The Wire

The Wire is an alien life form that was executed by its people but managed to preserve itself as an energy being that eventually escaped to Earth. There, it concealed itself in television signals, transferring itself from set to set. It needed to feed on the mental signals of Human, paralysing them and then leeching out energy with electrical tendrils. This process would leave the victim mindless, as well as removing all facial features. The Wire used the image of a female BBC continuity announcer to communicate with the outside world.

The Wire used Mr Magpie, the owner of an electronics repair shop, to distribute cheap television sets in North London so it could feed. It planned to transfer itself to the television transmission tower in Alexandra Palace on the day of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, where it could reach out and drain the collective energy of the three million viewers watching in the area. It hoped to use this energy to manifest itself in a corporeal form once more. However, the Tenth Doctor was able to trap the Wire on a Betamax tape using a makeshift video recorder. The Wire's victims were then restored to normality. The Doctor seemed confident that the Wire would remain trapped, but said that he would tape over it, just to be safe.