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"Good luck, Mickey the idiot."
The Doctor
"The Age of Steel"
Series Doctor Who
Season 2/28, Episode 6
Doctor Who 2005 2x06 002
Air date May 20th, 2006 (UK)
November 3rd, 2006 (US)
Writers Tom MacRae
Director Graeme Harper
Producers Phil Collinson; Russell T. Davies; Julie Gardner; Helen Vallis
Starring David Tennant; Billie Piper
Episode guide
Previous
"Rise of the Cybermen"
Next
"The Idiot's Lantern"

"The Age of Steel" is the sixth episode of series two of the 2005 relaunch of the British sci-fi series Doctor Who and the twentieth episode of the series overall. Totaling the episode count of both programs together, including the 1996 Doctor Who television movie and "The Christmas Invasion" holiday special, it is the 716th episode in the entire Doctor Who franchise. It was directed by Graeme Harper and written by Tom MacRae. It first aired on BBC One in the United Kingdom on May 20th, 2006. It first aired in the United States on BBC America on November 3rd, 2006. The episode was produced by Phil Collinson with Russell T. Davies and Julie Gardner as executive producers and Helen Vallis as associate producer.

In this episode, the Cybermen begin their march on London. The Doctor and his friends, both old and new, manage to escape, but this reality's Jackie Tyler is not so lucky. Her widower, Pete Tyler, joins with the Doctor and his crew determined to avenge his wife's death. Cybus Industries CEO John Lumic is forced to undergo emergency cybernetic conversion. Mickey Smith plays a key role in the coming battle and makes what will prove to be the biggest decision of his entire life.

Cast[]

Principal Cast[]

Actor Role
David Tennant The Doctor
Billie Piper Rose Tyler

Guest Stars[]

Actor Role
Noel Clarke Mickey/Ricky Smith
Camille Coduri Alternate Jackie
Shaun Dingwall Pete Tyler
Roger Lloyd Pack John Lumic/Cyber-Controller
Andrew Hayden-Smith Jake Simmonds
Helen Griffin Mrs. Moore
Colin Spaull Mister Crane
Duncan Duff Newsreader
Paul Kasey Cyber-leader
Nicholas Briggs Cyber-voice
Kevin Hudson Cyberman
Ruari Mears Cyberman

Notes & Trivia[]

  • Production code number: 19.
Doctor Who 2005 2x06 004

A Cyberman.

Doctor Who 2005 2x06 011

The Preachers & friends.

  • This is the second and final appearance of Ricky Smith, who is the parallel world counterpart to Mickey Smith; dies in this episode.
  • Before the climax of the Cybus Industries facility, the number of Cybermen that had been pressed into production was 6,500 and rising.
  • The sound effects used for the coversion processor motors is a table saw.
  • Mrs. Moore's real name is revealed to be Angela Price in this episode.

Allusions[]

Doctor Who 2005 2x06 015

Cyberman helmet.

  • In this episode, Pete Tyler refers to Ricky Smith and the other members of the Preachers as the "Scooby Gang". The Scooby Gang refers to the members of Mystery Incorporated, who make up the primary cast of the Scooby Doo series of animated programs and films, beginning with the Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoon Scooby Doo, Where Are You!, which aired on CBS from 1969 to 1970.
  • Mickey Smith tells Rose Tyler that he learned how to pilot a zeppelin from PlayStation. PlayStation is a series of video game consoles created and developed by Sony Computer Entertainment with consoles in the fifth to eighth generations.
  • A miffed Mickey Smith refers to himself as the "tin dog" in terms of his relationship to the Doctor. He is comparing himself to the robotic K9 Mark III, which Mickey met in "School Reunion". The inference is that Mickey needs to be safely guarded and kept out of imminent danger.

Quotes[]

Doctor Who 2005 2x06 016

The Cyber-Controller.

....

  • John Lumic: My everlasting children. Tell me, how does it feel?
  • Cyberman: We feel nothing.
  • John Lumic: But in your mind, what do you think?
  • Cyberman: We think the same. We are uniform.
  • John Lumic: But you think of what?
  • Cyberman: We think of the humans. We think of their difference and their pain. They suffer in the skin. They must be upgraded.

....

  • Cyber-Controller: I will bring peace to the world. Everlasting peace. And unity. And uniformity.
  • The Doctor: And imagination? What about that? The one thing that led you here. Imagination? You’re killing it dead.
  • Cyber-Controller: What is your name?
  • The Doctor: I'm the Doctor.
  • Cyber-Controller: A redundant title. Doctors need not exist. Cybermen never sicken.
  • The Doctor: But that's it! That’s exactly the point! Oh, Lumic, you're a clever man. I'd call you a genius, except I'm in the room. But everything you've invented you did to fight your sickness. And that's brilliant. That is so human. But once you get rid of sickness and mortality, then what’s there to strive for? Eh? The Cybermen won't advance. You’ll just stop. You'll stay like this forever. A metal Earth with metal men and metal thoughts. Lacking the one thing that makes this planet so alive. People. Ordinary, stupid, brilliant people.
Doctor Who 2005 2x06 018

Mickey says "Good-bye".

....

....

  • Mickey Smith: I know it's not easy with my face looking exactly like Ricky. But I’m a different man. I'm not replacing him. But we can remember him by fighting in his name. (Jake nods) With all those Cyber factories out there, do you think there’d be one in Paris?
  • Jake Simmonds: Yeah.
  • Mickey Smith: Then let;s go liberate Paris.
  • Jake Simmonds: What, you and me? In a van?
  • Mickey Smith: Nothing wrong with a van. I once saved the universe with a big yellow truck.

....

  • Rose Tyler: You're alive! Oh, Mum, you're alive!
  • Jackie Tyler: Well, I was the last time I looked. What is it, what's happened, sweetheart? What's wrong? Where did you go?
  • The Doctor: Far away. That was... far away.
  • Jackie Tyler: Where's Mickey?
  • The Doctor: He's gone home.

See also[]

Media

The World of Doctor Who

Doctor Who miscellaneous

External Links[]

Series links

Episode links



Doctor Who logo 2
This article pertains to an episode from series 2 of the 2005 Doctor Who revival series.
See the Doctor Who (2005)/Season 2 episodes category.
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