| The following article is written from an Out of Universe perspective. |
Past Tense was the sixth story of Season 39 of Doctor Who. It was written by Paul Cornell, directed by Joe Ahearne and featured Richard E. Grant as the Doctor and Anna Hope as Sandra Armstrong.
It featured Sandra's ancestor, Jaina Armstrong, and established much of Sandra's background which was first hinted at in No Sky in Space.
Furthermore, this story hugely contributed to one of the show's most omnipresent topics: the consequences of time travel, specifically meddling with fixed points in history. This story demonstrated one of the consequences of preventing/delaying a fixed occurrence in someone's timeline, with death being used as an example for this episode. It also introduced the idea that one's actions also counted as fixed events and therefore could not be undone. The latter contribution did away with the question of why the Doctor never bothered to go back in time and undo his mistakes. Through these contributions, the show was able to firmly establish some of time travel's cardinal rules, which would clarify many events in previous episodes and set limitations for the rest of the show.
Synopsis
On the morning of the 25th August 2002, Jaina Armstrong drove through the city of Lincoln, England. There she was supposed to reveal a new statue in the city centre but she never made it. On the morning of the 25th August 2002, Jaina Armstrong was shot. The assassin was never found out and now Jaina’s descendant, Sandra Armstrong, is going to find out exactly who killed her ancestor.
Plot
To be added.
Cast
- The Doctor - Richard E. Grant
- Commander Sandra Armstrong - Anna Hope
- Jaina Armstrong - Penelope Wilton
To be added.
Crew
- Created by Sydney Newman, Donald Wilson and C.E. Webber
- Executive Producer - David Renwick
- Writer - Paul Cornell
- Producer - Bill Shapter
- Script Editor - Russell T Davies
- Director - Joe Ahearne
- Director of Photography - Ernie Vincze
- Production Designer - Jon Bunker
- Visual Effects - The Mill
- Make-Up Designer - Davy Jones
- Casting Director - Andy Pryor
- Music - Murray Gold
- Costume Designer - Lucinda Wright
- Edited by - Mike Jones
- Special Effects - Bryan Stanislas
Memorable Quotes
To be added.
Background Information
Development
- This story was developed by writer, Paul Cornell and Script Editor, Russell T Davies.
- This story had a working title of "Wounded Time".
Pre-Production
- To be added.
Production
- To be added.
Post-Production
- To be added.
Reaction
- This episode received a 7-Day Viewing Figure from BARB of 8.82m viewers. It ranked at 19th over the week.
Story Notes
- To be added.
Continuity
- To be added.
Home Video Releases
To be added.