Scream of the Shalka (webcast): Difference between revisions

{{real world}}

{{ImageLinkWC}}

|image          = Shalka versus prime.jpg

|novelisation    = Scream of the Shalka (novelisation)

|enemy          = [[Shalka Prime]]

|setting        = [[Lancashire]], [[2003]]

|director        = [[Wilson Milam]]

|producer        = [[Muirinn Lane Kelly]]

|animator        = [[Cosgrove Hall]]

|format          = [[Flash animation]]

|production code = BBCI-4

'''''Scream of the Shalka''''' was a [[Flash animation|Flash-animated]] ''[[Doctor Who]]'' serial with [[Richard E Grant]] as the voice of the [[Ninth Doctor (Scream of the Shalka)|Ninth Doctor]]. Its animation was produced by [[Cosgrove Hall]]. The serial was webcast by the [[BBC]]'s official ''Doctor Who'' website in November and December 2003, tying in with the show's 40th anniversary.

== Synopsis ==

== Plot ==

A flaming rock hurtles towards [[Earth]].

[[The Doctor's TARDIS|The TARDIS]] materialises in a dark street. [[Ninth Doctor (Scream of the Shalka)|The Doctor]] steps out and shouts back into the TARDIS “No! It’s not where we’re supposed to be!” and adds that he’s going to take a look around before closing the door. There’s a beeping sound and the TARDIS light turns off. The Doctor shouts that he doesn’t want to be there and whatever it is, he doesn’t want to do it. He takes a sniff and determines from the air that he’s in [[England]], [[2003]] but something is not right and he wonders where everyone is. Very frustrated, he takes a portable phone from the TARDIS and walks off.

The Doctor is looking down a drain cover and is hearing a strange sound coming from below. He concludes that either something odd is happening down there or that the rats have discovered the delights of the D’Oyly Carte. As the Doctor walks away, a plume of gas emerges from the drain.

The Doctor then comes across a figure made of solidified lava. A voice from the shadows then utters “never knew what hit him”. The Doctor then sees an old homeless lady and asks if she’s referring to the figure in front of him but she replies that she actually means “my Oswald”; remarking that he was run over in [[1987]] and adds that he was such a lovely kitten that grew up to be an awkward cat. The Doctor then remarks that he must have used up all his nine lives; much like him. He asks the old lady her name and she introduces herself [[Mathilda Pierce|Mrs Mathilda Pierce]]. He then kisses her hand and greets her warmly. She asks him what he’s doing and he replies that he doesn’t know; adding that “they” keep putting him in places where terrible things are going to happen though she is confused by his answer and asks him for spare change. The Doctor quickly rummages through his pockets and produces a number of alien items that would be worth nothing to her and she, angrily, says that he’s being cruel to her but he reassures her that he isn’t; adding that he’s also homeless and gives her all of the items from his pocket. He then asks her what she knows about the solidified figure. She suddenly seems very nervous but the Doctor doesn’t notice this; adding that she’s the first person he’s seen on the streets and would like some help. She mutters that she has nowhere else to go as she left her house because “the floor wasn’t solid”.  The Doctor is curious as to what she means but she continues talking, remarking that she used to have twenty-eight cats but they all ran away. All the cats, dogs and birds have left the town. The Doctor asks her why and she replies that cats are scared of things they can hear and it’s like how a tiger marks its territory. While she’s talking, the street lamp begins to flicker. The Doctor realises it’s like a low frequency sound that keeps other predators away but that doesn’t explain why there are no people around. Mathilda is looking more and more anxious and tells the Doctor he should keep his feet off the grass. He asks why and she replies “it’s down…. there” while looking downwards. The ground then starts to shake again and Mathilda becomes very worried. The Doctor tries to calm her by saying it’s merely an Earth tremor but it gets worse and she screams very loudly. The shaking stops and the Doctor checks if Mathilda is alright. But he quickly realises that she’s dead, making him very angry.

Alison returns home to her boyfriend [[Joe (Scream of the Shalka)|Joe]] and he asks her about her day at work. She tells him about a weird guy who came in asking questions leading Joe to remark “you always get the nutters”. She goes to switch the TV on but Joe stops her. She merely wanted to see what was on but knows she can’t raise the volume loud enough for them to actually hear anything. Joe remarks that he likes how quiet it is in their house and out in the street which angers Alison. He apologises and said he went into his surgery and that were even a few patients there. All of them had throat complaints and Alison says she’s been getting rather hoarse as well. Knowing she hasn’t been shouting at anyone, she assumes that a bug must be going around. She wants things around them to change but Joe is happy with the way everything is. He tells her that they must keep on living.

She explains that three weeks ago a vibrating sound started deep underground. It could be heard through the pipes and it was there when they slept “right at the edge of hearing”. Joe warns her to stop but she tells him she has to; someone has to and the Doctor says that he’s heard the sound himself. He says that they’re “living above an angry landlord with a very long broom handle who wants you to stay very, very quiet.” Alison says that she sometimes sees one of them on the street watching her and that she saw it earlier that night. Joe says he doesn’t know what she’s talking about; he hasn’t seen anything and everything is perfectly normal. He asks the Doctor to leave but he ignores him and asks Alison about the solidified lava; deducing that it was a person. She replies that it was Kim, her friend from work. She was disliked by Max because she talked too much and she wanted to get a message out to someone, to try and do something about their situation. Then when she was walking home one night, the ground opened up and she started covering herself in lava. She was smearing it all over her body and was screaming the whole time for them to stop her but Joe says that they couldn’t. Alison says they physically couldn’t move and then eventually Kim didn’t have hands any more so she dunked her face in the lava and then she solidified.

The two creatures swirl and warp into the ground below.

While the locals continue to cheer, one of the creatures, which has a more humanoid appearance that the rest of them (which is also the figure that Alison saw earlier) silently observes this scene for a moment, screams and then disappears into the ground.

Underground, the creatures continue to scream and are staring at the TARDIS which is sitting atop a small mound. The humanoid creature descends from above and steps towards the TARDIS. It screams at the doors until they eventually burst open. It enters the TARDIS and discovers there is someone inside: [[the Master]]. He seems a little wary of this intruder but speaks to it in a pleasant manner; asking if it wishes to commandeer the TARDIS. The creature orders him to stand aside but he replies that he’s a dedicated companion to the owner of the ship and refuses. He then compares their intelligences and quotes “empty vessels make the most noise”. The creature disagrees and begins to scream but the Master presses a button on the console which erects a force field that expels the creature from the TARDIS. He then remarks “as you just found out for yourself”. He tells the creatures that he can reflect all their screams but he will find it rather tiresome.

A helicopter is flying over the town and a voice is stating that a convoy heading for the north of England and [[Scotland]] will be departing in five minutes. It adds that only those with the surnames Adams to Matthews may come aboard. Nelson to Zuma must continue to queue at the clock tower and will not be allowed on the transport.

The Doctor is at the army headquarters (which have been set up in a school) and is greeted by [[Thomas Kennet|Major Thomas Kennet]] who is in charge of the operation. Though the Doctor is not in the mood for pleasantries, saying that he specifically asked for a team of speleologists so he can recover the TARDIS and leave. Kennet tells him the evacuation will be done by 8pm and then says he will need the Doctor’s help. The Doctor replies that he’s put everything he knows about the creatures on record and listed the names of a dozen academics and linguists who can help the army communicate with them but the Major says that they can talk to them once they’re no longer a threat. The Doctor replies that he won’t be there when that happens. Kennet tells the Doctor that he’s read his file and found it exciting; adding that if he helps them then they will get his TARDIS back. The Doctor finds this ridiculous and remarks that he always seems to attract the military; “They’re either arresting me, making strong, sweet tea or killing my friends!” And he orders Kennet to find someone else to play his games with and begins to walk out but the Major tells him that the estimated civilian death toll is 637; adding that it is their job to prevent that and that the Doctor will get to be “superior and eccentric”. The Doctor relents and begins drawing on a chalkboard, asking Kennet if the controlled people were doing anything in particular. He replies that they were at home and that they were allowed to go to work but most of them were so scared that they didn’t leave their houses. The Doctor is curious that no one else entered the town and Kennet tells him that they simply didn’t think to. Delivery lorries would drop their cargo on the edge of the town and then report back as normal. The Doctor mutters that it’s amazing control and Kennet tells him that only one person reported seeing a creature before he brought them out of hiding but he already knows the Major is referring to Alison. Kennet is wondering why this is happening just in that particular town but the Doctor has figured that out: it is sitting on top of a plume of ancient volcanic rock and that the creatures probably evolved on their home planet to be able to manipulate that type of rock with their sonic screams. The Doctor points to his drawing, showing the spot at which the volcanic rock meets metamorphic rock and caves that allow access to that point. He begins to say that he and his team of speleologists will go in but the Major cuts him off by saying that him and his men will be accompanying the Doctor down there and that he will then get to see what a TARDIS looks like.

The creatures continue to scream underground.

=== Episode Three ===

Kennet is talking to someone via radio and orders them to engage with high explosives. He tells the Doctor that he’s just received word from a helicopter unit that an evacuation truck is being attacked. The Doctor is annoyed as he thought the explosion would be enough to hold the creatures off. He remarks that they are surprising him which is both worrying and odd. He’s curious as to why they are continuing with all the punishments ''after'' the town has been evacuated. [[Greaves|Sergeant Greaves]], Kennet’s deputy, begins to give a humorous response but the Major silences him. Kennet states that this is a reconnaissance mission; they must find their enemy, determine their position and then either retreat or call in reinforcements but the Doctor cuts in that he’s only interested in getting his TARDIS back. Kennet offers the Doctor a gun who reminds the Major that he’s there under duress and sternly warns him never to offer him a gun again.

Underground, Alison is chained up among the creatures who continue with their screams. She shouts that she is not going to let them control her but the humanoid creature merely screams in her face and she passes out. It then digs a sharp claw into her forehead.

The Doctor and the soldiers have begun walking through the caves. Kennet asks Greaves which way they need to go but the Doctor answers for him (much to Greaves’ annoyance), saying that he can sense the TARDIS. He also warns the soldiers that if they see they creatures, they are not to shoot at them but Kennet angrily tells the Doctor that he’s not allowed to give his men orders.

The colony creature is bearing down on the Doctor but he is fascinated by it. Hoping that he doesn’t taste of boot polish, he dives into the creature’s mouth. Standing among its teeth, he orders it too take him home and lets out a triumphant “Yee-Ha!” as it sets off.

The Master is still inside the force field in the TARDIS and remarks that every day presents a new challenge to his dignity. The phone then rings but it is outside the force field so the Master is unable to pick it up. The answering machine then kicks in and plays the Doctor’s recorded message in which he sounds like he is being tickled – leading the Master to comment that the Doctor really needs to change that message. He then hears a roar from the phone and the Doctor asks if he’s there and the Master mutters that he’s ''trying'' to get there. The Doctor tells his fellow Time Lord that if he can hear him then he should consider setting up the secondary configuration suite, knowing that it will mean nothing can get in but he’s never encountered this species before and that there’s something worryingly confident about them. He then hangs up. The Master sighs and flicks a switch on the console which closes the doors. He then exasperatingly asks himself why he chose to continue to exist and listen to the Doctor being right all the time when he could have had a slow and painful death.

Alison is then brought in and is being restrained by a Shalka. Prime says that he has the same weaknesses as a lower creature. The Doctor questions if this means that they are going to cook. Alison screams in terror as her face is held close to a blowhole spewing lava. The Doctor yells for them to stop and agrees to do what they say as long as they don’t hurt her. Prime declares that, as a lower creature, he ''will'' do as they say.

The Doctor steps into the TARDIS and the Master greets him, asking him where he has been.  He also asks the Doctor not to tell him that he’s done something foolish, again. The Master says “I won’t let –” but the Doctor presses a button on a remote. The Master stops talking and his face opens up, revealing a robotic face underneath. Prime is unimpressed by this “simple toy” and says it was hardly worth the Doctor’s humiliation.

The Doctor and Alison have been imprisoned together. She is trying to say that she didn’t do anything but the Doctor keeps shushing her. He angrily asks why she’s down there and she explains how the Shalka kidnapped her and that their sound protected her from the lava. He yells that he should have let her die as that would have made the Shalka see him as “the detached alien observer. But no! As always, only the monsters know me! Only they know how weak I really am!”  She assures him that he gave in because they threatened her and that anyone else would have done the same. He remarks that he did try something else the last time something like this happened which is ultimately why he told himself that he would never get into similar situations again. She asks what happens but he mumbles that it doesn’t matter. He then starts chuckling, leading Alison to get rather annoyed as this situation is not her fault and she asks how they can get out. He replies that if he was on his own he would improvise something but it’s not as easy these days when he has someone else to worry about. He asks her why she didn’t offer to sacrifice herself as it was all down to him. She sternly replies that she’s not going to sacrifice herself for [[Lannet]] as it’s “the dullest place in the universe”. The Doctor disagrees, saying that she should see [[Gallifrey|his home planet]]. She says that she was thinking about leaving Lannet when all of this kicked off. He asks if she was going to leave Joe but she’s not sure. She was hoping that he would come too. He asks if Joe knew how she felt and she says she was about to start telling him how unhappy she was but then the town was invaded by aliens which obviously changed her priorities somewhat. She is now hoping that Joe will not get killed, given the current situation between them. She believes that sounds very selfish but the Doctor assures her it isn’t and that he understands. Alison then gets a sudden pain in her head and the Doctor notices the cut on her forehead, asking her where she got it but she doesn’t remember. She says that she’s been getting headaches ever since the Shalka brought her down there and the Doctor remarks that’s due to the atmosphere. Prime keeps air circulating down there rather than breathing it but there is a lot of volcanic gas in the air. The Doctor removes an [[inhaler]] and puffs it into the air. He asks Alison if she fancies “a puff of my huffer” but she seems rather repulsed at the thought.

On the surface, Greaves is telling Joe that the area is still not safe as there is a possibility of lava becoming dry later on. Joe shouts that he can’t believe Alison is gone but Greaves ignores him and says that the next evacuation truck will come along in ten minutes and that he is going to be on it. Joe says “I’m not going anywhere without –” but then the ground starts to shake and a series of cracks appear on the ground. There’s a flash of light and they see Alison standing there. Joe runs to her and Greaves calls for a stretcher party. Joe asks her if she’s ok but she seems to be in a bit of a daze and asks where she is. He replies that she’s back in Lannet and she realises that the Shalka let her go which she doesn’t understand. She then also realises that they killed the Doctor but Joe assures her that she’s safe now and that they’re leaving.

The Doctor is falling through an infinite void. He calls Kennet using his portable phone but the Major does not answer. He leaves him a message saying he’s about to die and the aliens are called the Shalka. He also explains about the wormhole and that if the army can destroy it then the Shalka may do a deal with them. He then laments how he got Alison killed and that it’s not the first time so that means it’s best that he not do this anymore. He also says that he has some last words for the universe; “they are……battery low??!!” when he notices his phone is low on power. He then uses the [[sonic screwdriver]] to try and fix the phone, declaring that he will have his last words. He says that this is not how he wanted to spend his last remaining… But his sentence drifts off as he thinks about time and that then makes him think of the TARDIS; realising the phone he’s holding is part of the TARDIS and tries to make the phone remember that using the sonic screwdriver. The doors to the TARDIS then begin to appear in front of him piece by piece. The Doctor shouts that he only needs a handle and not to worry about the sign! With that, a handle appears and the Doctor opens the door and pulls himself inside the TARDIS.

It rematerialises in Kennet’s office. The Doctor steps out and the Major remarks that he’s surprised to see him. The Doctor apologises for his earlier behaviour towards Kennet and his men but the Major cuts in that the reason for his surprise is that Alison told them that he was thrown into a black hole. The Doctor is astonished that she’s alive but questions why the Shalka let her go. Kennet replies that she doesn’t know and they will bring her in to get the full story from her which the Doctor agrees needs to be done quickly but adds that, for the moment, he would rather she keep away so that she and Joe can talk. Kennet then beholds the TARDIS and finds it fascinating. He remarks that he hasn’t seen one since he was a young man. He asks the Doctor, now that he has the TARDIS, why he’s still there and he replies that it’s because of the message he left for the Major. Kennet then begins to play back the message but the Doctor stops it after a few seconds, saying that it’s nothing the Major needs to hear. He asks Kennet if they can now manage on their own and he confirms that they can but the Doctor tells him that he has now found some form and may not be quite so useless. Kennet replies that it’s a pity they won’t get to find out when Greaves suddenly steps in, gasping for breath, and reports that they’ve managed to capture one of the Shalka. He then notices the Doctor and is disappointed, hoping that he got crushed under the avalanche but Kennet silences him. Greaves apologises and asks for permission to speak freely and retroactively which Kennet grants. The Doctor begins to ask if he can see the captured Shalka but stops himself. However, Kennet tells him that he can.

Max, and several other townspeople, have all gathered on the outskirts of Lannet and they are beginning to march together.

Joe and Alison are driving through a thick mist and she has just woken up with a thumping headache. She asks how long she was asleep and Joe replies it was for a couple of hours and that he has no idea where he’s driving to. He says that his throat is feeling sore and he laments over the soldier he punched. She reassures him that it wasn’t his fault and remarks that, wherever they end up, she needs to get her head checked and he says that they will. She says it feels like there’s something inside.

The captured Shalka has been contained in a tent and is still being fed oxygen. The Doctor apologises to it, saying that they can’t allow it to communicate with its comrades. He turns up a dial and says that it’s going to get enough volcanic gas to keep it alive so that it can talk to him. A screaming sound then plays and the Doctor tells the Shalka that humanoids could be part of their sonic network and that they’re not as primitive as the Shalka think they are. Greaves then brings in a cup of coffee for the Doctor but he tells him to put it some distance away and says he’ll get to it eventually. Greaves says that when he looks at the creature, it makes him glad he took the ring back to the jewellers. It lets out a small hiss and Greaves remarks that it’s a lot more powerful than them and that if the rest of the Shalka knew it was there then they would come for them. The Doctor reminds Greaves that he fought them in the caves and asks him if he was afraid but he, unconvincingly, dismisses that notion. The Doctor asks him how his throat is and he replies that it could be better and that he thinks he’s getting laryngitis. The Doctor asks Greaves to keep an eye on the Shalka, saying that he’s popping out to do something…… eccentric. He then steps out and the oxygen flow being fed into the Shalka stops. It then rises up behind Greaves and screams as it manages to get out of its tent. Greaves cautiously backs away from it and calls for the Doctor just as it menacingly advances on him. He inhales some of its volcanic gas and starts coughing as the Doctor comes in with an oxygen cylinder and uses it to subdue the creature. Greaves then realises that the Doctor wanted it to get free and he replies that the Shalka scream does more than just simply scare their victims into obeying; “it softens them up for a long term control”. Greaves doesn’t understand what this means and the Doctor says that if you live above an angry landlord for a long time then it will get to the stage where he doesn’t have to keep bashing on the ceiling. Greaves asks where that gas came from and the Doctor replies “Out of your mouth! In a manner of speaking”. He then orders Greaves to get the creature back in its tent. He then walks out and Greaves mutters that he could sue the Doctor for that - if he could get a lawyer to believe it.

Alison and Joe have arrived at their destination which is in the middle of a forest. Alison wonders why the Shalka wanted them to stop there. They then see several people coming them towards them and Joe realises it’s everyone they know from Lannet. Alison says that the sound is still controlling them even though they can no longer hear it. Joe then spots Max who tells them that the soldiers evacuated them all but instead of going to their intended destinations they came to the forest instead. Alison asks if everyone has got something in their head but he replies that they haven’t. Joe decides to have a quick look at the wound on Alison’s forehead and he quietly mutters “oh dear.”

The screaming has starting again but is now coming from the Shalka in Alison’s head, much to everyone’s discomfort. They are starting to move again but still have no control over their movements. Someone shouts Alison’s name and she replies that there’s nothing she can do to stop it. She realises that the only option they have left is to shout for help and she encourages all the people to do just that.

Similar events are happening all over the world and each group is being led by one person who has a Shalka parasite in their head.

He wakes up a short while later to see Alison and Kennet leaning over him. Alison tells the Major that she can’t find a pulse which leads the Doctor to reply “and with so many to choose from!” He gets to his feet and contains the parasite in a jar. He declares that the score is now 2:1 to him in the game of “I thought you were dead, Doctor”. He congratulates Kennet for not shooting anyone and the Major remarks that it’s about time they got some luck. The Doctor then adds that it’s about time they made their own and questions why the Shalka are still controlling people and why they had the people march on a warehouse. Greaves then reports that it’s not just happening there.

Back at HQ, they learn that twenty-six communities have been mobilised all over the world and that there may be others that they don’t know about. The Doctor says that they’re arranging themselves precisely around the planet and asks if there’s a map of their exact positions. Greaves begins to bring that information up and the Doctor adds that if they can get a satellite photo of an area of [[Siberia]] then they will find controlled people there too.  Greaves then brings up a picture of [[China]] from an American satellite and they see that the controlled people there are all just standing still. The Doctor declares that they have to stop all these people from reaching their destinations and that they have to try and coordinate the armed forces in those areas. Greaves reports that the Chinese have started shooting and Kennet tells the Doctor that soon this will be the story everywhere. He replies that the Shalka will protect them but, at the same time, they can afford to lose a lot of their slaves. He doubts that the loss of the Lannet group will make a difference to their plan and Alison asks what that plan is. He asks her and Joe if they’ve still got sore throats and Greaves replies that he has too. Joe affirms that a number of patients have been suffering from sore throats for several weeks and the Doctor realises the Shalka are using humans to transmit the scream; they’ve been subsonicly training them while they’ve been under the Shalka’s influence. Alison asks why they’ve done this and he replies that it’s because human vocal chords have evolved in Earth’s atmosphere whilst theirs haven’t. He then opens a cylinder releasing a gas into the room which makes everyone start coughing and so he quickly turns it off. He tells them that is the Shalka’s preferred atmosphere which is typically found deep inside a planet rather than on the surface. That is what the captured Shalka got Greaves to make: a chemical reaction caused by severe agitation at the molecular level. The scream turns the oxygen and nitrogen in the air into the complex compounds that the Shalka prefer. Alison questions why they can’t simply do that themselves and he replies that they are using a fast track invasion plan: get the humans to do it for them. He adds that they’ve been waiting these past three weeks so that they can activate all their human slaves at once; each group being led by someone with a Shalka parasite in their head. Kennet begins to question about the new atmosphere the Shalka have planned but the Doctor cuts in that they won’t be able to breathe it and he doubts that it will be able to absorb solar radiation; meaning the weather is about to become their biggest enemy. The Shalka will be able to move freely on the surface while the chaos unfolds and finish off any remaining survivors. Kennet asks how long they’ve got and the Doctor replies that the atmosphere is a very sensitive system and given the number of release sites, he concludes that once the controlled people start screaming they’ll have, maybe, an hour.

Kennet states that their only option, regrettably, is to bomb all the slaves or at the very least, eliminate the ones with the parasites in their heads. The Doctor questions whether all the governments of the world could be persuaded to do that within an hour. Kennet concedes the point and asks what else they can do. He replies that he can think of many things but, for now, he tells the Major that he is just going to have to trust him and Alison. Joe is confused by that and the Doctor tells Alison that humanity only has minutes to live and that he has to engage the Shalka which he can’t do without her. She is willing to help though Kennet begins to argue but the Doctor tells him there’s no time. Joe tries to dissuade her but she sternly asks him whether he’s really going to ask her to stay with him given the circumstances. He replies that he won’t and she says they can talk when she gets back. He urges her to go and save the world so the Doctor takes her hand and they leave. Greaves tells Kennet that he’ll see to the troops and tells Joe to come with him. As the TARDIS is dematerialising, Kennet wishes the Doctor good luck and god speed.

In the TARDIS, the Master tells Alison that she, horrifyingly, reminds him of “all the others”. She challenges him about that remark and asks who he is. He says to her, in a sinister tone, “I am the Master. And you will –” but the Doctor then steps in so the Master quickly says “–come to like me once you get to know me my dear Miss Cheney.” The Doctor tells them that he’s just been in an extreme state of meditation so as to prepare himself for what is about to come; remarking that it’s hard to clear one’s mind of all its baggage in five minutes. He then sings quite loudly for a moment and asks Alison and the Master what they think. They exchange a sideways glance and the Master replies “just a touch flat”. The Doctor says he learned to do that from Dame Nellie, leading the Master to comment that he would never have guessed. Alison asks the two Time Lords what they’re talking about, stating that this is serious. The Doctor replies that he is being deadly serious.

The TARDIS materialises back in the cave of the Shalka. Alison asks if the Master is coming with them and the Doctor replies that he can’t leave the TARDIS. They step out and the Doctor comments that one can really admire the architecture of the cave now that there are less Shalka in it. He points to a spiral on the ceiling and Alison remarks that it’s very Gaudi, leading the Doctor to comment that he was a man who knew a thing or two about string; and that he was very lucky that the Doctor was there when he ran out. He then tells Alison that she’s a very informed barmaid and she replies that she gave up a degree in history to be with Joe. Prime then approaches them and she tells the Doctor that, despite the technology he possesses, he distracts, de-emphasises and he talks. She adds that she thinks that is all he does and he merely comments, sarcastically, that she sounds happy. She ignores this and declares that in a few moments Earth will be added to the Shalka Confederacy. He then tells Prime that he now has a horrible idea that he knows where their empire of a billion worlds is. She disagrees but he tells her that he used the TARDIS scanner to search for recent meteor debris and traces of radiation that suggest a miniature wormhole. He says that they’ve been targeting worlds that are in “ecological trouble” and she remarks that they take the weakest of the herd. She names three other planets that they have claimed and the Doctor replies that those planets were all dead with lost civilisations and that history records claim that they destroyed themselves. Prime says that they did most of the damage and then the Shalka merely finished them off. Those worlds are now occupied by billions of Shalka that reside underground and therefore don’t get into “ridiculous wars” like lesser creatures. She says that the Shalka now inhabit eighty percent of worlds in the universe; those which the Doctor rates as “dead”. The Doctor then calls Prime the “great limiting factor of the cosmos” and the “death principle” among other things and she replies that once the Earth’s atmosphere is gone and the surface is infected with solar radiation, the Shalka will arrive through the worm hole and live off pure volcanic energy.

Similar freak weather events are happening all over the planet as the screaming continues.

== Crew ==

* [[Writer]] - [[Paul Cornell]]

* [[Producer]] - [[Muirinn Lane Kelly]], [[Jelena Djordjevic]]

* [[Executive Producer]] - [[James Goss]], [[Mario Dubois]], [[Martin Trickey]]

* [[Incidental Music]] - [[Russell Stone]]

=== The Doctor ===

* The Doctor uses [[the Doctor's sonic screwdriver (Scream of the Shalka)|his sonic screwdriver]] to turn his [[mobile phone]] into a door into the TARDIS.

== Story notes ==

* If the viewer right clicks and selects play after the end of episode 3, an alternate version of the closing credits plays, followed by the final part of the episode.

* This story was later released as part of ''[[The Animation Collection]]''.

=== Production background ===

=== Original website release/broadcast ===

* Episode 1 - [[13 November (releases)|13 November]] [[2003 (releases)|2003]]

== Continuity ==

* The Doctor alludes to his "many friends" in the [[military]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Web of Fear (TV story)|The Web of Fear]]'', ''[[The Invasion (TV story)|The Invasion]]'', ''[[Spearhead from Space (TV story)|Spearhead from Space]]'', ''[[Terror of the Autons (TV story)|Terror of the Autons]]'', ''[[Robot (TV story)|Robot]]'', ''[[Battlefield (TV story)|Battlefield]]'')

== DVD, video and other releases ==

=== Special features: ===

* Photo Gallery

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== Novelisation audiobook ==

== External links ==

== Footnotes ==

{{reflist}}

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