Behind the Scenes of The Rings Of Akhaten - Doctor Who Series 7 Part 2 (2013) - BBC One

[@elyxiagaming9699]

omg matt always putts the peace simble up when camera points at him

[@teamnotdead7209]

"Are you okay?" "Yeah" "Are you sure?" Cute :D

[@TimeturnerJ]

So much work was put into this, but the best part of this episode is still the song and the speech.

[@nienkehuijbens301]

+Timeturner i think that was one of the best parts of the entire season, maybe even of the whole matt smith era

[@JCFProductions]

+nienke huijbens it's just so.. beautiful and captivating you know. the song is wonderful.

[@nienkehuijbens301]

JCF Productions yes exactly

[@ayajune2088]

Timeturner yes! The song was AMAZING!

[@khaygiel]

In my opinion that was the best moment in Matt Smith's run as the Doctor. Both old and young, and combined with the speech it's one of my favorite Doctor Who scenes ever

[@shelbonzo9448]

Matt doesn't have to act...he just plays himself

[@grady2104]

Emilia Jones 50% Pond 50% Martha

[@Lythgoemania]

I loved this episode. Honestly don't get what there is to hate.

[@mikaelastefkova]

Same! It's one of my favourites up to this day, actually ^^

[@harleyhartley3168]

Everything, there is everything to hate

[@normanbates2543]

i think the speech is underrated in this episode this is such a refining moment of 11 in my opinion

[@harleyhartley3168]

Funny way of spelling overrated

[@Lekuinn]

I stil get chills just think that song and the speech. It was marvelous.

[@laurenzacchi4803]

doctor: so we're do you want to go? clara: I don't know wait hmmm uh doctor: were do you want to go clara: some where awsome doctor: good choice I know just the place 😃

[@laurenzacchi4803]

hahahaha hahahahahahahahhaahhahahahaahhahahahhahaa 😂

[@Arkatox]

He had an extensive family on Gallifrey ages ago, but they all died at the end of the Time War. Susan Foreman, his very first companion in 1963, was supposedly his biological granddaughter.

[@user-ck8ub5uk6b]

Yes! Emilia jones for future companion!

[@RedBaronSurprisingly]

works perfectly with peter capaldy

[@HypoZilla]

RedBaronSurprisingly *Peter Capaldi*

[@BobCMcDonald]

I wasn't a smith fan until today. That monologue just made him so much better in my mind.

[@thelonesculler]

0:15 wow that was an amazing joke (*cough* sarcasm)

[@ashleycinnamon6330]

If I met Matt, I'd probably be like "just a moment" then I'd turn a way, shriek my head off, the turn back, cough, and say "so, anyways". That's how I usually react to amazing things. PLEASE LET ME MEET MATT SMITH!!!!

[@LPTV84]

One of the best lines was when he mentioned his grand-daughter, and it was cool how that memory pulled back in the end. This adventure was about stories and his speech was the pain of his story, well done Matt Smith! Well bloody done!

[@yookihhh9311]

Jenna is a lucky lucky girl!!!!

[@giusweep]

Matt Smith gave one hell of a performance during his speech!

[@janetgraham-russell4476]

I miss Dr Who Confidential. : (

[@meg_delene]

i know the special effects weren't the best, and that there were plot holes in the story. but i thought this episode was beautiful in a lot of ways. emilia was amazing. she has a beautiful voice. i was reduced to tears by the doctors monologue. and my curiosity continues to grow about clara. any new adventure with the doctor is a good one on some level.

[@Arkatox]

Actually, it's one of my favorites.

[@abbaskagdi1]

Best episode ever!!

[@TSteele2017]

LOL the doctors granddaughter Susan. Nice reference to a past companion there

[@l3gionmusic814]

Watching things like this make me want to be an actor, despite what you would think this makes the whole atmosphere look really relaxed and fun. It pretty much would be a dream job doing something like this. Too bad I'm already 18 (probably too late to start trying) and also probably can't act.

[@woobiesftw]

That scene was so SO Hellboy. In a good way.

[@TheClaudiaAdventures]

"I've been here before with my granddaughter" wasn't that the first ever companion his granddaughter

[@iLikeTheUDK]

I meant that this shot reminded me of it very much, not that it's actually from it.

[@willabuchinger5652]

I LOVE MATT SMITH!!!!!!!

[@Myzelfa]

1. I think the big red thing is a planet. 2. The Doctor has mentioned his granddaughter to every companion.

[@QuieroNadarConNarwhl]

True. Maybe it all matters what memories people attribute to the item, but yeah, how is it that no one else has not once in the many years this has been going on in that system, not have ended up offering an item with potential memories to the star-creature thingy :P

[@tcf3107]

A Confidential for this episode is just what we all need!! Someone needs to interview Matt about the Doctor's speech NOW!!

[@omgitsaudii]

Great acting Matt Smith. Well done!

[@SunniestAutumn]

Emilia Jones for a future companion!

[@abiezercoppe8886]

You're completely right, he pointed at it when he said "that planet". An asteroid is not a planet, and they couldn't have got that near to a "sun".

[@stephenmurphy2212]

Queen of Years? Why not Princess of Years because she looks like a princess than a queen! And the Doctor never calls Clara, "Oswald" like he called Amy, "Pond" when he said "Come along, Pond." Why not "Come along, Oswald." When the 11th Doctor appeared in the Sarah-Jane Adventures he said to Sarah-Jane, "Come along, Smith." It seems like a catchphrase for the 11th Doctor when he calls his female companions by their surnames!

[@Arkatox]

Take my advice and start at the beginning of the 2005 era and watch in order. It's so much better that way.

[@activenets]

I am not a Matt Smith fan BUT his performance here was the best so far. I was also quite please to hear his reference to Susan his granddaughter; good tie in.I do hope the Clara story has a payoff in the end since I am pretty confused regarding her so far. And I agree that Confidential should come back! Yes!

[@SpinningAsia2]

Some time ago girls dreamt about a prince on the white horse who would take them to a beautiful castle. Nowadays girls dream about a Time Lord in the blue police box who will take them to the stars and other planets... :)

[@Bumblingbees]

The 11th doctor uses his sonic screwdriver as often as he can! He is completely reliant on it! -_-

[@MaliciousMollusc]

Matt Smith won me over with this episode of DW epicness is just over the top. Hes up there with David Tennant now. Keep it up!

[@jayfeatherstick]

"I like skidding" and that is why I like to skid around on the tile floor in my kitchen

[@jayfeatherstick]

The music in this episode gives me chills because it is so cool

[@oliviaoliver8446]

0:20 "I like skidding!" oh Jenna!

[@iLikeTheUDK]

Hope "Cold War" manages to somehow live expectations...Somehow... And "Nightmares in Silver" sounds a bit promising, too. So does "Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS". But it's harder to believe they'll keep that promise now.

[@sanantonio855]

This episode was wonderful. It's not on Earth, and there is the best speech in the whole series.

[@BehindDistrict12]

Okay, thanks XD New Whovian here, still dumb lol

[@KristSnyd]

i've watched this episode about three times today and i still cry every single time.

[@hannahrobinson874]

I actually loved the episode. Sometimes its not about the monsters, but about the people. Clara is adorable!

[@sweiland75]

Confidential ended years ago. Way to keep up!

[@Scarilianvids]

That wasn't the entire plot. That is the basic essentials. For example by your logic the plot of Doctor who is simply a "man travelling through time and space in a box" when in fact it is a lot more. The plot was done badly, it was cliché even at the basic level - ripping off a plot that pretty much sounds like every Tomb raider game. I'm not 'saying' it sucks, I know that it sucked and so did any doctor who fan with a I.Q. level of above 5. The plot was bad before they messed it up further.

[@Scarilianvids]

I don't know why the down votes, but i'm glad someone else recognises the weakness of the episodes. The first episode was just 'The Idiots lantern' being done with computers instead of televisions. We don't find out whats in the WiFi and we don't find out why the Great intelligence did any of that crap - to mention a few. The second episode was just blah - Three different types of enemy, none of them done right. An entire planet of aliens/monsters - all just people in masks. It was dull.

[@Scarilianvids]

If you are referring to the weak ass first episode which used the cliché steven moffat 'its not the doctor just looks like him' OR the episode where the Doctor destroys a sun without any repercussions to an entire solar system - then yes, you do have to explain what makes that plot awesome. The wifi episode was just 'The idiots lantern' with computers instead of televisions - it had the exact same plot - though 'lantern' had a better script and actors. The other was just cheesy and clichéd

[@Scarilianvids]

Agreed... this series has sucked. We spent an entire episode telling us the internet is bad and you should 'never click a certain squiggly thing' and in all honesty... what idiot would do that -_- Then we have the most recent episode where the Doctor removes a life giving sun - which gave planets warmth, light and a gravitational field to orbit around - without any problems... all while they are fucking singing. This is the worst Doctor who series I have ever seen

[@oliviabrown9032]

It looks like the 13th doctor regeneration story board behind moffat

[@AdiDuli]

Yes, you´re right. BRING BACK CONFIDENTIAL!

[@Scarilianvids]

The planet they visited orbits Ahkaten - the ONLY source of light in the entire region of space. Also, Ahkaten is where the gravitational pull keeps the surrounding 'rings of Ahkaten' in place. Despite being a planet - Ahkaten is also a sun. Hence the term 'sun-singers' being used to refer to the inhabitance of the planet.

[@Scarilianvids]

Their species is a reptile race - I was actually surprised that they went with the whole 'moving on all fours' The hands though I admit were a disappointment for me - they looked cheesy and like the Martians hands from 'War of the Worlds' - I understand the Ice Warriors originated on Mars, but it just felt cheap

[@Scarilianvids]

Planets need a sun at a certain distance away to maintain life and warmth. We have a billion other stars in our galaxy... none of them would sustain are life. Bearing in mind the Earth rotates around the sun so without the sun we would loose light, heat... all crops would fail... etc... basically they're all fucked due to the sun imploding.

[@MaliciousMollusc]

It wouldn't be so bad if people knew how to improve it. It only takes a little bit of creativity to turn that episode into a possible series-ender. A little add of spice here and there and it would be beyond amazing.

[@Scarilianvids]

The 'sentient gas planet' provided life, warmth and a gravitational pull for the planets to circle around it... without it being there they all will die and the planets will loose their orbit. The doctor just killed everyone who is still on those planets.

[@Scarilianvids]

RTD Era had the dirties jokes being fart jokes. Moffat Era first episode had a 'masturbation to porn online' joke and continually has the companions try to saddle the Doctor. Point proven.

[@Scarilianvids]

Agreed... the only 'alien' that I saw with more than two arm and two legs was a giant one walking behind with a set of four arms (The bottom two being so obviously fake that the whole family laughed)

[@Scarilianvids]

I wouldn't be surprised if the Ice Warriors become somewhat of an ally to the Doctor. Don't be surprised if they return - given the good reception of the Grand Marshall character.

[@thatonedude]

One thing I wondered was, why didn't the Tardis translate all of this for them?

[@petesampras9613]

This was a bad episode to forget

[@DavidMChannel]

They might look like people in masks but the costumes are very creative. The episode could have used a re write, though

[@TheFlowerFarie]

He was crying! What a moving story he told!

[@justinbellman]

Like if you cried during the Doctor's speech. I don't usually do this, but it was just that awe-inspiring for me.

[@lukemccoy7785]

This episode was one of my favourite

[@MissuMissu362]

These two should've got a whole season :( please make it happen I'm begging you !!

[@SquabbleBoxHQ]

Anyone else think this episode was mostly a rip-off the market sequence from Hellboy II? Still great, though.

[@TamsinRJ]

I thought the same thing :D CLASSIC WHO REFERENCE :D

[@sweiland75]

You're right! It was the first story where the Doctor took Clara on a trip to another planet. Boring AND pointless. What were they thinking?!

[@TehWhiteTiger]

This episode was meh, Not awful, but I hope they get more interesting as the series goes on. But extra points for the classic who reference :P.

[@Wotanson56]

mose eisley

[@Pegasisterwhovian]

I laughed so hard.when she almost fell off the speeder

[@moviemaestro001]

I love the show but this episode was bad. They tried too hard to return to the child friendly thing and didnt do it well. The singing thing was vomit inducing and having a child as a main character never works. The emotional stuff with clara didn't hit because we’re not invested in her enough. Also, the monster was crap. As the series has gone on I'm liking it a lot more but I still think that having such an important storyline with a new companion is a shame because it all feels a bit rushed.

[@morzee94]

Doctor who has completely reversed itself recently. In the past it had brilliant writing which was let down by bad production....... now the production and cgi are fantastic, but the writing this series has thus far been really really poor. Great actors, great directing, great effects but tired, recycled and clichéd stories. Time for some fresh minds to take over work on the scripts I think.

[@MaliciousMollusc]

I was referring to the sun episode which is on this particular youtube video. Nothing else. Like I was saying, you need to have a certain sense of epicness in you to use the plot correctly. I'll point out the plot so everyone understands what I'm talking about. Plot: Arriving into a kingdom/place where an ancient god is sleeping-----stuff happens, the god wakes up-----find a way to defeat the god. You might say that it still sucks, but as I was saying before, it's up to you how to use the plot

[@MaliciousMollusc]

Wasn't really a sun though, its a creature. And like other creatures, there are ways to tame it, or neutralise it, or kill, etc. etc. Ants and Bees can be controlled by pheromones, which is basically smell, Bats by sound, Birds by magnetic field, and Sharks with electrical impulses. This creature in Particular, is controlled by song which is quite bluntly just a rising and falling sound in different frequencies. Kinda similar to a dog whistle.

[@ifeellikeanartist]

I was actually fine with that one because there more bug like to me and most of the episode they were in human form. However the news of Finding Dory gave me a nightmare about a fish that I saw several years ago in a tank with a real life dory that was in a doctors office, I had to put my favorite episode of Doctor Who on netflix on my phone to listen to to be able to fall back asleep

[@DrPeppering]

The temple is on an asteroid. They were standing on another asteroid. "The Rings of Ahkaten" implies an asteroid belt surrounding a planet (called Ahkaten). The entire visit takes place on various asteroids. Since asteroids don't have their own atmospheres I imagine there was some artificial atmosphere put around the ring which is why they could ride the bike in between and not have to worry about breathing.

[@DrPeppering]

I can understand the confusion because he did say that. But that's because an alien sun (off camera) was hitting her eyelids. At around six and a half minutes The Doctor says "Seven worlds orbiting the same star, all of them sharing the believe that life in the universe originated here; on that planet." When he says "that planet" he points to Akhaten/the parasite/what everyone is calling a star.

[@DrPeppering]

What was destroyed was NOT a star/sun. It was Akhaten. Where they believed all life in the universe originated. They thought Akhaten was sacred and guarded by the old god or "Grandfather". It turned out that the "god" was a figurehead and Akhaten was the actual power. Basically a planet sized parasite that fed off the psychically imprinted objects of the worshippers.This included the Queen of Years since she had been imprinted with all the knowledge and culture of her people.

[@DrPeppering]

I agree sometimes the sonic becomes a magic wand but I think in this episode they actually made it work. The emphasis on singing and the use of song in their ceremonies showed the the technology of the planet was based on sound waves and harmonics (like how a song opened a the secret door and song kept the alien asleep). When the Doctor fights the minions they are fighting with sound. So the sonic screwdriver is actually an appropriate weapon. Oh and Power of Three was way worse than this one.

[@MadBuckHunter74]

Did I see the Doctor surrender his remaining regenerations or was that just the memories of his past. "...take it..take it all, baby...have...you have it all!!!" as the camera pulls away from the doctor, orange tendrils of what looks like regenerative energy snake out towards the star/grandfather/god/parasite as it collapses....??? Spoilers perhaps? God I love the way this show makes you ask more questions than the show has answers for. At least for now.

[@Lornext]

Okay, first, he doesn't direct Doctor Who. He writes and produces it. Second, he didn't write this episode. Stop bashing Moffat and to that end, stop claiming this episode was bad. As sad as it is, BBC really does listen to feedback on some degree and we don't want to lose a fantastic writer such as Neil Cross.

[@MaliciousMollusc]

I'm actually 20. And how hard can it be to understand what I meant? The plot was awesome!! They just used it wrong!! The nuke reference was for the awesome plot!! You can use it epically or you can turn it into a pile of shite. Learn some literature and look up metaphor. Do I need to explain what makes the plot awesome too?

[@Hawkalina]

Ohhh, I didn't even think of that, but you're exactly right! They've gone to such better levels with the make-up and prosthetics before. Also, I tend to prefer episodes which focus on one alien race and explain things about their culture, and way of life - when you just have hundreds of aliens milling around for no purpose other than visual effects, it loses all the charm.

[@DrPeppering]

Pretty sure the orange tendrils was just the grandfather/parasite sucking away his stories/soul/memories. When Clara offers the leaf it is the same orange tendrils. If he offered his regenerations wouldn't that be the same as Clara offering the leaf in the sense that he would be giving his potential away? And then the thing would have blown up earlier.

[@joonamato]

What I don't get here is why the heck did the leaf have all of those memories that never happened? :DD What was so special about the leaf? Why didn't the other items that were sacrificed have any of those weird potential memories? That was just stupid in my opinion.

[@Hawkalina]

"...the best alien planet Doctor Who's ever done..." - and yet they didn't think of sticking in any aliens without the traditional 'two legs two arms walking upright' combo? Gosh, anyone would think those aliens were... I dunno... just people in masks! Come on, guys, be a bit more creative.

[@floyd75dylan]

I found the story rather boring, and pointless. I feel the first series with Matt Smith started on a real high, but as each series progressed, they've become more meh, with the odd good one here, and there. The bike in this episode is a direct lift from the 1980's cult classic Flash Gordon.

[@MsTobuscus]

Well they have the technology to create an atmospheric shell around their rings, allowing them to stand on the edge of an asteroid or ride a speeder and still breathe, so they're probably doing fine. Maybe the Doctor found them a new star? If that even was a star.

[@TripleJumpYTP]

0:54 is that robot alien reused from a show called mission 2110

[@THEGEORGEDUDE13]

yeah I understand that but before, these sentimental objects were currency. my other problem was the sudden bravery from Clara to stand up to a sun and deliver an overly long monologue followed by an unnecessary Doctor monologue.

[@THEGEORGEDUDE13]

of course I can appreciate singing, but not on a sci-fi programme where the solution to stopping a huge fucking sun (which by the way was also a ridiculous concept) is simply singing. There wasn't even a good explanation of how that actually works

[@RZion01]

The doctor's line about walking in universes where the law of physics were controlled by the mind of a madman-- was that a reference to Omega and the Anti-Matter universe in 'The Three Doctors'? If so, between that and the Susan reference, I'm giddy!

[@Scarilianvids]

To me; The 9th doctor (Eccleston series) was about being faithful to the source material while also introducing people to the doctor - it succeeded. The 10th doctor continued this by helping us care more about the Doctor while delving into his backstory and giving us some of the enemies of the past. The 11th doctor series - mixes dirty humour with drama and plots that are often reused. Personally I've only liked one episode of the 11th doctor so far, and that was the Cold War episode.

[@TheFrancesrose1]

It looks great, can't wait to watch tonight.

[@JayFer]

The first two episodes were pretty awful. I was with a first time viewer, and I think this episode may have scared him off for good because of how cheesy it was. However, the third episode was pretty damn good, I have to say.