The Empty Child

A total change from the emotional drama that was Father's Day, with The Empty Child we get back to some good old fashioned creepy sci fi

The TARDIS chases after an out of control capsule, which is highlighted as a mauve danger, jumping across time. The TARDIS lands in London, 1941 during World War 2. Straight away we see a little boy on a roof wearing a gas mask calling for his 'mummy.' During this episode Rose is wearing her wonderfully bold Union Jack tee-shirt. She accidentally ends up hanging to a blimp amidst an attack from Nazi planes, but saved by the handsome Captain Jack, who is curiously out of place and from a different time. The little boy begins a reign of terror asking 'are you my mummy?'

The Empty Child boasts some stunning effects, the plane attacks on London even ten years later look sensational. This is a brilliant piece of writing, a truly chilling episode, 'are you my mummy became an iconic phrase. The previous two parter (Aliens of London/World War 3) was overall a disappointment, this started in a much better way, you just knew you were watching a Classic, albeit one focused on an adult audience, some of the scenes would have been upsetting for young ones. I cannot really find any faults at all with The Empty Child, it's flawless, a brilliant episode, it's a multi layered story but not confused or over complicated. Florence Hoath and Richard Wilson are especially good. Can the quality continue to the concluding 'The Doctor dances?'

My Series 1 Review: Episodes 9 & 10

The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances

This is a much loved two part story beginning with The Empty Child and concluding with The Doctor Dances. The high regard this story is held in is well deserved as it is a superb mix of thrills, fun and engaging drama.

The Doctor and Rose visit wartime London where they meet a mysterious and flamboyant fellow time traveller, Captain Jack Harkness and an eerie child in a gas mask wandering around asking "Are you my mummy?"

The scary and intriguing scenes with the gas masked child are phenomenal and have become a very famous part of the show's modern era. It is exactly the kind of "hide behind the sofa" Doctor Who that I love. The way this develops and gets resolved is exciting and satisfying.

John Barrowman makes a big impression as the outrageous, funny and entertaining Captain Jack. His repeated returns to the show have made him a big part of modern Who lore.

Richard Wilson is another great guest actor and overall the whole production is top class.

Christopher Eccleston is always at his best, in my opinion, when the material is dark and thrilling so he is on top form in the dramatic scenes in this story. He also does well with the lighter, humorous parts here but I always find him less comfortable in humour and joy than he is when dealing with danger and darkness.

Future showrunner Steven Moffatt does a great job writing this story. In my opinion he was better as a guest writer than as a showrunner. He became less consistent when creating the whole show but when writing contained stories like this he is fantastic.

Overall both these episodes are real classics and the best of the Eccleston era.

My rating: 10/10.

Introducing my favorite doctor who character, captain Jack. Also, some great monsters. Doctor who at its best.

After Paul Cornell's Father's Day, it's another great writer's turn to provide his spin on Doctor Who: one Steven Moffat, creator of Coupling, lifelong fan of the original Doc and author of the hilarious Comic Relief spoof version of the show produced in 1999 (you know, the one with Rowan Atkinson as the Ninth Doctor). With such credentials, greatness was to be expected, and The Empty Child is easily the first season's high point, besides the chilling Dalek.

In fact, "chilling" is an adjective that applies quite well to this episode too: summoned by an emergency signal from a damaged time-ship, the Doctor and Rose land in 1914 London, where a mysterious, deformed child spreads terror with his gas mask-shaped face and constant cries for his absent mother. While the Doctor tries to get to the bottom of this spooky enigma, he and Rose also make a rather different acquaintance: that of Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), a stranded time traveler who loves to enjoy himself with just about anyone...

Marking a distinct tonal shift that goes beyond even the more suspenseful bits of Dalek, The Empty Child is a pretty scary episode - some scenes had to be edited because of the time slot - that might alienate younger viewers, but will no doubt fascinate older ones thanks to its pitch-perfect writing, subtle atmosphere build-up and impeccable reconstruction of war-time London. Moffat also deserves kudos for the introduction of Captain Jack, a character that blatantly panders to a more adult audience (then again, this is Moffat, the king of awkward sexual tension on the small screen) while also providing the sense of fun and excitement that makes Doctor Who such a great ride. And this is just part one of the story...

The writing of this episode is so intricate, almost spellbinding. Steven Moffat is a genius, I have been re watching several episodes of Doctor Who and this is one of the best. The cast are brilliant too!