Doctor Who

Doctor Who (1963)

22 mistakes in season 19 - chronological order

(3 votes)

Castrovalva - S19-E1

Deliberate mistake: The newly regenerated Fifth Doctor is wearing completely different shoes than the Fourth Doctor did in the previous story. This is deliberate. The boots worn by the Fourth Doctor were actually privately owned by actor Tom Baker. Still, a mistake but this is why.

Four to Doomsday - S19-E2

Factual error: There are currently well over 700 different native Australian languages, and undoubtedly many more have been extinct for centuries. The chances of a 20th Century European-Australian such as Tegan being able to understand a native Australian language from around 35,000 years ago are so astronomical it is beyond belief.

Black Orchid - S19-E5

Factual error: In episode 2, the policemen from 1925 recognise the TARDIS as a police call box, even though TARDIS-style police boxes weren't introduced until four years later, in 1929.

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Earthshock - S19-E6

Revealing mistake: When the Cybermen break through to the bridge, they brush against the door and it bends as if made of cardboard. It was supposed to be made of reinforced steel. (01:09:10)

Earthshock - S19-E6

Other mistake: In episode 4, as the Doctor, Tegan and Nyssa are being led away from the bridge, the Cyberleader loses his footing when he gets to the bottom step, and stumbles/trips up (He recovers himself very quickly; so quickly in fact, that this mistake was left in the finished episode). (01:24:45)

Earthshock - S19-E6

Plot hole: The freighter traveling back in time makes no sense. According to Adric, the Cybermen's computer is responsible, yet the Cybermen possess no such technology; their machine's task was simply to navigate the freighter towards Earth. The idea that time travel could happen by accident is also absurd. (01:30:05)

Earthshock - S19-E6

Plot hole: The Cyber Leader states that he needs the Doctor to pilot the TARDIS. It makes no sense then, that he would try to kill the Doctor once inside, and before the TARDIS had landed in a safe place. (01:33:55)

Earthshock - S19-E6

Revealing mistake: Just before the Cyberman fires on the console, you can see Adric trying to keep as far away from it as possible before it explodes. (01:35:05)

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Earthshock - S19-E6

Factual error: As the spaceship approaches the Earth of 65 million years ago, the Earth looks very much like the present day one. Hasn't anyone heard of "continental drift"? The Earth's land masses of 65 million years ago were not where they are now. (This has been fixed on the DVD)

Earthshock - S19-E6

Continuity mistake: In episode four, as they approach the TARDIS, the female member of the remaining troopers is grabbed and doesn't make it inside. But when the troopers do get inside the TARDIS, it's a man that's missing.

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Earthshock - S19-E6

Factual error: The Cybermen sets four explosive charges around the outside of the door, yet only the middle part of the door is damaged...

Earthshock - S19-E6

Continuity mistake: The mouth panel of the Cybermen costumes was originally intended to be a clear perspex panel. During filming, it was felt that this showed too much of the actor inside the Cyberman costumes. So a decision was taking - mid way though filming - to paint over the 'clear' panel with silver paint. However, this does result in the mouth panels of every Cyberman alternating from 'clear' to 'silver' from shot to shot.

Earthshock - S19-E6

Revealing mistake: During the "cliffhanger ending" at the end of episode 3, it's blatantly obvious that the three columns of advancing Cybermen are merely mirror images of each other. The head of each column has black head bars indicating leadership, and is holding his gun in exactly the same position.

The Doctor: This is a situation that requires tact and finesse. Fortunately, I am blessed with both.

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The Chase - S2-E8

Trivia: Such was the popularity of Doctor Who in Britain in the mid-1960s that even the Beatles wanted to make an appearance in the show. So a scene was written into "The Chase" to allow them to appear. The idea had been devised of including a scene on the Time and Space Visualiser depicting a Beatles fiftieth-anniversary concert in 2015, with the Fab Four dressed up as old men. John, Paul, George, and Ringo themselves were interested in the proposition, but it was vetoed by their manager, Brian Epstein. It was then thought that an appearance by the Beatles on Top of the Pops might be used instead, but no such footage was available. Fortunately, the Beatles were scheduled to perform "Ticket to Ride" at Riverside Studios in Hammersmith on April 10th, 1965, and that footage was used instead.

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Earthshock - S19-E6

Question: In Earthshock, season 19, at the end of episode 3, the Cyber Leader views his troops marching down the corridor. Each column is headed by a Cyber Leader. Is this a mistake, or is there more than one Cyber Leader allowed per army?

Answer: In 'The Five Doctors', three separate Cyberleaders are definitely used. So it's likely that Cyberleaders are like unit commanders, of which a fair-sized army might have several.

Daria Sigma

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