Dinosaurs on a Spaceship

Anyway, six hours is a lifetime. Not literally a lifetime. That’s what we’re trying to avoid.

The Eleventh Doctor

Synopsis

An unmanned spaceship hurtles towards certain destruction. Only the Doctor can save it, along with its impossible cargo… of dinosaurs!

Review

Dinosaurs on a Spaceship is an example of the kind of whimsy and light-hearted episodes that other science fiction shows may struggle with. It takes a ridiculous concept and brings that to the screen with a great deal of skill and dexterity to make the premise work within the universe of Doctor Who. The initial light tone does give way to mass murder and one of the most brutal dispatching of a villain in the show’s history. That tonal shift doesn’t entirely work, but the story deserves credit for trying it.

Are you saying dinosaurs are flying a spaceship?

Brian, please! That would be ridiculous. They’re probably just passengers.

Brian Williams and the Eleventh Doctor

Chris Chibnall and the production team realise the logistical nightmare of having a story that promises dinosaurs. Doctor Who has had difficulty when bringing dinosaurs to the screen, such as Invasion of the Dinosaurs, and wisely use them sparingly here. To borrow the movie story theme of Series 7, the titular dinosaurs are the headliners, whilst the story is more of an Indiana Jones-style story set in space. The strongest aspects of this story are the Doctor’s gang and the way this story ties into the wider universe of the show. The gang of characters being pulled from different eras of Earth’s history is a good idea, and one that I’m surprised the show hasn’t tried to do more. This is a balance of real historical figures, like Nefertiti, and fictional ones, in the shape of Riddell, and shows the programme using its time travel premise in a new and novel way after nearly half a century on air. Equally, tying this story to the Silurians through the story being set on one of their ships is a good idea and fleshes out the stories of homo reptilia further. The story does struggle with tone – balancing the darker villain of Solomon with the fundamentally comic idea of the stories.

Where the story falls down is with the comedy malfunctioning robots. The story’s premise is funny already, and it doesn’t really need them. That’s a shame, because I’m sure that there is a role for David Mitchell and Robert Webb in Doctor Who that meets their strengths. The writing of these robots is slightly over the top and feels as though it needed another read-through before the story went into production. Ultimately, they might be there to take the edge off the darkness of David Bradley’s Solomon.

This story might seem like an unusual setting for a villain like Solomon. The light-hearted nature of the central premise is at odds with a mass-murdering trader who wants to know the value of everything in order to sell to the highest bidder. I have seen reviews of this story which state that Solomon is an example of a cripple being a Doctor Who villain. Whilst that is undeniably true, Solomon’s injuries have not made him into a villain. Whilst the Silurians initially offered Solomon assistance, he himself admits that he wanted the dinosaurs before he was attacked by two velociraptors. When the Silurians were unwilling to hand them over, he then instructed his two robots to throw them out of their arc. From the way the story describes it, it sounds as though Solomon incurred his injuries as a result. For all of Dinosaurs on a Spaceship‘s flaws, I don’t find Solomon’s broken legs to be one of them. David Bradley brings an unexpectedly dark tone, and his performance is great. Perhaps he may have been better suited to another, darker story, rather than a comical one like this one. It is, however, inspired casting to bring in David Bradley into this story. He brings a sense of gravitas and stakes to this story, which could otherwise feel light and frothy.

One of the story’s strengths is giving the Doctor a gang in addition to his regular companions. This gang includes Queen Nefertiti, a real historical figure who has come straight from another adventure with the Doctor, and game hunter Riddell, who has also had a previous adventure with the Doctor. We also have Rory’s dad, Brian. This trio, played by Riann Steele, Rupert Graves and Mark Williams. Steele does give Nefertiti a sense of power and majesty, whilst Rupert Graves manages to make Riddell, a character with few redeeming features on paper, some charm. Riddell falls into the mould of characters who carry guns and are willing to use them, like Captain Jack or the Brigadier, that it’s always slightly puzzling to see the Doctor willingly travel with them. He does so sometimes by necessity, as he does here. The story’s real MVP is Mark Williams. He is the fish out of water character. Professed by his son to hate travelling, Brian gets brought along on the adventure due to the Doctor materialising the TARDIS around Amy and Rory. The humour of the script plays to Williams’ strengths and comedy background, and it is believable that he and Arthur Darvill are related. The absence of companions’ families from stories is one of the most notable differences between Russell T Davies’ first era and Steven Moffat’s. Whilst Amy gets her parents back at the end of The Big Bang, we do not see them again. Clara’s father briefly features in The Rings of Akhaten and The Time of the Doctor, and does not appear at all during the Twelfth Doctor’s era. Bill’s foster mother, Moira, also only appears twice in The Pilot and Extremis. Both Clara and Bill have dead mothers by the time they first meet the Doctor. It feels a little odd to have a companion’s parent feature so prominently in both this story and The Power of Three. That does not make it any less enjoyable, perhaps feeling unique in this era.

They’re getting longer. The gaps between your visits.

Are they?

I think you’re weaning us off you.

I’m not, I promise. Really promise. The others, they’re not you. But you and Rory, you have lives. Each other. I thought that’s what we agreed.

I know. I just worry there’ll come a time when you never turn up. That something will have happened to you. And I’ll still be waiting, never knowing.

No! Come on Pond! You’ll be there till the end of me.

Or vice versa.

Amy Pond and the Eleventh Doctor

Amy and Rory are seen here in a part-time companion role here, spending more time at home and enjoying domestic life together. As above, Amy notes that it has been longer and longer between his visits, and is worried that he is bored of them. I remember when this story was first broadcast that I wondered whether the stories were out of order and the Doctor went from Asylum of the Daleks to The Angels Take Manhattan, and then came back to spend time with his companions following the conclusion of that story. That theory ultimately did not pay off! I think one of the most interesting aspects of the companions here is the reveal that Rory collects medical supplies during his travels with the Doctor to assemble a first aid kit. That’s a much-needed piece of development for Rory and makes him more endearing. Meanwhile, Amy gets to lead a sub-team of the gang – Nefertiti and Riddell – which allows her to show leadership skills and what she has learnt during her time with the Doctor. It is her who discovers the true nature of the ship and relays this information to the Doctor. The central trio of Smith, Gillan and Darvill continue to be a lot of fun together and share great chemistry. Smith shows some darkness when he finally dispatches with Solomon, which could feel out of character for him, but Smith pulls this off really well.

Verdict: Dinosaurs on a Spaceship is a lot of fun, but does struggle to balance the comedic and darker aspects of the plot. 7/10

Cast: Matt Smith (The Doctor), Karen Gillan (Amy Pond), Arthur Darvill (Rory Williams), Rupert Graves (Riddell), Mark Williams (Brian Williams), David Bradley (Solomon), Riann Steele (Queen Nefertiti), Sunetra Sarker (Indira), Noel Byrne (Robot 1), Richard Garaghty (Robot 2), Richard Hope (Bleytal), Rudi Dharmalingam (ISA Worker), David Mitchell (Robot 1 voice) & Robert Webb (Robot 2 voice).

Writer: Chris Chibnall

Director: Saul Metzstein

Producer: Marcus Wilson

Composer: Murray Gold

Original UK Broadcast Date: 8 September 2012

Behind the Scenes

• The title was inspired by the film Snakes on a Plane.
• Originally, the two other members of the Doctor’s gang was supposed to contain two real historical figures, however, this was changed.
• This story marks the first appearance of dinosaurs since Invastion of the Dinosaurs, which was broadcast in 1974.

Cast Notes

• Mark Williams played Maxwell Edison in The Eternal Summer.
• David Bradley would go on to play William Hartnell in the biopic for the Fiftieth Anniversary An Adventure in Time and Space. He would then go on to play the First Doctor in The Doctor Falls and Twice Upon A Time.
• Richard Hope also played the Silurian Malohkeh in The Hungry Earth, Cold Blood and The Wedding of River Song. He has also appeared in a number of Big Finish audio stories, including Shellshock, Damaged Goods and Absent Friends.

Best Moment

The whole engine room sequence, set on a beach.

Now, what do we do about the things that aren’t kestrels?

The Eleventh Doctor

Best Quote

Did the Silurians beg you to stop? Look, Solomon. The missiles. See them shine, see how valuable they are? And they’re all yours.

You wouldn’t leave me, Doctor.

Enjoy your bounty.

The Eleventh Doctor and Solomon

Previous Eleventh Doctor review: Asylum of the Daleks.

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