History Recap / DoctorWhoTheCurseOfFatalDeath

* BondVillainStupidity: The Daleks' chase with the Doctor and Emma end with them surrounding the two, screaming "Exterminate!" The next scene shows the Doctor and Emma in the Daleks' custody, tied to a chair. Emma lampshades it, only to be told, [[{{Handwave}} "I will explain later."]]

The comedy special is notable for offering an early glimpse into concepts that Creator/StevenMoffat would later bring into ''Doctor Who'' proper, once he became the series' showrunner. These include the Doctor marrying a companion, Time Lords regenerating as [[GenderBender a different gender]], the Master getting stuck in sewers with Daleks, Emma's outfit (a version of which was seen on companion Amy Pond later on), extremely complicated time travel schemes, and the good ship Doctor×Master.

A tie-in work, "Who's After Your Cash" was printed in ''The Mirror Official Comic Relief Newspaper'' issued by The Mirror on Comic Relief Day. Written by Rowan Atkinson, it was a letter by the Ninth Doctor urging readers to watch "The Curse of Fatal Death". The short is [[RereleasedForFree free to watch]] on ''Doctor Who''[='s=] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp_Fw5oDMao official YouTube channel]]. The night itself also complemented the special with promotional links, topped off with a short message to the audience from Atkinson's Ninth Doctor; [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes these extras have been unofficially uploaded online]].

A tie-in work, "Who's After Your Cash" was printed in ''The Mirror Official Comic Relief Newspaper'' issued by The Mirror on Comic Relief Day. Written by Rowan Atkinson, it was a letter by the Ninth Doctor urging readers to watch "The Curse of Fatal Death". The short is [[RereleasedForFree free to watch]] on ''Doctor Who''[='s=] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp_Fw5oDMao official YouTube channel]]. The night itself also complemented special with promotional links, topped off with a short message to the audience from Atkinson's Ninth Doctor; [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes these extras have been unofficially uploaded online]].

* SweaterGirl: Julia Sawalha's sixties companion look has this. (Her outfit would later be almost replicated by Moffat-written companion Amy Pond.)

The one with [[Creator/RowanAtkinson Mr. Bean]].

* PowerPerversionPotential: Only now, after [[TimeAbyss thousands of years]], does the Doctor notice the Sonic Screwdriver [[ADateWithRosiePalms comes with three settings]].

** When it appears as though the Doctor's death won't lead into regeneration, his companion says that the Doctor was "never cruel and never cowardly", one of the many AuthorCatchphrase[=s=] of prolific ''Who'' writer Creator/TerranceDicks during his stint writing novelizations of the show.

* CastingGag: All the actors who played the Doctor in this parody had at some point been considered for the actual role. Yes, including Creator/JoannaLumley.[[note]]After Sixth Doctor actor Creator/ColinBaker was fired, BBC Comptroller Michael Grade brought ''Doctor Who'' Creator/SydneyNewman to come up with a way of retooling the show; Newman suggested briefly bringing back Second Doctor actor Creator/PatrickTroughton for one season before having the Doctor regenerate into a female incarnation, with Lumley being one of his top picks. However, discussions with the network fallingthrough and Troughton's death in 1987 nixed those plans.[[/note]] (Creator/RichardEGrant would go on to play the character in ''WebAnimation/ScreamOfTheShalka'', a story that was initially conceived as canon and only declared CanonDiscontinuity during its production.) Plus, Creator/JonathanPryce was among those considered to play the Master in [[Recap/DoctorWhoTVMTheTVMovie the TV Movie]].

* ACupAngst: The Master tries to inspire this in Emma, asserting that his [[GagBoobs "Dalek bumps"]] are "quite firm".

* CannotTalkToWomen: The Eleventh Doctor. Humorously, the Master's [[GagBoobs etheric beam locators]] get the same response out of him.

'''Tenth Doctor:''' Oh yeah? [[GagBoobs Nice tits.]]

* JumpingTheGenderBarrier: When the Doctor regenerates into their Thirteenth form to discover they are now a woman, causing [[IncompatibleOrientation Emma to lose interest]], she and the Master soon realise they are quite attracted to one another.

"The Curse of Fatal Death" is a 1999 ''Series/DoctorWho'' AffectionateParody, produced by Creator/TheBBC for [[UsefulNotes/ComicRelief Red Nose Day]] between [[Recap/DoctorWhoTVMTheTVMovie the 1996 TV movie]] and [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E1Rose 2005 revival]]. It was written by Creator/StevenMoffat, who would later go on to be head writer and executive producer of ''Doctor Who'' between 2010 and 2017.

* CastingGag: All the actors who played the Doctor in this parody had at some point been considered for the actual role. Yes, including Creator/JoannaLumley. (Creator/RichardEGrant would actually go on to play the character in ''WebAnimation/ScreamOfTheShalka'', a story that was meant as canon and only declared CanonDiscontinuity during its production.) Plus, Creator/JonathanPryce was among those considered to play the Master in [[Recap/DoctorWhoTVMTheTVMovie the TV Movie]].

* ActorAllusion: Creator/JonathanPryce starred in an unrelated film about mental patients in UsefulNotes/WorldWarI three years prior to this. The name of this film? ''Regeneration''.