4.1. Partners In Crime

Series 4 - 2008

Writer: Russell T. Davies
Produced by: Phil Collinson
Director: James Strong
Music: Murray Gold

Synopsis

Donna Noble, first seen on her wedding day, posing as a Health Inspector, attends a presentation at Adipose Industries given by Miss Foster. Also attending the meeting, hiding in the projector room, posing as a Health Inspector is the Doctor. Miss Foster is giving a presentation about a new capsule that makes fat 'just walk away.'

After the presentation the Doctor and Donna visit the call centre. All the staff are on the telephones talking with customers. With each purchase the customer gets a small pendant, which the Doctor and Donna are curious about. Each employee is selling around 40 packs per day, but Miss Foster wants staff to sell 100 packs per day with the threat of being replaced.

The Doctor and Donna both get hold of customer details. Donna visits Stacey Campbell, whilst the Doctor visits Roger Davies. Roger tells the Doctor he wakes every morning at 1:10am and weighs himself. Every day he has lost 1kg, and also his burglar alarm goes off at that time every morning. The house has a cat flap, and the Doctor points out that cat flaps don't just let things in.

Whilst Stacey is in the bathroom Donna begins playing with her pendant. Stacey starts to feel cramps. This also alerts Miss Foster, and the Doctor has a device alerts him to this. In Stacey's bathroom there is an Adipose in her sink. The Adipose are literally appearing from Stacey's fat. Stacey's calls for help, and when Donna breaks into the bathroom she sees the last Adipose exit through the window, and a pile of clothes on the floor.

People from Adipose Industries are on their way, and so is the Doctor. Donna is outside chasing some of the Adipose, whilst the people from Adipose Industries catch the rest. They almost run over the Doctor, who starts to chase after them.

As some of the Adipose have been released early Miss Foster watches CCTV and sees Donna in the call centre.

Donna returns home to arguments from her mother.She decides to visit her Granddad who is at his allotment, star gazing. Donna asks Wilf is he has ever seen a little blue box. Donna is looking for the Doctor, even if she has to wait for a hundred years.

Inside the TARDIS the Doctor is finding it lonely without any companions.

As Donna drives to Adipose Industries the TARDIS materialises in the same avenue. Donna bluffs her way in through the front door whilst the Doctor breaks in with the use of his sonic screwdriver. Both wait for the end of the working day when the rest of the staff have left the building.

In the toilets Miss Foster starts to check each cubicle for the spy. Donna thinks Miss Foster is after her, but they find another employee - Penny.

The Doctor finds his way to the room, and using the outside lift for window cleaning makes his way to the outside of an office next to Miss Foster's. Donna sneaks into an adjoining room.

Miss Foster shows Penny an Adipose, made from living fat.

The Doctor and Donna spot each other and start to speak to each other, but neither can hear the other. As they are trying to communicate Miss Foster notices, and waits for them to finish. Donna spots Miss Foster, and runs as guards chase after her and the Doctor.

The Doctor and Donna meet in a stairwell and make their way back to the roof. The Doctor uses his sonic screwdriver to lock the controls of the lift, but Miss Foster has one of her own, and unlocks the breaks, sending the lift plummeting. Using her sonic pen Miss Foster cuts one of the lift cables, and Donna grabs on to a cable and falls out of the lift.

The Doctor manages to break into Miss Foster's office where Penny is still tied to a chair. He opens a window and manages to grab Donna. The Doctor frees Penny as he and Donna leave the office, and run into Miss Foster.

Miss Foster had been employed to look after the Adipose after the breeding planet was lost. The Doctor holds the two sonic devices together, and the distraction caused by the sonic waves allows them to escape.

The Doctor and Donna make their way to the computer core in the centre of the building using Miss Foster's sonic pen. The computer core is a massive inducer that Miss Foster activates. Around London Adipose are being activated, forming themselves from the people that have taken the pills. All the new born Adipose instinctively make their way to Adipose Industries. As more and more Adipose are created they don't just form from fat, but also bones and flesh of the human hosts.

The Doctor is panicking as he only has one pendant but needs two. Donna reveals her pendant, and the Doctor is able to shut down the inducer.

Even though the inducer has shut-down there are still 10,000 Adipose as the nursery ship arrives. The ship appears over Adipose Industries, and instructions are received from the Adiposian first family. Teleport beams start to lift Adipose into the ship. The Doctor realises Miss Foster will be in trouble and tries to help her as she is transported into a ship. Miss Foster refuses to believe the Doctor when he tells her the Adiposian first family realise that breeding on Earth was a mistake - until the transport beam is cut and Miss Foster plunges to the ground.

As the Doctor and Donna return to the TARDIS Donna unloads luggage from the back of her car; she has been prepared since they first met.

Regular Cast

  • Donna Noble: Catherine Tate

Guest Cast

  • Miss Foster (Matron Cofelia, of the Five-Straighten Classabindi Nursery Fleet): Sarah Lancashire
  • Wilfred Mott: Bernard Cribbins
  • Sylvia Noble: Jacqueline King
  • Penny Carter: Verona Joseph
  • Stacey Harris: Jessica Gunning
  • Roger Davey: Martin Ball
  • Craig Staniland: Rachid Sabitri
  • Clare Pope: Chandra Ruegg
  • Suzette Chambers: Sue Kelvin
  • Taxi Driver: Jonathan Stratt
  • Rose Tyler: Billie Piper
Uncredited:
  • Commuters/Bystanders: Justin Walters, Tat Wa Lay, Wilson Rogers, Richard Price, Ian Williamson, Leigh Foster, Nick Rogers, Pete Stanness, David Creed, Jai Gorner, Louise Jeffrey, Mariam Nundy, Jane Cheng, Giselle Hodgkinson, Victoria George, Eryl Vaughan, Ceri Langridge, Sally Martin, Anita Rice, Michelle Roche
  • Adipose Security Guard: Alex Lucas
  • Adipose Guard: Toby Sperring
  • Projectionist: Adam Sweet
  • Journalists: Jason Jones, Chris Lee, Kyle Legall, Chloe Lewis, Cath McGowan, Alan Medcroft, Natascha Motee, Jennifer Pierce, Louise Poolman, Sion Rhys Price, Toni Rice, Matthew Rohman, Nicola See, John Sinclair, Jorja Welch, Andy Wheeler, Barbara Fadden, Junior Ford, Mandie Garrigan, James Hannon, Jeremy Harvey, Levi James, Susan Cecil, Nicki Cheng, Adam Chilvers, Helen Cuthbert, Gary Devonish, Scott Baker, Deborah Beeson, Carys Boulton, Clare Brice, Jon Cecil, Chris Ellis
  • Miss Foster Guards: Ruari Mears, Claudio Laurini
  • Adipose Workers: Stephen Wright, Rachel Cook, Kim Hopkins, Paula Fouweather, Dan Nuttal, Daniel Pavitt, Craig Rowland, Mark Cooper, Alex Richards, Thomas Harris, Martin Clements, Joanne Morgan, Geoff Barber, Katy Cook, Dan Chapple, Sean Gaffney, Hayley Evans, Sian Bowmer, Daniel Pike, Jon Summers, Julia Dallimore, Ceri Nowell, Dominic Letts, Mark Juhlke, Leanne Thomas, Matt Tancock, Dylan Morgan, Stephanie Hamilton, Jonathan Spiller
  • Stunt double for the Doctor: Gordon Seed
  • Stunt double for Donna: Jo McClaren
  • Hand double for Miss Foster: Stacey Winehouse
  • Syvia's Friends: June Purnell, Bethan Charles, Deborah M. Lewis, Rebecca Orchard
  • Plump Man: Greg Bennett
  • Young Plump Woman: Abigail Creel
  • Plump Man's Girlfriend: Jayne Lutwyche
  • Drinkers: Nick Hopper, Martin Richards, Jon Davey, Darren Clarke, Matt Kid, Horaine Ferguson, Darius Walker, Kathryn Edwards, Sonal Mamta, Jane Haden, Sian Gunney, Rita Birchall, Maria Vujnovic, Jade Lewis, Carol Ann
  • Barstaff: Rupert Firmin, Charlotte Browning, Kristian Arthur
  • Stunt Cab Driver/Car Driver: Derek Lea
  • Boggling Car Driver: Damon Jeffery
  • Fat Man: Owain Thomas
  • Fat Man's Girlfriend: Elsie May
  • Screaming Woman: Susan Cazenove
  • Onlookers: Gemma Brittle, Mandy Floodpage, Liza Morris, Natalie Edmonds, Tina Stratford, Amie Blake, Maria Shakesfeff, Sousilla Pillay, Stephen Evans, Lewis Dshay, Dave James, Tony Honeker, Grant Lock, Richard Daniels, Vince Bishop, Aidan White
  • Police: Bernadette Dsouda, Bob Davies, Jonathon Lewis, Anthony Moulton, Gerry Oates, Nichola Owen
  • Paramedics: Alex Gardener, Teresa Sharp
  • Additional Dialogue Recording crowd: Stephen Bracken-Keogh, Nicholas Wilkes, Steve Brayham, Daryl Adcock, Paul Sparrowham, Nicole Clark, Jane S. R. Kyte-Hunt, Lindsay Hollingsworth, Paula Keogh, Holly Cracknell

Original broadcast on the BBC

Channel Title Date Viewers Rating
BBC 1 1. Partners In Crime Saturday, 5 April 2008 18:20 - 19:05 9.1M 88

Click here to show repeat broadcasts on the BBC

Studios

  • Upper Boat Studios, Trefforest

Outside Locations

  • 1 Kings Way, off Greyfriars Road, Cardiff
  • 6th Floor, South Block, Dominions Arcade, Queen Street, Cardiff
  • Bar Icon, Charles Street, Cardiff
  • British Gas Building, Helmont House, Churchill Way, Cardiff
  • Crockherbtown Lane, off Greyfriars Road, Cardiff
  • Dominions Arcade, Queen Street, Cardiff
  • Fat Cats Restaurant, Greyfriars Road, Cardiff
  • Franklen Road, Gwan Tredoa, Cardiff
  • Glan Rhymni, Windsor Estate, Tremorfa
  • Grange Well Park, Cardiff Bay
  • Grangemoor Park, Grangetown, Cardiff
  • Lane off Scott Road, off Wood Street, Cardiff
  • Millennium Stadium, Westgate Street, Cardiff
  • Nant Fawr Roard, Cyncoed, Cardiff
  • Odeon Cinema, Atlantic Village, Cardiff Bay
  • Picture Finance, Imperial Park, Newport
  • Tiger Tiger, Greyfriars Road, Cardiff
  • Waterloo Gardens, Penylan, Cardiff