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{{wikipediainfo}}
{{wikipediainfo}}
{{Infobox Species
{{Infobox Species
|image        = Rat.jpg
|image        = Rats - Home Assistant.jpg
|aka          =  
|aka          =  
|type          = [[Mammal]]
|type          = [[Rodent]]
|affiliation  =  
|affiliation  =  
|origin        = [[Earth]]
|origin        = [[Earth]]
|first mention = The Reign of Terror (TV story)
|first mention = The Reign of Terror (TV story)
|first        = Challenge of the Piper (comic story)
|first        = Challenge of the Piper (comic story)
|appearances  = [[Rats - list of appearances|'''''see list''''']]
|appearances  = {{appears}}
|individuals  = [[Rose (The Triple Knife)|Rose]], [[Ron Rat]]
|individuals  = [[Rose (The Triple Knife)|Rose]], [[Ron Rat]]
}}
}}
{{looks like|Rat (It Takes You Away)|Pig-rat}}
{{looks like|Rat (It Takes You Away)|Pig-rat}}
'''Rats''' were small [[mammal]]s ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Sleeping Blood (audio story)|The Sleeping Blood]]'') found on [[Earth]] and other planets. They were generally considered pests by [[human]]s. [[Polly Wright|Polly]] was virtually incapacitated by her fear of rats in a [[17th century]] jail, ([[TV]]: ''[[The Smugglers (TV story)|The Smugglers]]'') and the [[Eleventh Doctor]] once claimed to hate rats, ([[TV]]: ''[[The Wedding of River Song (TV story)|The Wedding of River Song]]'') with his [[sixth incarnation]] attempting to murder [[Ron Rat]] for simply insulting ''[[Doctor Who (N-Space)|Doctor Who]]''. ([[TV]]: ''[[Untitled (1986 TV story)|Untitled]]'') Rats were often associated with [[cheese]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Bells of Saint John (TV story)|The Bells of Saint John]]'') In [[the Doctor's TARDIS]], [[Erimem]] fed [[Antranak (cat)|Antranak]] dead rats from the [[food machine]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Nekromanteia (audio story)|Nekromanteia]]'')
'''Rats''' were small [[rodent]]s ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|The Plotters (novel)}}) found on [[Earth]] and other planets. They were generally considered pests by [[human]]s. [[Polly Wright|Polly]] was virtually incapacitated by her fear of rats in a [[17th century]] jail, ([[TV]]: {{cs|The Smugglers (TV story)}}) and the [[Eleventh Doctor]] once claimed to hate rats, ([[TV]]: {{cs|The Wedding of River Song (TV story)}}) with his [[sixth incarnation]] attempting to murder [[Reggie Rat]] for simply insulting ''[[Doctor Who (in-universe)|Doctor Who]]''. ([[TV]]: {{cs|Untitled (1986 TV story)}}) Rats were often associated with [[cheese]]. ([[TV]]: {{cs|The Bells of Saint John (TV story)}}) In [[the Doctor's TARDIS]], [[Erimem]] fed [[Antranak (cat)|Antranak]] dead rats from the [[food machine]]. ([[AUDIO]]: {{cs|Nekromanteia (audio story)}})


The collective term for rats was a "mischief". ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Avatars of the Intelligence (novel)|Avatars of the Intelligence]]'')
The collective term for rats was a "mischief". ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|Avatars of the Intelligence (novel)}})


== Earth rats ==
== Earth rats ==
According to folklore, the [[Pied Piper]] rid the [[Germany|German]] town of [[Hamelin]] of its rats in exchange for twenty bags of [[gold]] in [[1284]]. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Challenge of the Piper (comic story)|Challenge of the Piper]]'', [[TV]]: ''[[The Day of the Clown (TV story)|The Day of the Clown]]'')
=== 13th century ===
According to folklore, the [[Pied Piper]] rid the [[Germany|German]] town of [[Hamelin]] of its rats in exchange for twenty bags of [[gold]] in [[1284]]. ([[COMIC]]: {{cs|Challenge of the Piper (comic story)}}, [[TV]]: {{cs|The Day of the Clown (TV story)}})


Upon arriving in [[1601]], [[Susan Foreman]] was disgusted by a "gigantic" rat, even as her grandfather assured that it was likely more scared of her than she of it. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Hollow Crown (audio story)|The Hollow Crown]]'')
=== 14th century ===
In the [[14th century]], [[flea]]s on rats carried the [[bubonic plague]] throughout [[Europe]]. [[Terileptil]] prisoners who found themselves near London in [[1666]] exploited this to engineer a new plague variant that was injected into the rats. This plague was prevented by the [[Fifth Doctor]]. ([[TV]]: {{cs|The Visitation (TV story)}})


In [[1605]], the drains near the [[Houses of Parliament]] in [[London]] were infested with rats. The plotter [[Thomas Percy]] was disgusted by them. ([[GAME]]: ''[[The Gunpowder Plot (video game)|The Gunpowder Plot]]'')
=== 17th century ===
Upon arriving in [[1601]], [[Susan Foreman]] was disgusted by a "gigantic" rat, even as her grandfather assured that it was likely more scared of her than she of it. ([[AUDIO]]: {{cs|The Hollow Crown (audio story)}})


In the [[14th century]], [[flea]]s on rats carried the [[bubonic plague]] throughout [[Europe]]. [[Terileptil]] prisoners who found themselves near London in [[1666]] exploited this to engineer a new plague variant that was injected into the rats. This plague was prevented by the [[Fifth Doctor]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Visitation (TV story)|The Visitation]]'')
In [[1605]], the drains near the [[Houses of Parliament]] in [[London]] were infested with rats. The plotter [[Thomas Percy]] was disgusted by them. ([[GAME]]: {{cs|The Gunpowder Plot (video game)}})


In [[Paris]] in [[July]] [[1794]], [[Susan Foreman|Susan]] was frightened by the rats she saw in the jail cell in which she and [[Barbara Wright]] were imprisoned. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Reign of Terror (TV story)|The Reign of Terror]]'')
=== 18th century ===
In [[Paris]] in [[July]] [[1794]], [[Susan Foreman|Susan]] was frightened by the rats she saw in the jail cell in which she and [[Barbara Wright]] were imprisoned. ([[TV]]: {{cs|The Reign of Terror (TV story)}})


While escaping the [[Squall]] in [[1910]], [[Amy Pond]] and [[Rory Williams]] entered the [[London sewers]]. The sewers were infested with rats, to Amy's horror. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Paradox Lost (novel)|Paradox Lost]]'')
=== 20th century ===
While escaping [[The Squall]] in [[1910]], [[Amy Pond]] and [[Rory Williams]] entered the [[London sewers]]. The sewers were infested with rats, to Amy's horror. ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|Paradox Lost (novel)}})


During the [[First World War]], soldiers such as [[Archibald Hamish Lethbridge-Stewart]] were "used to rats". ([[TV]]: ''[[Twice Upon a Time (TV story)|Twice Upon a Time]]'') Some rats were modified by the [[Dalek]]s as part of the [[Dalek Project]]. A cyborg rat saw [[Corporal]] [[Edward Anderson]] running through a trench. The rat followed him and was killed. Another rat observed the [[Eleventh Doctor]] and his [[companion]]s running through the trench before going to [[Hellcombe Factory]]. After the Daleks were defeated, a surviving modified rat saw the Doctor and [[Angela Todd]] drinking tea. In [[2017]], a rat crawled on a nearly damaged Dalek as its eyestalk glowed blue, indicating that the Dalek was still alive. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[The Dalek Project (comic story)|The Dalek Project]]'')
During the [[First World War]], soldiers such as [[Archibald Hamish Lethbridge-Stewart]] were "used to rats". ([[TV]]: {{cs|Twice Upon a Time (TV story)}}) Some rats were modified by the [[Dalek]]s as part of the [[Dalek Project]]. A cyborg rat saw [[Corporal]] [[Edward Anderson]] running through a trench. The rat followed him and was killed. Another rat observed the [[Eleventh Doctor]] and his [[companion]]s running through the trench before going to [[Hellcombe Factory]]. After the Daleks were defeated, a surviving modified rat saw the Doctor and [[Angela Todd]] drinking tea. In [[2017]], a rat crawled on a nearly damaged Dalek as its eyestalk glowed blue, indicating that the Dalek was still alive. ([[COMIC]]: {{cs|The Dalek Project (comic story)}})


During the [[Spanish Civil War]], the trenches were often infested with rats. [[George Orwell]] found them the most distressing factor of trench warfare. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[History 101 (novel)|History 101]]'')
During the [[Spanish Civil War]], the trenches were often infested with rats. [[George Orwell]] found them the most distressing factor of trench warfare. ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|History 101 (novel)}})


In the [[1970s]], [[Arthur Linwood]], a medical student with a morbid fear of rats, was killed at [[Stangmoor Prison]] when the [[Keller Machine]] turned his fear against him. His fear was so great that rat bites and scratches manifested on his face and neck. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Mind of Evil (TV story)|The Mind of Evil]]'')
In an account dated to [[January]] [[1965]], while [[Lady]] [[Penelope Creighton-Ward]] was being held captive by [[Carl (The Man from MI.5)|Carl]], with a [[bomb]] ready to be placed with a detonation time of [[90 (number)|90]] [[minutes]], [[Jeff Tracy]] attempted to use the [[Emergency Code Machine]] to send a message using "[[Contact Code 5]]" that only she could translate, as to others, it was simply a "[[tapping]] [[noise]]". After this was noticed by Carl, he questioned the noise, as well as its sudden disappearance. Lady Penelope told him that it "must have been rats", as "these places [did] have them", going on to claim that he "must have some rats". After Carl asked if she was "trying to be [[funny]]", she went on to claim that she was simply trying to [[Explanation|explain]] the noise and, as Jeff had visual and audio contact with her via her communicator disguised as a makeup mirror, she was able to tell him Carl's plans without Carl noticing, by asking if the rats would leave the boat before the explosion, or if they'd "go up with it" as well. ([[TV]]: {{cs|The Man from MI.5 (TV story)}})
[[File:Shockeye eating a rat.jpg|thumb|[[Shockeye of the Quawncing Grig]], contemplating the taste of [[rat]] flesh. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Two Doctors (TV story)|The Two Doctors]]'')]]
In the cellar of a [[Spain|Spanish]] hacienda in the [[1980s]], [[Shockeye of the Quawncing Grig]] caught a rat, broke its neck and began to devour it raw. He was displeased with the taste, hypothesising it might be more tolerable smoke-dried. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Two Doctors (TV story)|The Two Doctors]]'')


In [[2007]], undercover [[Krillitane]] at [[Deffry Vale High School]] freeze-dried rats to eat later. [[Mickey Smith]] let out a scream when accidentally discovering this supply. ([[TV]]: ''[[School Reunion (TV story)|School Reunion]]'')
Other sources dated the activities of [[International Rescue]] to the [[1990s]], ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|The Dying Days (novel)}}) the [[2060s]], ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|Titan Declares War! (short story)}} et al.) and the [[2080s]]. ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|Captain Scarlet in Death Crash! (short story)}}, et al.) In at least one of these timeframes, the [[year]] [[2066]], Tin-Tin was shown to be alive and well. ([[COMIC]]: {{cs|Solar Danger (comic story)}})
[[File:Shockeye eating a rat.jpg|thumb|[[Shockeye o' the Quawncing Grig]], contemplating the taste of rat flesh. ([[TV]]: {{cs|The Two Doctors (TV story)}})]]
In the [[1970s]], [[Arthur Linwood]], a medical student with a morbid fear of rats, was killed at [[Stangmoor Prison]] when the [[Keller Machine]] turned his fear against him. His fear was so great that rat bites and scratches manifested on his face and neck. ([[TV]]: {{cs|The Mind of Evil (TV story)}})


The brother of [[Gwen Cooper]]'s friend [[Janice (Love Rat)|Janice]] had a pet rat named [[Fang (Love Rat)|Fang]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Love Rat (audio story)|Love Rat]]'')
In the cellar of a [[Spain|Spanish]] hacienda in the [[1980s]], [[Shockeye o' the Quawncing Grig]] caught a rat, broke its neck and began to devour it raw. He was displeased with the taste, hypothesising it might be more tolerable smoke-dried. ([[TV]]: {{cs|The Two Doctors (TV story)}})


The [[Fifth Doctor]] found some rats in [[Striker]]'s [[Edwardian era|Edwardian]] [[Shadow (spaceship)|yacht]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Enlightenment (TV story)|Enlightenment]]'')
=== 21st century ===
[[File:Rat Monthly.jpg|left|thumb|An issue of ''[[Rat Monthly]]''. ([[WC]]: {{cs|Home Assistant (webcast)}})]]
In [[2007]], undercover [[Krillitane]] at [[Deffry Vale High School]] freeze-dried rats to eat later. [[Mickey Smith]] let out a scream when accidentally discovering this supply. ([[TV]]: {{cs|School Reunion (TV story)}})


In [[2050]], the [[Space-Time Manipulator]] released a couple of black rats in [[Gryffen Manor]], frightening [[Darius Pike]]. While these rats were otherwise identical to normal rats, they multiplied once every ten seconds. ([[TV]]: ''[[Liberation (TV story)|Liberation]]'')
In the 21st century, ''[[Rat Monthly]]'' was a periodical dedicated to rats. One issue of it contained the articles "[[Love|LOVE]] RATS", "NOW RAT'S WHAT I CALL [[Music|MUSIC]]", and "[[Saturation|UNSATURATED]] RAT". The cover of said issue featured [[White rat (Home Assistant)|a white rat]] and [[Grey rat (Home Assistant)|a grey rat]]. ([[WC]]: {{cs|Home Assistant (webcast)}})


[[Paradise Towers]] had a rat population after it fell into ruin. ([[TV]]: ''[[Paradise Towers (TV story)|Paradise Towers]]'')
The brother of [[Gwen Cooper]]'s friend [[Janice (Love Rat)|Janice]] had a pet rat named [[Fang (Love Rat)|Fang]]. ([[AUDIO]]: {{cs|Love Rat (audio story)}})


Following the [[22nd century Dalek invasion]], the rat population in [[England]] surged, likely because basic services had been discontinued. Prices for [[cat]]s went through the roof. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Legacy of the Daleks (novel)|Legacy of the Daleks]]'')
In [[2023]], [[Shawna Thompson]] noted [[London]] was "a very ratty city". At this time, [[Cleo Proctor]] was investigating sightings of [[Mutant rat (Regrets)|mutant rats]] in [[Docklands]]. ([[AUDIO]]: {{cs|Regrets (audio story)}})


During the [[Dalek]] [[23rd century Dalek invasion|invasion]] of [[Earth]] in the [[year]] [[2254]], [[Large Rat (Dalek Attack)|Large Rats]] were found in the [[London Underground]], where they menaced the [[Seventh Doctor]] and [[Ace]]. ([[GAME]]: ''[[Dalek Attack (video game)|Dalek Attack]]'')
The [[Fifth Doctor]] found some rats in [[Striker]]'s [[Edwardian era|Edwardian]] [[Shadow (spaceship)|yacht]]. ([[TV]]: {{cs|Enlightenment (TV story)}})


Rats inhabited the alleyways of the colony planet [[Vourakis 3]]. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Pirates of Vourakis (comic story)|Pirates of Vourakis]]'')
In [[2050]], the [[Space-Time Manipulator]] released a couple of black rats in [[Gryffen Manor]], frightening [[Darius Pike]]. While these rats were otherwise identical to normal rats, they multiplied once every ten seconds. ([[TV]]: {{cs|Liberation (TV story)}})


By the [[30th century]], all wild animals and plants were [[extinct]] except for humans and rats. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Just War (novel)|Just War]]'')
=== 22nd century ===
[[Paradise Towers]] had a rat population after it fell into ruin. ([[TV]]: {{cs|Paradise Towers (TV story)}})


Rats were a common sight in the filthy Earth colony on [[Lebenswelt]]. One rat tried to bite [[Anji Kapoor]]'s nose. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Book of the Still (novel)|The Book of the Still]]'')
Following the [[2150s Dalek invasion of Earth]], the rat population in [[England]] surged, likely because basic services had been discontinued. Prices for [[cat]]s went through the roof. ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|Legacy of the Daleks (novel)}})


At some point in the [[52nd century]], rats would sneak into the [[Seventh Transept]] where they were eaten by the skulls of the [[headless monk]]s. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Wedding of River Song (TV story)|The Wedding of River Song]]'')
=== 23rd century ===
During the [[Dalek]] [[23rd century Dalek invasion|invasion]] of [[Earth]] in the [[year]] [[2254]], [[Large Rat (Dalek Attack)|Large Rats]] were found in the [[London Underground]], where they menaced the [[Seventh Doctor]] and [[Ace]]. ([[GAME]]: {{cs|Dalek Attack (video game)}})
 
=== 26th-30th century ===
Rats inhabited the alleyways of the colony planet [[Vourakis 3]]. ([[COMIC]]: {{cs|Pirates of Vourakis (comic story)}})
 
=== 30th century ===
By the [[30th century]], all wild animals and plants were [[extinct]] except for humans and rats. ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|Just War (novel)}})
 
=== 41st century ===
Rats were a common sight in the filthy Earth colony on [[Lebenswelt]]. One rat tried to bite [[Anji Kapoor]]'s nose. ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|The Book of the Still (novel)}})
 
=== 52nd century ===
At some point in the [[52nd century]], rats would sneak into the [[Seventh Transept]] where they were eaten by the skulls of the [[headless monk]]s. ([[TV]]: {{cs|The Wedding of River Song (TV story)}})


=== In experiments ===
=== In experiments ===
Rats were used in experiments as test subjects, since they could be bred quickly. In the late [[19th century]], [[Magnus Greel]] created [[giant rat]]s and set them loose in the [[London sewers]] to guard his underground laboratory. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Talons of Weng-Chiang (TV story)|The Talons of Weng-Chiang]]'') According to [[Sarah Jane Smith]], dead rats were used as a teaching tool in schools, although this practice had been discontinued by [[Rose Tyler]]'s time. ([[TV]]: ''[[School Reunion (TV story)|School Reunion]]'')
Rats were used in experiments as test subjects, since they could be bred quickly. In the late [[19th century]], [[Magnus Greel]] created [[giant rat]]s and set them loose in the [[London sewers]] to guard his underground laboratory. ([[TV]]: {{cs|The Talons of Weng-Chiang (TV story)}}) According to [[Sarah Jane Smith]], dead rats were used as a teaching tool in schools, although this practice had been discontinued by [[Rose Tyler]]'s time. ([[TV]]: {{cs|School Reunion (TV story)}})
[[File:Centre Fold Rat Trap.jpg|thumb|Sentient rats in [[1983]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Rat Trap (audio story)|Rat Trap]]'')]]
[[File:Centre Fold Rat Trap.jpg|thumb|Sentient rats in [[1983]]. ([[AUDIO]]: {{cs|Rat Trap (audio story)}})]]
A group of [[Rat|rats]] with interlinked tails, was known as [[Rat King]]. On [[9 June]] [[1983]], the [[Fifth Doctor]] encountered a Rat King in the Cadogan Tunnels. It was the leader of a group of sentient rats which had been experimented on by humans but had now taken control of them. The Rat King was killed by its creator, Dr [[Christopher Wallace]], by its own punishment fluid. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Rat Trap (audio story)|Rat Trap]]'')
A group of rats with interlinked tails was known as [[Rat King]]. On [[9 June]] [[1983]], the [[Fifth Doctor]] encountered a Rat King in the Cadogan Tunnels. It was the leader of a group of sentient rats which had been experimented on by humans but had now taken control of them. The Rat King was killed by its creator, Dr [[Christopher Wallace]], by its own punishment fluid. ([[AUDIO]]: {{cs|Rat Trap (audio story)}})


[[Richard Harries]] used a pair of sibling rats in his experiments into shared [[brain]]waves. The actions one rat learnt could be performed by the other. The pair had a collective memory. [[Cuthbert Simpson]] implanted them with [[nano-cam]]s and set them free, using them to watch the residents of [[Banquo Manor]]. After Simpson was [[blindness|blinded]], he relied on the rats to allow him to see and kept them on his person. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Banquo Legacy (novel)|The Banquo Legacy]]'')
[[Richard Harries]] used a pair of sibling rats in his experiments into shared [[brain]]waves. The actions one rat learnt could be performed by the other. The pair had a collective memory. [[Cuthbert Simpson]] implanted them with [[nano-cam]]s and set them free, using them to watch the residents of [[Banquo Manor]]. After Simpson was [[blindness|blinded]], he relied on the rats to allow him to see and kept them on his person. ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|The Banquo Legacy (novel)}})


A [[lab rat]] was used by [[Owen Harper]] to demonstrate to the [[Torchwood Three]] team the ultimately lethal effects of the "[[Sex Gas]]" on its host. The gas would cause the victim to explode, which proved to be no different with the rat. ([[TV]]: ''[[Day One (TV story)|Day One]]'')
A [[lab rat]] was used by [[Owen Harper]] to demonstrate to the [[Torchwood Three]] team the ultimately lethal effects of the "[[Sex Gas]]" on its host. The gas would cause the victim to explode, which proved to be no different with the rat. ([[TV]]: {{cs|Day One (TV story)}})


=== On other planets ===
=== On other planets ===
Rats existed on [[Skaro]] until the latter stages of the [[Thousand Year War]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Davros (audio story)|Davros]]'', ''[[Corruption (audio story)|Corruption]]'')
Rats existed on [[Skaro]] until the latter stages of the [[Thousand Year War]]. ([[AUDIO]]: {{cs|Davros (audio story)}}, {{cs|Corruption (audio story)}})


On the planet [[Gyros]], the [[Gyro]]s destroyed rats which tried to eat the food the robots had harvested and stored. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[The Gyros Injustice (comic story)|The Gyros Injustice]]'')
On the planet [[Gyros]], the [[Gyro]]s destroyed rats which tried to eat the food the robots had harvested and stored. ([[COMIC]]: {{cs|The Gyros Injustice (comic story)}})


The [[Steggosian]]s were wiped out by a plague they had caught from rats. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Eyeless (novel)|The Eyeless]]'')
The [[Steggosian]]s were wiped out by a plague they had caught from rats. ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|The Eyeless (novel)}})


== References ==
== References ==
Putting on the [[Tenth Doctor]]'s [[jacket]], [[Donna Noble]] complained that he was so skinny it "wouldn't fit a rat." ([[TV]]: ''[[The Runaway Bride (TV story)|The Runaway Bride]]'')
Putting on the [[Tenth Doctor]]'s [[jacket]], [[Donna Noble]] complained that he was so skinny it "wouldn't fit a rat." ([[TV]]: {{cs|The Runaway Bride (TV story)}})


While using a [[Newsreader (Invasion of the Bane)|newsreader]] as a mouthpiece, [[Rosemary Kizlet]] remarked that her [[human]] prey homed in on [[Wi-Fi]] like rats [[smell|sniffing]] [[cheese]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Bells of Saint John (TV story)|The Bells of Saint John]]'')
While using a [[Newsreader (Invasion of the Bane)|newsreader]] as a mouthpiece, [[Rosemary Kizlet]] remarked that her [[human]] prey homed in on [[Wi-Fi]] like rats [[smell|sniffing]] [[cheese]]. ([[TV]]: {{cs|The Bells of Saint John (TV story)}})


[[Archibald Hamish Lethbridge-Stewart]] mistook the [[Dalek mutant]]s on [[Villengard]] for rats. As a [[First World War]] combatant, Archibald noted that he was "used to rats". ([[TV]]: ''[[Twice Upon a Time (TV story)|Twice Upon a Time]]'')
[[Archibald Hamish Lethbridge-Stewart]] mistook the [[Dalek mutant]]s on [[Villengard]] for rats. As a [[First World War]] combatant, Archibald noted that he was "used to rats". ([[TV]]: {{cs|Twice Upon a Time (TV story)}})


[[Category:Rats| ]]
[[Category:Rats| *]]
[[Category:Earth mammals]]
[[Category:Earth rodents]]
[[Category:Domesticated creatures]]
[[Category:Domesticated animals]]
[[Category:Creatures from the real world]]
[[Category:Species from the real world]]
[[Category:Fears]]
[[Category:Fears]]
[[Category:Skaro creatures]]
[[Category:Skaro creatures]]
[[Category:Sapient mammal species]]

Latest revision as of 17:13, 21 October 2024

Rat

Rats were small rodents (PROSE: The Plotters [+]Loading...["The Plotters (novel)"]) found on Earth and other planets. They were generally considered pests by humans. Polly was virtually incapacitated by her fear of rats in a 17th century jail, (TV: The Smugglers [+]Loading...["The Smugglers (TV story)"]) and the Eleventh Doctor once claimed to hate rats, (TV: The Wedding of River Song [+]Loading...["The Wedding of River Song (TV story)"]) with his sixth incarnation attempting to murder Reggie Rat for simply insulting Doctor Who. (TV: Untitled [+]Loading...["Untitled (1986 TV story)"]) Rats were often associated with cheese. (TV: The Bells of Saint John [+]Loading...["The Bells of Saint John (TV story)"]) In the Doctor's TARDIS, Erimem fed Antranak dead rats from the food machine. (AUDIO: Nekromanteia [+]Loading...["Nekromanteia (audio story)"])

The collective term for rats was a "mischief". (PROSE: Avatars of the Intelligence [+]Loading...["Avatars of the Intelligence (novel)"])

Earth rats[[edit] | [edit source]]

13th century[[edit] | [edit source]]

According to folklore, the Pied Piper rid the German town of Hamelin of its rats in exchange for twenty bags of gold in 1284. (COMIC: Challenge of the Piper [+]Loading...["Challenge of the Piper (comic story)"], TV: The Day of the Clown [+]Loading...["The Day of the Clown (TV story)"])

14th century[[edit] | [edit source]]

In the 14th century, fleas on rats carried the bubonic plague throughout Europe. Terileptil prisoners who found themselves near London in 1666 exploited this to engineer a new plague variant that was injected into the rats. This plague was prevented by the Fifth Doctor. (TV: The Visitation [+]Loading...["The Visitation (TV story)"])

17th century[[edit] | [edit source]]

Upon arriving in 1601, Susan Foreman was disgusted by a "gigantic" rat, even as her grandfather assured that it was likely more scared of her than she of it. (AUDIO: The Hollow Crown [+]Loading...["The Hollow Crown (audio story)"])

In 1605, the drains near the Houses of Parliament in London were infested with rats. The plotter Thomas Percy was disgusted by them. (GAME: The Gunpowder Plot [+]Loading...["The Gunpowder Plot (video game)"])

18th century[[edit] | [edit source]]

In Paris in July 1794, Susan was frightened by the rats she saw in the jail cell in which she and Barbara Wright were imprisoned. (TV: The Reign of Terror [+]Loading...["The Reign of Terror (TV story)"])

20th century[[edit] | [edit source]]

While escaping The Squall in 1910, Amy Pond and Rory Williams entered the London sewers. The sewers were infested with rats, to Amy's horror. (PROSE: Paradox Lost [+]Loading...["Paradox Lost (novel)"])

During the First World War, soldiers such as Archibald Hamish Lethbridge-Stewart were "used to rats". (TV: Twice Upon a Time [+]Loading...["Twice Upon a Time (TV story)"]) Some rats were modified by the Daleks as part of the Dalek Project. A cyborg rat saw Corporal Edward Anderson running through a trench. The rat followed him and was killed. Another rat observed the Eleventh Doctor and his companions running through the trench before going to Hellcombe Factory. After the Daleks were defeated, a surviving modified rat saw the Doctor and Angela Todd drinking tea. In 2017, a rat crawled on a nearly damaged Dalek as its eyestalk glowed blue, indicating that the Dalek was still alive. (COMIC: The Dalek Project [+]Loading...["The Dalek Project (comic story)"])

During the Spanish Civil War, the trenches were often infested with rats. George Orwell found them the most distressing factor of trench warfare. (PROSE: History 101 [+]Loading...["History 101 (novel)"])

In an account dated to January 1965, while Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward was being held captive by Carl, with a bomb ready to be placed with a detonation time of 90 minutes, Jeff Tracy attempted to use the Emergency Code Machine to send a message using "Contact Code 5" that only she could translate, as to others, it was simply a "tapping noise". After this was noticed by Carl, he questioned the noise, as well as its sudden disappearance. Lady Penelope told him that it "must have been rats", as "these places [did] have them", going on to claim that he "must have some rats". After Carl asked if she was "trying to be funny", she went on to claim that she was simply trying to explain the noise and, as Jeff had visual and audio contact with her via her communicator disguised as a makeup mirror, she was able to tell him Carl's plans without Carl noticing, by asking if the rats would leave the boat before the explosion, or if they'd "go up with it" as well. (TV: The Man from MI.5 [+]Loading...["The Man from MI.5 (TV story)"])

Other sources dated the activities of International Rescue to the 1990s, (PROSE: The Dying Days [+]Loading...["The Dying Days (novel)"]) the 2060s, (PROSE: Titan Declares War! [+]Loading...["Titan Declares War! (short story)"] et al.) and the 2080s. (PROSE: Captain Scarlet in Death Crash! [+]Loading...["Captain Scarlet in Death Crash! (short story)"], et al.) In at least one of these timeframes, the year 2066, Tin-Tin was shown to be alive and well. (COMIC: Solar Danger [+]Loading...["Solar Danger (comic story)"])

Shockeye o' the Quawncing Grig, contemplating the taste of rat flesh. (TV: The Two Doctors [+]Loading...["The Two Doctors (TV story)"])

In the 1970s, Arthur Linwood, a medical student with a morbid fear of rats, was killed at Stangmoor Prison when the Keller Machine turned his fear against him. His fear was so great that rat bites and scratches manifested on his face and neck. (TV: The Mind of Evil [+]Loading...["The Mind of Evil (TV story)"])

In the cellar of a Spanish hacienda in the 1980s, Shockeye o' the Quawncing Grig caught a rat, broke its neck and began to devour it raw. He was displeased with the taste, hypothesising it might be more tolerable smoke-dried. (TV: The Two Doctors [+]Loading...["The Two Doctors (TV story)"])

21st century[[edit] | [edit source]]

An issue of Rat Monthly. (WC: Home Assistant [+]Loading...["Home Assistant (webcast)"])

In 2007, undercover Krillitane at Deffry Vale High School freeze-dried rats to eat later. Mickey Smith let out a scream when accidentally discovering this supply. (TV: School Reunion [+]Loading...["School Reunion (TV story)"])

In the 21st century, Rat Monthly was a periodical dedicated to rats. One issue of it contained the articles "LOVE RATS", "NOW RAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC", and "UNSATURATED RAT". The cover of said issue featured a white rat and a grey rat. (WC: Home Assistant [+]Loading...["Home Assistant (webcast)"])

The brother of Gwen Cooper's friend Janice had a pet rat named Fang. (AUDIO: Love Rat [+]Loading...["Love Rat (audio story)"])

In 2023, Shawna Thompson noted London was "a very ratty city". At this time, Cleo Proctor was investigating sightings of mutant rats in Docklands. (AUDIO: Regrets [+]Loading...["Regrets (audio story)"])

The Fifth Doctor found some rats in Striker's Edwardian yacht. (TV: Enlightenment [+]Loading...["Enlightenment (TV story)"])

In 2050, the Space-Time Manipulator released a couple of black rats in Gryffen Manor, frightening Darius Pike. While these rats were otherwise identical to normal rats, they multiplied once every ten seconds. (TV: Liberation [+]Loading...["Liberation (TV story)"])

22nd century[[edit] | [edit source]]

Paradise Towers had a rat population after it fell into ruin. (TV: Paradise Towers [+]Loading...["Paradise Towers (TV story)"])

Following the 2150s Dalek invasion of Earth, the rat population in England surged, likely because basic services had been discontinued. Prices for cats went through the roof. (PROSE: Legacy of the Daleks [+]Loading...["Legacy of the Daleks (novel)"])

23rd century[[edit] | [edit source]]

During the Dalek invasion of Earth in the year 2254, Large Rats were found in the London Underground, where they menaced the Seventh Doctor and Ace. (GAME: Dalek Attack [+]Loading...["Dalek Attack (video game)"])

26th-30th century[[edit] | [edit source]]

Rats inhabited the alleyways of the colony planet Vourakis 3. (COMIC: Pirates of Vourakis [+]Loading...["Pirates of Vourakis (comic story)"])

30th century[[edit] | [edit source]]

By the 30th century, all wild animals and plants were extinct except for humans and rats. (PROSE: Just War [+]Loading...["Just War (novel)"])

41st century[[edit] | [edit source]]

Rats were a common sight in the filthy Earth colony on Lebenswelt. One rat tried to bite Anji Kapoor's nose. (PROSE: The Book of the Still [+]Loading...["The Book of the Still (novel)"])

52nd century[[edit] | [edit source]]

At some point in the 52nd century, rats would sneak into the Seventh Transept where they were eaten by the skulls of the headless monks. (TV: The Wedding of River Song [+]Loading...["The Wedding of River Song (TV story)"])

In experiments[[edit] | [edit source]]

Rats were used in experiments as test subjects, since they could be bred quickly. In the late 19th century, Magnus Greel created giant rats and set them loose in the London sewers to guard his underground laboratory. (TV: The Talons of Weng-Chiang [+]Loading...["The Talons of Weng-Chiang (TV story)"]) According to Sarah Jane Smith, dead rats were used as a teaching tool in schools, although this practice had been discontinued by Rose Tyler's time. (TV: School Reunion [+]Loading...["School Reunion (TV story)"])

Sentient rats in 1983. (AUDIO: Rat Trap [+]Loading...["Rat Trap (audio story)"])

A group of rats with interlinked tails was known as Rat King. On 9 June 1983, the Fifth Doctor encountered a Rat King in the Cadogan Tunnels. It was the leader of a group of sentient rats which had been experimented on by humans but had now taken control of them. The Rat King was killed by its creator, Dr Christopher Wallace, by its own punishment fluid. (AUDIO: Rat Trap [+]Loading...["Rat Trap (audio story)"])

Richard Harries used a pair of sibling rats in his experiments into shared brainwaves. The actions one rat learnt could be performed by the other. The pair had a collective memory. Cuthbert Simpson implanted them with nano-cams and set them free, using them to watch the residents of Banquo Manor. After Simpson was blinded, he relied on the rats to allow him to see and kept them on his person. (PROSE: The Banquo Legacy [+]Loading...["The Banquo Legacy (novel)"])

A lab rat was used by Owen Harper to demonstrate to the Torchwood Three team the ultimately lethal effects of the "Sex Gas" on its host. The gas would cause the victim to explode, which proved to be no different with the rat. (TV: Day One [+]Loading...["Day One (TV story)"])

On other planets[[edit] | [edit source]]

Rats existed on Skaro until the latter stages of the Thousand Year War. (AUDIO: Davros [+]Loading...["Davros (audio story)"], Corruption [+]Loading...["Corruption (audio story)"])

On the planet Gyros, the Gyros destroyed rats which tried to eat the food the robots had harvested and stored. (COMIC: The Gyros Injustice [+]Loading...["The Gyros Injustice (comic story)"])

The Steggosians were wiped out by a plague they had caught from rats. (PROSE: The Eyeless [+]Loading...["The Eyeless (novel)"])

References[[edit] | [edit source]]

Putting on the Tenth Doctor's jacket, Donna Noble complained that he was so skinny it "wouldn't fit a rat." (TV: The Runaway Bride [+]Loading...["The Runaway Bride (TV story)"])

While using a newsreader as a mouthpiece, Rosemary Kizlet remarked that her human prey homed in on Wi-Fi like rats sniffing cheese. (TV: The Bells of Saint John [+]Loading...["The Bells of Saint John (TV story)"])

Archibald Hamish Lethbridge-Stewart mistook the Dalek mutants on Villengard for rats. As a First World War combatant, Archibald noted that he was "used to rats". (TV: Twice Upon a Time [+]Loading...["Twice Upon a Time (TV story)"])