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Episode 9: “The Empty Child”Broadcast on BBC1, Saturday May 21st, 2005
Director:
- James Hawes
(Doctor Who: The Empty Child, Doctor Who: The Doctor Dances, Sea Of Souls, Without Motive)
Screenplay:
- Steven Moffat
(Coupling, Chalk, Murder Most Horrid)
Cast:
- The Doctor: Christopher Eccleston
Rose Tyler: Billie Piper
Captain Jack Harkness: John Barrowman
Nancy: Florence Hoath
Empty Child: Albert Valentine
Doctor Constantine: Richard Wilson
Synopsis: London, 1941, at the height of the Blitz. A mysterious cylinder isbeing guarded by the army, while homeless children, living on the bombsites,are being terrorised by an unearthly child…
The Empty Child is another classic slice of British science-fiction,helped immensely by the same production values employed in the DickensianThe Unquiet Dead the BBC just can’t be matched for authentic periodcostuming and set-design. The fact everything looks realistic gives theentire episode the kind of believability and polish other episodes justcan’t match.
Steven Moffatt’s script is briskly paced and suitably atmospheric. Again, aswith “The Unquiet Dead”, there’s a level of maturity balanced by the morefrivolous aspects to the story – as when Rose meets American time-travellerJack Harkness. Hopefully, Harkness’s role in the story will be sufficientlyexplained in part two, as here it comes across as a little at odds with themain story’s sinister tone. Moffatt provides some genuine chills in the formof the titular Empty Child, a gas-mask wearing youngster with a dangeroustouch who’s stalking London’s homeless kids.
Christopher Eccleston looks right at home with the tone of the story which deftly introduces moments of light comedy (writer Moffatt is morefamous for his sitcoms than sci-fi horror) and again gives The Doctor alightness of touch, yet without compromising his serious side. Ecclestonis, basically, settling into the role perfectly now it’s just a shame he’sfour episodes away from his swansong…
Billie Piper is somewhat pushed into the background, thanks to being handedthe silly end of the two plot-strands, but performs competently enough. JohnBarrowman is given a somewhat clichéd all-American hero character to sinkhis teeth into, and decides to underplay the character to good effect. Itwill be interesting to see his Captain Harkness clash with The Doctor,hopefully, particularly over the affections, and admiration, of Rose…
The supporting cast are also to be commended, particularly all the childactors but in particular Florence Hoath as Nancy, the motherly teen whocares for street kids by feeding them leftover meals belonging to familiescowering in their air-raid shelter. Likewise, an all too brief appearance byRichard Wilson as Dr Constantine is quite memorable as is his eventualfate…
The visual effects are generally very strong throughout the episode; withmoments of London being bombed by German planes a particular highlight. Theblue-screen effects during Rose’s trip via barrage balloon, or her encounterwith Harkness near Big Ben, don’t quite work however – but those sequencesare thankfully quite brief. The production design and costuming is, asalready mentioned, beyond reproach and truly sells the episode to theviewer.
Overall, another very strong episode of Doctor Who that ranks alongside “TheUnquiet Dead” for its measured and layered approach to storytelling. Eventsbuild very neatly throughout, and there are some genuinely unnerving moments(mournful cries of “Mummy… mummy…Are you my mummy?” will be hauntingthe nation’s kids tonight!)
Hopefully part two will live up to the high benchmark set here…
Next Week: The adventure continues in The Doctor Dances with CaptainHarkness helping The Doctor and Rose to solve the mystery of The EmptyChild…
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Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.