Doctor Who

The Sound of Drums (2) - S3-E12

Factual error: When introducing himself to the Toclafane, President Winters refers to himself as "President-elect of the United States of America." President-elect is the title given to the victor of an American presidential election who has not yet been sworn in, between early November and January 20. This was a mistake on Russell T Davies' part, as he was under the impression it was a longer, formal title for the American president. (00:37:40)

The Sound of Drums (2) - S3-E12

Factual error: The army shoot at Martha's car and you can see sparks where the bullets bounce off her windscreen. But, at that close range, one of those things can go through a brick! I know you're supposed to allow a bit of disbelief, but this is taking it too far.

Smith and Jones - S3-E1

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)

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

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.

Peter Wallace

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.

The Sound of Drums (2) - S3-E12

Factual error: When they are running over the bridge, supposedly in London, you can see the Heddlu sign on the police station (Heddlu is Welsh for police). You can also see a Cardiff bus at the bus stop underneath.

The Shakespeare Code - S3-E2

Factual error: The establishing shot of Bedlam Hospital shows it with 18th-century neoclassical architecture, in an episode set in 1599, in the Elizabethan era. (00:23:20)

The Runaway Bride - S3-E14

Factual error: During the rooftop scene, Donna checks her watch and says that it's half past three, or 3:30 PM. In London on December 24, that's roughly 45 minutes before sunset. However, not only is the angle of sunlight during this scene much higher than it should be for the date and time, the Sun proceeds to remain up for some time longer, including during the wedding reception and when the Doctor discovers the tunnel underneath H.C. Clements leads to below the Thames Barrier, even though it really ought to have set by then.

The Runaway Bride - S3-E14

Factual error: During the chase on the motorway, many deciduous trees sporting lush green leaves can be seen in the background, in sharp defiance of the fact that it's supposed to be Christmas Eve and their branches should be bare. In addition, despite having chosen to wear a sleeveless wedding dress, Donna is remarkably unbothered by the fact that it should be fairly brisk outside, probably somewhere around freezing.

The Runaway Bride - S3-E14

Factual error: The opening shot of the episode reuses the zoom-in from orbit originally used in "Rose." The North Pole is sunlit, as it would be at the height of summer. "The Runaway Bride" takes place on Christmas Eve, four days after the Northern Hemisphere's Winter Solstice, when the Pole would be facing away from the Sun, in darkness. In fact, this was the second Christmas special in a row to make this mistake, after "The Christmas Invasion." (00:00:05)

Last of the Time Lords (3) - S3-E13

Factual error: When time is seen rewinding after the destruction of the Paradox Machine, the Earth and Moon are seen rotating and orbiting backwards. The Moon is depicted far closer to Earth than it actually is. (00:37:40)

Smith and Jones - S3-E1

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)

More mistakes in Doctor Who

The Satan Pit (2) - S2-E12

Doctor: So, that's the trap. Or the test or the final judgment, I don't know. But if I kill you, I kill her. Except that implies, in this big grand scheme of Gods and Devils, that she's just a victim. But I've seen a lot of this universe. I've seen fake gods and bad gods and demi-gods and would-be gods - out of all that - out of that whole pantheon - if I believe in one thing... Just one thing... I believe in her.

More quotes from Doctor Who

Season 2 generally

Trivia: "Torchwood" is an anagram for Doctor Who. Russell T Davies came up with it during the filming of Series 1 to label the tapes in order to prevent theft and potential leakage, and decided to use the name in the show proper.

More trivia for Doctor Who

Season 1 generally

Question: 1. Why was Rose not allowed to touch her past self without creating a paradox and causing those creatures to appear and eat everyone, but Amy was allowed to touch her younger self without any repercussions? 2. Why was Rose able to have the time vortex in her head for a few minutes and it only knocked her unconscious whereas the Doctor had it inside him for about 30 seconds and it basically killed him and caused his regeneration?

strikeand

Chosen answer: 1) When Stephen Moffat took over he ignored a lot of what had been developed before (there is not in-universe answer). 2) It would have killed Rose, so the Doctor absorbed the energy. His body regenerated before the energy could do a significant amount of damage that would prevent regeneration.

More questions & answers from Doctor Who

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