Doctor Who Season 11: 10 BIg Questions After The Ghost Monument
5. What Was The Inspiration Behind The Episode?
Unlike the series opener, this one felt much more like a Doctor Who story than a Torchwood one. But once again, in order to be attractive to a new audience Chris Chibnall found inspiration outside the Doctor Who universe. Particularly appealing to older children would have been the reference to Call of Duty. Not only is the game quoted by Ryan before he attempts to go on his robot killing spree, but the whole world would have been familiar to young gamers.
Being dropped off to compete against each other on an alien world called to mind the immensely popular Fortnite and its Battle Royale mode 1 v 100. The abandoned planet, filled with booby traps and environmental hazards was reminiscent of the popular Fallout series, and the tent at the beginning and end of the journey was like a game checkpoint or those supply drops and pop of shops of countless games.
The central conceit of the plot, a race between the final two contestants of The Last Rally of the Five Galaxies also called to mind films such as The Running Man and The Hunger Games. More obscure, was the Remnants, sentient cloths that can kill by suffocating their victims. The closest parallel would be the ancient Japanese legend of Ittan-momen, a roll of cloth that flies through the air at night and smothers humans to death. The legend is still very much alive in popular culture, through various anime and manga series as well as the Nintendo 3DS game Yo-Kai Watch.