The Idiots Lantern

Episode Location: Earth, London 1953
Aliens/Enemies: The Wire, Mr Magpie
New Characters: Eddie, Tommy, Rita
Gadgets Used: Psychic paper, Sonic Screwdriver, portable T.V set, makeshift video recorder
Episode Objective: To discover what is taking peoples faces and stop it.

Bullet-point Plot

• Mr Magpie owns a Television shop
• A female T.V presenter begins speaking to him
• Tendrils of pink energy latch onto his head
• Magpie begins to scream...
• Rose steps out the TARDIS
  
• Followed by The Doctor on a scooter
• They believe they are in New York
• They learn they're in London just before the Queens coronation
• Rose notes it's unusual to see so many television ariels at this time
• They hear a cry for help
• And see two men usher someone into a car
• Who is hidden beneath a blanket
  
• Tommy comes onto the street
• He says this is happening all over the place
• People are turning into monsters...
• The Doctor and Rose ride after the car
• But the car drives into a hidden warehouse.
• The two barge in to Eddies house
• Using the Doctor's psychic paper
• And ask some questions...
• Rita begins to sob and Rose comforts her
• Eddie becomes suspicious of the two
• He yells that this is his house
• The Doctor interrupts, demanding to know what is going on.
• They hear tapping from a room above
• Tommy takes them to his Grandma's room
• Her face is gone
• The Doctor scans her with his sonic screwdriver
• And finds barely any neural activity left...
• The police burst into the house
• The Doctor tries to fast-talk them
• One of them punches him out
• They take Grandma away...
• The Doctor wakes up and follows the police
• He sneaks into their warehouse
  
• And finds a cage full of faceless people
• The police catch him
• But he persuades them to help him...
• Rose sees the pink energy coming off Eddie's T.V
• She notices the name of Magpie on the back
• And goes to find his shop...
• Rose says to Magpie that something is up
• The female T.V presenter appears on the T.V
• She introduces herself as The Wire
• And then feeds off Rose...
• Inspector Bishop and The Doctor return to Eddies house
• And ask for information
• Eddie tells them to get lost
• Rita kicks Eddie out of the house...
• The Doctor links the T.V's and the strange happenings
• He, Tommy and Inspector Bishop go to Magpie's shop...
• The Wire appears
• And tries to take all of their faces
• Magpie takes away the Wire on a portable T.V
• The Doctor and Tommy survive due to the sonic screwdriver....
• The Doctor works out what the Wire is planning:
• To use to coronation
• When thousands of people will be watching T.V
• In order to feed...
• He grabs some equipment
  
• Creates a devise
• And rushes to the television transmitter...
• Tommy remains in the control room
• With instructions to leave the new devise on
• The Doctor climes up the transmitter
• The Wire attempts to stop him
• And kills Magpie in the process
• The Doctor plugs in a copper wire into the portable T.V
• And traps the Wire inside a homemade video
• The Doctor and Rose are reunited...

Best Bits
- On the Scooter
- The bit about the union flag
- 'I'm not listening!'
- The reverse psychology with the police
- Up the T.V transmitter

Favourite Quotes
Rose: Monsters, that boy said. Maybe we should go and ask the neighbours.
The Doctor: That's what I like about you. The domestic approach.
Rose: Thank you. [beat] Hold on. Was that an insult?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eddie Connolly: We'll have Union Jacks left, right, and center.
Rose: Excuse me, Mr. Connolly, hold on a minute. Union Jack?
Eddie Connolly: Yes, that's right, isn't it?
Rose: That's the Union Flag. It's the Union Jack only when it's flown at sea.
The Doctor: [Quietly to Rose] Union Flag?
Rose: Mum went out with a sailor.
The Doctor: Oho, I bet she did.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eddie Connolly: I am talking!
The Doctor: AND I'M NOT LISTENING!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Detective-Inspector Bishop: Okay, Doctor, tell me everything you know.
Doctor: Well, for starters, I know you can't wrap your hands around your elbows and make your fingers meet.
Detective-Inspector Bishop: Don't get clever with me!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Police Officer: Wait, where do you think you're... [sees psychic paper] Oh, very sorry sir. Shouldn't you be at the coronation?
The Doctor: They're saving me a seat.
Tommy Connolly: Who did he think you were?
The Doctor: [looks at the psychic paper] The King of Belgium, apparently.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rose: That thing, is it trapped for good on video?
The Doctor: That's right. But just to be on the safe side though, I'll use my unrivalled knowledge of trans-temporal extrapolation methods to neutralize the residual electronic pattern.
Rose: You'll what?
The Doctor: I'm gonna tape over it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Doctor: Oh, I hate transmitters. I fell off once once.
[This is a deleted line and relates to the dead of the fouth Doctor, who died after falling of a transmitter in the episode 'Logopolis']