Nineveh

Nineveh was the seventh and final story of Season 40 of Doctor Who. It was written by John Tomlinson and David Agnew, directed by Euros Lyn and featured Jim Broadbent as the Eleventh Doctor, Richard E. Grant as the Doctor, Alan Dale as Riddell, Robert Bathurst as Flo, Aidan Gillen as The Master and Sophie Okonedo as Alison Cheney.

## Nineveh

### Director

Euros Lyn

Synopsis

“Let the heavens cast their spray of light across the night-black sky, ‘twill not touch the dark of Nineveh, where Time Lords go to die. Twelve rejuvenations all, and not a season more, hath been the lot of Gallifrey since darker days of yore. Some call it the zone of silence, where dreams die unfulfill’d, where every chord and cadence of the song of life is still’d. Others talk of timeless joy and venerate the day that they might cut the skein of life upon dark Nineveh. So walk the ages, Time Lord, and disregard the sign, but know that where the Watcher waits, so waits the end of time.”

The Doctor is dead. In the wake of annihilation, the lost Time Lord finds himself alone in a shadowy wasteland, a winding dirt road leading the way to cold, dim lights on the indistinct horizon. Ahead, the spectral figure of the Watcher beckons him, signalling the start of his final journey. The Doctor recognizes these signs and omens from the whispered rhymes of his childhood. They are the morbid hallmarks of Nineveh, the afterlife described in the ancient folklore of Gallifrey. And they confirm his worst fears: there will be no cheating death this time, no regeneration.

Contemplating his seemingly inevitable fate, the Doctor follows the Watcher and begins the long and arduous journey to the hidden monument known as the Wall of Memory, enshrined deep within the Citadel of Lost Time Lords. If the legends are true, it is his only hope for peace and closure. Each twist in the road and shadow on the landscape brings its own challenge, however, its own figure of opposition. As the Doctor makes his way through this chaotic underworld, a motley band of familiar faces assembles to stir forgotten memories and to question his choices: John Riddell, Flo, the Dreilyn Kyrstal. Old friends and lost companions now vying for control of his ultimate fate. They are led by conflicting echoes of the Time Lord’s own larger-than-life persona: the Doctor, youthful and brimming with confidence, as stupidly reckless as he is bold; and the Doctor, ancient and frail, so desperate to preserve life that he no longer regards any risk as acceptable. Which of the two has made the correct choices? Which of the two is damned? Or is the Doctor forever fated to be undone by his foibles, no matter what choices he might make?

In the heart of the ghostly City of Lost Souls, where riddles and mazes obscure horrors greater than death itself, the fractured Doctor and his fractious companions will face the ultimate test—and determine whether the hero claims resurrection or everlasting damnation!

Cast

The Doctor - Jim Broadbent

The Doctor - Richard E. Grant

Riddell - Alan Dale

Flo - Robert Bathurst

Alison Cheney - Sophie Okonedo

The Master - Aidan Gillen

To Be Added.

Crew

Created by Sydney Newman, Donald Wilson and C.E. Webber

Executive Producer - David Renwick

Writer - Russell T Davies

Producer - Bill Shapter

Script Editor - Russell T Davies

Director - Sandy Johnson

Director of Photography - Ernie Vincze

Production Designer - Jon Bunker

Visual Effects - The Mill

Make-Up Designer - Davy Jones

Casting Director - Andy Pryor

Music - Murray Gold

Costume Designer - Lucinda Wright

Edited by - Mike Jones

Special Effects - Bryan Stanislas

Original Theme Music - Ron Grainer

Title Music - Vangelis

Title Sequence by Santa Barbara Studios

Memorable Quotes

To be added.

Background Information

Development

To be added

Pre-Production

To be added.

Production

To be added.

Post-Production

To be added.

Reaction

This episode received a 7-Day Viewing Figure from BARB of 8.07m viewers. It ranked at 19th over the week.

Story Notes

To be added.

Continuity

To be added.