World War Three (Doctor Who)

160b – "World War Three"
Doctor Who episode
Cast
Others
Production
Directed byKeith Boak
Written byRussell T Davies
Script editorElwen Rowlands
Produced byPhil Collinson
Executive producer(s)
Music byMurray Gold
Production code1.5
SeriesSeries 1
Running time42 minutes
First broadcast23 April 2005 (2005-04-23)
Chronology
← Preceded by
"Aliens of London"
Followed by →
"Dalek"
List of episodes (2005–present)

"World War Three" is the fifth episode of the first series of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who which was first broadcast on BBC One on 23 April 2005. It is the second of a two-part story which began with "Aliens of London" on 16 April.

In the episode, set in London, the alien time traveller the Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) and his companion Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) team up with Rose's boyfriend Mickey Smith (Noel Clarke), her mother Jackie (Camille Coduri), and Member of Parliament Harriet Jones (Penelope Wilton) to foil the plan of the alien Slitheen family from selling the Earth for commercial purposes. The Slitheen, who have infiltrated the Government of the United Kingdom, plan to get the United Nations to release nuclear activation codes so they can trigger World War III on Earth and sell the remains.

Similar to the previous episode, this episode's mention of the Series wide arc of "Bad Wolf" comes in the form of Graffiti on the side of the TARDIS, which the Doctor orders the perpetrator to re-paint and fix at the end of the episode.