- World War Three (Doctor Who)
Doctorwhobox
number=164b
serial_name= World War Three
caption= The Slitheen, in 10 Downing Street, await a call on the "red telephone " for the nuclear launch codes.
show=DW
type=episode
doctor=Christopher Eccleston (Ninth Doctor )
companion=Billie Piper (Rose Tyler )
guests=
*Camille Coduri –Jackie Tyler
*Noel Clarke –Mickey Smith
*Penelope Wilton –Harriet Jones
*Annette Badland – Margaret Blaine
*Rupert Vansittart – General Asquith
*Morgan Hopkins – Sergeant Price
*Andrew Marr – Himself
*David Verrey – Joseph Green
*Steve Spiers – Strickland
*Jack Tarlton – Reporter
*Lachele Carl – Reporter
*Corey Doabe – Spray Painter
*Elizabeth Fost,Paul Kasey ,Alan Ruscoe –Slitheen
writer=Russell T Davies
director=Keith Boak
script_editor=Elwen Rowlands
producer=Phil Collinson
executive_producer=Russell T Davies Julie Gardner Mal Young
production_code=1.5
length=2nd of 2-part story, 45 minutes
date=April 23 2005
preceding="Aliens of London "
following="Dalek"
imdb_id=0563003
series=Series 1
series_link=Series 1 (2005)|"World War Three" is an episode in the Britishscience fiction television series "Doctor Who " that was first broadcast onApril 23 ,2005 . It is the second of a two-part story. The first part, "Aliens of London " was broadcast onApril 16 .ynopsis
As the Doctor,
Rose Tyler and their new friendHarriet Jones battle the murderousSlitheen in10 Downing Street , the Doctor realises that the fate of the Earth rests onMickey Smith .Plot
Following from the
cliffhanger in "Aliens of London ", the Doctor, being extraterrestrial, is able to survive an electrical pulse triggered by theSlitheen Green that has killed the other alien experts in the room; he manages to direct the charge to Asquith, and the shock spreads to Green and the other Slitheen: Margaret Blaine is temporarily stunned, allowingHarriet Jones andRose Tyler to escape from10 Downing Street , whileMickey Smith is able to push aside the police inspector that was advancing onJackie Tyler and pull her from the apartment. The Doctor attempts to get the police, but by the time he has returned, the Slitheen have gotten back into their suits, and the Doctor's claim that the Acting Prime Minister is an alien is rebuffed, with Green instead pinning the deaths of the alien experts on the Doctor, and orders his capture. The Doctor escapes to the upper floors of10 Downing Street , and helps Rose and Harriet to escape back to the Cabinet Rooms so they can determine what Emergency Protocols are in place for an alien invasion. The Doctor shortly follows them, after learning that the Slitheen are a family, and they are not invading Earth but here for business reasons.The Emergency Protocols are found to be of no help as they list the alien experts already dead in the room downstairs, and that they cannot launch
nuclear weapon s at the Slitheen as the codes for the United Kingdom can only be released after authorization by theUnited Nations , due to a past incident. With no other course of action, they attempt to learn what they can about the Slitheen, and determine they are a calcium-based lifeform from Raxacoricofallapatorius, and that they use compression collars to squeeze their bodies into the human skins, which accounts for theirflatulence . The group is called by Mickey and Jackie, having taken refuge in Mickey's flat. The Doctor gives Mickey instructions on how to log into the UNIT website, and uses that to determine that the Slitheen ship is presently in theNorth Sea , transmitting some signal that Mickey attempts to decode. However, as he works, the Slitheen posing as a police inspector breaks in, but thanks to advice from the Doctor, Jackie is able to douse it with copious amounts ofvinegar containingacetic acid , which react with the calcium-based creature, causing it to explode.At the sense of loss of their brother, Green and the other Slitheen declare a matter of national security and request that the UN release the activation codes to strike against a fictitious mothership that is hanging over London. The Doctor realizes that the Slitheen actually plan to fire the weapons against other countries, starting
World War III and leaving the world as a radioactive dump, which they would then sell off to the rest of the galaxy as a fuel source, that fact being advertised through the signal Mickey has decoded. The Doctor recognizes a solution but tells Jackie he cannot promise Rose's safety, but before Jackie can react, Rose tells the Doctor to go ahead, further ordered by the highest elected representative left, Harriet Jones. The Doctor tells Mickey to access theRoyal Navy HMS "Taurean", aTrafalgar class submarine off the coast ofPlymouth , and to fire aHarpoon missile at 10 Downing Street, where all the Slitheen have gathered to try to deal with the Doctor and his group. The area around 10 Downing is cleared while the Doctor, Rose, and Harriet take shelter in the Cabinet Rooms. The Slitheen attempt to escape though are delayed by putting on their human suits as they do not want to reveal themselves to the world at large, and are caught in the explosion when the missile hits. The Doctor, Rose, and Harriet all survive, and the Doctor encourages Harriet to take the position of Prime Minister and help rebuild the government. The entire event is stated in the press as a hoax, and the Doctor has Mickey use a specialcomputer virus to wipe all records of The Doctor from theInternet .The Doctor cancels the Slitheen advertisement, and declines an offer by Jackie for dinner so she can get to know him better, now that she knows the Doctor is part of Rose's life. The Doctor offers Mickey an opportunity to be part of the crew, but he declines, saying the Doctor's world is not for him. Rose, after packing some her belongings, rejoins the Doctor for more travels.
Continuity
*Using the date of the crash as given on the UNIT website and from the passage of time seen on-screen, the main events of this two-part story take place on
June 28 andJune 29 ,2006 . This means that both the UNIT website and Mickey's website are one year in the future from the broadcast date.
*Rose echoes the Doctor's previous claim that "lots of planets have a North" when Harriet Jones questions his accent.
*The Slitheen scheme is also what the Dominators were intending to do to the planet Dulkis in theSecond Doctor serial "The Dominators " (1968). [cite serial | title =The Dominators | series =Doctor Who | credits = Writers "Norman Ashby" (Mervyn Haisman andHenry Lincoln ), DirectorMorris Barry , ProducerPeter Bryant | network =BBC | station = BBC1 | city = London | began = 1968-08-10 | ended = 1968-09-07]
*The fact that the UN is the caretaker for the codes to launch a nuclear strike harkens back to the very firstFourth Doctor serial, "Robot" (1974), where the UK was the guardian of the "destructor codes" that could launch the world's nuclear arsenals. [cite serial | title = Robot | series =Doctor Who | credits = WriterTerrance Dicks , DirectorChristopher Barry , ProducerBarry Letts | network =BBC | station = BBC1 | city = London | began = 1974-12-28 | ended = 1975-01-18]
*Although the Doctor asked Mickey to erase his presence from the Internet, Mickey's website, http://www.whoisdoctorwho.co.uk, indicates that he may not have done so. In the 2006 episode "Love & Monsters ", reference is made to a "Bad Wolf" virus that deleted all mention of Rose Tyler; [cite episode | title =Love & Monsters | series =Doctor Who | credits = WriterRussell T Davies , DirectorDan Zeff , ProducerPhil Collinson | network =BBC | station =BBC One | city = Cardiff | airdate = 2006-06-17] whether this is somehow related to the Doctor's virus is unclear. Another mention of a virus is on the UNIT website.
*Continuing the "Bad Wolf" theme begun in "The End of the World", the American newsreader announcing the UN's decision is named "Mal Loup", French for "Bad Wolf". The name appears not in the televised clip, but the version on Mickey's website. (See Story arcs in "Doctor Who".) [cite web
url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/doctorwho/ram/usnews?size=16x9&bgc=CC0000&nbram=1&bbram=1&lang=en-wl
title = American News Report
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accessdaymonth = 11 October
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accessyear = 2007
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quote = ]*10 Downing Street is also destroyed in the "Doctor Who"-related
Big Finish Productions audio play "".
*The "World War Three" of the episode's title is averted by the Doctor's plan. However, "a" World War Three may be presumed to occur at some point in the "Doctor Who" universe, since the Doctor has referred to World War Five (in "The Unquiet Dead ") [cite episode | title =The Unquiet Dead | series =Doctor Who | credits = WriterMark Gatiss , DirectorEuros Lyn , ProducerPhil Collinson | network =BBC | station =BBC One | city = Cardiff | airdate = 2005-04-09] and the almost-starting of World War Six (in "The Talons of Weng-Chiang ") [cite serial | title =The Talons of Weng-Chiang | series =Doctor Who | credits = WriterRobert Holmes , from an idea byRobert Banks Stewart (uncredited), DirectorDavid Maloney , ProducerPhilip Hinchcliffe | network =BBC | station = BBC1 | city = London | began=1977-02-26 | ended = 1977-04-02] .
*As well as a reappearance in the episode "Boom Town", [cite episode | title = Boom Town | series =Doctor Who | credits = WriterRussell T Davies , DirectorJoe Ahearne , ProducerPhil Collinson | network =BBC | station =BBC One | city = Cardiff | airdate = 2005-06-04] the Slitheen return in theBBC book "The Monsters Inside" along with another family of the same race, called the Blathereen.
*Harriet Jones reappears in "The Christmas Invasion ", by which time she has become Prime Minister.cite episode | title =The Christmas Invasion | series =Doctor Who | credits = WriterRussell T Davies , DirectorJames Hawes , ProducerPhil Collinson | network =BBC | station =BBC One | city = Cardiff | airdate = 2005-12-25] She also re-appears in "The Stolen Earth and names herself as former prime minister and surenders herself to the Daleks in order to save mankind.cite episode | title =The Stolen Earth | series =Doctor Who | credits = WriterRussell T Davies , DirectorGraeme Harper , ProducerPhil Collinson | network =BBC | station =BBC One | city =Cardiff | airdate = 2008-06-28] A parallel universe's version of her is also referenced in "Doomsday". [cite episode | title = Doomsday | series =Doctor Who | credits = WriterRussell T Davies , DirectorGraeme Harper , ProducerPhil Collinson | network =BBC | station =BBC One | city = Cardiff | airdate = 2006-07-08]
*In the episode "The Sound of Drums ", the Master sets up office in the newly rebuilt number 10,cite episode | title =The Sound of Drums | series =Doctor Who | credits = WriterRussell T Davies , DirectorColin Teague , ProducerPhil Collinson | network =BBC | station =BBC One | city = Cardiff | airdate = 2007-06-23] referencing its destruction in this episode.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 as a precedent, in the original series since theThird Doctor all multi-episode stories shared a title. All multi-episode stories in the new series have continued to have individual titles.Cast notes
*Lachele Carl reappears as the reporter seen in "Aliens of London". She is later seen in "
The Christmas Invasion ", "The Sound of Drums", "The Poison Sky ", [cite episode | title =The Poison Sky | series =Doctor Who | credits = WriterHelen Raynor , DirectorDouglas Mackinnon , ProducerSusie Liggat | network =BBC | station =BBC One | city =Cardiff | airdate = 2008-05-03] "Turn Left", [cite episode | title = Turn Left | series =Doctor Who | credits = WriterRussell T Davies , DirectorGraeme Harper , ProducerSusie Liggat | network =BBC | station =BBC One | city =Cardiff | airdate = 2008-06-21] "The Stolen Earth " and the "Sarah Jane Adventures " story "Revenge of the Slitheen ". [cite serial | title =Revenge of the Slitheen | series =The Sarah Jane Adventures | credits = Writer Gareth Roberts, DirectorAlice Troughton , Producer Matthew Bouch | network =BBC | station =BBC One ,CBBC Channel | city =Cardiff | airdate = 2007-09-24]Outside references
*Elements of the story parody the
2003 invasion of Iraq and the actions of the Prime Minister,Tony Blair . This includes a pre-emptive strike based on information of the presence of "massive weapons of destruction" which could be deployed in 45 seconds, as opposed to Blair's "weapons of mass destruction " that could be deployed in "45 minutes".
*The use of vinegar on calcium "just likeHannibal " references the story of how Hannibal's engineers, while crossing the Alps, heated boulders that blocked their way with wood fires, then poured vinegar over them. The rocks, weakened by the heat, were broken up by the vinegar into smaller pieces, which were then easily moved to clear a path.
*The Doctor mentions that the Slitheen scheme to make a profit will cost "5 billion lives". The human population of the Earth in reality, as of January 2005, is estimated at approximately 6.4 billion.
*When a Slitheen disguised as a policeman appears outside Mickey's flat, the word "Salford" appears as graffiti on the wall near the elevator.Salford is Christopher Eccleston's hometown.Broadcast and DVD releases
*The episode's initial Canadian broadcast on CBC had a programming error. The action before the
title sequence which was supposed to resolve the previous episode's cliffhanger — by showing the Doctor turning the tables with the electrified ID badge — was omitted. This led to understandable confusion from Canadian viewers. The error was corrected on the repeat broadcast, although the sequence appeared after the opening titles.Fact|date=February 2007
*This episode together with "Aliens of London " and "Dalek" were the first released on the UMD format for thePlayStation Portable .Fact|date=February 2007References
External links
*BBCDWnew|year=2005|id=worldwarthree|title=World War Three
*Brief| id=2005de | title=Aliens of London" / "World War Three|quotes=y
*Doctor Who RG | id=who_tv04 | title=Aliens of London" / "World War Three|quotes=y
*OG |2005-05|World War Three|quotes=y
*Tv.com episode|id=407896|title=World War Three
*" [http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/doctorwho/ram/confidential5?size=16x9&bgc=CC0000&nbram=1&bbram=1&nbwm=1&bbwm=1 Doctor Who Confidential] " — Episode 5: Why on Earth?
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/doctorwho/ram/ep5trail?size=16x9&bgc=CC0000&nbram=1&bbram=1 "Planet Earth is at war."] — Episode trailer for "World War Three"Reviews
*OG review | id=2005-05 | title=World War Three|quotes=y
*OG review | id=2005-0405 | title=Aliens of London" / "World War Three|quotes=y
*DWRG | id=worldwar | title=World War Three|quotes=y
*DWRG | id=alienswar | title=Aliens of London" / "World War Three|quotes=y
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