ladies and Gentlemen and variations thereupon... edit »
The Doctor: (as he speaks, Sky copies him exactly; the two speak at the same time) Mrs Silvestry, I'm trying to understand. You've captured my speech. What for? What do you need? You need my voice in particular. The cleverest voice in the room. Why? 'Cause I'm the only one who can help? Oh, I'd love that to be true. But your eyes� are saying something else. Listen to me. Whatever you want, if it's life or form or consciousness or voice, you don't have to steal it. You can find it without hurting anyone, and I'll help you. That's a promise. So, what do you think? (Sky finishes speaking before the Doctor) Do we have a deal? edit »
(As each character speaks, Sky copies them exactly, speaking at the same time)
The Doctor: If you try to throw her out that door, you'll have to get past me first.
Hostess: (after a pause) OK.
Biff Cane: Fine by me.
The Doctor: Oh, now you're being stupid! Just think about it. Could you actually take hold of someone and throw them out of that door?
Biff Cane: Calling me a coward?
Val Cane: Who put you in charge anyway?
Professor Hobbes: I'm sorry, but you're a Doctor of what� exactly?
Hostess: Wasn't even booked in. The rest of you, tickets in advance. He just turned up out of the blue.
Val Cane: Where from?
The Doctor: I'm just travelling. I'm a traveler, that's all.
Val Cane: Like an immigrant?
Hostess: Who were you talking to? Before you got on board, you were talking to someone. Who was that?
The Doctor: Just Donna. Just my friend.
Biff Cane: And what were you saying to her?
Val Cane: He hasn't even told us his name.
Jethro: Thing is though, Doctor� you've been loving this.
The Doctor: Oh, Jethro, not you.
Jethro: But ever since the trouble started, you've been loving it.
Professor Hobbes: It has to be said you do seem to have a certain� glee.
The Doctor: Alright, I'm interested. Yes. I can't help it. 'Cause whatever's inside her is brand new and it's fascinating. edit »
(As each character speaks, Sky copies them exactly, speaking at the same time)
Hostess: We should throw her out.
Professor Hobbes: I beg your pardon?
Val Cane: Can we do that?
The Doctor: Don't be ridiculous.
Hostess: That thing, whatever it is, killed the driver and the mechanic and I don't think she's finished yet.
The Doctor: She can't even move.
Hostess: Look at her! Look at her eyes! She killed Joe and she killed Claude and we're next. edit »
(As each character speaks, Sky copies them exactly, speaking at the same time)
Dee Dee: 'We must not look at goblin men.'
Biff Cane: What's that supposed to mean?
The Doctor: It's a poem. Christina Rossetti.
Dee Dee: 'We must not look at goblin men. We must not buy their fruits. Who knows upon what soil they fed, their hungry thirsty roots?'
The Doctor: Actually, I don't think that's helping.
Professor Hobbes: She's not a goblin or a monster. She's just a very sick woman.
Jethro: Maybe that's why it went for her.
Professor Hobbes: There is no it!
Jethro: Think about it though, that knocking went all the way around the bus until it found her and she was the most scared out of all of us. Maybe� that's what it needed. That's how it got in.
Professor Hobbes: For the last time, nothing can live on the surface of Midnight!
The Doctor: Professor, I'm glad you've got an absolute definition of life in the universe but perhaps the universe has ideas of its own. edit »

Dee Dee: 'We must not look at goblin men.'

This is a quote from Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti (1830-1894). Originally written in 1859 and published in 1862, Rossetti claimed it was a children's poem, despite some heavy sexual imagery. It tells of the temptation of two sisters to try the Goblin merchants' fruit. edit »
The music video that is shown as part of the entertainment aboard the Crusader 50 is the 1978 one-hit wonder 'Do it, Do it again', by Raffaella Carra. edit »

9.3
20
Catwoman87531
member since: Jun 10, 2005
Midnight
The Bottom Line: "Series classic"
This was a well written and thought provoking episode. ...Continue »
This episode is centers around the idea that there are several people trapped in a transport car in an unfamiliar location. They can not leave the car as the temperatures outside would kill them in seconds. Then something from the outside comes in and possesses one of them. The story is really about mob mentality, when fear takes over. The 'mob' wants to kill the other life form and have no qualms about killing the person in which the thing is residing. Once the other figures this out it takes the Doctor's voice to convince everyone it has moved into him. The mob turns on him and tries to throw him out of the car. This episode makes us all hope that we would not ever join the mob in a situation and resort to killing someone out of fear alone. Or at least makes me hope I would be like Dee and would try to be heard.
07/29/08 08:51am | report abuse
8.6
20
Words4theSoul
member since: Sep 15, 2007
Midnight
The Bottom Line: "Nerve-wracking"
The Doctor decides to take a shuttle ride on a planet called Midnight. Donna stays behind at the "spa". An alien life possesses a passenger and then the Doctor. Will the other's throw him out into space? ...Continue »
Midnight is a good title considering how dark this episode actually was to watch. This episode made me feel claustrophobic, trapped and anxious. It showed panic and fear of the unknown esclate as the passengers feed off each other's fear. Eventually, a mob mentality forms that is deadly. This is disturbing and unfortunately accurate. It made it's point all too well. It was like looking back into history at a witch burning or a lynching. This was the darkest episode I have seen that delves into human failings of our irrational fears and tests them to the limits of actual hysteria.
07/19/08 05:33pm | report abuse
9.7
20
N-a-r-n-i-a
member since: Nov 30, 2007
Midnight
The Bottom Line: "Exactly why I watch this series"
Wow. That's all I can say. ...Continue »
I am a fan of classic suspense films, and this episode reminded me so much of some of my favorites. The one-room setting was very much like the movie "Rope", and any time there is a faceless monster... well let's just say I'm hooked. I found this to be the most terrifying Doctor-related episode yet, though "42" came close. There's just something about the Doctor admitting he's scared that makes the situation even more frightening than it already is. I don't think I breathed for the last 12 minutes of the episode. So, so good. In fact, just like the other Doctor Who scare episode, "Blink", I almost don't want to watch "Midnight" over again, for fear it will ruin the effect.
07/14/08 03:16pm | report abuse
2.4
03
BlatantExample
member since: Jul 15, 2008
Midnight
The Bottom Line: "Not my favorite storyline"
This episode was unusual in that it didn't follow the usual format of traveling with the TARDIS to a new destination, have zany, over-dramatic adventures where no one kisses and no one is involved in a car chase or sexual romp. Not a bad thing, tho'. ...Continue »
I keep wondering why everyone in the universe is apparently English - must be part of the Great English Empire or something. I liked the characterization, but I found the open-ended-ness of Midnight to be disturbingly manufactured. In most other episodes, we know what the problem is, and are able to watch the Doctor solve the problem with a combination of scientific mumbo-jumbo, special effects and clever writing. The Doctor doesn't shine here, and isn't really all that different from the other characters in this episode. It's a very odd episode, all told, and we not only never get to see or understand the protagonist, we never know what the real plot was. I have a sinking suspicion that the episode serves as a plot hook for a future episode next season (or series, as those wacky Brits call these things).
07/14/08 02:56pm | report abuse
3.2
04
stoneydog101
member since: Feb 4, 2007
Midnight
The Bottom Line: "Nothing happened"
The Doctor stuck on a plane with annoying people, ...Continue »
I did not like this episode much at all. I would almost say the worst. Nothing really happened. You didnt find out about who/what it was. Was it a race in trouble or out to cause trouble. The Dr. didn't seem to have his wits about him. Like he was new on the job or something. Most annoying people too, I didn't seem to care what happened to them one way or another. They might as well been the extra officer on Star Trek that gets killed off. And I think they have done enough with the Rose spottings, lets run into her already!
07/13/08 05:21am | report abuse