The Stolen Earth (TV story): Difference between revisions

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{{Quote|Welcome to my new Empire, Doctor. It is only fitting that you should bear witness to the resurrection - and the triumph - of Davros, Lord and Creator of the Dalek Race.|Davros}}  
{{title dab away}}
   
{{real world}}
{{Infobox NewTV 
{{ImageLinkTV}}
|story name= The Stolen Earth 
{{Infobox Story SMW
|image=[[Image:Davros Stolen Earth.jpg|250px]]
|image          = 19h.jpg
|series= [[Series 4 (Doctor Who)|Series 4]] 
|series          = [[Doctor Who television stories|''Doctor Who'' television stories]]
|number=
|season number  = Series 4 (Doctor Who 2005)
|story number=12  
|series episode number = 12
|doctor= [[Tenth Doctor]] 
|story number   = 198a
|companions= [[Donna Noble]]<br>[[Rose Tyler]]<br>[[Martha Jones]]<br>Captain [[Jack Harkness]] <br>[[Sarah Jane Smith]]<!--These are not companions - don not add them [[Gwen Cooper]]<br>[[Ianto Jones]]<br>[[Luke Smith]]--> 
|scripturl      = https://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/documents/doctor-who-4-episode-12-the-stolen-earth-pink-revisions-22022008.pdf<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20130922085854/http://www.thewriterstale.com/pdfs/Doctor%20Who%204%20Ep.12%20-%20%20Shooting%20Script%20-%20The%20Stolen%20Earth%20-%2022.02.08.pdf ''The Stolen Earth'' PDF shooting script (archived)]</ref>
|enemy= [[Daleks]]<br>[[Davros]]<br>[[Supreme Dalek]]
|doctor         = Tenth Doctor
|setting= [[Earth]]<br>[[Sol system]]<br>[[Shadow Proclamation]]<br>[[London]]<br>[[Cardiff]]<br>[[Flydale North]]<br>[[New York]]<br>2009<br>[[Medusa Cascade]]<!--Do not alter this--> 
|companions     = [[Donna Noble|Donna]]
|writer=[[Russell T. Davies]] 
|featuring      = Rose Tyler
|director=[[Graeme Harper]]  
|featuring2      = Wilfred Mott
|producer=[[Phil Collinson]]  
|featuring3      = Sylvia Noble
|broadcast date= [[28th June]] [[2008]] 
|featuring4      = Jack Harkness
|format= 1x50 minute episode  
|featuring5      = Gwen Cooper
|production code= 4.12  
|featuring6      = Ianto Jones
|previous story=[[Turn Left]] 
|featuring7      = Sarah Jane Smith{{!}}Sarah Jane
|next story= [[Journey's End]] 
|featuring8      = Luke Smith
}}  
|featuring9      = Mr Smith
|featuring10    = Martha Jones
|featuring11    = Dalek Caan{{!}}Caan
|featuring12    = Harriet Jones
|featuring13    = Shadow Architect
|featuring14    = Francine Jones
|featuring15    = Stew Ferguson
|featuring16    = Trinity Wells
|featuring17    = Jason Mohammad (in-universe){{!}}Mohammad
|enemy           = [[Supreme Dalek (The Stolen Earth)|Supreme Dalek]], [[Davros]]
|setting         = [[London]] and [[Cardiff]], [[2009]]
|writer         = Russell T Davies
|director       = [[Graeme Harper]]
|producer       = [[Phil Collinson]]
|confidential    = Friends and Foe (CON episode)
|broadcast date = 28 June 2008
|network        = BBC One
|format         = 1x45 minute episode
|production code = 4.12
|prev            = Turn Left (TV story)
|next           = Journey's End (TV story)
|made prev      = Forest of the Dead (TV story)
|made next      = Journey's End (TV story)
|clip            = Calling the Doctor - Doctor Who - BBC
|clip2          = The Doctor dies? - Doctor Who - BBC
|clip3          = The Tenth Doctor Regenerates...into the Tenth Doctor - Doctor Who - The Stolen Earth - BBC
|bts            = Who's the New Doctor? - The Graham Norton Show - BBC Two
}}
'''''The Stolen Earth''''' was the twelfth episode of [[Series 4 (Doctor Who 2005)|series 4]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]''.


==Synopsis==
The episode marks the first television appearance of [[Davros]] since the 1988 story ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks (TV story)|Remembrance of the Daleks]]''. The result of [[Dalek Caan]]'s emergency escape in ''[[Evolution of the Daleks (TV story)|Evolution of the Daleks]]'' is revealed as well.
When the Earth is stolen from its orbit and placed in another galaxy with 26 other stolen planets, the Doctor's secret army of allies comes together to defend the Earth from the new Dalek Empire. With battles raging on the streets and in the sky, the Doctor and Donna confront the Shadow Proclamation to find the truth; however, a fearsome old enemy waits in the shadows.


==Plot== 
It also marked the return of several past associates and [[companion]]s of the Doctor, including Sarah Jane Smith, Martha Jones, Jack Harkness, [[Harriet Jones]] and Rose Tyler. It served as a "cross-over" between ''Doctor Who'' and its two current spin-off series, marking the first appearance in the series itself of several characters introduced in those spin-offs; namely, [[Ianto Jones]] and [[Gwen Cooper]] from ''[[Torchwood (series)|Torchwood]]''; and [[Mr Smith]] along with [[Luke Smith]] from ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]''. The episode also featured the "[[Harriet Jones, PM (poem)|death]]" of [[Harriet Jones]] and the loss of the ''[[Valiant (aircraft carrier)|Valiant]]'' in ill-fated meetings with the Daleks.
The [[Tenth Doctor]] and [[Donna Noble]] arrive on [[Earth]] immediately following the events of ''[[Turn Left]]''. They rush out of the [[TARDIS]] to find the Earth as normal. They ask a nearby milkman the day and ascertain nothing is wrong.


They re-enter the TARDIS to try and work out what caused the [[Bad Wolf]] warnings to appear. Whilst inside the TARDIS shakes violently and the Doctor rushed to the door and opens it to find the TARDIS is now floating in outer space, the TARDIS has not moved however, the Earth has been stolen from underneath them.
Once again, it showed the legacy that [[the Doctor]] leaves behind on [[Earth]], with many of his ex-companions and allies playing a very important part in saving the world.


Meanwhile on Earth, the Doctor's companions, [[Sarah-Jane Smith]], [[Jack Harkness|Torchwood]], and [[Martha Jones]] all look to the sky outside and see 26 planets, as well as earth all orbiting a common centre of mass inside a nebula in space.
This episode's cliffhanger, which featured the Tenth Doctor beginning a [[regeneration]], caused much commotion within the circles of ''Doctor Who'' enthusiasts, who were taken by surprise. No announcement was made regarding actor [[David Tennant]]'s departure, which triggered a phenomenal influx of viewers during the Series 4 finale, ''[[Journey's End (TV story)|Journey's End]]'', in anticipation of a new incarnation of the Doctor and new respective actor. However, this flurry of suspense would be dispelled with the outcome of the finale. Narratively, it also paved the way for the Doctor's "final" regeneration of his original cycle as revealed in ''[[The Time of the Doctor (TV story)|The Time of the Doctor]]''.


Meanwhile the Doctor and Donna travel to the [[Shadow Proclamation]], manned by [[Judoon]] and humanoid females with white hair and red eyes. Whilst there the Doctor discovers that 24 planets have disappeared immediately before their arrival. Donna remembers a number of other planets and moons which they were told had disappeared in earlier adventures, including [[Pyrovillia]], [[Adipose 3]] and [[Clom]].
== Synopsis ==
When [[Earth]] and [[Stolen planets|twenty-six other planets]] are stolen and taken to the [[Medusa Cascade]] and the Doctor is nowhere in sight, it's up to the combined forces of [[UNIT]], [[Torchwood Three|Torchwood]], [[Sarah Jane Smith|Sarah]]-Jane and [[Rose Tyler|Rose]] to fight off the thieves, who only have one thing to say to the resistance: "[[Dalek|EX-TER-MIN-ATE!]]"


One of the humanoid females provides Donna with refreshment and cryptically tells her she is sorry for her future loss. Donna and the Doctor ascertain that in the time before the Earth being stolen, [[bee]]s were disappearing from the planet which emitted carrier waves to where the planet would be taken to. The Doctor then runs to leave in the TARDIS whilst one of the Humanoids orders the Doctor to surrender the TARDIS to them so that he could lead them to war. The Doctor escapes before the Shadow Proclamation can commandeer the TARDIS.
== Plot ==
Having seen the [[Bad Wolf meme|signs]], the [[Tenth Doctor]] and [[Donna Noble|Donna]] return to Earth to find everything in order. The Doctor asks a milkman what day it is — it is Saturday. Donna presses the Doctor for an explanation of [[Rose Tyler|Rose]]'s unexpected reappearance, and the Doctor explains that if Rose can cross from [[Pete's World|her parallel world]] to [[parallel world (Turn Left)|Donna's parallel world]], then the walls of reality are breaking down. Still, with [[Earth]] apparently safe for now, they return to [[The Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]]. Once they enter, the Earth begins to tremble. Inside the TARDIS, Donna gets the Doctor to admit that despite the danger of whatever's coming, he's still happy about the prospect of seeing Rose again. Suddenly the TARDIS is hit with a violent jolt. The Doctor and Donna rush to the doors and fling them open to find they are hanging in space. The Doctor checks the readings to find out why they've moved... only to learn they haven't. Their position is fixed and the TARDIS is still in the same spot it landed in, it is the Earth that has disappeared. Impossibly, the entire planet has been stolen — but by whom?


On Earth, [[Rose Tyler]] appears in a high street where widespread chaos and looting is in progress. She enters a computer store and hacks into [[UNIT]] computer systems. UNIT detects 3000 space ships approaching the Earth and the UN in Geneva declares an "Ultimate Code Red" as the ships transmit a message to Earth composed of only the word "[[Dalek|Exterminate!]]".
At the [[UNIT New York Base]], Dr [[Martha Jones]] regains consciousness after an earthquake to find [[UNIT North America|UNIT]] in chaos and its personnel panicking. [[Suzanne (The Stolen Earth)|One horrified colleague]] tells Martha to look at the sky.


Captain Jack Harkness in [[Torchwood 3]] calls Martha Jones in [[New York]] with UNIT, whilst her commanding officer orders her to initiate the "[[Project Indigo]]". Martha is surprised to learn that Jack knows of the existence of "Project Indigo", Jack explains to [[Ianto Jones|Ianto]] that it is teleportation device based on recovered [[Sontaran]] technology, which UNIT are still trying to perfect. Martha and her commanding officer leave the main office just in time to avoid extermination by the Daleks which have arrived on Earth and have begun attacking military installations, including the [[Valiant]] which is destroyed by swarming Daleks. Martha escapes to a back room and is ordered to put on a harness which is apparently a prototype device resulting from the "Indigo Project". She is given a device called the [[Osterhagen key]] by her commanding officer and ordered to activate the teleportation harness. She does so and disappears immediately before her commanding officer and his aide are exterminated by Daleks.  
In [[Torchwood Three]], Captain [[Jack Harkness]] guesses that [[Cardiff Space-Time Rift|the Rift]] may have been responsible for the brief but violent earthquake that has just devastated [[the Hub]]. After making sure that the other members of Torchwood Three — [[Gwen Cooper]] and [[Ianto Jones]] — are all right, Jack heads outside to survey the damage. Presuming it to be a localised event, Ianto and Gwen look at the [[computer]]s. Ianto realises that whatever the problem is, "It's a bit bigger than [[South Wales]]."


[[Image:06.jpg|thumb|left|300px|The destruction of the Valiant by the Daleks.]]
At [[13 Bannerman Road]], [[Ealing]], [[London]], [[Sarah Jane Smith]] and her son [[Luke Smith|Luke]] comment on the earthquake and wonder why it is now dark outside since it was only 8 a.m. when the quake struck. Sarah Jane asks her alien supercomputer [[Mr Smith]] for an explanation. Mr Smith says that she should look outside because she will "find the visual evidence most conclusive".


Donna Noble's [[Sylvia Noble|mother]] and [[Wilfred Mott|grandfather]] are hiding in a back alley, armed with a [[paintball gun]], as they watch the Daleks order everyone in the street from their homes. One family refuses to comply and retreats backs in to their home. Three Daleks converge and destroy the house, presumably with the family inside. Donna's family retreat to their own home but are stopped by a Dalek on the way. Donna's grandfather shoots the Dalek's eye stalk with the paint ball gun, but the Dalek vapourises the paint declaring "My vision is not impaired!" and prepares to exterminate him. However immediately before it can, Rose Tyler destroys the Dalek with her weapon.
In [[Chiswick]], [[London]], Donna's mother [[Sylvia Noble|Sylvia]] and grandfather [[Wilfred Mott|Wilf]] are not sure what has caused the earthquake, but Wilf is positive it's [[alien]]s again. As they step outside their home, Sylvia looks at the sky in horror.


They retreat to the Noble's house as a laptop comes to life with former Prime Minister [[Harriet Jones]] communicating with all the Doctor's Companions on Earth by an unnoticeable [[sub-wave communications]] network. Torchwood, Sarah-Jane (via [[Mr Smith]]) and Martha Jones all communicate via a conference video call. Rose Tyler can only watch however as the Noble's never bought a web cam for their PC.
On the street in [[London]] where the TARDIS had been parked, the milkman turns and sees [[Rose Tyler]] materialise in a flash of white light, carrying a large futuristic gun. She looks up. Alone of the Doctor's friends, she is ''not'' surprised. Arming her gun, she declares, "All right, ''now'' we're in trouble. And it's only just beginning."


They establish that everyone with super phones have been unable to contact the Doctor. They together come up with a plan to boost the signal using the power of the [[Cardiff rift|rift]] and the coordination of Mr Smith to break through whatever the interference with the signal is. However the increased power of the resulting signal will make the communication network noticeable and traceable to the Daleks.
The familiar sky is gone. The [[sun]] is gone. The [[constellation]]s have been replaced with strange new ones. Twenty-six new [[planet]]s have appeared in the sky.


Meanwhile the Doctor in the TARDIS has followed the trail to its end and they arrive at the [[Medusa Cascade]], apparently with no way to follow the signal further, the Doctor concludes that there is no way to find where all the planets have gone. The signal from Torchwood breaches the barrier however and begins to ring the Doctor's [[superphone]]. He uses the signal to trace where the Earth has been taken to and sends the TARDIS back to the source. He concludes that the Cascade has been placed 1 second out of phase with the rest of the universe and the 27 missing planets appear in front of them.
Aboard the TARDIS, Donna demands to know if her family is dead. The Doctor does not know. He decides they need help, and he sets course for the [[Shadow Proclamation]].


Meanwhile a shadowy figure inside the Daleks central command orders the [[Red Dalek]] to patch him to the sub-wave network after sending Daleks to the source of the network at Harriet Jones's house, where it appears she is exterminated off screen. [[Davros]] appears on the screen in the TARDIS and declares to the Doctor that [[Dalek Caan]] arrived on his ship in the [[time war]] after his [[emergency temporal shift]] despite the Time War being time locked, succeeding where the Doctor had failed and rescued him from the War. Davros also reveals he has recreated the Dalek race by cannabilizing his own body, he opens his shirt to reveal his remains of his exposed organs and skeleton.
At Sarah Jane's house, Mr Smith picks up readings of a fleet of two hundred spaceships apparently headed towards Earth. Luke also lets Sarah Jane know that [[Maria Jackson|Maria]] and [[Alan Jackson|her dad]] are in [[Cornwall]] and that he told them to stay indoors; and [[Clyde Langer|Clyde]] is inside with [[Carla Langer|his mum]].


The Doctor abruptly cuts the transmission and dematerializes the TARDIS and lands on Earth. Captain Jack gains some information from Martha Jones about the Indigo project which he uses to reactivate his wrist device. He then teleports to the location of the TARDIS but not before telling his Torchwood colleagues that he'll be back for them. He leaves and a Dalek breaks through into the hub as Ianto Jones and Gwen Cooper fire [[machine gun]]s to defend themselves. At the same time, presumably on her way to find the Doctor, Sarah Jane Smith leaves [[Luke Smith]] under the care of [[Mr Smith]] and takes off in her car, only to be stopped by Daleks who reject the concept of apologies or surrender, and prepare to exterminate her.
At UNIT, American UNIT leader General [[Sanchez]] enters and tells all soldiers and staff that [[Geneva]] has declared a Code Red Emergency. Martha tells him that she has tried to phone the Doctor, but the signal is dead. The number calls anywhere in the [[universe]], but the signal is being blocked by some unknown force. Sanchez notes that they will likely find out soon: the fleet is coming into orbit.


Rose communicates to Torchwood in her own universe and tells them to transmat her to the Doctor's location. Rose arrives as the Doctor and Donna step out of the TARDIS and the two see each other. As they run towards each other, Dalek Fred emerges from behind a van and shoots towards the Doctor. It is only a glancing blow but some of the beam hits his arm and sends the Doctor to the ground. Captain Jack materializes and destroys the Dalek with his gun. Together they drag the Doctor into the TARDIS and the Doctor proclaims he is beginning to [[Regeneration|regenerate]], and light begins shooting out of his body as his regeneration occurs.
Gwen calls her husband, [[Rhys Williams|Rhys]], and tells him to stay indoors and call [[Mary Cooper|her mother]]. She then joins the others as they are reviewing the situation. The atmosphere is in place. They muse that whoever has done this wants the human race alive, which Ianto calls "a plus". Gwen notices something at the heart of the planets that gives a different reading. It is not a planet.


==Cast== 
Meanwhile, Rose is walking along the streets of [[London]], which are in chaos with drunks, looters and hysterics. She threatens a pair of looters with her gun (who promptly scarper) and looks at a computer screen in the electronics shop they were robbing. It shows a readout of the alien ships.
*[[Tenth Doctor|The Doctor]] - [[David Tennant]]<br> 
*[[Donna Noble]] - [[Catherine Tate]]   
*[[Rose Tyler]] - [[Billie Piper]] 
*[[Martha Jones]] - [[Freema Agyeman]] 
*Captain [[Jack Harkness]] - [[John Barrowman]]     
*[[Sarah Jane Smith]] - [[Elisabeth Sladen]]   
*[[Gwen Cooper]] - [[Eve Myles]] 
*[[Ianto Jones]] - [[Gareth David-Lloyd]] 
*[[Luke Smith]] - [[Tommy Knight]]   
*[[Davros]] - [[Julian Bleach]] 
*[[Sylvia Noble]] - [[Jacqueline King]] 
*[[Wilfred Mott]] - [[Bernard Cribbins]] 
*[[Harriet Jones]] - [[Penelope Wilton]] 
*[[Francine Jones]] - [[Adjoa Andoh]] 
*[[Sanchez|General Sanchez]] - [[Michael Brandon]]   
*[[Dalek]] (voice) - [[Nicholas Briggs]]
*[[Judoon]] (voice) -  [[Nicholas Briggs]]
<!--Please Leave as this--> 
*[[Judoon]] Captain- Paul Kasey
*[[Shadow Architect]] - [[Kelly Hunter]]
*[[Albino Servant]] - Amy Beth Hayes
*[[Suzanne]] - [[Andrea Harris]]
*[[Paul O'Grady]] - Himself
*[[Richard Dawkins]] - Himself


==Production crew== 
Torchwood has also detected the ships coming into orbit. Jack's phone then rings. It is Martha calling, and they confirm that neither of them has heard from the Doctor. They discuss UNIT's "[[Project Indigo]]", which is the reason for Martha Jones's presence in New York. Mr Smith tells Sarah that the ships have a message for the human race and puts it through. It consists of a single repeated word: "Exterminate!". The message is heard on all frequencies, including UNIT, the speakers at Torchwood Three, and at Sarah Jane's attic. Jack and Sarah Jane react with horror as they realise the enemy is the [[Dalek]]s. Jack says, "I'm sorry, we're dead", kissing Ianto and Gwen on the forehead. Sarah hugs Luke, crying, "You're so young."
to be added
[[Image:Sunny side up.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Wilf fires a paintball at a Dalek]]


==References== 
[[File:The Doctor and Donna DW Stolen Earth.jpg|thumb|The Doctor and Donna arrive in the [[Shadow Proclamation]].]]
*General Sanchez is heard saying "Ladies and gentlemen, we are at war." The same phrase was spoken by Jack Harkness when facing the Daleks on the [[Gamestation]].
Rose hears the message and heads outside to see a massive Dalek spaceship flying over London, shooting at everything in its path. In space, thousands of other saucers descend upon the helpless Earth. At [[UNIT HQ, New York City|UNIT's New York City base]], General Sanchez orders everyone to their battle stations and Geneva declares an Ultimate Code Red: put simply, Earth is at war. The room promptly shakes and Martha rushes to the window in time to see dozens of Dalek ships descend and wreak havoc and destruction upon Manhattan. Aboard a massive spaceship at the heart of the cluster of planets, the Daleks finalise their plans. The [[Supreme Dalek (The Stolen Earth)|Supreme Dalek]], a red Dalek with extra panels, declares that the [[Crucible]] will soon be complete and "We have waited long for this ultimate destiny. Now the Daleks are the masters of Earth!". The Daleks eagerly take up the chant.
*Wilf uses a paintball gun as a weapon against the Daleks by shooting paintballs at their eyestalks, referencing the popular method of incapacitating a Dalek: blinding them. However, it seems that the Daleks have been redesigned with this weakness in mind as the paint simply melts off the eyestalk after coming into contact with it (and at same replying "My vision is NOT impaired").  
* Doctor said Davros died in the very first year of the Time War, suggesting that Time War has lasted several years. This also confirms that he survived his last TV appearance in ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks]]''.
*The Doctor first went to the [[Medusa Cascade]] when he was "a kid" at the age of 90. Whether this is a joke or if Gallifreyans are in fact considered children at that age is not known.
*There is reference to an object called an "[[Osterhagen key]]", but no explanation is given as to its function, origin or purpose. Significantly, while Harriet Jones is aware of its function and forbids its use, and Martha is also aware of what it can do, Jack Harkness and Torchwood have no idea what it is, even though they know about the other top-secret Indigo project.
*Dalek Caan predicts the most "faithful" companion will die.
* Some of the [[Lost planets of the Medusa Cascade|missing planets]] mentioned are: [[Calufrax]] Minor, [[Woman Wept]], [[Clom]], [[Pyrovillia]], [[Adipose 3]], [[Poosh]] and [[Earth]].
*The Sub-wave network was developed by Harriet Jones, created by the Mr Copper ([[Bayldon Copper]]) Foundation.
*Caan referred the Doctor as "Dark Lord". (The Doctor is probably referred to in this way due to being the cause of death and destruction, from the point of view of the Daleks. ) He has also been known by the Daleks as the [[Ka Faraq Gatri]] or the 'destroyer of worlds' and also "The Oncoming Storm".
*Harriet Jones has yet again introduce herself by flashing her identity card earning her the response of "Yes, I/We know who you are", even from the Daleks dispatched to her location to exterminate her.
*Davros made a quick reference to Dalek Emperor.
*A possible reference to the lyrics of the song "[[The Stowaway]]" from the ''[[Voyage of the Damned]]'' Christmas special occurs. The song predicts that the Stowaway will be "lying with his love", which is exactly what the Doctor is seen doing after he is shot and again just before he begins to regenerate.
*Harriet Jones uses the [[subwave network]] to put the Doctor's 'secret army' in contact with each other, it utilises [[Sub-wave communication]] developed by the [[Mr Copper Foundation]].


==Story notes== 
Far across the universe, on board the TARDIS and unaware of the unfolding destruction on Earth, the Doctor and Donna arrive at the Shadow Proclamation. They are greeted at gunpoint by its rhino-headed guards, the [[Judoon]], but the Doctor convinces them they mean no harm and need help with the trusted help of his knowledge of the Judoon's language. A [[Shadow Architect|female member]] of the Proclamation tells the Doctor that the situation is worse than he suspects — not one but twenty-four planets have been stolen. Donna asks about [[Pyrovillia]], but the Judoon captain tells her that Pyrovillia is a cold case; it disappeared over two thousand years ago. Donna asks about the [[Adipose 3|Adipose Breeding Planet]] and the Doctor realises that planets are being snatched out of time as well as space. The Doctor heads over to the computer and shifts the display of the missing planets into 3D. He adds [[Adipose 3]], [[Pyrovillia]], and the lost moon of [[Poosh]], which all vanished in the past. The model rearranges itself into a perfect balance, fitting together "like pieces of an engine". Recalling a distant memory of his, the Doctor begins to realise who is responsible as he says that [[The Dalek Invasion of Earth (TV story)|someone tried to move the Earth once before...]]
*This episode was the last of [[Series 4]] to have its title revealed.   
*This is the fourth time that the Daleks have returned with a leader in a finale. In [[DW]]: ''[[The Evil of the Daleks]]'' they returned led by their emperor; in the 2005 finale, ''[[The Parting of the Ways]]'', the Daleks were led by the [[Dalek Emperor]]; and in 2006 finale, ''[[Doomsday]]'', Dalek Sec led the [[Cult of Skaro]]. ''The Other Dalek two parter in 2007 Series was shown as the 4th & 5th Episodes of the Series ([[Daleks in Manhattan]] and [[Evolution of the Daleks]]). The Daleks were the Cult of Skaro.'' 
*[[Davros]] refers to the Doctor's allies as the ''Children of Time''.  
*The Doctor starts to [[Regeneration|regenerate]] yet again, acting as a cliffhanger.
*Davros and his command ship were lost in the first year of the Time War. Dalek Caan managed to save Davros, at the cost of his own sanity. 
*The Doctor states he tried to save Davros before his ship was lost in the first year of the Time War.
*The "To Be Continued" before the end credits is different from the others previously used. There is also no sneak peek of the [[Journey's End|next episode]].
*When Harriet Jones contacts Captain Jack, Martha Jones and Sarah Jane Smith, the contact tone is the same tone used by The Master to control the populace under the Archangel network.
*For the first time, the opening credits incorporate not two or three names, but six, adding Freema Agyeman, John Barrowman and Elisabeth Sladen to the Tennant, Tate and Piper credits of the previous week. The typeface used for these credits is slightly different than that usually used. In addition, several "overflow" cast credits are featured over the first scene after the opening sequence, a first for the series ([[Penelope Wilton]], [[Adjoa Andoh]], [[Eve Myles]] and [[Gareth David-Lloyd]]). Incidentally this is the first time Elizabeth Sladen's name has appeared in the opening credits. This is the first time all of the Doctor's "main" companions since the revival of the series began (the female leads) have all been credited at the same time; it is not, however, a complete listing of all the revival-series companions as [[Noel Clarke]], [[Kylie Minogue]] ([[Astrid Peth]]) and [[Bruno Langley]] ([[Adam Mitchell]]) are not included.
*Russell T Davies's pattern of using the same surnames is the most notable in this episode with Martha Jones, Francine Jones, Harriet Jones and Ianto Jones. Francine and Martha are related (mother and daughter).
*Scientist and author Richard Dawkins has a cameo as himself. Dawkins is married to [[Lalla Ward]], the actress who portrayed [[Romana II]]. The two were introduced by [[Douglas Adams]], who met Ward in his capacity as the show's script editor.
*The weapon Jack Harkness used against the Daleks in this episode was the same one he built in [[Bad Wolf (TV story)|Bad Wolf]]/[[The Parting of the Ways]]
* [[Clom]], one of the stolen planets, is the home of [[Abzorbaloff]] ([[Love and Monsters]]).
* The new Daleks are quite literally Davros's "children" as they have been grown from his own cells.
*The claws of the Daleks in Crucible is very similiar to ones in ''Doctor Who And The Daleks-'' Movie, but with eight fingers insted of two.
* Some elements of the story in both this episode and Turn Left mirror events in the video game Kingdom Hearts in which the heartless sometimes referred to as "The Darkness" invade and destroy worlds,a line said in the game also mentions its happening in all worlds. Several times in the game a character will say the stars are going out simalar to Wilf in turn left


===Ratings=== 
[[File:DW Stolen Earth Valiant attack.jpg|thumb|left|The Daleks bring down the Valiant.]]
''To be added''  
Back on Earth, the Daleks attack the ''Valiant'', disabling its shields and forcing the crew to abandon ship. Jack, Gwen, and Ianto try to find a way to stop them, but their efforts are futile. Daleks are landing in [[Japan]], the Air Force is put into retreat over [[Africa]], and contact with the British Prime Minister's plane is lost. Back in Manhattan, the UNIT base is attacked by Daleks. Jack tells Martha to get out of there, but she does not listen. General Sanchez declares that [[Project Indigo]] has been activated. Back in the control room, personnel cowering behind desks are knocked backwards as Daleks blast their way into the room. UNIT soldiers fruitlessly but bravely open fire as administrative personnel attempt to flee, though some are exterminated in the process. Sanchez leads Martha and another UNIT soldier to the vault where Project Indigo is being kept. He orders Martha to put it on, and she straps a device onto her back. As Jack protests for Martha not to use it because it is too dangerous, General Sanchez orders Martha to do it. He hands her something called "[[Osterhagen Project|the Osterhagen Key]]". Martha is horrified, understanding the purpose of the key. She at first refuses to take it, but General Sanchez orders her to do so for the sake of [[human]]ity. Martha activates Project Indigo as Jack rages. The General and another soldier begin firing as the Daleks break in, and Martha vanishes.
 
===Myths and rumours=== 
* The presence of Davros in this episode had been rumoured for a long time before broadcast. An associated rumour suggested that the episode would reveal that Donna was actually Davros in disguise or Caan mutating himself into Davros.
* It was also rumored on the fan boards that [[Patrick Stewart]] or [[Ben Kingsley]] might have been cast as Davros, given media reports of his interest in appearing in ''Doctor Who'' after it was announced that he and Tennant would perform a season of Shakespeare together in 2008. Ultimately, another actor was revealed to be playing the character.


===Filming Locations=== 
Inside Torchwood, Jack tells Gwen and Ianto that Project Indigo is a teleport device reverse-engineered from the teleport pod salvaged from the [[Sontaran]]s, but they have no coordinates or stabilisation. When Gwen asks where Martha is, an upset Jack says she has been "scattered into atoms. Martha is down."
*[[Cardiff]]
*[[Pontypridd]]


===Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors=== 
On board the Dalek station, the Supreme Dalek orders the Daleks to prepare landings and bring the humans to "the Crucible". He receives a call from the control room, asking for any news. The Supreme Dalek declares, "Earth has been subjugated." The speaker is a sinister figure: the lower half of his body is Dalek, but his upper half is hidden in shadow. However, a blue light is visible on what seems to be his head. He is really asking for news of the Doctor. The Supreme Dalek gleefully replies, "No reports of the Time Lord. We are beyond the Doctor's reach!" The figure is fascinated by the Dalek's triumphant tone and warns him about his pride. Undeterred, the Supreme Dalek proclaims, "The Doctor cannot stop us!" The figure replies, "And yet, [[Dalek Caan]] is uneasy." A light switches on to show a Dalek with its shell opened to reveal the mutated, tentacled creature inside, its top half destroyed. The Supreme Dalek protests, "The [[abomination]] is insane!" The figure demands that the Dalek show respect; after all, without Dalek Caan, Earth could never be conquered. Also, everything Caan says comes true. Caan says, "He is coming. The three-fold man, he dances in the lonely places...oh, creator of us all...the Doctor is coming!" then bursts into insane laughter.
*If the [[Reaper|Reapers]] appeared and tried to destroy all life on Earth [[Father's Day|last time]] there was an attempted rescue in time to prevent someone's death, why does this not occur with Dalek Caan and Davros? ''The presence of two sets of the Doctor and Rose had made that point in time/space particularly vulnerable.''But there where two Dalek caans at this point as one'' was fighting in the time war. The timelords where still alive then so they could easily fix the problem.''
*It is not explained how the Daleks know of Harriet Jones. ''Presumably this is for comedic effect, serving only to continue the running gag.''During the doomsday episode the Dr Singh character had his memory taken and he would have known about Harriet Jones and even though Dalek Caan is insane Davros is aware of current events.
*Normally when a [[Dalek]] exterminates someone the beam normally hits them and disappears but when [[The Doctor]] gets exterminated you can clearly see the ray go through him and come out the other side. ''The beam did not go through him: it went past him, only touching him slightly. Also, his entire body did not glow; only a portion did, which suggests that the beam did not do full damage (though still enough to cause a regeneration apparently).''
*At the end of [[Turn Left]] Bad Wolf was on the TARDIS. It's not there now. ''They've travelled to Earth, as per Rose's request. Having arrived, there's no further need for the [[Bad Wolf]] message. In addition, it's been suggested that the Bad Wolf wording might have been put there by the chameleon circuit; perhaps the Doctor was able to rectify this, or the TARDIS itself decided it didn't need it anymore.''
*The [[the Doctor's TARDIS|TARDIS]] didn't translate the '[[Judoon]]-speak', though the Doctor could understand it. ''This could have been similar to the [[Hath]]. This may also have been done to give a bit of humour to a much serious episode. Later in the episode we can understand the Judoon, maybe it just takes time to work. Maybe it can not be translated into English because there is no English for it, it is clear that it is used as some form of clearance code, or something along those lines. Or perhaps Translations are not used in the Shadow Proclamation for legal reasons. Or Doctor understands Judoon language(as being able to respond to Judoons), so no need to translate.  Or maybe it translated for the Doctor and Donna, but didn't translate for us, the viewers, because the way Donna looks at the Doctor when he is speaking seems as though she understands him. Also, the Judoon are probably actually speaking English later on in the scene, since in [[Smith and Jones]], the Judoon used a human's words to be able to speak English.''
*When Harriet Jones transfers control of the sub-wave network to Torchwood, the map circles an area in Swansea, not Cardiff. ''Russell T. Davies was born in Swansea, this may be an intentional error.''
*When Jones' sub-wave system seeks out those who have worked with the Doctor, only the companions of the Tenth Doctor are singled out, not other past companions and/or acquaintances who might have worked with previous incarnations.''Harriet Jones states the sub wave only finds people with the capacity to contact the Doctor. Presumably this refers to the current incarnation of the Doctor (as opposed to someone trying to contact, say, the [[Sixth Doctor]]), thereby disqualifying companions such as [[Ian Chesterton]] or [[Tegan Jovanka]], who presumably have no access to things like "superphones".''
*Donna indicates she has no idea what regeneration is, even though she was present when Martha referenced it in ''[[The Doctor's Daughter]] (She might not have understood what was meant at the time).''
*When Martha is about to engage the [[Project Indigo]] device, there is a scene where she says goodbye to Captain Jack over the phone, using a blue-tooth headset.  In the shot immediately preceding, she is not wearing the headset. In the shot immediately following, right before she activates the device, she is seen removing the headset.
*Why did Harriet's computer screen turn off just because she died? ''Presumably the computer was destroyed as well as Harriet, perhaps by the Daleks' extermination rays.'' ''They might not have 'exterminated' her, but her computer in an attempt to stop the signal. Also, if the subwave finds the people who can contact the Doctor, then it must somehow link with the people themselves. This is demonstrated by the sub-wave finding Rose, even though the nearest computer is not her own. Harriet's death would therefore have severed the connection.''
*How did Captain Jack know exactly where to teleport to shoot the Dalek that had shot The Doctor? ''He probably tracked the TARDIS location. The numbers 4 and 9 were to reactivate his vortex manipulator. He also appears to have arrived facing the Dalek, so his reflexes would have come into play.''
*If Rose asked her "Control" to lock on to the TARDIS and transport, why did she end up at the other end of the street? ''Even a machine as good as the TARDIS can make slight errors. The control did reasonably well to land her quite near to the TARDIS, especially since we don't yet know where "Control" is located; if it's on [[Pete's World]] or [[Donna's World]], accuracy may have been difficult.''
*How can Davros have an organic body when he was just a head in ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks]]''. ''Presumably he generated a new body, considering he's able to create Daleks from his own cells.'' '' Davros wasn't just a head in Remembrance of The Daleks, his body was just covered with wires. Are you sure your not confusing this with the decoy head he used in Revelation of the Daleks?''
:*Though, if this is true, why does he have a cybernetic hand (presumably a replacement for the one lost on [[Necros]] in [[Revelation of the Daleks]]) instead of an organic one? ''Possibly because a cybernetic hand is stronger than an organic hand.'' ''His severed head form in Remembrance could have been a decoy, as was his severed head form in Revelation.''
*Dalek Caan didn't have emotions, so how can he laugh or go insane in the first place? ''Caan was a member of the Cult of Skaro, who were made to think like the enemy, i.e. having names and some emotions. Also the unnamed Dalek in the episode [[Dalek (TV story)|Dalek]] displayed emotion. As indicated in dialogue in this episode, emotions are discouraged, but still exist. There are also other examples of Daleks displaying anger, pride, and even a sense of humor (albeit sarcastic and dry) in past episodes (for an example of the last, reference the "pest control" comment directed at the Cybermen in [[Doomsday]]). Not only that, but Davros, when he created the Daleks, didn't remove all emotions: just those which he considered a weakness, such as mercy, compassion and forgiveness. Not to mention the fact that emotions are not a necessary component of insanity.'' The Dalek in [[Dalek (TV story)|Dalek]] Extrapolated some of Rose's DNA, which (in theory) would have given him human emotions.
* Ianto is seen watching Paul O'Grady, but it was said earlier in the episode that it was a Saturday. Paul O'Grady is not aired on a Saturday. ''A possibility is that the move of Earth has taken time or time has skipped forward since the mention of the date was prior to the move. Perhaps Ianto uses Sky+. Also, there is clear indication that, on earth at least, at least a few hours might have elapsed.''
* When a Dalek turns around and implies, "New location, Torchwood", the blue light in it's eye is switched off as if it has been blinded and does not come on until a few seconds later.
*The apparent death of Harriet Jones puts paid to the Ninth Doctor stating that she was destined to serve three terms as PM and lead Britain into a new golden age ([[DW]]: ''[[World War Three]]''). ''In several episodes, the Doctor has stated that history can be rewritten and only certain fixed points remain unchangeable. Presumably Jones is one of those changeable points. Also, [[Turn Left]] addressed the notion of alternate timelines stemming from choices; perhaps the Ninth Doctor was referencing what turned out to be an alternate timeline created when his next incarnation set in motion the events that would end her career ([[DW]]: [[The Christmas Invasion]]). Also, it should be noted that until the events of [[Journey's End]] play out, it remains to be seen if Jones has actually been killed.''
*Television, cellphone and satellite communications continue to work, even though by rights when the planet moved anything in orbit should have been lost. ''Evidently when the Earth was moved whoever did it decided to include its satellites as well.''
*What about the Moon? There's no indication it was moved with the Earth, so is it going to drift away? ''Objects in space often move slowly relative to the earth, so even if the moon were suddenly cut free (a la Moonbase Alpha in Space: 1999) it would take awhile for it to be lost forever, giving some time for the planet to be returned to its proper place. If the Earth is gone then the moon will be attracted to the biggest gravitational force near it which would be the Sun.''
*None of the significant death by Dalek extermination scenes are actually visible, only presumed. Possible loop-hole: teleportation to space station. ''What about the doctor?''
*When the Earth is moved, how can Ianto watch television, this requires satelites and surly Davros did not teleport these too. ''He might have. He at least had the foresight to move the atmosphere as well.''
* This episode is set in 2009, with hundreds of Daleks invading Earth. Not to mention the previous encounter in Doomsday, how does the human race not know of the daleks in the 2005 episode Dalek, set a few years after these events? ''Simple. These events transpired more like how the doctor experiences time, and not so much chronologicly. The Doctor encountered Dalek Caan in 2007, during the events of [[Evolution of the Daleks]], after the events of [[Dalek]], when he used the emergency temporal shift which took him into the first year of the time war where he rescued Davros. Then Devros initiated his plan for his new dalek empire. You have to remember daleks are also time travelers. And, logically, this would negate the events of [[Dalek (TV story)]], which would imply that the events of this episode do indeed get 'reset' as negating the Dalek episode means the Doctor never met Adam Mitchel, and never visited station 5. (or at least, the events transpired differently then what the show has shown us.) If not, maybe the doctors erases all the humans memories of the 2009 dalek invasion of earth.''


==Continuity==
[[File:82.jpg|thumb|left|[[Dalek Caan]], now heavily damaged and insane, professes disquieting visions of the future.]]
*This episode marks the first on-screen appearance of the Shadow Proclamation, first mentioned in [[DW]]: ''[[Rose]]''. This episode reveals that it is an organization, not just a treaty.
Back at the Shadow Proclamation's space station, Donna is sitting on the stairs, waiting for the Doctor to work out what has happened. A member of the Shadow Architect's race comes over and gives Donna some water. [[Albino servant|She]] somehow knows that there had been something on Donna's back earlier, and tells her there is a loss still to come. The Doctor asks Donna if anything strange was happening on Earth. Donna reminds him about the [[Migrant Bee|bees]] disappearing. The Doctor realises that this is a clue. Donna tells him some people thought it was [[pollution]] or [[global warming]], but the Doctor tells her that, in fact, the bees were returning home, to the planet [[Melissa Majoria]]: the [[Tandocca Scale]]. They realise that if they follow the trail, they can find the Earth. The Shadow Architect stops them, saying, "The planets were taken with hostile intent. We are declaring war, Doctor, right across the universe, and you will lead us into battle!" The Doctor looks stunned, then replies, "Right, 'course I will. I'll just go get you a key." He closes the door and the TARDIS dematerialises, to the Shadow Architect's fury.


*This episode also marks the first appearance in the main ''Doctor Who'' series of the following characters and locations from the spinoff series: the [[Torchwood 3|Torchwood Hub]], [[13 Bannerman Road]], and the [[Mr Smith]] computer. Also referenced for the first time in the parent series are [[Owen Harper]], [[Alan Jackson]], [[Rhys Williams]] and [[Mary Cooper]]. However this is not the first reference to [[Toshiko Sato]] as she had previously appeared in ''[[Aliens of London]]'' or [[Gwen Cooper]], [[Ianto Jones]], [[Luke Smith]], [[Clyde Langer]] and [[Maria Jackson]] as they were all mentioned in the previous episode, ''[[Turn Left]]'', which also referenced the ''Sarah Jane Adventures'' villain [[The Trickster]].
Back on Earth, the Daleks have enslaved London and are ordering all humans to leave their homes. Wilf and Sylvia watch. When a man and his family defy the Daleks and run back inside their house, the Daleks brutally incinerate the building, leaving no survivors. Wilf and Sylvia run onto the street and are confronted by a Dalek. Wilf grabs a [[paintball gun]] and shoots the Dalek in the eye, but the Dalek melts the paint away — declaring "My vision is <u>not</u> impaired!" The Dalek prepares to exterminate them, but then explodes. Behind its wreckage stands Rose, who has blasted it with her gun. She asks if they are Donna's family, and when they reply yes, she tells them she needs them. Wilf reveals he has tried calling Donna, but there is no reply. The last time Donna had phoned them was when she was on [[Midnight (planet)|Midnight]]. Sylvia thinks this is ridiculous, but Wilf tells her she cannot start denying things now. Upon discovering that they do not know how to reach Donna, Rose despairs; they had been her "last hope" to find the Doctor.


*For those who have not watched the spinoffs, the episode provides a brief reference to the deaths of Owen and Tosh in ''[[Torchwood]]'', but offers no explanation for the absence of [[K-9]] and the origin of both [[Luke Smith]] and Mr Smith in ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'' (indeed, the episode includes a potentially confusing reference to the teenaged Luke being Sarah Jane's son).
Meanwhile, the TARDIS stops in the [[Medusa Cascade]]. The Doctor tells Donna he came here when he was just a kid (ninety years old) and that it is the centre of a rift in time and space. Donna asks about the twenty-seven planets. The Doctor tells her that they are nowhere. Donna asks what they are to do, but the Doctor does not reply... he now has no options and no clue what to do next.


* The Medusa Cascade, first mentioned in [[DW]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords]]'' also plays a key role in the episode.
[[File:122.jpg|thumb|The "outer space Facebook."]]
On Earth, Torchwood and Bannerman Road listen as the United Nations officially declares Earth's surrender. Sarah and Captain Jack have given up: Earth has no hope but to wait and pray that the Daleks bring the end quickly. At the Nobles' house, the laptop suddenly switches itself on and a voice comes through. Sarah and the people at Torchwood hear it, too. Jack believes it is just another suffering person crying for help amongst millions of others. He tells Gwen to leave it, but the woman speaking shames him and demands that he stand to attention. She identifies herself as [[Harriet Jones]], former prime minister. Harriet also makes contact with Sarah and decides they should be able to talk to each other. There are four contacts: Harriet, Sarah Jane, and the Torchwood team, but the fourth contact is having trouble getting through. Rose assumes she is the fourth contact, however, the Nobles' lack webcam, Sylvia having forbidden them, believing webcams to be "naughty". To Rose's surprise and dismay, Martha appears on screen as the fourth contact instead. Feeling left out, Rose protests, "Who's she?", but no one in the network can hear her. Martha reveals that Project Indigo had brought her home to her [[Francine Jones|mother]], possibly tapping into her mind to determine where she really wanted to go. Harriet introduces Torchwood to Sarah. Jack states that he has been following Sarah's work, telling her, "Nice job with the [[Slitheen]]." Sarah tartly replies that she has been staying away from Torchwood — "Too many guns." Far from offended, Jack suggestively tells her that she is "looking good". Harriet is unimpressed by Jack's incorrigible flirting, though Sarah is quite flattered, and explains that they are communicating through a [[subwave network]] — a sentient computer programme obtained from the [[Mr Copper Foundation]] to contact anyone and everyone who can contact the Doctor. Jack tells everyone that what they need at the moment is something to fight the Daleks with and asks Martha what the Osterhagen Key does. Harriet abruptly interrupts telling Jack that the Osterhagen Key is not an option and isn't to be used under any circumstances and what they need is the Doctor. Sarah wonders why Harriet is doing this, given that the Doctor deposed her. Harriet admits that she has often wondered whether or not her decision was wrong. Regardless, she asserts, "I stand by my actions to this day because I knew that one day, the Earth would be in danger, and the Doctor would fail to appear."


*The Valiant last appeared in [[DW]]: ''[[The Poison Sky]]'' to help UNIT with attacking the [[ATMOS Factory]]. In this episode, it is seen being swarmed (and most likely destroyed) by a huge group of [[Daleks]] using 'maximum extermination'), which they also use to exterminate a man that rebels against their order of human surrender. This is the first time this power has been used. ''When building the new Dalek army, Davros most likely improved the Daleks' weaponry.''  The Daleks have also used maximum extermination when attacking 'Hooverville'.  
Martha explains that she has tried to phone the Doctor, but the signal cannot get through. Jack realises they can transmit to the Doctor using "all the power of the Rift". Luke points out that Mr Smith can tap into the global telecommunications network, forcing every phone across the globe to call the same number at the same time; Jack is impressed. Ianto appears beside Jack and theorises that as soon as transmitting begins, the subwave network will become visible to the Daleks. Harriet understands that the signal will be traced back to her, but she declares, "My life does not matter — not if it saves the Earth." Jack salutes her. She tells Jack to give the Doctor a message: "He chose his companions well." Martha sends them all [[07700 900461|the number]] of [[Martha Jones' mobile phone|the phone Martha gave to him]] number and Rose decides to call the Doctor herself.


*The Doctor deposed Harriet Jones in [[DW]]: ''[[The Christmas Invasion]]''.
The transmitting starts, manifesting as glowing blue rings that shoot up the water tower in Roald Dahl Plass and extend out into space, Earth and the twenty-six other worlds calling their Doctor for help. Rose, Sylvia and Wilf start to call the Doctor. Mr Smith and the equipment at Torchwood are pushed beyond their limits. Suddenly, transmitting slows. The Daleks have detected the subwave network. The Supreme Dalek orders that the culprit be exterminated. The figure in the control room contacts him again, telling him, "I warned you, Supreme One. Just as Dalek Caan foretold, the Children of Time are moving against us, but everything is falling into place." Gwen warns Harriet that the Daleks have found her, but Harriet keeps working. She sends control to Torchwood just as the Daleks arrive in her home. She introduces herself as usual, and the Daleks tell her they know her. Harriet retorts defiantly, "Oh, you know nothing of any human. And that will be your downfall." With this, she is exterminated, though the Daleks have the decency to destroy the video link before doing so.


*The gun that Captain Jack used to kill the Dalek with was not the same gun he used in [[DW]]: ''[[The Parting of the Ways]]''.
On board the TARDIS, as the Doctor and Donna sit despondently, the phone Martha gave him starts ringing. The two jump into action and, although there is no voice on the other end, the Doctor picks up the signal and locks onto it. The TARDIS travels through time, overloading. The twenty-seven planets come into view and the Doctor realises that they were all one second out of sync with the universe — he describes it as "the perfect hiding place". He picks up the subwave network and his companions appear onscreen. The Doctor introduces Donna to all of them but is disappointed that Rose is not visible.
*The Doctor previously disabled the teleportation function of Captain Jack's [[Time Agency wrist strap]] in [[DW]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords]]'' and regained the correct digits to reactivate it in this episode.


*Gwen states that she intends to "go out fighting" like [[Owen Harper]] and [[Toshiko Sato]] to Ianto after handing him a firearm during the Dalek invasion of Torchwood 3, referring to their deaths in [[TW]]: ''[[Exit Wounds]]''.
On board the Crucible, Caan says, "He is here...the Dark Lord is coming." The figure demands access to the subwave network.


*The sub-wave network mentioned by Harriet Jones, and funded by the Mr Copper Foundation is most likely a reference to Mr Copper from [[DW]]: ''[[Voyage of the Damned]]''.
Suddenly, all the contacts vanish off of the screen. Donna thinks they are losing contact, but the Doctor realises there is another contact coming through. He thinks it is Rose, but when he and Sarah hear the figure sneer, "Your voice is different and yet, its arrogance is unchanged," they realise who it is with horror: the creator of the Daleks, [[Davros]]. He gloats, "Welcome to my new empire, Doctor. It is only fitting that you should witness the resurrection and the triumph of Davros, lord and creator of the Dalek race." The Doctor protests that Davros was destroyed in the very first year of the [[Last Great Time War|Time War]], that his command ship flew into the jaws of the [[Nightmare Child]] at the [[Gates of Elysium]], even though he tried to save Davros. Davros mockingly replies, "But it took one stronger than you — Dalek Caan himself." Caan continues the story, shrilly crying, "I flew into the wild, and the fire; I danced and died a thousand times." Davros explains that after following his [[Evolution of the Daleks (TV story)|escape from New York]], Caan's emergency temporal shift took him back into the Time War.


*The Doctor mentions a previous attempt to move the earth "a long time ago", possibly a reference to the goal of the Daleks in [[DW]]: ''[[The Dalek Invasion of Earth]]'', as well as the feature film remake ''[[Daleks - Invasion Earth 2150 AD]]'' which co-starred [[Bernard Cribbins]], who plays Donna's grandfather in this episode. It may also have been a reference to the moving of earth in ''[[The Mysterious Planet]]'', when it became known as [[Ravolox]]. Both incidents, however, occur far into Earth's future.
The Doctor protests that the war is time-locked, and therefore completely prevented from being accessed. Davros points out the obvious: "Yet he succeeded." Caan was somehow able to break the barriers and rescue Davros, but in the process lost his sanity. The Doctor realises that after being rescued, Davros created a new race of Daleks. Davros boasts, "I gave myself to them — quite literally: each one grown from a cell of my own body." He reveals that parts of his torso have been replaced by metal — much of his ribcage and what lies beyond is clearly visible. He proudly proclaims, "New Daleks...true Daleks. I have my children, Doctor. What do you have now?" The Doctor's response is just one word: "Bye!" He cuts transmission with Davros and sets the TARDIS for Earth. The Supreme Dalek orders that the Daleks locate the TARDIS and the Doctor, but Davros points out that they need only look on Earth; the Doctor is sure to seek out his companions. Caan ominously screeches, "Death is coming. I can see it! Everlasting death for the most faithful companion!" Suddenly, the Daleks detect that the subwave network has been rebooted and the new location is Torchwood. The Supreme Dalek orders Torchwood exterminated.
*Sarah Jane Smith, Rose, Jack, Martha have all encountered the Daleks.
:*Sarah first encountered the Daleks in [[DW]]: ''[[Death to the Daleks]]'' and then in ''[[Genesis of the Daleks]]'' where she also encountered Davros.
:*Rose first encountered the Daleks in [[DW]]: ''[[Dalek]]'', and then in [[DW]]: ''[[Bad Wolf (TV story)]]''/''[[The Parting of the Ways]]'' and in [[DW]]: ''[[Army of Ghosts]]''/''[[Doomsday]]''.
:*Jack previously encountered them in [[DW]]: ''[[Bad Wolf (TV story)]]''/''[[The Parting of the Ways]]''
:*Martha first encountered the Daleks in [[DW]]: ''[[Daleks in Manhattan]]''/''[[Evolution of the Daleks]]''.


*Gwen does not know who the Daleks are; this is a reference back to an early episode of ''Torchwood'' in which it was stated that an attempt at covering up some elements of the [[Battle of Canary Wharf]] was made. Similarly, when Jack first contacts Martha, he references putting something in his drink, referencing the "contaminated water supply" cover story.
On Earth, Jack contacts Martha by phone and asks what the two oscillating digits on the Project Indigo transporter are; she responds that they are a 4 and a 9. Jack tells her that those are the teleport base codes, which is all Jack needs to reactivate [[Jack Harkness' vortex manipulator|his vortex manipulator]]'s teleportation ability. Jack grabs a large gun and promises Gwen and Ianto that he will come back, then vanishes.
*Donna is told that she had something on her back. She was first told she has something on her back in [[DW]]: ''[[The Fires of Pompeii]]'' and it was a major element of the preceding episode, ''[[Turn Left]]'' the Beetle sound effect is heard as this point as well.
*This is the second on-screen appearance of the Judoon the first being [[DW]]: ''[[Smith and Jones]]''. They also appear in [[TDA]]: ''[[Revenge of the Judoon]]''.


*The Daleks say "The Daleks are the masters of Earth!" they previously said this in [[DW]]: ''[[The Dalek Invasion of Earth]]''.
Sarah heads off in [[Sarah Jane Smith's Nissan Figaro|her car]] to find the Doctor after Mr Smith promises to protect Luke. Rose contacts the parallel Torchwood and has them lock her onto the TARDIS before being teleported away.
*The Doctor calls out "Bye!" to Davros in a similar fashion that the [[Fourth Doctor]] bade him farewell in [[DW]]: ''[[Destiny of the Daleks]]'' and the [[Seventh Doctor]] in [[DW]]: ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks]]''.  The Master also maks a similar call-out in ''[[Utopia (TV story)|Utopia]]'' whilst stealing the TARDIS.


*Jack refers to Sarah Jane's encounters with the [[Slitheen]] ([[SJA]]: ''[[Revenge of the Slitheen]]'') and ([[SJA]]: ''[[The Lost Boy]]'').
[[File:145.jpg|thumb|left|Jack's weapon at work, blasting a Dalek to pieces.]]
The TARDIS lands in a trashed and deserted street. The Doctor asks Donna what Rose said in the parallel Earth and Donna replies with a smile, "Why don't you ask her yourself?" The Doctor turns around and sees Rose standing down the street. They run towards each other, absolutely delighted. As they get closer, [[Dalek (The Stolen Earth)|a Dalek]] appears from behind a van and shoots at the Doctor, sending him to the ground. Captain Jack teleports into the street and blasts the Dalek to bits with his defabricator gun. A distraught Rose kneels over the Doctor as he lies on the ground in agony; Jack and Donna prepare to move him into the TARDIS.


*The Doctor's TARDIS has reverted to its original appearance and is no longer covered with the words "[[Bad Wolf meme|Bad Wolf]]" as at the end of ''[[Turn Left]]''.
Meanwhile, in Torchwood, Gwen and Ianto pick up [[machine gun]]s and get ready for battle despite knowing full well that the guns are useless; Gwen is prepared to die in the line of duty like the recently deceased [[Owen Harper|Owen]] and [[Toshiko Sato|Tosh]]. A Dalek enters Torchwood and Gwen and Ianto open fire.


*Mr Smith using every phone on Earth to call The Doctor is similar to everyone saying 'Doctor' in [[Last of the Time Lords]]
Back in the TARDIS, the Doctor is in terrible pain. Donna asks if there's anything they can do to help him but Jack tells her to stay away. The Doctor lifts up his hand, which has begun to glow.


*The Doctor forces himself to stand in order to begin regeneration. This is consistent with the previously seen regenerations of the [[Ninth Doctor]] and [[The Master]], but not of the regenerations shown for the the first eight Doctors, all of whom are shown regenerating lying down (save for the Second and Eighth Doctors whose regenerations are not shown). ''During most of the Doctor's regenerations he is rendered unconscious or severely weakened, which would make him incapable of standing. The enormous display of energy seen during his ninth and the Master's most recent regenerations could also be connected to their level of consciousness and strength.''
[[File:Tenth meta regen.jpg|thumb|The Doctor regenerating.]]
Sarah is still in her car, driving down a street until she nearly hits two Daleks on the road. Despite her frantic attempts to apologise, the Daleks prepare to exterminate her: "Daleks do not accept apologies!"


==DVD and Other releases== 
On board the TARDIS, Jack wishes the Doctor good luck with his regeneration and makes the others back away. Donna asks about what is happening. Rose explains that when the Doctor is dying he can heal himself, but changes in the process. Rose doesn't want the Doctor to change as she has come a long way to find him, but the process has already started and can't be stopped. The Doctor gets to his feet. Glowing brighter and brighter by the second, he stretches his arms out as his body explodes into golden energy and begins to [[regeneration|regenerate]]...
*This is due to be released in the [[Series 4]] boxset in [[November]] [[2008]] along with the rest of the series.  
*It will be released as part of Series 4 Volume 4 alongside [[Turn Left]] and [[Journey's End]] in [[September]] [[2008]].


== Cast ==


* [[Tenth Doctor|The Doctor]] - [[David Tennant]]
* [[Donna Noble]] - [[Catherine Tate]]
* [[Rose Tyler]] - [[Billie Piper]]
* [[Martha Jones]] - [[Freema Agyeman]]
* [[Jack Harkness|Captain Jack Harkness]] - [[John Barrowman]]
* [[Sarah Jane Smith]] - [[Elisabeth Sladen]]
* [[Harriet Jones]] - [[Penelope Wilton]]
* [[Ianto Jones]] - [[Gareth David-Lloyd]]
* [[Gwen Cooper]] - [[Eve Myles]]
* [[Luke Smith]] - [[Tommy Knight]]
* [[Wilfred Mott]] - [[Bernard Cribbins]]
* [[Sylvia Noble]] - [[Jacqueline King]]
* [[Francine Jones]] - [[Adjoa Andoh]]
* [[Davros]] - [[Julian Bleach]]
* [[Sanchez|General Sanchez]] - [[Michael Brandon]]
* [[Suzanne (The Stolen Earth)|Suzanne]] - [[Andrea Harris]]
* [[Trinity Wells]] - [[Lachele Carl]]
* [[Richard Dawkins (in-universe)|Himself]] - [[Richard Dawkins]]
* Himself - [[Paul O'Grady]]
* [[Drunk man (The Stolen Earth)|Drunk man]] - [[Marcus Cunningham]]
* [[Newsreader (The Christmas Invasion)|Newsreader]] - [[Jason Mohammad]]
* [[Judoon captain (The Stolen Earth)|Judoon]] - [[Paul Kasey]]
* [[Shadow Architect]] - [[Kelly Hunter]]
* [[Albino servant|Albino Servant]] - [[Amy Beth Hayes]]
* [[Scared man (The Stolen Earth)|Scared Man]] - [[Gary Milner]]
* [[Dalek Operator]]s - [[Barney Edwards]], [[Nick Pegg]], [[David Hankinson]], [[Anthony Spargo]]
* [[Dalek|Dalek Voice]] - [[Nicholas Briggs]]
* [[Mr Smith|Voice of Mr Smith]] - [[Alexander Armstrong]]


==External links==  
=== Uncredited cast ===
*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/s4/episodes/S4_12 BBC Episode Guide to '''The Stolen Earth''']  
 
 
* [[Milkman (The Stolen Earth)|Milkman]] - [[Andrew Bullivant]] <ref name="DWMSE" />
{{Series 4}}  
* [[Jalandra]] - [[Mike Freeman]] <ref name="DWMSE" />
{{Dalek stories}}  
* [[Judoon]] - [[Ruari Mears]], [[Adam Sweet]], [[Richard Tunesi]], [[Jon Davey]], [[Andy Jones]]<ref name="DWMSE">[[DWMSE 20]]</ref>
{{Davros stories}}  
* [[Judoon]] voice - [[Nicholas Briggs]]<ref name="DWMSE" />
 
* Albino Servants - [[Hayley Jones]], [[Rachael]] <ref name="DWMSE" />
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stolen Earth, the}}
* [[Simon (The Stolen Earth)|Scared Man's Son (Simon)]] - [[Ethan Smith]]<ref name="DWMSE" />
[[Category:Tenth Doctor episodes]]  
* [[Laura (The Stolen Earth)|Scared Man's Wife (Laura)]] - [[Jennifer Faubel]]<ref name="DWMSE" />
[[Category:2008 television stories]] 
 
[[Category:Stories set in 2009]]     
== Crew ==
[[Category:Stories set in London]]
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== Worldbuilding ==
 
* There is an advertisement for the [[Camden Fun Fair]].
 
=== Earth businesses ===
 
* Rose examines the Daleks' arrival on Earth via a [[laptop]] in the shop [[Megabyte City]].
 
=== Daleks ===
 
* Wilf uses a [[paintball gun]] as a weapon against the Daleks by shooting paintballs at their eye stalks, hoping to blind them; it proves to be completely ineffective.
* The [[Vault Dalek]]s lack the normal "plunger" attachment and now have a claw-like arm.
* Similar to a [[Special Weapons Dalek]], the Daleks' weapons can be increased in power enough to destroy a house, but this only works if three Daleks work together.
* The Daleks of the [[New Dalek Empire]] were grown from the cells of Davros's body.
 
=== The Doctor ===
 
* The Doctor says he likes [[Saturday]]s.
* The Doctor is about to [[regenerate]].
 
=== Planets ===
 
* Only a few of the [[missing planets]] are mentioned by name: [[Callufrax Minor]], [[Woman Wept]], [[Clom]], [[Pyrovillia]], [[Adipose 3]], the Lost Moon of [[Poosh]], [[Jahoo]], [[Shallacatop]], and [[Earth]].
 
=== Technology ===
 
* Donna calls the subwave network an "outerspace [[Facebook]]".
* A [[dimension cannon]] is used to travel between different [[parallel universe]]s.
 
== Story notes ==
* This episode is the seven hundred and fiftieth broadcast episode of ''Doctor Who''.
* This episode was the last of [[Series 4 (Doctor Who 2005)|Series 4]] to have its title revealed.
* This is the fourth time that the Daleks have returned with a leader in a finale. In ''[[The Evil of the Daleks (TV story)|The Evil of the Daleks]]'', they returned led by their emperor; in the 2005 finale ''[[The Parting of the Ways (TV story)|The Parting of the Ways]]'', the Daleks were led by the [[Dalek Emperor]]; and in the 2006 finale ''[[Doomsday (TV story)|Doomsday]]'', Dalek Sec led the [[Cult of Skaro]]. The two-part Dalek story in 2007 was shown as the fourth and fifth episodes of the series. ([[TV]]: ''[[Daleks in Manhattan (TV story)|Daleks in Manhattan]]''/''[[Evolution of the Daleks (TV story)|Evolution of the Daleks]]'')
* This is the first episode to feature a [[Supreme Dalek (The Stolen Earth)|Dalek]] designated as the [[Supreme Dalek]] since ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks (TV story)|Remembrance of the Daleks]]''.
* There was originally a scene where a [[Dalek Saucer]] landed at [[Westminster]] (destroying [[Big Ben]] in transit) and one in which the Daleks exterminated the [[Prime Minister]], Aubrey Fairchild, before the Dalek invasion force emerged from the saucer. An unseen character in ''[[The Next Doctor (TV story)|The Next Doctor]]'' was named [[Aubrey Fairchild (The Next Doctor)|Aubrey Fairchild]].
[[File:To Be Continued (The Stolen Earth).jpg|thumb|right]]
* The "TO BE CONTINUED" before the end credits is different from the others previously used. There is also no sneak peek of the [[Journey's End (TV story)|next episode]], probably to avoid revealing what has happened to the Doctor after his regeneration. It is only the second episode (after ''[[Rise of the Cybermen (TV story)|Rise of the Cybermen]]'') that has used this method of continuation. It would later be employed in ''[[The Pandorica Opens (TV story)|The Pandorica Opens]]'', ''[[The Almost People (TV story)|The Almost People]]'', ''[[Dark Water (TV story)|Dark Water]]'', ''[[The Zygon Invasion (TV story)|The Zygon Invasion]]'', and ''[[The Legend of Ruby Sunday (TV story)|The Legend of Ruby Sunday]]''.
* When Harriet Jones contacts Captain Jack, Martha Jones, and Sarah Jane Smith, the contact tone is the [[The Drumming|same tone]] used by {{Simm}} to control the populace under the Archangel network.
* For the first time, the opening credits incorporate not two or three names, but six, adding [[Freema Agyeman]], [[John Barrowman]] and [[Elisabeth Sladen]] to the Tennant, Tate and Piper credits of the previous week. The typeface used for these credits is slightly different than that usually used. In addition, several "overflow" cast credits are featured over the first scene after the opening sequence, a first for the series ([[Penelope Wilton]], [[Adjoa Andoh]], [[Eve Myles]] and [[Gareth David-Lloyd]]). Although the appearances of [[Harriet Jones]] and [[Francine Jones]] are clearly intended to be surprises, the surprise is weakened for anyone who recognised the names of Wilton and Andoh in these opening credits. Despite their major roles in this episode, neither [[Bernard Cribbins]] nor [[Jacqueline King]] received similar credits.
* Scientist and author [[Richard Dawkins]] has a cameo as himself. Dawkins was married to [[Lalla Ward]], the actress who portrayed [[Romana II]] at the time. The two were introduced by [[Douglas Adams]], who met Ward in his capacity as the show's script editor during the time Ward's ex-husband, [[Tom Baker]], played the [[Fourth Doctor]].
** As chronicled in ''[[The Writer's Tale]]'', the first draft of the script simply called for an elderly professor. It was [[Benjamin Cook]], as part of his extended correspondence with [[Russell T Davies]], who suggested Dawkins fill the role (to which Davies enthusiastically agreed).
* The claws of the Daleks in Crucible are very similar to ones in the ''[[Dr. Who and the Daleks (theatrical film)|Dr. Who and the Daleks]]'' movie, but with eight fingers instead of two.
* The clicking sound when the [[Time Beetle]] from ''[[Turn Left (TV story)|Turn Left]]'' was mentioned occurred when Donna was offered water at the Shadow Proclamation, accompanied by similar words as when the Time Beetle was "seen" by somebody else: "There was something on your back."
* The original Sci-Fi channel broadcast in the United States cut some scenes to fit the different commercial times.
* The differences between the child-friendly ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures|Sarah Jane Adventures]]'' and the very adult-orientated ''[[Torchwood (series)|Torchwood]]'' are reflected in the onscreen conference. Sarah mentions that she tries to steer away from Torchwood because they have "too many guns", nodding to Luke as she does so. Despite this, Jack cannot resist flirting with her and she seems to appreciate his compliment.
* The concept of the bees leaving the earth and heading to another planet as it seems the end is near strongly reflects the dolphins from ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]'', who also left the planet right before its impending doom. Though most likely a coincidence, it should be noted that [[Douglas Adams]], who wrote ''Hitchhiker's Guide'', was a writer and [[script editor]] for ''Doctor Who''.
* Another reference to ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' occurs when a Dalek near the start of the episode shouts, "Resistance is useless." This line was often used by [[Vogon]]s (an alien in THGTTG) when they captured [[Arthur Dent]] and [[Ford Prefect]].
* The CGI shot of the Doctor's TARDIS flying toward the [[Shadow Proclamation]] was previously used in ''[[The Parting of the Ways (TV story)|The Parting of the Ways]],'' where the [[Ninth Doctor]] flew the TARDIS into battle against a Dalek fleet, which bombarded it with torpedoes. Coincidentally, this episode is also centred around a major Dalek conflict.
 
[[File:The Shadow Proclamation species.png|Russell T Davies' sketch for his original concept of the Shadow Proclamation scene|thumb|right]]
 
* The scene in the Shadow Proclamation was originally planned to show many more aliens old and new including:
** [[Raxacoricofallapatorian|Raxacoricofallapatorians]] with a child. This child was originally conceived as [[Blon Fel-Fotch Passameer-Day Slitheen|Margaret]] following her regression to an egg ([[TV]]: ''[[Boom Town (TV story)|Boom Town]]'')
** Baby [[Adipose]] and very big adult one (imagined by [[Russell T Davies]] as being about fifteen feet tall)
** [[Scholars of the University of Rago Rago 56 Rago]] or members of the same species
** [[Krillitane]]
** [[Vespiform]]
** [[Hath]]
** [[Gelth]]-like species
** [[Cybermen]]
** [[Sycorax]]
** [[Alonso Frame]] working for the [[Shadow Proclamation]] as a Shadow Soldier
** [[Isolus]]
** [[Graske]]
** [[Kroton (species)|Kroton]]
** [[Hoix]]
** [[Chelonian]]-like species
** Two-headed race ([[Aplan]]s?)
** [[Bane (Invasion of the Bane)|The Bane]]
 
:''While this scene was not transmitted in this episode, it could have been scaled down to become the space-bar scene in the final scenes of the second part of [[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]. According to [[Russell T Davies]], this version of the scene was never put into development due to the heavy toll it would've taken on the episode's budget.''
 
* When Sarah summons Mr Smith, she complains about the musical fanfare that accompanies the computer's activation; this is the culmination of a recurring gag in ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'' in which the same fanfare usually blares whenever Mr Smith is activated. This is the first time, however, that it is confirmed the characters actually hear this music.
* An ongoing question relating to why the Doctor can't or won't go back to the era of the Time War to make things turn out differently is addressed by the Doctor indicating that the war is time-locked; Dalek Caan, having circumvented this barrier, paid for the experience with his sanity.
* This story was chosen by [[BBC America]] to represent the [[David Tennant]] era during their 50th-anniversary programming. Edited into an [[omnibus]] format with ''[[Journey's End (TV story)|Journey's End]]'', it was aired by BBCA on [[27 October (releases)|27 October]] [[2013 (releases)|2013]], after the debut of their homegrown special called ''[[The Doctors Revisited - The Tenth Doctor (documentary)|The Doctors Revisited - The Tenth Doctor]]''.
* When [[Russell T Davies]] planned out season four, he envisioned the original companion [[Penny Carter]] in this episode, with Donna merely making a cameo, although there were concerns that [[Catherine Tate]]'s schedule would prevent this.
* [[Euros Lyn]] was originally assigned to direct, but he was moved to ''[[Silence in the Library (TV story)|Silence in the Library]]/[[Forest of the Dead (TV story)|Forest of the Dead]]'' instead.
* Some thought was given to including [[Maria Jackson]] and [[Clyde Langer]].
* [[Russell T Davies]] had been impressed with [[Russell Tovey]]'s performance as [[Alonso Frame]] in ''[[Voyage of the Damned (TV story)|Voyage of the Damned]]'' and wanted to include him in the story. He would appear when the Doctor and Donna travelled to the Shadow Proclamation, and assist them in dealing with his superiors there. He would then journey with them in the TARDIS to the Dalek Crucible, only to be exterminated, allowing Davies to sacrifice somebody recognisable without having to kill off one of the show's better-established characters. This had been a concern for Davies during his development of the narrative, because he felt that the death of one of the Doctor's allies was necessary to demonstrate the scale of the adventure. This was scrapped when Tovey became unavailable.
* Harriet Jones was brought back because both [[Julie Gardner]] and [[Phil Collinson]] felt that she was due a redemption.
* It was not initially certain that [[Penelope Wilton]] would be free to reprise her role of Harriet Jones, and so [[Russell T Davies]] was also prepared to replace her with [[Copper (Voyage of the Damned)|Mr Copper]], [[Elton Pope]], or [[Joan Redfern]]'s [[Verity Newman|great-great granddaughter]]. At one point, he considered having either [[Polly Wright]] or [[Tegan Jovanka]] fill her role
* Originally, only six planets were required for the Daleks' scheme.
* [[Russell T Davies]]'  writing was affected by the development of a head cold and overrunning script constraints; he was annoyed that he had written "dialogue [he had] been dying to write" with a "faint heart" because he would have to cut it. Because he was behind schedule, he was forced to cancel plans to attend [[Billie Piper]]'s wedding and almost cancelled plans to celebrate the New Year with his boyfriend. These problems affected his first draft of the Doctor's conversation with his companions and encounter with Davros; he dismissed it as "lame shit" which would waste licence-payers' money, and replaced it with a different version hours later. He eventually finished the script at 1 am on New Year's Eve.
* [[David Tennant]], [[Catherine Tate]] and [[Graeme Harper]] all made the creative decision to have the Doctor ignore any mention of the Daleks in his conversation with his companions, because they thought the Doctor's joviality in the scene would be otherwise inappropriate.
* The scene in which Wilfred attempts to blind a Dalek using a paintball gun was suggested by [[Bernard Cribbins]] himself. He proposed it as a reference to [[Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. (theatrical film)|''Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.'']], which he appeared in, and thought it would provide comic relief in between heavy exposition. He also ad-libbed Wilf asking Rose to swap weapons after she blows up the Dalek.
* General Sanchez was originally named Slade.
* The Dalek's evaporating the paintball and replying "My vision is ''not'' impaired!" was added after [[Benjamin Cook]] reminded [[Russell T Davies]] it was "obligatory" to invert the recurring phrase spoken when a Dalek was blinded ("Vision impaired!"), and remove a weakness the Daleks had exhibited since their first appearance.
* There was originally a lengthy flashback chronicling Davros' youth on [[Skaro]], his experiments on [[Kaled]] soldiers, and the explosion which disfigured him.
* The task of redesigning Davros fell to [[Neill Gorton]] of [[Millennium FX]]. Two Davros masks had been used in the classic series, and it was agreed that the new version should hew towards the original from [[Genesis of the Daleks (TV story)|''Genesis of the Daleks'']], rather than the more distorted mask introduced in ''[[Resurrection of the Daleks (TV story)|Resurrection of the Daleks]]''. Davros' life support unit was newly-constructed, and was intended to have a sturdier appearance than the old prop. The only addition made was the metallic hand, as his real hand had been shot off in ''[[Revelation of the Daleks (TV story)|Revelation of the Daleks]].''
* [[Russell T Davies]] wanted the Supreme Dalek to have a red livery as a nod to one of the main Daleks seen in [[Dr. Who and the Daleks (theatrical film)|''Dr. Who and the Daleks'']] and [[Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. (theatrical film)|''Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.'']] A variety of possible designs were considered, including some with an oversized dome reminiscent of a [[samurai]] helmet, and others which boasted an enormous gun arm, inspired by the [[Special Weapons Dalek]]. The additional struts on the finished version were suggested by the antennas on ''[[Sputnik|Sputnik 1]].''
* One of the Daleks built for ''[[Bad Wolf (TV story)|Bad Wolf]]/[[The Parting of the Ways (TV story)|The Parting of the Ways]]'' was now being used exclusively for exhibitions, so a replacement was needed. The original casing from ''[[Dalek (TV story)|Dalek]]'' was also restored to its bronze colour scheme, having been painted black to serve as [[Dalek Sec]].
* The scenes in the TARDIS were the first material to be filmed.
* This two-parter comprised of Block Nine of season four.
* [[Penelope Wilton]] filmed her scenes in one day. She agreed to return unconditionally because she "would do anything for ... Davies" and she wished to act in [[Phil Collinson]]'s last filming block as producer
* [[Paul O'Grady]]'s cameo was filmed on the set of ''[[Paul O'Grady Show|The New Paul O'Grady Show]]'' at The London Television Centre in [[Waterloo]].
* [[Terry Molloy]] was asked to reprise his role as Davros, but declined, as he was not fond of [[Russell T Davies]]' prior work.
* The staircase which Donna is sitting on at the Shadow Proclamation is the same staircase on which [[Owen Harper]] fights death in [[Dead Man Walking (TV story)|''Dead Man Walking'']].
* There was a plan in one draft to have [[Sparrow & Nightingale]] to be crushed by a Dalek ship, but this scene wasn't filmed.
* [[Russell T Davies]] considered destroying New York, but decided against it.
* [[Russell T Davies]] had included a cameo role for [[Annette Badland]] as [[Blon Fel-Fotch Passameer-Day Slitheen|Margaret]], who would now be in the care of the [[Jingatheen family|Jingatheen]], but would react badly to the presence of the Doctor. Badland had already recorded accompanying dialogue but, unfortunately, it would go unused.
* Rose almost didn't appear due to [[Billie Piper]]'s honeymoon clashing with the original recording dates.
* [[Russell T Davies]] compared the crossover's conception to a typical child's imagination of a crossover between the ''Doctor Who'' and ''[[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars]]'' universe.
* Instead of hearing the Daleks' repeated cry of "Exterminate", Captain Jack and Sarah Jane originally reacted to the sight of Dalek saucers.
* [[Russell T Davies]] and [[Phil Collinson]] lamented killing off Harriet Jones. Collinson "[couldn't] bear the thought she's dead" and argued that she escaped death; and Davies generally stated in ''Doctor Who Magazine'' issue 397 that "when [significant characters a writer creates] have to die, it's a genuinely emotional time"
* [[Russell T Davies]] wrote the climax as a pastiche of romance fiction and compared the reunion between Rose and the Doctor to "the biggest romance [the viewer] has ever seen" and joked that seminal films such as ''[[Gone With the Wind|Gone with the Wind]]'' should have ended with a Dalek shooting the male lead, and intensified the scene's emotional impact through [[Billie Piper]]'s cameos throughout the fourth series.
* [[David Tennant]] described the Doctor's wounding as a "moment of high emotion" and lamented that "[the Doctor] can't have a happy moment, especially with a cliffhanger needing to be written".
* The episode ended during the regeneration because [[Russell T Davies]] wanted to create the "biggest, most exciting cliffhanger in ''Doctor Who''", and to differentiate the scene from previous regenerations, which were always completed at the end of serials. He considered its resolution—the regeneration process being halted by the Doctor, who siphoned the excess energy into his severed hand after his injuries were healed—legitimate because the hand was an important plot device in ''Journey's End''<nowiki/>'s climax.
* [[Gary Milner]] was cast as the extra "Scared Man" after misreading the callsheet as "Sacred Man" and creating a "priest-like" portrayal of the character.
* [[Andrew Bullivant]]'s role as the milkman in the cold open led to him being cast as [[Ferguson|PC Ferguson]] in ''[[The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith (TV story)|The Tempation of Sarah Jane Smith]].''
* [[Russell T Davies]] postponed Davros' return as he thought that "Davros would dominate the Daleks... like plain robots, instead of the scheming geniuses that they are", and used the previous series to establish the Daleks' individual intelligence.
* [[Russell T Davies]] cast [[Julian Bleach]] as Davros after his performances in his [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurence_Olivier_Awards Olivier Award]-winning play ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shockheaded_Peter_(musical) Shockheaded Peter]'' and as [[Ghostmaker|the Ghostmaker]] in ''[[From Out of the Rain (TV story)|From Out of the Rain]].''
* To keep the return of Davros secret, the character was referred to as "The Enemy" or "Dave [Ross]" among the crew and was kept anonymous on the shooting scripts as much as possible; however, the ''[[Radio Times]]'' called the secret "one of the worst-kept ... in television history".
* [[David Tennant]] liked Davros' "[[Adolf Hitler|Hitlerian]] megalomaniac" attitude and the nostalgic feeling he created. He described himself as being "absolutely captivated by [the] extraordinary creature".
* To prepare for his role, [[Julian Bleach]] reviewed ''[[Genesis of the Daleks (TV story)|Genesis of the Daleks]]'', one of his favourite serials, to remind himself of Davros' voice.
* [[Julian Bleach]] described his interpretation of Davros as that of "[a] twisted megalomaniac, [a] mad scientist, [and a] misguided genius" at the same time and described the character as a whole as "a cross between [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]] and [[Stephen Hawking]]" whose "nihilistic desires" made the character "extraordinary". Bleach would later use Hitler's oratorical skills and his "dogmatic speeches" as a reference point.
* The production team made two minor changes to Davros' design: they removed his microphone and completely redesigned the headpiece. The team felt that the microphone was redundant because Davros did not "speak in a whisper and need something to make him more audible", and originally intended to leave [[Julian Bleach]]'s voice unaltered in post-production: the decision to treat the voice was not made until late May 2008; and [[Neill Gorton]] thought the original headpiece "always seemed particularly weak" for "such a powerful character". After he was informed that the production designer for ''[[Genesis of the Daleks (TV story)|Genesis of the Daleks]]'' wanted the headpiece to resemble a medical brace, Gorton redesigned it to appear to be "screwed directly into [Davros'] head".
* Concept artist [[Peter McKinstry]] aimed to make Davros "bigger and scarier" by updating the "flimsy" design of the classic series.
* [[Louise Page]] and [[Neill Gorton]] contemporaneously collaborated on Davros' upper body. Page designed the leather tunic—which Gorton thought was "a beautiful piece of costume...which echoes the classic design"—and Gorton designed the ribcage. [[Russell T Davies]] explained the use of the leather tunic and the exposed ribcage: "Seriously, Davros is ''meant'' to be horrific, and we've had so many withered geniuses in sci-fi lately–like [[starwars:Darth_Sidious|Emperor Palpatine]] in ''Star Wars''–that I needed something to make everyone sit up and realise that this man is the King of Horror: the original and the best! And he's been through so many physical changes over the years, I wanted to add one of my own. I asked Louise to give him the new jacket buckles, because I wanted it to look like a straitjacket. It just seemed to fit, cos he's so insane!"
* [[Russell T Davies]] compared the crossover's conception to a typical child's imagination of a crossover between the ''Doctor Who'' and ''[[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars]]'' universes: "When you see the story, it'll make so much sense that all these characters are involved. It's simply doing what kids do in their imaginations: they're experts at crossovers and would think of nothing of having their Dalek toys battling ''Star Wars'' droids. Why not have all the factions of the ''Doctor Who'' universe going into battle together?"
* The animatronic of the Dalek mutant had to be recreated for the episode, because the previous prop that was used in ''Dalek'' and ''[[The Parting of the Ways (TV story)|The Parting of the Ways]]'' was irreversibly damaged by water when the latter was filmed.
* This was the first appearance of the Daleks since ''[[Evolution of the Daleks (TV story)|Evolution of the Daleks]]''; consequently, the prop controllers experienced difficulty re-adapting to their roles.
* [[Russell T Davies]]' inclusion of the Daleks as part of the crossover was intended to create a "charged atmosphere" for the protagonists: Jack was killed by the Daleks; Rose and Martha were present at two of their apparent extinctions; and Sarah was present at their creation.
* [[Nicholas Briggs]] adopted a different voice for each Dalek model: he adopted a grandiose voice for the Supreme Dalek to fit his perception of the character as egotistical; and he adopted a sing-song voice for Caan to reflect the character's insanity as a result of entering the Time War.
* [[Nicholas Briggs]] justified his interpretation of Caan by explaining that "[Caan] can't tell when he's happy or sad, his emphasis is very strange and he finds things funny when things aren't funny", creating a soothsayer personality with an "almost pure" mind.
* [[Nicholas Briggs]] told ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]: "''My theory on Caan is that being sucked through the Time War and blown out the other end has kind of reverse-wired–or random-wired–his brain, so all his neurons are firing in constantly changing, random, insane ways. That's why he doesn't really know what's funny or serious. He just knows the truth, and it blurts out in this odd, cryptic way. I think he's frozen in a moment of excrutiating [sic] ecstasy. When any emotion surges up inside him, it makes him laugh, whether its appropriate or not".
* [[Nicholas Briggs]]' portrayal of Caan was well-received by the production team: [[Graeme Harper]] "loved Caan's giggling" and requested "more ... on every take"; and [[Russell T Davies]] described Caan as "the creepiest Dalek yet".
* The Dalek eyestalk exhibits a minuscule twitch in scenes, a characteristic added by [[Graeme Harper]] to make them appear cautious and "on-edge".
* The episode features the first external location shots of the Daleks and the greatest proportion of filming undertaken at night since the show's revival: apart from the pre-credits sequence set in suburban London, all of the scenes set on Earth were filmed at night.
* [[David Tennant]] and [[Catherine Tate]] filmed the trailer for the fourth series because they were not required on location.
* The Doctor and Rose's reunion was filmed in Penarth town centre, in front of two hundred people; consequently, the scene was leaked onto the Internet and reported in the next day's edition of ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sun_(United_Kingdom) The Sun]''.
* [[Graeme Harper]] insisted that the Doctor and Rosee's reunion appear "mystical" because the characters' reunion was "the most magical moment" in the entire episode and [[Ernie Vincze]], the Director of Photography, compared the scene's feeling to ''[[Blade Runner]]''.
* The production team was prepared to postpone filming due to a traffic accident on the first day of filming.
* Filming Hariet Jones' death scene was stalled because of difficulty transporting the Dalek props into the cottage: specifically, the raised patio doors made it difficult to balance and maneuver the props.
* [[The Mill]] created two notable effects: the invasion of New York City, using reconnaissance photos and establishing shots from the filming of ''[[Daleks in Manhattan (TV story)|Daleks in Manhattan]]'' to create a 2.5D shot of the city; and the planetary array at the Medusa Cascade, using a fully three-dimensional model.
* The number of effects in the first draft was almost three times larger than broadcast; consequently, several scenes—most notably, all but one shot of the attack on the Valiant—were cut from the episode.
* The last exterior scene filmed was recorded in the regular ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'' filming location of Clinton Road in Penarth, and consisted of external shots of Sarah's house and two Daleks accosting Sarah en route to meeting the Doctor.
* [[Richard Dawkins]] and [[Paul O'Grady]]'s cameos were the last scenes to be filmed.
 
=== Ratings ===
 
* 8.78 million (UK final)<ref>[http://guide.doctorwhonews.net/info.php?detail=ratings&type=date Doctor Who Ratings - UK final]</ref>
 
=== Myths and rumours ===
* The presence of Davros in this episode had been rumoured for a long time before broadcast. An associated rumour suggested that the episode would reveal that Donna was actually Davros in disguise or Caan mutated himself into Davros. See the Myths and rumours section in ''[[Journey's End (TV story)|Journey's End]]'' for additional rumours related to Donna.
* It was also rumoured on the fan boards that [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Stewart Patrick Stewart] or Ben Kingsley might have been cast as Davros. The speculation surrounding Stewart followed media reports of his interest in appearing in ''Doctor Who'' after it was announced that he and Tennant would perform a season of Shakespeare together in 2008. ''Ultimately, [[Julian Bleach]] was revealed to be playing the character.''
* The cliffhanger regeneration ending sparked a week's worth of widespread speculation as to whether [[David Tennant]] was in fact about to hand the role over to another actor, despite reports that he was to at least appear in the upcoming Christmas special. ''The rumours, of course, were put to bed upon the cliffhanger's resolution.''
* It was also rumoured that there would be a massive fight between the [[Judoon]] and the [[Dalek]]s that would decide the fate of planet Earth. ''This was proven false.''
* It has been rumoured, but never confirmed, that [[Russell T Davies]] was originally planning to bring back [[Clive Swift]] as Mr Copper from ''[[Voyage of the Damned (TV story)|Voyage of the Damned]],'' but changed his mind after Swift's interview for [[DWM 391]] in which he refused to answer some questions and insulted the interviewer [[Benjamin Cook]], the franchise, and the fandom in general before terminating the interview altogether.
 
=== Filming locations ===
 
* [[Cardiff]]
* [[Pontypridd]]
* The Water Tower, Roald Dahl Plass (also filmed for ''[[Torchwood (series)|Torchwood]]'')
* 21 Clinton Road, Penarth (13 Bannerman Road, Ealing (also filmed for ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]''))
 
* High Street, Penarth (The Doctor and Donna arrive back on Earth)
 
* Queen's Road, Penarth (Rose materialises and runs to the Doctor)
* Arcot Street, Perth (Jack materialises and destroys the Dalek)
* Brook Street, Riverside, Cardiff (Daleks round up prisoners on the protesters' house)
* South Wales Traffic Management Centre, Coryton, Cardiff ([[UNIT HQ, New York City|UNIT HQ in New York]])
* Lower House, Michaelston-le-Pit, Cardiff (Harriet's House)
* Wales Museum Collections Centre, Heol Crochendy, Parc Nantgarw (Martha is taken to Project Indigo)
* Cwrt-y-Vil Road, Penarth (Martha materialises at her mother's house)
 
=== Production errors ===
{{Discontinuity}}
 
* In the scene just before Martha teleports with Project Indigo, her [[earpiece]] disappears, then reappears when she takes it off.
* When Jack hears Martha use Project Indigo, in spite of him kicking his filing cabinet to drown it out, he can still clearly be heard screaming "Shit!"
* When Harriet Jones transfers the Subway Network to Torchwood, the UI animation of the transmission has the map end up in [[Swansea]], instead of Cardiff, where the Hub is.
* When the Daleks discover the location of the subwave network has been moved to Torchwood, the Dalek who announces it to the Supreme Dalek only has its eyestalk light turned on just as he says Torchwood, which is the last word of the line.
* The Bluray release of this story uses the wrong font to credit the additional cast immediately after the opening titles. Traditionally, the font used for the Russell T Davies era is "Futura Book", however the font used on the Russell T Davies era blu-rays is "Futura Medium", and this font is still used to credit the Producers and for the title card. An entirely different font - "Tahoma" - is used to credit Penelope Wilton, Adjoa Andoh, Eve Myles and Gareth David-Lloyd in this episode. The error is repeated in ''[[Journey's End (TV story)|Journey's End]]''.
 
== Continuity ==
 
* The Doctor and Donna visit the [[Shadow Proclamation]], which was previously mentioned in the television stories {{cs|Rose (TV story)}} and {{cs|The Christmas Invasion (TV story)}}
* Sarah Jane believed [[Davros]] to be dead, as she'd last seen him in [[TV]]: ''[[Genesis of the Daleks (TV story)|Genesis of the Daleks]]'', where he appeared to be so.
* Earth is taken to the [[Medusa Cascade]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]]'', ''[[The Fires of Pompeii (TV story)|The Fires of Pompeii]]'')
* The Doctor refers to the lost moon of [[Poosh]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Midnight (TV story)|Midnight]]'') Donna likewise mentions [[Pyrovillia]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Fires of Pompeii (TV story)|The Fires of Pompeii]]'') and the [[Adipose]]'s breeding planet. ([[TV]]: ''[[Partners in Crime (TV story)|Partners in Crime]]'')
* Donna mentions how the bees were disappearing. ([[TV]]: ''[[Partners in Crime (TV story)|Partners in Crime]]'')
* The ''Valiant'' is swarmed and destroyed by a huge group of [[Dalek]]s. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Sound of Drums (TV story)|The Sound of Drums]]'', ''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]]'', ''[[The Poison Sky (TV story)|The Poison Sky]]'')
* [[UNIT]] have fought Daleks before. ([[TV]]: ''[[Day of the Daleks (TV story)|Day of the Daleks]]'', et al.)
* Sarah refers to the Doctor having deposed Harriet Jones. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Christmas Invasion (TV story)|The Christmas Invasion]]'')
* The gun that Captain Jack used to kill the Dalek with appears to be the same gun he previously used against them. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Parting of the Ways (TV story)|The Parting of the Ways]]'')
* The Doctor previously disabled the teleportation function of [[Jack Harkness' vortex manipulator|Captain Jack's vortex manipulator]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]]'')
* Gwen states to Ianto, after handing him a firearm during the Dalek invasion of Torchwood 3, that she intends to "go out fighting" like [[Owen Harper]] and [[Toshiko Sato]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Exit Wounds (TV story)|Exit Wounds]]'')
* The Doctor mentions that someone tried to move the Earth "a long time ago." The Daleks once tried to place a drive system into the centre of the Earth so that they could pilot the planet. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Dalek Invasion of Earth (TV story)|The Dalek Invasion of Earth]]'')
* The [[Time Lord]]s successfully relocated the Earth, causing it to become known as [[Earth|Ravolox]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Trial of a Time Lord]]'') The [[Cybermen]] also successfully moved and piloted Earth's twin planet, [[Mondas]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Tenth Planet (TV story)|The Tenth Planet]]'')
* Sarah Jane Smith, Rose, Jackie, Mickey, Jack and Martha have all met Daleks before. ([[TV]]: ''[[Death to the Daleks (TV story)|Death to the Daleks]]'', ''[[Genesis of the Daleks (TV story)|Genesis of The Daleks]]'', ''[[Dalek (TV story)|Dalek]]'', ''[[Bad Wolf (TV story)|Bad Wolf]]'', ''[[The Parting of the Ways (TV story)|The Parting of the Ways]]'', ''[[Doomsday (TV story)|Doomsday]]'', ''[[Daleks in Manhattan (TV story)|Daleks in Manhattan]]'', ''[[Evolution of the Daleks (TV story)|Evolution of the Daleks]]'')
* Donna is told that she had something on her back. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Fires of Pompeii (TV story)|The Fires of Pompeii]]'', ''[[Turn Left (TV story)|Turn Left]]'')
* The Doctor again encounters the Judoon. ([[TV]]: ''[[Smith and Jones (TV story)|Smith and Jones]]'', [[PROSE]]: ''[[Revenge of the Judoon (novel)|Revenge of the Judoon]]'').
* The Daleks proclaim that "the Daleks are the masters of Earth!". They also issued the command for "the males, the females and the descendants" to come into the street and surrender to them. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Dalek Invasion of Earth (TV story)|The Dalek Invasion of Earth]]'')
* Jack refers to Sarah's encounters with the [[Slitheen]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Revenge of the Slitheen (TV story)|Revenge of the Slitheen]]'', ''[[The Lost Boy (TV story)|The Lost Boy]]'')
* The [[Dalek Emperor|Emperor of the Daleks]] referred to Rose as "the Abomination", ([[TV]]: ''[[The Parting of the Ways (TV story)|The Parting of the Ways]]'') as the [[Dalek Supreme]] does to [[Dalek Caan]]. This is also the name given to the Special Weapons Dalek. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks (novelisation)|Remembrance of the Daleks]]'')
* The Doctor was last seen meeting Davros during his [[Eighth Doctor|eighth incarnation]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Terror Firma (audio story)|Terror Firma]]'') They refer to having had at least one more encounter, during the Time War. Davros acknowledges that the Doctor has changed again since their last meeting.
* The [[Third Doctor]] was also shot by a Dalek. On that occasion, his legs were temporarily paralysed. ([[TV]]: ''[[Planet of the Daleks (TV story)|Planet of the Daleks]]'')
* Upon answering the phone to Martha, Jack says, "Martha Jones, voice of a Nightingale". ([[TV]]: ''[[Reset (TV story)|Reset]]'')
* Davros now has a mechanical, skeletal hand, replacing the organic one shot by [[Bostock]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Revelation of the Daleks (TV story)|Revelation of the Daleks]]'', [[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Davros Mission (audio story)|The Davros Mission]]'')
* In previous encounters ([[TV]]: ''[[The Daleks (TV story)|The Daleks]]'', ''[[Planet of the Daleks (TV story)|Planet of the Daleks]]'', ''[[Resurrection of the Daleks (TV story)|Resurrection of the Daleks]], [[Revelation of the Daleks (TV story)|Revelation of the Daleks]], [[The Parting of the Ways (TV story)|The Parting of the Ways]]'') in which a Dalek eye would be shot, or covered, the Dalek would cry hysterically, "My vision is impaired! My vision is impaired!" When Wilfred attempts to exploit this weakness here and shoots a Dalek in the eye with his paint gun, it says, "My vision is ''not'' impaired".
* Harriet Jones again introduces herself by flashing her identity card, earning her the response of "Yes, I/we know who you are", even from the Daleks. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Christmas Invasion (TV story)|The Christmas Invasion]]'')
* Luke's comment about spatial transference echoes a similar statement made by [[Grace Holloway]] when she revealed unexpected knowledge of physical theory. ([[TV]]: ''[[Doctor Who (TV story)|Doctor Who]]'')
* The Doctor has previously had a group of soldiers aim their guns at him. ([[TV]]: ''[[Aliens of London (TV story)|Aliens of London]]'', ''[[World War Three (TV story)|World War Three]]'', ''[[Dalek (TV story)|Dalek]]'', ''[[Army of Ghosts (TV story)|Army of Ghosts]]'') This time, rather than humans, they are Judoon.
* General Sanchez is heard saying, "Ladies and gentlemen, we are at war." The same phrase was spoken by Jack Harkness when facing the Daleks on the [[Satellite Five|Game Station]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Parting of the Ways (TV story)|The Parting of the Ways]]'')
* [[Woman Wept]] was mentioned by Rose when talking to Mickey of the planets she had visited. It had experienced an unknown sudden freezing of its oceans, which at the time was unexplained. ([[TV]]: ''[[Boom Town (TV story)|Boom Town]]'')
* The missing planet [[Callufrax Minor]] may be a reference to [[Calufrax]], the miniaturised planet and [[Key to Time]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Pirate Planet (TV story)|The Pirate Planet]]'')
* When the sub-wave network patches through to Rose at Donna Noble's home, the ringtone matches the rhythm of the drums that the Master spoke of. ([[TV]]: ''[[Utopia (TV story)|Utopia]]'', ''[[The Sound of Drums (TV story)|The Sound of Drums]]'', ''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]]'')
* The Doctor can speak [[Judoonese]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Judoon in Chains (audio story)|Judoon in Chains]]'')
* The Tenth Doctor and Donna previously met Judoon on [[Vallarasee]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[One Mile Down (audio story)|One Mile Down]]'')
* A few years prior, [[Major]] [[A Highway]] was responsible for reorganising UNIT in the United States into a "single site operation", ([[PROSE]]: ''[[UNIT's New York Operation Expansion (short story)|UNIT's New York Operation Expansion]]'') having been previously split into multiple divisions such as [[UNIT ONE]] and [[UNIT THREE]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Dying Days (novel)|The Dying Days]]'')
 
== Home video releases ==
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true">
File:The Complete David Tennant Years Region 1 US DVD cover.jpg|The Complete David Tennant Years DVD<br />Region 1 US cover
File:Bbcdvd-s4-v4.jpg|thumb|Series 4 Volume 4 DVD Cover
File:Series-4-boxset.jpg|thumb|''Doctor Who: The Complete Fourth Series'' DVD cover
File:Bbcdvd-thedalekcollection.jpg|The [[Dalek]] Collection DVD box-set
File:Bbcdvd-series1234.jpg|thumb|''Doctor Who: The Complete Series One to Four'' DVD box-set
File:Davros (box set).jpg|thumb|The Davros Box-Set
File:Bbcdvd-series1234567.jpg|thumb|''Doctor Who: The Complete Series One to Seven'' DVD box-set
</gallery>
 
 
* This story was released in the [[Series 4 (Doctor Who 2005)|Series 4]] DVD box set in November 2008 along with the rest of the series.
* It was released as Series 4 Volume 4 in a vanilla edition with ''[[Turn Left (TV story)|Turn Left]]'' and ''[[Journey's End (TV story)|Journey's End]]''.
 
== External links ==
 
* [https://www.doctorwholocations.net/locations/ Doctor Who - The Locations Guide]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/s4/episodes/S4_12 BBC Episode Guide to '''The Stolen Earth''']
{{dwrefguide|who_tv42.htm|The Stolen Earth}}
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20110809114614/http://www.thewriterstale.com/scr.html Original script] (archived), posted online by [[Russell T Davies]] in conjunction with the release of his book [[REF]]: ''[[The Writer's Tale]]''.
 
== Footnotes ==
{{reflist}}
{{DWTV}}
{{regeneration stories}}
{{Dalek stories}}
{{Davros stories}}
{{UNIT stories}}
{{Judoon stories}}
{{TitleSort}}
 
[[Category:Doctor Who (2005) television stories]]
[[Category:2008 television stories]]
[[Category:Stories set in Cardiff]]
[[Category:Stories set in Cardiff]]
[[Category:Stories set in the United States]]
[[Category:Stories set in New York City]]
[[Category:Bad Wolf arc]]
[[Category:Stories set in 2009]]
[[Category:Torchwood Institute stories]]
[[Category:Stories set in Ealing]]
[[Category:Sarah Jane Smith television stories]]
[[Category:Judoon television stories]]
[[Category:Davros television stories]]
[[Category:Dalek television stories]]
[[Category:UNIT television stories]]
[[Category:Regeneration television stories]]
[[Category:Series 4 (Doctor Who) stories]]
[[Category:Stories set in Chiswick]]
[[Category:Stories set in Camden]]
[[Category:BFI-exhibited television stories]]
[[Category:Television stories that use Murray Gold's 2nd main theme]]
 
[[fr:The Stolen Earth]]
[[it:The Stolen Earth (TV)]]
[[pt:The Stolen Earth]]
[[ro:The Stolen Earth]]

Latest revision as of 10:28, 4 September 2024

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The Stolen Earth was the twelfth episode of series 4 of Doctor Who.

The episode marks the first television appearance of Davros since the 1988 story Remembrance of the Daleks. The result of Dalek Caan's emergency escape in Evolution of the Daleks is revealed as well.

It also marked the return of several past associates and companions of the Doctor, including Sarah Jane Smith, Martha Jones, Jack Harkness, Harriet Jones and Rose Tyler. It served as a "cross-over" between Doctor Who and its two current spin-off series, marking the first appearance in the series itself of several characters introduced in those spin-offs; namely, Ianto Jones and Gwen Cooper from Torchwood; and Mr Smith along with Luke Smith from The Sarah Jane Adventures. The episode also featured the "death" of Harriet Jones and the loss of the Valiant in ill-fated meetings with the Daleks.

Once again, it showed the legacy that the Doctor leaves behind on Earth, with many of his ex-companions and allies playing a very important part in saving the world.

This episode's cliffhanger, which featured the Tenth Doctor beginning a regeneration, caused much commotion within the circles of Doctor Who enthusiasts, who were taken by surprise. No announcement was made regarding actor David Tennant's departure, which triggered a phenomenal influx of viewers during the Series 4 finale, Journey's End, in anticipation of a new incarnation of the Doctor and new respective actor. However, this flurry of suspense would be dispelled with the outcome of the finale. Narratively, it also paved the way for the Doctor's "final" regeneration of his original cycle as revealed in The Time of the Doctor.

Synopsis[[edit] | [edit source]]

When Earth and twenty-six other planets are stolen and taken to the Medusa Cascade and the Doctor is nowhere in sight, it's up to the combined forces of UNIT, Torchwood, Sarah-Jane and Rose to fight off the thieves, who only have one thing to say to the resistance: "EX-TER-MIN-ATE!"

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

Having seen the signs, the Tenth Doctor and Donna return to Earth to find everything in order. The Doctor asks a milkman what day it is — it is Saturday. Donna presses the Doctor for an explanation of Rose's unexpected reappearance, and the Doctor explains that if Rose can cross from her parallel world to Donna's parallel world, then the walls of reality are breaking down. Still, with Earth apparently safe for now, they return to the TARDIS. Once they enter, the Earth begins to tremble. Inside the TARDIS, Donna gets the Doctor to admit that despite the danger of whatever's coming, he's still happy about the prospect of seeing Rose again. Suddenly the TARDIS is hit with a violent jolt. The Doctor and Donna rush to the doors and fling them open to find they are hanging in space. The Doctor checks the readings to find out why they've moved... only to learn they haven't. Their position is fixed and the TARDIS is still in the same spot it landed in, it is the Earth that has disappeared. Impossibly, the entire planet has been stolen — but by whom?

At the UNIT New York Base, Dr Martha Jones regains consciousness after an earthquake to find UNIT in chaos and its personnel panicking. One horrified colleague tells Martha to look at the sky.

In Torchwood Three, Captain Jack Harkness guesses that the Rift may have been responsible for the brief but violent earthquake that has just devastated the Hub. After making sure that the other members of Torchwood Three — Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones — are all right, Jack heads outside to survey the damage. Presuming it to be a localised event, Ianto and Gwen look at the computers. Ianto realises that whatever the problem is, "It's a bit bigger than South Wales."

At 13 Bannerman Road, Ealing, London, Sarah Jane Smith and her son Luke comment on the earthquake and wonder why it is now dark outside since it was only 8 a.m. when the quake struck. Sarah Jane asks her alien supercomputer Mr Smith for an explanation. Mr Smith says that she should look outside because she will "find the visual evidence most conclusive".

In Chiswick, London, Donna's mother Sylvia and grandfather Wilf are not sure what has caused the earthquake, but Wilf is positive it's aliens again. As they step outside their home, Sylvia looks at the sky in horror.

On the street in London where the TARDIS had been parked, the milkman turns and sees Rose Tyler materialise in a flash of white light, carrying a large futuristic gun. She looks up. Alone of the Doctor's friends, she is not surprised. Arming her gun, she declares, "All right, now we're in trouble. And it's only just beginning."

The familiar sky is gone. The sun is gone. The constellations have been replaced with strange new ones. Twenty-six new planets have appeared in the sky.

Aboard the TARDIS, Donna demands to know if her family is dead. The Doctor does not know. He decides they need help, and he sets course for the Shadow Proclamation.

At Sarah Jane's house, Mr Smith picks up readings of a fleet of two hundred spaceships apparently headed towards Earth. Luke also lets Sarah Jane know that Maria and her dad are in Cornwall and that he told them to stay indoors; and Clyde is inside with his mum.

At UNIT, American UNIT leader General Sanchez enters and tells all soldiers and staff that Geneva has declared a Code Red Emergency. Martha tells him that she has tried to phone the Doctor, but the signal is dead. The number calls anywhere in the universe, but the signal is being blocked by some unknown force. Sanchez notes that they will likely find out soon: the fleet is coming into orbit.

Gwen calls her husband, Rhys, and tells him to stay indoors and call her mother. She then joins the others as they are reviewing the situation. The atmosphere is in place. They muse that whoever has done this wants the human race alive, which Ianto calls "a plus". Gwen notices something at the heart of the planets that gives a different reading. It is not a planet.

Meanwhile, Rose is walking along the streets of London, which are in chaos with drunks, looters and hysterics. She threatens a pair of looters with her gun (who promptly scarper) and looks at a computer screen in the electronics shop they were robbing. It shows a readout of the alien ships.

Torchwood has also detected the ships coming into orbit. Jack's phone then rings. It is Martha calling, and they confirm that neither of them has heard from the Doctor. They discuss UNIT's "Project Indigo", which is the reason for Martha Jones's presence in New York. Mr Smith tells Sarah that the ships have a message for the human race and puts it through. It consists of a single repeated word: "Exterminate!". The message is heard on all frequencies, including UNIT, the speakers at Torchwood Three, and at Sarah Jane's attic. Jack and Sarah Jane react with horror as they realise the enemy is the Daleks. Jack says, "I'm sorry, we're dead", kissing Ianto and Gwen on the forehead. Sarah hugs Luke, crying, "You're so young."

The Doctor and Donna arrive in the Shadow Proclamation.

Rose hears the message and heads outside to see a massive Dalek spaceship flying over London, shooting at everything in its path. In space, thousands of other saucers descend upon the helpless Earth. At UNIT's New York City base, General Sanchez orders everyone to their battle stations and Geneva declares an Ultimate Code Red: put simply, Earth is at war. The room promptly shakes and Martha rushes to the window in time to see dozens of Dalek ships descend and wreak havoc and destruction upon Manhattan. Aboard a massive spaceship at the heart of the cluster of planets, the Daleks finalise their plans. The Supreme Dalek, a red Dalek with extra panels, declares that the Crucible will soon be complete and "We have waited long for this ultimate destiny. Now the Daleks are the masters of Earth!". The Daleks eagerly take up the chant.

Far across the universe, on board the TARDIS and unaware of the unfolding destruction on Earth, the Doctor and Donna arrive at the Shadow Proclamation. They are greeted at gunpoint by its rhino-headed guards, the Judoon, but the Doctor convinces them they mean no harm and need help with the trusted help of his knowledge of the Judoon's language. A female member of the Proclamation tells the Doctor that the situation is worse than he suspects — not one but twenty-four planets have been stolen. Donna asks about Pyrovillia, but the Judoon captain tells her that Pyrovillia is a cold case; it disappeared over two thousand years ago. Donna asks about the Adipose Breeding Planet and the Doctor realises that planets are being snatched out of time as well as space. The Doctor heads over to the computer and shifts the display of the missing planets into 3D. He adds Adipose 3, Pyrovillia, and the lost moon of Poosh, which all vanished in the past. The model rearranges itself into a perfect balance, fitting together "like pieces of an engine". Recalling a distant memory of his, the Doctor begins to realise who is responsible as he says that someone tried to move the Earth once before...

The Daleks bring down the Valiant.

Back on Earth, the Daleks attack the Valiant, disabling its shields and forcing the crew to abandon ship. Jack, Gwen, and Ianto try to find a way to stop them, but their efforts are futile. Daleks are landing in Japan, the Air Force is put into retreat over Africa, and contact with the British Prime Minister's plane is lost. Back in Manhattan, the UNIT base is attacked by Daleks. Jack tells Martha to get out of there, but she does not listen. General Sanchez declares that Project Indigo has been activated. Back in the control room, personnel cowering behind desks are knocked backwards as Daleks blast their way into the room. UNIT soldiers fruitlessly but bravely open fire as administrative personnel attempt to flee, though some are exterminated in the process. Sanchez leads Martha and another UNIT soldier to the vault where Project Indigo is being kept. He orders Martha to put it on, and she straps a device onto her back. As Jack protests for Martha not to use it because it is too dangerous, General Sanchez orders Martha to do it. He hands her something called "the Osterhagen Key". Martha is horrified, understanding the purpose of the key. She at first refuses to take it, but General Sanchez orders her to do so for the sake of humanity. Martha activates Project Indigo as Jack rages. The General and another soldier begin firing as the Daleks break in, and Martha vanishes.

Inside Torchwood, Jack tells Gwen and Ianto that Project Indigo is a teleport device reverse-engineered from the teleport pod salvaged from the Sontarans, but they have no coordinates or stabilisation. When Gwen asks where Martha is, an upset Jack says she has been "scattered into atoms. Martha is down."

On board the Dalek station, the Supreme Dalek orders the Daleks to prepare landings and bring the humans to "the Crucible". He receives a call from the control room, asking for any news. The Supreme Dalek declares, "Earth has been subjugated." The speaker is a sinister figure: the lower half of his body is Dalek, but his upper half is hidden in shadow. However, a blue light is visible on what seems to be his head. He is really asking for news of the Doctor. The Supreme Dalek gleefully replies, "No reports of the Time Lord. We are beyond the Doctor's reach!" The figure is fascinated by the Dalek's triumphant tone and warns him about his pride. Undeterred, the Supreme Dalek proclaims, "The Doctor cannot stop us!" The figure replies, "And yet, Dalek Caan is uneasy." A light switches on to show a Dalek with its shell opened to reveal the mutated, tentacled creature inside, its top half destroyed. The Supreme Dalek protests, "The abomination is insane!" The figure demands that the Dalek show respect; after all, without Dalek Caan, Earth could never be conquered. Also, everything Caan says comes true. Caan says, "He is coming. The three-fold man, he dances in the lonely places...oh, creator of us all...the Doctor is coming!" then bursts into insane laughter.

Dalek Caan, now heavily damaged and insane, professes disquieting visions of the future.

Back at the Shadow Proclamation's space station, Donna is sitting on the stairs, waiting for the Doctor to work out what has happened. A member of the Shadow Architect's race comes over and gives Donna some water. She somehow knows that there had been something on Donna's back earlier, and tells her there is a loss still to come. The Doctor asks Donna if anything strange was happening on Earth. Donna reminds him about the bees disappearing. The Doctor realises that this is a clue. Donna tells him some people thought it was pollution or global warming, but the Doctor tells her that, in fact, the bees were returning home, to the planet Melissa Majoria: the Tandocca Scale. They realise that if they follow the trail, they can find the Earth. The Shadow Architect stops them, saying, "The planets were taken with hostile intent. We are declaring war, Doctor, right across the universe, and you will lead us into battle!" The Doctor looks stunned, then replies, "Right, 'course I will. I'll just go get you a key." He closes the door and the TARDIS dematerialises, to the Shadow Architect's fury.

Back on Earth, the Daleks have enslaved London and are ordering all humans to leave their homes. Wilf and Sylvia watch. When a man and his family defy the Daleks and run back inside their house, the Daleks brutally incinerate the building, leaving no survivors. Wilf and Sylvia run onto the street and are confronted by a Dalek. Wilf grabs a paintball gun and shoots the Dalek in the eye, but the Dalek melts the paint away — declaring "My vision is not impaired!" The Dalek prepares to exterminate them, but then explodes. Behind its wreckage stands Rose, who has blasted it with her gun. She asks if they are Donna's family, and when they reply yes, she tells them she needs them. Wilf reveals he has tried calling Donna, but there is no reply. The last time Donna had phoned them was when she was on Midnight. Sylvia thinks this is ridiculous, but Wilf tells her she cannot start denying things now. Upon discovering that they do not know how to reach Donna, Rose despairs; they had been her "last hope" to find the Doctor.

Meanwhile, the TARDIS stops in the Medusa Cascade. The Doctor tells Donna he came here when he was just a kid (ninety years old) and that it is the centre of a rift in time and space. Donna asks about the twenty-seven planets. The Doctor tells her that they are nowhere. Donna asks what they are to do, but the Doctor does not reply... he now has no options and no clue what to do next.

The "outer space Facebook."

On Earth, Torchwood and Bannerman Road listen as the United Nations officially declares Earth's surrender. Sarah and Captain Jack have given up: Earth has no hope but to wait and pray that the Daleks bring the end quickly. At the Nobles' house, the laptop suddenly switches itself on and a voice comes through. Sarah and the people at Torchwood hear it, too. Jack believes it is just another suffering person crying for help amongst millions of others. He tells Gwen to leave it, but the woman speaking shames him and demands that he stand to attention. She identifies herself as Harriet Jones, former prime minister. Harriet also makes contact with Sarah and decides they should be able to talk to each other. There are four contacts: Harriet, Sarah Jane, and the Torchwood team, but the fourth contact is having trouble getting through. Rose assumes she is the fourth contact, however, the Nobles' lack webcam, Sylvia having forbidden them, believing webcams to be "naughty". To Rose's surprise and dismay, Martha appears on screen as the fourth contact instead. Feeling left out, Rose protests, "Who's she?", but no one in the network can hear her. Martha reveals that Project Indigo had brought her home to her mother, possibly tapping into her mind to determine where she really wanted to go. Harriet introduces Torchwood to Sarah. Jack states that he has been following Sarah's work, telling her, "Nice job with the Slitheen." Sarah tartly replies that she has been staying away from Torchwood — "Too many guns." Far from offended, Jack suggestively tells her that she is "looking good". Harriet is unimpressed by Jack's incorrigible flirting, though Sarah is quite flattered, and explains that they are communicating through a subwave network — a sentient computer programme obtained from the Mr Copper Foundation to contact anyone and everyone who can contact the Doctor. Jack tells everyone that what they need at the moment is something to fight the Daleks with and asks Martha what the Osterhagen Key does. Harriet abruptly interrupts telling Jack that the Osterhagen Key is not an option and isn't to be used under any circumstances and what they need is the Doctor. Sarah wonders why Harriet is doing this, given that the Doctor deposed her. Harriet admits that she has often wondered whether or not her decision was wrong. Regardless, she asserts, "I stand by my actions to this day because I knew that one day, the Earth would be in danger, and the Doctor would fail to appear."

Martha explains that she has tried to phone the Doctor, but the signal cannot get through. Jack realises they can transmit to the Doctor using "all the power of the Rift". Luke points out that Mr Smith can tap into the global telecommunications network, forcing every phone across the globe to call the same number at the same time; Jack is impressed. Ianto appears beside Jack and theorises that as soon as transmitting begins, the subwave network will become visible to the Daleks. Harriet understands that the signal will be traced back to her, but she declares, "My life does not matter — not if it saves the Earth." Jack salutes her. She tells Jack to give the Doctor a message: "He chose his companions well." Martha sends them all the number of the phone Martha gave to him number and Rose decides to call the Doctor herself.

The transmitting starts, manifesting as glowing blue rings that shoot up the water tower in Roald Dahl Plass and extend out into space, Earth and the twenty-six other worlds calling their Doctor for help. Rose, Sylvia and Wilf start to call the Doctor. Mr Smith and the equipment at Torchwood are pushed beyond their limits. Suddenly, transmitting slows. The Daleks have detected the subwave network. The Supreme Dalek orders that the culprit be exterminated. The figure in the control room contacts him again, telling him, "I warned you, Supreme One. Just as Dalek Caan foretold, the Children of Time are moving against us, but everything is falling into place." Gwen warns Harriet that the Daleks have found her, but Harriet keeps working. She sends control to Torchwood just as the Daleks arrive in her home. She introduces herself as usual, and the Daleks tell her they know her. Harriet retorts defiantly, "Oh, you know nothing of any human. And that will be your downfall." With this, she is exterminated, though the Daleks have the decency to destroy the video link before doing so.

On board the TARDIS, as the Doctor and Donna sit despondently, the phone Martha gave him starts ringing. The two jump into action and, although there is no voice on the other end, the Doctor picks up the signal and locks onto it. The TARDIS travels through time, overloading. The twenty-seven planets come into view and the Doctor realises that they were all one second out of sync with the universe — he describes it as "the perfect hiding place". He picks up the subwave network and his companions appear onscreen. The Doctor introduces Donna to all of them but is disappointed that Rose is not visible.

On board the Crucible, Caan says, "He is here...the Dark Lord is coming." The figure demands access to the subwave network.

Suddenly, all the contacts vanish off of the screen. Donna thinks they are losing contact, but the Doctor realises there is another contact coming through. He thinks it is Rose, but when he and Sarah hear the figure sneer, "Your voice is different and yet, its arrogance is unchanged," they realise who it is with horror: the creator of the Daleks, Davros. He gloats, "Welcome to my new empire, Doctor. It is only fitting that you should witness the resurrection and the triumph of Davros, lord and creator of the Dalek race." The Doctor protests that Davros was destroyed in the very first year of the Time War, that his command ship flew into the jaws of the Nightmare Child at the Gates of Elysium, even though he tried to save Davros. Davros mockingly replies, "But it took one stronger than you — Dalek Caan himself." Caan continues the story, shrilly crying, "I flew into the wild, and the fire; I danced and died a thousand times." Davros explains that after following his escape from New York, Caan's emergency temporal shift took him back into the Time War.

The Doctor protests that the war is time-locked, and therefore completely prevented from being accessed. Davros points out the obvious: "Yet he succeeded." Caan was somehow able to break the barriers and rescue Davros, but in the process lost his sanity. The Doctor realises that after being rescued, Davros created a new race of Daleks. Davros boasts, "I gave myself to them — quite literally: each one grown from a cell of my own body." He reveals that parts of his torso have been replaced by metal — much of his ribcage and what lies beyond is clearly visible. He proudly proclaims, "New Daleks...true Daleks. I have my children, Doctor. What do you have now?" The Doctor's response is just one word: "Bye!" He cuts transmission with Davros and sets the TARDIS for Earth. The Supreme Dalek orders that the Daleks locate the TARDIS and the Doctor, but Davros points out that they need only look on Earth; the Doctor is sure to seek out his companions. Caan ominously screeches, "Death is coming. I can see it! Everlasting death for the most faithful companion!" Suddenly, the Daleks detect that the subwave network has been rebooted and the new location is Torchwood. The Supreme Dalek orders Torchwood exterminated.

On Earth, Jack contacts Martha by phone and asks what the two oscillating digits on the Project Indigo transporter are; she responds that they are a 4 and a 9. Jack tells her that those are the teleport base codes, which is all Jack needs to reactivate his vortex manipulator's teleportation ability. Jack grabs a large gun and promises Gwen and Ianto that he will come back, then vanishes.

Sarah heads off in her car to find the Doctor after Mr Smith promises to protect Luke. Rose contacts the parallel Torchwood and has them lock her onto the TARDIS before being teleported away.

Jack's weapon at work, blasting a Dalek to pieces.

The TARDIS lands in a trashed and deserted street. The Doctor asks Donna what Rose said in the parallel Earth and Donna replies with a smile, "Why don't you ask her yourself?" The Doctor turns around and sees Rose standing down the street. They run towards each other, absolutely delighted. As they get closer, a Dalek appears from behind a van and shoots at the Doctor, sending him to the ground. Captain Jack teleports into the street and blasts the Dalek to bits with his defabricator gun. A distraught Rose kneels over the Doctor as he lies on the ground in agony; Jack and Donna prepare to move him into the TARDIS.

Meanwhile, in Torchwood, Gwen and Ianto pick up machine guns and get ready for battle despite knowing full well that the guns are useless; Gwen is prepared to die in the line of duty like the recently deceased Owen and Tosh. A Dalek enters Torchwood and Gwen and Ianto open fire.

Back in the TARDIS, the Doctor is in terrible pain. Donna asks if there's anything they can do to help him but Jack tells her to stay away. The Doctor lifts up his hand, which has begun to glow.

The Doctor regenerating.

Sarah is still in her car, driving down a street until she nearly hits two Daleks on the road. Despite her frantic attempts to apologise, the Daleks prepare to exterminate her: "Daleks do not accept apologies!"

On board the TARDIS, Jack wishes the Doctor good luck with his regeneration and makes the others back away. Donna asks about what is happening. Rose explains that when the Doctor is dying he can heal himself, but changes in the process. Rose doesn't want the Doctor to change as she has come a long way to find him, but the process has already started and can't be stopped. The Doctor gets to his feet. Glowing brighter and brighter by the second, he stretches his arms out as his body explodes into golden energy and begins to regenerate...

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Uncredited cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Crew[[edit] | [edit source]]

General production staff

Script department

Camera and lighting department

Art department

Costume department

Make-up and prosthetics

Movement

Casting

General post-production staff

Special and visual effects

Sound



Not every person who worked on this adventure was credited. The absence of a credit for a position doesn't necessarily mean the job wasn't required. The information above is based solely on observations of the actual end credits of the episodes as broadcast, and does not relay information from IMDB or other sources.


Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

Earth businesses[[edit] | [edit source]]

Daleks[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Wilf uses a paintball gun as a weapon against the Daleks by shooting paintballs at their eye stalks, hoping to blind them; it proves to be completely ineffective.
  • The Vault Daleks lack the normal "plunger" attachment and now have a claw-like arm.
  • Similar to a Special Weapons Dalek, the Daleks' weapons can be increased in power enough to destroy a house, but this only works if three Daleks work together.
  • The Daleks of the New Dalek Empire were grown from the cells of Davros's body.

The Doctor[[edit] | [edit source]]

Planets[[edit] | [edit source]]

Technology[[edit] | [edit source]]

Story notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

To Be Continued (The Stolen Earth).jpg
  • The "TO BE CONTINUED" before the end credits is different from the others previously used. There is also no sneak peek of the next episode, probably to avoid revealing what has happened to the Doctor after his regeneration. It is only the second episode (after Rise of the Cybermen) that has used this method of continuation. It would later be employed in The Pandorica Opens, The Almost People, Dark Water, The Zygon Invasion, and The Legend of Ruby Sunday.
  • When Harriet Jones contacts Captain Jack, Martha Jones, and Sarah Jane Smith, the contact tone is the same tone used by the Saxon Master to control the populace under the Archangel network.
  • For the first time, the opening credits incorporate not two or three names, but six, adding Freema Agyeman, John Barrowman and Elisabeth Sladen to the Tennant, Tate and Piper credits of the previous week. The typeface used for these credits is slightly different than that usually used. In addition, several "overflow" cast credits are featured over the first scene after the opening sequence, a first for the series (Penelope Wilton, Adjoa Andoh, Eve Myles and Gareth David-Lloyd). Although the appearances of Harriet Jones and Francine Jones are clearly intended to be surprises, the surprise is weakened for anyone who recognised the names of Wilton and Andoh in these opening credits. Despite their major roles in this episode, neither Bernard Cribbins nor Jacqueline King received similar credits.
  • Scientist and author Richard Dawkins has a cameo as himself. Dawkins was married to Lalla Ward, the actress who portrayed Romana II at the time. The two were introduced by Douglas Adams, who met Ward in his capacity as the show's script editor during the time Ward's ex-husband, Tom Baker, played the Fourth Doctor.
    • As chronicled in The Writer's Tale, the first draft of the script simply called for an elderly professor. It was Benjamin Cook, as part of his extended correspondence with Russell T Davies, who suggested Dawkins fill the role (to which Davies enthusiastically agreed).
  • The claws of the Daleks in Crucible are very similar to ones in the Dr. Who and the Daleks movie, but with eight fingers instead of two.
  • The clicking sound when the Time Beetle from Turn Left was mentioned occurred when Donna was offered water at the Shadow Proclamation, accompanied by similar words as when the Time Beetle was "seen" by somebody else: "There was something on your back."
  • The original Sci-Fi channel broadcast in the United States cut some scenes to fit the different commercial times.
  • The differences between the child-friendly Sarah Jane Adventures and the very adult-orientated Torchwood are reflected in the onscreen conference. Sarah mentions that she tries to steer away from Torchwood because they have "too many guns", nodding to Luke as she does so. Despite this, Jack cannot resist flirting with her and she seems to appreciate his compliment.
  • The concept of the bees leaving the earth and heading to another planet as it seems the end is near strongly reflects the dolphins from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, who also left the planet right before its impending doom. Though most likely a coincidence, it should be noted that Douglas Adams, who wrote Hitchhiker's Guide, was a writer and script editor for Doctor Who.
  • Another reference to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy occurs when a Dalek near the start of the episode shouts, "Resistance is useless." This line was often used by Vogons (an alien in THGTTG) when they captured Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect.
  • The CGI shot of the Doctor's TARDIS flying toward the Shadow Proclamation was previously used in The Parting of the Ways, where the Ninth Doctor flew the TARDIS into battle against a Dalek fleet, which bombarded it with torpedoes. Coincidentally, this episode is also centred around a major Dalek conflict.
Russell T Davies' sketch for his original concept of the Shadow Proclamation scene
While this scene was not transmitted in this episode, it could have been scaled down to become the space-bar scene in the final scenes of the second part of The End of Time. According to Russell T Davies, this version of the scene was never put into development due to the heavy toll it would've taken on the episode's budget.
  • When Sarah summons Mr Smith, she complains about the musical fanfare that accompanies the computer's activation; this is the culmination of a recurring gag in The Sarah Jane Adventures in which the same fanfare usually blares whenever Mr Smith is activated. This is the first time, however, that it is confirmed the characters actually hear this music.
  • An ongoing question relating to why the Doctor can't or won't go back to the era of the Time War to make things turn out differently is addressed by the Doctor indicating that the war is time-locked; Dalek Caan, having circumvented this barrier, paid for the experience with his sanity.
  • This story was chosen by BBC America to represent the David Tennant era during their 50th-anniversary programming. Edited into an omnibus format with Journey's End, it was aired by BBCA on 27 October 2013, after the debut of their homegrown special called The Doctors Revisited - The Tenth Doctor.
  • When Russell T Davies planned out season four, he envisioned the original companion Penny Carter in this episode, with Donna merely making a cameo, although there were concerns that Catherine Tate's schedule would prevent this.
  • Euros Lyn was originally assigned to direct, but he was moved to Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead instead.
  • Some thought was given to including Maria Jackson and Clyde Langer.
  • Russell T Davies had been impressed with Russell Tovey's performance as Alonso Frame in Voyage of the Damned and wanted to include him in the story. He would appear when the Doctor and Donna travelled to the Shadow Proclamation, and assist them in dealing with his superiors there. He would then journey with them in the TARDIS to the Dalek Crucible, only to be exterminated, allowing Davies to sacrifice somebody recognisable without having to kill off one of the show's better-established characters. This had been a concern for Davies during his development of the narrative, because he felt that the death of one of the Doctor's allies was necessary to demonstrate the scale of the adventure. This was scrapped when Tovey became unavailable.
  • Harriet Jones was brought back because both Julie Gardner and Phil Collinson felt that she was due a redemption.
  • It was not initially certain that Penelope Wilton would be free to reprise her role of Harriet Jones, and so Russell T Davies was also prepared to replace her with Mr Copper, Elton Pope, or Joan Redfern's great-great granddaughter. At one point, he considered having either Polly Wright or Tegan Jovanka fill her role
  • Originally, only six planets were required for the Daleks' scheme.
  • Russell T Davies' writing was affected by the development of a head cold and overrunning script constraints; he was annoyed that he had written "dialogue [he had] been dying to write" with a "faint heart" because he would have to cut it. Because he was behind schedule, he was forced to cancel plans to attend Billie Piper's wedding and almost cancelled plans to celebrate the New Year with his boyfriend. These problems affected his first draft of the Doctor's conversation with his companions and encounter with Davros; he dismissed it as "lame shit" which would waste licence-payers' money, and replaced it with a different version hours later. He eventually finished the script at 1 am on New Year's Eve.
  • David Tennant, Catherine Tate and Graeme Harper all made the creative decision to have the Doctor ignore any mention of the Daleks in his conversation with his companions, because they thought the Doctor's joviality in the scene would be otherwise inappropriate.
  • The scene in which Wilfred attempts to blind a Dalek using a paintball gun was suggested by Bernard Cribbins himself. He proposed it as a reference to Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D., which he appeared in, and thought it would provide comic relief in between heavy exposition. He also ad-libbed Wilf asking Rose to swap weapons after she blows up the Dalek.
  • General Sanchez was originally named Slade.
  • The Dalek's evaporating the paintball and replying "My vision is not impaired!" was added after Benjamin Cook reminded Russell T Davies it was "obligatory" to invert the recurring phrase spoken when a Dalek was blinded ("Vision impaired!"), and remove a weakness the Daleks had exhibited since their first appearance.
  • There was originally a lengthy flashback chronicling Davros' youth on Skaro, his experiments on Kaled soldiers, and the explosion which disfigured him.
  • The task of redesigning Davros fell to Neill Gorton of Millennium FX. Two Davros masks had been used in the classic series, and it was agreed that the new version should hew towards the original from Genesis of the Daleks, rather than the more distorted mask introduced in Resurrection of the Daleks. Davros' life support unit was newly-constructed, and was intended to have a sturdier appearance than the old prop. The only addition made was the metallic hand, as his real hand had been shot off in Revelation of the Daleks.
  • Russell T Davies wanted the Supreme Dalek to have a red livery as a nod to one of the main Daleks seen in Dr. Who and the Daleks and Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. A variety of possible designs were considered, including some with an oversized dome reminiscent of a samurai helmet, and others which boasted an enormous gun arm, inspired by the Special Weapons Dalek. The additional struts on the finished version were suggested by the antennas on Sputnik 1.
  • One of the Daleks built for Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways was now being used exclusively for exhibitions, so a replacement was needed. The original casing from Dalek was also restored to its bronze colour scheme, having been painted black to serve as Dalek Sec.
  • The scenes in the TARDIS were the first material to be filmed.
  • This two-parter comprised of Block Nine of season four.
  • Penelope Wilton filmed her scenes in one day. She agreed to return unconditionally because she "would do anything for ... Davies" and she wished to act in Phil Collinson's last filming block as producer
  • Paul O'Grady's cameo was filmed on the set of The New Paul O'Grady Show at The London Television Centre in Waterloo.
  • Terry Molloy was asked to reprise his role as Davros, but declined, as he was not fond of Russell T Davies' prior work.
  • The staircase which Donna is sitting on at the Shadow Proclamation is the same staircase on which Owen Harper fights death in Dead Man Walking.
  • There was a plan in one draft to have Sparrow & Nightingale to be crushed by a Dalek ship, but this scene wasn't filmed.
  • Russell T Davies considered destroying New York, but decided against it.
  • Russell T Davies had included a cameo role for Annette Badland as Margaret, who would now be in the care of the Jingatheen, but would react badly to the presence of the Doctor. Badland had already recorded accompanying dialogue but, unfortunately, it would go unused.
  • Rose almost didn't appear due to Billie Piper's honeymoon clashing with the original recording dates.
  • Russell T Davies compared the crossover's conception to a typical child's imagination of a crossover between the Doctor Who and Star Wars universe.
  • Instead of hearing the Daleks' repeated cry of "Exterminate", Captain Jack and Sarah Jane originally reacted to the sight of Dalek saucers.
  • Russell T Davies and Phil Collinson lamented killing off Harriet Jones. Collinson "[couldn't] bear the thought she's dead" and argued that she escaped death; and Davies generally stated in Doctor Who Magazine issue 397 that "when [significant characters a writer creates] have to die, it's a genuinely emotional time"
  • Russell T Davies wrote the climax as a pastiche of romance fiction and compared the reunion between Rose and the Doctor to "the biggest romance [the viewer] has ever seen" and joked that seminal films such as Gone with the Wind should have ended with a Dalek shooting the male lead, and intensified the scene's emotional impact through Billie Piper's cameos throughout the fourth series.
  • David Tennant described the Doctor's wounding as a "moment of high emotion" and lamented that "[the Doctor] can't have a happy moment, especially with a cliffhanger needing to be written".
  • The episode ended during the regeneration because Russell T Davies wanted to create the "biggest, most exciting cliffhanger in Doctor Who", and to differentiate the scene from previous regenerations, which were always completed at the end of serials. He considered its resolution—the regeneration process being halted by the Doctor, who siphoned the excess energy into his severed hand after his injuries were healed—legitimate because the hand was an important plot device in Journey's End's climax.
  • Gary Milner was cast as the extra "Scared Man" after misreading the callsheet as "Sacred Man" and creating a "priest-like" portrayal of the character.
  • Andrew Bullivant's role as the milkman in the cold open led to him being cast as PC Ferguson in The Tempation of Sarah Jane Smith.
  • Russell T Davies postponed Davros' return as he thought that "Davros would dominate the Daleks... like plain robots, instead of the scheming geniuses that they are", and used the previous series to establish the Daleks' individual intelligence.
  • Russell T Davies cast Julian Bleach as Davros after his performances in his Olivier Award-winning play Shockheaded Peter and as the Ghostmaker in From Out of the Rain.
  • To keep the return of Davros secret, the character was referred to as "The Enemy" or "Dave [Ross]" among the crew and was kept anonymous on the shooting scripts as much as possible; however, the Radio Times called the secret "one of the worst-kept ... in television history".
  • David Tennant liked Davros' "Hitlerian megalomaniac" attitude and the nostalgic feeling he created. He described himself as being "absolutely captivated by [the] extraordinary creature".
  • To prepare for his role, Julian Bleach reviewed Genesis of the Daleks, one of his favourite serials, to remind himself of Davros' voice.
  • Julian Bleach described his interpretation of Davros as that of "[a] twisted megalomaniac, [a] mad scientist, [and a] misguided genius" at the same time and described the character as a whole as "a cross between Hitler and Stephen Hawking" whose "nihilistic desires" made the character "extraordinary". Bleach would later use Hitler's oratorical skills and his "dogmatic speeches" as a reference point.
  • The production team made two minor changes to Davros' design: they removed his microphone and completely redesigned the headpiece. The team felt that the microphone was redundant because Davros did not "speak in a whisper and need something to make him more audible", and originally intended to leave Julian Bleach's voice unaltered in post-production: the decision to treat the voice was not made until late May 2008; and Neill Gorton thought the original headpiece "always seemed particularly weak" for "such a powerful character". After he was informed that the production designer for Genesis of the Daleks wanted the headpiece to resemble a medical brace, Gorton redesigned it to appear to be "screwed directly into [Davros'] head".
  • Concept artist Peter McKinstry aimed to make Davros "bigger and scarier" by updating the "flimsy" design of the classic series.
  • Louise Page and Neill Gorton contemporaneously collaborated on Davros' upper body. Page designed the leather tunic—which Gorton thought was "a beautiful piece of costume...which echoes the classic design"—and Gorton designed the ribcage. Russell T Davies explained the use of the leather tunic and the exposed ribcage: "Seriously, Davros is meant to be horrific, and we've had so many withered geniuses in sci-fi lately–like Emperor Palpatine in Star Wars–that I needed something to make everyone sit up and realise that this man is the King of Horror: the original and the best! And he's been through so many physical changes over the years, I wanted to add one of my own. I asked Louise to give him the new jacket buckles, because I wanted it to look like a straitjacket. It just seemed to fit, cos he's so insane!"
  • Russell T Davies compared the crossover's conception to a typical child's imagination of a crossover between the Doctor Who and Star Wars universes: "When you see the story, it'll make so much sense that all these characters are involved. It's simply doing what kids do in their imaginations: they're experts at crossovers and would think of nothing of having their Dalek toys battling Star Wars droids. Why not have all the factions of the Doctor Who universe going into battle together?"
  • The animatronic of the Dalek mutant had to be recreated for the episode, because the previous prop that was used in Dalek and The Parting of the Ways was irreversibly damaged by water when the latter was filmed.
  • This was the first appearance of the Daleks since Evolution of the Daleks; consequently, the prop controllers experienced difficulty re-adapting to their roles.
  • Russell T Davies' inclusion of the Daleks as part of the crossover was intended to create a "charged atmosphere" for the protagonists: Jack was killed by the Daleks; Rose and Martha were present at two of their apparent extinctions; and Sarah was present at their creation.
  • Nicholas Briggs adopted a different voice for each Dalek model: he adopted a grandiose voice for the Supreme Dalek to fit his perception of the character as egotistical; and he adopted a sing-song voice for Caan to reflect the character's insanity as a result of entering the Time War.
  • Nicholas Briggs justified his interpretation of Caan by explaining that "[Caan] can't tell when he's happy or sad, his emphasis is very strange and he finds things funny when things aren't funny", creating a soothsayer personality with an "almost pure" mind.
  • Nicholas Briggs told Doctor Who Magazine: "My theory on Caan is that being sucked through the Time War and blown out the other end has kind of reverse-wired–or random-wired–his brain, so all his neurons are firing in constantly changing, random, insane ways. That's why he doesn't really know what's funny or serious. He just knows the truth, and it blurts out in this odd, cryptic way. I think he's frozen in a moment of excrutiating [sic] ecstasy. When any emotion surges up inside him, it makes him laugh, whether its appropriate or not".
  • Nicholas Briggs' portrayal of Caan was well-received by the production team: Graeme Harper "loved Caan's giggling" and requested "more ... on every take"; and Russell T Davies described Caan as "the creepiest Dalek yet".
  • The Dalek eyestalk exhibits a minuscule twitch in scenes, a characteristic added by Graeme Harper to make them appear cautious and "on-edge".
  • The episode features the first external location shots of the Daleks and the greatest proportion of filming undertaken at night since the show's revival: apart from the pre-credits sequence set in suburban London, all of the scenes set on Earth were filmed at night.
  • David Tennant and Catherine Tate filmed the trailer for the fourth series because they were not required on location.
  • The Doctor and Rose's reunion was filmed in Penarth town centre, in front of two hundred people; consequently, the scene was leaked onto the Internet and reported in the next day's edition of The Sun.
  • Graeme Harper insisted that the Doctor and Rosee's reunion appear "mystical" because the characters' reunion was "the most magical moment" in the entire episode and Ernie Vincze, the Director of Photography, compared the scene's feeling to Blade Runner.
  • The production team was prepared to postpone filming due to a traffic accident on the first day of filming.
  • Filming Hariet Jones' death scene was stalled because of difficulty transporting the Dalek props into the cottage: specifically, the raised patio doors made it difficult to balance and maneuver the props.
  • The Mill created two notable effects: the invasion of New York City, using reconnaissance photos and establishing shots from the filming of Daleks in Manhattan to create a 2.5D shot of the city; and the planetary array at the Medusa Cascade, using a fully three-dimensional model.
  • The number of effects in the first draft was almost three times larger than broadcast; consequently, several scenes—most notably, all but one shot of the attack on the Valiant—were cut from the episode.
  • The last exterior scene filmed was recorded in the regular The Sarah Jane Adventures filming location of Clinton Road in Penarth, and consisted of external shots of Sarah's house and two Daleks accosting Sarah en route to meeting the Doctor.
  • Richard Dawkins and Paul O'Grady's cameos were the last scenes to be filmed.

Ratings[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • 8.78 million (UK final)[3]

Myths and rumours[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • The presence of Davros in this episode had been rumoured for a long time before broadcast. An associated rumour suggested that the episode would reveal that Donna was actually Davros in disguise or Caan mutated himself into Davros. See the Myths and rumours section in Journey's End for additional rumours related to Donna.
  • It was also rumoured on the fan boards that Patrick Stewart or Ben Kingsley might have been cast as Davros. The speculation surrounding Stewart followed media reports of his interest in appearing in Doctor Who after it was announced that he and Tennant would perform a season of Shakespeare together in 2008. Ultimately, Julian Bleach was revealed to be playing the character.
  • The cliffhanger regeneration ending sparked a week's worth of widespread speculation as to whether David Tennant was in fact about to hand the role over to another actor, despite reports that he was to at least appear in the upcoming Christmas special. The rumours, of course, were put to bed upon the cliffhanger's resolution.
  • It was also rumoured that there would be a massive fight between the Judoon and the Daleks that would decide the fate of planet Earth. This was proven false.
  • It has been rumoured, but never confirmed, that Russell T Davies was originally planning to bring back Clive Swift as Mr Copper from Voyage of the Damned, but changed his mind after Swift's interview for DWM 391 in which he refused to answer some questions and insulted the interviewer Benjamin Cook, the franchise, and the fandom in general before terminating the interview altogether.

Filming locations[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • High Street, Penarth (The Doctor and Donna arrive back on Earth)
  • Queen's Road, Penarth (Rose materialises and runs to the Doctor)
  • Arcot Street, Perth (Jack materialises and destroys the Dalek)
  • Brook Street, Riverside, Cardiff (Daleks round up prisoners on the protesters' house)
  • South Wales Traffic Management Centre, Coryton, Cardiff (UNIT HQ in New York)
  • Lower House, Michaelston-le-Pit, Cardiff (Harriet's House)
  • Wales Museum Collections Centre, Heol Crochendy, Parc Nantgarw (Martha is taken to Project Indigo)
  • Cwrt-y-Vil Road, Penarth (Martha materialises at her mother's house)

Production errors[[edit] | [edit source]]

If you'd like to talk about narrative problems with this story — like plot holes and things that seem to contradict other stories — please go to this episode's discontinuity discussion.
  • In the scene just before Martha teleports with Project Indigo, her earpiece disappears, then reappears when she takes it off.
  • When Jack hears Martha use Project Indigo, in spite of him kicking his filing cabinet to drown it out, he can still clearly be heard screaming "Shit!"
  • When Harriet Jones transfers the Subway Network to Torchwood, the UI animation of the transmission has the map end up in Swansea, instead of Cardiff, where the Hub is.
  • When the Daleks discover the location of the subwave network has been moved to Torchwood, the Dalek who announces it to the Supreme Dalek only has its eyestalk light turned on just as he says Torchwood, which is the last word of the line.
  • The Bluray release of this story uses the wrong font to credit the additional cast immediately after the opening titles. Traditionally, the font used for the Russell T Davies era is "Futura Book", however the font used on the Russell T Davies era blu-rays is "Futura Medium", and this font is still used to credit the Producers and for the title card. An entirely different font - "Tahoma" - is used to credit Penelope Wilton, Adjoa Andoh, Eve Myles and Gareth David-Lloyd in this episode. The error is repeated in Journey's End.

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

Home video releases[[edit] | [edit source]]


  • This story was released in the Series 4 DVD box set in November 2008 along with the rest of the series.
  • It was released as Series 4 Volume 4 in a vanilla edition with Turn Left and Journey's End.

External links[[edit] | [edit source]]

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]