Stories Television Doctor Who Series 1 Doctor Who S1 Episode: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 The Doctor Dances 2 images Overview Characters How to Watch Reviews 3 Statistics Related Stories Quotes 6 Transcript Overview First aired Saturday, May 28, 2005 Production Code 1.10 Written by Steven Moffat Directed by James Hawes Runtime 45 minutes Story Type Two-Parter Time Travel Past Tropes (Potential Spoilers!) AI gone wrong, Everybody Lives!, LGBTQA+ Inventory (Potential Spoilers!) Squareness gun Location (Potential Spoilers!) Earth, England, London UK Viewers 6.86 million Appreciation Index 85 Synopsis The Child's plague is spreading throughout wartime London, and its zombie army is on the march. The Ninth Doctor and Rose form an alliance with intergalactic con man Captain Jack, but find themselves trapped in the abandoned hospital. They head to the crash site of Jack's supposed space junk and discover the ground zero for the mysterious plague. Watch Watched Favourite Favourited Add Review Edit Review Log a repeat Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Owned Save to my list Saved Edit date completed Custom Date Release Date Archive (no date) Save Characters Ninth Doctor Christopher Eccleston Rose Tyler Billie Piper Captain Jack Harkness John Barrowman Nancy Jamie (the empty child) Spoiler!Click to reveal 👀 Show All Characters (5) How to watch The Doctor Dances: Watch on iPlayer Doctor Who Confidential DVD Series 1 Volume 3: The Long Game – Father‘s Day – The Empty Child – The Doctor Dances DVD The Complete First Series Blu-Ray Series 1 Blu-Ray The Complete First Series [Steelbook] Reviews Add Review Edit Review Sort: Date (Newest First) Date (Oldest First) Likes (High-Low) Likes (Low-High) Rating (High-Low) Rating (Low-High) Word count (High-Low) Word count (Low-High) Username (A-Z) Username (Z-A) Spoilers First Spoilers Last 3 reviews 4 February 2025 · 272 words Review by RandomJoke Spoilers 1 This review contains spoilers! Disclaimer: This Review is the exact same, as with my Review on the Episode "The Empty Child". This is because I consider this Two-Parter not only ONE Story, but also consistent in its Quality, which is why I didn't see the Need to write two separate Reviews. Honestly, is there anything i can add to this? It’s such a perfect story, when I revisited series 1 last year in order, I was fairly bumped out by the first couple of episodes, but episodes like this make this series easily one of the best of the revival (and I say that who tends to prefer classic in many ways). This two parter is wonderful, as many pointed out Florence Hoath who played Nancy was such a good guest star in this “serial”. The Doctor and Rose might have some of their biggest dynamic in here and the addition of jack is lovely (I haven’t seen much of Torchwood yet, but this might just be my favorite use of jack so far). The ending with 9 embracing the fact that everybody lives in such a time is just stunning, easily my favorite moment of his Doctor. For me nothing can beat “Dalek”, it’s just sooo good, but this is a very close call. Yet another showcase why Eccelston, even through he may seem like a major departure from the previous actors who played the part, still is and always will be an excellent choice. There is a lot I just love about it, really I have a hard time of thinking any negative I have with that Story, just so good! RandomJoke View profile Like Liked 1 10 June 2024 · 475 words Review by MrColdStream Spoilers 2 This review contains spoilers! 📝10/10 Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time! "The Doctor Dances: Moffat’s Bananas Blitz Brilliance" Steven Moffat’s knack for clever wordplay shines through with the title of this episode, setting the tone for what’s to come later in his writing career. The resolution to the previous episode’s cliffhanger is masterful and could only work with Christopher Eccleston’s distinctive portrayal of the Doctor. His sheer confidence and authority bring the moment to life. The Doctor’s fury at Jack for exploiting the Blitz for personal gain is perfectly in line with this incarnation’s simmering disdain for human folly—though Jack, to his credit, proves more resourceful than most. The growing rapport between Nine and Jack, peppered with their playful banter and comparisons of gadgets, is a highlight of this episode. It’s also the source of some of the show’s most iconic lines, like “Bananas are good!” and the wonderfully absurd “Who looks at a screwdriver and thinks, ‘Ooh, this could be a bit more sonic?’” Both Eccleston and John Barrowman deliver these lines with impeccable charm. From start to finish, this episode is intense. While there’s room for the occasional sharp joke or tender moment, the overarching narrative remains an exhilarating fight for survival. A standout scene features Rose inviting the Doctor to dance while he’s busy “resonating concrete”—a delightful moment of levity that underscores their growing bond. This episode’s script has become a treasure trove of quotable moments and memes over the years, cementing its reputation as the stronger half of this two-parter. The stakes continue to rise as the airborne contagion spreads, adding urgency and tension to the climax. There’s a particularly touching exchange between Rose and Nancy when Rose reveals the Germans will lose the war, offering Nancy a glimmer of hope amidst the chaos. The revelation of the nanogenes as the source of the gas mask plague is a clever twist, transforming a benevolent technology into something terrifying due to a simple error. It’s an elegant example of Moffat’s ability to make the mundane unsettling. The climactic moments are utterly gripping, culminating in the emotional payoff when the question “Are you my mummy?” is answered. What follows is arguably the Ninth Doctor’s finest hour: his unbridled joy as he exclaims, “Just this once, everybody lives!” It’s a rare and cathartic moment of unfiltered happiness that never fails to bring tears to my eyes. The episode ends on a high note, saving Captain Jack so he can continue adventuring with the Doctor and Rose. The final scene, with the trio dancing in the TARDIS, is a perfect conclusion, tying the story back to its title and leaving us with a sense of hope and joy that feels well-earned. MrColdStream View profile Like Liked 2 26 April 2024 · 395 words Review by 15thDoctor Spoilers 1 This review contains spoilers! In direct opposition to the classic series, the historical stories from 2005 are firm fan favourites. Not boring and stuffy but an opportunity to tell us universal truths about humanity, to give us hefty emotional stories that make us consider the cultural differences between now and then. It makes sense as the BBC have always been good at period pieces, they look and feel more grounded and impactful. Plus it is Moffat, so there are a bunch of sex jokes. They're good sex jokes though. The gas mask zombies push body horror further than show has ever experienced before, right up to the line, to scare children witless. There is great pathos as well, because you identify with the mother posing as a sister, the orphans and Dr Constantine. The horrific transformation of characters into insensible child-like beings, before having gas masks pushed out of their faces is an iconic visual seared into the imaginations of my generation. Moffat is a very clever writer. The most amazing thing about this first script (discounting Curse of the Fatal Death) is that although there is a highly technical explanation to why this plague has spread, it all adds up and explains the events in a natural sounding way. It never jumps the shark as the explanation is seeded so successfully. You are given everything you need to know to work out the solution in part 1, yet it still comes as a satisfying surprise in part 2. The nanogenes are a great creation. You get your monster of the week in the empty child, but then the driving force of the menace are miniature robots that have been designed to cure acting as a virus. Its a complete accident - there are no baddies. The lack of bad guys leaves space for the charming and morally ambiguous Captain Jack to take centre stage with our leads. He is so appealing and bounces off/ gets in the way of The Doctor and Rose in a fascinating way. He couldn't be more different from both of them, but slots in beautifully. Because its such a well known classic I think its easy to forget just how ground breaking and seminal this story is. It sets a high water mark for the rest of the new series to live up to - many series will go by without a story at this level. 15thDoctor View profile Like Liked 1 Open in new window Statistics AVG. Rating810 members 4.57 / 5 Trakt.tv AVG. Rating1,539 votes 4.19 / 5 The Time Scales AVG. Rating249 votes 4.60 / 5 Member Statistics Watched 1581 Favourited 318 Reviewed 3 Saved 3 Skipped 0 Owned 18 Related Stories Doctor Who S1 • Episode 9 The Empty Child Rating: 4.54 Story Skipped Television Reviews(5) More Actions View Sets Close Related Sets Set of Stories: Doctor Who Series 1 Set of Stories: Doctor Who (2005-2022) Set of Stories: Ninth Doctor Add Review Edit Review Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Save to my list Saved Torchwood Series 1 • Episode 12 Captain Jack Harkness Rating: 4.11 Story Skipped Television Reviews(4) More Actions View Sets Close Related Sets Set of Stories: Torchwood (Series 1-4) Set of Stories: Torchwood Series 1 Add Review Edit Review Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Save to my list Saved Quotes Add Quote Link to Quote Favourite DOCTOR: Funny little human brains. How do you get around in those things? — Ninth Doctor, The Doctor Dances Show All Quotes (6) Open in new window Transcript [Albion hospital] (The patients are almost within touching distance.) DOCTOR: Go to your room. (The patients in the ward and the child in the house stand still.) DOCTOR: Go to your room. I mean it. I'm very, very angry with you. I am very, very cross. Go to your room! Show Full Transcript Open in new window