The Christmas Invasion

167 – "The Christmas Invasion"
Doctor Who episode
The Sycorax look on at the humans.
Cast
Doctor David Tennant (Tenth Doctor)
Companion Billie Piper (Rose Tyler)
Others Camille Coduri – Jackie Tyler Noel Clarke – Mickey Smith Penelope Wilton – Harriet Jones Adam Garcia – Alex Daniel Evans – Danny Llewellyn Sean Gilder – Sycorax Leader Anita Briem – Sally Jacobs Chu Omambala – Major Blake Sian McDowell – Sandra Paul Anderson – Jason Cathy Murphy – Mum Sean Carlsen – Policeman Jason Mohammad – Newsreader 1 Sagar Arya – Newsreader 2 Lachele Carl – Newsreader 3
Production
Directed by	James Hawes
Written by	Russell T Davies
Script editor	Helen Raynor
Produced by	Phil Collinson
Executive producer(s)	Russell T Davies Julie Gardner
Incidental music composer	Murray Gold
Production code	2.X
Length	60 minutes
Originally broadcast	25 December 2005
Chronology
← Preceded by Followed by → "Doctor Who: Children in Need" (mini-episode) "The Parting of the Ways" (episode) "New Earth" (episode) "Attack of the Graske" (interactive episode)
List of Doctor Who serials

"The Christmas Invasion" is a 60-minute special episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on 25 December 2005 in the UK and on Boxing Day 2005 in Canada. This episode features the first full-episode appearance of David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor and is also the first specially produced Doctor Who Christmas special in the programme's history. In this episode, it is Christmas, but there is little cause for celebration as planet Earth is invaded by aliens known as the Sycorax. It is up to Rose and the newly regenerated Doctor to save humanity, with a bit of help from her boyfriend Mickey and her mother Jackie.

The newly regenerated Doctor, suffering side effects from his regeneration, crash lands the TARDIS in London. He exits to meet Jackie Tyler and Mickey, and collapses in front of them. They take him to Jackie's flat where she puts her boyfriend's robe on him and they put him to bed. Rose and Mickey decide to go out Christmas shopping while waiting on the Doctor to recover. While shopping they are attacked by masked Santa robots, and escape back to the flat. While attempting to wake the Doctor they are attacked by a lethal spinning Christmas tree. The Doctor wakes suddenly, using his sonic screwdriver to stop the tree. He tells them that his regeneration has gone wrong and theorises that the energy of his regeneration is luring an unseen foe to him. The Doctor passes out again and is returned to bed.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Harriet Jones prepares for a live broadcast from the space probe Guinevere One, set to land on Mars. The probe is intercepted by a giant spaceship heading for Earth. When the broadcast is shown, an alien face appears and identifies itself as being a Sycorax. The alien demands Earth's surrender and causes a third of the world's population to go into a hypnotic state. The Sycorax threaten to make these people commit suicide unless they are given half of the world's population as slaves. One of the scientists discovers that all of the hypnotised people share the same blood type (A-positive), the same as contained in a sample on Guinevere One. Harriet attempts further negotiations with the Sycorax, and is surprised to find herself and her staff teleported aboard the ship.