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7.X The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe

Broadcast Details

Series / Episode No.
Episode Title
Transmission Date
Duration
Ratings (Millions)
Season
Doctor
Producer(s)
Script Editor
Written By
Directed By
7
Eleventh / Matt Smith
Marcus Wilson
Denise Paul
Steven Moffat
Farren Blackburn

Regular Cast

The Doctor — Eleventh / Matt Smith

Guest Cast

Madge Arwell – Claire Skinner
Cyril Arwell – Maurice Cole
Lily Arwell – Holly Earl
Reg Arwell – Alexander Armstrong
Co-pilot – Sam Stockman
Droxil – Bill Bailey
Ven-Garr – Paul Bazely
Billis – Arabella Weir
Wooden King – Spencer Wilding
Wooden Queen – Paul Kasey

Production Team

General production staff

Production Executive – Julie Scott
Line Producer – Diana Barton
Associate Producer – Denise Paul
Production Manager – Phillipa Cole
Location Manager – Iwan Roberts
Location Assistant – Beccy Jones
Unit Manager – Rhys Griffiths
Production Co-ordinator – Claire Hildred
Production Assistant – Sandra Cosfeld
Production Accountant – Richard McNeill
A/Production Accountant – Rhys Evans

Camera and lighting department

1st Assistant Director – Matthew Shrivener
2nd Assistant Director – James DeHaviland
3rd Assistant Director – Heddi-Joy Taylor-Welch
Assistant Director – Danielle Richards
Script Supervisor – Caroline Holder
Camera Operator – Joe Russell
Focus Pullers – Simon Walton, Jonathan Vidgen
Grip – Gary Norman
Assistant Grip – Owen Charnley
Camera Assistants – Tom Hartley, Rebecca Pescod, Owain Thatcher
Boom Operator – Paul Naughton
Gaffer – Mark Hutchings
Best Boy – Stephen Slocombe
Electricians – Gafin Riley, Gareth Sheldon, Matt Wilson

Art department

Art Director – Karl Probert
Assistant Art Director – Dan Martin
Art Department Assistant – Richard Hardy
Art Department Production Manager – Ben Morris
Petty Cash Buyer – Holly McCarthy
Set Decorator – Adrian Anscombe
Props Buyer – Lizzi Wilson
Graphic Artist – Christina Tom
Standby Props – Phill Shellard, Helen Atherton
Standby Carpenter – Will Pope
Prop Hands – Michael Elkins, Austin J. Curtis, Tom Belton
Standby Art Director – Sophia Stapleton
Standby Rigger – Bryan Griffiths
Scenic Painters – John Whalley, Steven Fudge
Prop Master – Bernie Davies
Props Chargehand – Mathew Tooher
Props Makers – Penny Howarth, Nicholas Robatto
Construction Manager – Scott Fisher
Construction Chargehand – Brian Jones
Practical Electrician – Albert James
Graphics – BBC Wales Graphics

Costume department

Costume Supervisor – Rebecca Duncan
Costume Assistants – Gemma Evans, Claire Polydorou, Lloyd Middleton
Make-up and prosthetics
Make-up Artists – Vivienne Simpson, Julie Davies
Prosthetics – Millennium FX

Movement

Stunt Co-ordinators – Crispin Layfield, Gordon Seed
Stunt Performers – Will Willoughby, Tracy Caudle

Casting

Casting Associate – Alice Purser

General post-production staff

Post-production Supervisor – Nerys Davies
Post-production Co-ordinator – Marie Brown
Assistant Editor – Becky Trotman
On-line Conform – Mark Bright
On-line Editors – Matt Mullins, Jeremy Lott

Special and visual effects

Additional Visual Effects – BBC Wales Graphics, Space Digital
VFX Editor – Joel Skinner
Colourist – Mick Vincent

Sound

Sound Recordist – Robert Flanagan
Dubbing Mixer – Tim Ricketts
Dialogue Editor – Darran Clement
ADR Editor – Matthew Cox
Sound Effects Editor – Paul Jefferies
Foley Editor – Jamie Talbutt
Sound Assistant – Abdul Amoud

Synopsis

Set during World War II, the Doctor helps Madge Arwell and her children, Lily and Cyril, who have been evacuated to a country house. The house hides a portal to an alien forest under threat from harvesting machines. When Cyril is taken, Madge ventures into the forest to rescue him. Her love restores balance, saving the trapped life force. The Doctor ensures the family is reunited, delivering an emotional Christmas miracle.

Merchandise Releases

Multimedia

Frequently Asked Questions

What is ΓÇ£The Doctor, the Widow, and the WardrobeΓÇ¥ about?

This Christmas special follows the Eleventh Doctor as he helps Madge Arwell and her children in a magical forest that is actually a disguised alien spaceship.

What is the wardrobe?

The wardrobe acts as a portal and symbol of transition, connecting Earth to the alien environment hidden within the forest structure.

What is the alien threat?

The forest is a cover for a damaged alien spaceship that is slowly destroying itself and everything within it unless it is properly guided.

Who is Madge Arwell?

Madge is a wartime widow who must guide her children through the forest while uncovering the truth behind the strange environment and its dangers.

How does this episode fit into Doctor Who?

This Christmas special emphasizes hope and family in Doctor Who, showing a warmer, more fairy-tale tone in the era of the Eleventh Doctor.