Father's Day
- Episode aired Apr 28, 2006
- TV-PG
- 45m
IMDb RATING
8.3/10
8.9K
YOUR RATING
Rose asks The Doctor to take her to 1987, on the day her father was killed.Rose asks The Doctor to take her to 1987, on the day her father was killed.Rose asks The Doctor to take her to 1987, on the day her father was killed.
- Director
- Writers
- Paul Cornell
- Sydney Newman(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaSimon Pegg was originally cast as Pete Tyler. Because of scheduling conflicts, he chose the role of The Editor in The Long Game (2005).
- GoofsWhen everyone runs into the church, Jackie picks up what is obviously an empty baby carrier, as it swings back, showing no baby inside it.
- Quotes
The Doctor: [to the baby Rose in 1987] Good girl. Yes, you are. You're not gonna bring about the end of the world now are you?
- ConnectionsFeatured in Doctor Who Confidential: I Get a Side-Kick Out of You (2005)
- SoundtracksNever Gonna Give You Up
(uncredited)
Written by Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman
Performed by Rick Astley
Featured review
Pops His Clogs
It's strange how perception can change over time. My recollection was that the episode "Dalek" was the standout from the first season, though I was underwhelmed watching it again, and also that "Father's Day" was a bit of a filler episode, with bad visual effects - so I was surprised about how well written and considered it was.
Rose (Billie Piper) and The Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) travel to 1987, to the day that Rose's father, Pete (Shaun Dingwall) was killed by a hit and run driver. Initially intending just to comfort Pete as he died, instead Rose saves his life, pushing him out of the way of the car and in doing so changing her own history and rips a hole in the fabric of space/time. Through this hole appear Reapers, winged creatures who devour humans.
So yes, there are some negatives. The show is a little inconsistent on what the Reapers actually are, they're supposedly there to fix the rip, but are clearly attacking humans only tangentially linked to the change in history. Whilst we're on the subject of the Reapers, they are one of the first season's poorest effects. Cartoonishly drawn and lacking in depth, they remind me of characters from an augmented reality game.
But the plotting of the episode is excellent. The Doctors anger at Rose's decision, coupled with the call back to the first episode when he said that Rose only becomes interested in leaving when he says his machine can travel through time, is a great moment. You understand his betrayal and genuinely feel like he might leave her. The scenes between Rose and Pete are really nicely done, once they're over the early "Back to the Future" moment it's a genuinely touching relationship as Pete works out who he is to her, what it must mean and what he needs to do.
Genuinely much better than I anticipated.
Rose (Billie Piper) and The Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) travel to 1987, to the day that Rose's father, Pete (Shaun Dingwall) was killed by a hit and run driver. Initially intending just to comfort Pete as he died, instead Rose saves his life, pushing him out of the way of the car and in doing so changing her own history and rips a hole in the fabric of space/time. Through this hole appear Reapers, winged creatures who devour humans.
So yes, there are some negatives. The show is a little inconsistent on what the Reapers actually are, they're supposedly there to fix the rip, but are clearly attacking humans only tangentially linked to the change in history. Whilst we're on the subject of the Reapers, they are one of the first season's poorest effects. Cartoonishly drawn and lacking in depth, they remind me of characters from an augmented reality game.
But the plotting of the episode is excellent. The Doctors anger at Rose's decision, coupled with the call back to the first episode when he said that Rose only becomes interested in leaving when he says his machine can travel through time, is a great moment. You understand his betrayal and genuinely feel like he might leave her. The scenes between Rose and Pete are really nicely done, once they're over the early "Back to the Future" moment it's a genuinely touching relationship as Pete works out who he is to her, what it must mean and what he needs to do.
Genuinely much better than I anticipated.
helpful•20
- southdavid
- Apr 14, 2020
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Filming locations
- St Paul's Church, Grangetown, Cardiff, Wales, UK(Church interiors and exteriors)
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime45 minutes
- Color
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