The Rings of Akhaten

233 – "The Rings of Akhaten"
Doctor Who episode
Promotional poster
Cast
Doctor Matt Smith – Eleventh Doctor
Companion Jenna-Louise Coleman – Clara Oswald
Guest Emilia Jones – Merry Gejelh Michael Dixon – Dave Oswald Nicola Sian – Ellie Oswald Chris Anderson – The Chorister Aidan Cook – The Mummy Karl Greenwood – Dor'een[1]
Production
Directed by	Farren Blackburn
Written by	Neil Cross
Produced by	Denise Paul Marcus Wilson (series producer)
Executive producer(s)	Steven Moffat Caroline Skinner
Music by	Murray Gold
Series	Series 7
Running time	44 minutes
First broadcast	6 April 2013 (2013-04-06)
Chronology
← Preceded by "The Bells of Saint John" Followed by → "Cold War"
List of episodes (2005–present)

"The Rings of Akhaten" is the seventh episode of the seventh series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, first broadcast on BBC One on 6 April 2013. It was written by Neil Cross and directed by Farren Blackburn.

In the episode, alien time traveller the Doctor (Matt Smith) takes his new companion Clara Oswald (Jenna-Louise Coleman) to the Rings of Akhaten, where several planetoids in a ring system are orbiting a larger planet. They attend a religious festival where the young Queen of Years, Merry Gejelh (Emilia Jones), is about to be sacrificed to the parasite of Akhaten.

Cross was asked to write the episode after the success of scripting and shooting "Hide", a later episode. "The Rings of Akhaten", as Clara's first trip to an alien world, was intended to show the wonders of the universe instead of the Doctor getting his new companion trapped somewhere less glamorous, a trend that had been observed in the history of the programme. The episode also explores Clara's backstory. Filmed entirely in-studio in late October 2012, pre-made moulds were utilised for the many different aliens to save money. "The Rings of Akhaten" was watched by 7.45 million viewers in the UK and received a mixed reception regarding its emotion and plot.