Dinosaurs on a Spaceship (Doctor Who, Series 7 Episode 2) - Episode Guide

The Doctor - Matt Smith
Amy Pond - Karen Gillan
Rory Williams - Arthur Darvill

Riddell - Rupert Graves
Brian Williams - Mark Williams
Solomon - David Bradley
Queen Nefertiti - Riann Steele
Indira - Sunetra Sarker
Robot 1 - Noel Byrne
Robot 2 - Richard Garaghty
Bleytal - Richard Hope
ISA Worker - Rudi Dharmalingam
Robot 1 Voice - David Mitchell
Robot 2 Voice - Robert Webb

Stunt Coordinators - Crispin Layfield, Gordon Seed
Stunt Performers - Will Willoughby, Rob Cooper, Mike Lambert

First Assistant Director - Nick Brown
Second Assistant Director - James Dehaviland
Third Assistant Director - Heddi-Joy Taylor-Welch
Assistant Director - Danielle Richards
Location Manager - Iwan Roberts
Unit Manager - Geraint Williams
Production Manager - Phillipa Cole
Production Coordinator - Claire Hildred
Asst. Production Coordinator - Gabriella Ricci
Production Secretary - Sandra Cosfeld
Production Assistants - Rachel Vipond, Samantha Price
Asst. Production Accountant - Rhys Evans
Script Supervisor - Lindsay Grant
Camera Operator - Joe Russell
Focus Pullers - Steve Rees, James Scott
Grip - Gary Norman
Camera Assistants - Meg De Koning, Sam Smithard, Cai Thompson
Assistant Grip - Owen Charnley
Sound Maintenance Engineers - Jeff Welch, Chris Goding
Gaffer - Mark Hutchings
Best Boy - Stephen Slocombe
Electricians - Bob Milton, Gareth Sheldon, Matt Wilson
Supervising Art Director - Paul Spriggs
Set Decorator - Adrian Anscombe
Production Buyer - Charlie Lynam
Art Director - Amy Pickwoad
Assistant Art Director - Richard Hardy
Art Department Coordinator - Donna Shakesheff
Prop Master - Paul Smith
Prop Chargehand - Bernie Davies
Set Dresser - Jayne Davies
Prop Hand - Austin J. Curtis
Standby Props - Phil Shellard, Helen Atherton
Dressing Props - Mike Elkins, Ian Griffin, Tom Belton
Graphic Artist - Christina Tom
Graphic Designer - Chris J. Lees
Petty Cash Buyer - Helen O'Leary
Standby Carpenter - Will Pope
Standby Rigger - Bryan Griffiths
Props Makers - Penny Howarth, Alan Hardy, Jamie Thomas
Props Driver - Gareth Fox
Construction Manager - Terry Horle
Construction Chargehand - Dean Tucker
Assistant Costume Designer - Fraser Purfit
Costume Supervisor - Carly Griffith
Costume Assistants - Katarina Cappellazzi, Gemma Evans
Make-Up Artists - Sara Angharad, Vivienne Simpson, Allison Sing
Casting Associate - Alice Purser
Assistant Editor - Becky Trotman
VFX Editor - Joel Skinner
Dubbing Mixer - Tim Ricketts
ADR Editor - Matthew Cox
Dialogue Editor - Darran Clement
Sound Effects Editor - Paul Jefferies
Foley Editor - Jamie Talbutt
Graphics - Peter Anderson Studio
Online Conform - Mark Bright
Online Editor - Geraint Pari Huws
Colourist - Mick Vincent

With thanks to The BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Conducted and orchestrated by Ben Foster
Mixed by Jake Jackson
Recorded by Gerry O'Riordan

Original Theme Music - Ron Grainer
Casting Director - Andy Pryor CDG
Production Executive - Julie Scott
Post Production Supervisor - Nerys Davies
Production Accountant - Jeff Dunn
Sound Recordist - Deian Llyr Humphreys
Costume Designer - Howard Burden
Make-Up Designer - Barbara Southcott
Music - Murray Gold
Visual Effects - The Mill
Special Effects - Real SFX
Prosthetics - Millennium FX
Editor - Tim Porter
Production Designer - Michael Pickwoad
Director of Photography - Stephan Pehrsson
Associate Producer - Denise Paul
Line Producer - Diana Barton

Executive Producers - Steven Moffat, Caroline Skinner

An unmanned spaceship hurtles towards certain destruction - unless the Doctor can save it, and its impossible cargo... of dinosaurs!

By his side a ragtag gang of adventurers, a big game hunter, an Egyptian Queen and a surprised member of the Pond family. But little does the Doctor know there is someone else on board who will stop at nothing to keep hold of his precious, prehistoric cargo.

The Doctor has saved Egypt from giant alien locusts and is trying to return to his TARDIS. However, Queen Nefertiti, attracted to the Doctor, stops him and tries to get his attention. The Doctor receives a message on his psychic paper. Telling her that it is unimportant, he learns that the Indian Space Agency needs his help; he's forced to take "Neffy" with him. Arriving in the 24th century, the Doctor is informed of a spaceship coming closer to Earth that has failed to respond to any of ISA's attempts to communicate; if it gets within ten thousand kilometres of Earth, they will send up missiles to destroy it. The Doctor decides to get a "gang" together to help explore the vessel. Arriving in Africa in the early 20th century, the Doctor meets his old friend John Riddell, a game hunter he left behind after saying he was leaving to get some sweets. Despite Riddell still being sore about their last parting, he agrees to join in the mystery adventure.

In 21st century London, Rory has his father, Brian Williams, over to help fix a light bulb. After saying the fixture may be the problem, Brian reminds Rory he is lucky to have Amy; Amy finds this amusing. As Brian continues working on the light, the sound of the TARDIS materialisation is heard. Amy and Rory quietly say that the Doctor picks the worst times to show up and she wants to "kill him"; Brian thinks perhaps they left the door open. The TARDIS materialises around them, shocking Brian in place while the Doctor (not looking at them) greets Amy and Rory. They all travel in the TARDIS to the mystery spacecraft. The Doctor tells everyone to grab a torchlight as they head outside.

As they head out, Amy questions the Doctor about what he's up to this time; he decided he needed a group, so he picked them up. Brian exits the TARDIS and the Doctor, finally noticing him, questions him with hostility. Rory explains that Brian is his father, whom the Doctor inadvertently brought on board when he materialised the TARDIS around them. This calms the Doctor, whom Brian seems not to have met. The Doctor greets him and walks off with Amy, Nefertiti and Riddell. Rory explains to his confused father that he and Amy honeymooned throughout time and space aboard the TARDIS. Amy and the Doctor catch up in the meantime, with her wondering if Nefertiti and Riddell have replaced her and Rory as his companions; the Doctor explains that it's not the case. Rory and Brian catch up as the doors in front of them begin opening. Seeing what's coming out of the other side, the Doctor tells everyone to run. However, he has to be pulled away by Amy because he is surprised to find "dinosaurs, on a spaceship!"

Hiding as the dinosaurs go past, the Doctor keeps Riddell from trying to harm them as they need to be preserved; Riddell sourly jokes in return "who's gonna preserve us?". They run into a Triceratops that sniffs Brian, forcing him to toss away one of the golf balls he keeps in his pocket to make it leave. The Doctor then examines the ship, discovering an interactive monitor. The Doctor asks to be shown where the engines are on the map, saying they need to get to them; he, Brian and Rory vanish in flash of light. Amy is left annoyed; they always get separated at some point during an adventure. The Doctor, Rory and Brian arrive on the shore of a rocky beach. Immediately, the Doctor orders them to dig while he "examines rocks"; Brian complies, producing a digging tool from his pocket. Elsewhere, someone sees them on a monitor. He becomes interested when he hears one of them referred to as "the Doctor"... He orders that they be brought to him.

Brian hits metal while digging, becoming shocked; they're actually still in the ship. The Doctor, having found another monitor in a rock face, explains the ship's engines are powered by the waves; an endless supply of power. He said they needed to go to the engine room and the ship complied with its short-ranged teleporter. However, several Pteranodon make the Doctor cut his explanation short, telling his companions to run; the teleporter in this room is fried, making it impossible to use now. They hide from the dinosaurs in a cave, where two bumbling robots (using another entrance in the cave) enter after them, demanding they come with them.

Elsewhere, Amy, Nefertiti and Riddell explore the ship, with Nefertiti questioning Amy about the Doctor, saying she found her husband boring (a "human sleeping potion"); Amy subtly hints the Doctor is married, but Neffy doesn't seem to catch on. Finding the archive room (while Neffy and Riddell begin flirting, much to Amy's annoyance), Amy inserts one of the recordings and tries to get a picture on the monitor; succeeding, she discovers the spaceship belongs to the Silurians, who left Earth when the moon was coming into alignment with Earth. In the meantime, the Doctor, Rory and Brian are brought to a smaller spaceship docked with this one; however, only the Doctor is allowed inside. He finds a man missing the lower half of his legs, who introduces himself as Solomon and explains "raptors" chewed on his legs; he's been waiting for a doctor to help him. Understanding Solomon's mistake, the Doctor asks him why he should help; Brian is given a painful laser burn as a warning. The Doctor proceeds to work on getting Solomon mobile again while Rory tends to his father's burn.

Back in the archive room, Amy asks the monitor to display life-signs of Silurians ("homo reptilia"), but gets nothing. Amy then compares this image with one of the day the ship launched, discovering there were numerous Silurians on board; what happened to them? She then asks the computer to zoom in at the core of the ship, discovering that it's been boarded before (by Solomon). Riddell picks up a nearby gun, explaining it's full of tranquilliser (something the Doctor would approve of using in self defence against the dinosaurs) before taking off. Neffy, now infatuated with Riddell, is told by Amy, "Human sleeping potion or walking innuendo; take your pick."

In Solomon's ship, the Doctor finishes fixing prosthetic limbs to Solomon's knees just as Amy calls Rory's mobile. Rory give it to the Doctor and Amy informs him the Silurians built the ship, but there are no life signs of them. The Doctor questions Solomon on what happened to them; Solomon explains he woke them from hibernation and tossed them into space. However, the Doctor quickly deduces that Solomon cannot control this so-called ark of the Silurians and his attempt to do so made its auto-pilot head for Earth, its launching point. The Doctor explains that the ISA will soon be launching missiles. Solomon, being greedy, believes the Doctor is lying and wants the dinosaurs for himself. Exiting Solomon's cockpit, the Doctor tells the two dim-witted robots that their boss wants to see them.

The Doctor commandeers unusual transportation. The Doctor tells Rory and Brian to run as the two robots ask Solomon why he wanted to see them. Realising that the Doctor has tricked them, Solomon orders his lackeys to go after them.
They soon encounter the same Triceratops from earlier, which the Doctor names 'Tricy', and board its back. The Doctor unsuccessfully tries getting Tricy to go by using verbal commands used for horses, but fails. Brian quickly deduces the same method they used to get rid of Tricy before can be used again, tossing his remaining golf ball away to make it run. The robots follow after them, unable to go faster than a walking pace, shooting lasers at them until Tricy turns a corner and loses them. The Doctor then wonders how they are going to stop as Tricy is closing in on a wall; they fall off and have a hard landing. The Doctor then receives a message from the ISA, saying that the missiles will be launched, despite his protests that the ship can be piloted away with a most precious cargo.

The Doctor, Rory and Brian try finding the TARDIS so they can collect Amy, Riddell and Nefertiti before coming up with a new plan. However, Solomon easily finds them with the security cameras and teleports to their location with his clumsy robots.
Nefertiri gives herself up to save the others' lives. Solomon explains that his ship has detected the missiles, saying the Doctor wasn't lying. He then demands that Nefertiti be handed over to him as she is the most valuable thing on the ship that can be taken with him. When the Doctor refuses, Solomon has Tricy shot and killed to prove he's serious. Amy, Riddel, and Nefertiti (who were watching this on another monitor) arrive via the teleporter. Neffy willingly goes with Solomon to ensure the safety of everyone else. Solomon then has them teleported back to his ship, preparing to leave.

The Doctor quickly leads everyone to the control room, explaining that Solomon couldn't control the ship because it needs two people who share similar DNA to pilot it. Brian offers to pilot the ship with Rory; they are father and son, thus they share similar DNA. The Doctor has them sit down in the control chairs and tells them how to work the controls; he then opens part of the console and begins fiddling with the wiring. Amy, questions the Doctor, expressing her fear that his visits are becoming farther and farther apart; one day, he might never show up. However, the Doctor quickly comforts Amy by explaining that he'll always come to see them. He also learns Amy quit her job (again) after their last meeting.

The Doctor takes a glowing green orb from inside where he's been fiddling with the controls, telling Amy he's going to teleport to Solomon's ship to conduct Phase 1, saying Phase 2 has been completed. Amy corrects him, explaining 2 comes after 1, but gets laughter in return; the Doctor says that humans are always linear about planning, he's not. The Doctor teleports away as Riddell guards the room from hostile dinosaurs to ensure Rory and Brian can pilot the ship away without distractions. Amy joins him as a group of raptors closes in; they shoot the electric tranquilliser into the dinosaurs several times, knocking them out. Riddell expresses interest in taking a dinosaur tooth back with him as a souvenir from the adventure as they continue knocking out the dinosaurs.

In the meantime, Solomon has realised the Doctor magnetised the Silurian ark to prevent his ship from leaving, just as he appears behind him and short-circuits the robots to prevent them from assisting. Solomon tells the Doctor that he will not let go of such a valuable item, offending Nefertiti, who knocks him down. As Neffy pins Solomon to the ground with his crutch, the Doctor jokes not the mess with Egyptian queens. Preparing to take Neffy back to the ark, the Doctor informs Solomon that he'll receive a consolation prize: the missiles meant for the ark. He places the orb, which emits the signal the missiles are locked onto, in Solomon's ship and teleports away with Neffy. The ship is de-magnetised. Solomon screams in terror as his ship takes off and is hit by the missiles, exploding. At the same time, Rory and Brian pilot the ship away from Earth and into the emptiness of space.

With the ship safely piloted into an empty area of space, the Doctor has the chance to take it and the dinosaurs to somewhere else in the universe where they can live on a new planet in peace. Preparing to take everyone back, the Doctor is told by Amy and Rory that they wish to return home; he accepts this. However, Brian asks the Doctor for a favour before he takes him back home. The Doctor complies; Brian is next seen enjoying lunch, sitting on the edge of the TARDIS doors, looking down on the Earth. Amy and Rory look at him with smiles as the Doctor comes from behind them and hugs his in-laws. Elsewhen, Riddell has been taken back to the time and place the Doctor took him from; only one thing is different: Nefertiti has decided to stay with him.

Back in London, Rory is checking the light-bulb Brian previously tried to fix, agreeing that his father was right; it might be the fixture. Amy enters, saying they got another bunch of postcards from Brian. She puts them on the fridge, showing that Brian (who was previously afraid to travel) has now taken to seeing the world. Amy and Rory stare at the last postcard before putting it on the fridge; it's of Siluria, the new home of the dinosaurs that Brian and the Doctor had just visited.

[Source: TARDIS Wikia]