Doctor Who: The Christmas Invasion

"The Christmas Invasion" is a sixty-minute holiday episode of the 2005 relaunch of the British sci-fi series Doctor Who. The episode aired in between seasons one and two. Totalling the episode count of both programs together, "The Christmas Invasion" is the 710th episode in the Doctor Who franchise. The episode was directed by James Hawes and written by Russell T. Davies. It first aired in the United Kingdom on BBC One on December 25th, 2005. It premiered in the United States on BBC America on September 29th, 2006. In this episode, The Doctor has recently regenerated into his tenth incarnation, but is not fully back to snuff and still suffers from some growing pains. It is unfortunate that his clumsy arrival should coincide with a holiday season that has now run amok, which includes masked Santa's armed with machine gun musical instruments and killer Christmas trees with rotating blades. All of this is foreshadows the coming of the Sycorax, who intend on dominating the planet Earth. Leading the charge in England's defense is the United Kingdom's recently elected Prime Minister, Harriet Jones. Rose, Jackie and Mickey struggle to stay alive while laboring to get The Doctor back into shape.

Notes & Trivia

 * This episode is a holiday special that aired in between seasons one and two.


 * Production code number: NCFS084E.


 * This is the third episode of Doctor Who directed by James Hawes. He previously directed "The Doctor Dances".


 * This is the fourteenth episode of Doctor Who written by Russell T. Davies. He previously wrote "The Parting of the Ways".


 * This episode marks the first full appearance of David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor. He first appeared in the season one finale, "The Parting of the Ways". This is the first episode of Doctor Who where David Tennant is billed in the opening credits.


 * This the fourteenth appearance of Rose Tyler on Doctor Who. She appeared last in "The Parting of the Ways".


 * This is the third appearance of Harriet Jones on Doctor Who. She previously appeared in "World War Three". This is her first appearance in the capacity of Prime Minister.


 * This is the first episode of the new series of Doctor Who to show any part of the TARDIS other than the central control chamber.


 * Several scenes were filmed in Cardiff city centre during Summer 2005. These include scenes of people standing on the rooftops under the Sycorax control and the scene where Mickey and Rose are attacked by the robotic Santas.

Allusions

 * The Tenth Doctor's exclamation of "Fantastic!" is a nod to the previous Doctor, who routinely used the word.

Quotes

 * The Doctor: My head, argh, I'm having a neuron implosion. I need...
 * Jackie Tyler: What do you need?
 * The Doctor: I need...
 * Jackie Tyler: Just say! Tell me, tell me, tell me.
 * The Doctor: I need..
 * Jackie Tyler: Painkillers? Aspirin?
 * The Doctor: I need...
 * Jackie Tyler: Codeine, paracetamol? Oh, I don't know, Pepto-Bismol?
 * The Doctor: I need...
 * Jackie Tyler: Liquid paraffin? Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E!
 * The Doctor: I need...
 * Jackie Tyler Is it food? Something simple. Bowl of soup? Nice bowl of soup? Soup and a sandwich? Oh, soup and a little ham sandwich?
 * The Doctor: I need you to shut up!
 * Jackie Tyler: Oh, he hasn't changed that much, has he!?!