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Aliens of London (TV story): Difference between revisions
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* [[Elton Pope]] is one of the many who witnesses the spaceship crash landing (and doesn't dismiss it as a hoax). | * [[Elton Pope]] is one of the many who witnesses the spaceship crash landing (and doesn't dismiss it as a hoax). | ||
*[[Mickey Smith]] makes a reappearance. | *[[Mickey Smith]] makes a reappearance. | ||
*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== | ==Story Notes== | ||
*This episode had the working title "Aliens of London Part One" ("World War Three" being "Part Two"). | *This episode had the working title "Aliens of London Part One" ("World War Three" being "Part Two"). | ||
*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. | *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. | ||
*A poster announcing [[Rose Tyler|Rose's]] disappearance states that she has not been seen since [[6th March|6]] [[March]], [[2005]]. However, the BBC-produced "official" [[UNIT]] | *A poster announcing [[Rose Tyler|Rose's]] disappearance states that she has not been seen since [[6th March|6]] [[March]], [[2005]]. However, the BBC-produced "official" [[UNIT]] website indicates that the climactic events of ''[[Rose (TV story)|Rose]]'' happened on [[26th March|26]] [[March]]. The same site also dates this episode at either [[26th May|26]] [[May]] or [[28th 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. Rose is described as, "19 years old, 5 feet 4 inches in height, slim build with shoulder-length blonde hair." 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 official police poster is the first reference to the Powell Estate on the television series. Rose is described as, "19 years old, 5 feet 4 inches in height, slim build with shoulder-length blonde hair." 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?". | ||
*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. | *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 running joke involving the [[Slitheen]]s suffering from flatulence 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 [[Ninth Doctor|the Doctor]] during the season: "Would you mind not farting while I'm trying to save the world?" | *A running joke involving the [[Slitheen]]s suffering from flatulence 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 [[Ninth Doctor|the Doctor]] during the season: "Would you mind not farting while I'm trying to save the world?" | ||
*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: The TV Movie|''Doctor Who'' television movie]], in which the newly-regenerated [[Eighth Doctor]] breaks through the metal door of the morgue, terrifying a hospital worker. | *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: The TV Movie|''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, who were dubbed "Blair's Babes" by the British media. That | *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, who were 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]]''. | ||
*The armoured personnel carrier seen outside Number 10 is a Saxon, possibly foreshadowing future events. | *The armoured personnel carrier seen outside Number 10 is a Saxon, possibly foreshadowing future events. | ||
*According to Russell T. Davies in ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'', the decision to establish the [[Bad Wolf meme]] in the series did not occur until after the spur-of-the-moment decision to have 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]]''. | *According to Russell T. Davies in ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'', the decision to establish the [[Bad Wolf meme]] in the series did not occur until after the spur-of-the-moment decision to have 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]]''. | ||
*A boy spray paints the words "[[Bad Wolf meme|BAD WOLF]]" on the side of the TARDIS while it is parked on the council estate. According to [[Russell T. Davies]] in a 2008 episode of ''[[Doctor Who Confidential]]'', it was this scene that inspired him to place Bad Wolf throughout the season. | |||
*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]]. | |||
*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 back 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: The TV Movie|''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. | |||
===Ratings=== | ===Ratings=== | ||
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* It has been speculated that the male prime minister shown killed by the Slitheen was supposed to be Tony Blair, who was in office at the time the episode was broadcast. In fact no indication is given as to his name, and the series has established that political leaders in the Whoniverse do not always coincide with those in the real world (examples of this disparity can be found in serials such as ''[[Terror of the Zygons]]'', ''[[Battlefield]]'', ''[[The Sound of Drums]]'', etc.) (There was an election in 2005 so it could be a new prime minister.) | * It has been speculated that the male prime minister shown killed by the Slitheen was supposed to be Tony Blair, who was in office at the time the episode was broadcast. In fact no indication is given as to his name, and the series has established that political leaders in the Whoniverse do not always coincide with those in the real world (examples of this disparity can be found in serials such as ''[[Terror of the Zygons]]'', ''[[Battlefield]]'', ''[[The Sound of Drums]]'', etc.) (There was an election in 2005 so it could be a new prime minister.) | ||
=== | ===Filming Locations=== | ||
*The [[Cardiff]] Royal Infirmary provided the setting for the fictional [[London]] [[Albion Hospital | *The [[Cardiff]] Royal Infirmary provided the setting for the fictional [[London]] [[Albion Hospital]]. | ||
*The entrance to the Prime Minister's residence was a redress of a similar-looking door in Central London. | *The entrance to the Prime Minister's residence was a redress of a similar-looking door in Central London. | ||
*Cardiff Royal Infirmary, Newport Road, Cardiff | |||
*Westminster Bridge, Westminster, London (New report on the crash) | |||
*Tower Bridge, London (seen as the Slitheen's ship flies over it) | |||
*The Queens Walk, Westminster, London (seen when the Slitheen's ship crashes into the Thames) | |||
*[[Wikipedia:Hensol castle|Hensol Castle]], Glamorgan, Wales (Interior of Downing Street) | |||
*Bute Street, Cardiff (when Rose are taken to Downing street in the limo) | |||
*John Adam Street, Westminster, London (Exterior of Downing street) | |||
*Belvedere Road, London | |||
*Whitehall / Parliament Street, Westminster, London (seen as the Slitheen ship flies over the top) | |||
*Brandon Estate, Kennington, London (Long shot exterior of Powell Estate) | |||
*Channel View Flats, Cardiff (Closer shots of Powell Estate) | |||
*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 | |||
===Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors=== | ===Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors=== | ||
*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 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.'' | ||
*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) | *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)'' | ||
*For the first time the Doctor states that he is 900 years old, contradicting the last on-screen reference to his age, 953, in ''[[Time and the Rani]]''. Although initially rationalized as the Doctor lying about his age, or "rounding down" or perhaps only counting his years of travelling in the TARDIS, the later ''[[Voyage of the Damned]]'' muddies the waters by having the Doctor give an exact number - 903 - which tallies with the number of seasons/years since this episode. ''Other suggested rationales are that the Doctor is counting time differently than done on Earth, or that for some reason as yet unchronicled (perhaps due to the Time War) he has forgotten some years of his life. [[The Ribos Operation]], among others, also established that the Doctor was not adverse to lying about his age.'' | *For the first time the Doctor states that he is 900 years old, contradicting the last on-screen reference to his age, 953, in ''[[Time and the Rani]]''. Although initially rationalized as the Doctor lying about his age, or "rounding down" or perhaps only counting his years of travelling in the TARDIS, the later ''[[Voyage of the Damned]]'' muddies the waters by having the Doctor give an exact number - 903 - which tallies with the number of seasons/years since this episode. ''Other suggested rationales are that the Doctor is counting time differently than done on Earth, or that for some reason as yet unchronicled (perhaps due to the Time War) he has forgotten some years of his life. ''[[The Ribos Operation]], among others, also established that the Doctor was not adverse to lying about his age.'' | ||
*Dr. Sato seems to be reluctant about the concept of aliens, and scared of the "Pig". However, by this point, she is supposedly already working for Torchwood, therefore something like that should be a common occurrence for her. Also, in the later series she is not a doctor. ''[[Exit Wounds]] explains that she was covering for Dr. [[Owen Harper]] and working undercover, hence the disguise as a doctor. As for her attitude regarding aliens, at this point Torchwood was a more secret organization than later established and knowledge of alien life forms by the general populace had yet to be established; she was likely just playing dumb.'' | *Dr. Sato seems to be reluctant about the concept of aliens, and scared of the "Pig". However, by this point, she is supposedly already working for Torchwood, therefore something like that should be a common occurrence for her. Also, in the later series she is not a doctor. ''[[Exit Wounds]] explains that she was covering for Dr. [[Owen Harper]] and working undercover, hence the disguise as a doctor. As for her attitude regarding aliens, at this point Torchwood was a more secret organization than later established and knowledge of alien life forms by the general populace had yet to be established; she was likely just playing dumb.'' | ||
*It's | *It's stretching belief a little that no higher minister than Jospeh Green can be found to be acting Prime Minister. | ||
*When the TARDIS doors are wide open, even though it is night, only darkness can be seen outside, despite the fact that the TARDIS lights and the street lights would probably highlight the outside area. | *When the TARDIS doors are wide open, even though it is night, only darkness can be seen outside, despite the fact that the TARDIS lights and the street lights would probably highlight the outside area. | ||
==Continuity== | ==Continuity== | ||
*Dr. Sato reappears as [[Toshiko Sato]] | *Dr. Sato reappears as [[Toshiko Sato]] in [[TW]]: ''[[Everything Changes]]''. | ||
*UNIT makes its first appearance on | :*[[TW]]: ''[[Exit Wounds]]'' establishes that she was working undercover for 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 Institute|Torchwood]] in the series, although the name wouldn't be established until ''[[Bad Wolf (TV story)|Bad Wolf]]'' later in the season and the current nature of Torchwood not until the end of [[Series 2 (Doctor Who)|Series 2]]. | ||
*Mickey notes that he found out on the Internet that the Doctor had worked before for UNIT, among other things. A notation at 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 ''[[Rose (TV story)|Rose]]'' | *UNIT makes its first appearance on screen since [[DW]]: ''[[Battlefield]]''. The full name of the organization is not be uttered on screen until [[DW]]: ''[[The Sontaran Strategem]]'' where it is revealed to stand for Unified Intelligence Taskforce. | ||
*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]]''. | |||
*The TARDIS was previously defaced with chalk scribblings in ''[[The Time Warrior]]'' and ''[[The Leisure Hive]]'', graffiti in ''[[Paradise Towers (TV story)|Paradise Towers]]'' and was painted pink in ''[[The Happiness Patrol]]''. | *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]]''. | ||
*The Doctor revisits [[Albion Hospital]] in [[1941]] during ''[[The Empty Child]]'' and ''[[The Doctor Dances]]''. | *The Doctor revisits [[Albion Hospital]] in [[1941]] during [[DW]]: ''[[The Empty Child]]'' and ''[[The Doctor Dances]]''. | ||
* | *In [[DW]]: ''[[Love & Monsters]]'' the crash sequences (and the events that follow) are seen from an entirely different point of view. | ||
*The Doctor tells Rose he is 900 years old, however 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 Doctor offers Mickey a chance to travel with him, which he declines; in [[DW]]: ''[[School Reunion]]'' Mickey invites himself to travel with the Doctor and Rose. | |||
*The Doctor tells Rose he is 900 years old, however in [[Time and the Rani]] he was 953, in [[Set Piece]] he was 1000 and in [[Vampire Science]] he was 1,012, the Doctor spend 100 years on Earth ([[The Burning]] to [[Escape Velocity]]) which makes him at least 1,112 (this isn't counting all the intervening time during adventures either). | |||
*The Doctor offers Mickey a chance to travel with him, which he declines; in [[School Reunion]] Mickey invites himself to travel. | |||
*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]]'' and ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'' spinoff series. | *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]]'' and ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'' spinoff series. | ||
==DVD and Other Releases== | ==DVD and Other Releases== | ||
[[Image:Bbcdvd-s1-v2.jpg|thumb|130px|Series 1 Volume 2 DVD Cover]] | [[Image:Bbcdvd-s1-v2.jpg|thumb|130px|Series 1 Volume 2 DVD Cover]] | ||
*'''Aliens of London''' together with [[World War Three]] and [[Dalek (TV story)|Dalek]] were the first released on the ''Universal Media Disc'' format for the ''PlayStation Portable''. | *'''Aliens of London''' together with [[World War Three]] and [[Dalek (TV story)|Dalek]] were the first ''Doctor Who'' stories released on the ''Universal Media Disc'' format for the ''PlayStation Portable''. | ||
* This was also relesaed as a vanilla release along with the next two episodes. | * This was also relesaed as a vanilla release along with the next two episodes. | ||
* It was also released as part of th Series 1 DVD boxset. | * It was also released as part of th Series 1 DVD boxset. | ||
*This was also released with issue 2 of the Doctor Who DVD Files Partwork Magazine in the UK. | *This was also released with issue 2 of the Doctor Who DVD Files Partwork Magazine in the UK. | ||
==See | ==See also== | ||
*[[World War Three]] | *[[World War Three]] | ||
*[[Boom Town]] | *[[Boom Town]] | ||
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==External Links== | ==External Links== | ||
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/episodes/2005/aliensoflondon.shtml Official BBC Website - Episode Guide for '''Aliens of London'''] | * [http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/episodes/2005/aliensoflondon.shtml Official BBC Website - Episode Guide for '''Aliens of London'''] | ||
* [http://www.gallifreyone.com/episode.php?id=2005-04 Outpost Gallifrey Episode Guide: '''Aliens of London'''] | * [http://www.gallifreyone.com/episode.php?id=2005-04 Outpost Gallifrey Episode Guide: '''Aliens of London'''] | ||
* [http://www.drwhoguide.com/who_tv04.htm The Doctor Who Reference Guide detailed synopsis of '''Aliens of London'''] | * [http://www.drwhoguide.com/who_tv04.htm The Doctor Who Reference Guide detailed synopsis of '''Aliens of London'''] | ||
*[http://www.shannonsullivan.com/drwho/serials/2005de.html A Brief History of Time (Travel): '''Aliens of London'''] | *[http://www.shannonsullivan.com/drwho/serials/2005de.html A Brief History of Time (Travel): '''Aliens of London'''] | ||
* [http://www.whoniverse.org/discontinuity/9D.php The Whoniverse Discontinuity Guide to '''Aliens of London'''] | * [http://www.whoniverse.org/discontinuity/9D.php The Whoniverse Discontinuity Guide to '''Aliens of London'''] | ||
*[http://www.doctorwholocations.net/stories/aliensoflondon The Locations Guide to Doctor Who - '''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''')] | |||
{{Series 1}} | {{Series 1}} | ||
