Asylum of the Daleks
The Doctor faces insane Daleks in the Asylum.
"Asylum of the Daleks" is the first episode of the seventh series of Doctor Who, broadcast on BBC One on 1 September 2012. Written by executive producer Steven Moffat and directed by Nick Hurran, it features the Doctor, Amy, and Rory being captured by the Daleks and sent to a planet where insane Daleks are exiled. The episode marks the first appearance of Jenna-Louise Coleman as Oswin, before she returned as the Doctor's new companion.
Quick Facts
- Number
- 226
- Doctor
- Matt Smith – Eleventh Doctor
- Companions
- Karen Gillan – Amy Pond; Arthur Darvill – Rory Williams
- Director
- Nick Hurran
- Writer
- Steven Moffat
- Producer
- Marcus Wilson
- Executive producers
- Steven Moffat; Caroline Skinner
- Composer
- Murray Gold
Facts from the source article.
Plot
A prequel released to iTunes on 1 September 2012 shows a hooded messenger giving the Eleventh Doctor coordinates to Skaro, the Dalek home planet. The Doctor is lured into a trap by Darla von Karlsen and kidnapped by the Daleks, taken to the Parliament of the Daleks along with Amy and Rory, who are nearly divorced. The Daleks request the Doctor's help: a starliner called the Alaska has crashed into the Asylum, a planet housing insane Daleks, rupturing its force field. The Parliament wants to destroy the planet remotely but cannot due to the force field. The Doctor, Amy, and Rory are tasked with deactivating the force field from the planet. The Doctor plans an escape via a teleporter to the Dalek ship, while Oswin, a surviving crew member of the Alaska, agrees to deactivate the force field in exchange for rescue. Rory and Amy reconcile after Amy reveals she let Rory go because her captivity at Demon's Run left her unable to have children.
Production
Steven Moffat decided in 2011 that the Daleks needed a break. He believed they had appeared so often that they had become the universe's most reliably beatable villains. While people remembered them as terrifying, Moffat felt they had grown "cuddly" over time as British icons, losing their true menace. With this episode, he wanted to restore their fear factor by introducing Daleks considered even more insane than usual. Karen Gillan admitted she had never found the Daleks scary before filming this story. It was also the first Dalek script Moffat had written for the series, and he said he "couldn't resist" the chance. In March 2012, Jenna-Louise Coleman was announced as the next companion, debuting in the 2012 Christmas special. Moffat came up with the idea for her to appear here as Oswin, which was not part of the original plan. Coleman initially thought it was an audition to see which character suited her. Her scenes were shot over six days on a closed set using a green screen. At the time, it was unclear if her later character was the same as Oswin, but "The Snowmen" later made a connection evident.
Broadcast and reception
The episode was preview screened at BFI Southbank on 14 August 2012, and at the MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival during 23–25 August. It was also screened in New York City and Toronto on 25 August. The public broadcast occurred on 1 September on BBC One in the UK, BBC America in the US, and Space in Canada, and on 2 September on ABC iView in Australia. Overnight UK figures showed 6.4 million viewers, the lowest overnight for a revived series premiere, but it won its timeslot. The final consolidated rating was 8.33 million, ranking third for the week on BBC One. It was the most-viewed episode on BBC iPlayer the day it aired and ended September with 2.2 million requests. In the US, it was watched by 1.555 million viewers, becoming the most watched telecast in BBC America's history. In Australia, it was viewed 75,000 times on ABC iView, a record. In Canada, 620,000 watched on Space, Doctor Who's second-best ratings for the channel. In New Zealand, it attracted 171,690 viewers on Prime, the highest rated show on the channel that day.
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