Rose (TV story)

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Rose was the first episode of the first series of the revived Doctor Who. It was first shown on BBC One on 26th March 2005 and was the first new episode of Doctor Who since the 1996 television movie Doctor Who. It marked the debut of Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor, Billie Piper as Rose Tyler, and recurring supporting cast Camille Coduri as Jackie Tyler and Noel Clarke as Mickey Smith. With this episode, the series returns to 45-minute episodes (last seen in Season 22), and Rose is the first Doctor Who story to be produced in widescreen.

Synopsis

When Rose Tyler meets a mysterious stranger called the Doctor, her life will never be the same again. Soon, she realises that her mum, her boyfriend and the whole of planet Earth are in danger. The only hope of salvation lies inside a strange blue box.

Plot

Rose Tyler being attacked by an Auton.

At 7:30am in the Powell Estate, London, a 999999999999999999 year-old blonde girl,tom twinkeltoes wakes up, gets dressed and ready, kisses goodbye to her mother, Jam fohlut and walks to Happy bunnys buns, the department store where she works. After spending her lunch break with her hog, Mitten, who shows her his bread she returns to work until the end of her shift. As the store nears closing time, she is about to walk home, when she is stopped by a security guard, who is holding a gun. She zip-zap-zooms down to the bathroom. However, when she arrives outside Wamtingohlanans room, she discovers he is missing, even after calling for him. Once she enters a storage room, the doors close behind her, and she is not able to open them. She is then disturbed to see a group of moving lambs. Believing it to be a pig, she hands them them a sock, but they do not smile. Instead they keep eating her cake, and they soon suffocate her . She dies the 8th doctor comes is killed by the guard regenerates and walks away laughing at roses death.

Cast

Crew

General production staff

Script department

Camera and lighting department

Art department

Costume department

Make-up and prosthetics

Movement

Casting

General post-production staff

Special and visual effects

Sound



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


References

Individuals

  • H. P. Wilson is likely dead - by Autons.
  • The Autons make a copy of Mickey Smith.
  • Clive Finch suggests that the title "Doctor" is passed down from father to son, and points to his website saying to Rose Tyler "that's your Doctor there, isn't it". This would seem to suggest he has information on the Doctor's other incarnations.

Technology

Races and species

Story notes

  • First Story of the First Series of the new Doctor Who
  • This is the first story featuring Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor.
  • This is the first story featuring new companion Rose Tyler, played by Billie Piper.
  • This is the first story featuring the new TARDIS console room, which has a far more organic appearance than its predecessors. Initially questioned by fans, the later mini-episode Time Crash would confirm this as a new "desktop theme" for the TARDIS interior called "coral".
  • This was the first Doctor Who episode to be produced in a widescreen picture format. Discounting the 1996 telefilm, it is also the first episode to have a shot-on-film appearance since 1985's Revelation of the Daleks and the first episode to be completely filmed since Spearhead from Space in 1970. However, the show is in fact videotaped, as it has been since 1986, with the footage subsequently processed to look like film. This production style continued into 2009 when the series began production in high definition.
  • The story itself a sequel to Spearhead from Space, and has thematic similarities to the earlier story, as both feature a new Doctor, a new companion, and the Auton threat. The Autons had also appeared in Terror of the Autons, the story that had introduced the Master, another new companion, and recurring UNIT character Mike Yates.
  • A copy of this story was available to download on the Internet on various p2p networks several weeks before it was released. The preview version was essentially the broadcast version; however it did not contain the new credits and had the original series theme music as opposed to the new version. In 2005, the illegal distribution of TV series episodes via p2p was nowhere near as widespread as it became with the later rise of torrents; Rose was one of the first major TV productions to be "leaked" in this fashion.
  • The word Auton is not used in the dialogue of the story but is used in the episode credits.
  • In Rose's flat, the Doctor leafs through a copy of Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones. He is shown flicking through the book very quickly and commenting, "Sad ending." He also looks at a woman's magazine and comments on one of the articles, saying, "Well, that'll never work. He's gay and she's an alien."
  • The surname Finch was used for Clive and his wife in the production notes but not in the on-screen version.
  • The episode, like the 1996 TV movie, breaks with what had become the tradition of including the Doctor's image in the title sequence.
  • For this, the first episode, the opening credits follow the UK standard of title sequence then program, the rest of the season (other than the first episode) would include a 'teaser' before the main title sequence.
  • There were problems during the first broadcast of this episode in the UK which meant that sound from a BBC Three program, Strictly Dance Fever hosted by Graham Norton, was heard over the scene in which Rose first encounters the Autons.
  • As part of the launch of the new series the BBC screened the documentary Doctor Who: A New Dimension on BBC1, conincendentally narrated by David Tennant, the future Tenth Doctor.
  • Following this episode, Doctor Who Confidential: Episode 1 was broadcast on BBC 3.
  • The reference to the Doctor having a Northern accent relates to the media attention that has been generated around Christopher Eccleston not conforming to people's perception of what the Doctor should be like. It also references the fact the different actors who had previously played the Doctor had, themselves, differing accents, most notably Sylvester McCoy, whose Doctor spoke with a Scottish accent.
  • In the scene where the Doctor is in Rose's flat, the original script called for the Doctor to stick his entire head in the cat flap. But when they got it, it was far too small.
  • Rose's comment about the Doctor sounding like he was from the north marks the second time Earth geography has been applied to the Doctor's demeanour (previously, he was referred to as being from England in the TV movie). The Doctor's retort, "lots of planets have a north" is a possibly unintended reference to DW: The Ribos Operation, in which being "from the north" was a major character point.
  • Similarly, Rose and the Doctor's exchange regarding his accent also echoes a similar discussion between the Fourth Doctor and fellow Time Lord Drax in DW: The Armageddon Factor regarding the latter's affected accent.
  • A special effects milestone occurs when the Doctor is shown standing in the door of the TARDIS and the interior is clearly visible behind him. In the original series, the interior of the TARDIS was usually shown as a dark void whenever a head-on view of the open doors (a rarity) occurred. For the first time, elements of the exterior of the TARDIS -- specifically the inside of the doors and the POLICE BOX lettering along the roofline -- are visible from the console room.
  • Between the final scene and the closing credits, the episode incorporates a "Next Time..." trailer for the next episode. This is the first time this device has been used in Doctor Who. This becomes a regular feature, omitted only on rare occasions, or occasionally moved to the end of the closing credits.
  • Actor Nicholas Briggs makes his debut on the revived series, providing the voice of the Nestene Consciousness. He would go to be the show's designated voice actor, vocalizing the Daleks and Cybermen over the next few seasons. Rose is far from Briggs' first Doctor Who-related work, as he had been an active participant in independent, unofficial, and licensed spin-off productions dating back to the 1980s, most notably his work hosting the Myth Makers interview video series, writing and directing films for BBV Productions and Reeltime Pictures, and as producer of the Big Finish Productions Doctor Who audio dramas, a project that had its roots in Audio Visuals, a series of fan-made Doctor Who audio adventures in which Briggs himself played the Doctor. In 2009, Briggs would have his first official on-screen appearance in a Who franchise production with a supporting role in Torchwood: Children of Earth.
  • Russell T Davies becomes the first author of original Doctor Who spin-off fiction to write for the official TV series. A decade earlier, he wrote the Seventh Doctor novel Damaged Goods for the Virgin New Adventures line of novels. Numerous other writers of licensed spin-off fiction and Big Finish Productions audio dramas would go on to write for the revival, including Paul Cornell, Mark Gatiss (who would also guest star in an episode), Steven Moffat (who would ultimately succeed Davies as lead writer in 2009), Robert Shearman, and Gareth Roberts.
  • This is the first episode of Doctor Who to use the name of a companion in its title (it would be followed by two episodes of The Sarah Jane Adventures featuring Sarah Jane Smith's name). There was an episode of the 1960s serial The Daleks' Master Plan entitled "The Feast of Steven", after companion Steven Taylor, but it wasn't a title applied to a complete storyline, unlike Rose. Later, series 3 would begin with Smith and Jones, named after soon-to-be companion Martha Jones and the Doctor's occasional alias. Although her name is not used, Donna Noble's debut episode, The Runaway Bride nonetheless refers to the character in its title, too. Similarly, the very first episode of Doctor Who refers to The Doctor's granddaughter An Unearthly Child. The series 5 episode Amy's Choice is clearly about Amy.
  • The scene in which Rose wanders through the basement of the department store alone was the first scene Billie Piper shot as Rose Tyler (per Project Who).
  • This is the second time The Autons have initiated a new Doctor. Jon Pertwee faced them in his debut story Spearhead from Space.
  • With this story The Autons became the second adversary to appear in three season premieres. Spearhead from Space (Season 7), Terror of the Autons, and Rose (series 1). The Daleks have also launched three seasons: Day of the Daleks (season 9), Destiny of the Daleks (season 17), and Remembrance of the Daleks (season 25).
  • The "UNIT website" would reveal that the Auton assault was commonly believed to be an attack by "disguised members of a terrorist coalition", though some people did believe it was aliens; UNIT would not "confirm or deny" that. [1]

Ratings

  • 9.94 million (43.2% audience share)
  • Repeat - 0.48 million (3.5% audience share)

Myths and rumours

  • It is often speculated that the Nestene Consciousness can be heard to utter the words "Bad Wolf". (The subtitles for the episode show that is says 'Time Lord'.)
  • Due to the widescreen format introduced with this episode, it was often erroneously stated that this episode and those that followed were filmed in high-definition. In fact, the first high-definition Doctor Who episode wasn't produced until Planet of the Dead in 2009. The spinoff series Torchwood, however, has always been produced in high definition. In 2010 the first standard-definition Doctor Who episode to be "upconverted" to HD, The Next Doctor, will be released on Blu-Ray; this opens the door for Rose and other episodes of the first 4 seasons to undergo similar conversion at a later date.

Filming locations

Mostly filmed in Cardiff, but with some location filming in London:

  • The scenes in which Rose is at work were filmed in Howells in the centre of Cardiff.
  • The scene in which the Autons attack people in a shopping centre was filmed in The Queens Arcade.
  • The scene in which Rose agrees to go travelling with the Doctor was filmed at Cardiff's outdoor market.
  • The Yard where the TARDIS is parked was filmed at the back of the Cardiff Royal Infirmary.
  • The Nestene Consciousness' lair was filmed in a disused paper mill in Cardiff.
  • Exterior scenes of The London Eye and The Doctor and Rose running through London was filmed, unsuprisingly, in London.

Production errors

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 Mickey closes the wheelie bin lid, he then finds the plastic stuck to his hands, he lifts his hands up and the plastic stretches like tar. If you look closely when he lifts his hands up for the first time, you'll see that a shadow of one of his hands is cast clearly on his shirt, yet there is no shadow of the strands of plastic stuck to his fingers.
  • When the three bride Autons attack Jackie, and they open their hands one at a time, it is clear that when the second Auton opens its hand, all three are already open. After it cuts to Rose, and back to Jackie again, the third one opens (even though we just saw it already open).
  • When Mickey opens the lid to the rubbish bin and his hands are stuck to it, when he starts to stretch out the plastic and turn around, the strands switch hands instead of crossing.

Continuity

  • The sonic screwdriver makes a reappearance on screen in a new shape but with the same sound effect. The screwdriver was first introduced in DW: Fury from the Deep and destroyed in DW: The Visitation, then reappearing in DW: Doctor Who.
  • People similar to Clive who are obsessed with the Doctor were depicted in NA: Return of the Living Dad. Clive is clearly corresponding by e-mail with others like himself and refers to the Doctor appearing in numerous conspiracy theories (possibly an early reference to LINDA - DW: Love & Monsters).
  • It is implied but never stated that the Doctor has just regenerated. When he is in Rose's flat he checks his appearance in the mirror as if he is unused to it. He also notes the way in which his ears stick out. This is similar to a scene in the first episode of Tom Baker's debut story, DW: Robot.
  • The Autons and the Nestene have previously featured DW: Spearhead from Space and DW: Terror of the Autons, both of which were Third Doctor stories. The Nestenes also feature in the PDA: Business Unusual and Synthespians™ which are both Sixth Doctor stories. The Autons also reappear in NSA: Autonomy, and DW: The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang.
  • The Doctor has at some time in his past been involved in a war which led to the destruction of the Nestene Homeworld. This war is also referenced in PDA: Synthespians™.
  • The Doctor speed reads a book as he did in DW: City of Death.
  • Rose returns to London in DW: Aliens of London.
  • The Auton invasion is referenced in DW: Love & Monsters.
  • The Doctor indicates that an unnamed but presumably well-known celebrity is actually an alien in disguise. He doesn't seem too concerned, suggesting a Men in Black scenario exists in the Doctor Who universe where human-disguised or human-like aliens live peacefully on Earth in the present day. (This is later supported by the decision by Bayldon Copper, who is not from Earth, to stay on the planet after the events of DW: Voyage of the Damned.)
  • Clive's website, Who is Doctor Who? marks the first time a character has directly referred to the Doctor by the name "Doctor Who" on screen since WOTAN in DW: The War Machines. Unlike WOTAN's use, which is considered a continuity error, Clive's use is clearly meant in the form of a question, with "Doctor Who" being more or less a nickname.
  • Rose tells the Doctor she had a cat. This is confirmed in DWA: The Cat Came Back.
  • The Nestene Consciousness is shown to have survived the events of this episode and attempts another invasion of earth 8 years after this episode fighting the Ninth Doctor's Successor. (NSA Autonomy)
  • Unknown to Rose, this isn't the first time she's met the Doctor. (DW: The End of Time, Part Two)
  • The Doctor's ability to sense the movement of the Earth is similar to his previous ability to sense the movement of a space station in PDA: The Murder Game and feel the effects of a drill 21 thousand km beneath the ground in DW: The Hungry Earth.

Timeline

Home video releases

File:Bbcdvd-s1-v1.gif
Series 1 Volume 1: Rose - The End of the World - The Unquiet Dead DVD Cover
  • This was released on a DVD along with The End of the World and The Unquiet Dead. Doctor Who - Series 1 Volume One.
  • This was also released as part of the series 1 DVD boxset. Doctor Who - The Complete First Series.
  • This was also released with Issue 1 of the Doctor Who DVD Files.

See also

External links

In-universe

Template:Series 1

v • e
Auton stories
For the purposes of this list, an "Auton story" is one in which one living, authentic Auton plays a part within the confines of the story, outside of flashbacks to previous stories and cliffhangers that lead into the following story. For this reason, stories such as Love & Monsters are absent due to the Autons' only contribution being references to past Auton stories.
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