Doctor Who: World War Three

Written by: Russell T. Davies
Directed by: Keith Boak
Starring: Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper
Duration: 42’57m
Broadcast Date: 24/4/2005
Ratings/Chart Pos: 7.98m/No.20
DVD Availability: Try sendit.com (region 2 only)
Images: See the Doctor Who: World War Three Image Page

Cast (credits order): Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who), Billie Piper (Rose Tyler), David Verrey (Joseph Green), Camille Coduri (Jackie Tyler), Penelope Wilton (Harriet Jones), Noel Clarke (Mickey Smith), Rupert Vansittart (General Asquith), Morgan Hopkins (Sergeant Price), Andrew Marr (As himself), Annette Badland (Margaret Blaine), Steve Speirs (Strickland), Jack Tarlton (Reporter), Lachele Carl (Reporter), Corey Doabe (Spray Painter) and Elizabeth Fost/Paul Kasey/Alan Ruscoe (Slitheen).

Crew & Credits: George Gerwitz (1st Assistant Director), Steffan Morris (2nd Assistant Director), Dafydd Parry (3rd Assistant Director), Clive Evans/Lowri Thomas (Location Managers), Dathyl Evans (Production Co-ordinator), Debi Griffiths/Kath Blackman (A/Production Accountants), Sian Prosser (Continuity), Elwen Rowlands (Script Editor), Mike Costelloe/Martin Stephens (Camera Operators), Steve Lawes/Mark Isaac (Focus Pullers), John Robinson (Grip), Damian Richardson (Boom Operator), Mark Hutchings (Gaffer), Peter Chester (Best Boy), Gwenllian Llwyd (Art Dept Co-ordinator), Bryan Hitch (Concept Artist), Catherine Samuel (Production Buyer), Peter Walpole (Set Decorator), Stephen Nicholas (Supervising Art Director), Julian Luxton (Standby Art Director), Patrick Begley (Property Master), Andrew Smith (Construction Manager), Adrian Anscombe/Phill Shellard (Standby Props), Jenny Bowers (Graphic Artist), Yolanda Peart-Smith (Wardrobe Supervisor), Linda Davie (Make-Up Supervisor), Sarah Wilson (Make-Up Artists), Kirsty Robertson (Casting Associate), Ceres Doyle (Assistant Editor), Marie Brown (Post Production Supervisor), Matthew Clarke (On Line Editor), Kai van Beers (Colourist), David Bowman/Simon C. Holden/Matthew Harrison/Bronwyn Edwards (2D VFX Artists), Chris Petts/Jean-Claude Deguara/Andy Howell/Mark Wallman/Paul Perrott/Paul Burton (3D VFX Artists), Mike Tucker (Model Unit Supervisor), Tim Ricketts (Dubbing Mixer), Paul McFadden (Dialogue Editor), Paul Jeffries (Sound FX Editor), Richard Pugsley (Finance Manager), Ron Grainer (Original Theme Music), Andy Pryor CDG (Casting Director), Endaf Emyr Williams (Production Accountant), Ian Richardson (Sound Recordist), Lucinda Wright (Costume Designer), Davy Jones (Make Up Designer), Murray Gold (Music), The Mill (Visual Effects), Will Cohen (Visual FX Producer), Dave Houghton (Visual FX Supervisor), Any Effects (Special Effects), Millennium Effects (Prosthetics), Mike Jones (Editor), Edward Thomas (Production Designer), Ernie Vincze BSC (Director of Photography), Tracie Simpson (Production Manager), Helen Vallis (Associate Producer), Russell T Davies/Julie Gardner/Mal Young (Executive Producers), Phil Collinson (Producer) and Keith Boak (Director). BBC Wales. c. BBC MMV.

Story: The Doctor and Rose arrive back home, where the Doctor has miscalculated and taken her back a year since she left. However, worries over where Rose has been are quickly forgotten as London finds itself in the grip of an alien invasion...

Trivia: The episode opens with a 37 second montage and reprise of the previous episode, yet inexplicably resolves the cliffhanger before the opening credits. Included at the end is a 35 second trailer for the following episode, Dalek.

The U.N.I.T. website which Mickey uses to launch the missile strike is actually on the internet, complete with “Buffalo” password access. Go to unit.org.uk.

Viewpoint:
"Got anything stronger?”
“No chance, I’ve seen you on the Malibu, this ain’t no time for a conga!”

If Aliens of London was about tightness of plot and effective pacing, then World War Three is a follow-up episode that lacks enough incident to fill its runtime.

From resolving its cliffhanger even before the opening credits (and in a not entirely convincing way, it has to be said), to extended chase sequences, the timing in this one is off throughout. Davies’s occasionally inappropriate humour for the timeslot and target audience sees the Slitheen cut off in the middle of saying “bollocks”, and the exaggerated politics which previously had a minor Minister as a stand-in PM are here pushed to incredulity as nuclear missiles are fired from a PC laptop.

While largely for children, there is the feeling that, as with The End of the World, that the episode is often a little too silly for its own good. As excellent an actor as Chris is, it’s perhaps fair to say that he doesn’t perhaps possess the light entertainment gene, and with unconfirmed rumours of a rift between him and director Keith Boak, he runs through the episode with a forced, rictus grin on his face. As the first story filmed, Eccleston often looks like he hasn’t quite found the character and isn’t sure what to do, while Penelope Wilton’s intentionally over-the-top performance is also troubling.

There are still some witty moments – “Slitheen” is revealed to be the aliens’ family surname, rather than their race name – although their appearance when computer animated is vastly different to that of the costumes, and some way from convincing. However, while nuking No.10 at 7pm on a Saturday night might be quite risky television, the incredibly unsubtle commentary on the war in Iraq also goes too far in patronising a thinking audience.

Not the finest hour for the series, and Chris looks forced and uncomfortable throughout much of the runtime. However, the kids still liked it, the coda is nice, if overplayed, and Noel Clarke as Mickey got to reveal previously hidden comic talents...