The Chimes of Midnight (serial)


*The following article is written from an Out of Universe perspective.*

The Chimes of Midnight was the sixth and final story of Season 37 of Doctor Who. It was written by Robert Shearman & Steven Moffat,^[1] directed by David Tucker and featured Michael French as the Doctor, Laurie Holden as Sammy Thompson and Gillian Kearney as Lou Madison.

This is the final story for the Ninth Doctor.

Synopsis

But something must be stirring. Something hidden in the shadows. Something which kills the servants of an old Georgian mansion in the most brutal and macabre manner possible. Exactly on the chiming of the hour, every hour, as the grandfather clock ticks on towards midnight. Trapped and afraid, the Doctor, Sammy and Lou are forced to play detective to murders with no motive, where the victims don't stay dead. Time is running out.

And time itself might well be the killer...

Plot

Part One

Thunderclaps - a large mansion comes into view. England 1719. The mansion lies empty, but a presence rumbles through the building, making itself known. The mansion feels alive.

Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor is working on repairs to the machine, as Sammy sits alone towards the side of the control room. Lou joins her and asks if she’s okay, and Sammy says that she is, but she’s just ‘thinking’. However, at that point, the lights in the TARDIS go dead, as a burst of electricity erupts around the Doctor. The Doctor scrambles out, quickly, as he tries to steer the TARDIS - but it’s no good as the TARDIS soon lands, and they could be anywhere.

The trio exit the TARDIS to find themselves in a cold, dank larder and as the trio explore, moving forwards through what seems to be a Georgian mansion, instantly familiar to Sammy, as she grew up in a simillar one in Virginia. However, soon, they discover that their interactions with the house seem to ‘undo’ themselves after a few minutes. Lou accidently knocks over a jar of jam when the Doctor returns to the TARDIS to get some tools, and when they exit, they notice the jar is back on the table, having reset itself and the stain on Lou’s clothes had disappeared too. Among other strange happenings in the house, Sammy discovers her name written in the dust, only for it to immediately disappear.

Meanwhile, in a slightly different version of the mansion, a scullery maid named Edith is ordered around the house to do menial chores and is treated poorly by all the household, including her master Mr Shaughnessy and kitchen maid Mrs Baddeley.

Continuing through the house, the Doctor, Sammy, and Lou discover they’ve arrived on Christmas, but the house seems to be abandoned. Sammy hears a faint voice singing ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’, close by, but so very faint. At the same time, Edith hears Sammy’s voice, talking to the Doctor, as the two realms become closer and closer.

The trio continue making their way through the house, continually discovering that it’s very difficult to make lasting impressions on the surrounding environment, as the resets become quicker and quicker. However, the Doctor, finally manages to discover a way to interact with it, but to their disturbance, the house’s environment begins to taunt them, making their journey through it very difficult.

In the other realm, a chauffeur called Frederick is shown to be in a relationship with one of the maids, Mary. This is discovered by Mrs Baddeley, who forces Frederick to tell her that it’s over. Mary has other plans.

Sammy, who seems to be able to hear parts of the confrontation, and Edith’s faint singing, tells the Doctor about it, and the trio soon try to follow the sound, as Sammy stumbles upon Edith taking a bath – but only she can see it. The Doctor and Lou watch, confused, as Sammy interacts with Edith and the two converses, and find themselves both getting on very well. But suddenly, Sammy hears another Edith, speak to her, from behind and tell her that Edith is going to die soon. As Sammy panics, both versions of Edith fade away. The Doctor says that they should all get to the TARDIS and try and get out of the mansion, but when they try and dematerialise the TARDIS fails.

Sammy insists that they leave, as she feels that some mysteries are best left alone, and there is something evil at work in this mansion. However, upon leaving the TARDIS again, after it continues to fail to dematerialise, again, the trio hear a loud scream – and this time all three can hear it. A loud clock chimes twelve, midnight, and the Doctor realises that they are trapped in this mansion…

Part Two

The Doctor, Sammy and Lou all hear Edith scream again as they head back to where Sammy saw here. They find Edith drowning and while the Doctor tries to save her, she dies. The household come to investigate the commotion and think she died by accidental suicide but the Doctor suspects otherwise, as he suspects it was murder. They then reveal they were expecting the Doctor, claiming he's Chief Inspector of Scotland Yard, to arrive and investigate. Mr Shaughnessy tells the Doctor he has access to anywhere he likes and can question whomever he wants and tells the household staff they are to answer every one of his questions except those concerning the going-ons of the house. The Doctor tells his companions that he has an unnerving feeling, but they ought to play along, saying he suspects the murder, and the time anomaly are linked when Lou asks which task they should be focusing on. The Doctor and his companions split up, and he interviews Shaughnessy while Sammy and Lou interview Mrs. Baddeley. Baddeley refuses to help the two of them since they won't taste her plum pudding while the Doctor learns about the residents of the house from him and Shaughnessy says he suspects Mrs Baddeley.

Sammy relents and tries some pudding but ends up behaving strangely and catching herself, excuses herself after asking Baddeley who she suspects, and Baddeley reveals she suspects Shaughnessy because he has "shifty eyes" (the same reason given by Shaughnessy to the Doctor). The Doctor interviews Frederick, the chauffeur, as Lou and Sammy interview Mary, both claiming their accused of also having "shifty eyes". Suddenly Sammy hears Edith again who reveals she needs to find out who murdered her, to not forget her, that another murder will occur and finally Edward Grove is alive. Sammy yells for the Doctor who finds her, but they discover that Mrs. Baddeley has been the next victim and has been stuffed with her own pudding. The household believe it another suicide and the Doctor asks them to leave so he can consult with his assistants. He reveals that he suspects they are playing a game and they know a few things, that the murders occur on the hour and something strange occurs each time, such as Mrs Baddeley being stuffed with her own pudding. Lou realises that the murders are occurring too quickly to be an hour apart and an impressed Doctor reasons that the killer must be speeding up time and they set off to find a clock. Frederick and Mary meet, and their warped perception of the events begins to take hold as they forget about Edith and reaffirm their devotion to each other.

The Doctor, Sammy and Lou find Shaughnessy and ask for his pocket watch but he refuses. They decide that they will go upstairs to find the grandfather clock that keeps striking but Shaughnessy holds them at gunpoint. The Doctor then tricks Shaughnessy to give up his pocket watch, and they end up not going upstairs. The Doctor explains to his companions that the entity sees them as a threat but cannot work out how to respond to them which is why he was able to convince Shaughnessy. They find the watch behaving strangely and call the house members together to see what will happen and who may be murdered only to find that they cannot remember Edith. They split up again despite the Doctor's warnings, claiming there is household work to return to and the grandfather clock strikes midnight...

The Doctor and his companions are returned to the scullery and find that things have reverted back, then find Edith dead, having been suffocated to death by a plunger. The household members find them, with Mrs. Baddeley still alive and the events of before have repeated themselves, seeming as if the three have gone back in time. This time the Doctor, Sammy and Lou find a third scribble in the dust, with the name Edward Grove, and attempt to deduce what is happening. The three splits up again to investigate. The Doctor questions Frederick and asks him to take him for a drive but Frederick refuses, then attempts to open the door to go outside the house but the two reveals that their master has instructed them to kill him if he attempts to leave. The Doctor decides to play along further, and Frederick and Mary say they suspect that they killed Edith. Sammy, in the meantime, questions Mrs Baddeley and discovers some of her more disturbing traits. The Doctor learns that Frederick and Mary were to kill Mrs. Baddeley but don't remember who Edith is. Mrs. Baddeley disturbs Sammy, saying she had already died. A confused Sammy is then contacted mentally by Edith who says she is forgetting her and mentions Edward Grove and finally doesn't understand why she had to die but Sammy can live. Just then another death occurs, this time Frederick's. However, Mary is thought to be the scullery maid despite Sammy trying to remind them of Edith and they all resume their work. The Doctor, Sammy and Lou attempt to understand what they've misunderstood, and Sammy storms out when the Doctor tries to explain to her, she's misremembering things. Sammy goes to find Edith's dust signature, but it has disappeared, and Edith appears to her, saying she is forgetting her, and they need to find Edward Grove. The Doctor attempts to go to the forbidden upstairs and is stopped by Shaughnessy holding him at gunpoint…

Part Three

The Doctor is stopped by Shaughnessy holding him at gunpoint, revealing that Shaughnessy was manipulated by the outside force as he himself reveals he doesn't feel in control. The Doctor then has Shaughnessy confirm his suspicions, that the name Edward Grove is actually the name of the house. The Doctor explains that it's the house doing the murders. The household are called to action to kill the Doctor and in the process, they call forth Sammy who has also come under the control of the house. However, as the clock strikes twelve time is reversed and the Doctor reveals that it seems even the entity itself doesn't have complete control.

As Lou finds herself alone in the house, she notices the walls close in on her, as she continually tries to find the Doctor. She then sees Edith being killed, again and again as she walks through the hallways. Lou then sees for a split second of time, not Edith being killed, but this time Sammy, in her place – in the same exact way.

The Doctor and Sammy arrive back in the scullery where Edith has been clubbed to death this time and the household, forgetting the finer details, go back to their duties. The Doctor, Sammy and Lou reunited, and the Doctor tells them that the house is performing this and that it's slowly trying to make them part of its narrative. He reveals that all the traumatic events and memories that may have happened in the walls of the house, seem to have been absorbed by the building itself and causing its sentience.

The Doctor tells Sammy and Lou that for their safety they must return to the TARDIS, and he will stay in the house and break them free. Sammy argues saying that they can be of use, and he needs them, but the Doctor snaps and tells her to ‘do as she is told’. Sammy, furiously storms off, leaving Lou with the Doctor. The Doctor tells Lou to go after her and keep her safe. Lou enters the TARDIS, bracing herself… but when she steps inside, she finds Sammy, but not standing inside the TARDIS, standing inside a huge ballroom. Sammy simply tells Lou that this was the ball held for her sixteenth birthday, and that it was the happiest day of her life. Sammy gazes over at a young man and smiles before Lou alarmingly points out the slaves serving drinks. Sammy says that Edward Grove seems to be connecting with her, and for some reason it wants her back there, back in Virginia, back at her birthday ball – 1719.

The Doctor returns to the staircase and speaks again to Shaughnessy, blocking his passage once more. Shaughnessy tells the Doctor that Samantha Thompson is going to die – and then corrects himself to saying that Samantha Thompson is dead – and then says Samantha Thompson should be dead.

Sammy walks out of the ballroom to the outside world, and when Lou follows her, she finds that they aren’t in the gardens but instead on a battlefield – the Battle of Culloden. Sammy sees herself fighting a redcoat with a cutlass, smiling as she remembers the moment that she boarded the TARDIS – but it doesn’t happen, the Doctor doesn’t appear. And then – the redcoat takes Sammy’s cutlass and stabs her with it – killing her. Reacting, Sammy also feels it and falls the to ground, as she realises – she was supposed to die. Lou looks horrified as she runs away, back through the ballroom and back through the TARDIS doors into the larder.

The Doctor bumps into Lou running out of the TARDIS as he walks into the larder. The Doctor asks what’s wrong, but Lou tells him that the house has control of the TARDIS and it’s showing Sammy the most horrible things. The Doctor solemnly says that he thought this might happen, as he grabs Lou’s hand and they both enter. They arrive inside the TARDIS control room – Sammy nowhere in sight. Lou says she doesn’t understand, and the Doctor suggests maybe Edward Grove has suspended control. But then they see at the console Sammy – and the Doctor – as the Doctor offers her the chance to see the universe. The Doctor and Lou look on as the Doctor asks Lou to recount exactly what she saw earlier and then the Doctor says that he knows what’s happened and he is so very sorry… The Doctor then shouts out, to the house, that he’s worked it out and it can stop now. The surroundings around them vanish and the Doctor, Lou and Sammy appear together in the larder. Just the three of them hear the grandfather clock striking again and the house begins to reform around them…

Part Four

As the house reforms around the Doctor, Sammy and Lou, the Doctor explains that they are stuck in a time loop, as it’s as if the house has had an allergic reaction to them – and then he softly adds ‘to Sammy’. Sammy doesn’t understand, but Lou does, as she tries to explain to Sammy that her life is a paradox – but then, before much more can be said, the house takes Sammy away, as she vanishes into thin air, with a scream. The Doctor shouts out, asking for Sammy to be returned – but then, Lou disappears too in a simillar manner. The Doctor, now alone, walks to the bottom of the staircase where he once again sees Shaughnessy’s body, inhabited by Edward Grove, as he readies to hear what is to be said.

Sammy and Lou meanwhile are returned to the larder, in a slightly different realm, and they are faced with Edith again, in front of them. However, Edith looks different – the way she’d look in ten, fifteen years and far larger – and then, Sammy realises. Flash – Sammy and Lou are transported back to the ballroom in 1731, and Sammy begins running, through the room towards the kitchens – Lou follows her – and in the kitchen she finds the older Edith. Sammy tells Lou that Edith, in 1731, was the head chef at her family’s estate in Virginia, and her first job must’ve been at Edward Grove, as a scullery maid. Sammy says that she didn’t recognise Edith because she was so young and thin – but now, it’s obvious. The older Edith then speaks telling Sammy that ‘she waited for her’ and ‘she died because of her’…

The Doctor and Edward Grove chat and the Doctor condemns Edward's horrific treatment of the household. He further questions the point of Grove's existence, but Grove reveals it is enough for him to simply exist, even if it means keeping the others enslaved and the paradox going.

The older Edith explains to Sammy that throughout her entire life she was treated horribly and with contempt, and that everyone she knew hated her – that was until as a child, Sammy, befriended her cook, Edith, and showed her a bit of kindness. Edith says that Sammy showed everyone such warmth and kindness – even the manor’s slaves, who everyone else ridiculed and abused, Sammy became friends with. Sammy just says that it was childish naivety, and she didn’t understand what her family were doing to them, but Edith says that it was pure kindness, and that she made everyone feel valued.

The Doctor continues to barter with Edward Grove, but it says that it’s all out of his control and the paradox will be sustained unless Samantha Thompson ends it and mends the web of time. The Doctor, painfully, lashes out at Edward Grove telling it that it knows nothing about the web of time, or it’s implications, but the house says that the web of time has been damaged and only one woman can fix it – with her life.

Edith takes Sammy and Lou on a tour of the manor, as they see recognisable features which are also in Edward Grove. Edith tells Sammy that the house took parts of her life and extrapolated it, creating all the different characters in the house. When Sammy asks why everyone keeps dying in Edward Grove, Edith tells her that it’s because she died. It’s because Edith died for Sammy.

Edward Grove tells the Doctor that Sammy’s very presence is what’s giving it sentience, giving it life. The paradox can only sustain itself in such a huge and colossal way.

Edith takes Sammy and Lou to 1746, where Edith looks even older, now looking the spit of Mrs Baddeley, complete with a plumb pudding. They watch Edith as she gets the news that Sammy was killed in the Battle of Culloden, by a British solider, which makes the whole family even more angry. But despite Edith being heartbroken by this, the family, didn’t allow her to mourn Sammy’s death, all too struck up in their own grief and anger to care about Edith. Not wanting to live without Sammy and such kindness, which the family were failing to show her, even though they were all grieving, Edith killed herself in the kitchens on Christmas Eve 1746.

The Doctor tells Edward Grove that it must relinquish its life and free all the people trapped inside – people who wandered into the grounds over the years and forced to play parts in the house’s play, but Grove says that it would rather kill all of them than give life up, as the universe is owed a debt.

Edith, now young again, takes Sammy and Lou back to the kitchens of Edward Grove. Edith says that Sammy was supposed to die in 1746, and she must make a choice… her life or Edith’s. Edith hands Sammy a knife, gesturing towards heart. Telling her to sacrifice herself and free everyone of Edward Grove’s, and the paradox’s wrath. Lou tells Sammy to stop, but she says it’s something she has to do. Edith smiles.

The Doctor runs in and stops Sammy, seeing what she’s about to do – Edith and Shaughnessy merge into one another, becoming a floating entity of energy – the paradox itself. The Doctor tells Sammy and Lou to get to the TARDIS, and he will do what is necessary. Sammy forbids the Doctor telling him that he can’t die, he can’t sacrifice himself, but he instructs the house to take the two of them away – as they transport into the hallway. Edward Grove tells the Doctor that ‘a life for a life’ is what must be done to stop the paradox. The Doctor then takes the knife and stabs both of his hearts, as the entity fades away in a scream, and the house begins falling apart, like an earthquake - and all the people inside the house vanish and are returned to their own lives.

The Doctor stumbles into the larder, as he feels his body overcome with pain. He breaths in deeply, seeing the TARDIS ahead of him, as he reaches inside his jacket pocket for the key. Sammy and Lou run through the house, trying to escape and to find the Doctor. The Doctor falls to the floor of the larder, his face hitting the cold wet ground as he sees a warm bright light emerge from the TARDIS and overcome his field of view. As the light grows brighter, a figure emerges from it and a smile appears on the Doctor’s face as he sees Janet Wells, standing before him – a ghostly vision, beckoning him to the TARDIS. The Doctor speaks: ‘Janet, how sorry I am’, as a single tear rolls down Janet’s face, stepping back into the light, and slowly vanishing as she continues to beckon the Doctor. The Doctor manages to get up off the floor, finding the strength to move, just as Sammy and Lou make it into the larder and they both take the Doctor in their arms, helping him into the TARDIS. Once inside, the Doctor manages to set the TARDIS into flight, leaving Edward Grove. The Doctor suddenly falls to the floor, as he tells his companions that he will be ‘going now’ and they need to treat his replacement with the utmost respect. The two of them look confused, as a warm orange glow appears around the Doctor’s hand – and then it spreads, to his face and soon to his entire body. The glow encapsulates the room, as it becomes too bright for Sammy and Lou, making their vision incredibly blurred and distorted, all the while the Doctor’s face begins to remorph and remodel behind the light. The Doctor, in his last moments, quickly whispers ‘take care of the universe, Doctor, I put a lot of work into it’… and then – the light fades away, Sammy and Lou walk forwards, finally able to see, finally able to look at the man who lays before them – a new man – the Doctor.

Cast

Special Guest Appearance By

Rakie Ayola as Janet

And Introducing

Richard E. Grant as the Doctor

Crew

Created by Sydney Newman, Donald Wilson and C.E. Webber
Executive Producer - David Renwick

Writers - Robert Shearman & Steven Moffat
Producer - Sue Vertue
Script Editor - Steven Moffat
Director - David Tucker

Director of Photography - Geoff Harrison
Production Designer - Jonathan Taylor
Visual Effects - The Mill
Make-Up Designer - Vanessa White
Casting Director - Andy Pryor
Music - Rob Lane
- with Additional Music by Francesco Sartori, Lucio Quarantotto
Costume Designer - James Baylan
Edited by - Mark Lawrence
Special Effects - Chris Lawson, Peter Kersey

Memorable Quotes

To be added.

Background Information

Development

To be added.

Pre-Production

To be added.

Production

To be added.

Post-Production

To be added.

Reaction

Part One received a 7-Day Viewing Figure from BARB of 8.98m viewers. It ranked at 29th over the week.
Part Two received a 7-Day Viewing Figure from BARB of 9.13m viewers. It ranked at 20th over the week.
Part Three received a 7-Day Viewing Figure from BARB of 9.45m viewers. It ranked at 16th over the week.
Part Four received a 7-Day Viewing Figure from BARB of 9.81m viewers. It ranked at 17th over the week.

Story Notes

This is the first four-part story since (DW: Resurrection of the Autons).
Part Four didn't feature the Doctor Who theme over the ending credits, replacing it instead with the ending of "Time To Say Goodbye" continuing on from the regeneration scene. It is the second episode to not feature the Doctor Who theme in the ending credits, following Part Four of (DW: Earthshock), but the first to have another piece playing over it.
This is the last Doctor Who story recorded entirely on film.

Continuity

To be added.

Home Video Releases

To be added.

Footnotes

↑ Parts 1-2 were written by Robert Shearman, while Parts 3-4 were co-written with Script Editor, Steven Moffat.

[1] Parts 1-2 were written by Robert Shearman, while Parts 3-4 were co-written with Script Editor, Steven Moffat.

[1]