Doctor Who

Bad Wolf (1) - S1-E12

Other mistake: After Jack uses Davitch's information to complete the Controller's coordinates, the Doctor uses a remote to project a holographic, transparent screen of the location in question. The image shows Orion's Horsehead and Flame Nebulae. In a shot immediately afterwards, looking through the holo-screen back at the Doctor and company as he explains what's going on, the image of the nebulae is not mirror-reversed as it should be, but is the same orientation as in the previous shot. The kicker is that the image of the nebulae has been altered, as well: it's already been mirror-reversed - in the actual sky, the Flame is left of the Horsehead. (00:38:40)

Doctor Who mistake picture

The Doctor Dances (2) - S1-E10

Continuity mistake: When the Doctor is looking at Rose's hands, turning them over repeatedly, while she's describing how she was hanging from a barrage balloon, there's one moment where her hands are turned palm-up in a shot facing her, but back-up in a shot facing him. (00:18:25)

The Empty Child (1) - S1-E9

Continuity mistake: When the Doctor meets Nancy, when she warns him not to answer the TARDIS' ringing (fake) door phone, in a shot facing her he's holding his jacket away from his chest, but in the next shot facing him that hand is empty. (00:06:55)

The Empty Child (1) - S1-E9

Continuity mistake: During the Doctor and Nancy's conversation at her hideout, in shots facing her there is a bright circle of light cast on the wall to her left, which her shadow partially overlaps. In shots facing the Doctor where both him and Nancy are visible, the circle is gone, and Nancy's hideout is noticeably more dimly lit. (00:23:15)

Father's Day - S1-E8

Continuity mistake: When Rose checks her messages while riding in Pete's car and hears the very first phone call instead, the positions of her fingers change between the wider shot and the close-up. (00:13:30)

Doctor Who mistake picture

The Long Game - S1-E7

Continuity mistake: When the Doctor is restrained by two of the Editor's corpse minions, and the Editor demands to know who he is, the hand of the one holding the Doctor's right arm moves between his chest and shoulder several times. (00:30:50)

Dalek - S1-E6

Continuity mistake: When Rose and Adam are in his workshop talking about aliens, during the exchange where she asks him about people who claim they've been in spaceships and he responds that he thinks they're nutters, Rose is poking around with her right hand at a storage shelf on the wall before moving her hand to a pile of boxes stacked on a table. When the scene cuts to a close-up of her, her hand has jumped back to the shelf. (00:12:40)

Aliens of London (1) - S1-E4

Continuity mistake: When Joseph Green (really Jacrassa Fel-Fotch Passameer-Day Slitheen) picks up the skin of Oliver Charles from the Cabinet table, he picks it up with his left hand in the first shot but is holding it with his right hand in the next. (00:32:30)

Aliens of London (1) - S1-E4

Continuity mistake: When the coroner is interrupted by a banging coming from the freezer while trying to do paperwork, she's shown turning around and standing up twice, in a close-up and the long shot. (00:19:20)

The Unquiet Dead - S1-E3

Continuity mistake: Early on, when Rose is talking to the Doctor about how amazing it is that they can visit days that only happened once, her hair moves from tucked behind her ear to covering it, then back to its first position. (00:05:00)

The End of the World - S1-E2

Continuity mistake: When the Doctor is standing in front of the giant whirring fanblades, just before he passes the first one, which side of his jacket is blowing away from his body changes between the wide shot and the close-up. (00:35:20)

Rose - S1-E1

Continuity mistake: After the Doctor freezes the Auton arm, its index and middle fingers are curled, while its ring and pinky fingers are straightened. When the Doctor and Rose are in the stairwell, most noticeable when they emerge at the bottom, the fingers of the arm are now all slightly curled.

Heaven Sent - S9-E12

Continuity mistake: When the Doctor is first shown discovering the word "bird" written in the sand on the floor of the teleport chamber, the handwriting changes from being somewhat messy in the wide shot to being perfectly neat in the close-up.

More quotes from Doctor Who
More trivia for Doctor Who

Chosen answer: The Master knows that deep down, he deserves death for the crimes that he's committed throughout his life, and since he regards The Doctor as his arch-foe, he expects it to be at his hands. The fact that The Doctor is still willing to forgive him for all of his crimes hurts him more deeply than death would.

Captain Defenestrator

More questions & answers from Doctor Who

Join the mailing list

Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.