While Doctor Who: Flux has had some pretty epic cliffhangers every week, the final (ish) scene of episode four has to take the top prize. After being menaced by the Weeping Angels all night, the Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) tries one final time to escape with apparent victim Claire (Annabel Scholey) – but as it turns out, nothing was as it seemed.
The rogue angel who wanted the Doctor’s help? A double-crosser. The Doctor had been tricked and corralled, and separated from her friends, all at the behest of her mysterious ex-employers The Division. And in horrifying scenes, Village of the Angels concludes with the Doctor turned to stone, transformed into a Weeping Angel herself as her friends watch on.
It’s a truly gut-wrenching moment – and apparently, it was even a shock to the cast of the episode.
“I haven’t seen it yet!” Annabel Scholey, who plays the angel-infested Claire, tells RadioTimes.com. “I obviously I saw it on the day. But no, I haven’t seen the end.
“It was quite shocking to read that. You’re like ‘Oh, hang on a minute… but she can’t die!’
“I’m really interested to see the end of this one and how all that works. It was brilliant even on the day just by what Jodie was doing. So I’ll be interested to see the special effects.”
The scene is made all the more chilling by the sheer number of Weeping Angels, massed on an ancient stone burial mound to finally capture the Doctor – though in reality, the forces of evil were apparently slightly less in force.
“There were about four or five angels, I think?” Scholey told us. “So they’ve added more in.
!["Doctor]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/10/Claire-Weeping-Angel-6ce6521.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C414" "\"Doctor")
“Though I was on a rock, I did have to rock climb onto the rock and in heels, I may add, slippy, slippy surface. But it was exciting.
“Even without effects, everything Jodie was doing was really effective. Obviously, because she’s brilliant.”
How the Doctor will escape her stony prison and the clutches of the Division in unclear, but one thing’s for sure – this scene won’t be one we forget in a hurry. Especially when all the Weeping Angel Doctor fan art/cosplay starts streaming in.
To hear more from Annabel Scholey on making Village of the Angels, check out this week’s edition of the Radio Times Doctor Who podcast.
Read more about Doctor Who:
- Doctor Who: Village of the Angels’ 10 biggest questions
- Village of the Angels may be the Empire Strikes Back of Doctor Who series 13
- Doctor Who’s Village of the Angels includes surprise mid-credits scene
- Are the Time Lords returning to Doctor Who?
- Kate Lethbridge-Stewart makes shock Doctor Who return – but is UNIT back?
Doctor Who continues on BBC One on Sundays. For more, check out our dedicated Sci-Fi page or our full TV Guide.