The Doctor Dances (12 May 2006)

The Doctor, Rose and Captain Jack Harkness are still in the hospital with the gas mask-wearing mutants and are having some trouble finding a way out. The Doctor determines that the ... See full summary »

Director:

James Hawes

Writer:

Steven Moffat

Stars:

Christopher Eccleston, Billie Piper, Albert Valentine

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Christopher Eccleston	...	Doctor Who
Billie Piper	...	Rose Tyler
Albert Valentine	...	The Child
Florence Hoath	...	Nancy
John Barrowman	...	Jack
Luke Perry	...	Timothy Lloyd
Damian Samuels	...	Mr. Lloyd
Cheryl Fergison	...	Mrs. Lloyd
Joseph Tremain	...	Jim
Jordan Murphy	...	Ernie
Robert Hands	...	Algy
Martin Hodgson	...	Jenkins
Richard Wilson	...	Dr. Constantine
Vilma Hollingbery	...	Mrs. Harcourt
Noah Johnson	...	The Empty Child (voice)

Storyline

The Doctor, Rose and Captain Jack Harkness are still in the hospital with the gas mask-wearing mutants and are having some trouble finding a way out. The Doctor determines that the ambulance Captain Jack was using in his scam contained nano genes, similar to the one's he used to repair Rose's rope-burned hands. Only in this case, there are enough nano genes on the loose to "repair" an entire species and they have no idea what a human looks like in the first place. The future of the human race lies in Nancy accepting her true relationship to the little boy who is haunting her.

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Plot Keywords:

rose | doctor | captain | bisexual | london air raid | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Family | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 May 2006 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Barry Steam Railway, Plymouth Road, Barry Island, Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, UK

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

45 min 45 min (50 episodes)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Several of Jamie's abilities were left unexplained in the finale of the episode, including his ability to make a door close by pointing at it.

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Goofs

Magnetic tape recorders weren't available outside of Germany during World War II. True the tape recorder could have been captured from the Germans, but, as it was "cutting edge" technology for 1941, it would hardy likely to have ended up in a hospital office.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Mask Creatures: [with increasing intensity] Mummy, mummy, mummy, mummy, mummy, mummy, mummy, mummy, mummy, mummy.
The Doctor: Go to your room.
[mask creatures stop]
The Doctor: Go to your room! I mean it. I am very, very angry with you. I'm very, very cross. Go... To... Your... Room!
[mask creatures turn and go back to their beds]
The Doctor: [sighing] I'm really glad that worked. Those would have been terrible last words.

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Connections

Featured in Doctor Who Confidential: Unsung Heroes and Violent Death (2005)

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Soundtracks

"Doctor Who Theme"
(uncredited)
Written by Ron Grainer
Arranged by Murray Gold
Performed by BBC National Orchestra of Wales

User Reviews

"Are you my mummy?"

If you thought the fantastic build-up in The Empty Child was something, think again: Steven Moffat ends his first proper Doctor Who story with a magnificent payoff that exceeds expectations, even in terms of "horror", cementing his reputation as one of the UK's best television writers.

Following up from the previous episode's cliffhanger, the mysterious Empty Child has infected dozens of people in a hospital. The only problem is, the Doctor, Jack and Rose are in the same building, meaning they have to come up with some unusually clever plan to survive, reverse the unearthly epidemic and get back to the TARDIS. After all, London circa 1914 isn't exactly the best place to die, though it sure beats 1869 Cardiff...

Like its predecessor, The Doctor Dances is a masterclass in tension, with some genuine scares served throughout the 45 minutes, although with a healthy balancing act coming from the typically Doctor-like moments of humor. In particular, Moffat uses the scenario (and, to a certain extent, the new Jack Harkness character) to comment on one of the protagonist's less child-friendly sides: the title, and the whole business about the Time Lord dancing or not, is basically a big fat metaphor regarding the sexual chemistry between the Doctor and his companion(s). Naturally, given the BBC's family-oriented seal on the program, things never enter Coupling territory, with the resolution coming off as light-hearted but extremely funny. In other words, vintage Doctor Who.