The Lodger
- Episode aired Jul 10, 2010
- TV-PG
- 43m
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
7.3K
YOUR RATING
After the TARDIS teleports without him, the doctor tries to find out what is stopping it from landing and traces it to a seemingly ordinary, two storey house.After the TARDIS teleports without him, the doctor tries to find out what is stopping it from landing and traces it to a seemingly ordinary, two storey house.After the TARDIS teleports without him, the doctor tries to find out what is stopping it from landing and traces it to a seemingly ordinary, two storey house.
Tom Baker
- The Doctor
- (archive footage)
- (uncredited)
Jon Davey
- Call Centre Worker
- (uncredited)
- …
Christopher Eccleston
- The Doctor
- (archive footage)
- (uncredited)
William Hartnell
- The Doctor
- (archive footage)
- (uncredited)
Andy Jones
- Avatar Young Man
- (uncredited)
Paul McGann
- The Doctor
- (archive footage)
- (uncredited)
Jon Pertwee
- The Doctor
- (archive footage)
- (uncredited)
Ben Peyton
- Avatar
- (voice)
- (uncredited)
Billie Piper
- Rose Tyler
- (archive footage)
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- Gareth Roberts
- Steven Moffat
- Sydney Newman(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIn about the middle, the Doctor goes to play in a game of football. When Matt Smith was 16, before he became an actor, he was a football player for Leicester City Football Club, but had to stop due to issues with spondylolysis.
- GoofsDespite the doctor filling the teapot with a whole box full of teabags, when he tips the liquid into Craig's mouth we can see into the teapot to see it's clearly only filled with water.
- Quotes
The Doctor: I'm the Doctor. Well, they call me the Doctor; I don't know why. I call me the Doctor, too. I still don't know why.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Doctor Who Confidential: Extra Time (2010)
Featured review
" This is Going To Be Worse Than I Expected "
I didn't have high hopes for this episode . Sure I was prejudiced since it was written by Gareth Roberts who's probably a love him or hate him type of writer . His last co-written contribution to the show Planet Of The Dead is in my opinion the worst episode of NuWho . Add to this the previous " Next Time "trailer gave away the entire premise of " an alien lodger traps humans in a flat " and there is no surprises left in the story , a story that is completely threadbare . so Roberts pads it out with comedy . The unfortunate thing is Roberts has a natural grasp for comedy as Sarah Palin has a natural grasp for science . Roberts has written an episode where the Doctor pratfalls about trying to impress us with his zany persona . Unfortunately Smith is as suited for comedy as the Taliban are suited for female equality . It's nice to know that I'm not the only one here who found Smith's performance bordering on the embarrassing , and I thought Love And Monsters was a work of twisted genius . Please can we have no more comedy episodes , especially if the episode centres around the Doctor ?
Having said that Smith shouldn't be blamed too much since the script is problematic in other areas , especially where internal continuity and internal logic are concerned . The Doctor has spent long periods of his many lives living amongst humans . The Pertwee era was very Earth bound , likewise NuWho but for some reason the Doctor claims he doesn't know what it's like to be human ? I wonder if Roberts is only a fan of the Doctor Who episodes he writes ? As for the internal logic I know the show is often classed as " fantasy " but is that any reason to have so much dumbness involved ? An alien poses as a lodger on present day Earth , he tricks passing humans in to his room . Okay there's a suspension of disbelief involved but it's not beyond saving . However what brings the illusion crashing down is there's no reality/realism involved . Isn't there news reports of people going missing in the area etc ? There's an element of " oh well it's Doctor Who therefore we'll not bother making anything sensible " at play here
In conclusion The Lodger is an off the wall comedy episode produced to tie with the 2010 World Cup but one that fails miserably on every level . In fact it's very fitting that an hour after it was broadcast England goal keeper let in a howler against the USA . This is the season five equivalent of that howler , a season that has failed to take take off for me and the trailer for next weeks episode has me believing that this will almost certainly be the worst season of NuWho produced . In fact you'll have to go back to the mid/late 1980s to see a DOCTOR WHO season that has been as disappointing as this
Having said that Smith shouldn't be blamed too much since the script is problematic in other areas , especially where internal continuity and internal logic are concerned . The Doctor has spent long periods of his many lives living amongst humans . The Pertwee era was very Earth bound , likewise NuWho but for some reason the Doctor claims he doesn't know what it's like to be human ? I wonder if Roberts is only a fan of the Doctor Who episodes he writes ? As for the internal logic I know the show is often classed as " fantasy " but is that any reason to have so much dumbness involved ? An alien poses as a lodger on present day Earth , he tricks passing humans in to his room . Okay there's a suspension of disbelief involved but it's not beyond saving . However what brings the illusion crashing down is there's no reality/realism involved . Isn't there news reports of people going missing in the area etc ? There's an element of " oh well it's Doctor Who therefore we'll not bother making anything sensible " at play here
In conclusion The Lodger is an off the wall comedy episode produced to tie with the 2010 World Cup but one that fails miserably on every level . In fact it's very fitting that an hour after it was broadcast England goal keeper let in a howler against the USA . This is the season five equivalent of that howler , a season that has failed to take take off for me and the trailer for next weeks episode has me believing that this will almost certainly be the worst season of NuWho produced . In fact you'll have to go back to the mid/late 1980s to see a DOCTOR WHO season that has been as disappointing as this
helpful•21104
- Theo Robertson
- Jun 13, 2010
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Filming locations
- Lanelay Hall Hotel, Pontyclun, Wales, UK(Craig's workplace)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime43 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 16:9 HD
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