Let's Kill Hitler

219 – "Let's Kill Hitler"
Doctor Who episode
Cast
Others
Production
Directed byRichard Senior[1]
Written bySteven Moffat
Script editorCaroline Henry
Produced byMarcus Wilson[1]
Executive producer(s)
Music byMurray Gold
Production code2.8
SeriesSeries 6
Running time50 minutes
First broadcast27 August 2011 (2011-08-27)
Chronology
← Preceded by
"A Good Man Goes to War"
Followed by →
"Night Terrors"
List of episodes (2005–present)

"Let's Kill Hitler" is the eighth episode of the sixth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, and was first broadcast on BBC One, Space and BBC America on 27 August 2011. It was written by Steven Moffat and directed by Richard Senior.[1]

In the episode, alien time traveller the Doctor (Matt Smith) and his companions Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and her husband Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill) crash land in 1938 Berlin when the TARDIS is hijacked by Amy and Rory's childhood friend, Mels (Nina Toussaint-White). They accidentally save Adolf Hitler (Albert Welling) who was scheduled for torture by the Teselecta, a time-travelling justice department. When shot by Hitler, Mels unexpectedly regenerates into River Song, the grown version of Amy and Rory's child who had been taken away from them. As River is a criminal herself due to her future execution of the Doctor, the Teselecta pursue her instead, whilst the Doctor faces death from her poisoned lipstick.

Moffat intended for "Let's Kill Hitler" to be more lighthearted than the series opener, and he intended to make fun of Hitler. The episode concludes many elements of River Song's arc. The episode was filmed around March and April 2011, although the opening sequence, set in a cornfield, was filmed much later in the final scenes shot for the series as the production crew had to wait for the corn to grow. Much of Berlin was filmed in Swansea, while the Temple of Peace in Cardiff was also used as a location. In the UK, the episode attracted 8.10 million viewers, the second most-watched episode of the series. Critical reception was mostly positive, though some were critical of the Teselecta and various aspects of the setting and characters.

  1. ^ a b c "Let's Kill Hitler, Series 6, Doctor Who - BBC One". BBC. Archived from the original on 31 December 2013. Retrieved 28 August 2011.