The Chimes of Midnight was the sixth serial of Season 36 of Doctor Who. It was written by Robert Shearman, directed by Sandy Johnson and starred Hugh Bonneville as the Ninth Doctor & Helen Baxendale as Jean Robinson.
Synopsis[]
'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house not a creature was stirring...
But something must be stirring. Something hidden in the shadows. Something which kills the servants of an old Edwardian mansion in the most brutal and macabre manner possible. Exactly on the chiming of the hour, every hour, as the grandfather clock ticks on towards midnight.
Trapped and afraid, the Doctor and Jean are forced to play detective to murders with no motive, where the victims don't stay dead. Time is running out.
And time itself might well be the killer...
Plot[]
To be added.
Cast[]
- The Doctor - Hugh Bonneville
- Jean Robinson - Helen Baxendale
- Edith - To be added.
- Mr Shaughnessy - Lennox Greaves
- Mrs Baddeley - Lynda Baron
- Frederick - To be added.
- Mary - To be added.
Crew[]
To be added.
Worldbuilding[]
Real World[]
- Agatha Christie is mentioned for her detective mysteries.
Books[]
- The Doctor mentions that Jean helped him find a first edition of Oliver Twist at Charing Cross Road.
Objects[]
- Jean's journal was found on a street in London on 5 December 1952.
Time travel[]
- The Doctor and Jean experience several time loops.
- The Doctor mentions travelling for centuries.
Individuals[]
- The Doctor finds plum pudding with brandy butter. Jean expresses dislike for plum pudding.
Food and drink[]
- Jean expresses a love of condensed milk but a dislike of custard.
- Jean smells lemons and oranges when they arrive.
- Jean knocks over a jar of jam that the Doctor tastes. They also find custard made in Leeds in the scullery.
Songs[]
- Edith sings "Hark the Hearld Angels Sing" and Shaughnessy mentions "Silent Night".
Vehicles[]
- Frederick drives a Bentley.
Notes[]
- The cook, Mrs Baddeley, is named after actress Angela Baddeley, who played Mrs Bridges in the ITV television series Upstairs, Downstairs which is also set in a large Edwardian house. Shaughnessy is named after the show's script editor, Alfred Shaughnessy.
- There is an in-joke in the story when the Doctor mentions to Charley that it wouldn't be fair if the murderer is someone with whom they hadn't met yet, as was sometimes the case in earlier seasons.
- Each cliffhanger was based on Shearman's favourite cliffhangers from the series. Part 1's was based on The Space Museum: Part One. Part 2's was based on Kinda: Part Three. Part 3's was based on Horror of Fang Rock: Part Three
Continuity[]
- Edith references some of the events of TV: The Smog.
- The Doctor mentions the events of TV: The Stones of Venice and TV: Minuet in Hell.
- The Doctor mentions travelling for centuries without ever knowing where he'd landed. (TV: An Unearthly Child et al.)
- The Doctor previously solved the riddle "When is a door not a door?" during his second incarnation. (TV: The Mind Robber)
Home video releases[]
VHS[]
- This story was first released on VHS.
DVD[]
- This story along with the other stories in Season 36 were released individually in 2000
- This story along with the other stories in Season 36 were released as Doctor Who: The Complete Thirty-Sixth Season in 2009.
Blu-ray[]
- This story along with the other stories in Season 36 were upscaled in 1080i50 high definition and were released as Doctor Who: The Collection - Season 36 in the UK.