5 March

5 March was a date. That day in 2005, which fell on a Saturday, was particularly significant.

Events
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. (AUDIO: One Rule) Other accounts dated the invasion to 26 March. (PROSE: UNIT's Position on The London Incident, Operation Mannequin)

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. After a war the Doctor fought in, the Nestene Consciousness had been reduced to scavenging because its protein planets had been destroyed. Rose rescued Mickey (and later, the Doctor) and destroyed the Consciousness with anti-plastic. She then 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)

Elton Pope was out shopping in London's city centre at the time, and survived the incident. (TV: Love & Monsters) Donna Noble slept through the invasion with a hangover, though not before attempting to make her mother a "disgraceful" ham in parsley sauce for her birthday tea. (PROSE: Rose)

Births and deaths
5 March was Sylvia Noble's birthday. (PROSE: Rose)

Deaths during the Auton invasion included Clive Finch, who was killed as the Autons assaulted London, (TV: Rose), and Jimmy Stone, who met his demise at the hands of the plastic invaders after robbing his then-girlfriend Abena. (PROSE: Rose)

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)