1x04 Aliens of London (1) - Doctor Who (UK) Episode Guide

Doctor Who (UK)

- Episode 01x04

Episode: 01x04
Title: Aliens of London (1)
Type: Regular Episode
Production Code: 104
First Aired: Apr. 16, 2005

Season 1 » Episode #04 - Aliens of London (1)

Doctor Who (UK) - 01x04 Aliens of London (1)

Summary: The Doctor takes Rose back to London - but their trip coincides with another, more dramatic alien arrival as a spaceship plunges into the Thames. In the ensuing panic, the authorities quarantine the capital from the rest of the world - and even Rose's own home is no refuge from the sinister Slitheen.

Who appeared in this episode?

Guest Stars:

Spray Painter	played by Corey Doabe
Policeman	played by Ceris Jones
Reporter	played by Jack Tarlton
Trinity Wells	played by Lachele Carl
Ru	played by Fiesta Mei Ling
Bau	played by Basil Chung
Matt Baker	played by Matt Baker
Andrew Marr (II)	played by Andrew Marr (II)
General Asquith	played by Rupert Vansittart

Season 1 / Episode 4: - Aliens of London (1)

Margaret Blaine: [she farts] Oh! And me! I'm shaking my booty!

Season 1 / Episode 4: - Aliens of London (1)

The Doctor: Hold on, I know that lot.

The Doctor: UNIT. United Nations Intelligence Taskforce. Good people.
Rose Tyler: How'd you know 'em?
Mickey Smith: 'Cause he's worked for them. Oh yeah, don't think I sat on my backside for twelve months, Doctor. I read up on you. You look deep enough on the Internet, or in the history books, and there's his name... followed by a list of the dead.
The Doctor: That's nice. Good boy, Ricky.

[More Quotes]

MISTAKES/GOOFS

FAKE: When The Doctor is kneeling over the Slitheen's Pig Mutant, the seam of the plastic mold of the costume is clearly seen.
FACT: Even with the absence of the Prime Minister and his Cabinet there is no way that Joseph Green being chairman of a parliamentary commission could become Acting Prime Minister. In such a scenario a junior minister or parliamentary secretary (who are not members of Cabinet but outranks a parliamentary commission chairman) would become Acting Prime Minister. There are numerous junior ministers and parliamentary secretaries and it is unlikely that all these people would be missing for any of them to become the Acting Prime Minister.
FAKE: In one close-up of a photographer taking pictures outside 10 Downing Street the scene is reversed to provide an opposite angle. You can see the "Nikon" nameplate is reversed on the front of the camera.
FAKE: The close-up shots of the Palace of Westminster clock tower (a.k.a. "Big Ben"), as it is destroyed by an alien ship crashing into it, show the clock faces back-to-front. This is because the director wanted the ship to move across the frame the other way.

TRIVIA

When the Doctor complains of being slapped by Rose's mother, Rose laughingly remarks, "You're so gay!" This remark has caused some controversy in fan circles, some seeing it as an anti-homosexual slur. Russell T. Davies, who is gay, wrote in an e-mail response that it was the way people talked, and claimed that he was trying to provoke discussion by using the phrase.
This features the first appearance of Harriet Jones, here as MP for Flydale North. She eventually becomes Prime Minister, featuring and being mentioned in many later episodes.
This episode was watched by 7.63 million viewers on its original transmission, winning a 35.67% audience share.
Bad Wolf Reference: A young boy writes "Bad Wolf" in graffiti on the side of the TARDIS.
Rose Tyler gets a key to the TARDIS, the second of two signs that she's the new companion (the other being her cell phone upgraded).