Turn Left (Doctor Who)

197 – "Turn Left"
Doctor Who episode
Rocco Colasanto (Joseph Long, far left), along with his wife and other foreign citizens, is taken to an internment camp in the midst of the dystopia caused by the Doctor's absence. Colosanto's internment was written as a direct parallel to the Holocaust and was positively reviewed by critics for the episode's depiction of dystopia.
Cast
Doctor David Tennant (Tenth Doctor)
Companions Catherine Tate (Donna Noble) Billie Piper (Rose Tyler)
Others Bernard Cribbins – Wilfred Mott Jacqueline King – Sylvia Noble Joseph Long – Rocco Colasanto Noma Dumezweni – Capt. Magambo Ben Righton – Oliver Morgenstern Chipo Chung – Fortune Teller Natalie Walter – Alice Coltrane Loraine Velez – Spanish Maid Jason Mohammad – BBC Newsreader Lachele Carl – Trinity Wells Bhasker Patel – Jival Chowdry
Production
Directed by	Graeme Harper
Written by	Russell T Davies
Script editor	Brian Minchin
Produced by	Susie Liggat
Executive producer(s)	Russell T Davies Julie Gardner Phil Collinson
Incidental music composer	Murray Gold
Production code	4.11
Series	Series 4
Length	50 minutes
Originally broadcast	21 June 2008
Chronology
← Preceded by Followed by → "Midnight" "The Stolen Earth"
List of Doctor Who serials

"Turn Left" is the eleventh episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was written by showrunner Russell T Davies and broadcast on BBC One on 21 June 2008.

David Tennant only makes a small contribution to this "Doctor-lite" episode as the Tenth Doctor. The story instead focuses on the Doctor's companion, Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) and her encounters with former companion Rose Tyler (Billie Piper). The episode's narrative focuses on an alternative history where the Doctor dies during the events of the 2006 Christmas special "The Runaway Bride". The episode depicts a dystopia caused by the Doctor's death, leaving Rose to convince Donna to save the world. The beginning and end of the episode take place in the show's normal continuity, and features a cliffhanger that leads directly into the series finale "The Stolen Earth".

Davies' writing and Tate's performance were acclaimed, and the episode was praised for its depiction of dystopia in a scene, characterised by the internment of a foreign citizen. The episode was the fourth most-watched programme in the week it was broadcast, with 8.1 million viewers, and the Appreciation Index of the episode was 88, considered excellent. The episode was one of two Doctor Who stories in the fourth series to be nominated for a Hugo Award in the Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form category.