Doctor Who Season 1, Mini Episode: Born Again

INT. TARDIS

The new Doctor dashes to the console and flicks a few switches, checking the monitor.

THE DOCTOR
6 PM... Tuesday...

Rose watches, half concealed by a pillar. The Doctor turns a knob.

THE DOCTOR (CONT'D)
October... 5006... on the way to Barcelona! (straightens up and faces Rose, grinning as if extremely pleased with himself)
Now then... what do I look like? (gives her no chance to reply before holding up a hand to silence her)
No, no no, no no no no no no no. No. Don't tell me.

Rose looks completely bemused.

THE DOCTOR (CONT'D)
Let's see... two legs, two arms, two hands... (tests his wrist, circling it)
Slight weakness in the dorsal tubercle. (hands fly to his head)
HAIR! I'm not bald!

Rose now looks shocked. The Doctor runs his hands through his hair gleefully.

THE DOCTOR (CONT'D)
Oh - Oh! Big hair!
(feels his sideburns, looks and sounds delighted)
Sideburns - I've got sideburns! Or really bad skin. Little bit thinner...
(slaps his stomach)
That's weird. Give me time, I'll get used to it.
(with the air of someone making a most wonderful discovery)
I... have got... a mole. I can feel it.

Rose is breathing heavily. She looks scared. The Doctor seems not to notice.

THE DOCTOR (CONT'D)
Between my shoulder blades, there's a mole.
(rotates his shoulders)
That's all right. Love the mole.
(grins at Rose)
Go on then, tell me.
(stands straight up before Rose, ready for assessment. His hair is all ruffled)
What do you think?

ROSE

(quietly, timidly)
Who are you?

THE DOCTOR

(crestfallen, slightly surprised)
I'm the Doctor.

ROSE
(shakes her head, not believing him)
No... where is he? Where's the Doctor? (voice rising)
What have you done to him?

THE DOCTOR
You saw me, I-- I changed... (indicates over his shoulder, the spot where he regenerated)
... right in front of you.

ROSE
I saw him sort of explode, and then you replaced him, like a... a teleport or a transmat or a body swap or something.

The Doctor does not interject. He seems lost for words. Rose takes a few steps towards him. At arms length, she pushes him in the chest.

ROSE (CONT'D)
You're not fooling me.

The Doctor rocks back on his heels as though he cannot believe what he is hearing.

ROSE (CONT'D)
I've seen all sorts of things. Nano genes... Gelth... (looks darkly at him)
Slitheen...

The Doctor raises his eyebrows.

ROSE (CONT'D)
Oh, my God, are you a Slitheen?

THE DOCTOR

(calmly)
I'm not a Slitheen.

ROSE

(voice rising to a shout)
Send him back. I'm warning you, send the Doctor back right now!

THE DOCTOR

(pleadingly)
Rose, it's me.

He leans forward in his urgency to make her believe him.

THE DOCTOR (CONT'D)
Honestly, it's me.

Rose stares at him, her chest rising and falling very fast.

THE DOCTOR (CONT'D)
I was dying. To save my own life I changed my body. Every single cell, but... it's still me.

ROSE

(whispers)
You can't be.

The Doctor takes a few steps closer to her, looking straight down into her eyes.

THE DOCTOR
Then how could I remember this? Very first word I ever said to you. Trapped in that cellar. Surrounded by shop window dummies.... oh... (looks away for a moment, reminiscing. Then he looks back into her eyes)
... such a long time ago. I took your hand...

To emphasise this point, he takes her hand -- just like he did when Rose first asked who he was. Rose glances briefly down at their joint hands and then back up at his face. 

THE DOCTOR (CONT'D)
I said one word... just one word, I said... 'run'.

He gazes at her. Rose looks into his eyes, her own full of tears.

ROSE

(whispers)
Doctor.

The Doctor grins.

THE DOCTOR

(gently)
Hello.

Rose sighs in an almost exasperated fashion and stumbles backwards as the impact of what has just happened hits her. The Doctor takes off around the other side of the console.

THE DOCTOR (CONT'D)
And we never stopped, did we? All across the universe. Running, running, running... (flicks a few switches on the console)
One time we had to hop. Do you remember? Hopping for our lives.

He hops madly up and down on the spot. Rose has her back against the pillar and is just watching him.

THE DOCTOR (CONT'D)
Yeah? All that hopping? Remember hopping for your life? Yeah?! Hop? With the...
(the wild enthusiasm ebbs from his voice at Rose's lack of reaction. His hopping subsides)
... no?

ROSE
Can you change back?

THE DOCTOR
Do you want me to?

ROSE
Yeah.

THE DOCTOR
Oh.

ROSE
Can you?

THE DOCTOR
No.
(he seems rather disappointed. He glances briefly down at the floor)
Do you want to leave?

ROSE

(shocked)
Do you want me to leave?

THE DOCTOR

(quickly)
No! But... your choice... if you want to go home...

Rose still looks upset. He goes to the console again.

THE DOCTOR (CONT'D)
Cancel Barcelona. Change to... London... the Powell Estate... ah... let's say the 24th of December. (looks at her)
Consider it a Christmas present.

Rose is edging slowly closer the console.

THE DOCTOR (CONT'D)
There.

He steps back, his arms tucked under his armpits in an almost defensive manner. Rose looks at him, then back at the console. The TARDIS shudders as it changes direction.

ROSE
I'm going home?

THE DOCTOR
Up to you. Back to your mum... it's all waiting. Fish and chips, sausage and mash, beans on toast-- no, Christmas! Turkey! Although... having met your mother... nut loaf would be more appropriate.

Rose looks down quickly, to hide a smile.

THE DOCTOR (CONT'D)
Was that a smile?
ROSE
No.
THE DOCTOR

(knowingly)
That was a smile...
ROSE
No it wasn't.
THE DOCTOR

(teasingly)
You smiled...
ROSE
No I didn't.
THE DOCTOR
Oh, come on, all I did was change, I didn't--

He suddenly gags as the TARDIS shudders. Rose looks at him questioningly.

ROSE
What?

THE DOCTOR
I said I didn't--

The same thing happens again, more violently. He makes nasty retching noises.

THE DOCTOR (CONT'D)
Uh oh.

Rose edges cautiously around the console.

ROSE
Er... are you alright?

A piece golden time vortex issues from the Doctor's mouth.

ROSE (CONT'D)
What's that?

THE DOCTOR
Oh... the change is going a bit wrong and all.

He gags again. He falls to his knees, his face contorted.

ROSE
Look... maybe we should go back. Let's go and find Captain Jack, he'd know what to do.

THE DOCTOR

(impatiently)
Gah, he's busy! He's got plenty to do rebuilding the Earth! (a lever on the console suddenly catches his eye)
I haven't used this one in years.

He flicks it. The TARDIS shudders violently and they are both nearly knocked to their feet.

ROSE
What're you doing?!

THE DOCTOR

(crazily)
Putting on a bit of speed! That's it!

He turns more knobs while Rose tries to maintain a more secure grip on the console.

THE DOCTOR (CONT'D)
My beautiful ship! Come on, faster! That's a girl!

Rose looks distinctly alarmed. The Doctor looks and sounds violent, crazed.

THE DOCTOR (CONT'D)
Faster! Wanna to break the time limit?!

ROSE

(angry and scared)
Stop it!

THE DOCTOR

(slightly nastily and still crazed)
Ah, don't be so dull -- let's have a bit of fun! Let's rip through that vortex! (catches her eye for a moment. His voice calms for a moment--)
The regeneration's going wrong. I can't stop myself. (grimaces in pain)
Ah, my head...

He violently springs up into standing position again, and his voice has gone back to being crazed.

THE DOCTOR (CONT'D)
Faster! Let's open those engines!

A bell rings.

ROSE

(looking around, frightened)
What's that?

The Doctor's face appears next to her.

THE DOCTOR

(sounding delighted)
We're gonna crash land!

He laughs manically.

ROSE

(shouting over the sound of the bell)
Well then, do something!

THE DOCTOR

(voice rising hysterically)
Too late! Out of control! (runs around the console, giggling)
Oh, I love it! Hot dawg!

He hops in the air excitedly.

ROSE
You're gonna kill us!

THE DOCTOR
Hold on tight, here we go!

Their eyes meet across the console, the Doctor grinning madly, Rose looking scared.

THE DOCTOR (CONT'D)
Christmas Eve...!