2011 Children In Need Special

Doctor WhoThe Doctor, in trying to draw attention toward a worthy cause, offers the shirt off of his back, as well as a few things he wears on his front. The problem now is how to get back to the TARDIS without anyone seeing that he’s just given up his clothes.

written by Steven Moffat
directed by Richard Senior
music by Murray Gold

Cast: Matt Smith (The Doctor)

Doctor WhoNotes: Written by Steven Moffat and shot at BBC Television Centre in London mere days before air, this brief (exactly two minutes) scene was part of the BBC’s annual Children In Need charity event, of which Doctor Who has been a part for years (Dimensions In Time, the 2005 special scene, Time Crash). This was the first time Doctor Who had been before the cameras at Television Centre since the production of the Sylvester McCoy story Ghost Light wrapped in 1989. Following the short skit was a trailer for the 2011 Christmas episode The Doctor, The Widow And The Wardrobe.

LogBook entry & review by Earl Green

Review: Any attempt to actually try to tackle this short sketch on a critical level would be silly – in fact, it probably takes longer to read all this than it actually takes to watch the whole thing. It’s amusing to watch Doctor Who shamelessly Doctor Whoflirting with breaking the fourth wall – almost a tradition in itself since William Hartnell directly wished the viewing audience a merry Christmas during The Feast Of Steven (a.k.a. part 7 of The Daleks’ Masterplan, the first time the TARDIS landed on Christmas day on the BBC).

My only suggestion would’ve been to have the “holographic clothes” briefly glitch into some of his earlier incarnations’ outfits just for giggles (they obviously still exist, as they’re on display at the Doctor Who Exhibition), but that would probably have confused viewers as to precisely which costume was up for auction. After all, the Doctor has worn many a cool bow tie before.

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