11.6: The Vampires of Venice

In which the sexy vampires are also fish.

Broadcast: May 2010 

Watched: November 2021

“According to this, I’m your eunuch?” Subtext, text

Always felt like Whithouse was the best of the second tier RTD/Moff era writers – he doesn’t quite have the spark that gets you a Turn Left or a Heaven Sent, but all his stories function as adventures while also having jokes and characters and emotional bits. He never screws up the basics. What’s more, this is one of those stories where you realise how much you’ve started taking it for granted that Doctor Who is a well-made show now, because this looks gorgeous, even if Croatia does not, at times, look like Venice. 

The double pre-credits sequence sets up the two plots – one about vampires in Venice, one about Rory. Vampires first. I like the idea of a species that have lost their planet washing up in a city essentially founded by refugees. The decision to make the vampires both sexy AND fish feels a bit weird, one or the other, lads (I’m not sure the fish thing is even necessary, since there actually are vampires in Doctor Who?). Francesco is clearly meant to be a lot more charismatic and interesting than he actually is, although, “Did you just say something about mummy?” is funny.

But Helen McCrory as his mother is brilliant – it’s much more interesting that in her big confrontation with the Doctor she recognises something in and tries to co-opt him, rather than just ranting and raving. Also, you can make the argument that “one city to save an entire species” is actually a fair trade. The Doctor deciding to destroy her because she didn’t know Isabella’s name is great.

Anyway, all that’s pretty basic, but fair enough as it’s basically the B-plot, and the A-plot starts with the Doctor jumping out of a cake. I’m actually not sure the emotional logic in that plot entirely stacks up: the story positions Rory as insecure and jealous, but actually, Amy has been cheating on him? But it gives us lots of good character moments: Rory has been reading up on science in case the Doctor shows up again; his instinct is to help the girl Francesco has bitten, while Amy’s is to run after the vampires. Also, the Doctor and Amy are both excited by the danger while Rory visibly shits himself.   

And it ends with Rory redeeming himself by being prepared to fight to save Amy, even though it’ll get him killed and Amy has to save him. At the end we get an inversion of School Reunion – blimey, I’ve literally only just realised that Whithouse wrote that too – with Amy asking Rory to stay, rather than Mickey asking while Rose shakes her head.

Solid. Good, even. It’s a mark of what a good season this is generally that this one gets forgotten. 

Other things:

• The lost home planet makes me wonder if this was originally considered for RTD's last season? Except I know it isn’t. Hmm. Wonder if Whithouse picked it up by accident.

• Venice has been closed to business. I'm not sure 16th century Venice survives if you close it to business.

• “Francesco, do you like her?” is really, really creepy.

• Why does the villain laugh at “I'm from Ofsted”, like she’s familiar with UK schools policy of the early 21st century.

• Another in our series of endings in which the Doctor has to climb something tall in the middle of a storm (see also Idiot's Lantern, Rebel Flesh). The set is pretty unconvincing.

• “In memory of the children lost to the silence…” The meaning of the silence seems to be different here from next season? Also, Venice actually goes quiet at the end, which is weirdly literal.

• Hartnell picture. Cool.