5 March

Saturday 5 March 2005 (PROSE: Rose, The Secret Lives of Monsters; TV: Aliens of London) was the date of a major Auton invasion of Earth, centred in London, (TV: Rose) but also extending to Beijing, Barcelona, Reykjavik, Rio, Sydney, San Francisco (PROSE: Rose) and Cardiff. The invasion would subsequently be covered up as a "terrorist attack". (AUDIO: One Rule)

After her first encounter with him the day before, Rose Tyler investigated the identity of the Ninth Doctor, talking to conspiracy theorist Clive Finch about his website on the Doctor at whoisdoctorwho.co.uk. Rose's boyfriend, Mickey Smith, was abducted by Autons and replaced with an Auton duplicate. Using the head of this Auton, the Doctor tracked the Nestene Consciousness' signal to the London Eye. It had been rendered a scavenger without protein planets by a war the Doctor fought in. Rose rescued Mickey (and later, the Doctor) and destroyed the Consciousness with anti-plastic. She joined the Doctor on his travels. (TV: Rose)

During this commotion, Cardiff's city centre was brought to its knees; Barry Jackson used the Auton "terrorist attack", which reached beyond just London, as a cover for his murder of the Lord Mayor of Cardiff, Roy Llewellyn. (AUDIO: One Rule)

Clive Finch was killed by the Autons as they assaulted London. (TV: Rose, Aliens of London) Elton Pope was out shopping in the city centre at the time, and survived the incident. (TV: Love & Monsters)

Ellie Oswald died the same day as the attack, at the age of 44. Ellie was the wife of Dave Oswald and mother of Clara Oswald, companion to the Eleventh Doctor, as well as the Twelfth. (TV: The Rings of Akhaten, Deep Breath) The Eleventh Doctor would later observe her funeral from afar. (TV: The Rings of Akhaten)

5 March was also Sylvia Noble's birthday. Donna Noble slept through the invasion with a hangover, though not before attempting to make her mother ham in parsley sauce for her birthday tea. (PROSE: Rose)