3. Lost

DOCTOR WHO: REDACTED

EPISODE 3

Written by

Juno Dawson 

Scene 1A: INT. HOTEL ONYX. DAY

FX: BBC SOUNDS STING

We pick up from Episode 2 with a loud blast. We hear explosions and people screaming in the background. 

ROBOT VOICE

(Louder this time)

SURRENDER, HUMAN.

RANI

(Shouts)

Everybody get down –

FX – a crash and explosion, people screaming in the distance.

CLEO

What the hell? Rani! Rani!

JORDAN

Where’s she gone?

CLEO

Oh my god, Jord what was

that?

ROBOT VOICE

HUMANS, DETECTED.

JORDAN

Can that see us..?

CLEO

It’s a hologram isn’t it…

ROBOT VOICE

CONNECTION ESTABLISHED.

TRIANGLULATING LOCATION.

CLEO

(Nervous)

Jordan…

ROBOT VOICE

LONDON, ENGLAND. TARGET FIXED.

TELEPORT IMMINENT.

ALL HUMANS MUST DIE.

Suspenseful synth music starts and we can still hear screams

JORDAN

(Shouting desperately)

Cleo, come on!

CLEO

But what about Rani?

JORDAN

Are you kidding? Cleo run!

Come on!

The pair charge down the corridor and slam hotel room door shut.

CREDITS

Doctor Who Redacted: Episode Two. By Juno Dawson.

SCENE 1B: EXT. HOTEL ONYX. DAY

FX: We hear traffic, bird song etc.

CLEO and JORDAN are out of breath.

JORDAN

(panting)

I’m getting the hell out of here.

That was not fun.

CLEO

What was that thing?

JORDAN

I don’t wanna find out if

that’s OK.

CLEO

Nah Jordan…

JORDAN

What?

CLEO

I need to go back. What if Rani..?

JORDAN

Rani? What? What if that super soliderthing kills you too?

CLEO

It was just a hologram.

JORDAN

Was it?!

CLEO

What if she needs help Jordan?

I’m going back.

CLEO starts to head back to the hotel.

JORDAN

Cleo!

CLEO

No I gotta –

Only then she stops.

CLEO (CONT’D)

What the hell?

JORDAN

What?

CLEO

Jordan. Where did the hotel go?

There’s a pause. She walks up and down the street.

CLEO (CONT’D)

Wait, no. How..?

JORDAN

OK. Yeah that’s weird.

That does not make sense.

CLEO

(Confused)

I need to talk to the girls.

The scene ends with purposeful music, as Cleo runs to tell the girls what she’s just seen.

SCENE 1C: INT. PODCAST RECORDING

The girls meet on Zoom.

Abby

Sorry, Cleo. One more time?

CLEO

For crying out loud! OK…

(beat)

So we went to this hotel and

Rani was a hologram from like

Antarctica but she didn’t actually

say but it was snowing and stuff,

and she was all like

“don’t forget the Doctor” and told

me to tattoo his own name on myself,

although sometimes she’s a woman,

because he (or she) is gonna come

in the blue box, that’s it the

TARDIS, and they’re gonna save us -

SHAWNA

(Interrupting)

Cleo, take a breath. That is

Literally all the pronouns.

CLEO

That’s not the point.

We gotta find the Doctor.

ABBY

Who?

CLEO

The Doctor. I swear to God, I’ve

said it like five times now girls.

Keep up! Remember! From the news?

We thought he was a gang leader

or something? Don’t you remember?

ABBY

Cleo…

SHAWNA

This makes no sense. She didn’t

say anything else? Like anything

that doesn’t sound psychotic?

CLEO

No because then this big transformer

thing came in and I just don’t

know what happened! It just went

dead. I don’t even know if she’s OK –

I could hear guns and stuff girls.

SHAWNA

So the transformer-looking-thing?

Guns? Cleo was this some kind of

weird dream?

CLEO

No! Although the hotel did

disappear after we ran out.

I don’t understand.

SHAWNA and ABBY both laugh in disbelief.

SHAWNA

The hotel did what?

CLEO

The robot thing could see us,

So we legged it, but then the

hotel was gone. I swear! Abby,

tell her.

ABBY

(Hesitant)

I…I’m sorry Cleo, it does sound

like a lot. But hotel’s don’t

disappear my love.

SHAWNA

(Whispers)

No.

CLEO

Abs, are you actually kidding

me babe? All the insane stuff

you’ve told us on the podcast

and now you won’t believe things

I saw with my own two eyes?!

We hear ABBY typing as she talks.

ABBY

T.A.R.D.I.S?

CLEO

Yes! Thank you.

ABBY

Nothing comes up when I

google it.

CLEO

What about the Doctor?

SHAWNA

The what?

CLEO

OK, are you two drunk? I keep

telling you…

(beat)

Wait a sec, look…

We hear CLEO roll up her sleeve.

ABBY

What?

CLEO

Rani said I’d forget. That’s

why I had to get the tattoo…

ABBY

Cleo you didn’t…

ABBY

No! Girl I got a Sharpie don’t I?

See? I just keep writing it on my hand.

ABBY and SHAWNA laugh slightly in relief.

ABBY

Writing what?

CLEO

THE DOCTOR! Oh my god!

(Beat)

Forget the Doctor. Again.

Let’s focus on the fact people

Are going missing. Rani said a

bunch of people had disappeared.

ABBY

Yes OK – that does make sense.

People are vanishing. Erm sorry one

second…

We hear ABBY typing

ABBY (CONT’D)

Let me find…sorry I keep losing

My notes.

(Sighs)

This is a mess. I’m a mess.

SHAWNA

Are you alright?

ABBY

Aye. No. Mum’s not feeling too good and...I’m in trouble with Craig.

SHAWNA

What? Why now?

ABBY

I cancelled another date when

I couldn’t get hold of Cleo

last night.

CLEO

Oh no Abz I’m sorry!

ABBY

No it’s not your fault.

SHAWNA

Amen. It’s not her fault that

Craig’s a -

ABBY

Shawna. Don’t.

Awkward pause. Silence.

SHAWNA

I’m sorry.

CLEO

OK girls, that was weirdly tense.

Look how about we just focus on the

impossible mysterious paranormal

stuff to distract ourselves from the

train wrecks that are our lives yeah!

The girls laugh lightly.

ABBY

Yeah. Have a listen.

FX - various news clips follow.

Tense music slowly builds as they take in the news clips.

YORKSHIRE NEWSCASTER

...we investigate reports of human trafficking in Sheffield amidst a disturbing rise in people being

reported missing...

POLICE REP

The Metropolitan Police Force are concerned about their whereabouts

and would urge anyone with information

to come forward at this time...

WELSH NEWSCASTER

South Wales Police deny there’s

a Missing Persons Crisis in Cardiff

as reports reach an all time high...

ABBY

For whatever reason, people are going missing. And the authorities are

starting to notice.

SHAWNA

You know the police were at the

Kahn’s? Sonya went missing last week.

Now her mum’s gone too.

ABBY

Normally, when people go missing,

there’s a rational explanation,

which is why it doesn’t usually

make the news...

SHAWNA

Girl! The reason it doesn’t make the

news is because they’re people of colour...

CLEO

Yeah or trans. Or, you know,

‘adult service providers’

ABBY

You know someone is reported

missing in the UK every 90 seconds,

but the vast majority are found

within 24 hours of a report being made.

At the moment, though, people are going missing...and not turning up.

CLEO

Where do you think they are?

ABBY

I mean no-one knows. I’ve found this

girl on Twitter. She’s called Tanya.

She’s appealing for information

about her friend Ryan Sinclair

who went missing last week with

his granddad.

SHAWNA

They were on the news too.

ABBY

And they’re from Sheffield. Shawna,

Would you mind going to meet this

Tanya woman? I’ve been DMing her.

She’s super worried.

SHAWNA

Yeah, I can go between

seminars or something.

CLEO

Wait girls, what about The

Doctor?

SHAWNA

Who?

CLEO

(Exasperated)

Oh my god I swear, what -

ABBY

(Interrupting)

Seriously. Doctor who?

Tense music builds as CLEO struggles to explain who The Doctor is.

SCENE 2: INT. CLEO’S FLAT

CLEO is talking to JORDAN.

FX: Cleo pours a cup of tea.

CLEO

You alright babe? More tea?

JORDAN

What are you doing, Cleo? This

stuff is nuts. You’re gonna get

hurt.

CLEO

I’ll be fine. And anyway, I don’t

know if you know him, but I’ve got

this little brother and he’s proper

hench. He used to smack anyone who

messed with me at school.

JORDAN laughs a little.

JORDAN

I think that was a bit different.

CLEO

Nah, you could’ve taken that thing.

JORDAN

Not a chance, I was too busy

soiling myself. But I’ll smack

up a robot if you tell me to.

CLEO

Love you.

JORDAN

(Mimics her)

Love you.

CLEO

I gotta find out why people

are going missing.

JORDAN

What people?

CLEO

Just, like, people. Vanishing.

Like what Dad did. 

JORDAN

Come again?

CLEO

What if...

(She puts her cup of tea down)

What if something weird

happened to him.

JORDAN

I thought you thought Mum bumped

him off?

CLEO

Every week on the podcast we talk

about all this mad stuff and –

don’t get me wrong - it’s fun but

I’m not sure I ever really believed

you know. But I think there’s

something huge going on.

JORDAN

Like what?

CLEO

You saw that thing, Jord. That

hotel vanished. What if something

happened to Dad too?

(Beat)

Something alien.

SCENE 3 INT. COFFEE SHOP.

FX: A coffee machine hisses loudly.

NANA sits at the table with SHAWNA.

NANA

They didn’t have almond milk so

it’s oat.

SHAWNA

Cool, thanks. Oooh that toastie

looks fit. What is it? Mozzarella?

NANA slaps her hand away.

NANA

Hands off!

SHAWNA

Ow!

NANA

I asked if you wanted

anything to eat. What you doing

in town anyway?

SHAWNA

I’m meeting some girl for the

podcast.

NANA

Are you still doing that?

SHAWNA

Yes! Dear God, is nobody

listening?

NANA

Shawna! I have never listened to

a podcast in my life and won’t be

starting now.

SHAWNA

You love a good murder, you do.

NANA

Is it with that Abby girl?

SHAWNA

(Cagey)

Yes. And our friend Cleo from uni

actually.

NANA

The one who was a boy?

SHAWNA

Nana! She’s trans. Big difference!

NANA

I thought Abby had a fella in

Scotland?

SHAWNA

Unfortunately, yes.

FX: We hear NANA stirring her tea.

SHAWNA (CONT'D)

What?

NANA

I didn’t say anything.

SHAWNA

Your stirring is judgmental.

NANA

I just think you’re barking up

the wrong tree with that one.

SHAWNA

She’s bi!

NANA

She’s not single though, is she?

And she’s three hundred miles away.

Look, there’s this girl, Megan, works

at our place and she’s fully lesbian.

SHAWNA

Oh right so we’re bound to be compatible?

I’ll book a moving van and sort a

cat out.

NANA

Well you won’t know unless you get

out there and do some courting

will you? 

SHAWNA

Some courting? I’ll just hop in my

time machine.

NANA

That’s right. Make fun of your old nan, why don’t you?

There’s a sigh from Shawna.

SHAWNA

The thing is with Abby...I just wish...

I wish...she could be with someone

who sees her. Abby is the most

amazing woman. If things were different

she’d be running the world in a couple

of years.

Instead she’s stuck in a council flat in Glasgow caring for her mum with an absolute wang of a boyfriend.

(Beat)

Warm music starts to build as Shawna and Nana speak

I’m not saying it has to be me, but

that Craig guy...he doesn’t see her.

NANA

Hmm...I just want to see you happy. That’s all I’ve ever wanted for you.

SHAWNA

I am.

(Pause)

I am.

She doesn’t sound too convinced.

The music fades into the next scene.

SCENE 4: PHONECALL

CLEO calls ABBY.

FX: COFFEE SHOP BACKGROUND NOISE, PEOPLE CHATTING ETC.

ABBY

(Whispers)

Hiya.

CLEO

Why you whispering?

ABBY

Mum’s asleep on the settee and

I don’t want to wake her.

CLEO

(Whispers)

Oh OK.

ABBY

Cleo you don’t have to whisper,

I do.

CLEO

Oh. Yeah.

They both let out a little laugh.

ABBY

What’s up? Where are you?

CLEO

Coffee shop. Doing some research.

It takes ages. It’s well hard innit.

ABBY

Yes, Cleo, thanks for noticing.

CLEO

You know you said people was going

missing in London?

ABBY

Uh-huh.

CLEO

Well add the whole Chandra family

to your list: Haresh and Gita.

Both related to Rani Chandra,

both reported missing in the last

two weeks.

ABBY

Dozens of people vanishing - not

all of them in her family. What

connects them?

CLEO

Babe, what if...

ABBY

What if what?

CLEO

You don’t think it’s the blue box,

do you? This TARDIS?

ABBY

What? All of them? They’re all

somehow connected to the blue box?

It’s a lot of people.

CLEO

Yeah but there are a lot of sightings aren’t there?

ABBY

Hmm yeah. I mean you might be onto

something with this. OK I’ll start

matching the names of the missing

to stories about the blue box. If

there’s a link, I’ll find it. Cleo,

you’re a genius.

CLEO

Half an AS Level in Drama finally

paid off.

Abby laughs quietly.

EXT. WEST END. LONDON. DAY

CLEO emerges from the tube. We dimly hear a tube announcement, traffic noise. Cleo hurries to get to work on time.

CLEO

Excuse me, sorry, sorry I’m late

for work sorry. Oh god Jill’s going

to kill me. Oh god, oh god.

CLEO pauses outside the theatre.

CLEO

Wait what the..?

SCENE 5: INT. THEATRE. LONDON. DAY

CLEO heads into the theatre and finds her boss, JILL.

CLEO

Er Jill, what’s going on with

the sign outside?

JILL

You’re late.

CLEO

Babe It’s two minutes past. Damien

didn’t show up for two shifts and you

didn’t say a word.

JILL

That’s different.

CLEO

Yes Jill, because he’s your nephew.

Seriously though, what’s going on

with the sign?

JILL

Cleo, I haven’t got a clue what

you’re talking about.

CLEO

What on earth is the ‘Lost Queen

Theatre?’

JILL

It’s the name of the theatre

you’ve worked at - although I use

the term work very loosely in your

case - for the last two years.

CLEO

This is the Queen Victoria Theatre.

Jill laughs.

JILL

(sarcastic)

Everyone stop what you’re doing,

Cleo thinks she’s finally solved

the mystery of the lost queen.

Ominous music builds as CLEO takes in what JILL has just said.

SCENE 6: EXT. PARK. GLASGOW. DAY

FX – birds, children laughing, coffee machine. ABBY gets a coffee for herself. Her phone rings.

ABBY

Hey

SHAWNA

You aren’t gonna believe this...

ABBY

What’s up? I’m just with Craig

in the park...

SHAWNA

Oh. OK.

ABBY

No go on, he’s just grabbing us some

coffees.

SHAWNA

I don’t wanna spoil your hot date.

ABBY

Shawna don’t be weird, tell me,

it’s fine.

SHAWNA

OK. I just called in to see that

Tanya woman. You know, Ryan

Sinclair’s friend?

ABBY

Yeah.

SHAWNA

Twist! She doesn’t know anyone called

Ryan Sinclair.

ABBY

What? Her Twitter feed...

SHAWNA

Check it. Go on.

ABBY

OK...hold on...

(Pause)

Oh my god.

SHAWNA

Yep. Every single tweet is gone.

And do you know what else is gone?

The news reports about Ryan and

his granddad.

(MORE)

ABBY

(Shocked)

What?

SHAWNA (CONT) 

(Beat)

Abz, it’s like they never

existed.

Ominous music builds dramatically then fades into the next scene.

SCENE 7: INT. THEATRE. LONDON. LATER SAME DAY

CLEO tracks down JILL again.

CLEO

(Beat)

Who is the lost queen?

JILL

Is this a wind up?

CLEO

No like...who was she?

JILL

Did you just not bother with school

or something? Everyone knows!

(Pause)

After the Great English Succession

Crisis, the queen went into hiding

because so many people wanted her

dead. She was...a recluse. No-one

knows who she was. Hence, the Lost

Queen.

CLEO

It was Queen Victoria? This

is the Queen Victoria Theatre.

JILL

The only Queen Victoria I know is

Posh Spice, now get on with your

work please.

CLEO

I’ve gotta go.

JILL

Excuse me?

CLEO

I need to do the school run.

I’ll be back sorry!

Off she runs!

JILL

Cleo!

SCENE 8: EXT. ST JAMES PARK. DAY

FX – Street noise and an ambulance driving past, highlighting the hustle and bustle of London.

ABBY

Cleo? I’m on a call with Shawna,

let me add her in...

SHAWNA

Hey, Cleo? What’s up?

CLEO

I’m in St James’ Park.

(Aside to passer-by)

Sorry excuse me.

One sec.

We hear bird song in the background as Cleo walks through the park.

ABBY

Are you OK?

CLEO

Not really actually no. First a

hotel somehow vanishes and now

this!

(beat)

Guys. It makes no sense. Guys Queen Victoria has gone.

SHAWNA

What?

ABBY

What?

CLEO

First of all I just got ‘The

Southern Line’ to ‘Belgravia Tube

Stop’. What the hell is The

Southern Line?

SHAWNA

Er the blue one isn’t it?

ABBY

Yeah.

CLEO

And wait there’s not even a Belgravia station! I don’t understand. Wait I’m looking at where there used to be a

statue of Queen Victoria and it’s

just an empty throne.

Where the hell’s Victoria gone?

ABBY

Cleo this doesn’t make sense.

CLEO

You’re telling me! That statue must

weigh fifty tons at least!

SHAWNA

No, babe, I mean, who’s Queen

Victoria?

Eerie music starts to build.

CLEO

Oh please don’t, it’s not funny. I’m

freaking out.

ABBY

Cleo...there isn’t a Queen

Victoria. There never has been.

CLEO

Oh my god.

(Beat)

It’s you too.

ABBY

What?

CLEO

Why am I different? People aren’t

just going missing. People are

forgetting people.

ABBY

Cleo...

SHAWNA

No. She’s right. Tanya couldn’t

remember the dude she’d

reporting missing.

ABBY

(Despairing)

But why isn’t anyone talking about

this?

CLEO

How can they, if they’ve forgotten

they need to be talking about it?

All three take this in.

ABBY

OK so, what we’re dealing with is

people who first go missing, and

then everyone forgets them? How...

how is that even possible?

The music becomes eerily high pitched for a long second as they realise people are being forgotten.

SHAWNA

How is any of it possible?

Giant spiders in Sheffield. Yetis in

London. Radioactive maggots in Welsh

mines.

CLEO

Yeah, yeah but Shawna, you don’t believe

in the things we talk about on the pod. You just think everything is

the FBI or CIA or Rupert Murdoch.

SHAWNA

You’re right, I don’t think

it’s aliens, but something really,

really messed-up is happening here.

To us. Right now.

(beat)

Guys, I’m scared. I know enough to

know we should be.

CLEO

Me too.

ABBY

Me too.

CLEO

What if I forget you guys?

You’re all I’ve got.

Another pause.

ABBY

How could anyone forget you?

CLEO

Well that’s sweet but can we get

Matching tattoos just in case

please?

ABBY and SHAWNA let out a scared laugh as the eerie music music fades.

SCENE 9: INT. THEATRE. LONDON. LATER SAME DAY

CLEO, with a sigh, gets back to work.

FX: We hear the door open to the theatre and the buzz of people moving to their seats.

CLEO

Sorry about that Jill!

JILL

You can consider yourself ON MEASURES. Curtain up in fifteen minutes and

you’re in the Royal Circle.

(Beat)

And I don’t know who that woman

is, but she hasn’t got a ticket,

get rid of her.

CLEO

What? What woman...

She looks.

COCKNEY VOICE

All right?

CLEO

Oh my god.

SCENE 10: INT. THEATRE. LONDON. LATER SAME DAY

CLEO has an aside with her mother outside on the street

FX: Cars going past on the busy street

CLEO

Mum, you can’t just show up at

my work!

MONICA is a has a very strong south London accent and sounds like she smokes 50 a day.

MONICA

Well what do you expect, Jay? You

won’t answer your phone and I dunno

where you’re livin’ these days.

CLEO

My name is not Jayden. It hasn’t

been for five years, Mum.

MONICA

Damn, sorry. Force of habit, innit.

Sorry! I ain’t here to start

trouble.

Pause

CLEO

Jord says you had a stroke.

MONICA

What? It was a migraine. He worries

too much.

CLEO

What do you want then?

MONICA

Your brother...

CLEO

What about him?

MONICA

Have you seen him?

CLEO

I’m staying at his for a bit.

I’m saving up for some surgery

and...

MONICA

You saw him today?

CLEO

Yes! He said you wanted to see me.

And I told him I would after you’ve apologized for basically chucking me

out when I was 16.

MONICA

You what?

CLEO

Is that was this is? Is that what

you want? Are you stalking me at

work to say sorry?

MONICA

I didn’t throw you out, you stropped

off. You always was a drama queen.

You wanna be on that stage, never mind selling ice creams.

CLEO

You know what, sling your hook, I’ve

got work to do...

Cleo walks away. Monica calls after her.

MONICA

I can’t find Jordan!

Pause.

CLEO

What?

MONICA

He was meant to meet me for dinner

and he never showed up.

CLEO

Oh he’ll have forgotten or he’ll have

met some girl or something…

MONICA

His phone’s off. When has he ever

turned his phone off?

Another pause.

CLEO

(Uncertain)

You know what he’s like. He gets on

the wrong side of people and then

has to lay low for a bit.

MONICA

No. Not this time. He’s a good boy.

He always texts his mother. Cleo,

I’m worried sick. I’m not messin’

around.

(Beat)

Jordan’s gone.

END OF EPISODE

Soft piano tune begins to play.

CREDITS

Doctor Who Redacted: Episode Three,

by Juno Dawson.

 The piano tune keeps going for a moment before picking up the pass with a big beat of drums, strings and synths that turns into the Main Theme tune, a symphony of synths and strings revelling in alien weirdness.

CREDITS

Starring: Charlie Craggs, Lois Chimimba, Holly Quin-Ankrah, Jacob Hawley, Natasha Hodgson and Sarah Thom.

 Directed and produced by Ella Watts.

Sound design by David Thomas and Arlie Adlington. Original composition by David Devereux.

A BBC Studios production.

 With a rush like the TARDIS, the main theme music gets even bigger and louder, turning into a big, bright, fast paced melody that plays to the end of the episode, when it stops abruptly with a sharp glitch which ends with a be