Time Lords

Lore & Background

The episode reveals that the Toclafane, once thought to be aliens, are actually future humans who fled Earth aboard rockets heading for Utopia. Upon arrival, they cannibalized their bodies into metal spheres and regressed mentally into children. The Master utilized a Paradox Machine to allow these entities to return to the past and kill their ancestors without triggering the grandfather paradox. A pivotal moment in the lore involves the Doctor's rejuvenation; after being artificially aged by the Master, he is restored when the collective psychic energy of humanity focuses on his name through the Archangel network. The narrative also clarifies continuity regarding Jack Harkness, with writer Russell T Davies confirming that Jack is indeed the 'Face of Boe'. Additionally, a hand seen removing the Master's ring from his funeral pyre was intentionally included by producers to leave open the possibility of reintroducing the Rani.

In Their Own Story

After escaping the Valiant, Martha Jones spends a year preparing humanity for a counter-attack. She instructs survivors to focus on the word 'Doctor' at the precise moment a fleet of rockets launches. Meanwhile, the Doctor has spent the same year psychically integrating himself into the Master's Archangel satellite network. Martha teams up with Professor Docherty and medic Thomas Milligan to capture a Toclafane, discovering their true human origin before Docherty betrays her location in exchange for information about her son. The Master corners Martha, destroys her gun, and takes her to the Valiant to execute her before the aged Doctor. As the countdown reaches zero, billions of people think of the Doctor simultaneously. This surge of energy rejuvenates the Tenth Doctor, allowing him to break free and force the Master to cower. Jack Harkness then destroys the Paradox Machine, causing time to snap back to just before the Toclafane appeared. In the restored timeline, the Master is shot by his wife Lucy and dies in the Doctor's arms, his body later cremated on a funeral pyre.

Reader's Guide

To understand this episode, viewers must note that it was originally planned for a live broadcast to crowds at Pride London in Trafalgar Square, but a local curfew following a terrorist bombing attempt prevented this. The production faced secrecy challenges similar to 'Doomsday' and 'Journey's End', with preview access strictly restricted. Director Colin Teague was injured during filming, requiring Graeme Harper to step in and direct some scenes. The episode ran over-length, resulting in a 50-minute initial broadcast slot on BBC One, though repeats aired as 55-minute segments to preserve the material. This installment marked the final regular use of Murray Gold's 2005 arrangement of the Doctor Who theme music before revisions began with 'Voyage of the Damned'. The cast notes reveal that Reggie Yates was credited as Leo Jones but only appeared in background shots due to being double-booked, and Tracie Simpson provided the uncredited hand that retrieves the Master's ring.

Did You Know?

• The episode 'Last of the Time Lords' was a subtitle proposed for a Doctor Who film in development from 1987 to 1994.
• The hand seen picking up the Master's ring from his funeral pyre belonged to uncredited production manager Tracie Simpson, who played it to hint at a potential return of the Rani.
• Despite being part of a three-part story with 'Utopia' and 'The Sound of Drums', writer Russell T Davies regards 'Utopia' as a separate story, calling the grouping arbitrary.
• The Master refers to the Scissor Sisters song playing in the background as 'track 3', its actual position on their album 'Ta-Dah'.
• Freema Agyeman and John Barrowman attended Pride London, where the episode was intended to be screened live before a curfew forced cancellation.