Russell T. Davies had a lot to prove when the BBC put him in charge of giving Doctor Who a new lease of life after the 16-year gap between Classic Who in 1989 and New Who, which launched in 2005. Davies was not only successful, with the premiere episode “Rose” bringing in over 9 million views overnight, but he also went on to create some of the most iconic episodes in Doctor Who history.

Coming hot on the heels of the Time War, Davies introduced a darker Doctor (played by Christopher Eccleston), struggling with the grief of being the last of the Time Lords. This grimmer slant didn’t just extend to our favorite alien but to the episodes themselves—including one that haunts me (and everyone who grew up watching New Who) to this day.

“The Empty Child” has many iconic parts surrounding its conception. It introduced one of the Doctor’s most rakish companions, a lovable con man from the 51st century known as Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), and it was also the first Doctor Who episode Steven Moffat wrote; he would later take over from Davies as Doctor Who’s showrunner in 2010.

However, the most important thing about “The Empty Child” is this: It is, without a doubt, the scariest episode of Doctor Who’s first season (along with its follow-up, “The Doctor Dances”).

The episode follows the Doctor and Rose (Billie Piper) as they arrive in London during the Blitz in 1941. While the Doctor investigates the metal cylinder that brought them there, Rose encounters a boy in a gas mask on a rooftop.

Source link