11x08 - The Witchfinders

Episode transcripts for the 2005 TV show "Doctor Who". (Ninth to Twelfth Doctor)*

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Time and Space traveling adventures of a Gallifreyan Time Lord only known as "the Doctor" and his companions.

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11x08 - The Witchfinders

Post by bunniefuu »

(THEME MUSIC)

(INDISTINCT CHATTER AND SHOUTING)

I'm sure it's somewhere around here.

GRAHAM: Come on, Doc. Admit it.

- I don't know what you mean.
- Well, look at it.

This ain't the coronation of Elizabeth the First, is it?

It's like a street party.

Ye olde hipster pop-up happening.

The TARDIS is being a bit stubborn at exact readings.

So, where are we?

Apple bobbing!

I love apple bobbing!

Is this Halloween?

No. It's Sunday.

Yeah, but what's the party for?

We do this every Sunday.

(MUFFLED) Oh, happy Sunday!

Northern accent. We must be close to home.

(BELL RINGS)

Mistress Savage demands your presence.

The ceremony will begin.

Anybody else missing the party vibe all of a sudden?

Come on.

YAZ: Where are they all going?

Whatever this is, I need you all to remember the most important thing about dips into the past, do not interfere with the fundamental fabric of history.

- Even if something's not right?
- Yep.

And judging by the vibe here, something is definitely not right.

(SOBS)

Are you OK?

Can you tell us what's going on here?

Guys, that's Pendle Hill.

We're in Lancashire.

People of Bilehurst Cragg...

...we are forced to meet here once again.

Satan st*lks this land.

We must continue to root him out and do whatever it takes to save the soul of our village.

Let us put the accused to the test.

- Granny!
- Hush, Willa.

- It's a witch trial.
- Old Mother Twiston...

Must be early th century.

...you stand accused of witchcraft and shall be tried by my ducking stool,hewn from the mightiest tree on Pendle Hill.

If you drown, you are innocent.

If you survive, you are a witch and shall be hanged.

(CROWD MEMBERS SHOUT AND JEER)

- This is way too dark for me.
- We've got to do something, Doctor.

Uh-uh. The Doc said don't interfere.

You said don't interfere, right?

OLD MOTHER TWISTON: Don't cry, Willa!

I will still be with you.

I will still be with you.

In the water.

In the fire.

In the air.

In the earth.

Duck the witch!

- Duck the witch!
- MAN: Duck the witch!

(CROWD MEMBERS SHOUT)

- YAZ: Doctor?!
- WOMAN: Duck that witch.

MAN: Witch!

- Duck the witch!
- Duck the witch!

Granny!

Meet me on the other side!

- So much for not interfering.
- YAZ: Over the bridge! Come on!

SAVAGE: Who dares interfere
with this trial?

witches we have tried, and still Satan surrounds us.

We shall not be stopped!

YAZ: Doctor, we're here!

You will be punished for your interference.

The trials are sacred.

They are the will of God!

Is she alive?

I'm sorry.

Now we have no way of knowing if Mother Twiston was a witch or not.

Guards, whip these wanderers off this bank and then seize Willa Twiston.

We can take no chances.

Leave her alone.

I bet my life, neither of these women are witches.

But you, Mistress Savage, are, without question, a m*rder*r.

Who are you to address me in this way?

I'll tell you who I am.

Sorry. One sec.

Witchfinder General?

That's right.

Witchfinder General.

With my cr*ck team, taking over this village.

Right, g*ng?

Yeah. 'Cause you are in special measures.

Now do you recognise our authority?

I do beg your pardon, Mistress Witchfinder.

Please... come to my home.

We must talk in private.

If you swear not to hurt that girl, or anyone else.

If that is your wish, you have the command.

Everybody, go home.

This trial is over.

I have to bury her.

SAVAGE: Please forgive me, Mistress.

If I'd have known who you were, I'd have bowed to your authority immediately.

So, tell me, who exactly are you?

And what gives you authority here?

I am Becka Savage, landowner of Bilehurst Cragg.

It belonged to my late husband, passed to me when he d*ed.

I have tried to be a benevolent leader, but...

...it's very difficult in these times, especially for a woman.

If you're the landowner...

...why are you walking?

Where are the horses?

Horses are banned in Bilehurst.

They are creatures of Satan.

I had them all sh*t.

Hey? Doc?

I've done the old Pendle Witches walking trail.

Nobody ever mentioned Bilehurst Cragg.

Never heard of it.

And she's k*lled people.

- now.
- Yeah.

Maybe she wipes this whole place off the map.

We're gonna find out what happened, and how we can make her stop.

And that hall looks like the best place to start.

Not the only place.

I want to find that girl who's just lost her gran.

We'll deal with her ladyship, if you go do some family liaison.

We'll meet you in a bit.

Hopefully, by then, I'll be a bit drier.

BECKA: I hope the fire has warmed you.

Some wine?

No.

So, your witch trials have become a weekly event with a village celebration.

Any moment where a witch is uncovered and Satan driven out has to be cause for a celebration.

We will not stop until that work is done.

You keep saying Satan, but how is Satan manifesting himself here?

Blighting the crops, bewitching animals, plaguing people with fits, sickness and visions.

If all that's Satan, where do the witches come into it?

They are in league with him.

k*ll the witches, defeat Satan.

As King James has written in his new Bible, "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live."

In the Old Testament.

There's a twist in the sequel. "Love thy neighbour."

Which is why we've come, to help you fix your problems without k*lling anyone.

That's what King James would want.

What is the meaning of this?

Madam, I have come to your rescue.

King James. (GASPS)

Your Majesty.

You may prostrate yourselves before me, God's chosen ruler and Satan's greatest foe, come to vanquish the scourge of witchcraft across the land.

Forgive the mask, I have enemies everywhere and have to travel incognito.

Also, I rather like the drama. (CHUCKLES)

(LAUGHS)

What a peculiar ragbag of folks.

And those garments, are you actors?

We're your...

...witchfinders, sire, as we explained to Mistress Savage.

Witchfinder's Assistant.

So, you must be the Witchfinder General.

What? No, she said she was.

A woman could never be the General. (LAUGHS)

Silly me. Must have got all confused.

Mustn't I, boss?

Uh, yeah. That's me, sire.
North-west division.

Promoted from Essex.

And these are your underlings.

It's a very flat team structure.

We all have our area of expertise.

Even the wee lassie?

Even me.

Very handy undercover.

Set a woman to catch a woman.

A cunning ruse, using your innate aptitude for nosiness and gossip.

(GROANS SOFTLY) And what is your field of expertise, my Nubian prince?

Uh...

t*rture?

Me?

Uh...

Paperwork, mostly, your Majesty.

Paper! How fascinating.

We should talk.

But first, madam, word has reached me of your battle against Satan, your crusade against witchcraft.

But what I saw today convinced me you need assistance.

- That's what we've just been saying.
- Hold your tongue, lassie.

Stick to snooping and leave the strategy to your King.

This is no time for the weak.

Satan preys on the innocent, even while they sleep.

Together... we must purify your land, starting with the grandchild of the witch you tried today.

A fine plan, is it not?

A genius plan, Your Majesty.

Together, we shall save the souls of my people from Satan, even if it means k*lling them all.

WILLA: I will still be with you.

In the water...

...in the fire...

...in the earth...

...in the air.

Willa!

Get away from her!

- Are you alright?
- What was that?

I don't know.

But I want to help.

You can't. Nobody can.

Wait! Willa!

Becka wasn't kidding.

These are hard times for women.

If we're not being drowned, we're being patronised to death.

Becka's bedroom. In here. Quick.

We are going to help them, though, right, Doc?

I mean, otherwise his place won't exist by the morning.

Not now those two have hit it off.

I don't know which one's more barking.

A dozen hankies.

That's a lot.

Maybe she cries herself to sleep.

Maybe. Don't worry, Graham.

We're staying here and sorting it, even if I am just a woman.

Well, to be fair to King James, you are snooping.

I'm investigating!

- Hey! Missed a bit.
- (SNIFFS)

Whoa.

This Becka's seriously paranoid, man.

- (ALL GASP)
- Here you are!

I've been creeping around this place looking for you.

I found that girl, Willa, at her granny's grave doing some kind of ritual, and the next thing I know, this big kind of...

...mud tendril thing att*cked her.

- Mud tendril?
- Coming up out of the ground.

I had to smash it to pieces.
I've got it all over me.

Just the one mud tendril? How big?

And when you say ritual, do you mean, like a spell?

- Like she conjured it up?
- She was scared of it.

- (SONIC SCREWDRIVER BUZZES)
- Whatever it was, it wasn't friendly.

Just seems to be like good, old-fashioned Lancashire mud.

Here's the plan, you and me need to check out that mud and talk to Willa.

You two, stick with Becka and King James.

Keep them here, make sure they don't k*ll anyone else.

- King James?
- It's a long story.

I'll explain on the way.

Remember, no more witch-hunts.

This is Alfonso, my personal guardian.

He guards my witch-finding tools with his life.

Time is against us if we are to get to the village and hunt down the witches from their hiding.

No.

No, we're fine.

I bet you have all the best kit, Your Majesty.

I have a great many artefacts, t*rture implements, charms, and a wide selection of body parts.

Here.

Belonged to my first Witchfinder General.

Scotty, who saved my life in Berwick.

Then later betrayed me, so I had him sh*t.

I'm sure you will serve me better.

- You may wear the hat.
- (CHUCKLES)

You can trust me, sire.

I can trust no-one.

That is why I need all these.

To ward off evil spirits.

- I'll be keeping an eye on you!
- (CHUCKLES)

- What's this?
- Careful!

It's my pricker.

Essential for inspections.

A true witch will not bleed if her mark is pricked.

Madam, do you have one of these?

No, sire.

You may use this.

It's my spare.

But, um...

...there's still some really, really fascinating...

...body parts in here that you could tell us about.

Yes, perhaps later.

But also, before we depart, we should make a list of all the, uh, villagers...

- Mm.
- ...and names of suspects, background info.

- It's all in the preparation.
- Well, there is no need.

I know everything about this place, and my people.

And I know everything about Satan.

Together, we will find where he is hiding and cut him out.

By nightfall...

...every last witch in this village shall be destroyed.

YAZ: Willa.

My name's Yaz. This is the Doctor.

Where you going?

As far away from here as I can.

I don't blame you.

But before you do, can we talk to you first?

We're not witchfinders.

We just want to find out exactly what's going on here and maybe we can fix things.

Can you help us, Willa?

Because we want to help you.

(GASPS)

Wow!

These all yours?

They were my grandmother's.

She made medicines to help people.

She wasn't a witch.

Everyone knows that.

So, why did Becka Savage target her?

Maybe she was ashamed of the woman who brought her up.

Wait, you and Becka are family?

Cousins.

We were all close till Becka married up.

Left us all behind.

Still, thought we'd be safe when the witch-hunts started.

Then it just got worse and worse, everyone turning on each other.

Granny said it was only a matter of time before they turned on us.

I didn't believe her.

GRAHAM: Oi, oi! Hold up! What's the rush?

I want this over, so we can return to the way things were

before Satan infested this land.

Excuse me. When you say "Satan", what exactly do you mean?

Satan is all around us, all of the time.

We must be strong, or else he will take us.

Of that I have no doubt.

Really? No doubts? But what if you're wrong?

'Cause you're k*lling all these people, friends, neighbours.

If people are good, they have nothing to fear.

Are you a good person, Mistress Savage?

My conscience is clean.

WILLA: Here, Granny's special tea.

It soothes the soul.

Unless you think I'm a witch.

Are you not having any?

I feel too sick.

Do you mind if I check you over?

Don't worry, I am a doctor.

- What's that?
- Uh... Specialist equipment.

(SONIC SCREWDRIVER BUZZES)

That movement in the mud, it was Satan, wasn't it?

Doubt it.

Not a big believer in Satan.

My granny used to say there was enough wonder in nature, without making things up.

I like your granny.

Completely normal.

No magic...

...and no signs of any sickness.

You're wrong.

I think I know what it is that's making you sick.

I had it, at my school, where I'm from, when Izzy Flint turned the whole class against me.

Every day, I'd wake up feeling this...

...dread.

Fear.

- How did you get rid of it?
- I didn't.

I just took it. Had the year from hell.

When I say "hell", I don't literally mean Hell, I mean it was really awful.

And I told myself, when I got bigger, I'd stand up to the Izzy Flints of this world.

I can't stand up to Becka.

She'll have me tried for a witch.

What am I meant to do?

Seems to me like you have two choices, run... as far away from here as possible, or stick with us.

We'll stand up to Becka Savage and we'll make this place safe again.

How do we do that?

Ah! "We"! That's good, Willa!

See? Feels better already.

Now, first things first, I need to get a sample of that mud.

Ooh. Can I use this?

Aye.

Want to come with us?

Not really.

JAMES: Look at him. Alfonso's loyalty is rare and pure.

It's only a matter of time before I inevitably get let down.

Why do you find it so hard to trust people?

Hmm.

It's a long, sad story.

A tragedy. (CHUCKLES)

I've got time. Tell me.

My father d*ed when I was a baby.

I feel you.

I lost me mum. And me nan.

My father was m*rder*d by my mother, who was then imprisoned and beheaded.

OK, that's worse. Yeah.

I was raised by regents.

One was assassinated, one d*ed in battle, and another...

...d*ed in suspicious circumstances.

There have been numerous attempts to kidnap me, k*ll me or blow me up.

- It's a miracle I'm still alive.
- (LAUGHS)

(CLEARS THROAT)

- You're not kidding.
- No, I'm not.

It is a miracle that I have prevailed whilst, all around me, others fall.

You should definitely get yourself back to London, sire.

Keep yourself safe.

God will keep me safe.

As long as I do His work.

Whew!

That felt good.

(CHUCKLES)

Thank you.

- And now... we can have some fun.
- (PRICKER CLICKS)

Eh, Ryan?

DOCTOR: Just mud.

No sign of any tendency to tendril.

I shouldn't be disappointed, but I am a bit.

(SONIC SCREWDRIVER BUZZES)

What was that ritual you were doing before the tendril arrived?

A prayer, to help my grandmother rest in peace.

I brought her body here, I dug that grave, and placed her in it.

But I didn't get to finish the prayer.

We can finish it now, if you like.

Yes.

Right, little sample.

What aren't you telling me?

Whoa!

I am no longer disappointed.

See?! The mud is alive!

Well, now I'm not sure it's mud at all.

- Looks pretty angry in there.
- WILLA: Yaz...

Obviously doesn't like being trapped.

Do ya? What are you?

- Give us a clue.
- What's happening?

I think this is some kind of alien matter.

But I'm not sure if it's sentient.

Doctor?

- Park that, please.
- Why?

Granny!

That is not your granny, Willa.

- Yes, it is!
- No. That's the... "not mud".

Some sort of alien matter, filling her body, and reanimating it.

So, it is pretty sentient.

I'm so sorry for this, Willa.

Hi... Not Willa's Granny.

I presume you're just using the body to give whatever you are form.

Better than tendrils, right?

But really not right. Not cool!

Is that why it went after Willa?

Of course!

Not to k*ll her, but to fill her!

Ooh! Check out my rhymes. Poetry under pressure.

Oh!

- (GAGS AND GRUNTS)
- What you doing?

You want this?

One of you, is it? Or part of you?

Oh, no, no, no. Not until you tell me what's going on here.

Ugh. Don't like the look of your hands.

It's all bubbling away inside you, isn't it?

Oh, no. You're not filling me.

If you're that desperate for it, here, have it.

- (GRUNTS AND MOANS)
- Oh. Delightful.

Down the hatch. I've got so many questions right now.

Like, did you drink that, or absorb it?

Are you all one big, muddy mass, or separate entities, only taking the one body?

Doctor...

Oh. Always good to get fast answers.

(WILLA SCREAMS NEARBY)

- What was that?!
- I cannot imagine.

Um, best let us deal with that, sire.

You should stay here, where it's safe, sire.

Nowhere is safe...

...until Satan has been vanquished!

Uh, did it come from that way, sire?

I thought it came from the other way.

DOCTOR: No. Stay back, please.

I've given you the blood.
What more do you need?

- It's so annoying when they're silent.
- JAMES: Witchcraft!

So much for keeping that lot at the house.

- Stay where you are!
- Hi, sire!

I know it looks bad, but don't worry, I'm all over it.

Willa Twiston was the witch all along! I knew it!

I'm not. This isn't me, Becka, I swear.

She's right. It's not her, and it's not witchcraft.

I'm working it out.

JAMES: This is beyond you.

Alfonso, sh**t them!

Of course, Your Majesty.

No! Alfonso, don't!

In the air and in the earth!

Aagh!

Oh!

Alfonso...

Now you've made them angry.
They're getting stronger.

Everybody out of here.

Get away from them, now!

BECKA: We must protect you, sire. Back through the forest!

DOCTOR: Keep running!

This clearing! Through here!

I don't think they're following!

(PANTS) If they're not following, what are they doing?

Want us to go and look?

We escape from Satan, and you wish to go directly back into battle?

We need to know what they're up to, make sure no-one else is in danger.

I'll go too, and keep an eye... on my... underlings.

- Very well.
- DOCTOR: I'll stay with Willa.

Be careful!

What were those aberrations?

- It is the work of Satan.
- It wasn't Satan.

Or witches, or Willa's granny.

Those creatures were being controlled by something in the mud.

Something not of this earth.

Something beyond your understanding.

Something from Hell?

More like from the heavens.

It chose to k*ll Alfonso when he was a thr*at.

But in other circumstances, it fills the bodies and uses them as vessels.

I don't know why. Maybe only when they're dead.

No. It att*cked me, too.

And why today? 'Cause this is my problem,

I can buy that this is the biggest ever witch-hunt in England, or I can buy it's an alien mud invasion.

But both on the same day? I can't buy that!

Why does the lassie speak of commerce?

- Don't know.
- Oh, wait. Unless they're connected.

Your witch-hunt's been going on a while now.

So, there's no way that mud has just rocked up today.

What do you know, Becka?

What's going on here, in Bilehurst Cragg?

A woman who keeps an axe by her bed?

What have you seen?

I have seen you...

...with your wand, raising your kin from the dead!

Yes!

- What?! No! Hold on a sec!
- You're no witchfinder's assistant!

- You are Satan's acolyte!
- I am not!

That's why it's happening today, because you are here, as you say, to take over this village!

You know that's not what I meant.

We do not have time for this!

- (PRICKER CLICKS)
- Mistress Savage is correct.

It is your fault that Alfonso is dead.

I tried to save him!

You saved them from being sh*t!

You said this evil fell from the heavens.

Oh, yes, it fell, like your lord, Lucifer!

Honestly, if I was still a bloke, I could get on with the job and not have to waste time defending myself!

Oh, you bewitch us with your alluring form and your incessant jabber, but I knew you were unnatural from the very start!

And now I see you... for what you really are.

- She was trying to save us, sire.
- Thank you, Willa.

BECKA: Are you sure you're not mistaken, Willa?

Or are you in league with the witches, as I first suspected?

She said she wanted to help me.

Who do you trust to save you?

Your King? Your family?

Whatever I have done, I did to save all of our souls.

What's really going on, Becka?

Hold your tongue, or I will cut it out!

Well?

Tell the truth, lassie.

I... I did think it was strange when they...

...said her name was the Doctor.

Like Doctor Dee.

A necromancer.

That seals it.

Arrest the witch!

I... I am not a witch!

GRAHAM: Which way d'you reckon they went?

(QUIETLY) Hey. Guys. Over here.

There you go.

Holly berries, no holly tree.

YAZ: There's more this way.

They can't be that far ahead.

Come on!

JAMES: Comfortable, witch?

I do hope not.

Come for a visit?

I shall take my opportunity to converse with an agent of Satan.

If I was Satan's agent, do you seriously think a bit of rope would stop me?

I say a bit. Quite a lot.

Tightly bound. It's pretty painful!

You know how to tie a knot in this part of the world.

I am an expert on witchcraft, Doctor.

But I wish to learn more.

Before you die, I want answers.

Your wand, how does it work?

Why do you want to know?

I wish to know all the secrets of existence.

Don't we all!

But true knowledge has to be earned.

Tell you what, I'll trade you my wand for answers to as many questions as you want to ask.

(LAUGHS)

I'm not a fool, Doctor.

I am King James, Satan's greatest foe.

Yeah, yeah. I know.

It must be comforting playing that role.

Hiding behind a title.

Just as you hide behind "Doctor", perhaps.

GRAHAM: (WHISPERS) There they are.

You should take up witchfinding for a living.

Yeah.

Shame I missed the training session on what to do when you've found 'em.

RYAN: I guess we have to follow them.

- Very quietly.
- OK.

Who are you? Really?

Behind the mask?

The drama?

What does it say on your garter?

"Honni soit qui mal y pense."

"Evil be to him that evil thinks."

You wear it like a hero, even though you're k*lling and scapegoating and stirring up hate.

And you wonder why the darkness comes back at you.

There is no darkness in me.

I quest for goodness and knowledge, beauty and art, all of God's virtues.

Your own mother was scapegoated.

How do you square that with your witch-hunts?

What do you know of my mother?

You could've seen her before she d*ed, but you didn't want to.

Why?

She left me.

When I was not even one year old.

What kind of mother does that?

Why would I wish to see her?

Nobody will ever know why she left you, James.

But you can't go hurting people just because you're scared to face up to the darkness inside you.

You have to be better than that.

Who are you?

How do you know these things?

I know because...

...we're all the same.

We want... certainty, security, to believe that people are evil or heroic.

But that's not how people are.

You want to know the secrets of existence?

Start with the mysteries of the heart.

I could show you everything, if you stop being afraid of what you don't understand.

If you trust me.

I am not a witch.

But if you want to defeat evil, you have to let me go, now.

Please, sire.

(PANTS)


I do not know what you are.

And there is only one way to be certain.

Guards! Summon the villagers!

RYAN: All the way through the forest and we're back where we started.

GRAHAM: (WHISPERS) Keep your voice down.

YAZ: What would they come here for?

(HEAVY BREATHING)

(GASPS)

That's Becka's bedroom.

They're looking for her.

Revenge. That's why the undead always come back.

Must be why Becka has that axe.

(METAL SCRAPES)

Speaking of which.

In here.

RYAN: Where are they going now?

DOCTOR: I see you've brought a gathering. Thanks very much.

Mind if I take off my coat?

Lots in my pockets.

Might stop me floating.

Of course, as a woman, you don't get to have pockets for a while yet.

A girl called Izzy Flint bullied my friend, Yaz, so no-one would pick on Izzy.

That's what you're doing, pointing the finger at other people so no-one points it at you.

But what I don't know is why.

- What are you hiding, Becka?
- Sit down.

Or would you prefer a hanging?

Do you know why the ducking stool was invented, Doctor?

To silence foolish women who talk too much.

Yeah, I did know that, which is daft 'cause talking's brilliant.

Like, if you talk to me now, I can help.

You've ducked people already and whatever it is has only got worse, hasn't it?

(LOUD ZAP)

What was that?

(SNIFFS) It reacted to your touch. Why?

I warned you to keep quiet!

- Rather I asked Willa?
- Silence!

Or I shall duck her too!

Last request, I definitely get a last request.

Lend us your hanky.

I don't have one.

There's loads in your room, and an empty medicine bottle.

What were you taking the medicine for, Becka?

Know this, Doctor, once I have dealt with you, I shall go after all of your friends.

RYAN: Quiet a sec.

- (BELL RINGS)
- Listen.

That was coming from the river.

Someone must be getting ducked.

The Doctor wouldn't let that happen.

- No.
- Unless...

Yeah.

BECKA: Satan has made our crops fail, bewitched our animals and brought the sickness.

His agent sits before you, the most evil witch in Christendom,

and she would call herself "The Doctor"!

(CROWD JEERS)

We bring her to justice in front of our great Majesty, King James!

Give the word, sire, and we shall duck the witch and save our souls from Satan...

...once and for all!

- Duck the witch.
- (CROWD SHOUTS)

I was right.

- GRAHAM: Doctor!
- BECKA: Guards, duck her now!

Bring her back up now!

RYAN: What have you done?

You will see the result.

I'm the Witchfinder General.
I'm giving you an order!

I obey only my King!

Sire, please order her to be raised.

She's not a witch. She's your only hope of getting out of here alive.

They're witches, sire. All of them!

It's Satan testing us!

YAZ: Get her out of there.

It has been long enough.

No, it hasn't! We must be certain!

Bring her up now!

Now!

RYAN: Please, Your Majesty.

Raise the stool. The trial is over.

RYAN: Where's she gone?
What's happened to her?

No...

No!

YAZ: Where is she?

- Looking for me?
- Doctor!

She truly is a powerful witch.

No, sire. I am no witch.

I'm just good at holding my breath and getting out of chains, thanks to a very wet weekend with Houdini.

Hi, team!

g*ng? Fam?

No.

WILLA: I'm so sorry, Doctor. I was scared!

See? That's all it takes, Becka.

Start there. Tell me the truth!

(GROANS AND GASPS) She survived! She is a witch!

No. I'm not.

And despite all appearances...

- WILLA: Doctor!
- ...neither are they.

You might want to come and stand with me now, Becka.

'Cause they look like they're coming for you.

(ONLOOKERS SCREAM)

RYAN: We have to help out.

Yes. Yes, we must confront those agents of Satan, even in the face of witchery...

Oh, mate, seriously. Not witches.

Bodies possessed by alien mud!

Come on!

I will be with you...

...in the water...

...in the fire... in the air...

Stop! Just stop!

They're obeying you. Why are they obeying you?

What happened back there?

I thought they'd come to k*ll you, which is a fair assumption, given they're carrying an axe.

But they haven't, have they?

Of course.

They've come to join you.

(COUGHS)

It's in you, just as it's in them.

And none of you can hide it anymore.

In the air...

What happened?

I cut down her favourite tree.

(EXHALES LOUDLY)

What? I don't understand.

It was spoiling my view of the hill.

(GRUNTS)

But something lay beneath it.

I awoke Hell.

Satan himself att*cked me, poisoned me.

That night, I felt it growing inside me.

The mark of Satan.

I fought it.

I took medicine, I prayed! But it grew.

I did God's work in the hope that he would save me!

You k*lled people to try and save yourself.

All these witches? All this evil?

You knew they weren't witches!

The only thing you feared was yourself!

Did your granny know what you needed the medicine for?

Not to start with, but then I had to tell her!

I needed her help! I begged for it!

For her to lance this evil out of me!

But she was too weak!

So, you k*lled her by ducking?

I had to! She knew!

(COUGHS AND WHEEZES)

I can't fight it anymore, Doctor!

You cannot fight it because you are the witch.

I have let Satan in!

I have failed you, sire, yes!

I am the witch!

Everyone, behind me.
It's Becka they want.

- RYAN: But why?
- YAZ: What's happening to her?

I tried to hold Satan back.

I'm so scared.

Please, forgive me!

(GASPS FOR BREATH)

- (ROARS)
- (OTHERS MOAN)

- What is happening?
- (ALL MOAN)

She's possessed by Satan.

- Not by Satan.
- (MOANING CONTINUES)

Then by what?

Something not of this earth.

Morax.

- Who are you?
- Hand me your king!

- What?!
- Haven't you got your own king?

- Or is he hiding?
- He does not hide.

He waits.

We have all waited for too long, trapped in the hill.

- Pendle Hill.
- Our prison.

The mighty Morax army, captured and imprisoned on this pitiful planet for w*r crimes.

Pendle Hill is a prison for an alien army.

Oh, well, it's obvious when you put it like that.

Imprisoned no more. The lock was broken.

What lock? How was it broken?

Now the Morax army shall rise again and take form.

Your king shall be filled with our king and we shall be free to fill all of you!

To fill this whole planet with rage and force and hate

and Morax!

YAZ: Come on, Witchfinder.

Up you get.

Go on, what happened?

Same thing that happened to all of us.

Oh... Ow!

Zapped by Becka Savage, Queen of the Morax.

She's taken the King, knocked the rest of us out.

- OK.
- DOCTOR: Quite a blast, that.

I haven't had a hangover like this since the Milk Wars of Keston .

What are you doing with this thing?

Tell them what Bilehurst means.

"Sacred tree on a hill".

The tree Becka chopped down because it was obscuring her view, the tree this ducking stool is made from, the tree that isn't a tree.

It's ancient alien technology.

Beautiful and broken.

A very old, very advanced biomech security system.

A lock to keep the Morax army imprisoned here.

It responded to Becka's touch because of the Morax infection inside her.

So, Pendle Hill's a prison?

From what Becka said, I'm guessing the Morax are royals with soldiers, pretty brutal ones at that, presumably exiled for w*r crimes, scrambled down into their primal form...

And they stay in prison until Becka Savage goes at that tree.

Well, it can't be much of a lock if she can break it.

It's old, eroded over billions of years, presumably.

But she must have broke it enough for part of the Queen's form to escape and infect her.

According to my calculations, this ancient alien wood is like Semtex to Morax.

That's why it made such a good lock.

Right, help me break it up.

Break it up? Why? What for?

Anti-Morax weapons.

The smoke is toxic to Morax.

It should be enough to fend them off so you can rescue King James and I can get to the tree.

- RYAN: Then what?
- I fix the lock, putting all the Morax energy back in the slammer.

One more thing, Doc.

Morax Finder General, back in command.

It's a very flat team structure.

Ready for battle?

Yes, we are.

You don't have to, Willa.

It's time to stop being scared.

A little bit of scared isn't a bad thing.

Morax is way more dangerous than Becka ever was.

Only I know the path up the hill.

- So, you need me to lead the way.
- She's right, Doc.

There are more powerful people here than kings and queens.

There's us.

Together.

Lead on, Willa Twiston.

Onwards to save the King.

MORAX QUEEN: Kneel before Morax, feeble human!

KING JAMES: Tell me what you are, you Satanic creature.

- We will rule this world.
- We?

Your body filled with my Morax king.

Come to me, my love!

(RUMBLING)

KING JAMES: Satan rises! Oh! Oh!

Aaah!

I may fear you but I have my faith.

(ROARS)

May the Lord save me!

DOCTOR: Or, alternatively, Witchfinders United at your service.

Yeah, mate, you better back off.

Let him go, Morax.

You can't have King James or this planet.

RYAN: Get away from the King!

The torch is a w*apon. He won't come near the flames.

- RYAN: I've got you, sire.
- KING JAMES: My protector!

Willa, watch out for your granny.

- (HISSES)
- You're not my granny.

Let her rest!

And you, Morax, back into your cell now, please.

Those flames don't scare me, Doctor.

Nothing scares me now.

WILLA: I know you're in there, Becka.

I know you're scared.

Nothing of that pathetic woman remains.

No fear. Only power.

We will fill your king and k*ll you all!

Afraid not, Morax. I'm here.

Everybody back!

I've reactivated the prison.

Back you go, King of the Morax!

(ROARS)

Jail re-energised.

No! My king! What have you done?!

Feel that security system kicking back in, sucking every Morax cell back, back down into Pendle Hill, back out of the bodies they h*jacked.

Have peace.

No! I will not go!

Yes, you will. Burn the witch!

DOCTOR: No, sire, stay away!

Aaaaagh!

(THUNDER CRASHES)

(RAIN PATTERS)

What, woman? She was a witch. She confessed.

So, you got what you came for.

I have vanquished Satan.

No more witch-hunts.

KING JAMES: She still does not speak to me, Ryan.

Can you get through to her?

Afraid not, sire. This is on you.

What apparition is this?

Just another inexplicable wonder of existence you're not going to be able to tell anyone about.

Doctor, I understand you are displeased with me.

And I owe my life to you.

Not one word of any of
this shall ever be spoken.

And even the name Bilehurst shall be erased from all records.

As long as all the villagers make it out alive.

What will you do, Willa?

Find a new home.

Take Granny's potions and be a healer.

Be a doctor.

I reckon you'll be good at that.

One final command... as your King.

Come back to London with me, Ryan.

Be my protector.

(SCOFFS) I mean...

It's a kind offer, sire.

But, uh, you know, I've got stuff to do.

But I'll...

...keep me... eye on you.

So, you... behave yourself.

(ALL CHUCKLE)

Or else...

..."We will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger."

- Ezekiel.
- Tarantino.

What are you all doing?

A brilliant man once said, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

We're just about to prove him right.

(TARDIS WHIRRS)

Wh... Where did they go?

(CHUCKLES)
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