10.36: The Poison Sky

In which someone does something clever.

Broadcast: May 2008

Watched: September 2021

“He wasn’t greyhound 40, his name was Ross.”

It’s funny how rarely we actually see a Sontaran clone army – it’s just this and Invasion of Time, I think? Anyway, great stuff. The Doctor talking Donna through, helping to build her confidence. The way she says “Back of the neck!” like “back of the net”. The at least vaguely subtle way Tennant communicates that he knows it’s not the real Martha (lying about Martha’s whereabouts, “avanti”, etc).

The episode starts with Sylvia’s best moment: just grabbing an axe and smashing the windscreen. (”I can’t believe you’ve got an axe!” “Burglars!”) Love the way her begging Donna to stay, Francine-style, is balanced by Wilf yelling at her to run away and have adventures. Although the thing where parents are repeatedly obsessed with the idea the Doctor should look after their kid is unhinged.

And the ending is *perfect*. The Doctor going to his death because he’s got to give them a choice is an amazing bit of Doctor behaviour; when you realise he’s obviously manipulating a one off character into self-sacrifice it’s even better. (Although since the Sontarans are into noble self-sacrifice, too, that means Luke gets to be like them at last.)

Mind you, the way Sylvia is delighted all these cars are off the roads is, if the last few years have taught us anything, deeply unrealistic.

Other things:

• I love the idea of reverse Dunkirk, boats taking people into the seas to escape the smoke.

• In the Doctor Who universe neither Russia nor Israel are nuclear powers. Meanwhile, “deadlock” means “we can’t change this [unless the plot absolutely requires it]”.

• ”Are you my mummy?”

• The bit where Starkey dies saying “Wonderful” means he is, I think, the only actor who has got to play basically the same death scene two completely different ways, and yet not leave Doctor Who.

• “You might as well have worn a T shirt saying clone. Although, maybe not in front of Captain Jack.”

• The Rattigan academy is not 10 miles out of London, it is clearly on Primrose Hill. Also those are some weirdly good looking excluded nerds.

• “Sir Alistair”

• Wilf calling Sylvia his little girl and hugging her! My god I love Cribbins, the nation’s granddad.

• Mike Yates never snogged the Brigadier. Sad.