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42 (Doctor Who)
Encyclopedia
"42" is an episode of the British
science fiction television series Doctor Who
. It was first broadcast on BBC One
on 19 May 2007, and is the seventh episode of Series 3 of the revived Doctor Who series.
A spaceship hurtles out of control towards an alien sun and The Doctor has 42 minutes to save the ship, but with a mysterious force starting to possess and murder the ship's crew, the Doctor and Martha are running out of time.
According to the BARB
figures this episode was seen by 7.41 million viewers and was the third most popular non-soap-opera
broadcast on British television in that week.
adjusts Martha
's phone for "Universal Roaming", they receive a distress signal from the S.S. Pentallian, a human spacecraft that is hurtling towards a nearby star, and the Doctor pilots the TARDIS
towards it to help. After they materialise, the Doctor and Martha are separated from the TARDIS due to rising temperatures. They are forced to help the crew, led by Captain McDonnell, to try to restart the engines to save the ship and themselves with only 42 minutes left before the ship will be destroyed by the nearby star. Martha teams with Riley to work their way through thirty deadlocked doors, secured via means of pop quiz questions, in order to reach the bridge controls while the Doctor helps the engineering team to repair the engines. Martha is able to call her mother, Francine, on present-day Earth in order to get the answers to some of the questions correctly, though she refuses to answer Francine's questions about the Doctor.
The Doctor learns that one of the crew, McDonnell's husband Korwin, has been infected with something that is causing his body temperature to rise to incredible levels, and attempts to sedate him while they continue the repairs. However, Korwin manages to overcome the sedative and dons a welding helmet, proceeding to kill various crew members, and in one case, infecting another, named Ashton. As Martha and Riley continue to work through the doors, they encounter Ashton and take shelter in a nearby escape pod, which Ashton is able to launch despite Riley's attempts to stop him. As the pod falls towards the star, Martha calls her mother and apologises, but hangs up when Francine, guided by an official-looking woman listening on the conversation, probes Martha for more information on the Doctor. The Doctor learns of Martha's plight, and puts on a spacesuit to go outside the airlock and activate a magnetic pull control to recover the pod. As he returns into the ship, he looks directly into the star and becomes infected himself, while learning that the star is a living being. As the crew try to help the Doctor, McDonnell admits they drew matter from the star
to use as fuel; the living being is fighting back to recover the parts it lost. Martha attempts to help the Doctor into a stasis chamber to prevent him from regenerating, while the crew continues to work towards the front of the ship. However, Korwin appears, and disables the chamber; the Doctor insists Martha leave him and warns the crew to dump the fuel, which will allow them to escape, while the Doctor struggles to fight the star being from taking over his body.
Martha races through the ship just as the crew reach the bridge, and relays the Doctor's message. Meanwhile, McDonnell has encountered Korwin and, after apologising to him and the rest of her crew for her actions, ejects both of them out of an airlock. As the ship vents its fuel, the engines are able to be restarted and it pulls away from the star; the presence in the Doctor slowly dissipates as the ship moves away. The Doctor, Martha, and the remaining crew regroup and verify they will be safe and that the crew has sent a request for more fuel so they can continue their mission. The Doctor and Martha depart in the TARDIS, the Doctor giving Martha one of the TARDIS keys. Martha places another call to her mother, and learning that it is Election Day
, offers to meet her for tea. After Martha's call, the woman monitoring Francine's phone confiscates it and leaves, thanking her for her help and for her vote, which may have been for Mr Saxon.
reported in the preview for this episode that the title "42" was chosen for the fact the episode is set in real time, and had little to do with the American series 24
(named for the same reason). However, producer Phil Collinson
explicitly said the opposite in the episode commentary that was done for the official web site. He maintained there that the title is indeed a direct play on 24. Writer Chibnall has confused the matter further. When asked whether the title referred either to that television series or to the work of Douglas Adams
(see Life, the Universe and Everything
), he said yes, and acknowledged that "it's a playful title". Adams was a writer and script editor on the original Doctor Who series. A key plot point in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy story (book
and television serial
versions) is the protagonists being trapped on a spaceship which is pre-programmed to crash into the sun (as part of a rock concert special effect); the number 42 is a key element in the Hitchhiker's Guide stories. Further indication of a possible linkage to the Hitchhiker's Guide is hinted at when short portions of the theme to the Hitchhiker's Guide radio show (Journey of the Sorcerer) are played during the dénouement. Chibnall goes on to compare the episode itself to "The Satan Pit
", at least from a visual standpoint.
The Doctor asks the crew where their "Dunkirk spirit" is, referring to the evacuation and battle of Dunkirk
.
A security question on "classical music" concerns Elvis Presley
and The Beatles
, echoing the 1965 serial The Chase
. The Doctor indirectly refers to the remix of "A Little Less Conversation
", and name-drop
s the song "Here Comes the Sun
". The same security question results in Martha's mother making an indirect reference to the "phone-a-friend" option of game shows such as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire when Martha calls her for the answer.
A security question asks for the next number in a sequence. The sequence consists of consecutive happy prime numbers.
", according to associate production designer James North. Likewise, the spacesuit the Doctor wears was previously seen in "The Impossible Planet
" and "The Satan Pit
" and has since been repainted, according to producer Phil Collinson
in the online audio commentary for "42".
The helmet used by the Doctor is an adapted Scott Procap.
. It was decided that "an early start for episode seven, Chris Chibnall's '42', wasn't a good idea", and therefore the schedules were shuffled and "42" was broadcast one week later. This effectively pushed the rest of the series back a week.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
science fiction television series Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
. It was first broadcast on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
on 19 May 2007, and is the seventh episode of Series 3 of the revived Doctor Who series.
A spaceship hurtles out of control towards an alien sun and The Doctor has 42 minutes to save the ship, but with a mysterious force starting to possess and murder the ship's crew, the Doctor and Martha are running out of time.
According to the BARB
Barb
Barb may refer to:* A backward-facing point on a fish hook or similar implement, rendering extraction from the victim's flesh more difficult* Wind barbs for each station on a map of reported weather conditions...
figures this episode was seen by 7.41 million viewers and was the third most popular non-soap-opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
broadcast on British television in that week.
Plot
After The DoctorDoctor (Doctor Who)
The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and has also featured in two cinema feature films, a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....
adjusts Martha
Martha Jones
Martha Jones is a fictional character played by Freema Agyeman in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-off series, Torchwood. She is a companion of the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who, replacing Rose Tyler...
's phone for "Universal Roaming", they receive a distress signal from the S.S. Pentallian, a human spacecraft that is hurtling towards a nearby star, and the Doctor pilots the TARDIS
TARDIS
The TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s...
towards it to help. After they materialise, the Doctor and Martha are separated from the TARDIS due to rising temperatures. They are forced to help the crew, led by Captain McDonnell, to try to restart the engines to save the ship and themselves with only 42 minutes left before the ship will be destroyed by the nearby star. Martha teams with Riley to work their way through thirty deadlocked doors, secured via means of pop quiz questions, in order to reach the bridge controls while the Doctor helps the engineering team to repair the engines. Martha is able to call her mother, Francine, on present-day Earth in order to get the answers to some of the questions correctly, though she refuses to answer Francine's questions about the Doctor.
The Doctor learns that one of the crew, McDonnell's husband Korwin, has been infected with something that is causing his body temperature to rise to incredible levels, and attempts to sedate him while they continue the repairs. However, Korwin manages to overcome the sedative and dons a welding helmet, proceeding to kill various crew members, and in one case, infecting another, named Ashton. As Martha and Riley continue to work through the doors, they encounter Ashton and take shelter in a nearby escape pod, which Ashton is able to launch despite Riley's attempts to stop him. As the pod falls towards the star, Martha calls her mother and apologises, but hangs up when Francine, guided by an official-looking woman listening on the conversation, probes Martha for more information on the Doctor. The Doctor learns of Martha's plight, and puts on a spacesuit to go outside the airlock and activate a magnetic pull control to recover the pod. As he returns into the ship, he looks directly into the star and becomes infected himself, while learning that the star is a living being. As the crew try to help the Doctor, McDonnell admits they drew matter from the star
Sun scoop
A Sun scoop or sunscoop is a refueling technique for starships seen in science fiction. While it is theoretically plausible, most science fiction is concerned with stars as places to be explored, rather than as refueling stops.-Method:...
to use as fuel; the living being is fighting back to recover the parts it lost. Martha attempts to help the Doctor into a stasis chamber to prevent him from regenerating, while the crew continues to work towards the front of the ship. However, Korwin appears, and disables the chamber; the Doctor insists Martha leave him and warns the crew to dump the fuel, which will allow them to escape, while the Doctor struggles to fight the star being from taking over his body.
Martha races through the ship just as the crew reach the bridge, and relays the Doctor's message. Meanwhile, McDonnell has encountered Korwin and, after apologising to him and the rest of her crew for her actions, ejects both of them out of an airlock. As the ship vents its fuel, the engines are able to be restarted and it pulls away from the star; the presence in the Doctor slowly dissipates as the ship moves away. The Doctor, Martha, and the remaining crew regroup and verify they will be safe and that the crew has sent a request for more fuel so they can continue their mission. The Doctor and Martha depart in the TARDIS, the Doctor giving Martha one of the TARDIS keys. Martha places another call to her mother, and learning that it is Election Day
Election Day (United Kingdom)
Election Day in the United Kingdom is by tradition a Thursday, but the date for general elections is not fixed by law. Most other European countries hold all Elections on Sundays...
, offers to meet her for tea. After Martha's call, the woman monitoring Francine's phone confiscates it and leaves, thanking her for her help and for her vote, which may have been for Mr Saxon.
Continuity
- On 12 May 2007, the BBC website published a text-based "exclusive prologue" to the episode. Written by Joseph LidsterJoseph LidsterJoseph Lidster is an English television writer best known for his work on the Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures.-Biography:His debut work was the audio play The Rapture for Big Finish Productions in 2002...
, it details the reactions of one of the characters, Erina Lissak, a recent addition to the crew of the Pentallian, as the ship's engines stop, a countdown to impact begins, and she unexpectedly meets the Doctor and Martha. - Before being put into the stasis chamber, the ailing Doctor begins to explain to Martha that a process will happen if he is dying. This is a reference to Time Lord regenerationRegeneration (Doctor Who)Regeneration, in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, is a biological ability exhibited by Time Lords, a race of fictional humanoids originating on the planet Gallifrey. This process allows a Time Lord who is old or mortally wounded to undergo a transformation into a new...
. In the accompanying Doctor Who ConfidentialDoctor Who ConfidentialDoctor Who Confidential is a documentary series created by the British Broadcasting Corporation to complement the revival of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Each episode was broadcast on BBC Three on Saturdays, immediately after the broadcast of the weekly...
episode, Tennant questioned whether it would have done any good anyway because, while he might change, he could still be possessed.
Outside references
Doctor Who MagazineDoctor Who Magazine
Doctor Who Magazine is a magazine devoted to the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
reported in the preview for this episode that the title "42" was chosen for the fact the episode is set in real time, and had little to do with the American series 24
24 (TV series)
24 is an American television series produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration...
(named for the same reason). However, producer Phil Collinson
Phil Collinson
Philip "Phil" Collinson 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 Emmerdale, later becoming the producer of Peak Practice, Doctor Who and Coronation...
explicitly said the opposite in the episode commentary that was done for the official web site. He maintained there that the title is indeed a direct play on 24. Writer Chibnall has confused the matter further. When asked whether the title referred either to that television series or to the work of Douglas Adams
Douglas Adams
Douglas Noel Adams was an English writer and dramatist. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a television...
(see Life, the Universe and Everything
Life, the Universe and Everything
Life, the Universe and Everything is the third book in the five-volume Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy science fiction series by British writer Douglas Adams...
), he said yes, and acknowledged that "it's a playful title". Adams was a writer and script editor on the original Doctor Who series. A key plot point in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy story (book
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe is the second book in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy comedy science fiction trilogy of five by Douglas Adams. It was originally published by Pan Books as a paperback. The book was inspired by the song "Grand Hotel" by British rock band Procol Harum...
and television serial
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (TV series)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, is a BBC television adaptation of Douglas Adams's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy broadcast in January and February 1981 on BBC Two...
versions) is the protagonists being trapped on a spaceship which is pre-programmed to crash into the sun (as part of a rock concert special effect); the number 42 is a key element in the Hitchhiker's Guide stories. Further indication of a possible linkage to the Hitchhiker's Guide is hinted at when short portions of the theme to the Hitchhiker's Guide radio show (Journey of the Sorcerer) are played during the dénouement. Chibnall goes on to compare the episode itself to "The Satan Pit
The Satan Pit
"The Satan Pit" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is the second part of a two-part story, following "The Impossible Planet". With the TARDIS seemingly lost, Rose and the remaining humans are trapped on the base with the possessed Ood, while the planet...
", at least from a visual standpoint.
The Doctor asks the crew where their "Dunkirk spirit" is, referring to the evacuation and battle of Dunkirk
Battle of Dunkirk
The Battle of Dunkirk was a battle in the Second World War between the Allies and Germany. A part of the Battle of France on the Western Front, the Battle of Dunkirk was the defence and evacuation of British and allied forces in Europe from 26 May–4 June 1940.After the Phoney War, the Battle of...
.
A security question on "classical music" concerns Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
and The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, echoing the 1965 serial The Chase
The Chase (Doctor Who)
The Chase is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from 22 May to 26 June 1965. The story is set on multiple locations including the Mary Celeste, the Empire State Building, and the planet Aridius...
. The Doctor indirectly refers to the remix of "A Little Less Conversation
A Little Less Conversation
"A Little Less Conversation" is a song written by Mac Davis and Billy Strange that was originally performed and written for American rock and roll icon Elvis Presley for the 1968 film Live a Little, Love a Little. When the song was released as a single with "Almost in Love" as the b-side, it became...
", and name-drop
Name-dropping
Name-dropping is the practice of mentioning important people or institutions within a conversation, story, song, online identity, or other communication. The term often connotes an attempt to impress others; it is usually regarded negatively, and under certain circumstances may constitute a breach...
s the song "Here Comes the Sun
Here Comes the Sun
"Here Comes the Sun" is a song by George Harrison from The Beatles' 1969 album Abbey Road. It is regarded as one of the most popular Beatles songs. The song was written while Harrison was away from all of these troubles...
". The same security question results in Martha's mother making an indirect reference to the "phone-a-friend" option of game shows such as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire when Martha calls her for the answer.
A security question asks for the next number in a sequence. The sequence consists of consecutive happy prime numbers.
Production
Several elements of the episode had been reused from previous episodes. The stasis chamber is adapted from the prop used as the MRI scanner in "Smith and JonesSmith and Jones (Doctor Who)
"Smith and Jones" is the first episode of the third series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 31 March 2007. It sees the debut of Freema Agyeman as new companion Martha Jones...
", according to associate production designer James North. Likewise, the spacesuit the Doctor wears was previously seen in "The Impossible Planet
The Impossible Planet
"The Impossible Planet" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is the first part of a two-part story, followed by "The Satan Pit". The TARDIS lands in a base on a planet orbiting a black hole, an allegedly impossible situation that stumps even the Doctor...
" and "The Satan Pit
The Satan Pit
"The Satan Pit" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is the second part of a two-part story, following "The Impossible Planet". With the TARDIS seemingly lost, Rose and the remaining humans are trapped on the base with the possessed Ood, while the planet...
" and has since been repainted, according to producer Phil Collinson
Phil Collinson
Philip "Phil" Collinson 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 Emmerdale, later becoming the producer of Peak Practice, Doctor Who and Coronation...
in the online audio commentary for "42".
The helmet used by the Doctor is an adapted Scott Procap.
Cast notes
- William AshWilliam Ash (actor)William Ash, is a British TV and film actor.-Career:His appearances include Making Out ,Mad About Mambo, Lilies, Burn It, All the King's Men, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Doctor Who and more recently Hush and Waterloo Road. He began his career in the ITV series Where the Heart Is...
later played Sam in the Sixth DoctorSixth DoctorThe Sixth Doctor is the sixth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Colin Baker...
audio drama The Condemned. - Three of the guest cast members, William AshWilliam AshWilliam Ash MBE, was a Royal Canadian Air Force pilot, writer, and Marxist.Born into a lower middle-class family in Dallas, Texas, Ash was a migrant worker during the U.S Great Depression and took a University course, doing privileged pupils' essays in order to gain money and also for his personal...
, and Vinette RobinsonVinette Robinson-Background:Vinette Robinson was born in Bradford. She attended the former Intake High School and took a BTEC. She initially wanted to train as a barrister but changed her career plans at the age of 13 after performing a Charles Causley poem at a poetry festival.-Career:Robinson attended a child...
and Elize Du ToitElize Du ToitElize du Toit is a South African born actress best known for playing the role of Izzy Davies in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks from 2000 to 2004, with a brief return in 2007.-Biography:...
all appeared in the TV series "Waterloo RoadWaterloo Road (TV series)Waterloo Road is an award-winning British television drama series, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 9 March 2006. Set in a troubled comprehensive school in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, the series focuses on the lives of the school's teacher and students, and confronts social...
" two years later.
Broadcast
Originally planned for broadcast on 12 May 2007, this episode was postponed by the BBC due to the Eurovision Song ContestEurovision Song Contest 2007
The Eurovision Song Contest 2007 was the 52nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It was won by first-time appearance as an independent country Serbia and was held at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, Finland from 10 May to 12 May. The host broadcaster was YLE.Finland earned the right to host...
. It was decided that "an early start for episode seven, Chris Chibnall's '42', wasn't a good idea", and therefore the schedules were shuffled and "42" was broadcast one week later. This effectively pushed the rest of the series back a week.
External links
- "burn with me" - episode trailer