The Empty Child

Synopsis

The Doctor and Rose travel back in time to Forties London in the first part of an action adventure, written by Stephen Moffat (Coupling).

It is 1941 and the Blitz is raging. A mysterious cylinder is being guarded by the Army, while homeless children, living on the bombsites, are being terrorised by an unearthly child. And when Rose meets the dashing Captain Jack Harkness, it seems she may have found a hero better than the Doctor himself...

Information

Writer: Steven Moffat
Director: James Hawes
Script Editor: Helen Raynor
Producer: Phil Collinson
Executive Producer(s): Russell T. Davies, Julie Gardner, Mal Young

Originally Broadcast: 21st May 2005
Duration: 41 mins
Viewing Figures (in millions): 7.1m
Production Code: 1.9
Monsters/Villains: The Empty Child, Gas Mask Zombies
Year Set: 1941
Location: London, Earth

Cast

Christopher Eccleston – The Doctor

Billie Piper – Rose Tyler

Kate Harvey - Nightclub Singer

Albert Valentine - The Child

Florence Hoath - Nancy

Cheryl Fergison - Mrs Lloyd

Damian Samuels - Mr Lloyd

John Barrowman - Jack Harkness

Robert Hands - Algy

Joseph Tremain - Jim

Jordan Murphy - Ernie

Brandon Miller - Alf

Richard Wilson - Dr Constantine

Dian Perry - Computer Voice

Noah Johnson - Voice of the Empty Child

Monster File: The Empty Child

Home Planet: Earth
Life Form: Humanoid

The Empty Child was actually a young boy called Jamie, who’d been killed in an air raid during the London Blitz (massive head trauma on the left side, partial collapse of his chest cavity on the right and a gash on the back of his right hand), wearing his gas mask at the time. Captain Jack Harkness, a Time Agent purposely crashed a Chula Ambulance, with effective Chula nanogenes inside. These nanogenes first came into contact with Jamie when he was dead. They reanimated him, but still with all the injuries and the gas mask stuck on his face. These nanogenes then thought that that was what humans were supposed to look like. The nanogenes then went to other people, whoever Jamie touched, and they ‘repaired’ them as well, still with injuries and gas mask. Whenever anybody with the ‘disease’ touched anyone, then they too would become like them, turning into gas mask zombies. The reason behind them all saying ‘Are you my mummy?” was due to Jamie wanting his mummy before he died, so he still thought that. When he found his mother, Nancy, who first claimed to be his sister, the nanogenes realised they had got human DNA wrong, and they turned Jamie back to his original state, alive, including everyone else who had been turned the same way!

Preceded by: Father's Day - Followed by: The Doctor Dances