Doctor Who (series 7)

This article is about the 2012–13 series. For the 1970 season, see Doctor Who (season 7).

DVD box set cover art
Starring	Matt Smith Karen Gillan Arthur Darvill Jenna-Louise Coleman
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of episodes	13 (+6 supplemental)
Release
Original network	BBC One BBC One HD
Original release	1 September 2012 (2012-09-01) – 18 May 2013 (2013-05-18)

The seventh series of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who was broadcast concurrently on BBC One in the United Kingdom, and was split into two parts as the previous series had been. Following its premiere on 1 September 2012, the series aired weekly with five episodes until 29 September. The remaining eight episodes were broadcast between 30 March and 18 May 2013. The 2012 Christmas special, "The Snowmen", aired separately from the main series and introduced a new TARDIS interior, title sequence, theme tune, and outfit for the Doctor.

Doctor Who's seventh series was the show's third and final series to feature Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill. They reprised their roles of the Eleventh Doctor, Amy Pond and Rory Williams, from the previous series. Gillan and Darvill departed the series in the fifth episode, "The Angels Take Manhattan", after which a new companion named Clara Oswald joined the Doctor, played by Jenna-Louise Coleman, remaining with the series for its second half. The main story arc of the series focused on the significance of the character of Clara, whom the Doctor had encountered twice before as Oswin in "Asylum of the Daleks" and as a governess in "The Snowmen". It also features the recurring appearance of the Doctor's enemy, The Great Intelligence, first introduced in a 1967 serial of the Second Doctor; they were later revealed to be trying to gain the (Eleventh) Doctor's true name for their own plans. Smith stayed for one year longer than Gillan and Darvill, and departed after the 2013 specials, with his final appearance being in the 2013 Christmas special "The Time of the Doctor".

Episodes

See also: List of Doctor Who episodes (2005–present)

As with Series 6, this series was again split into two parts. For the first time in the show's history, each episode of this series is a standalone story with no multi-parters.

No. story	No. in series	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	UK viewers (millions)	AI
Special (2011)
225	–	"The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe"	Farren Blackburn	Steven Moffat	25 December 2011 (2011-12-25)	10.77	84
Part 1
226	1	"Asylum of the Daleks"	Nick Hurran	Steven Moffat	1 September 2012 (2012-09-01)	8.33	89
227	2	"Dinosaurs on a Spaceship"	Saul Metzstein	Chris Chibnall	8 September 2012 (2012-09-08)	7.57	87
228	3	"A Town Called Mercy"	Saul Metzstein	Toby Whithouse	15 September 2012 (2012-09-15)	8.42	85
229	4	"The Power of Three"	Douglas Mackinnon	Chris Chibnall	22 September 2012 (2012-09-22)	7.67	87
230	5	"The Angels Take Manhattan"	Nick Hurran	Steven Moffat	29 September 2012 (2012-09-29)	7.82	88
Special (2012)
231	–	"The Snowmen"	Saul Metzstein	Steven Moffat	25 December 2012 (2012-12-25)	9.87	87
Part 2
232	6	"The Bells of Saint John"	Colm McCarthy	Steven Moffat	30 March 2013 (2013-03-30)	8.44	87
233	7	"The Rings of Akhaten"	Farren Blackburn	Neil Cross	6 April 2013 (2013-04-06)	7.45	84
234	8	"Cold War"	Douglas Mackinnon	Mark Gatiss	13 April 2013 (2013-04-13)	7.37	84
235	9	"Hide"	Jamie Payne	Neil Cross	20 April 2013 (2013-04-20)	6.61	85
236	10	"Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS"	Mat King	Stephen Thompson	27 April 2013 (2013-04-27)	6.50	85
237	11	"The Crimson Horror"	Saul Metzstein	Mark Gatiss	4 May 2013 (2013-05-04)	6.47	85
238	12	"Nightmare in Silver"	Stephen Woolfenden	Neil Gaiman	11 May 2013 (2013-05-11)	6.64	84
239	13	"The Name of the Doctor"	Saul Metzstein	Steven Moffat	18 May 2013 (2013-05-18)	7.45	88

Supplemental episodes

Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
"Good as Gold"	Saul Metzstein	Children of Ashdene School	24 May 2012 (2012-05-24)
Amy reminds the Doctor he needs to have an adventure once in a while, the Doctor complies and sets the TARDIS to its "adventure setting." After a series of malfunctions, the ship lands in the middle of the London 2012 Olympic Games, where they are visited by a panicked Olympic runner, who claims he is being chased. His pursuer is revealed as a Weeping Angel, who is seeking to seize the Olympic Flame and rob the planet of the good will and spirit it symbolises. The Doctor vanquishes the Angel with the sonic screwdriver, and the runner resumes his mission. Before he leaves, he gives the Doctor his gold medal. As the Doctor prepares to embark on another adventure with Amy, the Weeping Angel begins to reform.
Pond Life	Saul Metzstein	Chris Chibnall	27–31 August 2012 (2012-08-31) (online) 1 September 2012 (BBC Red Button Service)
Five part mini-adventure premiering on the BBC's Doctor Who website. An omnibus version was shown on 1 September 2012 on the BBC Red Button service. While at home, Amy and Rory receive the Doctor's calls, learning of what he is up to. The Doctor arrives at their home warning them of a danger to the people on Earth, but arrives too early for Amy and Rory to understand what he is talking about, and leaves. Amy and Rory find an Ood the Doctor saved from a conflict sitting on their toilet after it wanders out of the Doctor's TARDIS. When the Doctor calls again after returning the Ood home, he finds no one is home; he deletes his call. Unknown to him, Amy has kicked Rory out and is wishing the Doctor will come.
"P.S."	N/A	Chris Chibnall	12 October 2012 (2012-10-12) (online)
A mini episode, depicted in simple drawings, of a letter from Rory to his father Brian explaining that they will never see each other again. The scene was originally intended to be included on the DVD release, but was not filmed due to actor availability problems. Due to popular demand to see a conclusion to Brian, the scene was constructed with storyboards and released online.
"Rain Gods"	N/A	Neil Gaiman	24 September 2013 (2013-09-24) (home video release)
The Doctor and River Song are trapped and at the mercy of the natives of the planet of the Rain Gods, and are about to be sacrificed to those gods to appease their wrath and sustain their crops. The two of them discuss a plan to escape their predicament, arguing between each other, before a chance thunderstorm intervenes and allows the duo to escape to the TARDIS.
"Clara and the TARDIS"	N/A	Steven Moffat	24 September 2013 (2013-09-24) (home video release)
Clara walks into the control room and argues with the TARDIS after her bedroom mysteriously disappears. The argument ends with the TARDIS showing Clara a slideshow of the Doctor's previous companions. Giving up, Clara leaves to find her bedroom, only to be stopped by herself from the following night, who still hasn't found it. Her other self begins talking to the console, while a third Clara appears, still exhausted and much more frustrated from looking for her bedroom. One by one, the TARDIS fills the control room with future versions of Clara; none of whom have found their bedroom. The episode ends with Clara watching in amazement as her other-selves yell at the console.
"The Inforarium"	N/A	Steven Moffat	24 September 2013 (2013-09-24) (home video release)
While trying to fix a data core breach, an operator in a source of illicit information called "the Inforarium" receives a recorded message of the Doctor. The recorded Doctor tells how he has been trying to erase himself from every database in the universe, for the simple reason that he wants to be left alone. The operator says this is impossible, and recording responds in perfect synchronization. The Doctor explains this by saying the operator is so predictable. The Doctor acknowledges he cannot erase himself, but he has managed to memory-proof all information about him in the same way the Silence do. The operator doesn't believe the Doctor, and the recording ends. The Doctor's plan works, as the operator completely forgets the conversation and returns to the malfunction. The episode ends with the recording of the Doctor reappearing and the entire conversation begins again.

Prequels

Prologue videos to selected episodes were released via various online outlets and the Children in Need 2012 appeal.

Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
"The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe Prequel"	Marcus Wilson	Steven Moffat	6 December 2011 (2011-12-06) (online)
The Doctor is seen on a spaceship holding a red button which, when he lets go, will cause the space ship to explode. While holding the button, he has phoned the TARDIS to speak to Amy Pond asking her to rescue him, although he does not have his co-ordinates, Amy cannot fly the TARDIS, and she is not on the TARDIS. The Doctor wishes Amy a Merry Christmas before letting go of the button, and the spaceship explodes.
"Asylum of the Daleks Prequel"	Saul Metzstein	Steven Moffat	2 September 2012 (2012-09-02) (iTunes, Zune, and Amazon Video)
As the Doctor has tea, a hooded messenger informs him that a woman, Darla von Karlsen, requests his help in freeing her daughter. The messenger provides space-time coordinates to the planet Skaro.
"The Making of The Gunslinger"	Neill Gorton	Toby Whithouse	16 September 2012 (2012-09-16) (iTunes, Zune, and Amazon Video)
A prologue to "A Town Called Mercy", depicting the actual making and formation of the Gunslinger, from a normal humanoid body. It also has an explanation of the making of the Gunslinger in voice-over by Kahler-Jex.
"The Great Detective"	Marcus Wilson	Steven Moffat	16 November 2012 (2012-11-16) (BBC One)
A mini episode for Children in Need 2012, Vastra, Jenny and Strax attempt to lure the Doctor out of retirement in this prologue to "The Snowmen".
"Vastra Investigates"	John Hayes	Steven Moffat	17 December 2012 (2012-12-17) (online) 20 December 2012 (BBC Red Button)
A prologue to "The Snowmen", Vastra, Jenny, and Strax wrap up another case.
"The Bells of Saint John – A Prequel"	John Hayes	Steven Moffat	23 March 2013 (2013-03-23) (online) 29 March 2013 (BBC Red Button)
Frustrated in his search for Clara, the Doctor talks to a little girl on a playground, who is revealed to be Clara Oswald.
"The Battle of Demon's Run – Two Days Later"	Marcus Wilson	Steven Moffat	25 March 2013 (2013-03-25) (iTunes, and Amazon Video)"
Set after the events of "A Good Man Goes to War", Madame Vastra and Jenny convince Strax to join them in 1890s London. Serves as a prologue to "The Snowmen"
"She Said, He Said"	Saul Metzstein	Steven Moffat	11 May 2013 (2013-05-11) (BBC Red Button)
The Doctor and Clara discuss how little they know about each other in a prologue to "The Name of the Doctor".
"Clarence and the Whispermen"	Stephen Woolfenden	Steven Moffat	26 May 2013 (2013-05-26) (home video release)
A convicted criminal receives information about the Doctor's future from the villainous Whispermen in a prologue to "The Name of the Doctor".

Casting

See also: List of Doctor Who cast members

Jenna Coleman plays Clara Oswald, the sixth companion since the show was re-launched.

The seventh series marked Matt Smith's third and final full series as the eleventh incarnation of the Doctor. Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill, who portray Amy Pond and Rory Williams respectively, departed the programme in the fifth episode. The decision to write the pair out of the series was a mutual decision from Gillan and showrunner Steven Moffat. The actress previously stated that she did not want to make return cameos to the show.

On 21 March 2012, it was announced that Jenna Coleman would replace Gillan and Darvill as the next companion. She auditioned for the role in secrecy, pretending it was for something called Men on Waves, an anagram for "Woman Seven". Moffat chose her for the role because she worked the best alongside Smith and could talk faster than him. He stated that her character will be different from previous companions, though he attempted to keep the details of her character a secret until she debuted in the Christmas special. In "Asylum of the Daleks", Coleman appears as the character Oswin Oswald, a secret which was kept from the public before transmission. Coleman was originally given the role of a Victorian governess named Jasmine, and then for the second audition she was given both the characters of Oswin and Clara. She originally thought that the producers were looking for the right character, but later realised it was part of Moffat's "soft mystery" plan of having multiple iterations of Clara in the events of "The Name of the Doctor".

Guest stars include David Gyasi, Rupert Graves, David Bradley, Riann Steele as Queen Nefertiti in episode 2, Ben Browder, Adrian Scarborough, Garrick Hagon, Steven Berkoff, Ruthie Henshall, Jemma Redgrave, Mike McShane. Dougray Scott, Jessica Raine, David Warner and Liam Cunningham in episode 8, Rachael Stirling and her mother Dame Diana Rigg in episode 11, and Warwick Davis and Tamzin Outhwaite in episode 12. Mark Williams appears in the second and fourth episodes as Rory's father. Alex Kingston returned to the series as her character River Song for Amy and Rory's final episode and the series finale. Richard E. Grant and Tom Ward were cast in the 2012 Christmas special, together with young actor Cameron Strefford playing a younger version of Grant's character. Ian McKellen also appears in the Christmas special, providing the original voice of the Great Intelligence. Grant later returned in the mid-series premiere and the series finale, portraying the Great Intelligence.

Production

Development

"When you start with who’s going to be the one who goes on board the TARDIS, you can’t think of the word “companion.” You can’t think that they know they’re the supporting character on a TV show. You have to think that this is somebody who would fly away in that TARDIS, and that the Doctor would want to fly away in the TARDIS with. The Doctor is quite picky. He doesn’t like everybody. He’s a difficult man to deal with. It’s not just anybody that he actually forms a proper friendship with. And what sort of person would run through those blue doors? An awful lot of people would run the other direction, probably including me, to be honest. So, you have to imagine somebody who’s ready to say, “Yes!,” to running away with a clearly insane man who has a time machine. That is your starting point with that character. What point in their life are they? What decisions have been made that leads them to respond positively to a travel request from a lunatic in a bow tie."

Steven Moffat

The BBC commissioned the fourteen-episode seventh series on 8 June 2011. "The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe" was executive produced by Steven Moffat, Piers Wenger and Caroline Skinner. Beth Willis left the BBC and stepped down as executive producer after series 6 and Wenger also departed following the Christmas special, leaving Moffat and Skinner as executive producers for series 7. Marcus Wilson remained as series producer, with Denise Paul producing "The Bells of Saint John", "The Rings of Akhaten", "Nightmare in Silver" and "The Name of the Doctor". Production of Doctor Who relocated to the new Roath Lock studios in Cardiff midway through production of the series on 12 March 2012; the first episode to be filmed there was the Christmas special in Block Four, with the debut of Coleman's character; however it was reported that a later episode written by Neil Cross was the first Coleman filmed. Moffat has stated that the introduction of the new companion will "[reboot] the show a little bit" and "make you look at the Doctor differently".

Writing

Moffat has stated that the seventh series would be the opposite of the arc-driven nature of the sixth, consisting of mainly stand-alone stories. This was inspired by fan reactions to the title of "Let's Kill Hitler" when it was revealed at the end of "A Good Man Goes to War" with no plot details; he told the writers of the seventh series to "slut it up" with "big, huge, mad ideas" and "write it like a movie poster". Toby Whithouse, writer of the Wild West-themed third episode, stated that each episode would have more of a specific genre, and his was developed from a one-line pitch from Moffat. The stand-alone nature meant that there were no two-part episodes or series-long story arcs. According to Dan Martin of The Guardian, Moffat stated that the goal of the series was "compressed storytelling"; Martin remarked that "Asylum of the Daleks" told more than some of the four-parters in the classic series.

Design changes

File:Doctor Who 2012 logo.jpg

The redesigned Doctor Who title card for the first part of series 7 removed the "DW" insignia and featured a different look for each episode.

In keeping with the blockbuster theme, the title sequence for the first part of the series (up to and including "The Snowmen") featured a different look to the titles and logo in the title sequence to reflect the concept of the episode. The Time Vortex in the title sequence was also tinted blue and green. The interior of the TARDIS was redesigned starting with the Christmas special, which also featured a new title sequence that, for the first time since the end of Season 26 in 1989, showed the Doctor's face, together with a new orchestration of the theme tune. Moffat had noticed that the TARDIS' design was getting "progressively whimsical" and resembled more of a "magical place" rather than a machine. The set was designed by series production designer Michael Pickwoad, who stated that the new interior was also supposed to be "darker and moodier" and provide an easier access to the "gallery" of the ship when shooting. The new design allowed the entrance to be more central, and also returned the console to the look of the designs in the classic series.

File:Doctor Who 2013 logo.jpg

The Doctor Who title card for the second part of series 7, similar to the logo use in the first part of the series but with different texture and background.

In the Christmas special the Doctor sported a new costume, tying into the purple colour scheme, which Smith described as "a bit Artful Dodger meets the Doctor". Moffat described the new outfit as a "progression" as the Doctor was in "a different phase of his life now" and felt more "grown-up" and fatherlike. In the second half of the series, Moffat intended to show the Doctor not dressing exactly the same way each time, similar to the Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee) and the Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker), who did not wear exactly the same clothes but retained a common "look".

Filming

The seventh series began shooting on 20 February 2012. Episodes 2 and 3 were the first to enter production, directed by Saul Metzstein. Much of the Wild West episode was filmed in March 2012 in the desert area of Almería, Spain, an area which contains Wild-West style streets that have been used in the making of many Western-set films. Filming the episode in Spain was cheaper than constructing a set in the UK. The fifth episode, Amy and Rory's last, was filmed in Central Park in New York City in April 2012, as well as at Cardiff University and a cemetery in Llanelli. The fourth episode was filmed next, the only episode in the third block of production. Doctor Who Magazine reported that the Christmas special would be produced by itself in Block Four. In late May 2012, Coleman was spotted at a manor in the Vale of Glamorgan, filming what was reported to be the Christmas special. However, Neil Cross's episode, reportedly the first Coleman shot, was partially filmed in Margam Country Park, South Wales, around the same time, and it was reported that the manor location was also for that episode, and that Moffat was still writing the Christmas special. "Cold War" and "The Crimson Horror" were filmed in June and July 2012." The Christmas special began filming the week of 6 August. "Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS" finished filming in September 2012. "The Bells of Saint John" was filmed in London from 8–16 October 2012. "The Rings of Akhaten" became the 100th episode produced since the series returned in 2005, although "The Crimson Horror" was the 100th aired. Scenes for "Nightmare in Silver" were filmed in early November 2012, showing a new design for the Cybermen.

Production blocks were arranged as follows:

Block	Episode(s)	Director	Writer(s)	Producer
X	"The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe"	Farren Blackburn	Steven Moffat	Marcus Wilson
1	"Dinosaurs on a Spaceship"	Saul Metzstein	Chris Chibnall
	"A Town Called Mercy"		Toby Whithouse
2	"Asylum of the Daleks"	Nick Hurran	Steven Moffat
	"The Angels Take Manhattan"
3	"The Power of Three"	Douglas Mackinnon	Chris Chibnall
4	"Hide"	Jamie Payne	Neil Cross
	"Cold War"	Douglas Mackinnon	Mark Gatiss
5	"The Crimson Horror"	Saul Metzstein	Mark Gatiss
	"The Snowmen"		Steven Moffat
6	"Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS"	Mat King	Stephen Thompson
7	"The Bells of Saint John"	Colm McCarthy	Steven Moffat	Denise Paul & Marcus Wilson
	"The Rings of Akhaten"	Farren Blackburn	Neil Cross
8	"Nightmare in Silver"	Stephen Woolfenden	Neil Gaiman
	"The Name of the Doctor"	Saul Metzstein	Steven Moffat

Release

Promotion

Smith, Gillan, Darvill, Moffat, and Skinner all promoted the series at the official Doctor Who convention in Cardiff in March 2012. At the convention the first trailer for the series premiered. Three promotional images of Smith and Coleman were released on 8 June, 11 June, and 13 June. New footage was shown at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con International on 15 July, consisting of clips from the second and third episodes. The second trailer for the series aired on the BBC on 2 August, as part of the coverage of the London Olympics. The 90-second trailer and a promotional image were first made available online in the morning of 2 August. "Asylum of the Daleks" was screened at BFI Southbank on 14 August, and at the MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival during 23–25 August. On 25 August it was also screened in New York City. Following the BFI screening, around twenty high-resolution images from the first five episodes were released on the BBC's Doctor Who website. A teaser trailer for "Asylum of the Daleks" was released on 18 August 2012, with a longer version released on 25 August. On 29 August at midnight, the BBC released poster-style artwork for episodes 2–5.

A trailer for the second half of the series first appeared at the end of "The Snowmen". The second was released 16 March 2013. A first picture and the title of "The Bells of Saint John" was released by the BBC on 1 March 2013. "The Bells of Saint John" was first screened to the press on 15 March, though the press was not allowed to release information until 18 March. On 18 March, the BBC released poster-style artwork for episodes 7–10. The prologue and trailer for "The Bells of Saint John" were released on 23 March 2013, and another picture was released on 26 March 2013. On 18 April 2013, the BBC released more poster-style artwork for episodes 11–13. On 19 April 2013, the title and poster for "The Name of the Doctor" were released. The prologue to the finale, "She Said, He Said" was released on 11 May 2013 (2013-05-11) on BBC Red Button and on-line. Viewers using Red Button were able to access the prologue between 7:40 and midnight every evening, until "The Name of the Doctor" aired on 18 May 2013 (2013-05-18).

Broadcast

The Doctor Who official Twitter account announced in March 2012 that it was planned that six episodes would be shown in 2012, including a Christmas Special, to be followed by eight in 2013. In July 2012, Smith stated that it would start in August, but Moffat later confirmed it was September. Part of the reason the show was moved to the start of the year was because Moffat felt the darker nights suited the atmosphere of the programme, as well as the classic series originally airing in the start of the year. He stated that the decision to split the series up originally came from the BBC, but he was open to anything that "shakes [the series] up" and making the audience wait would make it seem like an "event piece".

The first episode was broadcast on 1 September 2012 on BBC One in the United Kingdom, with the fifth episode airing on 29 September 2012. The Christmas episode was broadcast on 25 December 2012 on BBC One in the United Kingdom, and the first episode of the second half of the series was broadcast on 30 March 2013. The series finale, "The Name Of The Doctor", was broadcast on 18 May 2013.

The series premiered on 1 September 2012 on BBC America in the United States, and on Space in Canada. Within minutes of the first episode's UK ending, it was released onto the ABC iview service at 5:10 am on 2 September 2012. It premiered 8 September 2012 on ABC1 in Australia, and on 13 September 2012 in New Zealand on Prime TV.

"The Snowmen" aired on 25 December 2012 on BBC America in the US, and the same date on Space in Canada. It aired the next day on ABC in Australia, and Prime in New Zealand.

The first episode of the second half of the series, "The Bells of Saint John", was broadcast on 30 March 2013 on BBC America in the US, and on Space in Canada, and the following day in Australia on ABC1 and in South Africa on BBC Entertainment. Prime TV began airing the remainder of the series in New Zealand on 11 April 2013.

Home media

See also: List of Doctor Who home video releases

"The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe" was released singly onto DVD and Blu-ray on 12 January 2012, episodes 1–5 (dubbed as 'Series 7: Part 1') followed on 29 October 2012 in Region 2 and 13 November 2012 in Region 1. The second part was released on 27 May 2013 containing the remaining episodes plus the 2012 Christmas special "The Snowmen". The remaining eight episodes plus "The Snowmen" were released onto DVD and Blu-ray on 27 May 2013 in Region 2, while the former was released as two separate publications in Region 1 on 28 May 2013. On 12 May 2013, the box set of Series 7 Part 2 was erroneously dispatched to customers who pre-ordered it through the BBC America online store before the series had been fully aired, prompting a plea from show-runner Steven Moffat to keep the final episode "a secret" until broadcast. A 5-disc box set containing all 13 episodes plus the Christmas specials "The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe" and "The Snowmen" was released on 24 September 2013 in Region 1 and 28 October 2013 in Region 2.

In print

See also: List of Doctor Who novelisations

Reception

Ratings

The series received a strong Appreciation Index, with all episodes aside from "The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe", "The Rings of Akhaten", "Cold War" and "Nightmare in Silver" in the "excellent" category of a score of 85 or more. "Asylum of the Daleks", "The Angels Take Manhattan" and "The Name of The Doctor" reached 89, 88, and 88, respectively, with "Asylum of the Daleks"'s score being higher than any of the last season and "The Name of The Doctor" higher than the series finale of the last season.

Critical reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds a 100% approval rating based on 8 critic reviews, and an average score of 8.82/10.

Reviewing the first half, SFX gave it 4/5 stars, describing it as "gloriously gorgeous and indomitably imaginative" with praise to the writing, although it did find "Dinosaurs On A Spaceship" to be "a raggedy underachiever" and found the Daleks' appearance in the opener to be unthreatening. Sherry Lipp of Cinema Lowdown wrote that "The first half of this series was somewhat of a disappointment, with more weak-to-average episodes than quality ones" with particular note to the episode "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship" which she describes as one of her "least favorite episodes of the series".

SFX called the second part of the series "the creakiest run of episodes since 1988" but noted that there was "plenty to enjoy", ending the review with "Thankfully 'The Name of the Doctor' is everything we could have hoped for from an overture to the 50th anniversary special: a wonderful, spectacular-looking, twisty-turny nostalgia-fest. The show's still got it." Patrick Kavanagh-Sproull of Cultfix described the second part as a "return to form" concluding that "Apart from a few slightly faulty episodes, Series Seven was brilliant".

Reviewing the whole series for IGN, Mark Snow rated it 7.9/10 and wrote that the series was "a tumultuous one". He felt that although "the concepts were almost universally strong, cramming an entire movie's worth of ideas into a self-contained 50 minute episode inevitably left plot-threads dangling". However, he thought that it "succeeded where it really counted – with strong character work, sporadically genius story concepts, and some show-altering twists that ensure we're as jazzed as ever for the forthcoming TV event of the semi-century". Peter Canavese of Groucho Reviews rated it 3.5/4, and wrote that "In the penultimate batch of episodes before Doctor Who's jubilee year, executive producer Steven Moffat continues to marvel with his ability to keep the time-and-space-travelling Doctor in ever-so-complicated trouble." He also praised the cast who were "very much on top of their collective game", and "The Impossible Girl" story arc. In his review of the seventh series' home media release, Mark Redfern of Under the Radar commented that the seventh series "features its share of hits and misses", but "mostly finds Doctor Who still in fine form". He listed the episodes "The Bells of Saint John" and "Nightmare in Silver" as "underwhelming", but praised the episodes "Asylum of the Daleks" and "The Angels Take Manhattan" for the introduction of Clara and departure of the Ponds respectively, as well as "Hide", "The Journey to the Center of the TARDIS" and "The Crimson Horror".

Awards and nominations

See also: List of awards and nominations received by Doctor Who

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref(s)
2013	BAFTA Craft Awards	Visual Effects and Graphic Design	The Mill	Nominated
		Original Television Music	Murray Gold for his score in "Asylum of the Daleks"	Nominated
	BAFTA Cymru	Sound Category	The Sound Team	Nominated
		Editing Category for his work on "The Snowmen"	William Oswald	Nominated
	Hugo Awards	Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form)	"Asylum of the Daleks"	Nominated
			"The Angels Take Manhattan"	Nominated
			"The Snowmen"	Nominated
	Peabody Award	Institutional Award	Doctor Who	Won
	TV Choice Awards	Best Drama	Doctor Who	Nominated
		Best Actor	Matt Smith	Nominated
		Best Actress	Jenna Coleman	Nominated
		Best Drama	Doctor Who	Won
		Outstanding Contribution Award	Doctor Who	Won
2014	National Television Awards	Best Drama	Doctor Who	Won
		Best Drama Performance	Matt Smith	Won

Soundtrack

Selected pieces of score from this series (from "Asylum of the Daleks" to "The Name of the Doctor", excluding "The Snowmen"), as composed by Murray Gold, were released on 9 September 2013 by Silva Screen Records. The music from "The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe" and "The Snowmen" was released on a separate soundtrack on 21 October 2013.

Series 7

Doctor Who: Series 7
Soundtrack album by Murray Gold, Ben Foster and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Released	9 September 2013 (UK & Australia) 5 November 2013 (USA)
Recorded	2011–2013
Genre	Soundtrack
Length	Template:Tltl
Label	Silva Screen Records
Producer	Murray Gold
Doctor Who soundtrack chronology
Doctor Who: The Krotons (2013) Doctor Who: Series 7 (2013) Doctor Who: The Snowmen / The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe (2013)

Disc 1
No.	Title	Episode	Length
1.	"They Are Everywhere"	"Asylum of the Daleks"	3:12
2.	"Save Us"		0:51
3.	"Dalek Parliament"		2:02
4.	"Oswin Oswald"		1:03
5.	"Towards the Asylum"		2:25
6.	"A Probe in the Snow"		1:55
7.	"Amy and Rory Together"		1:50
8.	"The Terrible Truth"		3:25
9.	"Dinosaurs on a Spaceship" / "Pterodactyls"	"Dinosaurs on a Spaceship"	1:44
10.	"Brian"		1:20
11.	"Take a Ride on Tricey"		2:02
12.	"Make Peace"	"A Town Called Mercy"	0:52
13.	"Welcome to Mercy"		1:45
14.	"Out West"		3:35
15.	"Gunslingers"		1:07
16.	"The Salvation of Kahler-Jex"		2:20
17.	"Our Little Town’s Protector"		1:39
18.	"Cubes"	"The Power of Three"	0:44
19.	"While We Waited"		2:12
20.	"Brian’s Log"		0:55
21.	"New York New York"	"The Angels Take Manhattan"	1:50
22.	"I Am You"		3:25
23.	"Melody Malone"		1:50
24.	"Little Angels"		2:37
25.	"My Husband’s Home"		2:43
26.	"Hide the Damage"		2:19
27.	"Almost the End"		1:20
28.	"Together or Not at All - The Song of Amy And Rory"		3:16
29.	"Goodbye Pond"		2:50
30.	"Cumbria 1207"	"The Bells of Saint John"	1:35
31.	"Monking About"		0:44
32.	"Spoonheads"		2:09
33.	"Clara?"		3:24
34.	"A Turbulent Flight"		2:13
35.	"Bah Bah Biker"		0:42
36.	"Up the Shard"		3:04
37.	"I Might Change My Mind"		2:45
Total length:			Template:Tltl

Disc 2
No.	Title	Episode	Length
1.	"The Leaf"	"The Rings of Akhaten"	2:56
2.	"Something Awesome"		1:24
3.	"Market Day"		1:34
4.	"Merry Gejelh"		2:35
5.	"God of Akhaten"		3:45
6.	"The Speeder"		0:53
7.	"Never Wake"		1:01
8.	"The Long Song"		3:38
9.	"Infinite Potential"		2:06
10.	"Always You, Never a Replacement"		1:58
11.	"Cold War"	"Cold War"	3:59
12.	"Skaldak"		2:44
13.	"I Am a Ghost"	"Hide"	1:50
14.	"A Machine That Makes Machines"	"Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS"	3:34
15.	"Crimson Horror"	"The Crimson Horror"	1:05
16.	"Sweetville"		1:18
17.	"Thomas Thomas"		1:20
18.	"Hedgewick's World"	"Nightmare in Silver"	1:37
19.	"Tiberian Spiral Galaxy"		0:53
20.	"Upgrade in Progress"		0:39
21.	"The Dream of Cyberia"		1:09
22.	"What a Brain"		0:54
23.	"Can’t Win"		0:33
24.	"Your Orders Come from Me"		0:47
25.	"Other Good News"		0:40
26.	"The Impossible Girl"		2:33
27.	"Cyber Army"		0:53
28.	"The Emperor’s Wife"		3:10
29.	"Some Wednesday"		0:49
30.	"To Save the Doctor"	"The Name of the Doctor"	1:28
31.	"A Letter to Clara"		1:22
32.	"What Is His Name?"		1:59
33.	"A Secret He Will Take to His Grave"		2:41
34.	"Trenzalore"		2:22
35.	"I Am Information"		1:27
36.	"Pain Everlasting"		2:22
37.	"Remember Me"		3:04
Total length:			Template:Tltl

iTunes store bonus tracks
No.	Title	Episode	Length
38.	"Glasgow"		0:58
39.	"Whisper Men"		1:31
Total length:			Template:Tltl

Christmas specials

Doctor Who: The Snowmen / The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe
Soundtrack album by Murray Gold, Ben Foster and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Released	21 October 2013
Recorded	2011–2012
Genre	Soundtrack
Length	66:47
Label	Silva Screen Records
Producer	Murray Gold
Doctor Who soundtrack chronology
Doctor Who: Series 7 (2013) Doctor Who: The Snowmen / The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe (2013) Doctor Who: The 50th Anniversary Collection (2013)

Christmas specials
No.	Title	Episode	Length
1.	"Geronimo"	"The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe"	1:52
2.	"Dressed in a Hurry"		1:39
3.	"Bumps"		1:27
4.	"Ditched at Sea"		0:56
5.	"Madge's Theme"		1:33
6.	"Armchair Waltz"		0:42
7.	"I Know"		1:29
8.	"Quite a Tree"		1:08
9.	"Into the Present"		2:21
10.	"Baubles"		2:43
11.	"The King"		1:42
12.	"The Queen"		2:08
13.	"Interrogation"		2:15
14.	"Lifeboat"		1:13
15.	"You're Fired"		2:32
16.	"Flying Home for Christmas"		4:06
17.	"Safe Landing"		1:27
18.	"Never Alone at Christmas"		1:25
19.	"Friendship"		2:24
20.	"A Voice in the Snow"	"The Snowmen"	2:51
21.	"What's Wrong with Silly"		2:36
22.	"Psychotic Potato Dwarf"		1:31
23.	"Remember the Worm"		1:25
24.	"Clara Who?"		1:28
25.	"Clara in the TARDIS"		2:53
26.	"Governess Clara"		1:34
27.	"Hello Mates"		2:38
28.	"One Word"		3:26
29.	"Sherlock Who?"		1:58
30.	"Antifreeze"		3:02
31.	"Clara Lives"		1:35
32.	"Whose Enigma"		4:48
Total length:			Template:Tltl

External links

• Quotations related to Doctor Who (series 7) at Wikiquote
• Official website
• Series 7 Episode Guide Radio Times