| "Aliens of London" | |
|---|---|
| |
| Air date | April 16th, 2005 (UK) March 31st, 2006 (US) |
| Writers | Russell T. Davies |
| Director | Keith Boak |
| Producers | Phil Collinson; Russell T. Davies; Julie Gardner; Helen Vallis; Mal Young |
| Starring | Christopher Eccleston; Billie Piper |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous "The Unquiet Dead" |
Next "World War Three" |
"Aliens of London" is the fourth episode of series one of the 2005 relaunch of the British sci-fi series Doctor Who. Totalling the episode count of both programs together, "Aliens of London" is the 699th episode in the Doctor Who franchise. It was directed by Keith Boak and written by Russell T. Davies. It first aired on BBC One in the United Kingdom on April 16th, 2005. It first aired in the United States on BBC America on March 31st, 2006. In this episode, an alien spacecraft crashes down in the River Thames, alerting the population of Earth that aliens do in fact exist. The Doctor brings Rose Tyler back home for a bittersweet reunion with her loved ones, after she discovers that she had been gone for more than a year.
Synopsis[]
Cast[]
Principal Cast[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Christopher Eccleston | The Doctor |
| Billie Piper | Rose Tyler |
Guest Stars[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Camille Coduri | Jackie Tyler |
| Corey Doabe | Spray painter |
| Ceris Jones | Policeman |
| Jack Tarlton | Reporter Tom Hitchingson |
| Lachele Carl | Reporter |
| Fiesta Mei Ling | Ru |
| Basil Chung | Bau |
| Matt Baker | Himself |
| Andrew Marr | Himself |
| Rupert Vansittart | General Asquith |
| David Verrey | Joseph Green |
| Navin Chowdhry | Indra Ganesh |
| Penelope Wilton | Harriet Jones |
| Annette Badland | Margaret Blaine |
| Naoko Mori | Doctor Sato |
| Eric Potts | Oliver Charles |
| Noel Clarke | Mickey Smith |
| Jimmy Vee | Alien |
| Steve Speirs | Strickland |
| Elizabeth Fost | Slitheen |
| Paul Kasey | Slitheen |
| Alan Ruscoe | Slitheen |
| Spencer Hawken | Slitheen |
| Simon Davies | Hospital cameraman |
| Dean Mitchell | Armed soldier |
Notes & Trivia[]
- This episode is included on disc two of the Doctor Who: The Complete First Series DVD collection.
- Production code number: NCFR031L.
- This is the second episode of the series directed by Keith Boak. He previously directed the pilot episode, "Rose". His next episode is "World War Three".
- This is the third episode of Doctor Who written by Russell T. Davies. He previously wrote "The End of the World". His next episode is "World War Three".
- From this point onward, the normal timeline of the show takes place in the year 2006 and advances accordingly.
- First appearance of Margaret Blaine. She appears next in "World War Three".
- Througout the episode, the Doctor persistently refers to Mickey Smith as "Ricky". This becomes key in season two, where they travel to an alternate world where Mickey's counterpart actually is named Ricky. [1]
- This is the first time that the phrase "Bad Wolf" is used on Doctor Who. It becomes a recurring theme used throughout the remainder of the season.
- This is the second appearance of Mickey Smith on Doctor Who. He appeared last in "Rose".
- This is the third appearance of Jackie Tyler on Doctor Who. She appeared last in "The End of the World".
Quotes[]
- Rose Tyler: She slapped you!
- The Doctor: Nine hundred years of time and space, and I've never been slapped by someone's mother.
- Rose Tyler: Your face!
- The Doctor: It hurt!
- Rose Tyler: You're so gay.
- Rose Tyler: When you say nine hundred years...
- The Doctor: That's my age.
- Rose Tyler: You're nine hundred years old?
- The Doctor: Yep.
- Rose Tyler: My mum was right. That is one hell of an age gap. Every conversation with you just goes mental. And there's no-one else I can talk to. I've seen all that stuff up there, the size of it, and I can't say a word. Aliens and spaceships and things… and I'm the only person on planet Earth that knows they exist.
....
- Rose Tyler: I can't tell her, I can't even begin. She's never gonna forgive me. And I missed a year. Was it good?
- The Doctor: Middling.
- Rose Tyler: You're so useless.
....
- Rose Tyler: And where do you think you're going?
- The Doctor: Nowhere. It's, uh, just a bit human in there for me. History just happened; they're talking about where you can buy dodgy top-up cards for half price. I'm off on a wander, that's all.
- Rose Tyler Right. There's a spaceship on the Thames and you're just wandering.
- The Doctor: Nothing to do with me. It's not an invasion. That was a genuine crash landing. Angle of descent, colour of the smoke, everything. It was perfect.
- Rose Tyler: So?
- The Doctor: So maybe this is it. First contact. The day Mankind officially comes into contact with an alien race. I'm not interfering 'cause you got to handle this on your own. That's when the human race finally grows up. Just this morning you were all tiny and small and made of clay. Now you can expand.
....
- Rose Tyler: My mum's here.
- The Doctor: Oh, that's just what I need. Don't you dare make this place domestic.
- Mickey Smith: You ruined my life, Doctor! They thought she was dead. I was a murder suspect because of you!
- The Doctor: You see what I mean? Domestic!
- Mickey Smith: I bet you don't even remember my name!
- The Doctor: Ricky.
- Mickey Smith: It's Mickey.
- The Doctor: No, it's Ricky.
- Mickey Smith: I think I know my own name.
- The Doctor You think you know your own name? How stupid are you?
See also[]
Media
The World of Doctor Who
Doctor Who miscellaneous
External Links[]
References[]