The Rings of Akhaten
- Episode aired Apr 6, 2013
- TV-PG
- 46m
The doctor takes Clara to the rings of Akhaten, A partly destroyed planet, where a religious ceremony is about to be carried out, but a darkness is stirring, a hungry darkness that could con... Read allThe doctor takes Clara to the rings of Akhaten, A partly destroyed planet, where a religious ceremony is about to be carried out, but a darkness is stirring, a hungry darkness that could consume the rings of Akhaten and the universe.The doctor takes Clara to the rings of Akhaten, A partly destroyed planet, where a religious ceremony is about to be carried out, but a darkness is stirring, a hungry darkness that could consume the rings of Akhaten and the universe.
- Clara
- (as Jenna-Louise Coleman)
- Ellie
- (as Nicola Sian)
- Passer By
- (uncredited)
- The Vigil
- (uncredited)
- The Vigil
- (uncredited)
- Millennium Alien
- (uncredited)
- Vigil
- (uncredited)
- Beast Man
- (uncredited)
- 80s Man
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- Neil Cross
- Steven Moffat
- Sydney Newman(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIn the market on Akhaten, the Doctor points out a Hooloovoo, a race first described in The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy books as a "Super-intelligent shade of the colour blue".
- GoofsIn the marketplace, Clara hears various alien languages. Normally, because of the TARDIS effect, they would have sounded to her like English. But the TARDIS has shown that it doesn't much like Clara, so this might account for why it did not translate for her.
- Quotes
The Doctor: Okay then. That's what I'll do; I will tell you a story. Can you hear them? All these people who lived in terror of you and your judgement. All these people who's ancestors devoted themselves, sacrificed themselves to you. Can you hear them singing? Oh, you like to think you're a god. You're not a god, you're just a parasite, eaten out with jealousy and envy and longing for the lives of other. You feed on them, on the memory of love and loss and birth and death and joy and sorrow! So... So... Come on, then. Take mine. Take my memories. But I hope you've got a big appetite because I've lived a long life and I've seen a few things. I walked away from the Last Great Time War. I marked the passing of the Time Lords. I saw the birth of the universe and I watched as time ran out, moment by moment, until nothing remained. No time. No space. Just me. I walked in universes where the laws of physics were devised by the mind of a madman. I've watched universes freeze and creations burn. I have seen things you wouldn't believe. I have lost things you will never understand. And I know things, secrets that must never be told and knowledge that must never be spoken. Knowledge that will make parasite gods blaze. So come on then! Take it! Take it all, baby! Have it! You have it all!
- ConnectionsFeatured in Doctor Who Live: The Afterparty (2013)
Well, it's taken him some time, but Matt Smith has without a doubt grown his beard with "The Rings Of Akhatan." There's no denying he had enormous shoes to fill. David Tennant is still, IMHO, the best Doctor there ever was. Smith, while a fine actor, a fine Doctor, was never quite as compelling as Tennant was in his most brilliant moments. Until now.
With a powerful monologue he speaks one simple, clear message in so many words: "I AM THE DOCTOR!" And he delivers it with all the passion, chaos and sorrow that is the essence of this legendary character. You actually see the tears streaming down his cheeks as he proudly asserts that this legend belongs to him. Choirs serenade him as he stands firm yet alone, in the face of one of the most daunting foes imaginable, and demonstrates that it takes a special man to be The Doctor. When he played the role, Chris Eccleston once admiringly referred to Britain's standing up to the evil and vastly stronger Nazi Germany as: "A mouse in front of a lion." That's the image I saw when I watched Matt Smith's silhouette giving this speech before this week's villain, and it was such a "Doctor" thing to see.
With this splendid performance Matt Smith has well and truly proved he belongs in this role. If there was still any doubt, there can be no more. This man is the rightful heir to David Tennant's sonic screwdriver. Long live The Doctor.
- Camel13
- Apr 8, 2013
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Filming locations
- Goldsmith Close, Newport, Wales, UK(The Doctor meets Clara as a toddler)
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime46 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 16:9 HD