Due to his sometimes colder and often absent minded traits, the Twelfth Doctor started using apology cue cards to get himself out of tight situations.
In the Drum, Clara Oswald prompted the Doctor to use the cards to respond appropriately to the death of Jonathan Moran, who was the crew's friend, after the Doctor became giddy with excitement about the apparent "proper" existence of ghosts in the Drum.
Some of the apologies on the cards included: "I completely understand why it was difficult not to get captured"; "It was my fault, I should have known you didn't live in Aberdeen"; "I didn't mean to imply that I don't care"; "No-one is going to be eaten/vapourised/exterminated/upgraded/mortally wounded[/]turned to jelly[.] We'll all get out of this unharmed"; and "I'm very sorry for your loss. I'll do all I can to solve the death of your friend/family member/pet." (TV: Under the Lake)
The Doctor had them lying on the TARDIS console and took them out when Rigsy was sentenced to Quantum Shade death, and told Clara that there is no nice way of telling somebody they're about to die.
One of the apologies on the cards was: "I could be wrong, let's try it your way." (TV: Face the Raven)
One of the apologies read: "Good work! You tried your hardest to stop an alien plot, invasion or mystery. Delete as appropriate. But this time you were unsuccessful." The Twelfth Doctor read it verbatim to Ross and Amber after they failed to stop the Autons. (PROSE: Baby Sleepy Face)
The Twelfth Doctor grabbed Ross McNamara during an alien attack and remarked, "I'm getting better at this. Who needs cue cards?" (PROSE: Haunted)
Behind the scenes[]
The Aberdeen cue card is a reference to the episode School Reunion, in which Sarah Jane Smith is revealed to have been mistakenly dropped off there (instead of in Croydon) by the Fourth Doctor in The Hand of Fear.
