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{{short description|Episode of Doctor Who}}
{{about|the Doctor Who episode|other uses|The Doctor's Wife (disambiguation)}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Infobox Doctor Who episode
| number             = 216
| serial_name        = The Doctor's Wife
| show               = DW
| type               = episode
| image              = [[File:Doctors wife screenshot.jpg|275px]]
| caption            = The Doctor ([[Matt Smith]]) and Idris ([[Suranne Jones]], left) pilot the makeshift TARDIS. This set was based on a ''[[Blue Peter]]'' contest-winning design produced by Susannah Leah, a 12-year-old viewer.
| doctor             = [[Matt Smith]] – [[Eleventh Doctor]]
| companions         = 
* [[Karen Gillan]] – [[Amy Pond]]
* [[Arthur Darvill]] – [[Rory Williams]]
| guests             = 
* [[Suranne Jones]]&nbsp;– Idris
* [[Michael Sheen]]&nbsp;– Voice of [[List of Doctor Who villains|House]]
* [[Paul Kasey]]&nbsp;– Nephew
* [[Adrian Schiller]]&nbsp;– Uncle
* [[Elizabeth Berrington]]&nbsp;– Auntie
| director           = [[Richard Clark (director)|Richard Clark]]
| writer             = [[Neil Gaiman]]
| script_editor      = 
| producer           = [[Sanne Wohlenberg]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/dw/news/bulletin_110411_01/Matt_Smith_Video_and_New_Series_Overview |title=Matt Smith Video and New Series Overview |publisher=BBC |access-date=5 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511204807/http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/dw/news/bulletin_110411_01/Matt_Smith_Video_and_New_Series_Overview |archive-date=11 May 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| executive_producer = {{Unbulleted list| [[Steven Moffat]] | [[Piers Wenger]] | [[Beth Willis (producer)|Beth Willis]] }}
| composer           = [[Murray Gold]]
| production_code    = 2.3
| series             = [[Doctor Who (series 6)|Series 6]]
| length             = 45 minutes
| date               = {{Start date|2011|5|14|df=y}}
| preceding          = "[[The Curse of the Black Spot]]"
| following          = "[[The Rebel Flesh]]"
}}
"'''The Doctor's Wife'''" is the fourth episode of the [[Doctor Who (series 6)|sixth series]] of the British science fiction television series ''[[Doctor Who]]'', which was broadcast on 14 May 2011 in the United Kingdom, and later the same day in the United States. It was written by [[Neil Gaiman]] and directed by [[Richard Clark (director)|Richard Clark]].

In the episode, an entity called the House (voiced by [[Michael Sheen]]) lures the alien [[Time travel in fiction|time traveller]] [[Eleventh Doctor|the Doctor]] ([[Matt Smith]]) and his [[Companion (Doctor Who)|companions]] [[Amy Pond]] ([[Karen Gillan]]) and [[Rory Williams]] ([[Arthur Darvill]]) to an asteroid outside the universe, by sending a distress call to the Doctor's time machine, the [[TARDIS]]. The House removes the matrix of the TARDIS and places it in the body of a woman named Idris ([[Suranne Jones]]), who proceeds to help the Doctor prevent House from escaping its pocket universe with the TARDIS.

"The Doctor's Wife" was originally intended to be produced as part of the [[Doctor Who (series 5)|previous series]], but was pushed back due to budget constraints. Gaiman revised the script many times, having to add and remove characters and events as production saw fit. The episode was filmed in the autumn of 2010 and featured a makeshift TARDIS control room which was the design from a winner of a contest on the children's programme ''[[Blue Peter]]''. The episode was seen by 7.97 million viewers in the UK and was met with positive reviews from critics, with praise for Jones's performance. The episode won the 2011 [[Ray Bradbury Award|Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation]] and the 2012 [[Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation#Short Form|Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form]].

==Plot==

===Synopsis===
The [[Eleventh Doctor]], [[Amy Pond|Amy]] and [[Rory Williams|Rory]] follow a distress call with the identification of the [[Time Lord]] with the name of the Corsair, to an asteroid outside the universe. After landing in a junkyard, the [[TARDIS]] shuts down and its matrix disappears. The asteroid, called House, removes the matrix, and places it in the body of a woman called Idris. The Doctor discovers the Corsair and hundreds of other Time Lords on the asteroid were murdered by House and that two inhabitants of the asteroid, Uncle and Auntie, are constructed from the body parts of Time Lords. Upon learning that the Doctor is the last Time Lord and that no more will ever arrive, House transfers its consciousness into the TARDIS to escape from the rift. Amy and Rory are trapped inside as the House-controlled TARDIS dematerialises. Uncle and Auntie are allowed to die.

The Doctor learns that Idris contains the personality of the TARDIS's matrix and that they can talk to each other for the first time.<ref group="fn">The Doctor and Idris, with his plan to build a makeshift TARDIS console, are about to go to the junkyard. Before leaving he asks Idris what he should call her, and she replies "I think you call me... Sexy."</ref> With minutes before her body fails, Idris reveals that House had stranded many TARDISes before, and that its pocket universe is hours away from collapsing. The Doctor and Idris work together to construct a makeshift TARDIS from scraps, and then pursue House. Aboard the Doctor's TARDIS, House threatens to kill Amy and Rory. He plays with their senses as they try to flee through the corridors, and then sends an Ood called Nephew after them. Idris makes a psychic connection with Rory to give him directions to a secondary control room, where he and Amy are able to lower the TARDIS shields. This allows the Doctor to land the makeshift TARDIS in the secondary control room, which atomises Nephew. House deletes the secondary control room as he prepares to break through the rift to the main universe, which the Doctor anticipates. The TARDIS's safety protocols transfer them to the main control room, where the dying Idris releases the TARDIS's matrix back to the TARDIS, destroying House. A remnant of the TARDIS's matrix, in Idris' body, states that she will not be able to speak to the Doctor again but will be there for him. Idris's body then disappears as the TARDIS matrix is fully restored.

===Continuity===
<!-- Keep as prose, do not make into list, and find references to confirm -->
The Doctor refers to altering the control room's appearance as changing the [[theme (computing)|desktop theme]], as the [[Fifth Doctor]] does in "[[Time Crash]]".<ref name="witd356" /> Like the [[Third Doctor]] in ''[[Inferno (Doctor Who)|Inferno]]'' (1970), the Doctor and Idris operate a TARDIS console without an outer TARDIS shell.<ref name="brilliant book"/> The Doctor also jettisons TARDIS rooms to create thrust, as he had done previously in stories such as ''[[Logopolis]]'' (1981) and ''[[Castrovalva (Doctor Who)|Castrovalva]]'' (1982).<ref>{{cite web | url  = https://www.avclub.com/doctor-who-classic-castrovalva-1798168773 | title = Doctor Who (Classic): Castrovalva | date = 3 July 2011 | access-date = 3 July 2011 | publisher = [[The A.V. Club]] | first = Christopher | last = Bahn }}</ref> The Doctor admits he killed all of the Time Lords, alluding to the events of the [[Time War (Doctor Who)|Time War]].<ref name="witd356">{{Cite book|last1=Burk|first1=Graeme|last2=Smith?|first2=Robert|title=Who Is the Doctor: The Unofficial Guide to Doctor Who-The New Series|chapter=Series 6|edition=1st|date=6 March 2012|publisher=[[ECW Press]]|page=[https://archive.org/details/whoisdoctorunoff0000burk/page/356 356]|isbn=978-1550229844|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/whoisdoctorunoff0000burk/page/356}}</ref> In ''[[The War Games]]'' (1969), the [[Second Doctor]] contacted the Time Lords using a cube similar to those seen in this episode.<ref name="radiotimes" /> The Doctor refers to himself as "a madman with a box", reprising Amy's and his own description of himself in "[[The Eleventh Hour (Doctor Who)|The Eleventh Hour]]".<ref name="brilliant book">{{cite book|last=Hickman|first=Clayton|title=The Brilliant Book 2012|year=2011|publisher=[[BBC Books]]|isbn=978-1849902304|page=58}}</ref> The Doctor refers to Nephew as "another Ood I failed to save"; in "[[The Satan Pit]]" the Doctor commented that he did not have time to save the Ood.<ref name="witd356" /> Idris' cryptic words, "the only water in the forest is the river", are explained in the mid-series finale, "[[A Good Man Goes to War]]".<ref>{{cite web|first=Simon|last=Brew|url=http://www.denofgeek.com/television/927664/doctor_who_series_6_episode_7_review_a_good_man_goes_to_war_midseries_finale.html|title=Doctor Who series 6 episode 7 review: A Good Man Goes to War: mid-series finale|publisher=Den of Geek|date=4 June 2011|access-date=10 October 2011}}</ref>

==Production==

===Writing===
[[File:Kyle-cassidy-neil-gaiman-April-2013.jpg|thumb|upright|right|"The Doctor's Wife" is Neil Gaiman's first contribution to ''Doctor Who''.]]
During a dinner with incoming executive producer [[Steven Moffat]], writer [[Neil Gaiman]] asked Moffat if he could write an episode. In an interview Gaiman stated "I came up with something that was one of those things where you thought that nobody's done that before."<ref name="denofgeekintv">{{cite web |url=http://www.denofgeek.com/television/880521/neil_gaiman_interview_all_about_writing_doctor_who.html |title=Neil Gaiman interview: all about writing Doctor Who |first=Simon |last=Brew |date=9 May 2011 |access-date=16 May 2011 |work=Den of Geek}}</ref> The episode was originally titled "The House of Nothing"<ref name="BBCintv">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment_and_arts/10146657.stm |title=Neil Gaiman reveals power of writing Doctor Who |first=Tim |last=Masters |date=24 May 2010 |publisher=[[BBC News]] |access-date=6 May 2011}}</ref> before Gaiman sat down to write it, but that was changed to "Bigger on the Inside".<ref name="Q&A">{{cite web|first=Neil|last=Gaiman|url=http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2011/06/fairly-humongous-doctor-who-q-mostly.html|title=A Fairly Humongous Doctor Who Q&A Mostly|publisher=Neil Gaiman's Journal|date=9 June 2011|access-date=30 July 2011}}</ref> This title remained until about six weeks before the episode aired, but the crew was beginning to worry that "Bigger on the Inside" would give away the surprise that Idris was the TARDIS, so it was changed.<ref name="Q&A" /> "The Doctor's Wife" was also a fake title attached to the 1984 serial ''[[The Caves of Androzani]]''; then-producer [[John Nathan-Turner]] had changed the title to that on his planning board in an attempt to weed out a suspected leak in his office.<ref name="Q&A"/>

Gaiman suggested they make an episode which centres on the TARDIS itself, which was not done before for the entire series since it began in 1963. The original plan focused on the idea of the Doctor being pursued by an enemy inside the TARDIS, but went through several subsequent changes; Gaiman changed the plan to focus on the companion due to the Doctor's knowledge of his ship making it too easy for him to escape his enemy, made the TARDIS the threat rather than just a specific alien to avoid making it a simple 'cat-and-mouse' game, and then included the idea of Idris to account for what happened to the TARDIS's mind during this attack. The central idea was a "what if" scenario to see what would happen if the Doctor and the TARDIS got to talk together. Moffat liked the idea of featuring the TARDIS as a woman, believing this to be the "ultimate love story" for the Doctor.<ref name="confidential">{{cite episode |title=Bigger on the Inside |series=[[Doctor Who Confidential]] |airdate=14 May 2011 |network=[[BBC]] |station=[[BBC Three]] |number=4 |series-no=6}}</ref>

Gaiman began writing the episode before [[Matt Smith]] was even cast as the Eleventh Doctor; Gaiman had envisioned [[David Tennant]]'s performance in the first draft, knowing Smith would play the Doctor differently. Despite this he had no issue writing the dialogue. The episode was originally slated for the eleventh episode of the [[Doctor Who (series 5)|fifth series]]. However, it was delayed to the sixth series because of budget issues; the eleventh episode would be replaced with "[[The Lodger (Doctor Who)|The Lodger]]".<ref name="denofgeekintv"/> Even so, Gaiman was forced to operate with less money than he would have liked; for instance, he had to scrap a scene set in the TARDIS' swimming pool,<ref name="guardian">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2011/may/14/doctor-who-doctors-wife-gaiman|title=Doctor Who: The Doctor's Wife&nbsp;– Series 32, episode 4|last=Martin|first=Dan|date=14 May 2010|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=15 May 2011|location=London}}</ref> and instead of being able to use a monster of his own design he had to use an Ood.<ref name="privateeye">{{cite magazine |year=2011 |title=Media News |magazine= [[Private Eye]]|issue=1290|page=11|publisher=Pressdam Ltd}}</ref>

The move to the sixth series also meant Gaiman had to include Rory, who had ceased to exist in the original slot in the fifth series. With Rory included, Gaiman had to "reshape" much of the second half of the episode, featuring Amy being on the run in the TARDIS. In the original draft where Amy was the only companion, Gaiman added a "heartbreaking monologue" by the character, further stating "you get to see what it's like to be the companion from the companion's point of view, and she got to talk about essentially in that version how sad it is, in some ways. One day something will happen to her, she'll get married, she'll get eaten by monsters, she'll die, she'll get sick of this, but he'll go on forever."<ref name="denofgeekintv"/> At a certain point, Gaiman became tired of rewriting drafts and asked Steven Moffat for help. Moffat wrote in what Gaiman called "several of [the episode's] best lines" and rapidly rewrote several scenes when budget problems harmed filming locations.<ref>{{cite web | first=Neil | last=Gaiman | date=17 May 2011 | access-date = 21 May 2011 | url=http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2011/05/adventures-in-screen-trade.html| title=Adventures in the Screen Trade| publisher=Neil Gaiman's Journal}}</ref>

===Casting===
In September 2010, [[Suranne Jones]] announced she was cast a guest spot on ''Doctor Who'' as Idris for an episode of the sixth series of ''Doctor Who''. Jones previously played Mona Lisa in ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'' episode ''[[Mona Lisa's Revenge]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/s7/doctor-who/news/a278406/suranne-jones-cast-in-doctor-who.html |title=Suranne Jones cast in 'Doctor Who' |first=Morgan |last=Jeffery |date=23 September 2010 |access-date=15 May 2011 |publisher=[[Digital Spy]]}}</ref> Some time after appearing on ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'', Jones was contacted to appear on ''Doctor Who'' at Gaiman's request, because they were looking for an actress who "is odd; beautiful but strange-looking, and quite funny."<ref name="cultbox"/> Moffat meanwhile described Idris as "sexy plus motherly plus utterly mad plus serene."<ref name="confidential"/> During a read-through of the script, the producers asked her to "neutralise [her accent] a bit," because they did not want Jones to "be a northerner" or have a standard accent, but to act "kinda like the Doctor."<ref name="cultbox">{{cite web |url=http://www.cultbox.co.uk/interviews/exclusives/1025-suranne-jones-doctor-who-interview |title=Suranne Jones ('Doctor Who') interview |first=Will |last=Martin |date=14 May 2011 |access-date=20 May 2011 |publisher=Cult Box}}</ref> Later, in March 2011, Gaiman confirmed [[Michael Sheen]] would also guest star in the episode to voice a character.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.metro.co.uk/tv/858645-michael-sheen-to-appear-in-new-series-of-doctor-who |title=Michael Sheen to appear in new series of Doctor Who |first=Richard |last=James |date=21 March 2011 |access-date=20 May 2011 |work=[[Metro (British newspaper)|Metro]] |archive-date=8 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121008052408/http://www.metro.co.uk/tv/858645-michael-sheen-to-appear-in-new-series-of-doctor-who |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Adrian Schiller]] previously appeared in the [[Eighth Doctor]] audio drama ''[[Time Works]]'' where he played Zanith.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bigfinish.com/80-Doctor-Who-Time-Works|title=Doctor Who&nbsp;– Time Works|publisher=[[Big Finish Productions|Big Finish]]|access-date=15 May 2011}}</ref>

===Filming===
[[File:TARDIS Console (11030061655).jpg|thumb|right|Idris' costume, and the makeshift TARDIS set, on display at the Doctor Who Experience.]]
"The Doctor's Wife" was planned as the third episode in the 2011 series but the order was changed during the production process.<ref name= "DWM430">{{Cite magazine|title=Episodes shuffle for the 2011 series...|magazine=[[Doctor Who Magazine]]|publisher=[[Panini Comics]]|location=[[Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent]]|issue=430|page=7|date=9 February 2011}}</ref> Initial production occurred in September, with Gaiman visiting the set during the production period and filming for the associated ''[[Doctor Who Confidential|Confidential]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2010/09/my-week-in-pictures.html | title = My Week in Pictures | first = Neil | last= Gaiman | date= 29 September 2010 | access-date= 11 June 2011 | publisher = Neil Gaiman's Journal }}</ref> Additional filming took place in October 2010, with guest star Suranne Jones having been filmed for [[green screen]] special effects.<ref>{{cite episode |title=Broadcast of 10 October 2010 |series=[[Daybreak (2010 TV programme)|Daybreak]] |network=[[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] |station=[[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] |airdate=10 October 2010 }}</ref> The scenes where Amy and Rory are on the run allowed the audience to explore the TARDIS outside the control room, something the producers had wanted to do for a while. A series of corridors was constructed and retained for future use.<ref name="guardian.co.uk">{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2011/may/16/neil-gaiman-doctor-who-doctors-wife?commentpage=1#comment-10775927 | location=London | work=The Guardian | title=Live Q&A: Neil Gaiman|access-date=29 May 2012 | date=16 May 2011}}</ref> The episode also featured the return of the older TARDIS control room from the [[Christopher Eccleston]] and David Tennant era. Gaiman had originally wanted to reconstruct a console room from the original series, but the cost proved prohibitive.<ref name="guardian.co.uk"/> The set was retained after filming for "The Eleventh Hour", but has since been removed to become part of the [[Doctor Who exhibitions#Doctor Who Experience|Doctor Who Experience]] exhibit.<ref name="brilliant book"/><ref>{{cite episode |title=Coming to America |series=[[Doctor Who Confidential]] |network=[[BBC]] |station=[[BBC Three]] |airdate=23 April 2011 |series-no=6 |number=1}}</ref> Actor [[Arthur Darvill]] noted the floor of the older set had a [[Grater|cheese grater]]-like quality to it, so when the scene called for the cast to fall on it, they found it uncomfortable to stay down for a long period of time.<ref name="confidential"/>

"The Doctor's Wife" features a makeshift TARDIS console, which was piloted by the Doctor and Idris. The console was designed by Susannah Leah, a schoolgirl from [[Todmorden]], who won a competition on ''[[Blue Peter]]'', a children's programme that challenged its viewers to imagine a TARDIS console based on household objects.<ref>{{cite news |title=Blue Peter awaits for our Susannah |url=http://www.todmordennews.co.uk/lifestyle/lifestyle-leisure-and-entertainment/blue-peter-awaits-for-our-susannah-1-3352849 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120913011343/http://www.todmordennews.co.uk/lifestyle/lifestyle-leisure-and-entertainment/blue-peter-awaits-for-our-susannah-1-3352849 |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 September 2012 |newspaper=Todmorden News |date=5 May 2011 |access-date=18 May 2011 }}</ref><ref name="bluepeter"/> Leah's design was selected by Moffat, Edward Thomas, the production designer for the previous series, and Tim Levell, a ''Blue Peter'' editor, along with final input among the three age-group winners from Smith.<ref name="bluepeter">{{cite episode | title = TARDIS Console Competition | series = [[Blue Peter]] | network = BBC | station= BBC One| airdate = 10 May 2011 | credits = Presenters: Helen Skelton, Barney Harwood, and Andy Akinwolere }}</ref> Michael Pickwoad, the production designer for Series 6, commented that Leah's design captured the nature of "bits and pieces" of what TARDIS consoles have been in the past, as well as the nature of the makeshift console needed for this episode.<ref name="bluepeter"/> The drawing was redesigned faithfully by the production team into the prop for the show, including the use of a coat hanger to start the makeshift TARDIS.<ref name="bluepeter"/> Leah was brought by ''Blue Peter'' to see both the set under construction and on location during filming of the makeshift TARDIS scenes, meeting Smith and the other actors and production crew.<ref name="bluepeter"/> Character Options released a toy playset based on Leah's console later in 2011.<ref name="bluepeter"/> The House planetoid in the pocket universe was filmed on location at a quarry outside [[Cardiff]].<ref name="confidential"/>

==Broadcast and reception==
"The Doctor's Wife" was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on [[BBC One]] on 14 May 2011<ref>{{cite press release|title=Network TV BBC Week 20: Saturday 14 May 2011|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/proginfo/tv/2011/wk20/sat.shtml#sat_drwho|publisher=BBC|access-date=10 October 2011}}</ref> and on [[sister station]] [[BBC America]] in the United States on the same day.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbcamerica.com/doctor-who/guide/season-6/episode-4/|title=The Doctor's Wife|publisher=BBC America|access-date=10 October 2011}}</ref> In the UK, the episode received overnight figures of 6.09 million viewers, with a 29.5 per cent audience share. It became the third highest broadcast of the night, behind ''[[Britain's Got Talent]]'' on [[ITV1]], and the [[Eurovision Song Contest 2011]], which was shown later on BBC One.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a319564/eurovision-tv-ratings-reach-11-year-high.html |title=Eurovision TV ratings reaches 11-year high |first=Paul |last=Millar |date=15 May 2011 |access-date=15 May 2011 |publisher=[[Digital Spy]]}}</ref> The episode received a final [[Broadcasters' Audience Research Board|BARB]] rating of 7.97 million with an audience share of 34.7%.<ref name="BARB Top">{{cite web |url=http://www.barb.co.uk/viewing/weekly-top-10?_s=4 |title=Final BARB-Rating|date=9 May 2011 |access-date=9 May 2011 |publisher=[[Broadcasters' Audience Research Board]] }}</ref> It had an overall [[Appreciation Index]] of 87, considered to be excellent.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2011/05/dwn160511121612-doctors-wife-ai-87.html|title=The Doctor's Wife&nbsp;– AI 87|publisher=The Doctor Who News Page|date=16 May 2011|access-date=26 July 2011}}</ref>

===Critical reception===
The episode was positively received, with many praising Jones's performance as the TARDIS. ''[[The Guardian]]''{{'s}} Dan Martin said: "With so many wild ideas at play, this would have been so easy to get wrong...yet in every sense it was pitched perfectly". He praised Suranne Jones in particular, saying she was "electrifying throughout".<ref name="guardian" /> Martin later rated it the third best episode of the series, though [[The Wedding of River Song|the finale]] was not included in the list.<ref>{{cite web|first=Dan|last=Martin|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2011/sep/30/best-episode-13th-doctor-who|title=Doctor Who: which is the best episode of this series?|work=The Guardian|date=30 September 2011|access-date=20 November 2011}}</ref> ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' gave the episode a score of "A", saying it was a "pretty terrific [episode]...a brisk, scary, inventive adventure filled with clever concepts and witty dialogue. And a lot of heart when in the way it deals with an important relationship rarely addressed on the series". He admired the cleverness of the "Idris/TARDIS" characterisation and found the relationship "quite touching".<ref>{{cite web |first=Keith|last=Phipps| date=14 May 2011 | access-date = 21 May 2011 | url=https://www.avclub.com/doctor-who-the-doctors-wife-1798168244| title=The Doctor's Wife |publisher=[[The A.V. Club]]}}</ref> Gavin Fuller of ''[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]'' praised the acting of Smith, Jones, and Sheen, and called the episode "hugely enjoyable".<ref>{{cite news|first=Gavin|last=Fuller|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/doctor-who/8507500/Doctor-Who-episode-4-The-Doctors-Wife-review.html|title=Doctor Who, episode 4: "The Doctor's Wife", review|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=14 May 2011|access-date=13 June 2011}}</ref> Neela Debnath of ''[[The Independent]]'' praised Gaiman for mixing "romance, tragedy and horror, managing to strike a balance while telling a simple story", though she criticised the frequent deaths of Rory.<ref>{{cite web|first=Neela|last=Debnath|url=http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2011/05/16/review-of-doctor-who-%E2%80%98the-doctor%E2%80%99s-wife%E2%80%99/|title=Review of Doctor Who 'The Doctor's Wife'|work=[[The Independent]]|location=London|date=16 May 2011|access-date=13 June 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927084039/http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2011/05/16/review-of-doctor-who-%E2%80%98the-doctor%E2%80%99s-wife%E2%80%99/|archive-date=27 September 2013}}</ref>

''[[SFX (magazine)|SFX magazine]]'' reviewer Russell Lewin gave "The Doctor's Wife" four and a half out of five stars, labelling it as "non-stop intrigue and {{Sic|hide=y|carefully|-}}controlled suspense all the way". He particularly praised Smith's energetic performance, saying "he pings and fizzes around the screen like a Technicolor firework, lighting up every scene he adorns".<ref>{{cite web|first=Russell|last=Lewin|url=http://www.sfx.co.uk/2011/05/14/doctor-who-6-04-%E2%80%9Cthe-doctor%E2%80%99s-wife%E2%80%9D-review/|title=Doctor Who 6.04 "The Doctor's Wife" Review|work=SFX|date=14 May 2011|access-date=14 August 2011}}</ref> [[IGN]]'s Matt Risley rated the episode 9 out of 10 and concluded, "Sweet, touching, intelligent, different, utterly imaginative and accessible by both hardcore fans and newbies alike&nbsp;— this is not only ''Doctor Who'', but sci-fi telly at its finest". He also praised Gaiman's script for being "a simple idea executed brilliantly".<ref>{{cite web|first=Matt|last=Risley|url=http://tv.ign.com/articles/116/1168119p1.html|title=Doctor Who "The Doctor's Wife" Review|publisher=[[IGN]]|date=14 May 2011|access-date=13 June 2011}}</ref> Patrick Mulkern of ''[[Radio Times]]'' admitted he was unsure if he was going to like it with the "grungy setting, wacko characters and peculiar dialogue", but ended up "captivated". He particularly enjoyed seeing more of the TARDIS' interior and called it an "instant oddball classic".<ref name="radiotimes">{{cite web|first=Patrick|last=Mulkern|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/blog/2011-05-14/doctor-who-the-doctor%27s-wife/|title=Doctor Who: The Doctor's Wife|work=[[Radio Times]]|date=14 May 2011|access-date=14 August 2011|archive-date=9 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111009094032/http://www.radiotimes.com/blog/2011-05-14/doctor-who-the-doctor%27s-wife|url-status=dead}}</ref>

''[[Digital Spy]]'''s Morgan Jeffery rated it four out of five stars, saying it "isn't perfect, but you'd be hard-pressed to fault its ambition". He was critical of Jones' performance of Idris, as "her early eccentric behavior tends to grate rather than amuse" though her performance calmed down later in the episode. His other "slight criticism" was that [[Karen Gillan]] and Darvill were "sidelined", but praised their performances. Jeffery felt that the strength of the episode was in character rather than in plot, and cited the defeat of the House as a "slightly disappointing" [[deus ex machina]].<ref>{{cite web|first=Morgan|last=Jeffery|url=http://www.digitalspy.com/british-tv/s7/doctor-who/news/a319380/doctor-who-review-the-doctors-wife.html|title=Doctor Who Review: The Doctor's Wife|publisher=[[Digital Spy]]|date=14 May 2011|access-date=14 August 2011}}</ref>

In 2013 Charlie Coile published an essay entitled ''More than a Companion: "The Doctor's Wife" and Representations of Women in "Doctor Who"'', in which she analyses the portrayal of Idris and the episode's attempt at female empowerment. Coile critiques Idris' characterization, describing Idris as maybe being "the most unsettling example of female representation in the series" and as superficial and critiquing the episode's [[objectification]] of her. She also critiques Idris and The Doctor's relationship as unequal, despite their shared experience and the episode's attempt to portray them as equals.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Coile|first=Charlie|date=2013|title=More than a Companion: "The Doctor's Wife" and Representations of Women in "Doctor Who"|volume=36|pages=83–104|journal=Popular Culture Association in the South|issue=1|jstor=23610153}}</ref> In contrast Emily Capettini praised the reinvented dynamic between The TARDIS and The Doctor and The TARDIS' elevated status as an equal to The Doctor in her essay, ''"A boy and his box, off to see the universe": Madness, Power and Sex in "The Doctor's Wife"''.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Capettini|first=Emily|title="A boy and his box, off to see the universe": Madness, Power and Sex in "The Doctor's Wife"|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HsBA_5hB__0C&q=%22A+boy+and+his+box,+off+to+see+the+universe%22:+Madness,+Power+and+Sex+in+%22The+Doctor%27s+Wife%22&pg=PA148|date=26 September 2012|isbn=9780786466368}}</ref>

The episode won the 2011 [[Bradbury Award]] for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tor.com/blogs/2012/05/announcing-the-2011-nebula-awards-winners|title=Announcing the 2011 Nebula Awards Winners|access-date=19 May 2012 | date = 19 May 2012 | publisher =[[Tor Books]]}}</ref> It also won the 2012 [[Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation#Short Form|Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form)]].<ref>{{cite web|first=Lauren|last=Davis|url=http://io9.com/5900047/the-2012-hugo-nominations-have-been-announced|title=The 2012 Hugo Nominations have been announced!|publisher=[[io9]]|date=7 April 2012|access-date=7 April 2012|archive-date=10 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130210095208/http://io9.com/5900047/the-2012-hugo-nominations-have-been-announced|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/genreville/?p=2092 | title = Hugo Awards Liveblog | first = Rose | last = Fox | date = 2 September 2012 | access-date = 2 September 2012 | work = [[Publishers Weekly]] | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131013143317/http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/genreville/?p=2092 | archive-date = 13 October 2013 }}</ref>

== Footnotes ==
<references group="fn" />

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote|Eleventh Doctor}}
*{{BBCDWnew | year=2011 | id=b011884d | title=The Doctor's Wife}}
*{{TardisIndexFile|The Doctor's Wife}}
*{{IMDb episode|1721226|The Doctor's Wife}}

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[[Category:2011 British television episodes]]
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