World War Three (Doctor Who)

Last updated

160b –"World War Three"
Doctor Who episode
Cast
Others
Production
Directed by Keith Boak
Written by Russell T Davies
Script editorElwen Rowlands
Produced by Phil Collinson
Executive producer(s)
Music by Murray Gold
Production code1.5
Series Series 1
Running time42 minutes
First broadcast23 April 2005 (2005-04-23)
Chronology
← Preceded by
"Aliens of London"		Followed by →
"Dalek"
List of episodes (2005–present)

"World War Three" is the fifth episode of the first series of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who which was first broadcast on BBC One on 23 April 2005. It is the second of a two-part story which began with "Aliens of London" on 16 April.

Contents

In the episode, set in London, the alien time traveller the Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) and his companion Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) team up with Rose's boyfriend Mickey Smith (Noel Clarke), her mother Jackie (Camille Coduri), and Member of Parliament Harriet Jones (Penelope Wilton) to foil the plan of the alien Slitheen family from selling the Earth for commercial purposes. The Slitheen, who have infiltrated the Government of the United Kingdom, plan to get the United Nations to release nuclear activation codes so they can trigger World War III on Earth and sell the remains.

Similar to the previous episode, this episode's mention of the Series wide arc of "Bad Wolf" comes in the form of Graffiti on the side of the TARDIS, which the Doctor orders the perpetrator to re-paint and fix at the end of the episode.

Plot

Mickey is able to push aside the impostor police inspector advancing on Jackie in her flat. Escaping the electrical pulse of the Slitheen in 10 Downing Street, the Ninth Doctor attempts to get the police, but by the time he has returned the Slitheen get back into their suits. The Doctor escapes to the upper floors of Downing Street and reunites with Rose and Harriet in the Cabinet Rooms. Just before sealing off the rooms, the Doctor confronts the Slitheen and learns that they are a family rather than a race. The Slitheen tell him that they are not invading Earth but raiding it for some commercial purpose.

The Slitheen, as they appear at the Doctor Who Experience. 290707-022 CPS (3998744058).jpg
The Slitheen, as they appear at the Doctor Who Experience.

Making contact with Mickey, the Doctor gives him instructions on how to log into the UNIT website on his computer. The Doctor uses the information to determine that the Slitheen ship is presently in the North Sea transmitting a signal. After the Doctor figures out the Slitheen are weak to acetic acid, Jackie and Mickey use gherkins, pickled onions and pickled eggs from Mickey's flat to kill the Slitheen who was impersonating the police inspector.

Green and the other Slitheen declare a national emergency and request that the United Nations release the activation codes to launch a nuclear strike against a fictitious mothership. The Doctor realises that the Slitheen actually plan to fire the weapons against other countries in order to start World War III. The Slitheen plan to sell the Earth's radioactive remains as a fuel source, which they have already begun advertising through the signal. Through Harriet's insistence, the Doctor helps Mickey to hack into the controls of a Royal Navy submarine and fire a missile at 10 Downing Street, even though the Doctor is unsure whether they will survive. The Slitheen are caught in the explosion when the missile hits but the Doctor, Rose, and Harriet all survive. With the Prime Minister dead, the Doctor suggests that Harriet could become prime minister.

The Doctor gives Mickey a CD to upload to the internet that will remove all mentions of the Doctor from the web. He also privately offers Mickey the chance to travel with him, but Mickey admits that he is too scared to handle it. He asks the Doctor not to tell Rose about his concerns. Rose arrives with a full backpack and asks the Doctor if Mickey can come along, and the Doctor covers for him.

Production

According to Russell T Davies (among others), this episode was called "Aliens of London, Part Two" until the last minute, when the name was changed to "World War 3", soon amended to "World War Three". The Telos Publishing Ltd. book Back to the Vortex cites "10 Downing Street" as another working title. This decision has proved to be a precedent, as in the original series all multi-episode stories shared a title from "The Savages" onwards. All multi-episode stories in the new series have continued to have individual titles except "The End of Time" and "Spyfall".

Cast notes

Lachele Carl reappears as the American reporter seen in "Aliens of London". She is later seen in "The Christmas Invasion", "The Sound of Drums", "The Poison Sky", [1] "Turn Left", [2] "The Stolen Earth", "The End of Time", "The Giggle" and the Sarah Jane Adventures story Revenge of the Slitheen . [3] In "Turn Left," it is revealed that her name is Trinity Wells. She also appeared in the spin-off Torchwood , in the five-episode serial Children of Earth .

Broadcast and reception

"World War Three" received a final rating of 7.98 million viewers in the United Kingdom. [4] The episode received an Audience Appreciation Index score of 81. [5]

Like the first part of the story, "World War Three" has received generally mixed reviews. Arnold T Blumburg of Now Playing gave the episode a grade of C+, finding it slightly better than "Aliens of London" because it minimized the "juvenile" humour associated with the Slitheen and had good performances by the actors portraying them, though some of the effects were lacking. He criticised the direction and "thin" resolution of the UNIT missile operated from a home computer, but he praised the storyline with Rose's family, highlighting the performances of Clarke and Coduri. [6] In 2013, Patrick Mulkern of Radio Times felt that Wilton's performance as Harriet Jones was the best part of the "flashy but silly, disappointing story". He praised Rose's storyline due to the "vivid" characters, though he found Eccleston's performance lacking. He also was critical of the Slitheen as believable monsters to be taken seriously. [7] The A.V. Club reviewer Alasdair Wilkins gave the episode a grade of B−. He found the problem to be more in the execution than conception; there was a possibility of satire in the fart jokes of the Slitheen, but the direction and performances let it down. Because it veered close to being silly and not taking the Slitheen seriously, he argued that the televised version did not display its more nuanced parts, like each Slitheen having individuality, the exploration of the human race knowing about extraterrestrials, and Rose's home life. Wilkins also questioned why the Slitheen would invade a country that required the UN's permission to launch nuclear missiles. [8] In Who is the Doctor, a guide to the revived series, Graeme Burk noted that the story was "loved and hated by fans in equal measure" but it was an unexpected "delight" for him. He found the Slitheen's humour to work on many levels and highlighted the domestic conflict and the performances. [9] Burk's coauthor Robert Smith? [the "?" is part of his nom de plume] called it the closest the new series and Davies "ever gets to pastiching the Classic Series' most beloved writer, Robert Holmes." He also praised the domestic situation, though he found the political satire "one-note" and the direction disappointing. "World War Three" he described as "slight" on plot with improbable Internet-ready missiles, but the ending was still "wonderful" and Eccleston's performance of the more serious material sold the episode. [10]

Related Research Articles

"Rose" is the first episode of the first series of the revived British science fiction television programme Doctor Who. The episode was directed by Keith Boak and written by Russell T Davies, who was also one of three executive producers. It was first broadcast in the UK on BBC One on 26 March 2005. "Rose" was the first Doctor Who episode to air since the Doctor Who television film in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rose Tyler</span> Fictional character in the TV series Doctor Who

Rose Tyler is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. She was created by series producer Russell T Davies and portrayed by Billie Piper. With the revival of Doctor Who in 2005, Rose was introduced as a new travelling companion of the series protagonist, the Doctor, in his ninth and tenth incarnations. The companion character was key in the first series to introduce new viewers to the mythos of Doctor Who, which had not aired regularly since 1989. Rose became the viewers' eyes into the new world of the series, from the companion's perspective. Piper received top billing alongside Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant for the duration of her time as a regular cast member. The character was a series regular for all of Series 1 (2005) and 2 (2006). Piper later reprised the role in a supporting capacity in Series 4 (2008) and the New Year's special "The End of Time" (2010). Piper further played a sentient weapon called the Moment, which utilises Rose's image, in the 50th anniversary special "The Day of the Doctor" (2013).

"The End of the World" is the second episode of the first series of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who. Written by executive producer Russell T Davies and directed by Euros Lyn, the episode was first broadcast on BBC One on 2 April 2005 and was seen by approximately 7.97 million viewers in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Unquiet Dead</span> 2005 Doctor Who episode

"The Unquiet Dead" is the third episode of the first series of the British science-fiction television programme Doctor Who, first broadcast on 9 April 2005 on BBC One. It was written by Mark Gatiss and directed by Euros Lyn.

"Aliens of London" is the fourth episode of the first series of the British science fiction television show Doctor Who after its revival in 2005. First broadcast on 16 April 2005 on BBC One, it was written by Russell T Davies and directed by Keith Boak. It is the first in a two-part story, concluding with "World War Three".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tenth Doctor</span> Fictional character from Doctor Who

The Tenth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He is played by David Tennant in three series as well as nine specials. The character has also appeared in other Doctor Who spin-offs. In 2023, Tennant returned to the role, this time as the fourteenth incarnation of the Doctor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Long Game</span> 2005 Doctor Who episode

"The Long Game" is the seventh episode of the first series of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who that was first broadcast on 7 May 2005 on BBC One. It was written by executive producer Russell T Davies and directed by Brian Grant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mickey Smith</span> Fictional character in the TV series Doctor Who

Mickey Smith is a fictional character in the BBC One science fiction television series Doctor Who. He is portrayed by British actor Noel Clarke and was the show's first televised black companion. The character is introduced as the ordinary, working class boyfriend of Rose Tyler, a London shopgirl who becomes a travelling companion to the Ninth and Tenth incarnations of an alien Time Lord known as the Doctor. Mickey first appears in the first episode of the 2005 revival, "Rose". Initially someone who struggles in the face of danger, Mickey nevertheless acts as an Earth-based ally to the Doctor and Rose. In the second series he joins the pair as a second companion of the Doctor's, though he leaves during the 2006 series to pursue his own adventures. He returns to aid the Doctor and Rose in the series finale later that year, and then again for the 2008 finale "Journey's End," as well as fleetingly in 2010 in the Tenth Doctor send-off "The End of Time".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackie Tyler</span> Fictional character from Doctor Who

Jackie Tyler is a fictional character played by Camille Coduri in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The character, a resident of contemporary London, is introduced in the first episode of the 2005 revival as the mother of Rose Tyler, a travelling companion of the alien time traveller the Doctor. Jackie is a recurring character during Series 1 and 2 and later makes guest appearances in Series 4 and the 2010 New Year’s special, The End of Time. The character has also appeared in expanded universe material such as the Doctor Who New Series Adventures novels and the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slitheen</span> Family of an alien species (Raxacoricofallapatorians) from the Doctor Who series "Whoniverse"

The Slitheen are a fictional family of Raxacoricofallapatorians, massive, bipedal extraterrestrials, from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. They are adversaries of the Ninth Doctor and later Sarah Jane Smith. The Slitheen are a family of egg-laying calcium-based aliens from the fictional planet Raxacoricofallapatorius. Though their family name is Slitheen, their species is named Raxacoricofallapatorians. The Slitheen are instinctive hunters, who are trained from a young age to be ruthless criminals whose main motivation is profit. They were convicted in their home world and are not willing to return to their planet in fear of receiving a death sentence.

"Father's Day" is the eighth episode of the first series of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who, first broadcast on 14 May 2005 on BBC One. It was written by Paul Cornell and directed by Joe Ahearne.

Boom Town (<i>Doctor Who</i>) 2005 Doctor Who episode

"Boom Town" is the eleventh episode of the first series of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who. The episode was first broadcast on BBC One on 4 June 2005. It was written by executive producer Russell T Davies and directed by Joe Ahearne.

"The Parting of the Ways" is the thirteenth episode and the season finale of the revived first series of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who. The episode was first broadcast on BBC One on 18 June 2005. It was the second episode of the two-part story. The first part, "Bad Wolf", was broadcast on 11 June.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pete Tyler</span> Fictional character from Doctor Who

Peter Alan Tyler is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, played by Shaun Dingwall. He is the father of the Doctor's companion Rose Tyler and first appears in the episode "Father's Day". Writer Paul Cornell incorporated characteristics of his own father whilst writing Pete. This episode reveals that Pete died during Rose's childhood; though she attempts to change her past both she and Pete eventually realise that for the good of humanity he has to die. Rose later takes inspiration from her father in a time of need.

"The Christmas Invasion" is a 60-minute special episode of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who, first broadcast on BBC One on 25 December 2005. This episode features the first full-episode appearance of Tennant as the Doctor and is also the first specially produced Christmas special in the programme's history which was commissioned following the success of the first series earlier in the year to see how well the show could do at Christmas. It was written by showrunner and executive producer Russell T Davies and was directed by James Hawes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harriet Jones</span> Fictional character in the British television series Doctor Who

Harriet Jones is a fictional character played by Penelope Wilton in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Having worked previously with lead writer and executive producer Russell T Davies, Wilton was keen to involve herself with his 2005 revival of Doctor Who after he sought to cast her. Jones is introduced in the two-part story "Aliens of London" and "World War Three" as a Member of Parliament who aids the Ninth Doctor against an alien invasion of London. The episode establishes a running joke associated with the character which would see her frequently introduce herself by holding up her ID and stating her name and rank; in subsequent episodes this was usually met with the response "Yes, I/we know who you are," even occurring with the Daleks and the Sycorax.

Love & Monsters (<i>Doctor Who</i>) 2006 Doctor Who episode

"Love & Monsters" is the tenth episode of the second series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on BBC One on 17 June 2006. It was written by executive producer and lead writer Russell T Davies and directed by Dan Zeff.

<i>Revenge of the Slitheen</i> 2007 Sarah Jane Adventures story

Revenge of the Slitheen is the first serial of the first series of the British science fiction television series The Sarah Jane Adventures, and the second story of the show overall following the special episode "Invasion of the Bane". The first part aired on BBC One on 24 September 2007, with the second premiering immediately after the first on the CBBC Channel. This serial is notable for introducing Clyde Langer into the cast – he would remain for the rest of the series.

<i>Doctor Who</i> series 1 2005 series of Doctor Who

The first series of the 2005 revival of the British science fiction programme Doctor Who began on 26 March 2005 with the episode "Rose". This marked the end of the programme's 16 year absence from episodic television following its cancellation in 1989, and the first new televised Doctor Who story since the broadcast of the television movie starring Paul McGann in 1996. The finale episode, "The Parting of the Ways", was broadcast on 18 June 2005. The show was revived by longtime Doctor Who fan Russell T Davies, who had been lobbying the BBC since the late 1990s to bring the show back. The first series comprised 13 episodes, eight of which Davies wrote. Davies, Julie Gardner and Mal Young served as executive producers, Phil Collinson as producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ninth Doctor</span> Fictional character from Doctor Who

The Ninth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He is portrayed by Christopher Eccleston during the first series of the show's revival in 2005.

References

  1. ↑ Helen Raynor (writer), Douglas Mackinnon (director), Susie Liggat (producer) (3 May 2008). "The Poison Sky". Doctor Who . Series 4. Episode 5. BBC. BBC One.
  2. ↑ Russell T Davies (writer), Graeme Harper (director), Susie Liggat (producer) (21 June 2008). "Turn Left". Doctor Who . Series 4. Episode 11. BBC. BBC One.
  3. ↑ Gareth Roberts (writer), Alice Troughton (director), Matthew Bouch (producer) (24 September 2007). Revenge of the Slitheen . The Sarah Jane Adventures . BBC. BBC One, CBBC.
  4. ↑ Russell, Gary (2006). Doctor Who: The Inside Story. London: BBC Books. p. 139. ISBN   978-0-563-48649-7.
  5. ↑ "Ratings Guide". Doctor Who News. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  6. ↑ Blumburg, Arnold T (27 April 2005). "Doctor Who – "World War Three"". Now Playing . Archived from the original on 27 April 2005. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
  7. ↑ Mulkern, Patrick (7 March 2013). "The Aliens of London/World War Three ***". Radio Times . Retrieved 1 December 2013.
  8. ↑ Wilkins, Alasdair (1 December 2013). "Doctor Who: "Aliens of London"/"World War Three"". The A.V. Club . Retrieved 1 December 2013.
  9. ↑ Burk and Smith?, pp. 20–22
  10. ↑ Burk and Smith?, pp. 22–23

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.