The Idiot's Lantern (10 Nov. 2006)

In 1950s London, the police are hunting down strange, mute creatures. The people of Britain gather around their new-fangled "tele-vision" sets to celebrate the new Queen's coronation - but is something affecting the signal?

Director:

Euros Lyn

Writer:

Mark Gatiss

Stars:

David Tennant, Billie Piper, Maureen Lipman

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
David Tennant	...	The Doctor
Billie Piper	...	Rose Tyler
Maureen Lipman	...	The Wire
Ron Cook	...	Magpie
Jamie Foreman	...	Eddie Connolly
Debra Gillett	...	Rita Connolly
Rory Jennings	...	Tommy Connolly
Margaret John	...	Grandma Connolly
Sam Cox	...	Detective Inspector Bishop
Ieuan Rhys	...	Crabtree
Jean Challis	...	Aunty Betty
Christopher Driscoll	...	Security Guard
Marie Lewis	...	Mrs. Gallagher

Storyline

It's 1953, the Coronation year of HM Queen Elizabeth II, and the people of Great Britain huddle round their television sets to witness the great event. But behind the celebrations there are rumors of monsters on the streets, and the tormented Mr Magpie is hiding a strange and alien secret.

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Plot Keywords:

1950s | television | saving face | faceless people | tardis | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Family | Sci-Fi

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 November 2006 (USA)

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

45 min 45 min (50 episodes)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the script there are a lot of references to the strange activity happening around Florizel Street. Florizel Street was the original name for Coronation Street.

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Goofs

In the scene where the Doctor and Rose are chasing the black car, as they turn a corner just before they approach the closed gates, a modern lamp post can be seen.

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Quotes

Eddie: You! Get the hell out of my house!
Rose: I'm going, I'm done! Nice to meet you Tommy. Mrs Connolly. And as for you Mr Connolly, only an idiot hangs the Union Flag upside down. Shame on you!

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Connections

References What's My Line (1951)

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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

Simply amazing

I've been a little disappointed with the last couple of weeks of Doctor Who, the Cybermen story just didn't seem to cut it for me, especially after The Girl in the Fireplace, but The Idiot's Lantern just completely redeemed the series for me. I thought the way that this episode was put together was absolutely amazing, I'm a bit of an obsessive when it comes to 50s culture and music and stuff, and this managed to pull it off brilliantly. Maureen Lipman was fantastically cast as The Wire, she actually seemed to be like a genuine 1950s style television announcer. Mark Gatiss of "League of Gentleman" fame did an absolutely fantastic job of writing this episode, it was brilliantly done, enough to terrify millions of small kids into not watching TV for fear of having their faces sucked off!!! I thought David Tennant was amazing in this episode, as ever. He just seems to get better for me the further this series progresses, and The Idiots Lantern was no exception. His emotional range in this episode was superb, especially in the scene where he starts shouting and bawling at Eddie. Billie Piper was also great last night, I'm not particularly a big fan of hers but she excelled herself last night. Brilliant episode, lets just hope the rest of the series is at the same standard!!!