The Empty Child
Encyclopedia
"The Empty Child" is an episode in the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 science fiction television series 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...

, which was first broadcast on 21 May 2005. It is the first of a two-part story. The concluding episode, "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...

", was broadcast on 28 May. The two-part story won the 2006 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form.

This episode marked the first appearance of John Barrowman
John Barrowman
John Scot Barrowman is a Scottish-American singer, actor, dancer, musical theatre performer and media personality. Born in Glasgow yet growing up in Illinois after his family emigrated to the United States when he was eight years old, Barrowman was encouraged to further his love for music and...

 as Captain Jack Harkness
Jack Harkness
Captain Jack Harkness is a fictional character played by John Barrowman in Doctor Who and its spin-off series, Torchwood. He first appeared in the 2005 Doctor Who episode "The Empty Child" and reappeared in the remaining episodes of the 2005 series as a companion of the ninth incarnation of the...

.

Synopsis

The Doctor
Doctor (Doctor Who)
The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and has also featured in two cinema feature films, a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....

 and Rose Tyler
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...

, 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...

, chase a metal cylinder marked as "dangerous" through the time vortex
Time vortex (Doctor Who)
In the science fiction television series Doctor Who, the time vortex is the medium that the TARDIS and other time machines travel through...

. The cylinder skips out of the vortex, and the Doctor lands the TARDIS near the same space-time coordinates, in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 during The Blitz
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...

 air raids of World War II. The Doctor is intrigued by a young woman, Nancy, who warns him away from answering the phone that is part of the TARDIS disguise; doing so anyway, he hears a young boy asking for his "mummy" before the line drops. The Doctor follows Nancy to a well-to-do home, where she along with several other homeless children are partaking of a meal left by the homeowners before they left for shelter during a raid. A young boy in a gas mask
Gas mask
A gas mask is a mask put on over the face to protect the wearer from inhaling airborne pollutants and toxic gases. The mask forms a sealed cover over the nose and mouth, but may also cover the eyes and other vulnerable soft tissues of the face. Some gas masks are also respirators, though the word...

 knocks on the front door, and Nancy warns the Doctor not to let him in or even touch him, else he will become like the boy, "empty". As the rest of the children flee the house with the air raid over, the Doctor tracks down Nancy, a vagrant like the other children who knows that the boy is tied to what she believes was a bomb-like object that fell near Limehouse station
Limehouse station
Limehouse station is a railway station located in the Limehouse district of east London. The station is in Travelcard Zone 2 and is served by Docklands Light Railway services and by National Rail services operated by c2c out of Fenchurch Street station...

, now under armed guard. Nancy also admits that her caring for the other children is a result of losing her brother Jamie in a recent air raid. After giving Nancy hope that the war is almost over, the Doctor leaves to investigate the hospital near the crash site, meeting Dr. Constantine. Constantine shows the Doctor a number of live patients, each unresponsive with a gas mask seemingly fused to their faces and marked with a scar on their hand, and then demonstrates that each respond identically and simultaneously to a loud noise. As Constantine starts to explain the first patient with this symptom was Nancy's brother, he transforms in front of the Doctor into another gas-mask wearing being.

During these events, Rose has seen the same boy on nearby rooftops, and tries to climb up a nearby rope to help him. Instead, she finds herself hanging precariously from a barrage balloon
Barrage balloon
A barrage balloon is a large balloon tethered with metal cables, used to defend against low-level aircraft attack by damaging the aircraft on collision with the cables, or at least making the attacker's approach more difficult. Some versions carried small explosive charges that would be pulled up...

. She is rescued by Captain Jack Harkness
Jack Harkness
Captain Jack Harkness is a fictional character played by John Barrowman in Doctor Who and its spin-off series, Torchwood. He first appeared in the 2005 Doctor Who episode "The Empty Child" and reappeared in the remaining episodes of the 2005 series as a companion of the ninth incarnation of the...

, a freelance time agent himself with his own Chula spaceship, currently posing as a member of the RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...

. Jack recognizes Rose as a time traveler herself, and after caring for rope burns on her hands using the ship's "nanogenes", starts to negotiate on the price of an item he has to sell. Rose bluffs, and asks Jack to take him to her partner, the Doctor. En route, Jack explains that the object is a Chula warship, which will be destroyed in another air raid in two hours.

Rose and Jack arrive in time to save the Doctor from the transformed Constantine and other patients. Escaping deeper into the hospital, Jack again attempts to sell the warship to the Doctor, but the Doctor calls the bluff. Jack admits it is only a Chula medical ship, and denies it has anything to do with the current outbreak. The episode ends as the three are trapped in a room as the transformed patients verge upon them, all asking for their "mummy", while Nancy, having returned to the house for more food, is similarly cornered by Jamie.

Continuity

  • The Doctor notes when the TARDIS lands how they always bump into Earth.
  • This episode is the first to feature the character of Captain Jack Harkness
    Jack Harkness
    Captain Jack Harkness is a fictional character played by John Barrowman in Doctor Who and its spin-off series, Torchwood. He first appeared in the 2005 Doctor Who episode "The Empty Child" and reappeared in the remaining episodes of the 2005 series as a companion of the ninth incarnation of the...

     as portrayed by John Barrowman
    John Barrowman
    John Scot Barrowman is a Scottish-American singer, actor, dancer, musical theatre performer and media personality. Born in Glasgow yet growing up in Illinois after his family emigrated to the United States when he was eight years old, Barrowman was encouraged to further his love for music and...

    , who recurs in the remainder of the episodes of the 2005 series. He also appears in the New Series Adventures
    New Series Adventures (Doctor Who)
    The New Series Adventures are a series of novels relating to the long-running BBC science fiction television series, Doctor Who. The 'NSAs', as they are often referred to, are published by BBC Books, and are regularly published in the spring and autumn of each year. Beginning and concluding with...

     novels and his own 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...

    . He then reappeared in the Series 3 finale, "Utopia
    Utopia (Doctor Who)
    "Utopia" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 16 June 2007 and is the eleventh episode of series three of the revived Doctor Who series...

    "/"The Sound of Drums"/"Last of the Time Lords
    Last of the Time Lords
    "Last of the Time Lords" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 30 June 2007, and is the thirteenth and final episode of Series 3 of the revived Doctor Who series...

    ", and the series 4 finale "The Stolen Earth"/"Journey's End
    Journey's End (Doctor Who)
    "Journey's End" is the thirteenth episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who first broadcast on BBC One on 5 July 2008. It is the second episode of a two-part crossover story featuring the characters of spin-off shows Torchwood and The Sarah Jane...

    ". He also featured in a cameo appearance for the 2009 special, 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...

    .
  • As the Chula ship jumps the time track, on the console screen it is shown to be in the time vortex
    Time vortex (Doctor Who)
    In the science fiction television series Doctor Who, the time vortex is the medium that the TARDIS and other time machines travel through...

     as seen in the credits. The TARDIS jumped a time track in the First Doctor
    First Doctor
    The First Doctor is the initial incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by the actor William Hartnell from 1963 to 1966. Hartnell reprised the role in the tenth anniversary story The Three Doctors in 1973 - albeit in a...

     serial The Space Museum
    The Space Museum
    -VHS, CD and DVD releases:*This story was released alongside the surviving episodes of The Crusade on VHS in 1999.*The audio soundtrack was released with narration from Maureen O'Brien on CD in 2009....

    (1965), giving the Doctor and his then companions a glimpse into their apparent future.
  • The Doctor is surprised to hear the police box
    Police box
    A police box is a British telephone kiosk or callbox located in a public place for the use of members of the police, or for members of the public to contact the police...

     telephone on the TARDIS ringing. In the animated webcast Scream of the Shalka
    Scream of the Shalka
    Scream of the Shalka is a flash-animated series based on the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was produced to coincide with the 40th Anniversary of the series and was originally posted in six weekly parts from 13 November to 18 December 2003 on bbc.co.uk's Doctor Who...

    , the unofficial "Ninth Doctor
    Shalka Doctor
    The Shalka Doctor is the common fan name given to the character that appeared as an alternate incarnation of the Doctor in the flash-animated serial Scream of the Shalka in 2003 and the later short story The Feast of the Stone which were based on the British science fiction television series,...

    " (voiced by Richard E. Grant
    Richard E. Grant
    Richard E. Grant is a Swaziland-born British actor, screenwriter and director. His most notable role came in the film Withnail and I. He holds dual British and Swazi citizenship.-Early life:...

    ) uses a mobile phone
    Mobile phone
    A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...

     that is detached from the telephone compartment of the TARDIS exterior. A fake police box telephone was seen in Logopolis
    Logopolis
    Logopolis is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 28 February to 21 March 1981. It was Tom Baker's last story as the Doctor and marks the first appearance of Peter Davison in the role...

    , although that particular one belonged to the Master
    Master (Doctor Who)
    The Master is a recurring character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He is a renegade Time Lord and the archenemy of the Doctor....

    's TARDIS, which had adopted a police box disguise for the start of that story. At the end of "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...

    ", the Doctor uses a fixed telephone inside the TARDIS console room.
  • According to a police officer in the Torchwood episode "Everything Changes
    Everything Changes (Torchwood)
    "Everything Changes" is the first episode of the British science fiction television programme Torchwood, which was first broadcast on 22 October 2006.-Synopsis:Police constable Gwen Cooper comes across the mysterious organisation known as Torchwood...

    ", Captain Jack Harkness failed to report for duty and disappeared on 21 January 1941. This would suggest that this story takes place in January 1941.
  • A later episode of Torchwood, "Captain Jack Harkness" is set not long before this episode.
  • There is no explicit reference to "Bad Wolf" in this episode, but there is one in "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...

    ", similar to there being only one explicit reference in the two-part "Aliens of London
    Aliens of London
    "Aliens of London" is the fourth episode of the first series of the British science fiction television show Doctor Who 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...

    "/"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...

    " story. Also, the UNIT website changed its secure password from "buffalo" to "badwolf". See Bad Wolf references in Doctor Who.
  • Albion Hospital, in reality 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, also appears in the episode "Aliens of London
    Aliens of London
    "Aliens of London" is the fourth episode of the first series of the British science fiction television show Doctor Who 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...

    ".
  • "The Empty Child", "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...

    ", "Midnight
    Midnight (Doctor Who)
    "Midnight" is the tenth episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 14 June 2008. The episode placed much more emphasis on the role of David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor than in the rest of the fourth series, with the...

    " and "Silence in the Library
    Silence in the Library
    "Silence in the Library" is the eighth episode of the fourth series of the revived British science fiction television series Doctor Who, first broadcast on 31 May 2008. It is the first of a two-part story, followed by "Forest of the Dead", and is the second two-parter Steven Moffat contributed to...

    "/"Forest of the Dead
    Forest of the Dead
    "Forest of the Dead" is the ninth episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast by BBC One on 7 June 2008...

    " are the only Doctor Who stories strongly connected with an alien race in which none of its members or representatives are actually seen.
  • The Doctor Who Confidential
    Doctor Who Confidential
    Doctor Who Confidential is a documentary series created by the British Broadcasting Corporation to complement the revival of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Each episode was broadcast on BBC Three on Saturdays, immediately after the broadcast of the weekly...

    for this episode describes Jack as a former Time Agent from the 51st century. In The Talons of Weng-Chiang
    The Talons of Weng-Chiang
    The Talons of Weng-Chiang is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from 26 February to 2 April 1977.-Synopsis:...

    , the villainous Magnus Greel is a time traveller from the 51st century who fears pursuit from Time Agents. The Time Agents appear in the spin-off novels Eater of Wasps
    Eater of Wasps
    Eater of Wasps is a BBC Books original novel written by Trevor Baxendale and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Eighth Doctor, Fitz and Anji.-External links:*...

    by Trevor Baxendale
    Trevor Baxendale
    Trevor Baxendale is a novelist who has penned several Doctor Who tie-in novels and audio dramas.*The Janus Conjunction *Out of the Darkness *Coldheart *Eater of Wasps *Fear of the Dark...

     and Trading Futures
    Trading Futures
    Trading Futures is a BBC Books original novel written by Lance Parkin and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Eighth Doctor, Fitz and Anji...

    by Lance Parkin
    Lance Parkin
    Lance Parkin is a British author, best known for writing fiction and reference books for television series, in particular Doctor Who and Emmerdale...

    , and their origins in the aftermath of the wars of the 51st century are described in Emotional Chemistry
    Emotional Chemistry
    Emotional Chemistry is a BBC Books original novel written by Simon A. Forward and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Eighth Doctor, Fitz and Trix....

    by Simon A. Forward
    Simon A. Forward
    Simon A. Forward is an author and dramatist most famous for his work on a variety of Doctor Who spin-offs. He currently lives and works in Penzance with his wife as a full-time writer.-Work:...

    .
  • The Doctor's use of the alias "John Smith" (with or without the title "Doctor") is a longstanding one, first appearing in The Wheel in Space
    The Wheel in Space
    The Wheel in Space is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which originally aired in six weekly parts from 27 April to 1 June 1968...

    and then several times during the course of the show, in particular the Third Doctor
    Third Doctor
    The Third Doctor is the third incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by actor Jon Pertwee....

    's time with 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...

    .
  • At one point, frustrated at not knowing his real name, Rose asks, "Doctor who?" The Doctor's actual name has been a running gag
    Running gag
    A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling....

     in the series since the very first serial
    An Unearthly Child
    The serial that became An Unearthly Child was originally commissioned from writer Anthony Coburn in June 1963, when it was intended to run as the second Doctor Who serial. At this stage, it was planned that the series would open with a serial entitled The Giants, to be written by BBC staff...

    . Examples include The Curse of Peladon
    The Curse of Peladon
    The Curse of Peladon is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 29 January to 19 February 1972.-Synopsis:...

    and The Five Doctors
    The Five Doctors
    The Five Doctors is a special feature-length episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, produced in celebration of the programme's twentieth anniversary. It had its world premiere in the United States, on the Chicago PBS station WTTW and various other PBS member stations...

    (and later "Boom Town
    Boom Town (Doctor Who)
    "Boom Town" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on 4 June 2005. The Doctor, Rose and Jack travel to modern-day Cardiff and meet up with Rose's boyfriend, Mickey...

    "). For other aliases used by the Doctor, see "Doctor who?".
  • Dr. Constantine remarks that before the war, he was a father and a grandfather, and now he is neither - but is still a doctor. The Doctor says "I know the feeling", a reference to his granddaughter Susan Foreman
    Susan Foreman
    Susan Foreman is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The granddaughter and original companion of the First Doctor, she was played by actress Carole Ann Ford from 1963 to 1964, in the show's first season and the first two stories of the second season...

     (and her unnamed father or mother), who is implied to have died in the Time War along with the rest of the Doctor's family.
  • In "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...

    ", the Doctor jokingly repeats the line "Are you my mummy?" when he puts on a gas mask.
  • The music that Jack plays as he and Rose dance on top of his spaceship is "Moonlight Serenade
    Moonlight Serenade
    Moonlight Serenade is an album by the American singer-songwriter Carly Simon. It is her 22nd studio album , and her fourth album of pop standards....

    " by Glenn Miller
    Glenn Miller
    Alton Glenn Miller was an American jazz musician , arranger, composer, and bandleader in the swing era. He was one of the best-selling recording artists from 1939 to 1943, leading one of the best known "Big Bands"...

    . This music was also playing in Revelation of the Daleks
    Revelation of the Daleks
    Revelation of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in two weekly parts on 23 March and 30 March 1985...

    when Peri met the DJ.

Production

  • This episode had the working title "World War II".
  • Early versions of this script quoted this episode's title as being "An Empty Child". This is a reference to "An Unearthly Child
    An Unearthly Child
    The serial that became An Unearthly Child was originally commissioned from writer Anthony Coburn in June 1963, when it was intended to run as the second Doctor Who serial. At this stage, it was planned that the series would open with a serial entitled The Giants, to be written by BBC staff...

    ", the very first episode of Doctor Who. The episode's television listings information and the DVD
    DVD
    A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....

     cover also mention that "London is being terrorised by an unearthly child".
  • The sound of Dr Constantine's skull cracking as his face changes into a gas mask was considered too horrific in its full form by the production team and was cut before broadcast. However, writer Steven Moffat claims on the DVD commentary to this episode that the sound was discussed but never put on. According to the Doctor Who Confidential
    Doctor Who Confidential
    Doctor Who Confidential is a documentary series created by the British Broadcasting Corporation to complement the revival of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Each episode was broadcast on BBC Three on Saturdays, immediately after the broadcast of the weekly...

    episode "Fear Factor", the effect was added in the version of the episode presented on The Complete First Series box set.
  • Unlike previous episodes, the "next episode" trailers were shown after the end credits instead of immediately preceding them, possibly in reaction to comments after "Aliens of London
    Aliens of London
    "Aliens of London" is the fourth episode of the first series of the British science fiction television show Doctor Who 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...

    " about having the cliff-hanger for that episode spoiled. This trend has continued for most two-part stories in the new series.
  • Captain Jack's line explaining the nanogenes was not audible in either the original or repeat broadcasts on CBC Television
    CBC Television
    CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...

     in Canada. It was also removed from the UKTV Gold
    UKTV Gold
    GOLD is the original channel of the UKTV network, broadcasting to the United Kingdom and Ireland. It launched on 1 November 1992 as UK Gold, and is currently available on Sky, Virgin Media, TalkTalk TV and terrestrial subscription via Top Up TV. It shows repeats of classic programming from the BBC...

     and US Sci Fi Channel
    Sci Fi Channel (United States)
    Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...

     broadcasts, although the lines were still present in the subtitles. This adds some confusion to Rose's next line, "Well, tell them thanks!" The cause for this change is unknown.
  • Location filming took place at the Barry Island Railway.
  • Barry Island
    Barry Island (Vale of Glamorgan)
    Barry Island is a district, peninsula and seaside resort, forming part of the town of Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales. It is named after the 6th century Saint Baruc...

     and its now-demolished Butlins
    Butlins
    Butlins is a chain of large holiday camps in the United Kingdom. Butlins was founded by Billy Butlin to provide affordable holidays for ordinary British families....

     holiday camp had previoulsy been the filming location of the Seventh Doctor
    Seventh Doctor
    The Seventh Doctor is the seventh incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by the actor Sylvester McCoy....

     serial, Delta and the Bannermen
    Delta and the Bannermen
    -Preproduction:*This was the first three-part story since Planet of Giants , not counting the 3 x 45 minute episodes of The Two Doctors, which had been broadcast two years previously, and the first intended to be this length....

    .

Outside references

  • Frequently in this episode, Rose makes references to the Star Trek
    Star Trek
    Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...

    character Mr. Spock. This is the first televised Doctor Who story to make a direct reference to Star Trek, although there had been previous references in the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip and original novels.
  • Writer Steven Moffat
    Steven Moffat
    Steven Moffat is a Scottish television writer and producer.Moffat's first television work was the teen drama series Press Gang. His first sitcom, Joking Apart, was inspired by the breakdown of his first marriage; conversely, his later sitcom Coupling was based upon the development of his...

     says in the DVD
    DVD
    A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....

     commentary for this episode that the Doctor's reply to Rose asking him what she should call him ("Doctor who?") was originally going to be, "I'd rather have Doctor Who than Star Trek," a metafictional dig at the latter programme.
  • The Chula ships are named after Chula, an Indian/Bangladesh
    Bangladesh
    Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...

    i fusion restaurant
    Fusion cuisine
    Fusion cuisine combines elements of various culinary traditions while not being categorized per any one particular cuisine style, and can pertain to innovations in many contemporary restaurant cuisines since the 1970s.-Categories and types:...

     in Hammersmith
    Hammersmith
    Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London, England, in the United Kingdom, approximately five miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...

    , London where the writers celebrated and discussed their briefs on the scripts they were to write for the season after being commissioned by Russell T Davies. This meeting was videotaped, and is available on the DVD release of Doctor Who - The Complete First Series.
  • When the Doctor explains the way Nancy operates to feed the children of London he says "I don't know if it's Marxism in action or a west end musical." this is a reference about the musical Oliver! in which Nancy is the name of a character who is the 'big sister' figure to Fagin's gang.
  • The Doctor's praise for Great Britain's wartime resilience concludes with a line similar to a quote attributed to the Duke of Wellington
    Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
    Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...

    : "I don't know what effect these men will have on the enemy, but by God, they terrify me".

Historical details

  • Rose is carried away on a rope attached to a barrage balloon. World War II barrage balloons were actually tethered by steel cables to winches anchored to the ground and not by ropes. They were operated by RAF and WAAF
    Women's Auxiliary Air Force
    The Women's Auxiliary Air Force , whose members were invariably referred to as Waafs , was the female auxiliary of the Royal Air Force during World War II, established in 1939. At its peak strength, in 1943, WAAF numbers exceeded 180,000, with over 2,000 women enlisting per week.A Women's Royal Air...

     Balloon Command
    RAF Balloon Command
    Balloon Command was the Royal Air Force command which was responsible for controlling all the United Kingdom-based barrage balloon units during World War II.- History :...

     personnel.
  • Jack Harkness claims to be an American volunteer with 133 Squadron. Group 12
    No. 12 Group RAF
    No. 12 Group of the Royal Air Force was a command organization that exisited over two separate periods, namely the end of World War I when it had a training function and from just prior to World War II until the early 1960s when it was tasked with an air defence role.No. 12 Group was first formed...

    , No. 133 Squadron RAF
    No. 133 Squadron RAF
    133 Squadron RAF was one of the famous Eagle squadrons formed from American volunteers serving with the RAF during World War II.-History:133 Squadron was first formed in 1918 at RAF Ternhill. It was a training unit for the Handley Page O/400, flying the Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2, that was...

     — one of the "Eagle squadron
    Eagle squadron
    The Eagle Squadrons were 3 fighter squadrons of the Royal Air Force formed during World War II with volunteer pilots from the United States...

    s", so-called because of their American complement — was formed in July 1941, but was not based in the London area and disbanded in September 1942. No. 12 Group of the RAF covered the Midlands and East Anglia. He holds the rank of Captain (wearing the four band insignia of a Group Captain
    Group Captain
    Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above wing commander and immediately below air commodore...

    ). This would have been equivalent to a USAAF (full) colonel
    Colonel
    Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...

     and would be unusual since The Eagle squadrons were commanded by British or Commonwealth
    Commonwealth of Nations
    The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...

     squadron leader
    Squadron Leader
    Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...

    s (equivalent to a USAAF major) with volunteers not holding a rank any higher than a flight lieutenant
    Flight Lieutenant
    Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...

     which is equivalent to a USAAF captain
    Captain (OF-2)
    The army rank of captain is a commissioned officer rank historically corresponding to command of a company of soldiers. The rank is also used by some air forces and marine forces. Today a captain is typically either the commander or second-in-command of a company or artillery battery...

    .
  • The gas masks shown in the programme are not normal civilian-issue masks, which had a single wide window. They are closer to the Special Air Service
    Special Air Service
    Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...

     mask, but lack the slightly conical rubber valve at the nose. In Doctor Who Confidential
    Doctor Who Confidential
    Doctor Who Confidential is a documentary series created by the British Broadcasting Corporation to complement the revival of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Each episode was broadcast on BBC Three on Saturdays, immediately after the broadcast of the weekly...

    it was stated that these were custom masks specially designed by the production team and not replicas of any period equipment.

Reception

"The Empty Child", along with its conclusion "The Doctor Dances", won the 2006 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form).

In a poll conducted by Doctor Who Magazine
Doctor Who Magazine
Doctor Who Magazine is a magazine devoted to the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...

, "The Empty Child" was ranked the fifth best episode of Doctor Who.

External links


Reviews

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