Lumic’s army of cybermen is on the rise, and with more and more people being converted by the hour, time is of the essence. The gang are reduced to fugitives as they roam the streets of parallel London trying to rid the Earth of Cybermen
NOTES
In this episode, Lumic is”upgraded” to Cyber Controller. Roger Lloyd-Pack who plays Lumic in human form, actually provided the controller’s voice along with Nicholas Briggs. Listen carefully and you will be able to tell the difference between voices.
Lumic’s controller’s voice sounds more human in terms of tone.
The characterof the Newsreader was added after filming had finished.
The average overnight viewing figure for this episode was 6.85 million (a 36% share), peaking at 7.635 million viewers on its original transmission.
As The Doctor says goodbye to Mickey, he jokingly calls him “Mickey the Idiot”. This was a nickname the Ninth Doctor used for him more harshly. Tenth Doctor also refers to this nickname when, during his debate with Lumic, he continuously uses the word”idiot” While trying to drop clues to Mickey.
According to an interview with Andrew Hayden Smith, and comments given by Russell T. Davies in a press conference, Ricky and Jake were initially intended to be gay and lovers. A deleted scene included in the Complete Series Two DVD box set confirms this, but a hint to this storyline remains in Jake’s volatile response to news of Ricky’s death.
The marching of thousands of mind-controlled Londoners to Battersea (referred to by The Doctor as “sheep”) echoes the Pink Floyd song “Sheep” from their album Animals, where the sheep are led into the “valley of steel” to be slaughtered.
The album also features a shot of Battersea Power Station on its cover, with a pig floating above it just like Lumic’s own airship. Pink Floyd is known for incorporating The Doctor Who theme music into live performances of the song”One of these Days”.
As noted by Noel Clarke on the commentary, Mickey phones Rose and says”I’m coming to get you!”, which echoes the Ninth Doctor’s words to her at the climax of Doctor Who: Bad Wolf. The words also constitute a catchphrase used by Davina McCall on the UK television program Big Brother, the latest series of which started two days prior to the episode’s broadcast and which also featured in “Bad Wolf”.
Roger Lloyd-Pack and David Tennant previously appeared as father Barty Crouch and son Barty Crouch Jr (respectably) in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. In that story, Lloyd-Pack was on the side of the heroes and Tennant was a villain..
The Doctor has previously had a conversation with a Cyber Controller regarding emotions in Earthshock.
Lumic’s expression of “Excellent!” is a reference to the off-key rendition of the word that the Cybermen have used in previous stories (beginning with the Fourth Doctor story Revenge of the Cybermen).
When preparing to infiltrate the Cybus conversion factory, Mickey proclaims his tiredness of always being”the tin dog” (School Reunion).
Upon learning about the emotional inhibitors, Tenth Doctor say to Mrs. Moore, “Do I have that right?” This echoes the same line said by the Fourth Doctor when he is faced with the prospect of destroying the Daleks. (Genesis of the Daleks)
Mrs Moore throws an electromagnetic bomb at a Cyberman.
Taking the EarPods off when they are active will cause a brainstorm.
Mickey believes they are using smelling salts to knock out the guards.
