The Unquiet Dead

Notes

• Although the story is set in 19th century Cardiff, the production was actually filmed in Swansea and Monmouth, as there were not enough Victorian-looking buildings in Cardiff.
• Mark Gatiss stated in the Radio Times that the original script was more bleak and frightening but was advised by Davies to "make it more of a romp."
• Simon Callow, who plays Dickens, has also written extensively about the writer and is well known for playing Dickens on television as well as in a one-man show. See also Celebrity appearances in Doctor Who.
• The Doctor gives Rose some very complicated directions to the TARDIS wardrobe: "First left, second right, third on the left, go straight ahead, under the stairs, past the bins, fifth door on your left." This establishes that the interior corridors of the TARDIS beyond the console room still exist despite the redesign, and echoes a similar conversation between Romana and Chris Parsons in the uncompleted serial Shada about where to find the TARDIS medical kit. The presence of mundane items as rubbish bins recalls The Invasion of Time, where the TARDIS interiors resembled an Earth-style building (complete with a swimming pool).
• When the old woman releases the Gelth in the music hall, Dickens cries out, "What is this phantasmagoria?" Gatiss also wrote the Doctor Who audio play Phantasmagoria for Big Finish Productions.
• At one point Dickens also cries, "What the Shakespeare?", a play on the common exclamation, "What the Dickens?" Contrary to popular belief, the phrase has nothing to do with Charles Dickens; "Dickens" is a euphemism for the Devil.
• The address on Snead's hearse indicates his mortuary is located in Llandaff; this was done in homage to Terry Nation, creator of the Daleks, who was born there.
• When looking into Rose's mind, Gwyneth is frightened and breaks off contact when she sees, "the things you've seen... the darkness... the big bad wolf!" The phrase recurred in most of the episodes of the season, culminating in the episode Bad Wolf and finally explained in The Parting of the Ways. See Bad Wolf references in Doctor Who.
• The Doctor suggests that Gwyneth's powers are due to her growing up near the time rift. Developing psychic abilities due to spending one's childhood near a time fissure was first established in Image of the Fendahl.
• When the Gelth mention the Time War, the Doctor has an odd expression on his face. This may be the same war that destroyed the Time Lords (The End of the World), the Nestenes' homeworld (Rose) and the Daleks (Dalek).
• The TARDIS materialises and dematerialises without the flurry of wind that accompanies it in Rose.
• Author and Faction Paradox creator Lawrence Miles posted a damning review of this episode on the Internet within an hour of its broadcast, focusing on a perceived political subtext suggesting that asylum seekers (the Gelth) are really all evil and out to exploit liberal generosity (the Doctor). The review produced considerable backlash in various Internet forums, especially in light of his favourable reviews of Rose and The End of the World, mainly over his comments about writer Mark Gatiss. Miles conceded in a later edit of the review that the subtext was probably unintentional, but still felt it should have been detected and edited out of the script. The original review has been replaced by a placeholder. http://www.beasthouse.fsnet.co.uk/who03.htm
• The Cardiff rift reappears in the episode Boom Town.