Closing Time (Doctor Who)

223 – "Closing Time"
Doctor Who episode
The Doctor holds up a Cybermat. The creature was given a more high-tech redesign. The teeth were added to suggest it had once been an animal.
Cast
Doctor Matt Smith – Eleventh Doctor
Companion James Corden – Craig Owens[1]
Guest Karen Gillan – Amy Pond Arthur Darvill – Rory Williams Daisy Haggard – Sophie Alex Kingston – River Song Frances Barber – Madame Kovarian Seroca Davis – Shona Holli Dempsey – Kelly Chris Obi - George Lynda Baron – Val Paul Kasey – Cyberman Nicholas Briggs – Voice of the Cybermen Greg James – Shopper (uncredited)
Production
Directed by	Steve Hughes
Written by	Gareth Roberts Steven Moffat (final scene, uncredited)[2]
Produced by	Denise Paul
Executive producer(s)	Steven Moffat Piers Wenger Beth Willis
Music by	Murray Gold
Production code	2.12
Series	Series 6
Running time	45 minutes
First broadcast	24 September 2011 (2011-09-24)
Chronology
← Preceded by "The God Complex" Followed by → "The Wedding of River Song"
List of episodes (2005–present)

"Closing Time" is the twelfth and penultimate episode of the sixth series of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who, and was first broadcast on BBC One on 24 September 2011. It was written by Gareth Roberts and directed by Steve Hughes. It is a sequel to "The Lodger", an episode Roberts wrote for the previous series.

In the episode, alien time traveller the Doctor (Matt Smith) is going on a "farewell tour" before his impending death and visits his friend Craig Owens (James Corden) in present-day Colchester, who has a new baby son, Alfie. Though not initially intending to stay, the Doctor becomes intrigued by a Cybermen invasion at a local department store.

Roberts and showrunner Steven Moffat wanted to bring Craig back, having enjoyed "The Lodger" and Corden's performance. Though "Closing Time" was designed to be fun, with comedy built around the double act of Smith and Corden, it contains themes and an epilogue that lead into the finale. The episode marks the first appearance of the Cybermats in the revival of Doctor Who, and they were appropriately redesigned. Much of the episode was filmed in a department store and a private home in Cardiff at night, with shooting going early into the morning. "Closing Time" was watched by 6.93 million viewers in the UK and received generally positive reviews from critics; while the performances, comedy, and emotional moments were praised, many critics were not pleased with the usage of the Cybermen.