| "Destination: Skaro" | |||
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| Doctor Who charity special | |||
| Cast | |||
Others
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| Production | |||
| Directed by | Jamie Donoughue | ||
| Written by | Russell T Davies | ||
| Produced by |
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| Executive producer(s) | Russell T Davies | ||
| Series | 2023 specials | ||
| Running time | 5 minutes | ||
| First broadcast | 17 November 2023 (2023-11-17) | ||
| Chronology | |||
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"Destination: Skaro", also known as "Doctor Who Children in Need Special 2023",[1] is a 5-minute mini-episode of the Britishscience fiction television seriesDoctor Who. It first aired on 17 November 2023, onBBC One as part of the 2023Children in Need special. "Destination: Skaro" is the second television appearance ofDavid Tennant as theFourteenth Doctor and precededDoctor Who'ssixtieth anniversary specials. In the episode, a newlyregenerated incarnation ofthe Doctor mistakenly lands onSkaro at the timeDavros is creating theDaleks. It was written byRussell T Davies, theDoctor Whoshowrunner, and directed byJamie Donoughue. The special received positive reviews but was met with criticism from some fans for the changes made to Davros.
OnSkaro,Davros unveils his newest creation to Mr. Castavillian, a "travel machine" he describes as the future of theKaled race. After explaining the numerous features, Castavillian suggests several names for this creation to Davros, all of which are anagrams of Kaled. Davros isn't satisfied with any of the proposed names and briefly exits the room. Sixty minutes afterregenerating,the Doctor crash-lands in theTARDIS, destroying part of the creation. The Doctor initially questions Castavillian as to why his previous face has returned before recognizing the now partially-destroyed creation as aDalek. Castavillian takes note of the name as the Doctor says he's lucky he wasn't exterminated, a word Castavillian also notes. Realizing he's at the moment Daleks were first created, the Doctor gives Castavillian aplunger to replace its broken arm. The Doctor then departs just as Davros returns. Davros momentarily ponders the modified Dalek and accepts the changes.
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Doctor Who showrunnerRussell T Davies wrote andexecutive produced the special which wasproduced by Vicky Delow andScott Handcock.[2] Chronologically, it takes place after theFourteenth Doctor comicLiberation of the Daleks and is an indirectprequel to the 1975 television serialGenesis of the Daleks.[3] It also bridged the gap between "The Power of the Doctor" (2022) and "The Star Beast" (2023).[4][3] Davros was written to beable-bodied, a change from previous episodes in which the character used awheelchair and had significant scarring. Davies explained that in any future episodes featuring Davros, he would appear the same way because he and the production team disagreed with commontropes that associatedphysical disabilities with antagonists.[5]
There's a problem with the Davros of old, in that he's a wheelchair user who is evil. There's a long tradition of associating disability with evil but time, society, culture and taste has moved on. When the world changes,Doctor Who has to change as well. Especially onChildren in Need night, when issues of disability and otherness come right to the front of the conversation.
— Russell T Davies[6]
The episode alsocanonically explains how the Daleks came to haveplunger-like devices in their design.[7][8]Jamie Donoughue directed "Destination: Skaro" which was filmed atBad Wolf Studios inCardiff, Wales. Filming occurred 18 April 2023 while thefourteenth series was still in production. The Dalek prop was brought in fromGlasgow.[2][9]David Tennant made his second televised appearance in the special as the Fourteenth Doctor following a brief cameo in "The Power of the Doctor".[10] Tennant filmed the episode on his birthday which was celebrated by the production team.[2]Mawaan Rizwan appeared in the special as Mr Castavillian.[11][12]Julian Bleach reprised his role asDavros, a character Bleach previously portrayed in 2008 and 2015.[13]Barnaby Edwards returned to operate the Dalek prop which was voiced byNicholas Briggs.[2]
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"Destination: Skaro" was broadcast onBBC One on 17 November 2023 as part ofChildren in Need.[14] It was accompanied by an episode ofDoctor Who: Unleashed.[15] The fullChildren in Need special was seen by 3.77 million viewers.[16] Anovelisation written bySteve Cole was released on 5 September 2024 as part ofThe Official Annual 2025[17][18] and on 19 September 2024 inFifteen Doctors 15 Stories as part of the Fourteenth Doctor entryFleeting Faces.[19][20]
Reviewing it forBleeding Cool, Adi Tantimedh rated the episode 10/10 and wrote that the five-minute episode featured whatDoctor Who had been missing for five-years under preceding showrunnerChris Chibnall. He went on to call it "consistently surprising and hilarious" and a "masterclass in storytelling and comedy acting".[4]Nerdgazm's Jack Trestrail praised Tennant's performance, writing that he was "energised as ever" and explaining the special was "a real breath of fresh air after 13 months off the air". Trestrail went on to note the differences between Tennant'sTenth Doctor, opining that the Fourteenth felt "more human, and much less filled with rage".[21] The mini-episode received some controversy from fans forretroactively turning Davros into an able-bodied character.[15][22][23][24][25]
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