The Magic of Music

The Magic of Music was the seventh episode of Season 42 of Doctor Who. It was written by Matthew Sweet, directed by Brannon Braga and featured Hugh Grant as the Doctor & Stephen Fry as Sam Youto.

## The Magic Of Music

### Director

Brannon Braga

Synopsis

Switzerland, 1926: the Doctor finds himself halfway up an Alpine mountainside, on his way to an exclusive sanatorium for the rich and famous run by the Viennese alienist Ludovic "Ludo" Comfort. In between bouts of electric shock therapy, Ludo's patients — including faded music hall turn Harry Randall, chess grandmaster Swapnil Khan and Lola Luna, darling of the Weimar cabaret scene — fill their time with endless rounds of Snap!, among other diversions.

But the Doctor soon suspects that someone's playing an altogether more sinister game. Someone with a score to settle...

Plot

Ludo Comfort, Swapnil Khan, Harry Randall and Mrs Kniddle are all in the middle of a game of Scrabble. When it comes to Harry, he places down the word 'TARDIS' on the board, claiming it's something 'you climb inside'. As the others scold him for cheating, he states that he feels some strange, mysterious pain at the back of his head. The others urge him to ignore the pain and they proceed into a game of Consequences.

The Doctor wakes up in a cable car that is halfway up a Swiss mountain. He is inside with Queenie Glasscock, who offers him some soup. As they converse, the Doctor reveals he's amnesiac, but learns from Queenie that he is headed to Halbrook Sanatorium. He only learns of his title through a ticket in one of his pockets.

As the others within the Sanatorium play a small game of Musical Chairs, the cable car stops outside. The Doctor and Queenie note that bizarrely, their isn't anyone to operate the stopping mechanism or open the door, and all of the other carriages are empty. Approaching the sanatorium, the Doctor is electrocuted by the doorknocker, which leaves him temporarily unconscious. Ludo, Harry and Mrs Kniddle tend to the Doctor, whilst Swapnil informs someone mysterious in the attic of the new arrivals. He is given instructions of what to do with the Doctor, stating that 'that will surely finish him off!'.

Downstairs, Swapnil reunites with Queenie, his daughter, and the patients see that the cable car has started up again, now carrying passengers Lola Luna and Herbert Randall. Ludo now goes up to the attic to speak to the unseen people. He is disturbed when Swapnil rushes up, telling him that Harry is having some sort of fit. Ludo and Mrs Kniddle take Harry off to the treatment room where he is administered shock therapy. The Doctor barges in and destroys the equipment, leaving Ludo enormously distressed. In his moment of triumph, he runs up to the attic to uncover what secret Ludo is hiding. Ludo tries to stop him, but the Doctor is let in by whoever is hiding there. He feels as if he recognises this man, and he is in fact Sam Youto. However, he suddenly speaks up with a mock posh accent, saying that he has absolutely no idea who the Doctor is...

To be added.

Cast

The Doctor - Hugh Grant

Sam Youto - Stephen Fry

Ludovic Comfort - Paul Antony-Barber

Lola Luna - Joan Walker

Swapnil Khan - Nadim Sawalha

Queenie Glasscock - Nadine Lewington

Harry Randall - Andrew Fettes

Herbert Randall - Andrew Dickens

Toymaker - Michael Gough

Crew

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

Executive Producers - Ira Steven Behr and Julie Gardner

Co-Executive Producers - Ronald D. Moore, Paul Cornell and Robert Shearman

Producer - Tony Redston

Script Editor - Russell T Davies

Writer - D.C. Fontana

Director - Brannon Braga

Director of Photography - David Odd

Production Designer - Chris Wilkinson

Visual Effects - The Mill

Make-Up - Davy Jones

Casting Director - Andy Pryor

Music - Murray Gold

Costume Designer - Emma Rosenthal

Edited by - Tony Cranstoun

Original Theme Music - Ron Grainer

Title Sequence - BBC Wales VFX

Music conducted & orchestrated by Ben Foster

Memorable Quotes

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Background Information

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Development

To be added.

Pre-Production

To be added.

Production

To be added.

Post-Production

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Reaction

This episode received a 7-Day Viewing Figure from BARB of 7.18m viewers. It ranked at 23rd over the week.

Story Notes

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Continuity

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Home Video Releases

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