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{{Infobox Story SMW
|name= Aliens of London
|image                 = aliensoflondon.jpg  
|image= aliensoflondon.jpg  
|series                 = [[Doctor Who television stories|''Doctor Who'' television stories]]
|series=[[Doctor Who television stories|''Doctor Who'' television stories]]|
|season number         = Series 1 (Doctor Who 2005)
|number = [[Series 1 (Doctor Who)|Series 1]]
|series episode number  = 4
|story number= 160a  
|story number           = 160a  
|doctor=[[Ninth Doctor]]
|doctor                 = Ninth Doctor  
|companions= [[Rose Tyler]]
|companions             = [[Rose Tyler|Rose]]
|enemy=[[Slitheen family]]
|featuring              = Jackie Tyler
|setting= [[London]], [[2006]]  
|featuring2            = Mickey Smith
|writer= [[Russell T Davies]]
|featuring3            = Harriet Jones
|director= [[Keith Boak]]  
|featuring4            = Toshiko Sato
|producer= [[Phil Collinson]]  
|featuring5            = Trinity Wells
|confidential=[[I Get a Side-Kick Out of You]]
|featuring6            = Muriel Frost{{!}}Frost
|broadcast date= [[16 April]] [[2005]]
|featuring7            = Matt Baker (in-universe){{!}}Matt Baker
|format= 1x45 minute episode  
|enemy                 = [[Jocrassa Fel-Fotch Passameer-Day Slitheen]]
|production code= 1.4  
|setting               = [[London]], [[March]] [[2006]]  
|previous story= The Unquiet Dead (TV story)
|writer                 = Russell T Davies
|next story= World War Three (TV story)
|director               = [[Keith Boak]]  
|made prev= Rose (TV story)
|producer               = [[Phil Collinson]]  
|made next= World War Three (TV story)
|confidential           = I Get a Side-Kick Out of You (CON episode)
|broadcast date         = 16 April 2005
|network                = BBC One
|format                 = 1x45 minute episode  
|production code       = 1.4  
|prev                  = The Unquiet Dead (TV story)
|next                   = World War Three (TV story)
|made prev             = Rose (TV story)
|made next             = World War Three (TV story)
|script                = The Shooting Scripts
|clip                  = Spaceship Crashes into Big Ben! (HD) Aliens of London Doctor Who
|clip2                  = The Slitheen Revealed (HD) Aliens of London Doctor Who
|thwr                  = 50
}}
}}
'''''Aliens of London''''' was the fourth story in the [[Series 1 (Doctor Who)|first series]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]''. It was notable for featuring the first [[cliffhanger]] in the [[BBC Wales]] run, by virtue of starting the first two-part story. Keeping cliffhangers in the show allowed Davies to both expand the plot of story and keep a well remembered part of the original series.  
'''''Aliens of London''''' was the fourth episode of [[Series 1 (Doctor Who 2005)|series one]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]''.


Narratively, the episode introduced the [[Slitheen family|Slitheen]], who would return to both ''Doctor Who'' and ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'', and [[Toshiko Sato]], who would later feature on ''[[Torchwood (TV series)|Torchwood]]''. It also marked the first appearance of recurring [[British]] politician [[Harriet Jones]].
It was notable for featuring the first [[cliffhanger]] in the [[BBC Wales]] run, by virtue of starting the first two-part story. Keeping cliffhangers in the show allowed lead writer [[Russell T Davies]] to expand the plot and restore a well-remembered part of the original series.


One of its legacies — sometimes forgotten by writers — was offered in its  pre-title sequence. There, the [[Ninth Doctor]] mistakenly brought [[Rose Tyler]] one year into the viewer's future, making the "present day" of both ''[[Doctor Who]]'' and its two BBC Wales spinoffs ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'' and ''Torchwood'' up until ''[[Series 3 (Torchwood)|Children of Earth]]'' (excluding much of ''[[Blink]]'') notionally one year later than the year of initial broadcast.
Narratively, the episode had several introductions. It introduced the [[Slitheen family|Slitheen]], who would return to ''Doctor Who'' and ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]''. It also marked the first appearance of [[Toshiko Sato]], who would later feature as a regular character on ''[[Torchwood (TV series)|Torchwood]]''. In addition, this episode introduced another recurring character, [[British]] politician [[Harriet Jones]]. It also introduced [[UNIT]] to the revived series.


It was also the final episode of ''Doctor Who'' to have any portion recorded at [[BBC Television Centre]].
One of its legacies — [[Aliens of London dating controversy|sometimes forgotten by writers]] — was offered in its pre-title sequence. As the [[Ninth Doctor]] mistakenly brought [[Rose Tyler]] one year into the viewer's future, the "present day" of ''[[Doctor Who (TV series)|Doctor Who]]'' and its two BBC Wales spinoffs were brought, for a while, to one year later than the year of initial broadcast.
== Synopsis ==
The [[Ninth Doctor]] takes [[Rose Tyler|Rose]] back to the [[21st century]] [[London]] twelve "hours" (according to the Ninth Doctor) after they left, just in time to witness a spaceship crashing into the [[River Thames]]. The crash triggers a worldwide state of alert and the closing off of the city. As the Doctor investigates the survivor of the crash, Rose finds problems closer to home.


== Plot ==
It was also the final episode of ''Doctor Who'' to have any portion recorded at the [[BBC Television Centre]].<ref>[[TCH 49]]</ref>
The [[The Doctor's TARDIS|TARDIS]] materialises on a street in [[Rose Tyler|Rose's]] [[Powell Estate|council estate]]. The [[Ninth Doctor|Doctor]] has taken Rose home to visit her mother. He tells Rose they have landed some twelve hours after she first left with him... or so he believes. While waiting for her to return, a flyer on a nearby telephone pole catches his eye. It is a missing-persons flyer with Rose’s picture on it. When Rose enters her flat and casually greets her mother, claiming to have spent the night with a friend, the stunned Jackie sweeps her daughter up in a desperate, unbelieving hug. Over her shoulder, Rose sees a table covered with missing-persons flyers and posters, all with her name and picture on them. The Doctor bursts into the flat and apologetically tells Rose that she hasn’t been gone for twelve hours, but for twelve ''months''.


Some time later, outside Jackie’s flat, a young boy spray-paints the words "[[Bad Wolf (entity)|BAD WOLF]]” on the TARDIS and cycles off. Inside the Tylers' flat, a police inspector sits and listens patiently as Jackie lashes out at Rose for her thoughtlessness in vanishing for over a year without so much as a phone call. Rose says she’s been travelling, but Jackie angrily points out that she left her passport behind. Rose claims she had meant to phone, and just forgot. The Doctor tries to explain that he employed Rose as his companion (in a non-sexual sense, of course) but Jackie slaps him and accuses him of luring away her daughter for immoral purposes. Rose is embarrassed and remorseful, but despite her mother's pleas, she can’t begin to explain where she’s been for the past year.
The story also featured [[Muriel Frost]], albeit in a minor non-speaking role, who was a supporting character introduced in ''[[The Mark of Mandragora (comic story)|The Mark of Mandragora]]''. This story presents her death, being one of the experts summoned to 10 Downing Street. Moreover, the short story ''[[Operation London (short story)|Operation London]]'', published on the ''[[U.N.I.T. (tie-in website)|U.N.I.T.]]'' [[Doctor Who tie-in websites|tie-in website]] as part of the ''[[Operations Board (series)|Operations Board]]'' mini-series of narrative [[operations board]]s, was written to coincide with ''Aliens of London''. Additionally, the events of ''Aliens of London'' seem to have been alluded to in a fan submitted entry for ''[[Have You Seen This Man? (short story)|Have You Seen This Man?]]'' before the broadcast of the story, although it was removed not long after.


Rose and the Doctor talk on the roof of her tower block. She expresses her frustration at having traumatised her mother. The Doctor firmly states Jackie is not coming with them if Rose decides to keep travelling, mentioning in passing that he's nine hundred years old. Rose realises this is another of the many things she can’t discuss with anyone. As Rose muses that she is one of only a few people on [[Earth]] who knows that there are [[alien]]s and [[spacecraft|spaceships]] and things, a massive spaceship roars overhead, trailing black smoke. The Doctor takes Rose by the hand as she says "That's not fair" and they follow the ship. The craft zooms through Central [[London]], its wing cutting into f [[Big Ben]],ringing the bell, before it splashes into the [[River Thames]] near Westminster Bridge.
== Synopsis ==
[[Rose Tyler|Rose]] returns home to discover that she has been missing for a whole year, although for her, it's been a couple of days. However, before she can explain her absence, a spaceship crashes into [[Big Ben]], causing a worldwide crisis. Worse still, the Prime Minister has mysteriously disappeared... [[The Doctor]]'s investigation puts him in the spotlight with the [[British government]], as his long history of defending [[Earth]] finally catches up with him. But there are sinister goings on at [[10 Downing Street]], and politician [[Harriet Jones]]' quest to get some answers brings her into a brave new world... of aliens. Meanwhile, Rose finds trouble closer to home, as her past mistakes threaten to tear her family apart.


The river is cordoned off by soldiers from the Parachute Regiment. The Doctor and Rose have to watch the events unfold on the [[television]] in Jackie's flat. Jackie's friends and neighbours join them in the flat to discuss the crash and Rose's return, the Doctor has difficulty listening to the news, even fighting for the remote with a toddler trying to watch ''[[wikipedia:Blue Peter|Blue Peter]]''). The world is being put on red alert, flights have been cancelled over North American airspace and the UN Secretary General has advised people to watch the skies. Divers recover an alien body from the wreckage of the craft. It is placed under military supervision under the command of General [[Asquith]] and brought to nearby [[Albion Hospital]]. The general examines the body and asks [[Toshiko Sato|Dr. Toshiko&nbsp;Sato]], the pathologist, if the creature is by any chance a fake. She informs him [[X-ray]]s of the skull show wiring she has never seen before — no one could have made it up.
== Plot ==
 
[[Rose Tyler|Rose]] and the [[Ninth Doctor]] have returned to the [[Powell Estate]]. Rose, thinking she has only been gone twelve hours, heads off to see [[Jackie Tyler|her mum]]. Meanwhile, the Doctor notices a poster depicting a missing girl. Jackie is shocked to see Rose, who is lying that a friend of hers needed to talk to her over night. As Rose returns her mother's hug, she notices several posters in the living room that say she is missing. A breathless Doctor enters the room and informs Rose that she's been gone twelve ''months'', not twelve hours.
There has been no sign of the [[Prime Minister]] since the state of emergency was declared. Due to the gridlock and the grounding of flights, most of the Cabinet has been stranded outside central London. Thus, Joseph Green, the rotund MP for Hartley Dale and Chairman of the Parliamentary Commission on the Monitoring of Sugar Standards in Exported Confectionary, has unexpectedly become Acting Prime Minister. Escorted to [[10 Downing Street]], he is met by [[Indra Ganesh]], a Junior Secretary with the [[Ministry of Defence]]. Green seems to have difficulty handling the pressure; as Ganesh tries to brief him, he breaks wind, claiming nerves are giving him an upsert stomach. Ganesh hands Green a red box containing the [[Emergency Protocols]], all of the procedures to deal with extraterrestrial incidents. Green is met by [[Margaret Blaine]] of [[MI5]] and [[Oliver Charles]], Transport Liaison, each as rotund as Green. Blaine reports she escorted the Prime Minister to his car this morning, but according to Charles, the car has disappeared and it seems to have vanished. The three government officials leave Ganesh and enter the Cabinet Rooms. Inside, look at each other and start laughing about the success of their plan.
 
Evening settles on Rose's estate. People are holding alien-welcoming parties. The Doctor leaves Rose's flat, saying he is not good with people and it's hard to understand why people are talking about where to buy dodgy top-up cards for half price in the middle of a historical milestone. Rose thinks he is going to investigate the crash, but he tells her he is not going to interfere with [[human]]ity's first contact with extraterrestrial life. To reassure her, he gives her a TARDIS key. However, once downstairs, he enters the TARDIS and starts it up. Mickey spots the Doctor from his own flat and rushes down, too late as the TARDIS dematerialises; the second it dissappears, Mickey crashes into a wall.


The Doctor lands the TARDIS in a storage cupboard in Albion Hospital. He opens the door only to run into a group of soldiers on tea break, who level their rifles at him. They hear a scream and the Doctor immediately takes charge, barking out orders to lock down the perimeter. He finds Dr Sato cowering in the corner of an operating room. The supposedly dead alien has come back to life. The Doctor spots the alien, which looks like an Earth [[pig]] in a spacesuit. The creature flees in terror, only to be shot by a soldier. The Doctor berates the soldier, insisting it was only frightened. Examining the body with Dr Sato, the Doctor tells her it is a real pig, its [[brain]] augmented by alien technology. Some other aliens wanted to fake an alien crash landing, but why? By the time Dr Sato asks the question, the Doctor is gone, to the echo of a dematerialising TARDIS.
Later, a [[Policeman (Aliens of London)|policeman]] questions the Doctor; Jackie called the police as she did not believe Rose's claims to have been travelling as her [[passport]] is still at home. The Doctor explains that he employed Rose as his travelling [[companion]]; they simply lost track of time. The policeman inquires as to if this term refers to anything sexual in nature, to which both the Doctor and Rose retort "no." Jackie questions if the Doctor is really a doctor, or simply made up stories to lure in Rose for some kind of vile purpose. The Doctor tells her that he ''is'' one, to which she says "Prove it, stitch this mate" and slaps him.


Meanwhile, at 10 Downing Street, [[Harriet Jones]], the backbench MP for Flydale North, tries to convince Ganesh to let her speak with Green, but he refuses to interrupt Green’s important meeting for her minor concerns. When Green, Margaret and Oliver emerge from the Cabinet office, Harriet tries to speak with Green, explaining that she’s come up with a scheme by which cottage hospitals don’t have to be excluded from centres of excellence. Green laughs in her face and walks off with the others. Nettled, Harriet slips into the deserted Cabinet office and drops the report she’s prepared in Green’s briefcase. She notices he’s left the Emergency Protocols booklet behind. Curious, she begins to leaf through it.
[[File:Big Ben destroyed.jpg|thumb|left|Big Ben gets clipped.]]
Later, Rose and the Doctor chat outside on the roof of the [[Powell Estate]]. The Doctor is surprised Jackie slapped him, remarking his companion's mothers have never slapped him throughout his 900 years of travelling through time and space. Rose notes that's "one hell of an age gap" between them. She then laments that she's seen so much in her travels with him, but she can't tell anyone. Both are shocked to see an [[alien]] spaceship pass overhead and clip [[Big Ben]] before crashing into the river.


Later, she hears General Asquith approaching the room, and hides in a side closet. Asquith is berating Green, Blaine and Charles about their inaction. Green isn't returning the White House's phone calls, he hasn't started any of the Emergency Protocols and he's cancelled the airlift that would have brought senior cabinet members into London. The three officials seem to find Asquith's complaints amusing and they all start to uncontrollably break wind, laughing hysterically. When Asquith threatens to relieve Green as Acting Prime Minister and place the country under martial law, Green takes this more seriously. He tells Asquith his latest complaint is just hair raising, literally. They proceed to unzip the tops of their heads, a bright blue light shining through, and reveal their true alien forms. As Harriet watches terrified through a crack in the door, General Asquith screams as the disguised aliens advance and kill him.
Rose and the Doctor try to visit the scene but are prevented by traffic; Rose suggests the TARDIS, but the Doctor tells her that is a bad idea as everyone in the world is now watching the skies for more aliens. They head for home to watch the news on [[television]]. Several people are visiting, while the Doctor tries to watch the news. He sees General [[R. Asquith|Asquith]] entering the [[hospital]] where the alien has been taken. The news also reports that the [[Prime Minister (Aliens of London)|Prime Minister]] is still missing.


Mickey enters the Tylers’ flat,. He is furious to see Rose sitting with the rest of his neighbours. Rose apologises for not visiting him, but that does not satisfy Mickey. When she disappeared with no explanation, Mickey was nearly charged with her murder. He’s been questioned by police five times in the past year. When Jackie blamed him, he couldn’t tell her the truth. He demands that Rose admit the truth; she might as well, because the Doctor’s gone without her. Rose refuses to believe this, but when she goes out to see for herself, there is no sign of the TARDIS. She angrily insists the Doctor wouldn’t have left her behind -- and as she speaks, the TARDIS key begins to glow in her hand, the TARDIS materialising before their eyes. Rose proceeds inside with Mickey, but Jackie is too overwhelmed by what she has seen and runs back to her flat.
At the hospital mortuary, [[Toshiko Sato|Dr Sato]] performs an autopsy on the alien. Meanwhile, several important figures gather at [[10 Downing Street]], including [[Joseph Green]]. He is informed by [[Indra Ganesh]], the junior secretary, that he is acting Prime Minister for the crisis. As Ganesh attempts to lead Green away, he is accosted by [[Harriet Jones]], MP for [[Flydale North]], who wishes to meet with the Prime Minister but is brushed off. Green meets with [[Margaret Blaine]] and is given the emergency protocols.


The Doctor admits he suspected from the start that the crash was a fake — it was too perfect a set-up. Mickey says it's an odd way to invade a planet , putting it on red alert. Mickey and the Doctor exchange barbs, but the Doctor has more important things to do. Rose apologises for hiss behaviour and assures Mickey that she did miss him, even though she’s only been gone for a few days from her perspective. He tells her he spent the year looking for her; he never dated anyone else; most people think he murdered Rose and then proceeded to hide her body somewhere. She realises that Mickey wants to pick up where they left off -- but before she can decide, the Doctor announces he’s finished his work. He has set the TARDIS scanner to track the spacecraft back twelve hours before the crash. It was launched from Earth. Whoever these aliens are, they have been here for a while.
The Doctor decides to leave the party, giving Rose a [[TARDIS key]]; he tells her that the crash was genuine, as it gave all the signs of engine failure meaning that day is the day the human race learns that they are not alone in the universe, and can start becoming part of the greater world beyond Earth. He promises he won't interfere, but is just going for a wander as the atmosphere inside the flat is 'too human'.


Jackie huddles in her flat, trying to cope with what she’s seen. When the Emergency Alien Hotline number reappears on the TV, she calls and blurts out her story, claiming that her daughter is in danger because of an alien called the Doctor who travels in a blue box called the TARDIS. Key words trigger an automated alert which Ganesh receives at 10 Downing Street.
Despite his assurances, the Doctor decides to investigate when [[Mickey Smith|Mickey]] notices him. Giving chase, he reaches [[The Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]] just as it disappears. The Doctor heads to the hospital where the alien is being held. He accidentally walks into a room of soldiers, but when they hear screaming, the Doctor calls out a battle formation and they all run out of the room and the soldiers listen to the Doctor's orders. He finds Dr Sato, who says that the "dead" [[Alien (Aliens of London)|alien]] is alive and has run off. Giving chase, they find that the alien has the appearance of a pig, albeit one running on its hind legs and wearing a suit. It runs away in obvious fear, and the Doctor tries to catch it. Despite the Doctor's command, one of the soldiers shoots the alien dead. Saddened, the Doctor tells the soldiers it was just scared and trying to run away.


Ganesh rushes to tell General Asquith. Inside the Cabinet Office, the alien who was posing as Oliver Charles has put on the general's skin;. Like the other aliens, he must frequently break wind to fit into his tight disguise. Blaine remarks they have to do something about the gas exchange causing their flatulence. As Asquith tosses his former skin into the closet where Harriet Jones is hiding, he complains he'll now have to leave behind Oliver's wife, his mistress and the young farmer he was seeing on the side. As they leave, Ganesh tells Asquith the Doctor has been spotted. When Blaine asks who this "doctor" is, Ganesh says he is ''the'' expert on aliens, one they desperately need. In the meantime, other alien experts from around the world, including the [[United Nations Intelligence Taskforce]], are being summoned to Downing Street.
[[File:Green unzipping his head.jpg|thumb|The aliens unzip their heads.]]
Back in the [[Cabinet Room]], General Asquith meets with Green and Blaine, who are acting strangely. He attempts to relieve Green of command, but Green, Blaine and another man, [[Oliver Charles]], unzip their foreheads. Asquith screams. Unknown to them, Harriet Jones has sneaked inside the room and watches them from her hiding place, as they kill him.


When the Doctor, Rose and Mickey exit the TARDIS, they are surrounded by armed soldiers, vehicles and a [[helicopter]]. Mickey runs away, but the Doctor and Rose are put into a limousine and escorted to 10 Downing Street. The police escort Jackie to her flat and Police Commissioner Strickland, a rotund and gassy man who seems uncomfortable in his skin, assures Jackie her daughter is in a position to help the country. He asks Jackie how she made contact with the Doctor. Strickland sends the other police away so he may speak to Jackie alone.
After examining the body, the Doctor informs Dr Sato that the pig is (or rather was) an ordinary pig from Earth. It had its brain rewired and was stuck in the ship which was sent to dive bomb into the Thames. Although its obvious the crash was faked, the technology involved is indeed not from Earth. Sato questions why aliens would fake an alien encounter, only to find the Doctor has gone. Meanwhile, Mickey arrives at Rose's flat, revealing that several people, including Jackie, had suspected he [[murder]]ed Rose. Sneering at Jackie, Mickey tells Rose that Jackie called the police three times because she thought he killed Rose though there was not any evidence of such and then Jackie continued to harass him. The accusations ruined his reputation.


At Downing Street, Ganesh has gathered all of the experts together. He meets the Doctor and Rose. Ganesh tells them their ID cards must be worn at all times and ushers them into a room. Rose is not cleared and not allowed in. Harriet Jones, who sneaked out of the Cabinet Rooms unseen, comes along and offers to take care of Rose. She takes Rose to the rooms and shows her Oliver Charles's empty skin. When they search the room for alien technology, they find the Prime Minister's corpse stuffed in a cupboard. Ganesh enters and is aghast when he sees the body.
Outside, as Mickey is gloating that the Doctor has left Rose, the TARDIS materialises. The trio enter but the interior causes Jackie to flee back to her flat and call a number to report the Doctor. Whenn she mentions the word 'TARDIS', an alarm is triggered after a brief spat with Mickey about his name really being "Ricky", the Doctor tells her that he has [[deduce]]d that the spaceship landing was faked; it was launched from [[Earth]], and whoever did it has been here for a while. Mickey points out that all the crash has done is put the world on red alert, which is unusual if the aliens were actually planning to invade. He notes that [[UNIT]] has been called in to deal with the crisis.


At the briefing headed by Asquith and Green, the Doctor reads the reports and notices that three days before, a [[satellite]] picked up a blip of [[radiation]] under the [[North Sea]]. Before anyone could investigate, the crash happened. The Doctor realises the reason someone would fake an alien invasion is so they can gather those who have experience and knowledge in fighting off aliens together in one place. The crash is not a diversion; it's a trap.
The trio of Green, Blaine and Asquith complain about compression and gas exchange. They receive a code nine — the Doctor, an expert in extra-terrestrial affairs, has been located. On the TARDIS, the Doctor finds that experts and specialists on alien encounters are being brought in and realises that these people belong to UNIT. He fills Rose in on the organisation and Mickey confirms that the Doctor has worked for them before, having spent the past year researching the Doctor's past history on Earth. Rose suggests going to UNIT for help, but the Doctor refuses as the world doesn't need another alien (and also points out he's '[[Regeneration|changed a lot]]' since his last meeting with them).


In the Cabinet Rooms, Blaine enters, closing the door behind her. Ganesh says it's impossible for the Prime Minister to be dead. He was driven away from Downing Street that morning. Blaine smugly explains the only reason that he thinks that is because she told him and begins to unzip her head before a horrified Ganesh, Rose and Harriet.
The Doctor decides they need to check out the crashed spaceship up close now the roads are clearing. However, when the Doctor, Rose and Mickey step out of the TARDIS, they are surrounded by police and [[helicopter]]s. Mickey runs away, and the Doctor and Rose are taken in; however, the Doctor tells Rose that they're not being arrested but instead escorted to the heart of the discussion. He's the ultimate expert on aliens, according to UNIT files. They are taken to Downing Street, where the Doctor is brought in to meet with the other experts. Rose does not have proper clearance, so Harriet offers to stay with her. Meanwhile, a policeman visits Jackie for information.


In Jackie's flat, Jackie insists to Strickland that she knows nothing about the Doctor. That isn’t good enough for Strickland. This Doctor means trouble, and that means anyone associated with him is trouble. That is Strickland's job: eliminating trouble. He unzips his forehead and removes his skin-suit...
The experts are gathered with Green and Asquith in a small room. Harriet takes Rose to the Cabinet Room and tells what she saw — Green and Blaine are aliens in skin suits who killed Asquith. Suddenly the two find the body of the Prime Minister hidden in the cupboard.


In the briefing room, Green breaks wind loudly. The Doctor turns on him for the interruption. General Asquith removes his skin suit. The enormous, green aliens wriggle out of their skins. The one inhabiting Blaine attacks Ganesh and the one posing as Strickland corners Jackie in her kitchen. In the briefing room, the unmasked Asquith identifies himself and his cohort as the [[Slitheen]]. With that introduction, Green activates a hand-held device that sends a deadly dose of [[electricity]] jolting through the experts' ID cards, including the Doctor's. TO BE CONTINUED...
[[File:The experts are killed.jpg|thumb|left|The experts are electrocuted.]]
The Doctor interrupts Asquith telling everyone that three days earlier, some radiation was detected in the North Sea and was due to be investigated but this was forgotten after the crash. The Doctor wonders aloud why the spaceship crash was faked, since all its managed to do is panic the population and get the Earth's alien experts in one place. The Doctor suddenly realises that this is what the aliens want; anyone who has the expertise and knowledge to fight them gathered together. He now understands the crash wasn't a diversion but a trap. The policeman visiting Jackie begins to unzip his forehead. Ganesh, Rose and Harriet are caught by Margaret Blaine, who unzips her forehead. In the room below, Asquith unzips his forehead, and Green - thanking the attendees for wearing their ID cards - uses a remote control to electrocute the experts including the Doctor. They announce themselves as the Slitheen.


== Cast ==
== Cast ==
* The [[Ninth Doctor]] - [[Christopher Eccleston]]
* [[Ninth Doctor|Doctor Who]] - [[Christopher Eccleston]]
* [[Rose Tyler]] - [[Billie Piper]]
* [[Rose Tyler]] - [[Billie Piper]]
* [[Jackie Tyler]] - [[Camille Coduri]]
* [[Jackie Tyler]] - [[Camille Coduri]]
* [[Mickey Smith]] - [[Noel Clarke]]
* [[Spray painter (Aliens of London)|Spray Painter]] - [[Corey Doabe]]
* [[Policeman (Aliens of London)|Policeman]] - [[Ceris Jones]]
* [[Policeman (Aliens of London)|Policeman]] - [[Ceris Jones]]
* [[Tom Hitchinson|Reporter]] - [[Jack Tarlton]]
* [[Tom Hitchinson|Reporter]] - [[Jack Tarlton]]
* [[Trinity Wells|Reporter]] - [[Lachele Carl]]
* [[Trinity Wells|Reporter]] - [[Lachele Carl]]
* [[Ru Chan|Ru]] - [[Fiesta Mei Lung]]
* [[Ru]] - [[Fiesta Mei Ling]]
* [[Bau Chan|Bau]] - [[Basil Chung]]
* [[Bau]] - [[Basil Chung]]
* [[Matt Baker]] - As himself
* [[Matt Baker (in-universe)|Matt Baker]] - [[Matt Baker|As himself]]
* [[Andrew Marr]] - As himself
* [[Andrew Marr (in-universe)|Andrew Marr]] - [[Andrew Marr|As himself]]
* General [[Asquith]] - [[Rupert Vansittart]]
* [[R. Asquith|General Asquith]] - [[Rupert Vansittart]]{{note|Vansittart plays both the human Asquith, and [[Asquith Slitheen|a Slitheen that wears his skin]] after Asquith is killed.}}
* [[Joseph Green]] - [[David Verrey]]
* [[Jocrassa Fel-Fotch Passameer-Day Slitheen|Joseph Green]] - [[David Verrey]]
* [[Indra Ganesh]] - [[Navin Chowdhry]]
* [[Indra Ganesh]] - [[Navin Chowdhry]]
* [[Harriet Jones]] - [[Penelope Wilton]]
* [[Harriet Jones]] - [[Penelope Wilton]]
* [[Margaret Blaine]] - [[Annette Badland]]
* [[Blon Fel-Fotch Passameer-Day Slitheen|Margaret Blaine]] - [[Annette Badland]]
* Doctor [[Toshiko Sato|Sato]] - [[Naoko Mori]]
* Doctor [[Toshiko Sato|Sato]] - [[Naoko Mori]]
* [[Oliver Charles]] - [[Eric Potts]]
* [[Asquith Slitheen|Oliver Charles]] - [[Eric Potts]]
* [[Spray Painter (Aliens of London)|Spray Painter]] - [[Corey Doabe]]
* [[Mickey Smith]] - [[Noel Clarke]]
* [[Space Pig]] - [[Jimmy Vee]]
* [[Space pig|Alien]] - [[Jimmy Vee]]
* Police Commissioner [[Strickland]] - [[Steve Spiers]]
* [[Sip Fel-Fotch Passameer-Day Slitheen|Strickland]] - [[Steve Speirs]]<!--The actor uses both spellings and is credited as Speirs in this episode and as Spiers in the second part-->
* [[Slitheen]] - [[Elizabeth Frost]], [[Paul Kasey]], [[Alan Ruscoe]]
* [[Slitheen family|Slitheen]] - [[Elizabeth Fost]], [[Paul Kasey]], [[Alan Ruscoe]]
 
=== Uncredited cast ===
* [[Academic (Aliens of London)|Academic]] - [[Claudia Blondeau]]<ref>[[DWMSE 11]]: ''Aliens of London''/''World War Three''</ref>


== Crew ==
== Crew ==
Line 100: Line 114:
|1stAD=George Gerwitz
|1stAD=George Gerwitz
|2ndAD=Steffan Morris
|2ndAD=Steffan Morris
|3rdAD=Dafydd Parry
|3rdAD=Dafydd Rhys Parry
|Runner=
|Runner=
|Runner2=
|Runner2=
Line 106: Line 120:
|FloorRunner2=
|FloorRunner2=
|FloorRunner3=
|FloorRunner3=
|LocationManager=Clive Evans
|LocationManager=Clive Evans (location manager){{!}}Clive Evans
|LocationManager2=Lowri Thomas
|LocationManager2=Lowri Thomas
|LocationScout=
|LocationScout=
|UnitManager=
|UnitManager=
|ProductionManager=
|ProductionManager=Tracie Simpson
|ProductionCoOrdinator=Dathyl Evans
|ProductionCoOrdinator=Dathyl Evans
|AsstProductionCoOrdinator=
|AsstProductionCoOrdinator=
Line 250: Line 264:
|SoundEditor=
|SoundEditor=
|SoundEditor2=
|SoundEditor2=
|SoundEffectsEditor=Paul Jefferies
|SoundFXEditor=Paul Jefferies
|ModelUnitSupervisor=Mike Tucker
|ModelUnitSupervisor=Mike Tucker
|ModelUnitDOP=
|ModelUnitDOP=
Line 304: Line 318:
|SeniorProductionAccountant=
|SeniorProductionAccountant=
|ProductionAccountant=Endaf Emyr Williams
|ProductionAccountant=Endaf Emyr Williams
|SoundRecordist=Ian Richardson
|SoundRecordist=Ian Richardson (sound recordist)
|CostumeDesigner=Lucinda Wright
|CostumeDesigner=Lucinda Wright
|Make-upDesigner=Davy Jones
|Make-upDesigner=Davy Jones (make-up designer)
|VisualEffects=The Mill
|VisualEffects=The Mill
|SpecialEffects=Any Effects
|SpecialEffects=Any Effects
|Prosthetics=Millennium Effects
|Prosthetics=Millennium Effects
|Music=Murray Gold
|Music=Murray Gold
|Editor=Mike Jones
|Editor=Mike Jones (editor)
|ProductionDesigner=Edward Thomas
|ProductionDesigner=Edward Thomas
|DOP=Ernie Vincze BSC
|DOP=Ernie Vincze BSC
|ProductionManager=Tracie Simpson
|LineProducer=
|LineProducer=
|AssociateProducer=Helen Vallis
|AssociateProducer=Helen Vallis
Line 344: Line 357:
}}
}}


== References ==
== Worldbuilding ==
* [[Elton Pope]] is one of the many who witnesses the spaceship crash landing (and doesn't dismiss it as a hoax). ''This is not shown on screen until [[Love & Monsters]].''
* [[Ballast]] is mentioned.
=== [[:Category:United Nations Intelligence Taskforce|UNIT]] ===
 
* [[UNIT]] the [[United Nations Intelligence Taskforce]], is mentioned as being among the experts on aliens, The Doctor mentions having worked with them in the past, but that they wouldn't recognise him now, alluding to [[regeneration]]. This is the first reference to UNIT in the series revival (in a later episode, ''[[The Sontaran Stratagem]]'', it is revealed that UNIT's name has, for some reason, been changed to ''Unified'' Intelligence Taskforce). Since no UNIT personnel are heard uttering the full name, only the Doctor, it is not known if the name has actually been changed by this point, and the Doctor may not be aware of it.
=== Individuals ===
=== [[:Category:The Doctor|The Doctor]] ===
* Jackie claims that [[Billy Croot]] asked her out.
 
=== United Nations Intelligence Taskforce ===
* [[UNIT]], the [[UNIT|United Nations Intelligence Taskforce]], is mentioned as being among the experts on aliens. The Doctor mentions having worked with them in the past, but that they wouldn't [[regeneration|recognise him now]].
* One of the UNIT officers is [[Muriel Frost]].
 
=== The Doctor ===
* The Doctor claims to have participated in drinking contests with former Prime Minister [[David Lloyd George]].
* The Doctor claims to have participated in drinking contests with former Prime Minister [[David Lloyd George]].
* The Doctor says he is nine hundred [[The Doctor's age|years old]].
* The Doctor says he is nine hundred [[The Doctor's age|years old]].
* The Doctor is forced to watch a clip of ''[[Blue Peter]]'' on television in which [[Matt Baker]] makes an alien ship cake.


=== [[:Category:Bad Wolf arc|Bad Wolf arc]] ===
=== Bad Wolf arc ===
* A boy spray paints the words "[[Bad Wolf meme|BAD WOLF]]" on the side of the TARDIS while it is parked on the [[Powell Estate]].
* A boy spray paints the words "[[Bad Wolf meme|BAD WOLF]]" on the side of the TARDIS while it is parked on the [[Powell Estate]].


== Story notes ==
=== Real world references ===
* This episode had the working title "Aliens of London Part One" ("World War Three" being "Part Two").
* After the spaceship crashed in the [[Thames]], residents of the [[Powell Estate]] put up a banner saying "ELLO E.T.", referring to the term made popular by the film ''[[E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial]]''.
* The episode ends on a cliffhanger, the first since episode two of [[DW]]: ''[[Survival]]''. The story continues in ''[[World War Three]]''. This is also the first occasion since ''[[Invasion of the Dinosaurs]]'' in which the first episode of a serial does not share its title with the second.
* "[[Starman (song)|Starman]]" by [[David Bowie]] can be heard playing at the Tylers' flat.
* A poster announcing [[Rose Tyler|Rose's]] disappearance states that she has not been seen since [[6 March|6]] [[March]], [[2005]]. However, the BBC-produced "official" [[UNIT]] website indicates that the climactic events of ''[[Rose (TV story)|Rose]]'' happened on [[26 March|26]] [[March]]. The same site also dates this episode at either [[26 May|26]] [[May]] or [[28 June|28]] [[June]] [[2006]]. If the June date is accepted, ''[[Boom Town]]'' (and also ''[[The Parting of the Ways]]'') would have to take place in late December [[2006]] — the same week as ''[[The Christmas Invasion]]'' (dated to 2006 by the Guinevere One website). On the other hand, if only on-screen evidence is accepted, ''Aliens of London'' would take place in March 2006, ''Boom Town'' in September, and ''The Parting of the Ways'' later in the autumn or early winter.
 
* The official police poster is the first reference to the Powell Estate on the television series. In whole, the notice says, "Rose Tyler has been missing from her home on the Powell Estate since 6 March 2005. Rose is described as 19 years old, 5 feet 4 inches in height, slim build with shoulder-length blonde hair. Anyone with information regarding Rose should contacvt 0207 946000." The photograph used is one of Billie Piper herself, rather than one of Piper playing Rose. Several other, home-made posters are seen on Jackie's table, including one with a banner headline saying "WHERE IS ROSE?".
=== Locations ===
* When the Doctor complains of being slapped by Rose's mother, Rose laughingly remarks, "You're so gay!" This remark has caused some controversy in fan circles, some seeing it as an anti-homosexual slur. Davies, who is gay, wrote in an e-mail response that it was the way people talked and claimed that he was trying to provoke discussion by using the phrase.
* A [[Cotton Gardens|group of flats]] is visible between the Powell Estate and the London Eye.
* Another running joke, involving the [[Slitheen]]s suffering from bad [[flatulence]] (due to the gas exchange) while in their human disguises was also slightly controversial in fan circles, with some critics disapproving of the style of humour. It did, however, give rise to one of the most quoted lines uttered by the [[Ninth Doctor]] during the season: "Would you mind not farting while I'm trying to save the world?"
* There is also [[St Wilfrid Church|a church]] visible from the roof of Bucknall House.
* The scene where the [[pig]]-like "alien" is breaking thought the metal door with [[Toshiko Sato|Dr Sato]] watching in shock is reminiscent of an almost identical moment in the 1996 [[Doctor Who (1996)|''Doctor Who'' television movie]], in which the newly-regenerated [[Eighth Doctor]] breaks through the metal door of the morgue, terrifying a hospital worker.
* [[Wyndham Estate|Another group of flats]] is visible behind Rose.
* The production team had intended to suggest that the murdered Prime Minister in this episode was current real-life incumbent [[Tony Blair]]. On the DVD commentary for the following episode, producer [[Phil Collinson]] explained that they had hired an actor to play the dead body on the understanding that the man was a [[Tony Blair]] lookalike. When the resemblance proved disappointing, they decided to avoid showing the body clearly. The suggestion that the body is Blair's remains in [[Harriet Jones|Harriet's]] line "I'm hardly one of the babes", a reference to the large number of female Labour Party MPs who entered the House of Commons in Labour's [[1997]] general election victory, dubbed "Blair's Babes" by the British media. That Tony Blair was elected in the ''Doctor Who'' universe was confirmed in ''[[Rise of the Cybermen]]''.
* [[Mickey Smith's flat]], number 90, is located in [[Napier House|a block of flats]] at the far end of [[Maddock Way]].
* The armoured personnel carrier seen outside Number 10 is a Saxon, possibly foreshadowing [[Harold Saxon|future events]].
 
* According to Russell T Davies in ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'', as well as ''[[Doctor Who Confidential]]'', the decision to establish the [[Bad Wolf meme]] in the series did not occur until after the spur-of-the-moment decision to have the words "bad wolf" graffiti-painted on the TARDIS; subsequently Bad Wolf references were added to the scripts for most of the other Series 1 episodes, and notwithstanding a few minor or inferred references in the interim, returned in force in the Series 4 episodes ''[[Turn Left]]'' and ''[[Journey's End]]''. With the origin of the meme established, the mystery that remains is exactly why the words "bad wolf" were chosen to be spray-painted on the TARDIS in the first place (as opposed to any other phrase).
== Notes ==
* Although not clearly seen on screen, one of the UNIT officers killed by the Slitheen at the end is wearing the name tag "Frost" (the tag is seen more clearly in publicity stills). This may have been a reference to the ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' comic strip character [[Muriel Frost]], who worked for UNIT.
* This episode had the working title ''Aliens of London Part One'' (''World War Three'' being ''Part Two'').
* The [[TARDIS key]] began as an ordinary-looking Yale key, then changed during the [[Third Doctor]]'s last season into a more alien looking one, which was also used for the first two seasons of the [[Fourth Doctor]]'s tenure. It then reverted to the Yale key for the rest of the run of the original series. The alien key made one last appearance in the [[Doctor Who (1996)|''Doctor Who'' television movie]]. It has now returned to looking like an ordinary key, except that it starts to glow when the TARDIS is arriving.
* This was the debut performance for [[Penelope Wilton]] as [[Harriet Jones]]. Her first line in the role was: ''"Excuse me! Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North."''
* [[The Time Warrior|This is not the first time someone has written on the Doctor's TARDIS.]]
* This is the first time in the revival series that the Doctor gets slapped by a woman, a continual occurance in later seasons.
* The Doctor repeately refers to Mickey Smith as "Ricky." In [[DW]] [[Rise of the Cybermen]] it is discovered that [[Ricky Smith]] is the alternate version of Mickey in [[Pete's World]].
* The episode ends on a cliffhanger, the first since episode two of ''[[Survival (TV story)|Survival]]''. The story continues in ''[[World War Three (TV story)|World War Three]]''. This is also the first occasion since ''[[Invasion of the Dinosaurs (TV story)|Invasion of the Dinosaurs]]'' in which the first episode of a serial does not share its title with the second (''Invasion of the Dinosaurs'' part one was titled ''Invasion'').
* The official police poster is the first reference to the Powell Estate on the television series. In whole, the notice says, "Rose Tyler has been missing from her home on the Powell Estate since 6 March 2005. Rose is described as 19 years old, 5 feet 4 inches in height, slim build with shoulder-length blonde hair. Anyone with information regarding Rose should contact 0207 946000." The photograph used is one of Billie Piper herself, rather than one of Piper playing Rose. Several other home-made posters are seen on Jackie's table, including one with a banner headline saying "WHERE IS ROSE?".
* The scene where the [[pig]]-like "alien" is breaking through the metal door with [[Toshiko Sato|Dr Sato]] watching in shock is reminiscent of an almost identical moment in the 1996 [[Doctor Who (TV story)|''Doctor Who'' television movie]], in which the newly-regenerated [[Eighth Doctor]] breaks through the metal door of the morgue, terrifying a hospital worker.
* The production team had intended to suggest that the murdered Prime Minister in this episode was current real-life incumbent [[Tony Blair]]. On the DVD commentary for the following episode, producer [[Phil Collinson]] explained that they had hired an actor to play the dead body on the understanding that the man was a Tony Blair lookalike. When the resemblance proved disappointing, they decided to avoid showing the body clearly. The suggestion that the body is Blair's remains in [[Harriet Jones|Harriet]]'s line, "I'm hardly one of the babes", a reference to the large number of female [[Labour Party]] MPs who entered the [[House of Commons]] in Labour's [[1997]] general election victory, dubbed "Blair's Babes" by the British media. That Tony Blair was elected in the ''Doctor Who'' universe was confirmed in ''[[Rise of the Cybermen (TV story)|Rise of the Cybermen]]''.
* According to [[Russell T Davies]] in ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'', as well as ''[[Doctor Who Confidential]]'', the decision to establish the [[Bad Wolf meme]] in the series did not occur until after the spur-of-the-moment decision to have the words "bad wolf" graffiti-painted on the TARDIS; subsequently Bad Wolf references were added to the scripts for most of the other Series 1 episodes, and notwithstanding a few minor or inferred references in the interim, returned in force in the Series 4 episodes ''[[Turn Left (TV story)|Turn Left]]'' and ''[[Journey's End (TV story)|Journey's End]]''. With the origin of the meme established, the mystery that remains is exactly why the words "bad wolf" were chosen to be spray-painted on the TARDIS in the first place (as opposed to any other phrase).
* The [[TARDIS key]] began as an ordinary-looking Yale key, then changed during the [[Third Doctor]]'s last season into a more alien looking one, which was also used for the first two seasons of the [[Fourth Doctor]]'s tenure. It then reverted to the Yale key for the rest of the run of the original series. The alien key made one last appearance in the [[Doctor Who (TV story)|''Doctor Who'' television movie]]. It has now returned to looking like an ordinary key, except that it starts to glow when the TARDIS is arriving.
* When the Doctor starts up the TARDIS to visit Albion Hospital, he plugs the sonic screwdriver into the console. The prop was originally meant to have a pair of "feet" under the black cap that would plug into the console but the idea was ultimately abandoned.
* The Doctor repeatedly refers to Mickey Smith as "Ricky". In ''[[Rise of the Cybermen (TV story)|Rise of the Cybermen]]'', it is discovered that [[Ricky Smith]] is the alternative version of Mickey in [[Pete's World]].
* This is the first episode to examine deeply the impact which the departure of a companion with the Doctor can have on those left behind. In this case, Rose's family believed her to have been murdered, and her boyfriend Mickey had become a suspect. The impact of a companion's travels with the Doctor on family and friends back on Earth becomes a recurring theme throughout the first (2005-2010) and second (2023-) Russell T Davies eras.
* Beginning with this episode (broadcast in 2005, but set in 2006), most "modern day" Earth stories at the time this episode aired would have taken place approximately one year after the year in which they were broadcast. [[Aliens of London dating controversy|This has not been applied consistently]]. This displacement also applies to the later ''[[Torchwood (TV series)|Torchwood]]'' and ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'' spinoff series. The first story in each of the respective shows to ''unambiguously'' set its modern day in the year of broadcast according to dialogue and/or set design are ''[[Flesh and Stone (TV story)|Flesh and Stone]]'' (principally set in the [[51st century]], but referring to "[[Amy Pond|Amy]]'s time" in dialogue), ''[[Children of Earth: Day One (TV story)|Children of Earth: Day One]]'', and ''[[The Nightmare Man (TV story)|The Nightmare Man]]''.
* UNIT makes its first appearance on screen since the [[season 26 (Doctor Who 1963)|season twenty-six]] serial ''[[Battlefield (TV story)|Battlefield]]''. The Doctor spells out the acronym — United Nations Intelligence Taskforce. This would be the final on-screen use of this name, as by the time the full name of the organisation was uttered again in the [[Series 3 (Doctor Who 2005)|series three]] episode ''[[The Sontaran Stratagem (TV story)|The Sontaran Stratagem]]'', it has been changed to Unified Intelligence Taskforce. This was because the real [[United Nations]] began taking [[UN's legal actions against the UNIT acronym|legal action against]] the BBC due to a violation of the [[Geneva Convention]].
* The story is the 700th episode of ''Doctor Who''.
* Following the cliffhanger, the preview for ''[[World War Three (TV story)|World War Three]]'' was shown immediately afterwards. This was criticised as it showed the main characters had survived the life-threatening situations they'd just been shown in seconds previously. Following this, trailers for episodes with multiple-parts would be shown after the closing credits instead.
* [[Christopher Eccleston]] and [[Naoko Mori]] would later co-star as [[John Lennon]] and [[Yoko Ono]] in ''{{wi|Lennon Naked}}.''
* The scene where the Doctor chases the pig alien was the first scene [[Christopher Eccleston]] filmed for the series.
* The original script featured the discovery of a buried “alien” spacecraft in a construction lot in Tottenham. As [[Russell T Davies]] began to realise what could be achieved with computer-generated effects, however, he instead added the ship's destructive crashlanding, providing greater scale to the narrative.
* Jackie was meant to accompany the Doctor and Rose to 10 Downing Street.
* Rose was originally astonished to find that the TARDIS had brought her home just an hour after her departure, rather than a year too late.
* As [[Russell T Davies]] began drafting his scripts, he became concerned that the story lacked enough elements of fun. As such, he developed the character of Harriet Jones.
* Harriet Jones came about when [[Russell T Davies]] was discussing [[Penelope Wilton]] (who had appeared in his sitcom ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_%26_Rose Bob & Rose]'') with [[Phil Collinson]], who suggested developing a role for her.
* With production looming, [[Russell T Davies]] decided to take advantage of the fact that the inclusion of the spaceship crash meant that he could feature a live “alien” in the story; originally, the vessel had been inhabited by a corpse which turned out to be nothing more than a shank of [[beef]].
* [[Julie Gardner]] was unhappy with the notion of the “space pig”, but she decided to trust [[Russell T Davies]]' instincts.
* Until a very late stage, the pig was to be dressed only in a cloak, but [[Russell T Davies]] and costume designer [[Lucinda Wright]] finally decided that it should wear a [[1950s|Fifties]]-style spacesuit.
* Keen to add realistic touches to his depiction of life on the Powell Estate, [[Russell T Davies]] included a boy who spray-painted “bad dog” on the side of the TARDIS. This was later amended to “bad wolf”.
* [[Russell T Davies]] was impressed with both [[Annette Badland]] and [[Naoko Mori]] and began thinking of ways to bring them back to the series.
* Having been denied permission to record in front of the real 10 Downing Street, the team approached ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Britain_(TV_series) Little Britain]'' for advice in finding a substitute location.
* Filming in Westminster was delayed by overzealous anti-terrorism officers whose suspicions were aroused by the presence of ersatz policemen in proximity to the Houses of Parliament.
* There was disappointment that extra Roderick Mair, who had been hired to play the murdered Prime Minister, did not better resemble [[Tony Blair|Tony Blair.]] As a result, [[Keith Boak]] kept shots of Mair to a minimum.
* The ''[[Blue Peter]]'' segment was [[Russell T Davies]]' way of paying tribute to the fact that the ''Doctor Who'' production office had a great working relationship with the show.
* [[Christopher Eccleston]] cited this episode as one of his favorite filming experiences while with the program, pointing out that chasing a man in a pig costume dressed in a spacesuit is something he'd never get to do doing [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]].


=== Ratings ===
=== Ratings ===
* 7.6 million viewers
* 7.63 million viewers (UK final)<ref>[http://guide.doctorwhonews.net/info.php?detail=ratings&start=100&type=date&order= Doctor Who - consolidated ratings]</ref>


=== Myths ===
=== Myths ===
None
None
=== Filming locations ===
=== Filming locations ===
* The [[Cardiff]] Royal Infirmary provided the setting for the fictional [[London]] [[Albion Hospital]].
* [[Cardiff Royal Infirmary]], Newport Road, Cardiff (exterior and interior of [[Albion Hospital]])
* The entrance to the Prime Minister's residence was a redress of a similar-looking door in Central London.
* [[Westminster Bridge]], Westminster, London (news report on the spaceship crash)
* Cardiff Royal Infirmary, Newport Road, Cardiff
* [[Victoria Embankment]], London (news report on the spaceship crash)
* Westminster Bridge, Westminster, London (News report on the crash)
* [[Hensol Castle]], Glamorgan, Wales (interior of Downing Street)
* Tower Bridge, London (seen as the Slitheen's ship flies over it)
* [[West Bute Street]], Cardiff (traffic jam scene)
* The Queens Walk, Westminster, London (seen when the Slitheen's ship crashes into the Thames)
* [[Bute Street]], Cardiff (when the Doctor and Rose are taken to Downing Street in the limo)
* [[Wikipedia:Hensol castle|Hensol Castle]], Glamorgan, Wales (Interior of Downing Street)
* [[Royal Society of Arts]], John Adam Street, Westminster, London (exterior of Downing Street)
* Bute Street, Cardiff (when Rose are taken to Downing Street in the limo)
* [[Brandon Estate]], Kennington, London (Powell Estate - TARDIS and rooftop scenes, Mickey's flat exterior, helicopter scene)
* John Adam Street, Westminster, London (Exterior of Downing Street)
* [[Channel View Flats]], Cardiff (Powell Estate stairwell)
* Belvedere Road, London
* [[Unit Q2]], Imperial Park, Imperial Way, Newport (studio filming)
* Whitehall / Parliament Street, Westminster, London (seen as the Slitheen ship flies over the top)
* [[BBC Television Centre]] ([[Studio TC4]]), Shepherd's Bush, London (''[[Blue Peter]]'' studio)
* Brandon Estate, Kennington, London (Long shot exterior of Powell Estate)
* [[HTV Wales Studios]] ([[Studio 1]]), Culvershouse Cross, Cardiff (pick-up studio work)
* Channel View Flats, Cardiff (Closer shots of Powell Estate)
* [[The Model Unit Stage]], Kendal Avenue, Acton (model effect filming) (all [[TCH 49]])
* Unit Q2, Imperial Park, Imperial Way, Newport
* BBC Television Centre (Studio TC4), Shepherd's Bush, London
* HTV Wales Studios (Studio 1), Culvershouse Cross, Cardiff
* BBC (Kendal Avenue), Kendal Avenue, Acton


=== Production errors ===
=== Production errors ===
{{discontinuity}}
{{discontinuity}}
* When the ship crashes into the clock tower, both the numbers on the clock face and the text beneath are backwards. ''(According to the DVD commentary, director [[Keith Boak]] altered his shots of the crash sequence but this was not related to the visual effects team, who had prepared according to the storyboarded version. As a result, the sequence was electronically flipped to make it conform to the spaceship's final descent pattern.)''
* When Jackie Tyler slaps the Doctor, it is a clear miss.
* The clock also appears to keep working after the incident: the time reads roughly 10:55 when the spaceship strikes it, but reads roughly 6:10 when the clock is later seen on a news broadcast. ''(The shot is flipped)''
* When the Slitheen ship is flying above London, what we see on the ground below the spaceship from close up shots does not match with what we see below the spaceship during long shots.
* Around 26:32, when Mickey appears at the party, the BBC News broadcast in the background can be heard talking about how, "with no head of state", "it falls to Harriet Jones to form an emergency government". This didn't happen until the subsequent episode. Additionally, the Prime Minister is the head of government ''not'' the head of state (which is HM The Queen).
* In the shot just before the Slitheen ship destroys Big Ben, the people in the distance are all seemingly oblivious that a spaceship is flying above them as none of them stop walking or even look at the ship.
* When the alien announcements appear on the TV, they appear slightly blurry, as a screen would really be if taped. However, when the channels are changing, the image shown has no blur.
* The close-up shots of Big Ben as it is destroyed by an alien ship crashing into it, show the clock faces back-to-front. This is because the director wanted the ship to move across the frame the other way.
* Big Ben appears to keep running even after being struck by the spaceship. The time reads roughly 10:55 when the spaceship strikes it, but reads roughly 6:10 when the clock is later seen on a news broadcast.
* Around 26:32, when Mickey appears at the party, the BBC News broadcast in the background can be heard talking about how, "with no head of state", "it falls to Harriet Jones to form an emergency government". This doesn't happen until the subsequent episode.
* At one point, a news reporter is standing by the Thames, citing an alien body being found; however, after the channel is changed to ''Blue Peter'' for around 30 seconds, once it's changed back to the news, the same reporter is now standing in an entirely different location.
* When Jackie has called the police to her flat the Doctor alternates between shots, sometimes having his hands in his pockets, other times having his arms crossed.
* In one close-up of a photographer taking pictures outside 10 Downing Street the scene is reversed to provide an opposite angle. You can see the "Nikon" nameplate is reversed on the front of the camera.
* When the Doctor is kneeling over the Slitheen's engineered pig mutant, the seam of the plastic mould of the costume is clearly seen.
* In the close-up shots of the pig mutant, the pig is clearly seen still breathing.
* When Rose enters the TARDIS after the Doctor returns from the hospital, the Powell Estate is clearly not outside the door; it is simply a black background.
* When the TARDIS lands in Albion Hospital, the "BAD WOLF" graffiti has disappeared, only to return when the TARDIS lands back at the Powell Estate.
* When the [[Slitheen]] is climbing out of its skin suit for the first time in front of the experts, while flailing, its left arm would've hit Green, yet it simply passes through him.
* When Mickey pulls the TARDIS door shut, the 'Pull to Open' door comes open, but in every following shot, it's closed again.
 
=== Influences ===
 
* [[Russell T Davies]] cited {{wi|The Quatermass Experiment}} as an influence.{{fact}}


== Continuity ==
== Continuity ==
* Dr. Sato later reappears in the ''[[Torchwood (TV series)|Torchwood]]'' spin-off series, where her full name is revealed as [[Toshiko Sato]] ([[TW]]: ''[[Everything Changes]]'')
* The basic idea of gathering together all of the world's top scientists so as to incapacitate them had previously been tried by the [[Abbot of Mai' Sung]]. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Deadly Choice (comic story)|Deadly Choice]]'')
:* [[TW]]: ''[[Exit Wounds]]'' establishes that she was working undercover for [[Torchwood Institute|Torchwood]] during this incident and in fact her colleague [[Owen Harper]] was originally to have done the autopsy. This retroactively makes this the first appearance of Torchwood in the series.
* Rose mentions going to the year [[5,000,000,000]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The End of the World (TV story)|The End of the World]]'')
* UNIT makes its first appearance on screen since [[DW]]: ''[[Battlefield]]''. The Doctor spells out the acronym -- United Nations Intelligence Taskforce. This would be the final on-screen use of this name, as by the time the full name of the organisation was uttered again in [[DW]]: ''[[The Sontaran Stratagem]]'', it has been changed to Unified Intelligence Taskforce. (Apparently the UN objected to the use of its name in the fictional organisation, even though it had been used as such since at least 1968).
* Dr Sato is later revealed to be [[Toshiko Sato]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Everything Changes (TV story)|Everything Changes]]'') She was working undercover for [[Torchwood Institute|Torchwood]] during this incident and in fact her colleague Dr [[Owen Harper]] was originally to have done the autopsy, but he had a hangover and was just recently appointed to the team. ([[TV]]: ''[[Exit Wounds (TV story)|Exit Wounds]]'')
* Mickey notes that he found out on the Internet that the Doctor had worked before for UNIT, among other things. ''A notation at [[WEB]]: [[Defending the Earth!|http://www.whoisdoctorwho.co.uk/]] implies that Mickey is the one who has been updating [[Clive Finch]]'s website since the latter's death in [[DW]]: ''[[Rose (TV story)|Rose]]''.''
* Mickey has researched the Doctor and learned that he worked for UNIT. ([[TV]]: ''[[Spearhead from Space (TV story)|Spearhead from Space]]'') The Doctor claims they won't recognise him, as he's "[[Regeneration|changed a lot]] since the old days".
* The TARDIS was previously defaced with chalk scribblings in [[DW]]: ''[[The Time Warrior]]'' and ''[[The Leisure Hive]]'', graffiti in ''[[Paradise Towers (TV story)|Paradise Towers]]'' and was painted pink in ''[[The Happiness Patrol]]''.
* One of the UNIT officers is [[Muriel Frost]], who previously had met the [[Seventh Doctor]]. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[The Mark of Mandragora (comic story)|The Mark of Mandragora]]'', ''[[Evening's Empire (comic story)|Evening's Empire]]'')
* The Doctor revisits [[Albion Hospital]] in [[1941]] during [[DW]]: ''[[The Empty Child]]'' and ''[[The Doctor Dances]]''.
* The TARDIS was previously defaced with chalk scribblings ([[TV]]: ''[[The Time Warrior (TV story)|The Time Warrior]]'', ''[[The Leisure Hive (TV story)|The Leisure Hive]]''), graffiti, ([[TV]]: ''[[Paradise Towers (TV story)|Paradise Towers]]'') and pink paint. ([[TV]]:''[[The Happiness Patrol (TV story)|The Happiness Patrol]]'')
* In [[DW]]: ''[[Love & Monsters]]'' the crash sequences (and the events that follow) are seen from an entirely different point of view.
* The Doctor visits [[Albion Hospital]] again in [[1941]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Empty Child (TV story)|The Empty Child]]'', ''[[The Doctor Dances (TV story)|The Doctor Dances]]'')
* The Doctor tells Rose he is 900 years old, but in [[DW]]: ''[[Time and the Rani]]'' he was 953, in [[NA]]: ''[[Set Piece]]'' he was 1000 and in [[EDA]]: ''[[Vampire Science]]'' he was 1,012, the Doctor spend 100 years on Earth ([[EDA]]: ''[[The Burning]]'' to ''[[Escape Velocity]]'') which makes him at least 1,112 (this isn't counting all the intervening time during adventures either). The given age of 900 has been the baseline for all future references to the Doctor's age (such as 903, given in [[DW]]: ''[[Voyage of the Damned]]''). The discrepancy with the earlier stated age during the [[Sylvester McCoy]] era has yet to be addressed on screen, though numerous fan-generated theories exist. There have reportedly been a couple of attempts made to have the Doctor address this on screen (the gist being he cannot remember his age anymore) but these lines of dialogue have ended up cut.
* The crash (and the events that follow) are seen by [[Elton Pope]] from an entirely different point of view. ([[TV]]: ''[[Love & Monsters (TV story)|Love & Monsters]]'')
* This is the first episode in franchise history to chronicle the impact the departure of a companion with the Doctor can have on those left behind. In this case her family believed her to have been murdered, and her boyfriend, Mickey, had become a suspect. The impact of a companion's travels with the Doctor on family and friends back on Earth becomes a recurring theme throughout the Russell T. Davies era.
* The Doctor tells Rose he is 900 years old, but he had previously ([[TV]]: ''[[Time and the Rani (TV story)|Time and the Rani]]'') given his age as older. (See [[The Doctor's age]].)
* Beginning with this episode, most "modern day" Earth stories are said to take place approximately one year after the year in which they were broadcast; i.e. this episode and its second chapter take place in 2006, but were first broadcast in 2005. As noted above, this has not been applied consistently. This displacement also applies to the later ''[[Torchwood (TV series)|Torchwood]]'' and ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'' spinoff series, and has been applied fairly consistently, although some discrepancies have been noted. This would continue until [[DW]]: ''[[The End of Time (TV story)|The End of Time]]'', at which point "modern day" stories once again synched up with the year in which they were aired, and explicitly followed for [[Series 4 (SJA)|Series 4]] of ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' and [[Series 3 (Torchwood)|Series 3]] of ''Torchwood'' (and implied for SJA [[Series 3 (SJA)|Series 3]]).
* Margaret comments that "[[Slitheen|we]]" have to fix [[gas exchange]]. A few years later, slimline [[flesh suit]]s with no gas exchange will be used by the Slitheen. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Lost Boy (TV story)|The Lost Boy]]'')
 
* During his [[First Doctor|first incarnation]], the Doctor previously visited 10 Downing Street in [[July]] [[1900]] in the company of [[Steven Taylor]] and [[Vicki Pallister]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Upstairs (audio story)|Upstairs]]'')
== Timeline ==
* Details of the events, from the perspective of several UNIT officers, was seen in [[PROSE]]: ''[[Operation London (short story)|Operation London]]'' and ''[[Number Ten (short story)|Number Ten]]''.
'''For the Doctor and Rose'''
* The [[Ninth Doctor]] later returned to [[London]] in [[2004]], at [[Christmas]], laughing about the destruction of Big Ben. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Have You Seen This Man? (short story)|Have You Seen This Man?]]'')
* This story occurs after: [[DW]]: ''[[The Unquiet Dead]]''
* This story occurs before: [[DW]]: ''[[World War Three]]''
'''For Mickey and Jackie'''
* This story occurs after: [[DW]]: ''[[Rose (TV story)|Rose]]''
* This story occurs before: [[DW]]: ''[[World War Three]]''
'''For "Dr. Sato"'''
* This story occurs after her flashbacks in: [[TW]]: ''[[Fragments (TV story)|Fragments]]''
* This story occurs before: [[TW]]: ''[[Everything Changes]]''


== Home video releases ==
== Home video releases ==
[[File:Bbcdvd-s1-v2.jpg|thumb|Series 1 Volume 2 DVD Cover]]
[[File:Bbcdvd-s1-v2.jpg|thumb|Series 1 Volume 2 DVD Cover]]
* '''Aliens of London''' together with [[World War Three]] and [[Dalek (TV story)|Dalek]] were released in a collection in both DVD and UMD format in the UK in 2005. The DVD version was released in North American in 2006.
* ''Aliens of London'' together with ''[[World War Three (TV story)|World War Three]]'' and ''[[Dalek (TV story)|Dalek]]'' were released in a collection in both DVD and UMD format in the UK in 2005. The DVD version was released in North American in 2006.
* This was also released as a vanilla release along with the next two episodes.
* This was also released as a vanilla release along with the next two episodes.
* It was also released as part of the Series 1 DVD box set.
* It was also released as part of the Series 1 DVD box set.
* This was also released with Issue 2 of the [[Doctor Who DVD Files]].
* This was also released with Issue 2 of the [[Doctor Who DVD Files]].


== See also ==
== Footnotes ==
* [[DW]]: ''[[World War Three]]''
{{notelist}}
* [[DW]]: ''[[Boom Town]]''
 
* [[DW]]: ''[[The Christmas Invasion]]''
== References ==
* [[DW]]: ''[[Love & Monsters]]''
{{reflist}}


== External links ==
== External links ==
* {{bbcdw|episodes/2005/aliensoflondon.shtml|Aliens of London}}
* {{bbcdw|episodes/2005/aliensoflondon.shtml|Aliens of London}}
* {{dwrefguide|who_tv04.htm|Aliens of London}}
{{dwrefguide|who_tv04.htm|Aliens of London}}
* {{briefhistory|serials/2005de.html|Aliens of London}}
* {{briefhistory|serials/2005de.html|Aliens of London}}
* {{whoniverse|9D.php|Aliens of London}}
* {{whoniverse|s01_04|Aliens of London}}
* {{locguide|aliensoflondon|Aliens of London}}
* {{locguide|aliensoflondon|Aliens of London}}
* [http://www.fiveminute.net/doctorwho/fiver.php?ep=aliensoflondon Five-Minute ''Aliens of London''] — Parody version
* [http://www.fiveminute.net/doctorwho/fiver.php?ep=aliensoflondon Five-Minute ''Aliens of London''] — Parody version
=== External links - Online media ===
* ''[http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/doctorwho/ram/confidential4?size=16x9&bgc=CC0000&nbram=1&bbram=1&nbwm=1&bbwm=1 Doctor Who Confidential - Episode 4: I Get a Side-Kick Out of You]''
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/doctorwho/ram/ep4trail?size=16x9&bgc=CC0000&nbram=1&bbram=1 Official BBC '''Next Time''' Trailer]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/doctorwho/ram/news24?size=16x9&bgc=CC0000&nbram=1&bbram=1 Mock report from BBC News 24 (used in '''Aliens of London''')]
{{DWTV}}
{{DWTV}}
{{UNIT stories}}
{{UNIT stories}}
{{Raxacoricofallapatorian stories}}
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[[he:חייזרי לונדון (סיפור טלוויזיה)]]
[[it:Aliens of London (TV)]]
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[[ru:Пришельцы в Лондоне]]


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[[Category:Doctor Who (2005) television stories]]
[[Category:Doctor Who (2005) television stories]]
[[Category:Ninth Doctor television stories]]
[[Category:2005 television stories]]
[[Category:Stories set in 2006]]
[[Category:Stories set in 2006]]
[[Category:Stories set in London]]
[[Category:Bad Wolf arc]]
[[Category:Slitheen television stories]]
[[Category:Slitheen television stories]]
[[Category:UNIT television stories]]
[[Category:UNIT television stories]]
[[Category:Series 1 (Doctor Who) stories]]
[[Category:Series 1 (Doctor Who) stories]]
[[Category:Stories set in the London Borough of Southwark]]
[[Category:Stories set in the City of Westminster]]
[[Category:Stories set in the City of Westminster]]
[[Category:Stories set in the City of London]]
[[Category:The Doctors and Monsters, Aliens, Robots stories]]

Latest revision as of 03:56, 22 October 2024

RealWorld.png

Aliens of London was the fourth episode of series one of Doctor Who.

It was notable for featuring the first cliffhanger in the BBC Wales run, by virtue of starting the first two-part story. Keeping cliffhangers in the show allowed lead writer Russell T Davies to expand the plot and restore a well-remembered part of the original series.

Narratively, the episode had several introductions. It introduced the Slitheen, who would return to Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures. It also marked the first appearance of Toshiko Sato, who would later feature as a regular character on Torchwood. In addition, this episode introduced another recurring character, British politician Harriet Jones. It also introduced UNIT to the revived series.

One of its legacies — sometimes forgotten by writers — was offered in its pre-title sequence. As the Ninth Doctor mistakenly brought Rose Tyler one year into the viewer's future, the "present day" of Doctor Who and its two BBC Wales spinoffs were brought, for a while, to one year later than the year of initial broadcast.

It was also the final episode of Doctor Who to have any portion recorded at the BBC Television Centre.[1]

The story also featured Muriel Frost, albeit in a minor non-speaking role, who was a supporting character introduced in The Mark of Mandragora. This story presents her death, being one of the experts summoned to 10 Downing Street. Moreover, the short story Operation London, published on the U.N.I.T. tie-in website as part of the Operations Board mini-series of narrative operations boards, was written to coincide with Aliens of London. Additionally, the events of Aliens of London seem to have been alluded to in a fan submitted entry for Have You Seen This Man? before the broadcast of the story, although it was removed not long after.

Synopsis[[edit] | [edit source]]

Rose returns home to discover that she has been missing for a whole year, although for her, it's been a couple of days. However, before she can explain her absence, a spaceship crashes into Big Ben, causing a worldwide crisis. Worse still, the Prime Minister has mysteriously disappeared... The Doctor's investigation puts him in the spotlight with the British government, as his long history of defending Earth finally catches up with him. But there are sinister goings on at 10 Downing Street, and politician Harriet Jones' quest to get some answers brings her into a brave new world... of aliens. Meanwhile, Rose finds trouble closer to home, as her past mistakes threaten to tear her family apart.

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

Rose and the Ninth Doctor have returned to the Powell Estate. Rose, thinking she has only been gone twelve hours, heads off to see her mum. Meanwhile, the Doctor notices a poster depicting a missing girl. Jackie is shocked to see Rose, who is lying that a friend of hers needed to talk to her over night. As Rose returns her mother's hug, she notices several posters in the living room that say she is missing. A breathless Doctor enters the room and informs Rose that she's been gone twelve months, not twelve hours.

Later, a policeman questions the Doctor; Jackie called the police as she did not believe Rose's claims to have been travelling as her passport is still at home. The Doctor explains that he employed Rose as his travelling companion; they simply lost track of time. The policeman inquires as to if this term refers to anything sexual in nature, to which both the Doctor and Rose retort "no." Jackie questions if the Doctor is really a doctor, or simply made up stories to lure in Rose for some kind of vile purpose. The Doctor tells her that he is one, to which she says "Prove it, stitch this mate" and slaps him.

Big Ben gets clipped.

Later, Rose and the Doctor chat outside on the roof of the Powell Estate. The Doctor is surprised Jackie slapped him, remarking his companion's mothers have never slapped him throughout his 900 years of travelling through time and space. Rose notes that's "one hell of an age gap" between them. She then laments that she's seen so much in her travels with him, but she can't tell anyone. Both are shocked to see an alien spaceship pass overhead and clip Big Ben before crashing into the river.

Rose and the Doctor try to visit the scene but are prevented by traffic; Rose suggests the TARDIS, but the Doctor tells her that is a bad idea as everyone in the world is now watching the skies for more aliens. They head for home to watch the news on television. Several people are visiting, while the Doctor tries to watch the news. He sees General Asquith entering the hospital where the alien has been taken. The news also reports that the Prime Minister is still missing.

At the hospital mortuary, Dr Sato performs an autopsy on the alien. Meanwhile, several important figures gather at 10 Downing Street, including Joseph Green. He is informed by Indra Ganesh, the junior secretary, that he is acting Prime Minister for the crisis. As Ganesh attempts to lead Green away, he is accosted by Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North, who wishes to meet with the Prime Minister but is brushed off. Green meets with Margaret Blaine and is given the emergency protocols.

The Doctor decides to leave the party, giving Rose a TARDIS key; he tells her that the crash was genuine, as it gave all the signs of engine failure meaning that day is the day the human race learns that they are not alone in the universe, and can start becoming part of the greater world beyond Earth. He promises he won't interfere, but is just going for a wander as the atmosphere inside the flat is 'too human'.

Despite his assurances, the Doctor decides to investigate when Mickey notices him. Giving chase, he reaches the TARDIS just as it disappears. The Doctor heads to the hospital where the alien is being held. He accidentally walks into a room of soldiers, but when they hear screaming, the Doctor calls out a battle formation and they all run out of the room and the soldiers listen to the Doctor's orders. He finds Dr Sato, who says that the "dead" alien is alive and has run off. Giving chase, they find that the alien has the appearance of a pig, albeit one running on its hind legs and wearing a suit. It runs away in obvious fear, and the Doctor tries to catch it. Despite the Doctor's command, one of the soldiers shoots the alien dead. Saddened, the Doctor tells the soldiers it was just scared and trying to run away.

The aliens unzip their heads.

Back in the Cabinet Room, General Asquith meets with Green and Blaine, who are acting strangely. He attempts to relieve Green of command, but Green, Blaine and another man, Oliver Charles, unzip their foreheads. Asquith screams. Unknown to them, Harriet Jones has sneaked inside the room and watches them from her hiding place, as they kill him.

After examining the body, the Doctor informs Dr Sato that the pig is (or rather was) an ordinary pig from Earth. It had its brain rewired and was stuck in the ship which was sent to dive bomb into the Thames. Although its obvious the crash was faked, the technology involved is indeed not from Earth. Sato questions why aliens would fake an alien encounter, only to find the Doctor has gone. Meanwhile, Mickey arrives at Rose's flat, revealing that several people, including Jackie, had suspected he murdered Rose. Sneering at Jackie, Mickey tells Rose that Jackie called the police three times because she thought he killed Rose though there was not any evidence of such and then Jackie continued to harass him. The accusations ruined his reputation.

Outside, as Mickey is gloating that the Doctor has left Rose, the TARDIS materialises. The trio enter but the interior causes Jackie to flee back to her flat and call a number to report the Doctor. Whenn she mentions the word 'TARDIS', an alarm is triggered after a brief spat with Mickey about his name really being "Ricky", the Doctor tells her that he has deduced that the spaceship landing was faked; it was launched from Earth, and whoever did it has been here for a while. Mickey points out that all the crash has done is put the world on red alert, which is unusual if the aliens were actually planning to invade. He notes that UNIT has been called in to deal with the crisis.

The trio of Green, Blaine and Asquith complain about compression and gas exchange. They receive a code nine — the Doctor, an expert in extra-terrestrial affairs, has been located. On the TARDIS, the Doctor finds that experts and specialists on alien encounters are being brought in and realises that these people belong to UNIT. He fills Rose in on the organisation and Mickey confirms that the Doctor has worked for them before, having spent the past year researching the Doctor's past history on Earth. Rose suggests going to UNIT for help, but the Doctor refuses as the world doesn't need another alien (and also points out he's 'changed a lot' since his last meeting with them).

The Doctor decides they need to check out the crashed spaceship up close now the roads are clearing. However, when the Doctor, Rose and Mickey step out of the TARDIS, they are surrounded by police and helicopters. Mickey runs away, and the Doctor and Rose are taken in; however, the Doctor tells Rose that they're not being arrested but instead escorted to the heart of the discussion. He's the ultimate expert on aliens, according to UNIT files. They are taken to Downing Street, where the Doctor is brought in to meet with the other experts. Rose does not have proper clearance, so Harriet offers to stay with her. Meanwhile, a policeman visits Jackie for information.

The experts are gathered with Green and Asquith in a small room. Harriet takes Rose to the Cabinet Room and tells what she saw — Green and Blaine are aliens in skin suits who killed Asquith. Suddenly the two find the body of the Prime Minister hidden in the cupboard.

The experts are electrocuted.

The Doctor interrupts Asquith telling everyone that three days earlier, some radiation was detected in the North Sea and was due to be investigated but this was forgotten after the crash. The Doctor wonders aloud why the spaceship crash was faked, since all its managed to do is panic the population and get the Earth's alien experts in one place. The Doctor suddenly realises that this is what the aliens want; anyone who has the expertise and knowledge to fight them gathered together. He now understands the crash wasn't a diversion but a trap. The policeman visiting Jackie begins to unzip his forehead. Ganesh, Rose and Harriet are caught by Margaret Blaine, who unzips her forehead. In the room below, Asquith unzips his forehead, and Green - thanking the attendees for wearing their ID cards - uses a remote control to electrocute the experts including the Doctor. They announce themselves as the Slitheen.

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

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]]

Individuals[[edit] | [edit source]]

United Nations Intelligence Taskforce[[edit] | [edit source]]

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

  • The Doctor claims to have participated in drinking contests with former Prime Minister David Lloyd George.
  • The Doctor says he is nine hundred years old.
  • The Doctor is forced to watch a clip of Blue Peter on television in which Matt Baker makes an alien ship cake.

Bad Wolf arc[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • A boy spray paints the words "BAD WOLF" on the side of the TARDIS while it is parked on the Powell Estate.

Real world references[[edit] | [edit source]]

Locations[[edit] | [edit source]]

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • This episode had the working title Aliens of London Part One (World War Three being Part Two).
  • This was the debut performance for Penelope Wilton as Harriet Jones. Her first line in the role was: "Excuse me! Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North."
  • This is the first time in the revival series that the Doctor gets slapped by a woman, a continual occurance in later seasons.
  • The episode ends on a cliffhanger, the first since episode two of Survival. The story continues in World War Three. This is also the first occasion since Invasion of the Dinosaurs in which the first episode of a serial does not share its title with the second (Invasion of the Dinosaurs part one was titled Invasion).
  • The official police poster is the first reference to the Powell Estate on the television series. In whole, the notice says, "Rose Tyler has been missing from her home on the Powell Estate since 6 March 2005. Rose is described as 19 years old, 5 feet 4 inches in height, slim build with shoulder-length blonde hair. Anyone with information regarding Rose should contact 0207 946000." The photograph used is one of Billie Piper herself, rather than one of Piper playing Rose. Several other home-made posters are seen on Jackie's table, including one with a banner headline saying "WHERE IS ROSE?".
  • The scene where the pig-like "alien" is breaking through the metal door with Dr Sato watching in shock is reminiscent of an almost identical moment in the 1996 Doctor Who television movie, in which the newly-regenerated Eighth Doctor breaks through the metal door of the morgue, terrifying a hospital worker.
  • The production team had intended to suggest that the murdered Prime Minister in this episode was current real-life incumbent Tony Blair. On the DVD commentary for the following episode, producer Phil Collinson explained that they had hired an actor to play the dead body on the understanding that the man was a Tony Blair lookalike. When the resemblance proved disappointing, they decided to avoid showing the body clearly. The suggestion that the body is Blair's remains in Harriet's line, "I'm hardly one of the babes", a reference to the large number of female Labour Party MPs who entered the House of Commons in Labour's 1997 general election victory, dubbed "Blair's Babes" by the British media. That Tony Blair was elected in the Doctor Who universe was confirmed in Rise of the Cybermen.
  • According to Russell T Davies in Doctor Who Magazine, as well as Doctor Who Confidential, the decision to establish the Bad Wolf meme in the series did not occur until after the spur-of-the-moment decision to have the words "bad wolf" graffiti-painted on the TARDIS; subsequently Bad Wolf references were added to the scripts for most of the other Series 1 episodes, and notwithstanding a few minor or inferred references in the interim, returned in force in the Series 4 episodes Turn Left and Journey's End. With the origin of the meme established, the mystery that remains is exactly why the words "bad wolf" were chosen to be spray-painted on the TARDIS in the first place (as opposed to any other phrase).
  • The TARDIS key began as an ordinary-looking Yale key, then changed during the Third Doctor's last season into a more alien looking one, which was also used for the first two seasons of the Fourth Doctor's tenure. It then reverted to the Yale key for the rest of the run of the original series. The alien key made one last appearance in the Doctor Who television movie. It has now returned to looking like an ordinary key, except that it starts to glow when the TARDIS is arriving.
  • When the Doctor starts up the TARDIS to visit Albion Hospital, he plugs the sonic screwdriver into the console. The prop was originally meant to have a pair of "feet" under the black cap that would plug into the console but the idea was ultimately abandoned.
  • The Doctor repeatedly refers to Mickey Smith as "Ricky". In Rise of the Cybermen, it is discovered that Ricky Smith is the alternative version of Mickey in Pete's World.
  • This is the first episode to examine deeply the impact which the departure of a companion with the Doctor can have on those left behind. In this case, Rose's family believed her to have been murdered, and her boyfriend Mickey had become a suspect. The impact of a companion's travels with the Doctor on family and friends back on Earth becomes a recurring theme throughout the first (2005-2010) and second (2023-) Russell T Davies eras.
  • Beginning with this episode (broadcast in 2005, but set in 2006), most "modern day" Earth stories at the time this episode aired would have taken place approximately one year after the year in which they were broadcast. This has not been applied consistently. This displacement also applies to the later Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures spinoff series. The first story in each of the respective shows to unambiguously set its modern day in the year of broadcast according to dialogue and/or set design are Flesh and Stone (principally set in the 51st century, but referring to "Amy's time" in dialogue), Children of Earth: Day One, and The Nightmare Man.
  • UNIT makes its first appearance on screen since the season twenty-six serial Battlefield. The Doctor spells out the acronym — United Nations Intelligence Taskforce. This would be the final on-screen use of this name, as by the time the full name of the organisation was uttered again in the series three episode The Sontaran Stratagem, it has been changed to Unified Intelligence Taskforce. This was because the real United Nations began taking legal action against the BBC due to a violation of the Geneva Convention.
  • The story is the 700th episode of Doctor Who.
  • Following the cliffhanger, the preview for World War Three was shown immediately afterwards. This was criticised as it showed the main characters had survived the life-threatening situations they'd just been shown in seconds previously. Following this, trailers for episodes with multiple-parts would be shown after the closing credits instead.
  • Christopher Eccleston and Naoko Mori would later co-star as John Lennon and Yoko Ono in 'Lennon Naked.
  • The scene where the Doctor chases the pig alien was the first scene Christopher Eccleston filmed for the series.
  • The original script featured the discovery of a buried “alien” spacecraft in a construction lot in Tottenham. As Russell T Davies began to realise what could be achieved with computer-generated effects, however, he instead added the ship's destructive crashlanding, providing greater scale to the narrative.
  • Jackie was meant to accompany the Doctor and Rose to 10 Downing Street.
  • Rose was originally astonished to find that the TARDIS had brought her home just an hour after her departure, rather than a year too late.
  • As Russell T Davies began drafting his scripts, he became concerned that the story lacked enough elements of fun. As such, he developed the character of Harriet Jones.
  • Harriet Jones came about when Russell T Davies was discussing Penelope Wilton (who had appeared in his sitcom Bob & Rose) with Phil Collinson, who suggested developing a role for her.
  • With production looming, Russell T Davies decided to take advantage of the fact that the inclusion of the spaceship crash meant that he could feature a live “alien” in the story; originally, the vessel had been inhabited by a corpse which turned out to be nothing more than a shank of beef.
  • Julie Gardner was unhappy with the notion of the “space pig”, but she decided to trust Russell T Davies' instincts.
  • Until a very late stage, the pig was to be dressed only in a cloak, but Russell T Davies and costume designer Lucinda Wright finally decided that it should wear a Fifties-style spacesuit.
  • Keen to add realistic touches to his depiction of life on the Powell Estate, Russell T Davies included a boy who spray-painted “bad dog” on the side of the TARDIS. This was later amended to “bad wolf”.
  • Russell T Davies was impressed with both Annette Badland and Naoko Mori and began thinking of ways to bring them back to the series.
  • Having been denied permission to record in front of the real 10 Downing Street, the team approached Little Britain for advice in finding a substitute location.
  • Filming in Westminster was delayed by overzealous anti-terrorism officers whose suspicions were aroused by the presence of ersatz policemen in proximity to the Houses of Parliament.
  • There was disappointment that extra Roderick Mair, who had been hired to play the murdered Prime Minister, did not better resemble Tony Blair. As a result, Keith Boak kept shots of Mair to a minimum.
  • The Blue Peter segment was Russell T Davies' way of paying tribute to the fact that the Doctor Who production office had a great working relationship with the show.
  • Christopher Eccleston cited this episode as one of his favorite filming experiences while with the program, pointing out that chasing a man in a pig costume dressed in a spacesuit is something he'd never get to do doing Shakespeare.

Ratings[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • 7.63 million viewers (UK final)[3]

Myths[[edit] | [edit source]]

None

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

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.
  • When Jackie Tyler slaps the Doctor, it is a clear miss.
  • When the Slitheen ship is flying above London, what we see on the ground below the spaceship from close up shots does not match with what we see below the spaceship during long shots.
  • In the shot just before the Slitheen ship destroys Big Ben, the people in the distance are all seemingly oblivious that a spaceship is flying above them as none of them stop walking or even look at the ship.
  • When the alien announcements appear on the TV, they appear slightly blurry, as a screen would really be if taped. However, when the channels are changing, the image shown has no blur.
  • The close-up shots of Big Ben as it is destroyed by an alien ship crashing into it, show the clock faces back-to-front. This is because the director wanted the ship to move across the frame the other way.
  • Big Ben appears to keep running even after being struck by the spaceship. The time reads roughly 10:55 when the spaceship strikes it, but reads roughly 6:10 when the clock is later seen on a news broadcast.
  • Around 26:32, when Mickey appears at the party, the BBC News broadcast in the background can be heard talking about how, "with no head of state", "it falls to Harriet Jones to form an emergency government". This doesn't happen until the subsequent episode.
  • At one point, a news reporter is standing by the Thames, citing an alien body being found; however, after the channel is changed to Blue Peter for around 30 seconds, once it's changed back to the news, the same reporter is now standing in an entirely different location.
  • When Jackie has called the police to her flat the Doctor alternates between shots, sometimes having his hands in his pockets, other times having his arms crossed.
  • In one close-up of a photographer taking pictures outside 10 Downing Street the scene is reversed to provide an opposite angle. You can see the "Nikon" nameplate is reversed on the front of the camera.
  • When the Doctor is kneeling over the Slitheen's engineered pig mutant, the seam of the plastic mould of the costume is clearly seen.
  • In the close-up shots of the pig mutant, the pig is clearly seen still breathing.
  • When Rose enters the TARDIS after the Doctor returns from the hospital, the Powell Estate is clearly not outside the door; it is simply a black background.
  • When the TARDIS lands in Albion Hospital, the "BAD WOLF" graffiti has disappeared, only to return when the TARDIS lands back at the Powell Estate.
  • When the Slitheen is climbing out of its skin suit for the first time in front of the experts, while flailing, its left arm would've hit Green, yet it simply passes through him.
  • When Mickey pulls the TARDIS door shut, the 'Pull to Open' door comes open, but in every following shot, it's closed again.

Influences[[edit] | [edit source]]

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

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

Series 1 Volume 2 DVD Cover
  • Aliens of London together with World War Three and Dalek were released in a collection in both DVD and UMD format in the UK in 2005. The DVD version was released in North American in 2006.
  • This was also released as a vanilla release along with the next two episodes.
  • It was also released as part of the Series 1 DVD box set.
  • This was also released with Issue 2 of the Doctor Who DVD Files.

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. ↑ Vansittart plays both the human Asquith, and a Slitheen that wears his skin after Asquith is killed.

References[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. ↑ TCH 49
  2. ↑ DWMSE 11: Aliens of London/World War Three
  3. ↑ Doctor Who - consolidated ratings

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

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