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{{Use British English|date=January 2015}}
{{Doctorwhobox|
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}}
|number=168a
{{Infobox Doctor Who episode
|serial_name= The Empty Child
| number = 164a
|image= [[Image:Doctor Who The Empty Child.jpg|275px]]
| serial_name = The Empty Child
|caption= Doctor Constantine succumbs to the same symptoms his patients exhibit.
|show=DW
| show = DW
|type=episode
| type = episode
| image =
|doctor=[[Christopher Eccleston]] ([[Ninth Doctor]])
| caption =
|companion=[[Billie Piper]] ([[Rose Tyler]])
| doctor = [[Christopher Eccleston]] – [[Ninth Doctor]]
|companion2=[[John Barrowman]] ([[Jack Harkness]])
| companions =
|guests=
* [[Billie Piper]] – [[Rose Tyler]]
* [[John Barrowman]] – [[Jack Harkness]]
| guests =
* Kate Harvey – Nightclub Singer
* Kate Harvey – Nightclub Singer
* [[Albert Valentine (actor)|Albert Valentine]] – The Child Jamie
* Albert Valentine – The Child
* [[Florence Hoath]] – Nancy
* [[Florence Hoath]] – Nancy
* [[Cheryl Fergison]] – Mrs Lloyd
* [[Cheryl Fergison]] – Mrs Lloyd
Line 17: Line 20:
* [[Robert Hands]] – Algy
* [[Robert Hands]] – Algy
* [[Joseph Tremain]] – Jim
* [[Joseph Tremain]] – Jim
* [[Jordan Murphy]] – Ernie
* [[Jordan Murphy (English actor)|Jordan Murphy]] – Ernie
* Brandon Miller – Alf
* Brandon Miller – Alf
* [[Richard Wilson (Scottish actor)|Richard Wilson]] – Dr Constantine
* [[Richard Wilson (Scottish actor)|Richard Wilson]] – Dr Constantine
* Noah Johnson – Voice of the Empty Child
* Noah Johnson – Voice of the Empty Child
* Dian Perry – Computer Voice
* Dian Perry – Computer Voice
| director = [[James Hawes]]
|writer=[[Steven Moffat]]
| writer = [[Steven Moffat]]
|director=[[James Hawes]]
|script_editor=[[Elwen Rowlands]]
| script_editor = Elwen Rowlands
|producer=[[Phil Collinson]]
| producer = [[Phil Collinson]]
|executive_producer=[[Russell T. Davies]]<br />[[Julie Gardner]]<br />[[Mal Young]]
| executive_producer = {{ubl|[[Russell T Davies]]|[[Julie Gardner]]|[[Mal Young]]}}
| composer = [[Murray Gold]]
|production_code=1.9
| production_code = 1.9
|length=1st of 2-part story, 45 minutes
| series = [[Doctor Who (series 1)|Series 1]]
|date=[[May 21]], [[2005]]
| length = 1st of 2-part story, 45 minutes
|preceding="[[Father's Day (Doctor Who)|Father's Day]]"
| date = {{Start date|2005|5|21|df=y}}
|following="[[The Doctor Dances]]"
| preceding = "[[Father's Day (Doctor Who)|Father's Day]]"
|imdb_id=0562996
| following = "[[The Doctor Dances]]"
|series=[[Doctor Who (series 1)|Series 1]]
}}
|series_link=Series 1 (2005)
"'''The Empty Child'''" is the ninth episode of the [[Doctor Who (series 1)|first series]] of the British [[science fiction television]] programme ''[[Doctor Who]]'', which was first broadcast on [[BBC One]] on 21 May 2005. It was directed by [[James Hawes]], and was the first canonical episode written by [[Steven Moffat]], who previously wrote the [[Comic Relief]] mini-episode "[[The Curse of Fatal Death]]" in 1999. He would later become the showrunner and main writer of ''Doctor Who'' from the [[Doctor Who (series 5)|fifth]] to [[Doctor Who (series 10)|tenth series]]. "The Empty Child" is the first of a two-part story, which continued and concluded with "[[The Doctor Dances]]", on 28 May.
|}}
"'''The Empty Child'''" is an [[list of Doctor Who serials|episode]] in the [[United Kingdom|British]] [[science fiction television]] series ''[[Doctor Who]]'', which was first broadcast on [[May 21]], [[2005]]. It is the first of a two-part story. The concluding episode, "[[The Doctor Dances]]", was broadcast on [[May 28]]. The two-part story won the 2006 [[Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form]].<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.locusmag.com/2006/News/08_HugoCampbellWinners.html
| title = Hugo and Campbell Awards Winners| work = [[Locus (magazine)|Locus Online]]| accessdate = 2006-08-27| date = [[2006-08-26]]}}</ref>


In the episode, the alien time traveller, [[the Doctor]] and his [[Companion (Doctor Who)|companion]] [[Rose Tyler]] arrive in 1941 during the [[The Blitz|London Blitz]], where they find that the city has been terrorised by a strange child in a gas mask repeatedly asking for his mother. The episode marks the first appearance of [[John Barrowman]] as [[Jack Harkness|Captain Jack Harkness]], who would become a recurring character in ''Doctor Who'' and the lead character of the spin-off series ''[[Torchwood]]''.
This episode marked the first appearance of [[John Barrowman]] as [[Jack Harkness]], a mysterious "Time Agent", who was the first character in the show's history who was explicitly not a strict [[heterosexual]].


"The Empty Child" was watched by 7.11 million viewers in the UK. The two-part story has been cited by critics amongst the best of the show, and it won the 2006 [[Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form]].
==Synopsis==
Chasing a metallic object through the vortex, the [[Ninth Doctor]] and [[Rose Tyler|Rose]] arrive in [[London]] during the [[London Blitz|Blitz]]. There, they find homeless children being terrorised, dead bodies with unexplained marks on their hands, a strange cylinder guarded by the army, and the dashing [[Jack Harkness|Captain Jack Harkness]].


==Plot==
==Plot==
The [[Ninth Doctor]] and [[Rose Tyler|Rose]] follow a time-travelling metal cylinder to London in 1941, during [[the Blitz]]. The Doctor tries to track the cylinder, while Rose discovers a young boy wearing a gas mask on a nearby roof. Rose climbs on a nearby rope, but she realises too late that the rope is the tethering cable of a [[barrage balloon]], and is carried off the ground. [[Jack Harkness|Captain Jack Harkness]], a former time agent from the future posing as a [[Royal Air Force]] officer, rescues Rose with his camouflaged spaceship before Rose falls from the balloon. Jack mistakes Rose for a potential customer of an object that he is willing to sell. Rose plays along, but insists she needs to discuss the matter with her partner before buying.
[[Doctor (Doctor Who)|The Doctor]] and [[Rose Tyler]] are travelling in the [[TARDIS]], chasing a metal cylinder that is marked as dangerous through the [[time vortex]]; the cylinder skips and leaves the vortex, traveling to [[London]] some time in the past. The TARDIS materializes at night, within a month of when the cylinder should have arrived. The Doctor investigates a nearby [[cabaret]] to try to find word of the cylinder, while Rose spots a young boy, alone, in a [[gas mask]] on a nearby roof and climbs up to it to try to help him. Shortly, air-raid siren begins wailing in every section, and the Doctor realises they have landed during the [[London Blitz]] of [[World War II]], with [[Nazi Germany|German]] planes making a bombing run. The Doctor runs back to the TARDIS but cannot find Rose; however, he is very puzzled when the telephone of his [[police box]] starts ringing as it is not a real phone but part of the TARDIS's disguise. He goes to answer when a young woman tells him not to answer it, though he still does, only to hear a young boy asking for his mummy over the phone. The Doctor turns back to the woman to find she has left and gone to raid the house of a family that has left for a [[bomb shelter]] for food, and goes to follow her.


Meanwhile, the Doctor returns to the [[TARDIS]] to find its phone ringing; despite caution from Nancy, a young woman nearby, not to answer it, he does, only to hear the voice of a child asking "Are you my mummy?" He follows Nancy to a house left empty from the recent air raid sirens, where Nancy and some orphaned children eat a meal abandoned by the homeowners. The Doctor tries to learn more from Nancy, but the boy in the gas mask knocks at the door. Nancy orders the children to leave by the back entrance, and warns the Doctor not to touch the boy. The Doctor opens the door anyway, but the child is gone. The Doctor catches up to Nancy and convinces her to give him more information. Nancy reveals that she knew the cylinder fell near a nearby hospital, and its appearance is tied to the boy.
The Doctor watches the young woman, who has now brought several other homeless children to enjoy the abandoned meal in the home, and decides to introduce himself to them. He learns that the young woman is called Nancy, and that they have been sustaining themselves this way with every bombing run. However, the group is startled to find a young boy in a gas mask knocking on a window; Nancy and the other children bar the house even as the child tries to stick his hand through the mail slot of the front door. Nancy tells the Doctor to not touch the boy, or he will become like the boy, "empty". The boy is able to control the electronic devices in the home, pleading for his mummy through the phone, radio, and a toy clapping monkey. As Nancy and the other child leave with the ransacked food, the Doctor opens the front door, only to find the boy gone. The Doctor follows Nancy to an abandoned rail yard where she has made her home, and tells her that he's made the connection between the cylinder that fell and the "empty" boy. Realizing the connection, Nancy tells him about a bomb falling near the [[Limehouse]] Green [[railway station|station]] "that was not a bomb". As they investigate the site, protected by a fence and armed troops, Nancy suggests the Doctor talk to Doctor Constantine. The Doctor remarks that Nancy is looking after the children to make up for something, and she admits that it is because her brother Jamie died during an air raid. The Doctor tells Nancy encouragement that everything will be all right before he leaves her for the hospital.


The Doctor arrives at the hospital and discovers several patients with identical symptoms, including gas masks fused to their bodies. Dr Constantine explains that Jamie, Nancy's brother, was the first patient with these symptoms. Suddenly, Constantine changes into another gas mask-wearing person as Rose and Jack arrive. Jack admits that the crashed cylinder is just a worthless Chula medical transport which he sent to earth in order to con the Doctor and Rose. The converted patients suddenly rise from their beds and converge on the trio, all asking "Are you my mummy?" Nancy, who had returned to the home to get more food, is also cornered by Jamie, the boy, as he reaches out to her.
Inside the hospital, the Doctor finds Dr. Constantine who stands watch over several beds filled with corpses, each still but wearing a gas mask. Dr. Constantine points out to the Doctor that the masks are not physical but appear to be part of the body, and they all share the exact same scars and external injuries. Dr. Constantine explains that when the "bomb" fell, it claimed one victim, but those that came into contact with him began to show the same effects, and the symptoms spread from there. Dr. Constantine reveals that the corpses react simultaneously to a large rap of his cane on the floor, or, possibly, him hitting the metal can, and that the first victim was Nancy's brother. Before he can explain more, however, Dr. Constantine is changed in front of the Doctor's eyes into a similar gas mask-wearing zombie, asking for his "mummy".


==Production==
Meanwhile, as Rose attempts to use a rope to climb up to the boy, she discovers the rope is actually a line hanging from a [[barrage balloon]] above, and it lifts her up and off the roof. Captain [[Jack Harkness]] of the [[Royal Air Force|RAF]], participating in a function in a nearby building, spots Rose's plight using [[Anachronism|anachronistic]] [[binoculars]] and excuses himself. Two scenes later, Rose can no longer hold her grip on the rope and falls, but is caught in a [[tractor beam]] and brought safely aboard a Chula spaceship manned by Jack, whereupon she faints. When she recovers, Jack identifies her as a "Time Agent", and treats her rope-burnt hands using the ship's "[[nanorobot|nanogenes]]". Both Jack and Rose appear to find the other attractive, and Jack invites Rose to the top of the ship, tethered to [[Clock Tower, Palace of Westminster|Big Ben]]. As they continue to flirt, Jack explains to Rose that he used to be a Time Agent and since has gone [[freelance]], and that he has something that the Time Agency wants and that he expects to have to negotiate with Rose for it. Rose bluffs and tells him she would need to consult with her companion first, though she needs to find him first. Jack uses the ship to find the Doctor's location as he explains that the object is a fully equipped Chula warship, and that he knows that in two hours it will be destroyed by another bombing raid.
[[File:Are you my mummy? (6097816122).jpg|thumb|The titular Empty Child, as shown at the Doctor Who Experience.]]
This episode had the working title "World War II".<ref name="10tydk">{{Cite web|url=http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2016/03/doctor-who-10-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-empty-child|title='Doctor Who': 10 Things You May Not Know About 'The Empty Child'|last=Mcalpine|first=Fraser|date=2014|access-date=17 February 2020}}</ref> Early versions of this script quoted this episode's title as being "An Empty Child".<ref name="BBC">{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/s4/episodes/?episode=s1_09&action=factfile|title=Fact File|publisher=[[BBC]]|access-date=17 February 2020}}</ref> This is a reference to "[[An Unearthly Child]]", the very first episode of ''Doctor Who''. The episode's television listings information and the [[DVD]] cover also mention that "London is being terrorised by an unearthly child". In Davies's initial pitch, Captain Jack was originally called 'Captain Jax', an interstellar alien soldier.<ref name="10tydk" /><ref name="Shannon">{{cite web|url=http://www.shannonsullivan.com/drwho/serials/2005ij.html|title=The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances|website=shannonsullivan.com/|access-date=5 April 2020}}</ref> The name Jax was eventually dropped, as was Jack's original characterisation, instead being a human [[conman]] from the 51st century.<ref name="Shannon"/>


The filming took place during the fourth production block.<ref name="Shannon"/> Special effects shots were completed at Unit Q2 in Newport on 17 and 18 December 2004.<ref name="Shannon"/> From 4 to 8 January and from 11 to 14 January scenes at [[Cardiff Royal Infirmary]] were filmed.<ref name="Shannon"/> On 9 and 10 January scenes shot in alleyways were filmed in [[Womanby Street]], Cardiff. The bar scenes were also shot on 10 January at [[Headlands School]] in [[Penarth]].<ref name="Shannon"/> The scene in which Rose hangs from the barrage balloon was filmed in a hangar at RAF St Athan and then in the [[Vale of Glamorgan]], on 17 January.<ref name="Shannon"/> From 18 to 20 January filming involving Jack's ship and the TARDIS took place at the studio at Unit Q2. Extra TARDIS scenes were shot on 7 February.<ref name="Shannon"/> Scenes in the Lloyd's house were filmed on 28 January.<ref name="Shannon"/> Glamorgan House in Cardiff was used for the officers' club scene on 8 February.<ref name="Shannon"/> Location filming also took place at the [[Barry Tourist Railway]].<ref>{{Cite web|url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/arts/sites/doctor-who-wales/alllocations/barry-island-railway|title= Walesarts, Barry Island Railway|publisher = BBC|access-date = 2010-05-30}}</ref> [[Barry Island (Vale of Glamorgan)|Barry Island]] and its now-demolished [[Butlins]] holiday camp had previously been the filming location of the [[Seventh Doctor]] serial, ''[[Delta and the Bannermen]]''.<ref name="Confidential2">{{cite episode|title=Weird Science|series=[[Doctor Who Confidential]]|airdate=28 May 2005|network=[[BBC]]|station=[[BBC Three]]|series-no=1|number=10}}</ref>
Finding the Doctor's location, Jack and Rose join up with the Doctor at the hospital shortly after Dr. Constantine's transformation. The Doctor learns of the situation from Rose, but hearing about the Chula warship, demands Jack to tell the truth. Jack admits it was just an [[ambulance]], trying to bluff its value, but argues that it has nothing to do with the infection. As they argue, the corpses all rise and start to approach the trio; simultaneously, Nancy, who has returned to the house to collect more food, is also trapped and approached by the young boy, who she knows is Jamie, still asking for his "mummy", leading to a [[cliffhanger]] ending, continued in ''[[The Doctor Dances]]''.


The sound of Dr Constantine's skull cracking as his face changes into a gas mask was considered too horrific in its full form by the production team and was cut before broadcast.<ref name="toned down">{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4557853.stm|title='Horrible' Doctor Who toned down|publisher=BBC|date=18 May 2005|access-date=25 August 2013}}</ref> However, writer Steven Moffat claims on the DVD commentary to this episode that the sound was discussed but never put on.<ref name="commentary">{{cite video|people=[[Steven Moffat]]|title=Commentary for ''Doctor Who'' episode "The Empty Child"|medium=DVD (Region 2)|location=United Kingdom|publisher=[[BBC]]|date=2005}}</ref> According to the ''[[Doctor Who Confidential]]'' episode "Fear Factor", the effect was added in the version of the episode presented on [[Doctor Who DVD releases|''The Complete First Series'' box set]].<ref>{{cite episode|title=Fear Factor|series=[[Doctor Who Confidential]]|airdate=22 April 2006|network=[[BBC]]|station=[[BBC Three]]|series-no=2|number=2}}</ref> Casting for Captain Jack Harkness began around June with particular consideration to John Barrowman per the request of executive producer Julie Gardener.<ref name="Shannon"/>
==Trivia==
{{trivia}}
===Continuity===
*The Doctor notes when the TARDIS lands how they always bump into Earth. Many fans noted that during this and the 2006 series, most of the stories were set on Earth or on a space station nearby.
*This episode is the first to feature the character of Captain [[Jack Harkness]] as portrayed by [[John Barrowman]], who recurs in the remainder of the episodes of the [[List of Doctor Who serials#Series 1 (2005)|2005 series]]. He also appears in the [[New Series Adventures (Doctor Who)|New Series Adventures]] novels and his own series, ''[[Torchwood]]''. He then reappeared in the Series 3 finale, "[[Utopia (Doctor Who)|Utopia]]"/"[[The Sound of Drums (Doctor Who)|The Sound of Drums]]"/"[[Last of the Time Lords]]", and the series 4 finale "[[The Stolen Earth (Doctor Who)|The Stolen Earth]]"/"[[Journey's End (Doctor Who)|Journey's End]]"
*As the Chula ship jumps the time track, on the console screen it is shown to be in the [[Time vortex (Doctor Who)|time vortex]] as seen in the credits. The TARDIS jumped a time track in the [[First Doctor]] serial ''[[The Space Museum]]'' (1965), giving the Doctor and his then companions a glimpse into their apparent future.<ref>{{cite serial | title = [[The Space Museum]] | series = [[Doctor Who]] | credits = Writer [[Glyn Jones]], Director [[Mervyn Pinfield]], Producers [[Verity Lambert]] | network = [[BBC]] | city = London | station = [[BBC One|BBC1]] | began = 1965-04-24 | ended = 1965-05-15}}</ref>
*The Doctor is surprised to hear the [[police box]] telephone on the TARDIS ringing. In the animated webcast ''[[Scream of the Shalka]]'', the unofficial "[[Shalka Doctor|Ninth Doctor]]" (voiced by [[Richard E. Grant]]) uses a [[mobile phone]] that is detached from the telephone compartment of the TARDIS exterior. A fake police box telephone was seen in ''[[Logopolis]]'', although that particular one belonged to [[Master (Doctor Who)|the Master]]'s TARDIS, which had adopted a police box disguise for the start of that story.<ref>{{cite serial | title = [[Logopolis]] | series = [[Doctor Who]] | credits = Writer [[Christopher H. Bidmead]], Director [[Peter Grimwade]], Producer [[John Nathan-Turner]] | network = [[BBC]] | station = [[BBC One|BBC1]] | city = London | began = 1981-02-28 | ended = 1981-03-21}}</ref> At the end of "[[World War Three (Doctor Who)|World War Three]]", the Doctor uses a fixed telephone inside the TARDIS console room.<ref>{{cite episode | title = [[World War Three (Doctor Who)|World War Three]] | series = [[Doctor Who]] | credits = Writer [[Russell T. Davies]], Director [[Keith Boak]], Producer [[Phil Collinson]] | network = [[BBC]] | station = [[BBC One]] | city = Cardiff | airdate = 2005-04-23}}</ref>
*According to a police officer in the ''Torchwood'' episode "[[Everything Changes (Torchwood)|Everything Changes]]", Captain Jack Harkness failed to report for duty and disappeared on [[21 January]] [[1941]].<ref>{{cite episode | title = [[Everything Changes (Torchwood)|Everything Changes]] | series = [[Torchwood]] | credits = Writer [[Russell T Davies]], Director [[Brian Kelly (director)|Brian Kelly]], Producers [[Richard Stokes (producer)|Richard Stokes]], [[Chris Chibnall]] | network = [[BBC]] | station = [[BBC Three]] | city = [[Cardiff]] | airdate = 2006-10-22}}</ref> This would suggest that this story takes place in January 1941.
*A later episode of ''Torchwood'', "[[Captain Jack Harkness (Torchwood episode)|Captain Jack Harkness]]" is set not long before this episode.<ref>{{cite episode | title = [[Captain Jack Harkness (Torchwood episode)|Captain Jack Harkness]] | series = [[Torchwood]] | credits = Writer [[Catherine Tregenna]], Director [[Ashley Way]], Producers [[Richard Stokes (producer)|Richard Stokes]], [[Chris Chibnall]] | network = [[BBC]] | station = [[BBC Three]] | city = [[Cardiff]] | airdate = 2007-01-01}}</ref>
*There is no explicit reference to "Bad Wolf" in this episode, but there is one in "[[The Doctor Dances]]", similar to there being only one explicit reference in the two-part "[[Aliens of London]]"/"[[World War Three (Doctor Who)|World War Three]]" story. Also, the UNIT website changed its secure password from "buffalo" to "badwolf".<ref>[http://www.unit.org.uk/ Top Secret: Unit<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> See [[Bad Wolf references in Doctor Who]].
*Albion Hospital, in reality the [[Cardiff]] Royal Infirmary, also appears in the episode "[[Aliens of London]]".<ref>{{cite episode | title = [[Aliens of London]] | series = [[Doctor Who]] | credits = Writer [[Russell T. Davies]], Director [[Keith Boak]], Producer [[Phil Collinson]] | network = [[BBC]] | station = [[BBC One]] | city = Cardiff | airdate = 2005-04-16}}</ref>
*"The Empty Child", "[[The Doctor Dances]]" and "[[Midnight (Doctor Who)|Midnight]]" are the only ''Doctor Who'' stories strongly connected with an alien race in which none of its members or representatives are actually seen.
*The ''[[Doctor Who Confidential]]'' for this episode describes Jack as a former Time Agent from the 51st century. In ''[[The Talons of Weng-Chiang]]'', the villainous Magnus Greel is a time traveller from the 51st century who fears pursuit from Time Agents.<ref>{{cite serial | title = [[The Talons of Weng-Chiang]] | series = [[Doctor Who]] | credits = Writer [[Robert Holmes]], from an idea by [[Robert Banks Stewart]] (uncredited), Director [[David Maloney]], Producer [[Philip Hinchcliffe]] | network = [[BBC]] | station = [[BBC One|BBC1]] | city = London | began=1977-02-26 | ended = 1977-04-02}}</ref> The Time Agents appear in the spin-off novels ''[[Eater of Wasps]]'' by [[Trevor Baxendale]] and ''[[Trading Futures]]'' by [[Lance Parkin]], and their origins in the aftermath of the wars of the 51st century are described in ''[[Emotional Chemistry]]'' by [[Simon A. Forward]].
*The Doctor's use of the alias "John Smith" (with or without the title "Doctor") is a longstanding one, first appearing in ''[[The Wheel in Space]]''<ref>{{cite serial | title = [[The Wheel in Space]] | series = [[Doctor Who]] | credits = Writer [[David Whitaker]], from a story by [[Kit Pedler]], Director Tristan de Vere Cole, Producer [[Peter Bryant]] | network = [[BBC]] | station = [[BBC One|BBC1]] | city = London | began = 1968-04-27 | ended = 1968-06-01}}</ref> and then several times during the course of the series, in particular the [[Third Doctor]]'s time with [[United Nations Intelligence Taskforce|UNIT]].
*At one point, frustrated at not knowing his real name, Rose asks, "Doctor who?" The Doctor's actual name has been a [[running gag]] in the series since the [[An Unearthly Child|very first serial]]. Examples include ''[[The Curse of Peladon]]'' and ''[[The Five Doctors]]'' (and later "[[Boom Town (Doctor Who)|Boom Town]]"). For other aliases used by the Doctor, see [[Doctor (Doctor Who)#"Doctor who?"|"Doctor who?"]].
*Dr. Constantine remarks that before the war, he was a father and a grandfather, and now he is neither - but is still a doctor. The Doctor says "I know the feeling", a reference to his granddaughter [[Susan Foreman]] (and her unnamed father or mother), who is implied to have died in the Time War along with the rest of the Doctor's family.
*Captain Jack states that he is a conman in this episode, and one of his scams involves an event known as "volcano day". In the 2008 episode "[[The Fires of Pompeii]]" the Doctor uses the same phrase, "We're in [[Pompeii]], and it's volcano day!".<ref>{{cite episode | title = [[The Fires of Pompeii]] | series = [[Doctor Who]] | credits = Writer [[James Moran (writer)|James Moran]], Director [[Colin Teague]], Producer [[Phil Collinson]] | network = [[BBC]] | station = [[BBC One]] | city = [[Cardiff]] | airdate = 2008-04-12}}</ref>
*In "[[The Poison Sky]]", the Doctor jokingly repeats the line "Are you my mummy?" when he puts on a gas mask.<ref>{{cite episode | title = [[The Poison Sky]] | series = [[Doctor Who]] | credits = Writer [[Helen Raynor]], Director [[Douglas Mackinnon]], Producer [[Susie Liggat]] | network = [[BBC]] | station = [[BBC One]] | city = [[Cardiff]] | airdate = 2008-05-03}}</ref>
*The music that Jack plays as he and Rose dance on top of his spaceship, is "[[Moonlight Serenade]]" by [[Glenn Miller]]. This music was also playing in ''[[Revelation of the Daleks]]'' when Peri met the DJ.<ref>{{cite serial | title = [[Revelation of the Daleks]] | series = [[Doctor Who]] | credits = Writer [[Eric Saward]], Director [[Graeme Harper]], Producer [[John Nathan-Turner]] | network = [[BBC]] | station = [[BBC1]] | city = London | began = 1985-03-23 | ended = 1985-03-30}}</ref>


Unlike previous episodes, the "next episode" trailers were shown after the end credits instead of immediately preceding them, possibly in reaction to comments after "[[Aliens of London]]" about having the cliffhanger for that episode spoiled.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://doctorwhoworlduk.com/ns1ep9|title=The Empty Child|access-date=5 April 2020}}</ref>
===Production===
*This episode had the working title "World War II".<ref>[http://www.shannonsullivan.com/drwho/serials/2005ij.html A Brief History Of Time (Travel): The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> In the [[French language]] version of the show, this episode has the title ''Drôle de mort'' ("Strange/Funny Death"), referring to the ''Drôle de guerre'' ([[Phoney War]]).
*Early versions of this script quoted this episode's title as being "An Empty Child". This is a reference to "[[An Unearthly Child]]", the very first episode of ''Doctor Who''. The episode's television listings information and the [[DVD]] cover also mention that "London is being terrorised by an unearthly child".
*The sound of Dr Constantine's skull cracking as his face changes into a gas mask was considered too horrific in its full form by the production team and was cut before broadcast. However, writer Steven Moffat claims on the DVD commentary to this episode that the sound was discussed but never put on. According to the ''[[Doctor Who Confidential]]'' episode "Fear Factor", the effect was added in the version of the episode presented on the [[Doctor Who DVD releases|''The Complete First Series'' box set]].
*Unlike previous episodes, the "next episode" trailers were shown after the end credits instead of immediately preceding them, possibly in reaction to comments after "[[Aliens of London]]" about having the cliff-hanger for that episode spoiled. This trend has continued for most two-part stories in the new series.
*Captain Jack's line explaining the nanogenes was not audible in either the original or repeat broadcasts on [[CBC Television]] in Canada. It was also removed from the [[UKTV Gold]] and US [[Sci Fi Channel (United States)|Sci Fi Channel]] broadcasts, although the lines were still present in the subtitles. This adds some confusion to Rose's next line, "Well, tell them thanks!" The cause for this change is unknown.


Writer [[Steven Moffat]] says in the [[DVD]] commentary for this episode that the Doctor's reply to Rose asking him what she should call him ("Doctor who?") was originally going to be, "I'd rather have ''Doctor Who'' than ''Star Trek''," a metafictional dig at the latter programme.<ref name="commentary" /> This is the first televised ''Doctor Who'' story to make a direct reference to ''Star Trek''.<ref name="Doctorwhotv">{{cite web|last=K McEwan|first=Cameron|date=10 September 2016|title=To boldy celebrate 50 years – Star Trek references in Doctor Who|url=https://www.doctorwho.tv/news/?article=to-boldy-celebrate-50-years-star-trek-references-in-doctor-who|access-date=17 February 2020|website=Doctor Who Tv}}</ref> The Chula ships are named after Chula, an [[Cuisine of India|Indian]]/[[Bangladesh]]i [[fusion cuisine|fusion restaurant]] in [[Hammersmith]], London where the writers celebrated and discussed their briefs on the scripts they were to write for the season after being commissioned by [[Russell T Davies]].<ref>[http://www.restaurantsomh.com/l33.htm London Restaurants | Chula<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060420075857/http://www.restaurantsomh.com/l33.htm |date=20 April 2006 }}</ref> This meeting was videotaped, and is available on the DVD release of Doctor Who&nbsp;— The Complete First Series.
===Outside references===
*Frequently in this episode, Rose makes references to the ''[[Star Trek]]'' character [[Mr. Spock]]. This is the first televised ''Doctor Who'' story to make a direct reference to ''Star Trek'', although there had been previous references in the ''Doctor Who Magazine'' comic strip and original novels.
*Writer [[Steven Moffat]] says in the [[DVD]] commentary for this episode that the Doctor's reply to Rose asking him what she should call him ("Doctor who?") was originally going to be, "I'd rather have ''Doctor Who'' than ''Star Trek''," a metafictional dig at the latter programme.
*The Chula ships are named after Chula, an [[Cuisine of India|Indian]]/[[Bangladesh]]i [[fusion cuisine|fusion restaurant]] in [[Hammersmith]], London where the writers celebrated and discussed their briefs on the scripts they were to write for the season after being commissioned by [[Russell T. Davies]].<ref>[http://www.restaurantsomh.com/l33.htm London Restaurants | Chula<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> This meeting was videotaped, and is available on the DVD release of Doctor Who - The Complete First Series.


The episode was initially smaller in scale and personal with writer Steven Moffat saying that "there was no big enemy and the major fear factor was a little boy looking for his mummy. ''Doctor Who'' can be small and domestic, and brilliantly effective."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://drwhointerviews.wordpress.com/2009/12/16/steven-moffat-2009/|title=Steven Moffat (2009)|date=16 December 2009|access-date=5 April 2020}}</ref>
====Historical details====

*Rose is carried away on a rope attached to a barrage balloon. World War II barrage balloons were actually tethered by steel cables to winches anchored to the ground and not by ropes. They were operated by RAF and [[Women's Auxiliary Air Force|WAAF]] Balloon Command personnel.
==Broadcast and reception==
*Jack Harkness claims to be an American volunteer with 133 Squadron. Group 12, [[No. 133 Squadron RAF]] — one of the "[[Eagle squadron]]s", so-called because of their American complement — was formed in July 1941, but was not based in the London area and disbanded in September 1942. He holds the rank of Captain (wearing the four band insignia of a [[Group Captain]]). This would have been equivalent to a [[USAAF]] [[Colonel|(full) colonel]] and would be unusual since The Eagle squadrons were commanded by British or [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] [[squadron leader]]s (equivalent to a USAAF major) with volunteers not holding a rank any higher than a [[flight lieutenant]] which ''is'' equivalent to a USAAF [[Captain (OF-2)|captain]].
"The Empty Child" received overnight ratings of 6.6 million viewers, a 34.9% audience share.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gallifreyone.com/newstv.php|title=This Week's TV News Coverage|publisher=[[Outpost Gallifrey]]|date=28 May 2005|access-date=7 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050529003050/http://www.gallifreyone.com/newstv.php|archive-date=29 May 2005 }}</ref> When final ratings were calculated, the figure rose to 7.11 million viewers.<ref name="inside story">{{Cite book |last=Russell |first=Gary |title=Doctor Who: The Inside Story |publisher=[[BBC Books]] |location=London |year=2006 |page=139 |isbn=978-0-563-48649-7 |author-link=Gary Russell}}</ref> The episode received an [[Audience Appreciation Index]] score of 84.<ref name="index">{{Cite web|url=https://guide.doctorwhonews.net/info.php?detail=ratings&start=100&type=date&order=|title=Ratings Guide|website=Doctor Who News|access-date=17 February 2020}}</ref>
*The gas masks shown in the programme are not normal civilian-issue masks, which had a single wide window. They are closer to the [[Special Air Service]] mask, but lack the slightly conical rubber valve at the nose. In ''[[Doctor Who Confidential]]'' it was stated that these were custom masks specially designed by the production team and not replicas of any period equipment.

''[[SFX (magazine)|SFX]]'' stated that the two-part story had "everything", particularly praising Moffat's script.<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060527015102/http://www.sfx.co.uk/tv_reviews/doctor_who_the_empty_childthe_doctor_dances|date=28 May 2005|url=http://www.sfx.co.uk/tv_reviews/doctor_who_the_empty_childthe_doctor_dances|title=Doctor Who: The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances|work=SFX|archive-date=27 May 2006|access-date=28 April 2012}}</ref> In 2012, Dave Golder of the magazine labelled "The Empty Child" as a good example of the science fiction "Creepy Kid Episode".<ref>{{cite web|first=Dave|last=Golder|url=http://www.sfx.co.uk/2012/12/12/10-more-episodes-that-every-sci-fi-show-must-have/7/|title=10 More Episodes That Every Sci-Fi Show Must Have|work=SFX|date=12 December 2012|access-date=15 December 2012}}</ref> Dek Hogan of [[Digital Spy]] disliked Barrowman as Captain Jack, but called it a "particularly creepy episode of the series" despite Jack and "the brevity of Richard Wilson's neat and spooky little cameo".<ref>{{cite web|first=Dek|last=Hogan|url=http://www.digitalspy.com/british-tv/dekstvdiary/a21373/no-love-for-the-island.html|title=No love for the Island|publisher=[[Digital Spy]]|date=22 May 2005|access-date=28 April 2012}}</ref> He later called "The Empty Child" and "The Doctor Dances" the best episodes of the series.<ref>{{cite web|first=Dek|last=Hogan |url=http://www.digitalspy.com/british-tv/dekstvdiary/a21920/the-global-jukebox.html |title=The Global Jukebox|publisher=[[Digital Spy]] |date=19 June 2005 |access-date=28 April 2012}}</ref> ''[[Now Playing (magazine)|Now Playing]]'' magazine reviewer Arnold T. Blumburg gave the episode a grade of a B, describing it as "solid" with elements of the original series, though he noted a lot was thrown at the audience and he was not impressed with Barrowman's Jack yet.<ref name="nowplaying">{{cite web|first=Arnold T|last=Blumburg|url=http://www.nowplayingmag.com/content/view/1575/47/|title=Doctor Who&nbsp;– The Empty Child|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050529000050/http://www.nowplayingmag.com/content/view/1575/47/|archive-date=29 May 2005|work=[[Now Playing (magazine)|Now Playing]]|date=25 May 2005|access-date=21 January 2013}}</ref>

In a poll conducted by ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' in 2009, the two-part story was ranked the fifth best episode of ''Doctor Who''.<ref>{{cite web|first=Lester|last=Haines|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/09/17/best_who_ever/|title=Doctor Who fans name best episode ever|work=The Register|date=17 September 2009|access-date=9 August 2011}}</ref> In a similar poll conducted in 2014, readers ranked the two-part story the seventh best ''Doctor Who'' story of all time.<ref>{{cite news|title=The Top 10 Doctor Who stories of all time|url=http://www.doctorwhomagazine.com/the-top-10-doctor-who-stories-of-all-time/|access-date=21 August 2014|publisher=Doctor Who Magazine|date=21 June 2014|archive-date=6 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191206154728/https://doctorwhomagazine.com/the-top-10-doctor-who-stories-of-all-time/|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' named the story the fourth best of the show in 2008.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3674193/The-10-greatest-episodes-of-Doctor-Who-ever.html|title=The 10 greatest episodes of Doctor Who ever|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|location=London|date=2 July 2008|access-date=2012-02-11}}</ref> In 2011 before the second half of the [[Doctor Who (series 6)|sixth series]], ''[[The Huffington Post]]'' labelled "The Empty Child" and "The Doctor Dances" as one of five essential episodes for new viewers to watch.<ref>{{cite web|first=Catherine|last=Lawson|url=http://www.aoltv.com/2011/08/09/doctor-who-5-essential-episodes/|title=Catch Up With 'Doctor Who': 5 Essential Episodes|work=[[Huffington Post]]|date=9 August 2011|access-date=12 February 2012|archive-date=26 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131026133414/http://www.aoltv.com/2011/08/09/doctor-who-5-essential-episodes/|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2013 Doctor Who TV rated The Empty Child as the twentieth scariest villain.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/top-40-scariest-doctor-who-monsters-villains-20-11-54533.htm|title=Top 40 Scariest Doctor Who Monsters & Villains (20-11)|website=Doctor Who TV|last=Edwards|first=Tomas|date=30 October 2013|access-date=6 April 2020}}</ref>

"The Empty Child", along with its conclusion "The Doctor Dances", won the 2006 [[Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation#Short Form|Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form)]].<ref name="hugo">{{Cite web
| url = http://www.locusmag.com/2006/News/08_HugoCampbellWinners.html
| title = Hugo and Campbell Awards Winners| work = [[Locus (magazine)|Locus Online]]| access-date = 2006-08-27| date = 26 August 2006}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{wikiquote|Ninth Doctor}}
{{Wikiquote|Ninth Doctor}}

{{TardisIndexFile}}
*{{BBCDWnew|year=2005|id=emptychild|title=The Empty Child}}
*{{BBCDWnew|year=2005|id=emptychild|title=The Empty Child}}
* {{DoctorWhoTV}}
*{{Brief| id=2005ij | title=The Empty Child" / "The Doctor Dances|quotes=y}}
*''[https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/doctorwho/ram/confidential9?size=16x9&bgc=CC0000&nbram=1&bbram=1&nbwm=1&bbwm=1 Doctor Who Confidential]''&nbsp;— Episode 9: Special Effects
*{{Doctor Who RG| id=who_tv08 | title=The Empty Child" / "The Doctor Dances|quotes=y}}
*[https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/doctorwho/ram/ep9trail?size=16x9&bgc=CC0000&nbram=1&bbram=1 "Are you my mummy?"]&nbsp;— Episode trailer for "The Empty Child"
*{{OG|2005-09|The Empty Child|quotes=y}}
*{{Tv.com episode|id=407900|title=The Empty Child}}
*{{IMDb episode|0562996}}
*''[http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/doctorwho/ram/confidential9?size=16x9&bgc=CC0000&nbram=1&bbram=1&nbwm=1&bbwm=1 Doctor Who Confidential]'' &mdash; Episode 9: Special Effects
*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/doctorwho/ram/ep9trail?size=16x9&bgc=CC0000&nbram=1&bbram=1 "Are you my mummy?"] &mdash; Episode trailer for "The Empty Child"


{{Doctor Who episodes|N1}}
===Reviews===
{{Doctor Who episodes by Steven Moffat |state=autocollapse}}
*{{OG review| id=2005-09 | title=The Empty Child|quotes=y}}
{{Ninth Doctor stories}}
*{{OG review| id=2005-0910 | title=The Empty Child" / "The Doctor Dances|quotes=y}}
{{Captain Jack stories}}
*{{DWRG| id=emptychild | title=The Empty Child|quotes=y}}
{{Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form}}
*{{DWRG| id=emptydances | title=The Empty Child" / "The Doctor Dances|quotes=y}}

{{start box}}
{{succession box |
before="[[33 (Battlestar Galactica)|33]]"</br>([[Battlestar Galactica]]) |
title=[[Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form]] |
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}}
{{end box}}

{{2006 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form}}
{{Doctor Who (series 1)}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Empty Child, The}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Empty Child, The}}
[[Category:Doctor Who pseudohistorical serials]]
[[Category:Doctor Who pseudohistorical serials]]
[[Category:Hugo Award Winner for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form]]
[[Category:Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form–winning works]]
[[Category:Ninth Doctor episodes]]
[[Category:Ninth Doctor episodes]]
[[Category:2005 television episodes]]
[[Category:2005 British television episodes]]
[[Category:Screenplays by Steven Moffat]]
[[Category:Television episodes written by Steven Moffat]]
[[Category:Television episodes about World War II]]

[[Category:Fiction set in 1941]]
[[vo:Cil Vagik]]
[[Category:Television episodes set in London]]
[[Category:Television episodes set in the 1940s]]

Latest revision as of 07:47, 12 November 2024

164a – "The Empty Child"
Doctor Who episode
Cast
Others
Production
Directed byJames Hawes
Written bySteven Moffat
Script editorElwen Rowlands
Produced byPhil Collinson
Executive producer(s)
Music byMurray Gold
Production code1.9
SeriesSeries 1
Running time1st of 2-part story, 45 minutes
First broadcast21 May 2005 (2005-05-21)
Chronology
← Preceded by
"Father's Day" 		Followed by →
"The Doctor Dances"
List of episodes (2005–present)

"The Empty Child" is the ninth episode of the first series of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on BBC One on 21 May 2005. It was directed by James Hawes, and was the first canonical episode written by Steven Moffat, who previously wrote the Comic Relief mini-episode "The Curse of Fatal Death" in 1999. He would later become the showrunner and main writer of Doctor Who from the fifth to tenth series. "The Empty Child" is the first of a two-part story, which continued and concluded with "The Doctor Dances", on 28 May.

In the episode, the alien time traveller, the Doctor and his companion Rose Tyler arrive in 1941 during the London Blitz, where they find that the city has been terrorised by a strange child in a gas mask repeatedly asking for his mother. The episode marks the first appearance of John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness, who would become a recurring character in Doctor Who and the lead character of the spin-off series Torchwood.

"The Empty Child" was watched by 7.11 million viewers in the UK. The two-part story has been cited by critics amongst the best of the show, and it won the 2006 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form.

Plot

[edit]

The Ninth Doctor and Rose follow a time-travelling metal cylinder to London in 1941, during the Blitz. The Doctor tries to track the cylinder, while Rose discovers a young boy wearing a gas mask on a nearby roof. Rose climbs on a nearby rope, but she realises too late that the rope is the tethering cable of a barrage balloon, and is carried off the ground. Captain Jack Harkness, a former time agent from the future posing as a Royal Air Force officer, rescues Rose with his camouflaged spaceship before Rose falls from the balloon. Jack mistakes Rose for a potential customer of an object that he is willing to sell. Rose plays along, but insists she needs to discuss the matter with her partner before buying.

Meanwhile, the Doctor returns to the TARDIS to find its phone ringing; despite caution from Nancy, a young woman nearby, not to answer it, he does, only to hear the voice of a child asking "Are you my mummy?" He follows Nancy to a house left empty from the recent air raid sirens, where Nancy and some orphaned children eat a meal abandoned by the homeowners. The Doctor tries to learn more from Nancy, but the boy in the gas mask knocks at the door. Nancy orders the children to leave by the back entrance, and warns the Doctor not to touch the boy. The Doctor opens the door anyway, but the child is gone. The Doctor catches up to Nancy and convinces her to give him more information. Nancy reveals that she knew the cylinder fell near a nearby hospital, and its appearance is tied to the boy.

The Doctor arrives at the hospital and discovers several patients with identical symptoms, including gas masks fused to their bodies. Dr Constantine explains that Jamie, Nancy's brother, was the first patient with these symptoms. Suddenly, Constantine changes into another gas mask-wearing person as Rose and Jack arrive. Jack admits that the crashed cylinder is just a worthless Chula medical transport which he sent to earth in order to con the Doctor and Rose. The converted patients suddenly rise from their beds and converge on the trio, all asking "Are you my mummy?" Nancy, who had returned to the home to get more food, is also cornered by Jamie, the boy, as he reaches out to her.

Production

[edit]
The titular Empty Child, as shown at the Doctor Who Experience.

This episode had the working title "World War II".[1] Early versions of this script quoted this episode's title as being "An Empty Child".[2] This is a reference to "An Unearthly Child", the very first episode of Doctor Who. The episode's television listings information and the DVD cover also mention that "London is being terrorised by an unearthly child". In Davies's initial pitch, Captain Jack was originally called 'Captain Jax', an interstellar alien soldier.[1][3] The name Jax was eventually dropped, as was Jack's original characterisation, instead being a human conman from the 51st century.[3]

The filming took place during the fourth production block.[3] Special effects shots were completed at Unit Q2 in Newport on 17 and 18 December 2004.[3] From 4 to 8 January and from 11 to 14 January scenes at Cardiff Royal Infirmary were filmed.[3] On 9 and 10 January scenes shot in alleyways were filmed in Womanby Street, Cardiff. The bar scenes were also shot on 10 January at Headlands School in Penarth.[3] The scene in which Rose hangs from the barrage balloon was filmed in a hangar at RAF St Athan and then in the Vale of Glamorgan, on 17 January.[3] From 18 to 20 January filming involving Jack's ship and the TARDIS took place at the studio at Unit Q2. Extra TARDIS scenes were shot on 7 February.[3] Scenes in the Lloyd's house were filmed on 28 January.[3] Glamorgan House in Cardiff was used for the officers' club scene on 8 February.[3] Location filming also took place at the Barry Tourist Railway.[4] Barry Island and its now-demolished Butlins holiday camp had previously been the filming location of the Seventh Doctor serial, Delta and the Bannermen.[5]

The sound of Dr Constantine's skull cracking as his face changes into a gas mask was considered too horrific in its full form by the production team and was cut before broadcast.[6] However, writer Steven Moffat claims on the DVD commentary to this episode that the sound was discussed but never put on.[7] According to the Doctor Who Confidential episode "Fear Factor", the effect was added in the version of the episode presented on The Complete First Series box set.[8] Casting for Captain Jack Harkness began around June with particular consideration to John Barrowman per the request of executive producer Julie Gardener.[3]

Unlike previous episodes, the "next episode" trailers were shown after the end credits instead of immediately preceding them, possibly in reaction to comments after "Aliens of London" about having the cliffhanger for that episode spoiled.[9]

Writer Steven Moffat says in the DVD commentary for this episode that the Doctor's reply to Rose asking him what she should call him ("Doctor who?") was originally going to be, "I'd rather have Doctor Who than Star Trek," a metafictional dig at the latter programme.[7] This is the first televised Doctor Who story to make a direct reference to Star Trek.[10] The Chula ships are named after Chula, an Indian/Bangladeshi fusion restaurant in Hammersmith, London where the writers celebrated and discussed their briefs on the scripts they were to write for the season after being commissioned by Russell T Davies.[11] This meeting was videotaped, and is available on the DVD release of Doctor Who — The Complete First Series.

The episode was initially smaller in scale and personal with writer Steven Moffat saying that "there was no big enemy and the major fear factor was a little boy looking for his mummy. Doctor Who can be small and domestic, and brilliantly effective."[12]

Broadcast and reception

[edit]

"The Empty Child" received overnight ratings of 6.6 million viewers, a 34.9% audience share.[13] When final ratings were calculated, the figure rose to 7.11 million viewers.[14] The episode received an Audience Appreciation Index score of 84.[15]

SFX stated that the two-part story had "everything", particularly praising Moffat's script.[16] In 2012, Dave Golder of the magazine labelled "The Empty Child" as a good example of the science fiction "Creepy Kid Episode".[17] Dek Hogan of Digital Spy disliked Barrowman as Captain Jack, but called it a "particularly creepy episode of the series" despite Jack and "the brevity of Richard Wilson's neat and spooky little cameo".[18] He later called "The Empty Child" and "The Doctor Dances" the best episodes of the series.[19] Now Playing magazine reviewer Arnold T. Blumburg gave the episode a grade of a B, describing it as "solid" with elements of the original series, though he noted a lot was thrown at the audience and he was not impressed with Barrowman's Jack yet.[20]

In a poll conducted by Doctor Who Magazine in 2009, the two-part story was ranked the fifth best episode of Doctor Who.[21] In a similar poll conducted in 2014, readers ranked the two-part story the seventh best Doctor Who story of all time.[22] The Daily Telegraph named the story the fourth best of the show in 2008.[23] In 2011 before the second half of the sixth series, The Huffington Post labelled "The Empty Child" and "The Doctor Dances" as one of five essential episodes for new viewers to watch.[24] In 2013 Doctor Who TV rated The Empty Child as the twentieth scariest villain.[25]

"The Empty Child", along with its conclusion "The Doctor Dances", won the 2006 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form).[26]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Mcalpine, Fraser (2014). "'Doctor Who': 10 Things You May Not Know About 'The Empty Child'". Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  2. ^ "Fact File". BBC. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances". shannonsullivan.com/. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  4. ^ "Walesarts, Barry Island Railway". BBC. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  5. ^ "Weird Science". Doctor Who Confidential. Series 1. Episode 10. 28 May 2005. BBC. BBC Three.
  6. ^ "'Horrible' Doctor Who toned down". BBC. 18 May 2005. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
  7. ^ a b Steven Moffat (2005). Commentary for Doctor Who episode "The Empty Child" (DVD (Region 2)). United Kingdom: BBC.
  8. ^ "Fear Factor". Doctor Who Confidential. Series 2. Episode 2. 22 April 2006. BBC. BBC Three.
  9. ^ "The Empty Child". Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  10. ^ K McEwan, Cameron (10 September 2016). "To boldy celebrate 50 years – Star Trek references in Doctor Who". Doctor Who Tv. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  11. ^ London Restaurants | Chula Archived 20 April 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ "Steven Moffat (2009)". 16 December 2009. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  13. ^ "This Week's TV News Coverage". Outpost Gallifrey. 28 May 2005. Archived from the original on 29 May 2005. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
  14. ^ Russell, Gary (2006). Doctor Who: The Inside Story. London: BBC Books. p. 139. ISBN 978-0-563-48649-7.
  15. ^ "Ratings Guide". Doctor Who News. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  16. ^ "Doctor Who: The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances". SFX. 28 May 2005. Archived from the original on 27 May 2006. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  17. ^ Golder, Dave (12 December 2012). "10 More Episodes That Every Sci-Fi Show Must Have". SFX. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
  18. ^ Hogan, Dek (22 May 2005). "No love for the Island". Digital Spy. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  19. ^ Hogan, Dek (19 June 2005). "The Global Jukebox". Digital Spy. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  20. ^ Blumburg, Arnold T (25 May 2005). "Doctor Who – The Empty Child". Now Playing. Archived from the original on 29 May 2005. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  21. ^ Haines, Lester (17 September 2009). "Doctor Who fans name best episode ever". The Register. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
  22. ^ "The Top 10 Doctor Who stories of all time". Doctor Who Magazine. 21 June 2014. Archived from the original on 6 December 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  23. ^ "The 10 greatest episodes of Doctor Who ever". The Daily Telegraph. London. 2 July 2008. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
  24. ^ Lawson, Catherine (9 August 2011). "Catch Up With 'Doctor Who': 5 Essential Episodes". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 26 October 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
  25. ^ Edwards, Tomas (30 October 2013). "Top 40 Scariest Doctor Who Monsters & Villains (20-11)". Doctor Who TV. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  26. ^ "Hugo and Campbell Awards Winners". Locus Online. 26 August 2006. Retrieved 27 August 2006.
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