The Idiot's Lantern (TV story)

"Are we sitting comfortably? Good then will we begin"

- The Wire

Synopsis
London, 1953: on the eve of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation, Mr. Magpie is selling televisions from his little shop at an amazingly low price. It must be an alien plot ...

Plot
to be added

Cast

 * The Doctor - David Tennant
 * Rose Tyler - Billie Piper
 * The Wire - Maureen Lipman
 * Mr Magpie - Ron Cook
 * Eddie Connolly - Jamie Foreman
 * Rita Connolly - Debra Gillett
 * Tommy Connolly - Rory Jennings
 * Grandma - Margaret John
 * Mrs Gallagher - Marie Lewis
 * Detective Inspector Bishop - Sam Cox
 * Crabtree - Ieuan Rhys
 * Aunt Betty - Jean Challis
 * Security Guard - Christopher Driscoll

Crew
to be added

Story Notes

 * This story had working titles of: Mr Sandman, Sonic Doom, The One-Eyed Monster.
 * The Idiot's Lantern was originally to have been the ninth episode of the Series 2.
 * Originally, The Doctor was supposed to have a line about having trouble with radio transmitters, which was supposed to be a reference to Logopolis, where the Fourth Doctor fell from the Pharos Project transmitter.

Ratings
to be added

Myths
to be added

Location Filming

 * Alexandra Palace, Wood Green, London
 * Florentia Street in Cathays, Cardiff
 * Blenheim Road in Pen-y-lan, Cardiff
 * Cardiff Royal Infirmary
 * Veritair Limited tarmac at the Cardiff Heliport on Cardiff Bay

Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors

 * How do the people survive without mouths/noses for air? The Doctor says they are in "complete neural shut down" and just "ticking over" implying that they needn't breathe.
 * Though it's clearly stated in the episode that the grandmother is Rita Connolly's mother, she is credited as Grandma Connolly. Grandma Connolly is Tom Connolly's grandmother.
 * The Doctor and Conolly have their faces sucked into the TV along with the inspector when they search the TV store. Apparently, since the Doctor and Conolly have been around the same time as the Inspector, how come the Doctor and Conolly survive and the Inspector's face is gone? (Perhaps it can only focus on one person at a time and was just holding the others in place.)
 * Although not an error in the episode itself, this episode is frequently mistakenly cited as taking place in 1952, the year Elizabeth ascended to the throne upon the death of her father; her official coronation ceremony, however, did not occur until nearly 18 months later, in June 1953.

Continuity

 * The portable TV turns up in an episode of Torchwood.
 * Magpie Electricals apparently continues to exist. Martha Jones had a Magpie brand television in The Sound of Drums, and a Magpie brand microphone can be seen in Voyage of the Damned

DVD Releases

 * This was released on a vanilla DVD along side Rise of the Cybermen and The Age of Steel.
 * It was also released as part of the Series 2 box set.