The fourth episode of the Doctor Who season fourteen has recently dropped on Disney+ and dubbed Boom. This episode focuses on a war that the Doctor and Ruby are caught up in, but the Doctor becomes trapped after stepping on a landmine, and must attempt to save everyone without moving.According to Screenrant, showrunner and returning writer of the franchise, Steven Moffat (Inside Man) goes on to reveal on how an iconic Fourth Doctor’s story inspired his return.
On the official Doctor Who Youtube page, a behind the scene videos was uploaded and sheds lights on the creative process behind the episode. According to Screenrant, in the fourth doctor era back in 1985, a similar situation happened where the Doctor played by Tom Baker (The Five Doctors) lands on the planet Skaro.
According to Screenrant, Steven gives an explanation,” the inspiration for this episode came from the vast, imaginative cavern of my–episode 1 of “Genesis of the Daleks”. Tom Baker stands on a landmine, and he escapes two or three minutes later. So when I was thinking that the one thing I hadn’t done in Doctor Who was do pure suspense, pure edge of your seat suspense, I thought, ‘Let’s put him back on a landmine and not make it so easy.’ Now, if you think of the Doctor, every Doctor, they dash about a bit, they’re whirling and twirling. Movement is quite a big thing about the Doctor. Now, you plant him in one spot, and he knows if he moves, if he breathes the wrong way, he will evaporate. It forces him into the place where the Doctor is at his most interesting, which is he’s on the back foot. He’s got only his number one super weapon – he can talk anyone into defeat. So, that’s what I wanted to do.
The influence of “Genesis of the Daleks” on “Boom” is a delightful example of how Doctor Who honors its rich history while forging new adventures. Every Friday, Disney+ releases a new episode of the new season.