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{{Infobox Individual
{{Infobox Individual
|individual name= The Wire
|image      = The Wire.jpg
|image= [[image:WirePerspectiveShot.jpg|250px|]]
|alias      =
|race= Unknown
|species    = Hermethican
|home planet= [[Hermethica]]
|origin      = [[Hermethica]]
|home era= [[1953]]
|first      = Tardisode 7
|appearances= [[TS]]: ''[[Tardisode 7]]''<br>[[DW]]: ''[[The Idiot's Lantern]]''
|appearances = {{Il|[[TV]]: ''[[The Idiot's Lantern (TV story)|The Idiot's Lantern]]''|[[PROSE]]: ''[[Loose Wire (short story)|Loose Wire]]''}}
|actor= [[Maureen Lipman]]
|actor       = Maureen Lipman
}}
|clip        = The Wire - Doctor Who - The Idiots Lantern - BBC
|clip2      = End of Transmission - Doctor Who - The Idiots Lantern - BBC
}}{{you may|The Wire (video game)|n1 = the game}}
'''The Wire''' was a [[Hermethican]] [[criminal]] who escaped execution by becoming an energy being that, according to the [[Tenth Doctor]], took the "essences" and "souls" of the [[television]]-watching population of [[Great Britain]] in [[1953]] for a few days before and during the coronation of [[Queen Elizabeth II]]. Because her physical body had been destroyed by the time the Doctor encountered her, the Wire's true form remained unknown to him.


{{quote|Now, are you sitting comfortably? Good, then we'll begin.|The Wire.|The Idiot's Lantern}}
== Biography ==
The Wire led a gang of criminals on the planet [[Hermethica]] until she was captured, sentenced to death, and executed. Her group had discovered a way to transform themselves into pure energy, a technique she used to escape execution by transmitting herself to [[Earth]] through a communications device ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Time Traveller's Almanac (reference book)|The Time Traveller's Almanac]]'') that one of her executioners was using to illegally record the execution. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Creatures and Demons (reference book)|Creatures and Demons]]'')


'''The Wire''' is an [[alien]] life form that was executed by its people, on the planet [[Hermethica]], branded a criminal mastermind of the planet's crime syndicates. It managed to preserve itself as a being of plasmic energy, because her guard's communication device was on and he was illegally recording the execution. It escaped to [[Earth]] in this form.
She concealed herself in [[television]] signals, transferring herself from set to set. She fed off the mental signals of [[human]] [[brain]]s, paralysing them and sucking out their energy with electrical tendrils. This process left the victims mindless and faceless. The victim's [[consciousness]] remained intact, as seen when the Wire showed the Doctor a sampling of her victims on the televisions in Magpie's shop. The Wire used the image of a female {{w|Continuity Announcer|BBC continuity announcer}} to communicate with the outside world. She hoped to use this energy to manifest herself in corporeal form once more. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Idiot's Lantern (TV story)|The Idiot's Lantern]]'')


It concealed itself in [[television]] signals, transferring itself from set to set. It fed off the mental signals of [[Human]]s, paralysing them and then leeching out their energy with electrical tendrils ([[DW]]: ''[[The Idiot's Lantern]]'') This process would leave the victim mindless, as well as faceless. This monster fed off the face of [[Rose Tyler]]. Her face was then trapped in a television set; she was still able to talk. The Wire used the image of a female [[wikipedia:Continuity Announcer|BBC continuity announcer]] to communicate with the outside world. It hoped to use this energy to manifest itself in a corporeal form once more.
[[Lizbeth Hayhoe]] of [[Torchwood One]], in charge of [[Room 13]], had the faceless victims placed in cages soon before the Coronation. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Parasite (audio story)|Parasite]]'')


The Wire stole the face of [[Mr Magpie]], who owned an [[Magpie Electricals|electrical shop]], and gave it back to him, giving him plans for then-future technologies (such as televisions small enough to carry in one hand) and promising freedom to him after the completion of its simple two-phase plan: First, have Magpie sell cheap [[television]] sets all over [[North London]] so it could feed.
The Wire stole the face of [[Magpie (The Idiot's Lantern)|Mr Magpie]], who owned an [[Magpie Electricals|electrical shop]], but returned it to him and give him plans for then-future technologies (such as a portable television small enough to carry in one hand), promising him freedom after the completion of its simple two-phase plan: First, have Magpie sell cheap [[television]] sets all over North [[London]] so she could feed. Second, have Magpie connect the Wire (inside the portable television) to the television transmission tower at [[Alexandra Palace]] on [[Queen Elizabeth II]]'s coronation day, [[2 June|June 2nd]], [[1953]]. Connected to the tower, the Wire would both transmit herself to the estimated three million viewers watching in the vicinity and transmit back energy she would use to reconstitute her corporeal body. After Magpie complied with the Wire's demands and then asked for a reprieve from the torture she put him through, she responded by disintegrating him with a bolt of [[electricity]].


Second, have Magpie connect the Wire (inside a portable television) to the television transmission tower at [[Alexandra Palace]] on [[Queen Elizabeth II]]'s coronation day, which would happen [[June 2]], [[1953]]. Connected to the tower, the Wire could both transmit itself to the estimated three million viewers watching in the vicinity and transmit back the energy it thought it could use to re-constitute its body.
The [[Tenth Doctor]] trapped the Wire on a [[Betamax]] tape using a homemade [[VCR|video recorder]]. The Wire's victims were also restored to their normal selves. The Doctor seemed confident that the Wire would remain trapped, but said that he would tape over her, just to be safe. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Idiot's Lantern (TV story)|The Idiot's Lantern]]'')


However, [[Tenth Doctor|the Doctor]] was able to trap the Wire on a Betamax tape using a makeshift video recorder. The Wire's victims were then restored to normality. The Doctor seemed confident that the Wire would remain trapped, but said that he would tape over it, just to be safe. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Idiot's Lantern]]'')
The Doctor accidentally released the Wire whilst looking for his copy of ''[[It's a Wonderful Life]]''. He trapped her in a small suburban house, where [[Alice Wu]] helped him to recapture her. After the Wire destroyed Alice's [[smart phone]], the Doctor upgraded it into a new "[[superphone]]". ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Loose Wire (short story)|Loose Wire]]'')


The Wire resurfaced some 30 years later, in another attempted invasion though television. This was known as the "[[Bee-Tee Incident]]", but it has never been officially confirmed or denied.
== References ==
:''All additional information is recorded on page 92 of the book [[Creatures and Demons]].''
An image of the Wire was present next to the the [[Tenth Doctor]] when he was conversing with his other incarnations via the TARDIS' [[telepathic circuits]]. ([[WC]]: ''[[Doctors Assemble! (webcast)|Doctors Assemble!]]'')


{{Series 2 aliens}}
The Doctor noted that he didn't know what the Wire's true form looked like. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Loose Wire (short story)|Loose Wire]]'')


{{Wikipedia|List of Doctor Who villains}}
One source attempted to describe the [[Vardan]]s by saying they were like a cross between the Wire and the [[Kasaavin]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Whotopia: The Ultimate Guide to the Whoniverse (reference book)|Whotopia: The Ultimate Guide to the Whoniverse]]'')


[[Category:Criminals|Wire, The]]
== Personality ==
[[Category:Energy beings|Wire, The]]
The Wire was cheerful by nature at first, hardly ever degrading from a genial smile and a bright attitude. Underneath her happy-go-lucky exterior, the Wire was a calculating and sadistic maniac with no scruples or moral compass and lack of any ethical capacities. She laughed maniacally whilst consuming the souls of others and taunted the Doctor on his apparent failure before her defeat. She remarked that her own people tried to execute her, suggesting that she was a dangerous criminal. She showed a playfully cruel sense of humour, granting Magpie his "peace" by destroying him after he was no longer useful, and previously asking if he was comfortable before tormenting him.
[[Category:Tenth Doctor enemies|Wire, The]]
 
[[Category:Individuals of unknown species|Wire, The]]
The Wire was also rather intelligent, shown by how elaborately she planned to absorb the minds of London. When she tried to feed off the Doctor, she remarked that he was particularly nutritious, due to the brainpower of a Time Lord, and even commented on his genius. However, she knew when to back down at times, retreating after he threatened her with his sonic screwdriver. The Wire complained of an intense hunger, which meant that she needed to feed off the souls of other life forms in order to survive, and she had to do so repeatedly. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Idiot's Lantern (TV story)|The Idiot's Lantern]]'')
 
== Behind the scenes ==
[[File:Mills.JPG|thumb|left|Annette Mills, the BBC children's Television star upon whom the Wire's disguise is based.]]
The Wire's disguise was based on Annette Mills, a children's television host in the 1940s and 1950s, known to start off her show ''For The Children'' with the phrase "Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin."
 
As part of the "Insane Invasions" feature of ''[[Doctor Who Adventures]]'', [[DWA 20]] humourously contemplated a scenario in which the Wire and the [[Abzorbaloff]], while attempting to invade the same [[planet]], tried to absorb each other in a [[tug of war]]. Ultimately, the Abzorbaloff succeeds in absorbing the Wire, resulting in his stomach sporting a television screen with the Wire's image. In a clear reference to the ''[[Teletubbies]]'', the Abzorbaloff exclaims "Eh-oh!" and is said to be getting his own show on [[CBeebies]].
{{TitleSort}}
 
[[Category:Energy beings]]
[[Category:Individuals with psychic powers]]
[[Category:Murderers]]
[[Category:Imposters]]
[[Category:20th century individuals]]
[[Category:21st century individuals]]
[[Category:Individuals who have been inside the Doctor's TARDIS]]

Latest revision as of 23:44, 4 December 2023

You may be looking for the game.

The Wire was a Hermethican criminal who escaped execution by becoming an energy being that, according to the Tenth Doctor, took the "essences" and "souls" of the television-watching population of Great Britain in 1953 for a few days before and during the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Because her physical body had been destroyed by the time the Doctor encountered her, the Wire's true form remained unknown to him.

Biography[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Wire led a gang of criminals on the planet Hermethica until she was captured, sentenced to death, and executed. Her group had discovered a way to transform themselves into pure energy, a technique she used to escape execution by transmitting herself to Earth through a communications device (PROSE: The Time Traveller's Almanac) that one of her executioners was using to illegally record the execution. (PROSE: Creatures and Demons)

She concealed herself in television signals, transferring herself from set to set. She fed off the mental signals of human brains, paralysing them and sucking out their energy with electrical tendrils. This process left the victims mindless and faceless. The victim's consciousness remained intact, as seen when the Wire showed the Doctor a sampling of her victims on the televisions in Magpie's shop. The Wire used the image of a female BBC continuity announcer to communicate with the outside world. She hoped to use this energy to manifest herself in corporeal form once more. (TV: The Idiot's Lantern)

Lizbeth Hayhoe of Torchwood One, in charge of Room 13, had the faceless victims placed in cages soon before the Coronation. (AUDIO: Parasite)

The Wire stole the face of Mr Magpie, who owned an electrical shop, but returned it to him and give him plans for then-future technologies (such as a portable television small enough to carry in one hand), promising him freedom after the completion of its simple two-phase plan: First, have Magpie sell cheap television sets all over North London so she could feed. Second, have Magpie connect the Wire (inside the portable television) to the television transmission tower at Alexandra Palace on Queen Elizabeth II's coronation day, June 2nd, 1953. Connected to the tower, the Wire would both transmit herself to the estimated three million viewers watching in the vicinity and transmit back energy she would use to reconstitute her corporeal body. After Magpie complied with the Wire's demands and then asked for a reprieve from the torture she put him through, she responded by disintegrating him with a bolt of electricity.

The Tenth Doctor trapped the Wire on a Betamax tape using a homemade video recorder. The Wire's victims were also restored to their normal selves. The Doctor seemed confident that the Wire would remain trapped, but said that he would tape over her, just to be safe. (TV: The Idiot's Lantern)

The Doctor accidentally released the Wire whilst looking for his copy of It's a Wonderful Life. He trapped her in a small suburban house, where Alice Wu helped him to recapture her. After the Wire destroyed Alice's smart phone, the Doctor upgraded it into a new "superphone". (PROSE: Loose Wire)

References[[edit] | [edit source]]

An image of the Wire was present next to the the Tenth Doctor when he was conversing with his other incarnations via the TARDIS' telepathic circuits. (WC: Doctors Assemble!)

The Doctor noted that he didn't know what the Wire's true form looked like. (PROSE: Loose Wire)

One source attempted to describe the Vardans by saying they were like a cross between the Wire and the Kasaavin. (PROSE: Whotopia: The Ultimate Guide to the Whoniverse)

Personality[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Wire was cheerful by nature at first, hardly ever degrading from a genial smile and a bright attitude. Underneath her happy-go-lucky exterior, the Wire was a calculating and sadistic maniac with no scruples or moral compass and lack of any ethical capacities. She laughed maniacally whilst consuming the souls of others and taunted the Doctor on his apparent failure before her defeat. She remarked that her own people tried to execute her, suggesting that she was a dangerous criminal. She showed a playfully cruel sense of humour, granting Magpie his "peace" by destroying him after he was no longer useful, and previously asking if he was comfortable before tormenting him.

The Wire was also rather intelligent, shown by how elaborately she planned to absorb the minds of London. When she tried to feed off the Doctor, she remarked that he was particularly nutritious, due to the brainpower of a Time Lord, and even commented on his genius. However, she knew when to back down at times, retreating after he threatened her with his sonic screwdriver. The Wire complained of an intense hunger, which meant that she needed to feed off the souls of other life forms in order to survive, and she had to do so repeatedly. (TV: The Idiot's Lantern)

Behind the scenes[[edit] | [edit source]]

Annette Mills, the BBC children's Television star upon whom the Wire's disguise is based.

The Wire's disguise was based on Annette Mills, a children's television host in the 1940s and 1950s, known to start off her show For The Children with the phrase "Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin."

As part of the "Insane Invasions" feature of Doctor Who Adventures, DWA 20 humourously contemplated a scenario in which the Wire and the Abzorbaloff, while attempting to invade the same planet, tried to absorb each other in a tug of war. Ultimately, the Abzorbaloff succeeds in absorbing the Wire, resulting in his stomach sporting a television screen with the Wire's image. In a clear reference to the Teletubbies, the Abzorbaloff exclaims "Eh-oh!" and is said to be getting his own show on CBeebies.

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