Orphan 55 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Tranquility

Tranquilty Spa was a Fakecation resort on Orphan 55, a desolate planet with a hostile population. It had a lovely all-inclusive hotel with a large pool. The corporation built the hotel as a front for their terra-forming efforts. One of their giveaways was in the Bandozi Herald, where Graham racked up enough coupons to win a free vacation.

"Midnight" (2008) had the Tenth Doctor possessed by a hostile intelligence during what was ostensibly a pleasure cruise. The resort was known as the Leisure Palace.

Apalapucia was the hospital planet where Amy Pond spent 36 years being chased by killer robots. ("The Girl Who Waited" (2011))

Answer: Hopper virus

It was the Hopper Virus. Ryan contracted it from the vending machine. His symptoms included wiggly fingers, weak legs, sneezing and hallucinations. The Hopper Virus also disabled the force field that kept out the hostile native population. Fortunately, the Doctor was able to recreate the force field.

"With a box of crayons and half a can of spam, I can create you from scratch." - The Doctor to security officer Kane

Answer: Dregs

The Dregs were the aliens on Orphan 55. They bore a resemblance to the alien from "Alien" (1979) as well as the Fisher King from "Before the Flood" (2015). They turned out to be mutated Humans, the leftovers after global warming and nuclear war had left Earth a barren wasteland. They breathed carbon dioxide and exhaled oxygen (a handy plot point later in the episode).

The Draconians are a 26th century race that the Third Doctor encountered in "Frontier in Space" (1973). The Daleks are the oldest and most persistent of the Doctor's enemies, reappearing regularly since their first appearance in 1963. Droogs are the juvenile delinquents in "A Clockwork Orange", the novel by Anthony Burgess.

Answer: Nevi and Sylas

Nevi the mechanic and his son Silas were teleported off the planet towards the end of "Orphan 55" (2020). Vorm was killed by the Dregs, and Kane may or may not have teleported. Her fate was uncertain. Vilma sacrificed herself to give the others time to escape, and Benni was killed by Kane to save him from torture by the Dregs. Hyph3n, the resort manager, was killed by the Dregs, while the fate of Bella was unknown.

Nevi was played by British comedian James Buckley, who starred in "The Inbetweeners" (2008-2010), "Zapped" (2016-18) and "White Gold" (2017). Sylas was played by Lewin Lloyd.

Answer: Novosibirsk, Russia

Wandering through the tunnels, the Doctor found a rusted sign with Cyrllic lettering. She said they were in the remains of what was once Novosibirsk, in a subway station. Novosibirsk does indeed have a metro system, built between 1979 and 1986. It has two lines and 13 stations. Novosibirsk is in Siberia, located on the Ob River.

Answer: How long have you been unemployed?

In a moment when they were facing death, Bella admitted that she was "an unemployed nobody." She had been taking care of her father, but he died. There was a fair amount of flirting between Bella and Ryan throughout the episode, but given they were being chased by monsters most of the time, nothing really came of it. For the record, Ryan is not a surgeon for pilots or a pilot surgeon.

Answer: Kane

Bella, real name Trixabelle, turned out to have major mommy issues. Kane had abandoned her family, leaving her husband to raise their daughter. Bella revealed her true identity in a gun face off with Kane. She then proceeded to blow up the resort. In the end, mother and daughter appeared to reconcile, after Kane saved her from a Dreg attack.

Kane was played by Laura Fraser. She began working in British television in 1995, and has worked in dozens of series and miniseries since. American television viewers may know her best as the villainous Lydia Rodarte-Quayle from "Breaking Bad" (2012-13). She worked with Neve McIntosh (Madame Vastra) on the crime drama "Traces" (2019-2020).

Answer: Syllium

The teleporter was fueled by Syllium, a made up element (or perhaps an element that simply has not yet been discovered). They needed the Hopper virus to transform Syllium 3 to Syllium 4 to provide enough energy to teleport.

Darillium is a planet noted for its singing towers. The 12th Doctor and River Song spent 24 years there. ("The Husbands of River Song" (2015)). Beryllium is a real element (atomic number 3), which the Eighth Doctor used to repair an atomic clock. Thallium is also a real element (atomic number 81) that is used in electronics manufacturing and medical radiology.

Answer: Wheezy

The Doctor named him wheezy, because he was having a difficult time breathing. The Doctor had flooded the building with oxygen, which the aliens found suffocating. In the end, the Doctor decided that retreat was the best option, because they were greatly outnumbered by an enemy that was adapted to a very hostile environment. Toothy would have been a good nickname, as the aliens had sharp nasty teeth.

Lofty was the nickname that the 12th Doctor gave to one of the Vikings in "The Girl Who Died" (2015). Rusty was the nickname for the broken Dalek in "Into the Dalek" (2014).

Answer: Ed Hime

Ed Hime wrote "Orphan 55" (2020) which was a preachy allegory on global warming. He also wrote the series 11 story "It Takes You Away" (2018; the one with the talking frog). His other writing credits include the British drama "Skins" (2010-11).

Lee Haven Jones directed "Spyfall Part 2" and "Orphan 55" for series 12. He began working as a director in British television in 2010. His work includes the crime dramas "The Bay" (2019) and "Shetland" (2018), the medical drama "Casualty" (2013-16) and the science fiction drama "Wizards vs Aliens" (2014). He has won two Welsh BAFTA awards.

Will Austin played Vorm, the security officer. He generally plays military men, although he did have a recurring role on the long-running medical drama "Casualty" in 2017.

Spencer Wilding was "Wheezy" the lead Dreg. He was the Minotaur in "The God Complex" (2011) and Skaldak the Ice Warrior in "Cold War" (2013).