Gridlock 

The Doctor takes Martha to New Earth, where she is kidnapped by two carjackers and taken to an underground Motorway, where the remainder of humanity on the planet live in perpetual gridlock.

Director:

Richard Clark

Writer:

Russell T. Davies

Stars:

David Tennant, Freema Agyeman, Ardal O'Hanlon

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
David Tennant	...	The Doctor
Freema Agyeman	...	Martha Jones
Ardal O'Hanlon	...	Brannigan
Anna Hope	...	Novice Hame
Travis Oliver	...	Milo
Lenora Crichlow	...	Cheen
Jennifer Hennessy	...	Valerie
Bridget Turner	...	Alice
Georgine Anderson	...	May
Simon Pearsall	...	Whitey
Daisy Lewis	...	Javit
Nicholas Boulton	...	Businessman
Erika Macleod	...	Sally Calypso
Judy Norman	...	Ma
Graham Padden	...	Pa

Storyline

The TARDIS takes the Doctor and Martha to New Earth in the year Five Billion and Forty-Three, where the Face of Boe finally reveals his message to the Time Lord; meanwhile, terrifying beasts are lurking beneath the city of New New York - creatures that the Doctor believed he defeated many, many years ago.

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Plot Keywords:

gridlock | tenth doctor | doctor who | the old rugged cross | self sacrifice | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Family | Mystery | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 April 2007 (UK)

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

45 min 45 min (50 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (Dolby 5.1)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The couple seen in the pre-credit sequence are made up to resemble the father and daughter in the Grant Wood painting, "American Gothic".

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Quotes

Businessman: What the hell are they?
[the smog clears to reveal giant crabs]
The Doctor: Macra.

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Connections

References Futurama (1999)

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Soundtracks

The Old Rugged Cross
(uncredited)
Written by George Bennard

User Reviews

The ugly side of New Earth

"Gridlock" is the third episode in the rebooted show's third season, and it's certainly one worth watching. It satisfies on a narrative level, but also on a visual one, with the show's creators presenting the vivid dystopia of New Earth (a place familiar to most fans). We see the relationship between the Doctor and Martha develop rather substantially in 'Gridlock', largely due to the situation in which they each find themselves: early in the episode, Martha is kidnapped, and we can plainly see the Doctor's desperation and anger at having lost a second companion so soon. One of the more interesting supporting characters, the Face of Boe, also makes a significant contribution to the story of this episode. Keeping his promise, the ancient sagely alien finds himself in the company of the Doctor one more time, and in doing so he delivers perhaps the most intriguing scene in the episode, revealing something to the Time Lord which will excite the curiosity of many fans. If some of the other supporting characters were written with the same level of imagination used in the creation of New New York (the city in which this episode is set), this would most likely rank among my favourite episodes. Still, this omission doesn't detract from the episode too significantly, and I feel my 8/10 rating is well-deserved.