Closing Time (Doctor Who)
"Closing Time" is the twelfth and penultimate episode of the sixth series of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who, and was first broadcast on BBC One on 24 September 2011.In the episode, alien time traveller the Doctor (Matt Smith) is going on a "farewell tour" before his impending death and visits his friend Craig Owens (James Corden) in present-day Colchester, who has a new baby son, Alfie.Though "Closing Time" was designed to be fun, with comedy built around the double act of Smith and Corden, it contains themes and an epilogue that lead into the finale.[5] Writer Gareth Roberts said in an interview that he was considering bringing the character of Craig back when he saw James Corden's performance in "The Lodger", saying that "it already felt like he was one of the Who family".[3] Showrunner Steven Moffat was pleased with "The Lodger", an episode he called "quite close to my heart", and wanted to bring Craig back.[10] Director Steve Hughes compared the Doctor and Craig to famous comedic duos such as Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, and Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.[11] It was also Roberts' idea to bring back the Cybermen, because there were no other returning monsters in the series and he thought "there should be a sense of history about the Doctor's final battle to save Earth before he heads off to meet his death".[2] This episode marks Lynda Baron's third involvement with Doctor Who, having provided vocals for the "Ballad of the Last Chance Saloon", heard in The Gunfighters (1966), and the role of Wrack in Enlightenment (1983).The window of the sliding door in the house that the Doctor jumps through to save Craig from the Cybermat was too small, so the production team built another one.Dan Martin of The Guardian questioned the decision to air a standalone episode as the penultimate show of the series, calling "Closing Time" "something of a curiosity" as well as writing positively about Smith and Corden's "Laurel and Hardy act".[23] Gavin Fuller of The Daily Telegraph awarded the episode three out of five stars, comparing Smith's performance favourably to that of Patrick Troughton.[24] Neela Debnath of The Independent said it was an "intriguing change of pace" and succeeded with "great comedic moments" and the "brilliant chemistry between the Doctor and Craig".Club gave "Closing Time" a grade of "B+", feeling that the episode was more about small character moments than the Cybermen plot.[27] Digital Spy's Morgan Jeffery praised Smith, Corden, and Lynda Baron as Val, and felt that it was a "relief" to have a fun episode after two emotional heavy ones.Though he thought the Cyberman lacked "real menace" and Craig escaped in a "cheesy way", he considered the main focus to be on the Doctor's "farewell tour" and praised Smith's performance.[9] Charlie Jane Anders writing for io9 described it as a "worthy sequel" and "welcome shot of comedy" and was positive towards the "sweet" exploration of the Doctor's self-loathing that proved the universe needed him.However, Anders was bothered by the running joke of the Doctor and Craig being mistaken for a gay couple and the stereotypes the episode relied on, such as the "clueless dad" and the ignorant shop girls.[8] Christopher Hooton of Metro found the episode to be "soppy" and "sickly sweet", criticising Corden for his "whooping", "annoying" performance, the reliance on "slapstick capers" that "lurched a bit too close to the CBBC end of the spectrum" and the "jaunty [and] smug" soundtrack.
Doctor WhoDoctorMatt SmithEleventh DoctorJames CordenKaren GillanAmy PondArthur DarvillRory WilliamsDaisy HaggardAlex KingstonRiver SongFrances BarberHolli DempseyChris ObiLynda BaronPaul KaseyCybermanNicholas BriggsGreg JamesGareth RobertsSteven MoffatPiers WengerBeth WillisMurray GoldSeries 6The God ComplexThe Wedding of River SongList of episodes (2005–present)sixth seriesBritishscience fictionBBC OneThe Lodgerprevious seriesthe Doctorimpending deathColchesterCybermenshowrunnerdouble actthe finaleCybermatsCardiffCybermatTARDISMadame KovarianSilenceThe Impossible AstronautThe Tomb of the CybermenThe Wheel in SpaceRevenge of the CybermenFourth DoctorA Good Man Goes to WarSecond DoctorPatrick TroughtonThe Three DoctorsThe Five DoctorspetrichorThe Doctor's Wifethe funny oneLaurel and HardyAbbott and CostelloSimon PeggNick FrostFlesh and StoneNight and the DoctorBecky ShawAlmeida TheatreLondonThe GunfightersEnlightenmentDoctor Who Confidentialsitcom of the same nameRadio 1Rise of the CybermenThe Age of Steelparallel universeMondasThe Millcomputer-generatedBBC AmericaAll-Star Family FortunesThe X FactoriPlayerAppreciation IndexThe GuardianThe Daily TelegraphThe IndependentRadio TimesThe A.V. ClubDigital SpySFX magazineCharlie Jane AndersBBC ThreeBroadcasters' Audience Research BoardECW PressBBC BooksOriginal seriesSeason 1Missing episodesRevived seriesSeries 12008–2010 specials2013 specials2022 specials2023 specialsA Christmas CarolDay of the MoonThe Curse of the Black SpotThe Rebel FleshThe Almost PeopleLet's Kill HitlerNight TerrorsThe Girl Who WaitedThe Shakespeare CodeThe Unicorn and the WaspPlanet of the DeadThe CaretakerThe One DoctorBang-Bang-a-Boom!The Highest ScienceTragedy DayThe Romance of CrimeZamperThe English Way of Death