The character Cribbins portrayed in "Voyage of the Damned" was originally to have been called "Stan", but Davies felt that this was not a suitable name for a recurring character and renamed him "Wilfred". You do think: 'How can the stakes get bigger?' And they do. Subsequently, the wrecked TARDIS begins to plummet back to Earth. In the accompanying episode of Doctor Who Confidential, Davies stated that the character's name was indeed Rassilon. Cribbins was originally intended to appear only in the 2007 Christmas special, "Voyage of the Damned", but when Howard Attfield was forced to retire from his role as Donna's father due to illness (Attfield subsequently died), creator Russell T Davies reconceived Cribbins' role as Donna's grandfather and replaced Attfield with him for the fourth series. As Gallifrey is pulled back, the Lord President, revealed to be Rassilon, attempts to kill the Doctor, but the Master intervenes, saving the Doctor and seeing his act as revenge for what the Time Lords had done to him. [10], Laura Pledger of Radio Times named Cribbins the best Doctor Who guest star, writing, "When he wasn't making you smile, Wilfred Mott broke your heart". Before the Doctor can learn more, the Master is captured by armed troops and placed in custody of billionaire Joshua Naismith. Tennant appeared with each pair of featured actors, as well as with the Proclaimers themselves. This line was a source of complaint for some viewers, leading the BBC to issue a statement clarifying its intent.[12]. The broadcast of part two on 2 January helped BBC America to earn its highest ever primetime rating. In ten minutes' time, I'll change my mind about Scene 25, and go back to write something different. The Doctor and Astrid Peth meet him shortly after teleporting down to Earth. The former guest star and one-time companion is keen to return to Wilfred Mott – even if he hadn’t heard the news about the new Time Lord…. [34], On the night of 20–21 April, Cribbins recorded a Christmas scene on Wharton Street[location 5] in Cardiff's city centre, with a large Christmas tree and brass band. The pre-Christmas publicity trailer and promotional clips also showed a selection of scene excerpts from part one. Wilfred is played by Bernard Cribbins who appeared in the second Doctor Who film, Daleks - Invasion Earth 2150 AD, as companion Special Constable Tom Campbell, a character replacing that of Ian Chesterton from the television serial The Dalek Invasion of Earth on which the film was based. [11], When the Doctor visits Captain Jack Harkness in the alien bar, the song playing in the background ("My Angel Put the Devil in Me") was sung by Tallulah in the episode "Daleks in Manhattan". Though unrelated to the episode, it was used to introduce both parts of the story, with Tennant himself providing a voiceover introduction for Part Two. British newspapers The Daily Telegraph and The Daily Mail identified the character as the Doctor's mother as early as April 2009. A little metal letter should fly. Wilfred uses the internet, but his daughter Sylvia has not allowed him a webcam on their computer as she considers the devices "naughty", so his computer provides Rose only one-way communication of former Prime Minister Harriet Jones' video conference with her militia of the Doctor's companions. ][better source needed][50] Additionally, "The End of Time" received over 1.3 million requests on BBC's online iPlayer. Pettie notes as the credits rolled his thoughts turned to the dramatic shortcomings of the show before realising that the "true brilliance of Doctor Who can only be felt if you're experiencing it in the company of wide-eyed seven year-olds" a comment which he likens to Christmas itself. [19] Tennant explained the prophecy meant that the Doctor's "card [had become] marked" and the three specials would thus be darker—characterising "Planet of the Dead" as the "last time the Doctor gets to have any fun"—and that the subject of the prophecy was not the obvious answer:[17]. Elsewhere, the Lord President of the Time Lords (revealed to be the narrator of the episode) observes the situation and declares to the Time Lord Senate that Gallifrey will return. Without the Doctor, the interstellar cruiser Titanic crashes into Central London, obliterating the metropolis in a massive explosion. In "The Poison Sky", his daughter Sylvia saves him by smashing the windscreen with an axe kept by the front door of her house. Davies described the story as "huge and epic, but also intimate. Cribbins also played a rock band manager in the Eighth Doctor radio play "Horror of Glam Rock" broadcast on BBC 7 in 2007. Dazed. [11][24] Jessica Hynes was recorded signing a book titled A Journal of Impossible Things, by Verity Newman. At Naismith's mansion, the Doctor and Wilfred meet two Vinvocci disguised as humans, who assert the Gate is a harmless medical device from their homeworld. Both episodes were first shown in Canada back-to-back on 2 January 2010, on Space. ", "Simm Returns as The Master in Doctor Who", "Look at my face. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation broadcast Part 1 on 14 February 2010 and Part 2 on 21 February 2010. Naismith has recovered a broken alien "Immortality Gate" and wants the Master to fix its programming. [citation needed] When the ATMOS devices activate, he is trapped in the family car where the Doctor and Donna try to rescue him; the episode ends with him still trapped and choking in his car. ", "Cafe serves up a treat for Doctor Who fans", "Russell Davies' final show reunites old friends for a Doctor Who adventure", "June Whitfield spotted with Doctor Who in Cardiff", "Catherine Tate spotted filming Doctor Who in Swansea sun", "Doctor flies in for day of filming in Swansea", "Star Trek Comedy And Doctor Who Tragedy – Revealed! I press the key. Writing in his regular column in Doctor Who Magazine issue 416, Davies revealed that the original title for "Part One" of "The End of Time" was "The Final Days of Planet Earth", while "Part Two" was always referred to as "The End of Time". [28] Catherine Tate recorded several scenes in the episode in Swansea, including one recorded in the Kardomah Café[29][location 2] and another depicting her character getting a parking ticket. It is the fifth Doctor Who Christmas special and the last entry in a series of specials aired from 2008–10. "The End of Time" is a two-part story of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, originally broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 25 December 2009 (Part 1) and 1 January 2010 (Part 2).