The Unicorn and the Wasp 

With a 1926 dinner party turning into a murder mystery, The Doctor and Donna Noble get the chance to meet Agatha Christie on the eve of her well-known 9-days disappearance.

Director:

Graeme Harper

Writer:

Gareth Roberts

Stars:

David Tennant, Catherine Tate, Fenella Woolgar

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
David Tennant	...	The Doctor
Catherine Tate	...	Donna Noble
Fenella Woolgar	...	Agatha Christie
Felicity Kendal	...	Lady Eddison
Tom Goodman-Hill	...	Reverend Golightly
Christopher Benjamin	...	Colonel Hugh
Felicity Jones	...	Robina Redmond
Adam Rayner	...	Roger Curbishley
David Quilter	...	Greeves
Daniel King	...	Davenport
Ian Barritt	...	Professor Peach
Leena Dhingra	...	Miss Chandrakala
Charlotte Eaton	...	Mrs Hart

Storyline

The Doctor and Donna arrive at an English country estate in the 1920s and meet none other than the renowned murder mystery writer Agatha Christie. The Doctor also realizes the importance of the date - it's the day when Christie famously disappeared for 10 days creating headlines across the country and around the world. History records that she reappeared 10 days later claiming to have no memory of where she has been or what she has done. They no sooner arrive than there is a murder, which Donna can't help but find it amusing since the victim is Professor Peach who was killed in the library with a lead pipe. In true Agatha Christie's fashion, the solution to the murder and Agatha's disappearance is found in a false identity and events that occurred long ago.

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Plot Keywords:

1920s | murder mystery | tenth doctor | giant insect | year 1926 | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Family | Mystery | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [UK]

Release Date:

13 June 2008 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

BBC Wales

Technical Specs

Runtime:

45 min 45 min (50 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (Dolby 5.1)

Did You Know?

Trivia

The song mentioned by the Doctor and Donna, "Camptown Races," is a minstrel show song by Stephen Foster published in 1850. The minstrel shows are also where Donna gets the "Mammy" gesture from. The actual Camptown Races song is often hummed by the character Foghorn Leghorn in various cartoons in the mid-20th century.

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Goofs

When Donna noble enters the locked bedroom that has been locked for 40 years, she picks up a teddy bear in 1926, The 1st teddy bear was made in 1902 so that teddy bear could not been there if the room been unopened since 1886.

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Quotes

The Doctor: A giant wasp! Well, there are tons of emorphorous insectivorous lifeforms, but none in this galactic sector.
Agatha Christie: I think I understood some of those words... enough to know that you're completely potty!

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Connections

References Doctor Who: The Unquiet Dead (2005)

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Soundtracks

Love Is The Sweetest Thing
(uncredited)
By Ray Noble

User Reviews

Despite a smörgåsbord of talent, this tale disappoints

Even with the legendary Graeme Harper at the helm, "The Unicorn and the Wasp" fails to excite. In fact, some viewers may find events distinctly underwhelming and the humour a little tired.

Having already encountered giant wasps in "Torchwood" this year, the alien in this episode left me feeling a case of deja vu.

The cast is excellent, as you'd imagine from this series, but even the talent on display can't save a rather uninteresting script. Fenella Woolgar, last seen in "Jekyll", plays Agatha Christie. Woolgar is rather splendid in the part but the performances aren't enough to save this one.

7 out of 10. The series started well but seems to be in a bit of a slump at the moment. Perhaps next week will bring a return to form.