Series 1 (2005)
Episode title: RoseFeaturing: Ninth Doctor
Companions: Rose Tyler
First shown: 26th March 2005
Related articles: Autons, Mickey Smith
Guide: The opening episode of Doctor Who’s return to television screens began with a 19 year old woman named Rose Tyler, a store worker for a London department store, who finds herself trapped inside it after hours when the plastic mannequins come to life in the basement of the store. Rose initially believes the moving mannequins to be a joke by one of her colleagues, until one attacks her. A man, wearing a leather jacket, comes and tells her to flee the building. The man calls himself “The Doctor.” The pair flee to the rooftop of the store, where the Doctor destroys the transmitter controlling the mannequins and most of the building along with it, rendering Rose unemployed but alive. The next day, Rose is attacked by the arm of one of the mannequins that she had unknowingly taken home from the night before, but is once again saved by the mysterious man. He takes the mannequins arm and leaves, refusing to give Rose any explanations.
Rose discusses the events with her boyfriend, Mickey Smith, and discovers a conspiracy theory website detailing events that have occurred by a man matching the description Rose has of the Doctor. Rose and Mickey go to meet Clive, the owner of the website, who gives Rose numerous pieces of evidence to suggest the Doctor is an alien, including photographs showing the Doctor in the crowd the day John F. Kennedy was killed in 1963 and another of the Doctor acting as a friend to a family due to sail on the Titanic the day after the photo was taken, though for unknown reasons the family did not sail and survived the disaster. Meanwhile, Mickey becomes interested in a plastic wheelie bin that keeps moving closer to his car every time he looks away. Annoyed, thinking it’s someone having a prank with him, Mickey gets out of his car to investigate, but finds the bin empty. However, when Mickey then tries to move away from the bin, the bin stretches with him, before pulling him into the bin and kidnapping him. In his place, a plastic replica of Mickey drives Rose home after she has finished with her meeting with Clive.
Mickey takes Rose out for dinner, and continuously questions her about the Doctor, but she doesn’t have any answers to give. A waiter comes over and offers them champagne but the plastic Mickey refuses and continues the questioning of Rose, but the waiter offers Rose the same champagne. She says they didn’t order any, but the waiter says he wants to toast the happy couple. The plastic Mickey looks up to have a go at the waiter, revealed to be the Doctor, who opens the champagne bottle pointed at the plastic Mickey, sending the cork flying straight into plastic Mickey’s forehead. The plastic Mickey just spits the cork out and attacks the Doctor, who removes the head of plastic Mickey while Rose sets off the fire alarm to evacuate the building. The Doctor and Rose escape out the back of the restaurant with the plastic Mickey’s head with the body chasing them. Out the back, Rose realises that they’re trapped as there isn’t any way out, but the Doctor just calmly walks into a wooden blue box standing in the yard. Rose eventually follows him as the plastic Mickey smashes its way outside and discovers the inside of the TARDIS. Though stunned, she becomes annoyed when the Doctor lets the plastic Mickey’s head melt on the TARDIS console, which he hadn’t intended to let happen. He tries to trace the signal controlling the plastic head but loses it as they land.
Outside the TARDIS, the Doctor wonders where the transmitter could be but it is Rose who finds it, as the London Eye. Together they delve below London’s streets to find the Nestene Consciousness controlling the plastic in the world, along with the real Mickey. The Nestene blames the Doctor for the destruction of the Nestene’s food planets in the Time War and activates the mannequins on the high street above ground. The Doctor is overpowered by two Autons, who find a vial of anti-plastic on his person, which the Doctor assures the Nestene was only for insurance, but the Nestene sees it as a direct threat against them. However, Rose uses her high school gymnast skills to knock the Auton holding the anti-plastic into the Nestene Consciousness while the Doctor frees himself from his second captor, throwing them into the Nestene as well. The Nestene is killed and the Doctor, Rose and Mickey escape in the Doctor’s TARDIS that had been brought down by the Autons after finding it as superior technology. The trio return above ground where Mickey is scared of the Doctor, his powers and the TARDIS. The Doctor offers Rose the chance to travel with him, an offer she initially rejects stating concern for her mother and Mickey, but changes her mind when the Doctor mentions that the TARDIS can travel in time as well as space. Rose runs into the TARDIS, leaving behind her family and friends for the adventures available by travelling with the Doctor.