11.11. Resolution

Series 11 - 2018

Writer: Chris Chibnall
Series Producer: Nikki Wilson
Director: Wayne Yip
Music: Segun Akinola

Graham O'Brien

from

Resolution

Aaron.Mate. Little thing we haven't told you. Tiny thing. So word of warning, you know that blue cabinet? That is just about to blow your mind.

Synopsis

In the 9th century, on Earth, an evil alien meanace was captured and killed. The body was split into three, and each part was buried around the world. Three custodians were placed in charge of ensuring the parts were never discovered. Two manmaged to complete their mission, but one was killed and the body left behind on a road. The alien body part he carried was never properly buried.

1st January 2019: Lin, hates New Year's Day, and Mitch are working at an archeological dig underneath Sheffield Town Hall where they have found the a body. During the excavation Lin sees something next to the body's hand. She bags it and places it under an ultraviolet light to examine it. The body part in the bag uses energy from the light to draw the two other buried parts back to it.

Inside the TARDIS the Doctor, Graham, Yaz, and Ryan, are watching a cosmic fireworks display. A short rest after visiting 19 New Year's Day parties. The Doctor suggests they go for a round 20 but is interuppted when the TARDIS detects an alien presence in Sheffield attempting a spatial shift. Naturally the Doctor has to investigate.

In Sheffield the alien has managed to reconstitute itself. Hearing a noise Lin goes further under the Town Hall and finds a strange tentacled thing on the wall. At the same moment the TARDIS materialises, and Mitch watches as the Doctor and her gang emerge. The Doctor immediately asks if they have seen anything unusual, and Lin tells her there was a thing on the wall. But when she leads the Doctor there the wall is empty. The Doctor tells Yaz to lead Lin and Mitch out of the sewers. Outside Mitch offers to take Lin for a drink but Lin declines, saying she is a little freaked out by events under the Town Hall.

The Doctor needs some eggs to check protein alignments and takes her gang back to Graham's house. Whilst she is there Graham's doorbell rings, and on the doorstep is Ryan's dad, Aaron. A bit shocked that his dad has actually turned up Aaron takes Ryan to a cafe to grab a coffee and to catch up. In the cafe Ryan wants to believe his dad has turned a new leaf, but isn't sure when Aaron tries to sell the cafe owner a custom-made microwave oven.

At her house Lin heads to the bathroom where she can see the Dalek creature that has jumped onto her back and is starting to control her. Under the Dalek's control Lin sits down at a laptop and browses the Internet allowing the Dalek to learn about Earth's weapons and defences, with particular interest in a company called MDZ Research. The Dalek uses Lin and her car to get to MDZ Research. On the way to MDZ Research Lin exceeds the speed limit causing her to get stopped by the police. Lin was hoping she would be rescued, but under the control of the Dalek she kills the police officer, his female partner, and steals her uniform and the police car.

In the TARDIS the Doctor uses the eggs to help her profile the DNA they found at the archeological site: the DNA of a Dalek. Needing more information the Doctor lands the TARDIS in Sheffield and picks up Mitch who books that details the Dalek's original visit to Earth, and it's capture. Back at Graham's house, when Yaz says Lin is not answering her phone Mitch becomes concerned as usually Lin answers straight away. The Doctor uses the TARDIS systems to track the Dalek and Lin - and finds they are both in the same location. The Doctor surmises the Dalek is using Lin. 

At MDZ Research Lin, dressed as a police officer, gains access to the secure areas after killing the security guard and using his arm to get through biometric security. Lin takes many items that MDZ have been researching - including a working Dalek gun.

As TARDIS systems explode tracking the Dalek DNA the Doctor realises they are dealing with no ordinary Dalek; it's a reconnaisance scout. Unable to move the TARDIS the Doctor is able to communicate with it. More importantly she is able to commuicate with Lin, and tells Lin that she is coming to help her. Whilst the Doctor is chatting with the Dalek the TARDIS is rebooting the navigational systems. The Dalek does everything it can to block the TARDIS from tracking it, and the Doctor even calls UNIT, although due to funding issues they are not in a position to help.

At a farm close to MDZ Research the Dalek uses Lin to kill the farmer and start work constructing a new body using the facilities the farm has. As Lin weakens so does the Dalek controlling her, and Lin starts to fight back. Outside the TARDIS materialises in a field and the Doctor, Yaz, Ryan, and Mitch, head to the farm. Inside they find Lin, now free of Dalek of the Dalek. The Doctor remains to hunt for the Dalek as Lin is taken away from the farm.

The Doctor finds the Dalek, and temporarily disables the weapon before it can fire. The Dalek tells her that Earth has now been annexed, and that it intends to contact the Dalek fleet. The Doctor doubts the Dalek has the ability to contact the fleet, but the Dalek claims otherwise and flies away. Inside the TARDIS the Doctor admits to Yaz and Ryan that instead of destroying the Dalek she may have riled it and let it get away. Whilst tracking the Dalek the Doctor gets a call from Graham, who had been left at his house with Aaron, asking to be picked up.

The TARDIS is tracking the Dalek, but the Doctor is not sure how to stop the Dalek. Earlier Ryan had been holding Aaron's microwave oven when he entered the TARDIS, and Aaron says they can use it to capture the predominantly metal TARDIS. He helps Ryan, Yaz, and Graham, start breaking it apart. 

The Daleks heads towards, and breaks in to, GCHQ, the Government's communications headquarters. Using the equipment the Dalek shuts down all UK communications, including the Internet, to use the power to send a signal to the Dalek fleet. The TARDIS materialises and the Doctor gives the Dalek a chance to surrender. When it doesn't the Doctor and her gang use parts from the microwave to fry the Dalek systems before the message to the fleet can be sent.

With the shell destroyed the Dalek creature latches on to Aaron, and orders the Doctor to take it back to the fleet. With Aaron at risk the Doctor takes the Dalek on a trip - but not to the fleet. Instead she opens the doors and  opens a small vacuum corridor - the size of the Dalek creature - into space to pull the Dalek out. The Dalek has a strong grip on Aaron and he risks being pulled out into space as well as the vacuum corridor expands. Ryan grabs onto his dad, and together they are too strong. The Dalek lets go and is pulled into space and into a sun going supernova.

Regular Cast

  • Graham O'Brien: Bradley Walsh
  • Yasmin Khan: Mandip Gill
  • Ryan Sinclair: Tosin Cole

Guest Cast

  • Lin: Charlotte Ritchie
  • Mitch: Nikesh Patel
  • Aaron: Daniel Adegboyega
  • Police Officer Will: Darryl Clark
  • Security Guard Richard: Connor Calland
  • Farmer Dinkle: James Lewis
  • Mum: Sophie Duval
  • Teen 1: Callum McDonald
  • Teen 2: Harry Vallance
  • Call Centre Polly: Laura Evelyn
  • Sergeant: Michael Bollard
  • Voice of the Dalek: Nick Briggs

Original broadcast on the BBC

Channel Title Date Viewers Rating
BBC 1 (HD) 11. Resolution Tuesday, 1 January 2019 19:00 - 20:00 6.96M 80

Click here to show repeat broadcasts on the BBC

Notes

For series 11 the usual Christmas Day special was moved to New Year's Day.

This programme does not feature a title sequence.