Doctor Who: 20 Things You Didn't Know About Heaven Sent

19. Rachel Talalay’s Inspiration

Doctor Who Heaven Sent Peter Capaldi Twelfth Doctor
BBC Studios

Heaven Sent was directed by Rachel Talalay, a Chicago-born filmmaker who also directed Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare.

But let's not hold that against her.

Talalay (who also directed Capaldi's other series finales, plus his overall finale Twice Upon A Time) did a fantastic job creating the suspense needed to pull off an episode like this. But where did she get her inspiration from?

Apparently, she went back and watched German Expressionist movies from the early 20th century to get visual help, from titles like Nosferatu: A Symphony Of Horror, to The Cabinet Of Dr Caligari.

It's astonishing the amount of care and effort that went into creating this hour of Saturday night telly.

 
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Jacob Simmons has a great many passions, including rock music, giving acclaimed films three-and-a-half stars, watching random clips from The Simpsons on YouTube at 3am, and writing about himself in the third person.