The Christmas Invasion
- Episode aired Sep 29, 2006
- TV-PG
- 1h
It's Christmas Eve, but this is to be a far from silent night - the cruel Sycorax have come to Earth to enslave mankind and, as ever, only The Doctor can stop them. Unfortunately, he's lying... Read allIt's Christmas Eve, but this is to be a far from silent night - the cruel Sycorax have come to Earth to enslave mankind and, as ever, only The Doctor can stop them. Unfortunately, he's lying in a coma in Jackie's home...It's Christmas Eve, but this is to be a far from silent night - the cruel Sycorax have come to Earth to enslave mankind and, as ever, only The Doctor can stop them. Unfortunately, he's lying in a coma in Jackie's home...
- Sally
- (as Anita Briem)
- Newsreader 1
- (as Jason Mohammed)
- Sycorax Warrior
- (uncredited)
- …
- Director
- Writers
- Russell T. Davies(showrunner)
- Sydney Newman(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWhile the new Doctor is picking out his new clothes he briefly considers an item of clothing that looks like it's from the Restoration period (red, blue collar, made of silk). The costume was one of David Tennant's outfits from Casanova (2005), the series he previously worked on with Russell T. Davies.
- GoofsDuring the long-shot of the Sycorax ship hovering above Rose's estate, the people standing on top of the buildings can be seen to be crude computer-generated images. Only five images are used and are repeated, and in several places overlap with each other, revealing their "flatness".
- Quotes
The Tenth Doctor: Look at these people, these human beings. Consider their potential! From the day they arrive on the planet, blinking, step into the sun, there is more to see than can ever be seen, more to do than - no, hold on. Sorry, that's The Lion King...
- Crazy creditsThis is the first episode of the revived series where in the credits the actors are credited in order of significance, not appearance.
- ConnectionsEdited from Doctor Who: Rose (2005)
So, here's the story: it's Christmas Eve 2005, and a mysterious spaceship is in orbit right above Earth for a change. Newly elected Prime Minister Harriet Jones (Penelope Wilton) wishes to take matters into her own hands (something about an organization called Torchwood), but it becomes pretty clear the planet is going to need a miracle. Of course, the TARDIS happens to have landed in London, but unfortunately the Doctor is suffering from regeneration side effects, slipping in and out of consciousness as time starts to run out, leaving it to Rose, Jackie and Mickey to deal with the alien threat.
With no time to mourn Eccleston, The Christmas Invasion jumps straight back into the action, delivering an exciting threat, good guest work (Wilton never disappoints) and the usual good team effort from Noel Clarke, Camille Coduri and Billie Piper, showing they may have lost their Doctor but not their passion and will to have fun with the material. And a lot of fun there is, mostly in relation to the new Doctor: in particular, Coduri has the privilege of getting away with a naughty joke about Time Lords having two hearts ("Anything else he's got two of?") and a fun "Doctor who?" gag when confronted with the Doc's new face.
Which begs the question: what about Tennant taking over from Eccleston? Well, he pulls off the job with the expected mixture of quirkiness, giddiness and plain Britishness, ditching his own Scottish accent (and Eccleston's Northern tones) for a London voice that indicates he's not afraid to make the role his own. No more "fantastic" then (the scene explaining why he dropped the catchphrase was deleted from the TV broadcast, but is available on the DVD), but it's still, rather unmistakably, the Doctor. Not only is the character's chemistry with Rose intact, he also deserves kudos for not only saving the world while trying not to lapse into a coma, but also for spending 90% of the episode in his PJs and making it look cool in that unique Doctor Who way.
In a nutshell, The Christmas Invasion is proof that RTD's formula for the Doctor still works, and with Tennant on board, the possibilities appear endless. Quite fitting for a time-and-space-traveling alien, don't you think?
- MaxBorg89
- Oct 16, 2010
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Filming locations
- Tredegar House, Pencarn Way, Newport, Wales, UK(10 Downing Street - Harriet Jones's broadcast)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.78 : 1