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| {{you may|Black Thursday (audio story)|n1=the Fifth Doctor audio story}} | | {{you may|Black Thursday (audio story)|n1=the Fifth Doctor audio story}} |
| [[File:The Autons Activate Spearhead from Space Doctor Who|thumb|right|335 px]] | | '''Black Thursday''' was the name of the cover story issued by the [[British government]] to hide the true nature of the [[Nestene]]'s attempted [[Alien invasion|invasion]] of [[Earth]] in [[October]] [[1969]]. It was used to explain that the [[Auton]] shop [[window]] dummies coming to life and the resulting deaths that followed this incident were because of [[terrorist]]s, which many citizens theorised were of the [[Irish Republican Army]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Who Killed Kennedy (novel)|Who Killed Kennedy]]'', [[TV]]: ''[[Spearhead from Space (TV story)|Spearhead from Space]]'') |
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| | | A later Nestene invasion, ([[TV]]: ''[[Rose (TV story)|Rose]]'') which occurred on [[5 March]] [[2005]], was covered up in the same way. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[One Rule (audio story)|One Rule]]'') |
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| "'''Black Thursday'''" was the name of the cover story issued by the [[British government]] to hide the true nature of the [[Nestene]]s' first [[Alien invasion|invasion]] of [[Earth]]. It explained that shop [[window]] dummies coming to life and the deaths that followed were because of [[terrorist]]s, which many citizens theorised were of the [[Irish Republican Army]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Who Killed Kennedy (novel)|Who Killed Kennedy]]'', [[TV]]: ''[[Spearhead from Space (TV story)|Spearhead from Space]]'')
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| On an [[October]] morning, ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Doctor Who and the Auton Invasion (novelisation)|Doctor Who and the Auton Invasion]]'') in either [[1969]] ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Who Killed Kennedy (novel)|Who Killed Kennedy]]'') or [[1973]], ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Blood Heat (novel)|Blood Heat]]'') groups of [[Auton]]s disguised as [[mannequin]]s were activated by [[Channing]] and came to life, breaking out of their shop window displays and gunning down bystanders in the streets. ([[TV]]: ''[[Spearhead from Space (TV story)|Spearhead from Space]]'')
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| In streets all over [[London]] and every major city in [[Britain]], people screamed and panicked and ran, trying to escape as Autons blasted them down. [[Police]] received thousands upon thousands of calls, and arms were issued but were powerless against the Autons. [[BBC]] and [[ITV]] issued warnings - 'Don't go to work. Don't go out shopping. Stay indoors and barricade yourselves in your homes. Admit no one you do not know.' - and these saved many people.
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| The Government declared [[martial law]] and called out the [[British Army|Army]], but most of the available troops were mysteriously absent on manoeuvres far away from the big towns. They were recalled at once, but orders failed to arrive or were misinterpreted; troops were told to stay put, or sent to the wrong place. The [[Royal Navy|Navy]] and the [[Royal Air Force|Air Force]] armed what men they could but never seemed to get clear orders, or to arrive where they were wanted. In an office in [[Whitehall]], a Minister deliberately giving orders that would worsen the situation was found to be an Auton Replica. More Replicas were detected, but not before they had done enormous damage, spreading chaos and confusion everywhere.
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| Commando squads of Autons began to attack communications centres, severing telephone exchanges, radio and TV transmitters, and underground power cables. With radios, TV screens, and telephones silent, little groups of soldiers, policemen, Government officials, completely cut off from each other, desperately tried to make sense of the situation and to find some way of combating the enemy.
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| A group of quarrymen broke open their explosives hut and blew several Autons to pieces with blasting charges. Some tanks prowled the streets, shooting down or crushing Autons in their path. Little groups of soldiers became tired of waiting for orders and reinforcements, raiding their own armouries for what weapons they could find and fought street battles using [[bazooka]]s, [[trench-mortar]]s, and [[anti-tank gun]]s. | |
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| Even [[UNIT HQ]] was under siege, a second pair of reinforcing doors in heavy armour-plate, emergency doors, and shutters all slamming down. Brigadier [[Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart]] sent out calls for help in the chaos and panic and confusion, before the outside 'phones went dead. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Doctor Who and the Auton Invasion (novelisation)|Doctor Who and the Auton Invasion]]'')
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| In an assault on the [[Auto Plastics]] factory, the Brigadier led a firefight against defending Autons as the [[Third Doctor]] and [[Liz Shaw]] confronted Channing and the creature housing the [[Nestene Consciousness]]. Using a [[UHF transmitter]] that essentially worked the same as an [[ECT]] machine, the Doctor was able to fuse the creature and destroy it, causing Channing and every Auton across the country to deactivate and become inert. ([[TV]]: ''[[Spearhead from Space (TV story)|Spearhead from Space]]'')
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| The third known Nestene invasion, ([[TV]]: ''[[Rose (TV story)|Rose]]'') which occurred on [[5 March]] [[2005]], was covered up in the same way. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[One Rule (audio story)|One Rule]]'')
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| [[Category:British government]] | | [[Category:British government]] |
| [[Category:20th century Earth history]] | | [[Category:20th century Earth history]] |
| [[Category:20th century Earth-based conflicts]]
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| [[Category:Human conflicts]]
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