Utopia (16 Jun. 2007)

Soon after bumping into old friend Jack Harkness, Martha and The Doctor head off to Malcassairo, a distant planet where an old professor will do anything he can to keep his people alive...

Director:

Graeme Harper

Writer:

Russell T. Davies

Stars:

David Tennant, Freema Agyeman, John Barrowman

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
David Tennant	...	The Doctor
Freema Agyeman	...	Martha Jones
John Barrowman	...	Captain Jack Harkness
Derek Jacobi	...	Professor Yana
Chipo Chung	...	Chantho
René Zagger	...	Padra (as Rene Zagger)
Neil Reidman	...	Lieutenant Atillo
Paul Marc Davis	...	Chieftain (as Paul Marc Davies)
Robert Forknall	...	Guard
John Bell	...	Creet
Deborah MacLaren	...	Kistane
Abigail Canton	...	Wiry Woman
John Simm	...	The Master

Storyline

The Doctor and Martha arrive in present day Cardiff to refuel the TARDIS and are inexplicably thrust to a distant planet 100 trillion years into the future. When they arrive they realize they have an unexpected passenger in Captain Jack Harkness who has been patiently waiting for the Doctor's return since the mid-19th century. On the planet they eventually meet Professor Yana who is running the 1000-year old Utopia project, the aim of which is to relocate the human-like creatures to a new planet, away from the outsiders who they fear they will become if they don't leave. When Prof. Yana has need of someone to make repairs in a room in which no one can survive, the Doctor has the perfect candidate. The Professor is not what he seems to be however and Martha notices he has a fob watch much like one the Doctor recently made use of.

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Plot Keywords:

end of the universe | arch villain | dying repeatedly | severed hand | resurrection | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Family | Sci-Fi

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 June 2007 (UK)

Company Credits

Production Co:

BBC Wales, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

45 min 45 min (50 episodes)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

David Tennant and Derek Jacobi both played Hamlet, and both did so opposite Patrick Stewart as Claudius.

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Goofs

Jack takes of his coat and shirt before going into the radiation room to connect the switches. He is dressed in a white T shirt... and comments that he looks great! Then he comes out, still wearing his white T Shirt while helping the Doctor start takeoff... until the scene when Martha runs to find Jack and the Doctor... now he is wearing his black shirt again UNDER his braces.

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Quotes

Professor Yana: [weeping] It's time travel...! They say there was time travel, back in the old days... I never *believed!*... but what would I know... stupid old man... never could keep time... always late, always lost...
[pulls out fobwatch]
Professor Yana: Even this thing... never worked.

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Connections

Features Doctor Who: Gridlock (2007)

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Soundtracks

"Doctor Who Theme"
(uncredited)
Written by Ron Grainer
Arranged by Murray Gold
Performed by BBC National Orchestra of Wales

User Reviews

Jacobi Is A Class Act

Utopia is a strange beast . It is in effect the start of of a three parts 45 minute story , equivalent to six episodes of the classic series . However re-watching it again you may become aware of the flaws of RTD vision of DOCTOR WHO . It's set on an alien planet which is only to be welcomed , but unfortunately it's quite literally a stone quarry in England something the classic series suffered from . Surely with so much technology available to the show we should be seeing something more impressive . Similarly why is said quarry full of extras from MAD MAX ? The fact that Neil Marshall's film DOOMSDAY failed says a lot by having every post apocalypse scenario populated by butch psychopaths running around in leather - it shows a complete lack of imagination . It also suffers from a lack of internal logic . We're told hat " There hasn't been an university for a thousand years " but somehow the refugees have trucks and firearm available to them . Surely you'd have university standard engineers etc in order to build and maintain such things ? The return of Capatain Jack may be well received by gay men and heterosexual women in the audience but it's obvious he's being used as a plot device by RTD in order to drive the plot forward , a plot that is very threadbare when you examine it

There is a massive plus though and that is the casting of Sir Derek Jacobi as Professor Yana . Jacobi gives without doubt the most memorable of a guest on Nu-Who . It's poignant , moving and totally touching . The only problem is that when he's on screen you start to notice the lack of presence by the rest of the cast . It's somewhat painful to realise what a great Doctor he would have been if a previous producer had cast him in the 1980s . Jacobi's performance makes up for the episode's numerous flaws and makes me give Utopia seven out of ten