Aliens of London
Encyclopedia
"Aliens of London" is the fourth episode of the first series of the British science fiction television show Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...

that was first broadcast on 16 April 2005. The Doctor takes Rose back to 21st century London, just in time to witness a spaceship crashing into the River Thames, triggering a worldwide state of alert and the closing off of the city. As the Doctor investigates the survivor of the crash, Rose finds problems closer to home.

It is the first of a two-part story. The concluding episode, "World War Three
World War Three (Doctor Who)
"World War Three" is the fifth episode of the first series in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who that was first broadcast on 23 April 2005. It is the second of a two-part story. The first part, "Aliens of London", was broadcast on 16 April...

", was broadcast on 23 April.

Plot

The Doctor
Ninth Doctor
The Ninth Doctor is the ninth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is played by Christopher Eccleston....

 returns Rose
Rose Tyler
Rose Marion Tyler is a fictional character portrayed by Billie Piper in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who, and was created by series producer Russell T Davies...

 back to Earth in the TARDIS
TARDIS
The TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s...

, but miscalculates, ending up 12 months after he first left with Rose instead of 12 hours. As such, Jackie
Jackie Tyler
In "Rise of the Cybermen" and "The Age of Steel" Coduri plays a parallel Earth version of Jackie. In this universe, she is still married to Pete, but they have no children, although she has a Yorkshire terrier named Rose. Despite Pete's success, which has led to Jackie becoming a celebrity, they...

, Rose's mum, is furious with the Doctor, and Rose's boyfriend, Mickey
Mickey Smith
Mickey Smith is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, played by Noel Clarke.Mickey is introduced as the boyfriend of the Ninth and Tenth Doctor's companion Rose Tyler, and a recurring character on the programme...

 is upset as he was suspected of murdering Rose. While Rose expresses her frustration to the Doctor of not being able to tell the truth of where she's been, they witness a spacecraft crash through Big Ben and fall into the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...

. Central London is shut down while its population become excited at the possibility of first contact with an alien species. The Doctor suspects trickery, and uses the TARDIS to land inside the hospital where the alien pilot has been taken. Along with Dr. Sato
Toshiko Sato
is a fictional character from the television series Doctor Who and its spin-off Torchwood, played by Naoko Mori. After a one-off appearance in the Doctor Who episode "Aliens of London" , Toshiko is re-introduced as a series regular in the Torchwood 2006 premiere episode "Everything Changes"...

, he discovers that the alien craft was launched from Earth, and its pilot is nothing more than an Earth pig, modified by alien technology.

Meanwhile, the government is unable to locate the British Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...

 due to the confusion of the crash, and Joseph Green, MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 for Hartley Dale, and Chairman of the Parliamentary Commission on the Monitoring of Sugar Standards in Exported Confectionery, is named acting Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street, colloquially known in the United Kingdom as "Number 10", is the headquarters of Her Majesty's Government and the official residence and office of the First Lord of the Treasury, who is now always the Prime Minister....

. However, Green is revealed to be a Slitheen
Slitheen
The Slitheen are a family of massive, bipedal extraterrestrials from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and they are adversaries of the Doctor. They first appeared in the 2005 series episodes "Aliens of London" and "World War Three", and subsequently recur in later episodes of...

, a calcium-based alien species that compress their bodies into large human "suits" resulting in frequent releases of flatulence
Flatulence
Flatulence is the expulsion through the rectum of a mixture of gases that are byproducts of the digestion process of mammals and other animals. The medical term for the mixture of gases is flatus, informally known as a fart, or simply gas...

, along with two other high members of the government, Margaret Blaine of MI5
MI5
The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...

 and Oliver Charles, Transport Liaison. While they secretly celebrate successfully luring the humans into their plan, they are unaware of their conversation being witnessed by Harriet Jones
Harriet Jones
Harriet Jones MP is a recurring fictional character played by Penelope Wilton in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. With the revival of Doctor Who in 2005, Jones was introduced in the two-part story "Aliens of London" and "World War Three" as an MP who aids the...

, the backbench MP
Backbencher
In Westminster parliamentary systems, a backbencher is a Member of Parliament or a legislator who does not hold governmental office and is not a Front Bench spokesperson in the Opposition...

 for Flydale North.

When the Doctor returns to Rose, they are surrounded by soldiers, prompted by a call from Jackie to the Emergency Alien Hotline, and escorted to 10 Downing Street. The Doctor is asked to join a panel of alien experts, including those from UNIT
United Nations Intelligence Taskforce
UNIT is a fictional military organisation from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures...

, while Rose is escorted into the building by Harriet. Harriet tells Rose about the aliens, and together they discover the corpse of the Prime Minister. They make to reveal their discovery but are caught by Blaine, who begins to unzip her human suit to attack them. Meanwhile, as the Doctor attempts to convince the experts of the forgery of the events, Green sends an electrical shock through the assembled group, including the Doctor. These events lead to a cliffhanger, resolved in "World War Three".

Continuity

  • 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." Several other, home-made posters are seen on Jackie's table, including one with a banner headline saying "WHERE IS ROSE?". The photos on the posters are actual photos of Billie Piper, not photos of her portraying Rose.
  • The Doctor tells Rose he is 900 years old. The last on-screen mention of the Doctor's age, in Time and the Rani
    Time and the Rani
    Time and the Rani is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 7 September to 28 September 1987. This story was the first to feature Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor. It also features the last appearance of the Sixth...

    , put it at 953. See The Doctor's age.
  • UNIT, the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce
    United Nations Intelligence Taskforce
    UNIT is a fictional military organisation from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures...

    , is mentioned amongst the experts on aliens, its first appearance on television since the 1989 serial Battlefield
    Battlefield (Doctor Who)
    Battlefield is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from September 6 to September 27, 1989. It was the last appearance of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart in Doctor Who....

    . The Doctor mentions having worked with them in the past, but that they wouldn't recognise him now, alluding to regeneration.
  • 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's website since the latter's death in "Rose"
    Rose (Doctor Who)
    "Rose" is the first episode of Series One of the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who. Written by show runner Russell T Davies and directed by Keith Boak, the episode was first broadcast on 26 March 2005....

    .
  • A boy spray paints the words "BAD WOLF" on the side of the TARDIS while it is parked on the council estate. The TARDIS was previously defaced with chalk scribblings in The Time Warrior
    The Time Warrior
    The Time Warrior is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from December 15, 1973 to January 5, 1974. This serial introduced Elisabeth Sladen as new companion Sarah Jane Smith. It also marked the debut of the Sontarans...

    (1973) and The Leisure Hive
    The Leisure Hive
    The Leisure Hive is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 30 August to 20 September 1980.-Plot:...

    (1980), graffiti
    Graffiti
    Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....

     in Paradise Towers
    Paradise Towers
    Paradise Towers is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 5 October to 26 October 1987.-Plot:...

    (1987) and was painted pink in The Happiness Patrol
    The Happiness Patrol
    The Happiness Patrol is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in three weekly parts from 2 November to 16 November 1988.-Plot:...

    (1988).
  • In the car on the way to 10 Downing Street, Rose jokingly names Patrick Moore
    Patrick Moore
    Sir Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore, CBE, FRS, FRAS is a British amateur astronomer who has attained prominent status in astronomy as a writer, researcher, radio commentator and television presenter of the subject, and who is credited as having done more than any other person to raise the profile of...

     as the biggest expert in alien knowledge. Patrick Moore would later appear in The Eleventh Hour
    The Eleventh Hour (Doctor Who)
    "The Eleventh Hour" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC One and BBC HD on 3 April 2010....

     as a member of a secret video conference discussing the situation with the Atraxi.
  • The Cardiff
    Cardiff
    Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...

     Royal Infirmary provided the setting for the fictional London Albion Hospital. The interior scenes at "10 Downing Street" were shot at Hensol Castle
    Hensol Castle
    Hensol Castle is a castellated mansion in the gothic architecture style dating from the late 17th century or early 18th century. It is located north of Clawdd Coch and Tredodridge in the parish of Pendoylan in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales...

     in Wales
    Wales
    Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

    . The Doctor revisits the hospital in 1941 during the episodes "The Empty Child
    The Empty Child
    "The Empty Child" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on 21 May 2005. It is the first of a two-part story. The concluding episode, "The Doctor Dances", was broadcast on 28 May...

    " and "The Doctor Dances
    The Doctor Dances
    "The Doctor Dances" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on 28 May 2005. It is the second of a two-part story and saw Jack Harkness, played by John Barrowman, join the Doctor as a companion. The first part, "The Empty Child", was...

    ".
  • The episode ends on a cliffhanger, the first since episode two of Survival
    Survival (Doctor Who)
    -Writing:Writer Rona Munro approached script editor Andrew Cartmel at a BBC scriptwriting workshop and said that she'd "kill to write for Doctor Who." The story Munro developed incorporated themes including the morals of hunting...

    in 1989. The story continues in "World War Three". This is also the first occasion since Invasion of the Dinosaurs
    Invasion of the Dinosaurs
    Invasion of the Dinosaurs is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from 12 January to 16 February 1974.-Synopsis:...

    in 1974 in which the first episode of a serial does not share its title with the second.
  • Dr Toshiko Sato
    Toshiko Sato
    is a fictional character from the television series Doctor Who and its spin-off Torchwood, played by Naoko Mori. After a one-off appearance in the Doctor Who episode "Aliens of London" , Toshiko is re-introduced as a series regular in the Torchwood 2006 premiere episode "Everything Changes"...

    , the "government pathologist", returns in the Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood
    Torchwood
    Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...

    .
  • The events of this episode are briefly mentioned in a conversation with Toshiko and Owen
    Owen Harper
    Owen Harper is a fictional character played by Burn Gorman, and a regular in the BBC television series Torchwood, a spin-off from the long-running series Doctor Who. The character last appeared onscreen in the Series 2 finale, "Exit Wounds"....

     in the Torchwood episode "Exit Wounds
    Exit Wounds (Torchwood)
    "Exit Wounds" is the thirteenth and final episode of the second series of British science fiction television series Torchwood, and was broadcast on BBC Two on 4 April 2008.-Synopsis:...

    ". In Torchwood, Toshiko is a computer expert, not a pathologist, and it is explained that because Owen was hungover from the night before, Toshiko covered for him and said that she was a doctor and examined the space pig.

Cast notes

  • Lachele Carl
    Lachele Carl
    Lachele Carl is an American actress based in England.She has appeared in Grange Hill, Batman and Alien Autopsy.She also plays the recurring character of American news anchor Trinity Wells in Doctor Who, appearing in the episodes "Aliens of London", "World War Three", "The Christmas Invasion", "The...

    , the American reporter, reappears as a reporter in "World War Three", "The Christmas Invasion
    The Christmas Invasion
    "The Christmas Invasion" is a 60-minute special episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is Christmas, but there is little cause for celebration as planet Earth is invaded by aliens known as the Sycorax...

    ", "The Sound of Drums", "The Poison Sky
    The Poison Sky
    "The Poison Sky" is the fifth episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 3 May 2008. The episode features both former companion Martha Jones and the alien Sontarans...

    ", "Turn Left
    Turn Left (Doctor Who)
    "Turn Left" is the eleventh episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was written by showrunner Russell T Davies and broadcast on BBC One on 21 June 2008....

    ", "The Stolen Earth
    The Stolen Earth
    "The Stolen Earth" is the twelfth episode of the fourth series and the 750th overall episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The episode was written by show runner and head writer Russell T Davies and is the first of a two-part crossover story; the concluding episode is...

    " and the Sarah Jane Adventures stories Revenge of the Slitheen
    Revenge of the Slitheen
    Revenge of the Slitheen is the second story of the British science fiction television series The Sarah Jane Adventures. It comprises the first and second episodes of the show's first series, aired on BBC1, broadcast in two parts on September 24 and October 1, 2007, with the second being broadcast a...

    and Secrets of the Stars
    Secrets of the Stars
    Secrets of the Stars is a story of The Sarah Jane Adventures which was broadcast on CBBC on 20 and 27 October 2008. It is the third serial of the second series.-Part 1:...

    . The character is listed in the credits under the name Trinity Wells. She most recently made an appearance in the five-part third series of Torchwood, known as "Torchwood: Children of Earth" and in the Tenth Doctor
    Tenth Doctor
    The Tenth Doctor is the tenth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is played by David Tennant, who appears in three series, as well as eight specials...

    's last story "The End of Time
    The End of Time
    The End of Time: The Next Revolution in Our Understanding of the Universe, also sold with the alternate subtitle The Next Revolution in Physics, is a 1999 science book in which the author Julian Barbour argues that time exists merely as an illusion.-Auto-biography:The book begins by describing how...

    ".
  • Rupert Vansittart
    Rupert Vansittart
    Rupert Vansittart is an English character actor. He has appeared in a variety of roles in film, television, radio and on stage, often playing comic or serio-comic characters....

     later appeared in the Eighth Doctor
    Eighth Doctor
    The Eighth Doctor is the eighth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Paul McGann...

     audio drama Dead London
    Dead London
    Dead London is an audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. This audio drama was produced by Big Finish Productions.-Cast:*The Doctor — Paul McGann*Lucie Miller — Sheridan Smith...

    where he played Sepulchre.

Outside references

  • The production team had intended to suggest that the murdered Prime Minister in this episode was current real-life incumbent, Tony Blair
    Tony Blair
    Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...

    . 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 impersonator. When the resemblance proved disappointing, they decided to avoid showing the body clearly. The suggestion that the body is Blair's remains when Harriet Jones says that she is "hardly one of the babes", a reference to the large number of female Labour Party
    Labour Party (UK)
    The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...

     MPs who entered the House of Commons in Labour's 1997 general election
    United Kingdom general election, 1997
    The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...

     victory, who were dubbed "Blair's Babes
    Blair Babe
    The terms Blair Babes and Blair's Babes refers to 101 female Members of Parliament from the Labour Party elected to the British House of Commons in Labour's landslide general election victory in 1997....

    " by the British media. That Tony Blair was elected in Doctor Who continuity was confirmed in "Rise of the Cybermen
    Rise of the Cybermen
    "Rise of the Cybermen" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The episode features the return of Cybermen, where they are created on Earth itself. It is the first part of a two-part story, the concluding part being "The Age of Steel"...

    ".
  • During the night scene set on the balcony outside the Tyler flat, "Starman
    Starman (song)
    "Starman" is a single by David Bowie, released in April 1972. The song was a late addition to The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, included at the insistence of RCA’s Dennis Katz, who heard a demo and loved the track, believing it would make a great single...

    " by David Bowie
    David Bowie
    David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...

     is heard playing in the background.

Broadcast and DVD releases

  • This episode together with "World War Three" and "Dalek
    Dalek (Doctor Who episode)
    "Dalek" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who that was first broadcast on 30 April 2005. It should not be confused with the first Dalek serial, The Daleks...

    " were the first released on the UMD
    Universal Media Disc
    The Universal Media Disc is an optical disc medium developed by Sony for use on their PlayStation Portable handheld gaming and multimedia platform...

     format for the PlayStation Portable
    PlayStation Portable
    The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...

    .
  • This episode together with "World War Three" and "Dalek" were released on a DVD, then later with the rest of series 1 on a box set.

External links


Reviews

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