Factual error: In the opening shot of this episode, we see the Earth from space. The camera then zooms into Western Europe, the UK, London, then into Rose Tyler's flat, where a jump cut to an alarm clock shows it's 7:30am. But look again at the start of that sequence: it shows that it's daylight over the UK - and over the USA. This is of course impossible. When it is 7:30am in London, it is 2:30am in New York, as Eastern Time is 5 hours behind UK time. In New York at 2:30am it is not daylight, because it is the middle of the night. In addition, later episodes make it clear this episode is set in March. The North Pole is fully sunlit, which it never is in March, due to the equinox that happens that month. (00:00:50 - 00:02:00)
Factual error: When Rose is locked in the room and the bodies come toward her, you can see a modern-day electric light-switch to the side of the door she's trying to get through. When the Doctor hears her screaming for help and runs for her, you can see a central heating radiator. In fact, the undertaker's house has at least two radiators in different hallways. Both are wildly anachronistic for the time period. (00:16:30 - 00:17:08)
Suggested correction: While the light switch is ahead of its time, the heating radiator was invented by Franz San Galli in 1855 and was immediately popular. It's possible that by 1869, when the episode takes place, that Mr. Sneed would have one.
Factual error: The upper peninsula of Michigan is missing on the map of the US shown on Van Statten's monitor.
Suggested correction: In that era of Doctor Who the Earth was being invaded by aliens on a regular basis. Since the story is set in the 'future' year of 2012, anything may have happened to wipe that part of Michigan off the map.
I'm from Michigan and when I noticed the UP missing, I jokingly said to a friend "looks like Canada stole that finally"
The Doctor Dances (2) - S1-E10
Factual error: Magnetic tape recorders weren't available outside of Germany during World War II. True the tape recorder could have been captured from the Germans, but, as it was cutting-edge technology for 1941, it would hardly be likely to have ended up in a hospital office.
The Doctor Dances (2) - S1-E10
Factual error: Look closely at some of the freight wagons at 'Limehouse Green' railway station: several of them appear to have 'British Rail Freightliner' livery. This episode is set in 1941, but British Rail did not exist until 1948, and the Freightliner Division did not exist until the 1980s.
Factual error: Emergency Service vehicles in Cardiff (indeed, throughout Wales) have their signs in bilingual English/Welsh. So the police cars and ambulances seen in this episode should have 'Heddlu'/'Police' and 'Ambwlance'/'Ambulance' bilingual logos. However, the police car seen after the earthquake has its label in Welsh only. (00:40:33)
Factual error: The Doctor claims the Daleks are hiding themselves from sonar. But sonar relies on sound waves, which can't travel through the vacuum of space. (00:38:45)
The Christmas Invasion - S2-E2
Factual error: The episode kicks off with a reuse of the zoom-in from orbit first seen in "Rose." As the sunny North Pole indicates, the Earth is depicted as if it is the height of Northern Hemisphere summer, even though as the title of the episode indicates, it begins on Christmas Eve, three days after the northern Winter Solstice when the Pole is in darkness. (00:00:05)
The Christmas Invasion - S2-E2
Factual error: When the Doctor regrows his hand during the swordfight, he says that he can do this because he's still within the first 15 hours of his regeneration cycle, and there's still residual energy in his body. However: In both this scene, and the episode's opening scene, when the TARDIS arrives in London, it is full daylight. The episode takes place on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, 3-4 days after the Winter Solstice. London, at 51°N latitude, has a night longer than 15 hours at that time of year, meaning the Doctor should have been out of luck.
Factual error: The Koh-i-Noor, as depicted in this episode, looks absolutely nothing like the real diamond. The episode's gemstone is about the size of the palm of the Doctor's hand, and shaped in a stereotypical brilliant cut. The real Koh-i-Noor is much smaller and oval-shaped.
The Girl in the Fireplace - S2-E7
Factual error: Madame de Pompadour calls herself "Reinette" in 1727, whereas in actual fact, this was a nickname meaning "Little Queen" which was not given to her until 1730. (00:03:45)
Factual error: When Rose gets the message there are two things wrong with what you see on the phones screen: firstly on the top right of the screen you can see the icon for mute even though you heard the beep, and secondly that screen is for when you type in the number you want to call (text), not the screen for receiving a text.
Factual error: One of the programs on the new television set is Animal, Vegetable, Mineral? In 1953, this quiz show was broadcast on Thursdays. But, it's the eve of the coronation, which makes it Monday the 1st of June. Animal, Vegetable, Mineral? wasn't on that evening.
The Impossible Planet (1) - S2-E11
Factual error: The Doctor (and the staff on the station) refer to the idea of a planet being in orbit around a black hole as 'impossible'. It is not. Gravity (and physics in general) works perfectly well outside of the event horizon. For all practical purposes - regarding orbiting around it - the black hole might as well be any other object, as long as it has an equal mass. (00:07:15 - 00:08:30)
The Impossible Planet (1) - S2-E11
Factual error: Ida, the science officer, says that the planet is in geostationary orbit around the black hole. However, the word "geostationary" applies very specifically to objects orbiting the planet Earth. Since a black hole is a type of star, this planet's orbit could be described as astrostationary, or even just stationary, but definitely not as geostationary. A science expert on an interstellar mission wouldn't make this mistake, and she wasn't dumbing things down, either, since "geostationary orbit" is already a pretty obscure topic for people unfamiliar with space technology. (00:07:40)
The Impossible Planet (1) - S2-E11
Factual error: The graphics depicting the black hole show matter falling directly towards the centre of it. This would only happen if all the matter happened to be heading in that direction already. In reality, matter approaching the black hole at any other angle would swirl around the event horizon, like water going down a plughole.
Factual error: The Police motorcycle in front of the Olympic runner is an S registration, meaning it was registered in 1998. The episode is set in 2012, and there is no way the Police would have such an old vehicle on active duty.
Factual error: The Olympic torch relay is presented as if there is only one runner carrying the torch through the entire city of London to the Olympic stadium to light the cauldron. Furthermore, when the torchbearer collapses, the TV announcer reacts as if it is now impossible to get the torch to the stadium, just before the Doctor steps in and picks it up. Any broadcast of any Olympic opening ceremonies would show that that's not how the torch relay has ever worked.
Factual error: When the Royal Hope Hospital is transported to the Moon, the area it is in is dark, indicating they are on the side of the Moon not currently facing the Sun. However, in a wide shot of the hospital on the Moon, something that looks like the Sun is visible, something that the illumination of the landscape and the Earth shows cannot be visible. (00:07:40)
Factual error: A reflection of a full Moon is shown near the end. When Earth is viewed from the Moon earlier, over half of it is illuminated by the Sun. For it to be full Moon, the entire Earth would have to be dark. In addition, the place where the hospital was transported to was dark, and not sunlit. (00:37:45)
Suggested correction: When the reflection of the full Moon is viewed it is night time several hours after we saw the Earth from the Moon.
Yeah, no, the phases of the Moon don't work like that. New Moon and Full Moon are two weeks apart. Since the Moon appears to be, judging by the appearance of the Earth, between New and either First or Last Quarter, it is impossible for a Full Moon to be visible later that night.
