The Second Series of revived Doctor Who was broadcast from 15 April 2006. The series is the first to feature David Tennant as the Doctor and the last series to feature Bille Piper in the lead compaion role. The recurring theme of the series is the Torchwood Instiute which sets up the spin-off series Torchwood written by Russel T Davies. A Christmas special was brodcast the previous year, a trend which has carried on into the most recent series.
Excutive Producer - Russel T Davies, Julie Gardner
Producer - Phil Collinson
Writer - Tom MacRae, Toby Whithouse, Gareth Roberts, Matthew Graham, Matt Jones, Mark Gatiss
Director - James Hawes, Euros Lyn, Graeme Harper, Dan Zeff, James Strong
Composer - Murray Gold
Episode List - Series 2 (2005-2006) []
In Series 2, Rose has to accept the Doctors new appearance after his regeneration, however they grow closer than ever before and continue to explore all of time and space in the Tardis. They find themselves in the far future on 'New Earth', battle a Werewolf with Queen Victoria, crash land in a parallel universe, arrive on an impossible planet and battle the Daleks and Cybermen 'Doomsday'. The series marks the return of the Cybermen, K9 and Sarah Jane Smith from the classic series.
Story No.
Series No.
Title
Written By
Directed By
Broadcast Date
Viewing Figure (m)
167
2.X
"The Christmas Invasion"
Russel T Davies
James Hawes
25 December 2005
9.84
Its Christmas Eve and high above london a Alien Ship is holding the Earth to ransom. The government are helpless and the Doctor is recovering from his regeneration. Will the Doctor be able to save the human race from being in slaved?
168
2.1
"New Earth"
Russel T Davies
James Hawes
15 April 2006
8.62
In the distant future a order of cat nuns have a cue for all illness, but the Doctor is horrifed when he discovers their methods. Soon the whole of New New York is in danger with hundreads of diseases threating to be released.
169
2.2
"Tooth and Claw"
Russel T Davies
Euros Lyn
22 April 2006
9.24
The Doctor and Rose end up in 1897 Scotland where Queen Victoria invites them to stay with her in the Torchwood Estate. A plot has been hatched to infect Queen Victoria with the Werewolf genes and now trapped inside the Estate the Doctor, Rose and Queen Victoria are in grave danger.
170
2.3
"School Reunion"
Toby Whithouse
James Hawes
29 April 2006
8.31
The Doctor and Rose go undercover at a school where U.F.O sightings have been repotted and 13 new Teachers, Dinnerladies and Caretaker have been appointed soon after. Aliens are using children to change the universe and the Doctor has help from an old firend to stop them.
171
2.4
"The Girl in the Fireplace"
Steven Moffat
Euros Lyn
6 May 2006
7.90
The Doctor, Rose, and Mickey arrive on an abandoned spaceship which contains several "time windows" into the life of Madame de Pompadour. The ship needs parts and she's on the menu.
172a
2.5
"Rise of the Cybermen" (Part 1)
Tom MacRae
Graeme Harper
13 May 2006
9.22
The Tardis crashes into a parallel Earth in which Rose's Dad is still alive and a mad scientist wants to create a master race without emoution or weakness.
172b
2.6
"Age of Steel" (Part 2)
Tom MacRae
Graeme Harper
20 May 2006
7.63
The whole of London is about to be converted into Cybermen and the Doctor and co have joined forces with London's most wanted to stop the chaos.
173
2.7
"The Idiots Lantern"
Mark Gatiss
Euros Lyn
27 May 2006
6.76
1953, the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, the Doctor and Rose arrive to discover peoples faces are being stolen and the police are taking them away. Something is living inside the TVs of Britain and its hungry...
174a
2.8
"The Impossible Planet" (Part One)
Matt Jones
James Strong
3 June 2006
6.32
Rose finds herself further away from home than ever before, on a space base positioned on a planet in the orbit of a black hole. Deep in the planet an unknown entity is awakening and beginning to cause chaos amongst the crew.
174b
2.9
"The Satin Pit" (Part 2)
Matt Jones
James Strong
10 June 2006
6.08
The Doctor faces off against an enemy that defies all his beliefs. Rose and what's left of the crew are trying to escape from the Beast's legion of possessed Ood.
175
2.10
"Love and Monsters"
Russell T Davies
Dan Zeff
17 June 2006
6.7
An ordinary man becomes obsessed with the Doctor and Rose and uncovers a world of living nightmares.
176
2.11
"Fear Her"
Matthew Graham
Euros Lyn
24 June 2006
7.14
London 2012, and the Tenth Doctor and Rose Tyler set off to see the Olympics, only to find terror in the most ordinary place.
177a
2.12
"Army Of Ghosts" (Part 1)
Russell T Davies
Graeme Harper
1 July 2006
8.19
Rose and the Doctor return to modern-day London to find a ghosts all over the world. Torchwood Tower looks to the Doctor to find answers as something sinister lurks in the building. Something forcing itself into our reality...
177b
2.13
"Doomsday" (Part 2)
Russell T Davies
Graeme Harper
8 July 2006
8.22
A secret order of Daleks emerge and the Cybermen from Pete's World make their way to Torchwood Tower as London is turned into a war zone. As the two deadly forces fight over Earth, the Doctor realises that in order to stop the threat, sacrifices will be made...
Production []
Following the success of the opening episode of the first series the BBC announced that Doctor Who had been recommissioned for both a second series and a Christmas special on 30 March 2005.
New writers for the secound series included Toby Whithouse, Matt Jones and Matthew Graham, co-creator of the BBC science fiction series Life on Mars. Previous writers Mark Gatiss, Steven Moffat and Russell T Davies all contributed to the series.
The second series was also accompanied by a Children in Need special, an interactive episode and 13 TARDISODEs.
Reception []
David Tennant's Doctor quickly garned critical acclaim, IGN commented "Tennant's performance is slightly more eccentric, a little funnier, a bit wittier". The episode response was generally positive, with "The Girl in the Fireplace" being called "the crowning achievement" of series 2 by Slant Magazine. May critics praised Sarah Jane's return in "School Reunion". "Doomsday" has become one of the most popular episodes of the entire series, The Guardian claimed that the episode was "a highpoint of the modern series, highly emotional, scary and genuinely exciting". The Doctor-Rose goodbye scene on Bad Wolf Bay was voted the best science fiction moment of all time by SFX reader 8 years later, in 2014.
Trivia []
The Christmas special, "The Christmas Invasion" would start a trend in that very Christmas since a festive special has acompanied the series.
The first episode of Series 2, "New Earth" was the first episode not set around or on Earth in the new series.
Rose Tyler is one of the only companions that has stayed on for two Doctors, the other is Clara Oswald.
Love and Monsters also started a trend that stretches right through new Who. Other Doctor/Companion light episodes are "Blink" (2007), "Midnight" (2008), "Turn Left" (2008), "The Lodger" (2010), "The Girl Who Waited" (2011) and "The Crimson Horror" (2013).
Rose Tyler is the only companion to stay on for 2 years during the RTD era of Doctor Who.
