The Name of the Doctor ( TV story ) " The Name of the Doctor " was the first instalment of three episodes titled " _ _ _ of the Doctor " that formed an arc pointing toward the end of the Eleventh Doctor ' s life . It was followed by " The Night of the Doctor " ( a webcast mini - episode ) , " The Day of the Doctor " ( the 50th anniversary special ) , and finally the Eleventh Doctor ' s departure in " The Time of the Doctor " . Synopsis . A prophecy is coming true . The Eleventh Doctor is summoned to Trenzalore where it was said he would fall . But what does the alleged site of his final battle have to do with the mystery of Clara — or is it Oswin — Oswald ? Can the Paternoster Gang help him avoid his apparent destiny ? And most of all . . . Doctor who ? Plot . In a workshop , two engineers hear an alarm . One reports that it is from the repair shop . He wonders what kind of idiot would try and steal a faulty TARDIS . The workshop is at the base of the Capitol on Gallifrey . When the technicians look on their monitors , they see the First Doctor and his granddaughter entering a capsule . Someone calls to the Doctor , stopping him . He turns to greet Clara Oswald , who tells him he is about to make a very big mistake . Clara is seen falling through a golden vortex . She remarks that she does not know where she is , but remembers one thing : she is the Impossible Girl , and she was born to save the Doctor . She is shown meeting him in several of his incarnations , but most of them don ' t even notice her . However , the Eleventh Doctor " does " notice her when she yells at him in Victorian London . Also in Victorian London , a man locked in a jail cell rants in rhythmic fashion about " the Whisper Men " . Suddenly he is disturbed by a veiled figure , Madame Vastra , standing outside the bars of his prison . The man , Clarence DeMarco , says that she could save him from being hanged with a single word , but Vastra promises him only silence . She points out that he has murdered fourteen women , and is therefore doomed to be executed . As if holding a pardon from the Queen , DeMarco mentions the Doctor , saying he knows all about him . Speaking about one specific secret among the Doctor ' s many , the convict says , " He has one he will take to the grave — and it is discovered . " Later , Vastra is with Jenny , who protests that they must not let the man live . Vastra states that he will live until she understands what he told her . They ' ll need a " conference call " to investigate further . Jenny leaves the room to fetch the candles , and hears a mystifying whisper coming from outside . They send word to a fighting club in Glasgow , where Strax is in the middle of a brawl with a large Scottish man . Both toss insults ; each holds a blunt weapon . However , a messenger boy arrives , informing Strax that he has an urgent telegram . Upon finding out that it ' s another " conference call " , Strax apologises to Archie , his opponent , for not being able to finish , and asks the man to render him unconscious . Vastra and Jenny are seen sitting at a table , lighting a candle to enter a trance state . Vastra is pleased to notice that their surroundings have changed from the last " conference call " , as she was getting a bit tired of the Taj Mahal " desktop theme " . The pair begin to pour tea . Strax soon appears , anxious to return to his fight with " very pleasant primitives " . Vastra apologises , but tells him there ' s an important matter concerning the Doctor that they need to discuss . When Strax asks who else is coming , Vastra says simply , " The women . " On an April day in 2013 , Clara prepares to make a soufflé in the Maitlands ' kitchen . She offers her charges a maxim from her mother : " The soufflé isn ' t the soufflé , the soufflé is the recipe . " Her attention then wanders to a nearby letter , which the children say was left for her that day . Opening it when alone , Vastra ' s message admonishes her to light the enclosed candle and enter a trance state . That way , she can talk to the Paternoster Gang across time . Clara is plainly sceptical , but Vastra has outwitted her . The letter itself is infused with the soporific in the candle , so Clara ' s compliance is not required . Clara promptly passes out and awakens in the same " room " as Vastra , Strax , and Jenny . Vastra tells Clara time travel has always been possible in dreams , and that she is exactly where she was , but sleeping . She then says that they are still waiting on one more person . Strax groans , wondering if it ' s " the one with the big head " , only to be corrected by Jenny that it ' s " hair " , not " head " . At this point River Song appears , and is greeted by Vastra . Changing her tea cup into a glass of champagne , River is then introduced to Clara . Although having heard the Doctor mention her , Clara states that she was unaware Professor Song was female . River appears to exhibit some mild jealousy when Clara is referred to as the Doctor ' s " companion " ; Vastra hastily corrects herself and changes it to " latest travelling assistant " . Using some floating dust , Vastra displays and recounts the information given to her by the prisoner . It shifts into Gallifreyan symbols , which River identifies as space - time coordinates . Vastra tells the group that the coordinates lead to the location of the Doctor ' s greatest secret . Meanwhile , Jenny experiences some discomfort as a figure walks past her in their house , outside their dream . River says that the Doctor had told her his name , and that she was " a little more than a friend " of his . She also says that he hasn ' t contacted her , as he doesn ' t like endings . Vastra says to River that Clarence told her one word that connected to the Doctor : Trenzalore . River asks her to describe what the old man told her , and Vastra plays back Clarence ' s prophesy in the floating dust . River claims they misunderstood what he was saying . Jenny suddenly says she forgot to lock the door in their house , a factor Vastra dismisses , until Jenny tells them that someone has broken in . She discovers , to her own dismay , that she has in fact already been killed . Her form flickers and fades away . River informs Vastra that she is under attack and must wake up , and then slaps her to shock her awake . Vastra awakens surrounded by the Whisper Men and demands they tell her who they are . River wakes up Strax by throwing her champagne in his face , and he finds himself also surrounded by the Whisper Men upon waking . The Whisper Men then enter the trance with River and Clara , and order Clara to tell the Doctor something : The face of Dr Simeon appears in the dust , to say , " His friends are lost forever more , unless he goes to Trenzalore . " River protests against this , and Clara wakes up . Clara goes downstairs , finding the Doctor walking around the Maitland house blindfolded and calling for the children . The kids have tricked him into playing blind man ' s buff so that they could sneak out to the cinema . Learning this , the Doctor can only call them " the little . . . Dalek s " in annoyance . Clara asks the Doctor about River . He calls her his ex before changing the subject to Vastra ' s message . As Clara repeats it a visibly distraught Doctor asks her if it really was Trenzalore . Brought to free - flowing tears , he abruptly snaps out of it and runs off to the TARDIS . Clara finds him below the console . The Doctor mentions he heard the name Trenzalore before , from Dorium Maldovar and a few others , and that River surely knew as she always did . He links Clara to the TARDIS ' telepathic circuits , then cryptically remarks , " When you are a time traveller , there is one place you must never go . One place in all of space and time you must never — ever — find yourself " . He tells Clara that she misunderstood the message . It was not the " secret " the Doctor will take to his grave which was discovered , but the grave itself . The final resting place of the Doctor has been found and it is the one place he must never go . Despite this , he has to save Vastra , Strax and Jenny — if the latter is still alive — as they were there for him during his dark times . As the Doctor sets course for Trenzalore , the TARDIS realises what he is about to do and protests by fighting the coordinates while the Doctor forces her onwards . The Doctor explains that the TARDIS is fighting him because no - one should be able to see where they are buried in the future . Explosions shake the console room , and the TARDIS powers down to stop him . The Doctor states they ' ve arrived . They open the doors , finding the TARDIS stopped in orbit around Trenzalore . The Doctor muses that it ' s where he ends up , as he thought he retire and become a bee keeper . Clara asks him if they are going to jump , which he dismisses as silly . He proclaims that they ' re going to fall . The TARDIS has powered down everything , aside from the anti - gravs . Declaring " guess what I ' m turning off " , he sends the TARDIS plunging down through Trenzalore ' s atmosphere to the surface . They land in a graveyard hastily assembled during battle . The rough landing cracks one of the windows in the TARDIS exterior , which upsets the Doctor . They exit into the graveyard , to find their friends . Clara asks why the graves have headstones of unequal size . The Doctor explains that the more important the warrior , the bigger the tombstone . A giant TARDIS shell looms on the horizon , which Clara says is one hell of a monument to the Doctor ; he clearly was worthy enough to get such a great tomb . However . the Doctor tells Clara that it ' s not a replica of the TARDIS ; it actually IS the future version of the TARDIS . He explains that sometimes when a TARDIS is dying , its " bigger on the inside " qualities begin to leak out , in what is known as a size leak . " What else would they bury me in ? " the Doctor sarcastically asks , heading towards his own tomb . A psychic echo of River Song appears to Clara , saying that only she can see or hear her and to not mention her presence to the Doctor . On River ' s words , Clara directs the Doctor ' s attention to a grave that shouldn ' t be there , marked " River Song " . Realising that his wife ' s grave would only be there to cover up something like a secret entrance to the tomb , they enter , just as the Whisper Men are closing in on them . During their climb up through the catacombs , Clara suddenly starts to remember wandering through a broken down TARDIS . The Doctor tries calming her , as the broken down TARDIS is starting to reawaken memories of a timeline that got erased . However , Clara soon backs away from the Doctor , as she remembered that he confronted her about meeting her in the Dalek asylum and in Victorian England , and that she died both times . The Doctor tells her it will have to wait . The Whispermen begin chasing them again . Inside the TARDIS " monument " , Strax and Madame Vastra awake , and Strax is able to revive the nearby Jenny . The Great Intelligence ( using the appearance of Walter Simeon ) and his Whisper Men arrive and surround them , telling them that they were taken to this place to lure the Doctor there . The Great Intelligence describes this location as the Doctor ' s final battle , and denounces him as the " slaughterer of ten billion " . The Doctor ' s final battle was not as large as the Time War but he has blood on his hands . He also remarks that the Doctor will be known by names such as the Beast and the Valeyard . Shortly , the Doctor , Clara and the River echo also arrive . The Great Intelligence stands at the door to the Doctor ' s tomb , hissing that only the Doctor ' s real name will open it . Repeatedly asking the question " Doctor " who " ? " , he tells the Whisper Men to stop the hearts of the Doctor ' s friends if he does not answer . As they comply and the Doctor pleads with them to stop , the door suddenly opens . The Whisper Men release their victims , while the Doctor seems confused . He did not speak his name . River Song ' s apparition comments that the TARDIS is fortunately still able to hear her ; she is the one who opened the doors by saying the Doctor ' s name to the TARDIS , unheard by anyone else . Inside is an overgrown TARDIS control room , with a glowing , writhing beam of blue - white light where the main console would usually be . The Doctor explains that this is his " mark " on the universe . He has travelled in time more than anyone else , and this is the " scar tissue " left from it . It is his own personal timeline , past and future , and everything that resulted from it . The Doctor collapses from the influence of being so close to his past and future in this way . He points his sonic screwdriver at the light and several of his incarnations speak from it . The Great Intelligence reveals his plan to re - write the Doctor ' s entire history , turning all his victories into failures . He knows that he will be killed , but the Doctor will surely be destroyed , as part of his ultimate revenge . The Great Intelligence steps into the light and is destroyed , the light turns red , and the Doctor falls to the floor , visibly in terrible pain as he is being destroyed all at once . Horrified , Vastra declares that a universe without the Doctor will have consequences . She flees outside and sees the stars go dark as entire star systems are erased from history . Jenny , having been saved by the Doctor previously , is also erased , while Strax turns hostile . Grief - stricken , Vastra is forced to vaporise him . Against both the Doctor ' s and River ' s protests , Clara decides to act . With the words , " Run , you clever boy , and remember me , " she follows the Great Intelligence into the Doctor ' s timeline to save him . A million copies of Clara appear throughout history , each one correcting the Doctor ' s timeline in her own way . On Gallifrey , one of the Clara echoes tells the First Doctor he ' s about to make a very big mistake — by stealing the wrong TARDIS . She then directs him to the proper TARDIS , saying that even though the navigation system is broken , it will be much more fun . . . With everyone restored except the Great Intelligence and Clara , the Doctor says he ' s going to enter his time stream , risking its collapse to get her back . Vastra remarks that the process killed Simeon , but is answered with the fact that Clara has one advantage over the Great Intelligence : she has the Doctor . A frustrated River moves to slap him , but the Doctor catches her hand . River is astonished and asks him how he did that , as she isn ' t even really there . The Doctor says that she ' s always there to him and that he can always see her . He never said anything before because he was worried talking to her would hurt too much . When she tells him she believes she could have coped , he tells her , " No , I thought it would hurt me . And I was right . " He kisses her passionately , which the Doctor jokingly says must look strange to Vastra , Jenny and Strax , since nobody else in the room can see River . River tells the Doctor that he never said goodbye to her and he admits he didn ' t know how . So she explains the only goodbye she would accept is one which promises their paths will cross again . They banter for a moment like they used to , and she reminds him that she was telepathically linked to Clara , and wonders how she could still be there if Clara was really dead . He asks , " Okay , how ? " and River smiles and simply states : " Spoilers . " She dissipates with a final " Goodbye Sweetie . " The Doctor then steps into his own time stream . Clara lands in a dark , misty and cavernous place . As she stands up , various incarnations of the Doctor run past her on all sides . She hears the voice of the Eleventh Doctor talking to her . He urges her to focus on the sight of her leaf . If she ' ll follow the leaf , he promises , he will at last be able to save her in the same way she ' s been saving him for centuries . The leaf successfully guides her to their welcome reunion . As they embrace , however , he notices a shadowy figure standing nearby . His smile melts away and is replaced with intense fear . Clara notices the figure , but does not recognise him , despite having thought she ' d seen all eleven of the Doctor ' s faces . The Doctor , showing great apprehension , explains that the figure is in fact him , but isn ' t the Doctor . He continues that his real name was not the point ; he chose the name " the Doctor " himself like a promise , and this mysterious man was " the one who broke the promise " . " He " is his secret . After Clara collapses , the Doctor picks her up in his arms . The figure defends himself , saying that he had no choice and that his actions were " in the name of peace and sanity " . The Doctor acknowledges this , but defiantly and angrily states that those actions had not been " in the name of the Doctor " . As the Doctor carries Clara away , the man turns around , showing his elderly face as an on - screen caption reveals his identity to be " the Doctor " . . . Story notes . Ratings . " The Name of the Doctor " received overnight ratings of 5 . 46 million viewers on BBC One . When viewers who watched the episode later on were taken into account , the figure rose to 7 . 45 million , making " Doctor Who " the third most - watched programme of the week on BBC One . The episode received an Appreciation Index of 88 . Filming locations . " to be added " Home video releases . DVD releases . " The Name of the Doctor " was released as part of Doctor Who Series 7 Part 2 on May 22 , 2013 ; as part of the Complete Seventh Series on September 24 , 2013 ; and as part of the 50th Anniversary Collector ' s Edition on 8 September 2014 .