DW 01-09: The Empty Child (part 1 of 2)

A Guide to Classic Who references in New Who episodes.

Series 1, episode 9 (Part of 1 of Story 8):  The Doctor & Rose end up in London during the Blitz.

Warning: May contain Spoilers for

"The Empty Child"

Viewing Order

• 1-01 "Rose" (Suggested viewing - introduction of characters.)

References

[1ST] - The first appearance of things in Doctor Who series.
[NEW] - Things that first appeared previously in the new series.

[OLD] - Things that first appeared in the classic series (or the film.)  Episode List.
[INJ] - An in-joke.

• [1ST]  Mauve Alert - First mention of this alert.

• [OLD]  Jumping Time Tracks - In the First Doctor story "The Space Museum" the TARDIS jumps time tracks causing the Doctor and his companions to wind up in a museum where they their future selves are on display.
• [INJ]  Bump into Earth - A joke at the expense of the sheer number of stories set on or around Earth.  Of the 8 stories so far this series this is the 6th set on Earth (the other 2 were set on a space platform viewing Earth and in a space station orbiting it.)

• [OLD]  John Smith - An alias often used by the Doctor.  The first time on screen was by companion Jamie McCrimmon who told people it was the concussed Doctor's name, in the Second Doctor story "The Wheel in Space" and most notably the name he used when exiled on Earth as a scientific advisor to UNIT as the Third Doctor.

• [OLD]  World War II - The Seventh Doctor story "Curse of Fenric" is set in 1943.  Another Seventh Doctor story "The Silver Nemesis" suggests that the Nemesis statue may have influenced Hitler to annex Austria in 1938.  This episode is set in 1941.
• [NEW]  900 years of phone box travel - Re-enforcing the idea that the 900 years mentioned in "Aliens of London" was his time travelling, not his actual age.  The TARDIS appeared as a Police Call Box in the first Doctor Who episode (blending in with 1960s London), and he expressed surprise in the second episode that its appearance had not changed to blend with pre-historic Earth, so "phone box travel"  could refers to time since that first episode.
• [1ST]  The TARDIS phone - As stated above, the TARDIS's appearance is supposed to blend into the surroundings, so it isn't really a phone box and the phone isn't really a phone.  This is the first time that it has worked and even though it is a dummy, the plot suggests that has a speaker.

• [OLD]  Time Agent/The Time Agency - The Fourth Doctor was mistaken for a Time Agent in "The Talons of Weng-Chiang" by a 51st Century criminal.
• [1ST]  Nanogenes - First appearances of this nanotech, although Nanotermites did appear in "The Long Game."
• [NEW]  Albion Hospital - the medical facility that the pig-alien was taken to in "Aliens of London."

• [OLD]  Doctor Who? - Name issues, again.
• [1ST]  Chula Warship/Chula Ambulance - The first reference.

The 10 Rules to Doctor Who.

10.  TARDIS:  The TARDIS is used to travel to travel to the time of the story.  Jack is using knowledge gained from time travel for his scam, which counts a little bit about Time Travel.  However, it's all OK, as Steven Moffat wrote the episode.   [1]

9.  Meeting Yourself:  Nobody tries.  [X]

8.  Non-sequiturs:   Yes.  [1]

7.  Serious/Frivolous:  Shows aspects of both personality.  [1]

6.  Series Final:  This is not a series final.  [X]

5.  Companion:  Rose, contemporary British female.  (40s past British story).  [1]

4.  Emotionless:  The Empty Child and friends seem to have a single emotion repeated over and over, not true emotions. [.5]

3.  Title Spoilers:  A reference to the threat but not really a spoiler.  [0]

2.  The Threat:  The viewer has glimpses of the Empty Child before the Doctor see him.  The Doctor has stuff explained to him but still hasn't found the answer. [.5]

1.  Last of It's Kind:  No last of their kind, besides the Doctor.  The Chula Warship is said to be the last one, but that's a ship not a species.  [1]

Score:  6/8.

~ DUG.

The Time Crash blog was created to help New Who fans understand Classic Who references - and to know if something isn't a reference but a new idea.  If there's a reference I missed or a subject that you feel needs more explaining, please comment.