The Stolen Earth

201b – "The Stolen Earth"
Doctor Who episode
File:Drwho journeys end.jpg Donna, Captain Jack and Rose are in shock as the Doctor begins to regenerate.
Cast
Doctor David Tennant (Tenth Doctor)
Companion Catherine Tate (Donna Noble)
Guest Penelope Wilton - Harriet Jones Gareth David-Lloyd – Ianto Jones Eve Myles – Gwen Cooper Thomas Knight – Luke Smith Bernard Cribbins – Wilfred Mott Jacqueline King – Sylvia Noble Adjoa Andoh – Francine Jones Julian Bleach – Davros Michael Brandon – General Sanchez Andrea Harris – Suzanne Lachele Carl – Trinity Wells Richard Dawkins – Himself Paul O'Grady – Himself Marcus Cunningham – Drunk Man Jason Mohammad – Newsreader Paul Kasey – Judoon Kelly Hunter – Shadow Architect Amy Beth Hayes – Albino Servant Gary Milner – Scared Man Nicholas Briggs – Dalek voices Alexander Armstrong – Mr Smith
Production
Directed by	Graeme Harper
Written by	Russell T. Davies
Produced by	Phil Collinson
Executive producer(s)	Russell T. Davies Julie Gardner
Production code	4.12
Series	Series 4
Running time	50 mins
First broadcast	28 June 2008
Chronology
← Preceded by "Turn Left" Followed by → "Journey's End"

The Stolen Earth is the twelth and penultimate episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 28 June 2008 at 7:10pm. The title was withheld until two weeks before broadcast, as "it gives away too much." It was the second episode of the three-part finale.

The episode featured the return of many past characters, including the recurring villain Davros, his first TV appearance since the 1988 serial Remembrance of the Daleks. There were also several crossover elements from Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures, with both characters and locations from these series featuring.

Plot

Synopsis

When the Earth is stolen from its orbit and placed in another galaxy with 26 other stolen planets, the Doctor's secret army of allies comes together to defend the Earth from the new Dalek Empire. With battles raging on the streets and in the sky, the Doctor and Donna confront the Shadow Proclamation to find the truth; however, a fearsome old enemy waits in the shadows.

Plot summary

The Doctor and Donna return from the events of the previous episode and find that everything appears to be normal, with a milkman doing his rounds on a Saturday morning. However, no sooner have they returned to the Tardis than a violent earthquake shakes the ground. The Earth has disappeared; looking out of the Tardis door the Doctor can see nothing but space.

On Earth, Torchwood Three (Captain Jack Harkness, Ianto Jones and Gwen Cooper), Sarah Jane Smith and son Luke, Martha Jones alongside UNIT and Donna's family (Wilf and Sylvia) are all recovering from the displacement. Rose can also be seen, walking through the streets with a gun. Shortly, a message is picked up on the computers from a spaceship approaching the Earth. It consists of a single word: "EXTERMINATE!" Jack and Sarah, having come across the Daleks before, can only tell their companions that the Earth is doomed.

Scenes on board the Dalek mothership reveals the orchestrator of the plan; Davros himself, saved from the Time War by Dalek Caan. After activating the Temporal Shift in Evolution of the Daleks, Caan re-entered the Time War (despite it being time-locked) and rescued Davros from the destruction of his command ship in the first year of that war. Breaching the time lock on the war cost Caan his sanity; however, some of his subsequent statements are apparently precognitive. These include stating that the Doctor was coming prior to his arrival. Caan predicted that the Doctor's "most loyal companion" will suffer "everlasting death".

UNIT is the first to come under attack from the Dalek forces, which are overrunning Earth, killing many and sending most of the rest away for "testing". General Sanchez gives Martha the Harthagen Key, the function of which is unknown, and she uses an experimental teleport system to escape and reach her house.

Sylvia and Wilf are hiding in a back alley, armed with a paintball gun, as they watch the Daleks order everyone in the street from their homes. One family refuses to comply and retreats back in to their homes. Three Daleks converge and destroy the house, presumably with the family inside. Donna's family retreat to their own home but are stopped by a Dalek on the way. Donna's grandfather shoots the Dalek's eyestalk with the paint gun, but the Dalek vapourises the paint declaring "My vision is not impaired!". And prepares to exterminate him. However immediately before it can, Rose Tyler destroys the Dalek.

The Doctor and Donna attempt to find Earth. Their journey takes them first to the Shadow Proclamation, an intergalactic police force run by asinister woman and the Judoon. While there, a girl tells Donna "I'm so sorry for the loss you are going to face". Donna tells the Doctor about the bees disappearing, and he reveals that the bees are in fact aliens and have left a trail to the new location of Planet Earth. They follow this to a gas formation called the Medusa Cascade.

Rose, Martha, Torchwood and Sarah Jane are all contacted over a secret network known as the sub-wave network, created by Harriet Jones. Rose can hear, but cannot contact them as Wilf doesn't have a webcam. She tells them to send a signal over the network in the hope that it will reach the Doctor. Using Torchwood and Mr Smith they are able to get a signal across. However, the Daleks find out where it is coming from and kill Harriet Jones.

The Doctor lands safely on Earth after a re-entry. Rose and Jack teleport to where he has landed. Sarah Jane drives away in search of him but is apprehended by two Daleks, as are Gwen and Ianto at Torchwood. Rose and the Doctor run down the street towards each other, but before they can meet, the Doctor is exterminated by a stray Dalek, which is killed by Jack.

The Doctor's injuries are severe and, inside the Tardis, he appears to regenerate in the closing moments.

Continuity

• This episode is the first on screen appearance of the Shadow Proclamation and the Medusa Cascade, first mentioned in "Rose" and "Last of the Time Lords", respectively
• Among the planets that have been stolen are Callufrax Minor, Jahoo, Woman Wept, Clom, Adipose 3, Pyrovilia and the Lost Moon of Poosh – mentioned in The Pirate Planet, Boom Town, Love & Monsters (although the disappearance of Callufrax, Klom and Woman Wept was not revealed until this episode), Partners in Crime, The Fires of Pompeii and Midnight respectively. Also mentioned is Mr. Copper, a character who appeared in "Voyage of the Damned".
• Donna mentions that "the bees have disappeared", and this has been referenced in several episodes of series four, including Partners in Crime, Planet of the Ood, The Unicorn and the Wasp and Turn Left.
• The apparent leader of the Shadow Proclamation mentions to Donna that there is "something on her back", a reference to the previous episode, Turn Left.
• The Doctor mentioned that a race tried to move the Earth before, this may be a reference to The Dalek Invasion of Earth.

External links

• The Stolen Earth on Tardis Wiki, the Doctor Who Wiki
• "The Stolen Earth" at the BBC Doctor Who homepage