Doctor Who: Series 9 Prequel ‘The Doctor’s Meditation’ Leaked Online!

By Barry Rice | Sep 16, 2015

Last night was the first night of the Doctor Who: Dark Water/Death in Heaven 3D theatrical event here in the US and abroad, and with it came the premiere of the new Series 9 prequel minisode, ‘The Doctor’s Meditation.’ We were planning to bring you a full description today based on accounts from those in attendance, but it looks like we may be able to do you one better — the actual prequel itself has been leaked online!

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Obviously, this is not an official release (or even a sneaky planned promotional “leak”), and it’s extremely poor quality. Basically, this is footage from someone filming the theater screen with their phone, so don’t expect to be blown away. Still, the audio quality is good and the image is reasonably clear for a bootleg.

Related: Two-Minute Series 9 Prologue Released Online!

~~We aren’t going to embed the video on our site, but you can view it on YouTube here.~~

UPDATE: As expected, the BBC has had the video removed on copyright grounds. You can read a description below, though, and look for an official upload in the coming days.

UPDATE #2: ~~Another version of the same video can now be found on YouTube here. You can bet it’ll be taken down soon, though.~~

UPDATE #3: It took a bit longer, but the second link has been taken down, too.

UPDATE #4: ‘The Doctor’s Meditation’ was officially released today online for viewers in the UK, but someone has managed to upload a region-free version to DailyMotion. It’s still not “official,” but it IS in HD! Watch it here.

The roughly six-minute minisode is mostly comic relief, setting things in motion before the start of ‘The Magician’s Apprentice.’ It begins just after the two-minute prequel released last week, with the Doctor attempting to meditate, just as he told Ohila he would. The setting is a medieval castle, with the Doctor’s new “servant” Bors trying to help him meditate. The Doctor tells Bors “someone I know is very sick, and they want to see me before…”

“An old friend?” asks Bors. “Someone I’ve known a long time,” replies the Doctor.

The Doctor being the Doctor, though, he soon becomes distracted and finds ways to put off his meditation while digging new wells in search of better water.

The oft-mentioned goblet from ‘The Night of the Doctor’ does make an appearance, but it doesn’t seem to be of consequence. Either this is just a case of the BBC reusing a prop, or the significance of the goblet is not made apparent until the full episode.

Eventually the Doctor does settle down to meditate, but Bors is convinced the Doctor can never sit still long enough to do so and should instead spend his last night celebrating. But first, Bors demands the Doctor tell him his story and why he has to leave to face his seeming end. The Doctor says that a little while ago, a very long way from here, he was looking for a bookshop when instead he found a battlefield. “Story of my life,” he says.

Related: BBC America Releases New Series 9 Trailer and Prequel Broadcast Plans

The Doctor says he has seen many battlefields, but this one will be different because “this one will be my last.”

‘The Doctor’s Meditation’ will be officially shown on BBC America in the US this Friday at 10:00 PM (EST). I would be shocked if it wasn’t released online sometime around the same time for viewers in other countries.

Doctor Who Series 9 premieres this Saturday, September 19. For much more information, check out our frequently updated guide: Doctor Who Series 9: Everything There is to Know So Far.

What do you think? Did you enjoy ‘The Doctor’s Meditation’? Any theories about who the Doctor is going to face or why? Sound off in the comments below!

Next: More High-Res Photos from 'The Magician's Apprentice'

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