The Whoniverse is a very special place, jam packed with surprises, secrets and in jokes that nod to previous Doctor Who story lines, so is it any wonder that Before The Flood featured quite a few of them?


How many little nods did you spot in series 9 episode four?

He said he took the Tardis radio apart to make a clockwork squirrel…

….which Jenna Coleman admits she nicked from the set – and it turns out The Doctor wasn’t lying.

Did you spot it sitting on the Magpie amp?

Speaking of Magpies…

Seasoned fans of the series will recognise the brand of amp the Doctor was using. It’s only the name of the TV and radio shop, Magpie Electricals, in The Idiot’s Lantern…

The make of television Martha has in The Sound of Drums…

The producer of various TARDIS console components during the Eleventh Doctor’s era…

And an electrical goods shop on board Starship UK in the 33rd century.

We’ve seen that Security Protocol before…

You might remember that the name ‘Security Protocol 712’ was first introduced in back in Blink where a hologram of the Tenth Doctor addresses Sally Sparrow and Larry Nightingale after they make it into the TARDIS.

But it’s not the first time we saw it – a similar hologram popped up in The Parting of the Ways, when Emergency Program One kicked in, allowing a hologram of the Ninth Doctor to address Rose.

And we saw it again in Let’s Kill Hitler when the Doctor activating ‘voice interface’ produced depictions of himself plus Rose, Martha, Donna and Amy as a child.

We know Star Trek’s being referenced in that mural on the wall of The Drum, but could it have been a subtle reference to the two part story too?

If we take a closer look we can see that the figure in blue – the traditional colours of Starfleet’s medical and science officers – looks rather like The Twelfth Doctor. And he’s joined by what appears to be a woman in red and a man in gold.

Now, we know the Doctor Who Instagram account trolled us all a few days back with “bet the red won’t last long” – so it is any coincidence that O’Donnell, who was next to die, is basically an engineer, setting the base back into day or night mode when ordered?

Starfleet’s engineers DO all wear red after all…

Could it be, then, that the monster on the wall is ACTUALLY the Fisher King? Those red markings where his nose should be sure do look familiar.

And he has what appears to be a woman in blue in his mouth…

Could it be that this reflects the Doctor’s need to travel in a ship (the boat) with two crew (O’Donnell and Bennett) because he believed Clara (wearing blue because she’s travelling with The Doctor and therefore a scientific mind) was in danger?

Was Toby Whithouse’s writing LITERALLY ON THE WALL? Could Doctor Who be THAT META?

While we’re asking questions, who IS the Minister of War?

While superfan O’Donnell is talking to The Doctor she reveals she knows a lot about his history, bringing previous companions Rose Tyler, Martha Jones and Amy Pond up in conversation. She also seems to know all about Harold Saxon and the events of Kill the Moon, but when she brings up ‘the Minister of War’ the Doctor’s not got a clue who she’s on about.

Who on earth is this Minster of War? Are they even from earth? Or will the answer be out of this world?

And last but by no means least, one non Doctor Who reference definitely worth a mention…

Prentis paid homage to a very special sci-fi series with his removal business cards.

May the remorse be with you too…


Doctor Who Series 9 continues on BBC1 on Saturday nights