"The Stolen Earth" is the twelfth episode of the fourth series and the 750th overall episode[3] of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 28 June 2008.[4] The episode was written by show runner and head writer Russell T Davies and is the first of a two-part crossover story with spin-offs Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures; the concluding episode is "Journey's End", the finale of the fourth series, broadcast on 5 July.

The finale's narrative brings closure to several prominent story arcs created during Davies' tenure as show runner. In the episode, contemporary Earth and 26 other planets are stolen by the Daleks, aided by their megalomaniacal creator Davros and a shattered but precognitive Dalek Caan. As the Doctor (David Tennant) and his companion Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) try to find Earth, his previous companions Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman), Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen), and Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) convene to contact him and mount a defence against the Daleks. In the episode's climax, the Doctor is gunned down by a Dalek and begins to regenerate.

The episode marks the first appearance of Davros in 19 years since the 1988 serial Remembrance of the Daleks; he is portrayed by Julian Bleach. It is also the first Doctor Who appearance of Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles); Ianto Jones (Gareth David-Lloyd); Luke Smith (Thomas Knight); and Mr Smith (voiced by Alexander Armstrong), though Myles and Armstrong appeared in other episodes playing different roles. Adjoa Andoh and Penelope Wilton reprise supporting roles as Martha's mother Francine Jones and former Prime Minister Harriet Jones respectively. Paul O'Grady and Richard Dawkins make cameo appearances as themselves as television personalities who attempt to assuage public fear.

The two-part finale's epic scale and underlying plot was first conceived in early 2007 as the last regular-series story for departing producers Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner, and Phil Collinson: the fourth series finale is the last story produced by Collinson; and Steven Moffat and Piers Wenger replaced Davies and Gardner as showrunner and executive producer respectively in 2010. Major concepts were already specified by July 2007 and the script was written in December 2007; Davies began on the 7th and finished on the 31st. Filming for the finale took place in February and March 2008, and post-production finished in mid-June 2008, only two weeks before the episode aired. To conceal as many plot elements as possible, the episode's title was not disclosed until sixteen days before broadcast, preview DVDs omitted the scene where the Doctor regenerates—the last scene is the Doctor being shot by a Dalek—and the episode aired without a preview trailer for "Journey's End".

"The Stolen Earth" was reviewed positively by both the audience and professional reviewers. The Audience Appreciation Index score was 91: an unprecedented figure for Doctor Who and one of the highest ratings ever given to a television programme. On its original broadcast, it was viewed by 8.78 million viewers and was the second most-watched programme of the week; at the time of broadcast, it was the highest position Doctor Who had ever reached. Critical reaction was overwhelmingly positive. Nicholas Briggs and Julian Bleach were commended for their portrayal of Dalek Caan and Davros respectively; and most aspects of Davies' writing were applauded. Most notably, the twist ending of the episode was universally appreciated. The shock regeneration created an unprecedented level of public interest in the show, which continued until the transmission of "Journey's End".

Plot

The Earth is teleported out of its spatial location. In order to find the Earth, the Doctor contacts the Shadow Proclamation, a universal police force. The Doctor and Donna determine that 27 missing planets—including Earth and others they learnt were lost[note 2]—automatically reorganise into a specific pattern when placed near each other. Donna mentions the disappearance of bees on contemporary Earth; this allows the Doctor to trace the planets to the Medusa Cascade, an inter-universal rift.

A Dalek force, led by their creator Davros and the Supreme Dalek, quickly subjugates Earth. Davros, who was thought to have been killed in the Time War, was saved by Dalek Caan, who entered the conflict after performing an emergency temporal shift.[note 3] The power needed to enter the Time War caused Caan to become precognitive at the cost of his sanity.

The Doctor's former companions—who have all encountered the Daleks before[note 4]—hide in various places in Britain. Martha, Captain Jack and Sarah Jane are contacted by former Prime Minister Harriet Jones through a secret Sub-Wave Network to contact the Doctor's companions in an emergency, although Harriet is unable to reach Rose. They attempt to reach the Doctor by amplifying the Sub-Wave signal; Sarah Jane uses her supercomputer Mr Smith's computing power, and Jack and his Torchwood team members Gwen and Ianto manipulate the Cardiff Rift. The Doctor, and consequently the Daleks, receive the transmission and trace the signal: the Daleks kill Harriet;[5] and the Doctor locates Earth in a "pocket of time".

The Doctor travels into the pocket universe and receives transmitted images of his companions in the Sub-Wave signal. After Davros hijacks the signal and taunts the Doctor about his resurrection and imminent victory, the Doctor breaks communication and attempts to convene with his companions. He lands on the same street on which Rose is searching for him and runs to embrace her, but is suddenly shot by a Dalek. Jack teleports to the street and promptly destroys the Dalek. In the Torchwood hub, Gwen and Ianto attempt to fight off a Dalek that corners them. Sarah Jane sets off in her car to find the Doctor but two Daleks find her and threaten to kill her. Jack helps Rose and Donna carry the Doctor into the TARDIS, where the Doctor begins to regenerate.

"Journey's End" is the thirteenth and final episode of the fourth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on BBC One on 5 July 2008. It is the second episode of a two-part crossover story featuring the characters of spin-off shows Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures, preceded by "The Stolen Earth", which aired on 28 June. At 65 minutes in length, it was approximately 20 minutes longer than a standard fourth-series episode.[2] It marked the final regular appearances of every companion introduced in the Russell T Davies era, including Catherine Tate as Donna Noble (who re-appeared for the 2023 specials of the show starting with "The Star Beast").

In the episode, the former travelling companions of the time-travelling Tenth Doctor (David Tennant), prepare to counter the Daleks' universe-destroying Reality Bomb with devastating weapons of their own.

"Journey's End" received mostly positive reviews, although some were more mixed than the previous episode, "The Stolen Earth".

Plot

Inside the TARDIS, the Tenth Doctor is regenerating. He halts the transformation by transferring the remaining energy into his severed hand.[N 2] The regeneration has progressed enough to enable the Doctor's body to heal, but not change his physical appearance. Gwen and Ianto find safety in an impenetrable time lock and Sarah Jane is saved from Daleks by Rose's ex-boyfriend Mickey and her mother Jackie.

The TARDIS is captured by the Daleks and transported to their flagship the Crucible. Sarah Jane, Mickey, and Jackie surrender themselves to get aboard. The Supreme Dalek orders the TARDIS to be destroyed, with Donna Noble locked inside; in the process, Donna touches the severed hand, enveloping her in regeneration energy and causing a new, cloned Doctor (the Meta-Crisis Doctor) to form, who saves the TARDIS from destruction.

Davros, creator of the Daleks, explains that the stolen planets form a "Reality Bomb" which would destroy all matter in every universe. To stop the bomb, Martha threatens to destroy Earth, and Sarah Jane, Mickey, Jack, and Jackie threaten to destroy the Crucible. Davros mocks the Doctor for acting the champion of peace while turning those around him into weapons. The Supreme Dalek transports both groups in front of Davros. The Meta-Crisis Doctor and Donna also arrive and try to use a device to refocus the bomb onto the Daleks. Davros blasts them both with electricity. Donna becomes imbued with Time Lord knowledge that she gained during the Meta-Crisis Doctor's creation and disables the bomb and the Daleks. The two Doctors and Donna relocate the missing planets, but the control panel is destroyed before Earth can be relocated. Motivated by Dalek Caan's prophecy of the Daleks' extinction, the new Doctor destroys the Daleks and the Crucible. The original Doctor offers to save Davros, who refuses. The companions flee into the TARDIS and "tow" the Earth back into its original orbit using the Cardiff Rift as a "tow rope".

Sarah Jane returns home; Martha and Mickey leave with Jack; and the Doctor returns Rose and Jackie to the parallel universe in which they were previously trapped.[N 3] He also sends the Meta-Crisis Doctor into the parallel universe to accompany Rose, as the Meta-Crisis Doctor is part-human and will grow old along with her. After departing, Donna's human mind becomes overwhelmed by the Time Lord knowledge and starts to deteriorate. Against her wishes, the Doctor wipes her mind and brings her to Wilfred and Sylvia. The Doctor tells them that although Donna's life has been saved, she can never know the details of her time with him, or she will die. He then departs from the Noble household, alone.