5.8. The Hungry Earth / Cold Blood

Series 5 - 2010

Writer: Chris Chibnall
Produced by: Peter Bennett
Director: Ashley Way
Music: Murray Gold

Synopsis

Wales, around 2020. Mo is reading a story to his son before he sets off to work the night shift at the drilling site. Drilling has reached stage 4 - 21 kilometres. During his shift things start rattling as though in an earthquake. He sets off to investigate, and finds a sinister hole has appeared in one of the storage rooms. There is steam coming out, and when he reaches in to the hole and is pulled in.

The Doctor announces they have arrived at Rio; instead they are in a graveyard in Wales. Despite Amy's complaints the Doctor is more concerned about the ground not feeling right, and the fact there are patches of blue grass in a graveyard. On a hill in the distance are two figures waving: Amy and Rory - probably a future Amy and Rory come to wave at their previous selves. The Doctor spots the drilling site and goes off to investigate. Amy is still holding the her engagement ring. Rory, thinking of the cost, takes the ring back in to the TARDIS as Amy follows the Doctor.

The following morning Nasreen and Tony find the hole, wondering where it has appeared from.

Emerging from the TARDIS Rory is met by Mo's wife Ambrose and their son Elliot, who think Rory is the police having come out of a Police Box. She leads Rory over t one of the graves. Bodies have been disappearing - including the coffin - even though the graves have not been disturbed. It was only discovered when another body was due to be buried in the same plot. Elliot thinks that the only possibility is that the graves eat people, and that the people were taken from underneath.

At the drilling site the Doctor sees a sign saying no unauthorised access, and uses his sonic screwdriver to get through the lock. Making their way through the drilling site the Doctor and Amy meet Nasreen. The Doctor takes a look at the readings that are appearing on a monitor and at the hole in the floor. Steam starts to come from the hold and the ground starts moving. More holes appear. Running to get out of the room Tony stu8mbles. Amy tries to help but a hole opens up under her and she starts to get pulled under. The Doctor holds on to Amy as Tony shuts down the drill. The ground is still shaking, and Amy is sucked into the ground.

The ground only shakes after drilling has started. The Doctor checks with his sonic screwdriver and realises it is down to bio-programming. The ground has been programmed to resist the drilling. The drilling has been stopped, and there is only one drill, but the Doctor can still hear drilling. Whilst the site has been drilling down, someone else has been drilling up.

The noise from below is not a drill - it's transport, and something is coming up. The Doctor, Tony and Nasreen pack up portable monitoring equipment and go outside as an energy bolt is fired in to the air, forming a shield around the village and drilling site. Rory appears with Ambrose and Elliot and mentions the disappearing graves, although the Doctor is more concerned with the energy shield. He tells everyone to get into the church and tells Rory about Amy. The same thing has happened to Ambrose's husband, Mo.

Elliot asks if the Doctor can get his Dad back. The Doctor tells everyone to get every sensor - burglar alarm, motion sensor etc. - they can and surround the church with them. Whilst the Doctor is setting up the monitors Elliot runs home for his headphones. Outside the shield turns black, blocking out all light, as whoever is coming up through the ground arrives. A power surge knocks out the lights and the monitoring equipment.

Everything quietens down, and it is then Ambrose realises her son is still missing. Elliot bangs on the church door. By the time the people inside the church open the door Elliot has disappeared. She finds his headphones and is attacked. Tony intervenes and the creature - a masked Silurian - runs off.

The Doctor puts on a special pair of infra-red glasses to find Elliot and the Silurian. As there is no heat coming from the cold blooded animal the Doctor realises who they are. Leaving himself in the open the Doctor waits to be attacked, and uses a fire extinguisher to render it unconscious. The shield disappears and the light returns. The Silurians have Mo, Amy and Elliot, but the Doctor also has a hostage.

Amy awakes in what appears to be a glass fronted cabinet. A figure appears, and gas knocks her unconscious.

In the church the Doctor goes to talk to the restrained Silurian. The Silurian - Alaya - insists she is the last of her species, an excuse the Doctor does not accept. Alaya eventually opens up more to the Doctor and says the Silurians detected a threat to them and so launched an attack on the humans.

The Doctor explains to Nasreen, Ambrose, Tony and Rory about the Silurians, and suggests he goes down and talk to the Silurians. The Doctor goes to the TARDIS, and Nasreen insists on going with him. The Silurians detect the TARDIS and start to pull it down underground. After a while the TARDIS stops, and looking around the Doctor and Nasreen come across a vast Silurian city.

In the Silurian city Amy awakes and finds herself restrained. There is a man next to her - Mo - who tells her not to struggle. He also reveals he was partially dissected by them. A Silurian doctor appears, and after confirming decontamination, is about to begin her dissection.

Making their way through the city the Doctor and Nasreen trip a sensor, and a group of Silurians appear. They fire a gas that incapacitates, and the Silurian doctor is called to identify the species of the Doctor and Nasreen. Unbeknown to the Silurian Amy has managed to get hold of the release control and is able to free herself and Mo from the restraints.

Amy and Mo start looking for a way out, and find Elliot. He is alive, but they can't open the door to release him. Still looking they find two Silurians in suspended animation. They take the weapons for self defence, and continue searching - finding a huge cavern with hundreds of Silurian soldiers.

In another area decontamination is starting on the Doctor and Nasreen. It is more painful for the Doctor as the bacteria being decontaminated are needed by the Doctor to survive. The Doctor meets the military leader of the Silurians - Restac - who is not convinced the Doctor comes in peace if he holds one of them hostage.

The Doctor explains he has met other Silurians before, and that the humans attacked them. This makes Restac even more determined to attack the humans.

In the church Ambrose is worried about her Dad. In the graveyard he was injected with venom when he helped Ambrose, and the venom is starting to affect him. Ambrose goes to confront Alaya to get her to offer a cure for Tony. She is holding a taser, and when Alaya gets too close she accidentally uses it. The screams from Alaya attract Rory and Tony. Rory tries to help, but it's too late.

The Doctor and Nasreen are taken to the Silurians' court. Amy and Mo enter, armed. Restac is able to grab the gun from Amy, and Mo hands his over. Restac immediately orders the execution of the Doctor, Nasreen, Mo and Amy, and order the Silurian scientist back to his laboratory.

Restac is able to appear on a monitor in the church, and Rory talks to her. Restac shows Rory she has hostages. She wants to see Alaya, and orders Rory to release Alaya unharmed. Restac orders the Silurians to fire on Amy as the monitor goes blank. The Silurians are about to fire, but are ordered not to by Eldane - the leader.

Eventually the monitor on the church comes back on. The Doctor tells Rory to come down to the Silurian city - transport will be provided - and to bring Alaya. Then everything can be sorted out amicably.

In the court room Amy and Nasreen are left to negotiate with Eldane as the Doctor, Mo and Malohkeh free Elliot, unharmed. Malohkeh sees a report from storage area 19, and finds Restac preparing an army to attack the apes.

Back in court room Rory, Ambrose and Tony arrive, with the body of Alaya. The Doctor is appalled, and Ambrose admits it was her. At that moment an army appears, and Restac sees the body of Alaya - her sister. The Doctor insists there is still a chance. Ambrose then reveals the drilling will start again in 15 minutes. The drilling has already attacked the Silurians' oxygen pockets, and further drilling will only make it worse.

There isn't time to get to the surface to stop the drill. The only option is to send an energy pulse up the drill. Eldane offers a way to shut down the system and return the Silurians to hibernation for 1,000 years. Tony has not been decontaminated, and there is no way he can survive on the surface. He stays behind, and as Tony is staying Nasreen insists in staying as well.

Everyone else rushes back to the TARDIS as a decontamination cycle starts. The Doctor, Rory and Amy are the last to enter the TARDIS. The Doctor sees a crack in a wall, and puts his hand it and pulls something out. Restac, affected by the gas, fires at the Doctor but hits Rory. He falls backwards against the crack and energy from the crack starts to touch Rory. The Doctor pulls Amy away as Rory is slowly erased from history.

Inside the TARDIS the Doctor tries to get Amy to remember Rory. The Doctor and Amy are distracted as the TARDIS lurches, and Amy forgets Rory.

The TARDIS arrives back at the drilling site in time to see the drilling site destroyed.

Regular Cast

  • Amy Pond: Karen Gillan
  • Rory Williams: Arthur Darvill

Guest Cast

  • Alaya/Restac (9): Neve McIntosh
  • Nasreen Chaudry: Meera Syal
  • Tony Mack: Robert Pugh
  • Ambrose: Nia Roberts
  • Mo: Alun Raglan
  • Elliot: Samuel Davies
  • Malohkeh: Richard Hope (9)
  • Eldane: Stephen Moore (9)
Uncredited:
  • Double for Mo: Alphaeus Daniel
  • Hand Double for Nasreen Chaudry: Dertinder Regazzoli
  • Workers: Richard Atkin, Levi Crosdale, Oliver Hopkins, Richard Knott, Eddy Martin, Julius Wells, Mark Whatley
  • Double for Rory: Aaron Proburt
  • Double for Amy: Barbara Fadden
  • Double for the Doctor: Gordon Seed
  • Stunt Double for Amy: Stephanie Casey
  • Foot Double for Tony Mack: Crispin Layfield
  • Silurian Stunt Performer: Bean Peel
  • Silurians: Samantha Bennett, Nathalie Cuzner, Barbara Fadden, Alexandra Winton
  • Shadow Double for Malohkeh: Samantha Bennett
  • Doubles for Tony Mack: Anthony Dawkins, Mike Booth
  • Body Double for Alaya: Ruth Webb
  • Stunt Silurian: Daz Parker
  • Double for Elliot: Jordan Baker
  • Crowd / Additional Dialogue Recording: Emma Feeny, Paula Keogh, Lindsay Hollingsworth, Paul Sparrowham, Nicholas Lupton, Nicholas Wilkes, Stephen Bracken-Keogh

Original broadcast on the BBC

Channel Title Date Viewers Rating
BBC 1 8. The Hungry Earth Saturday, May 22, 2010 6:15 PM - 7:00 PM 6.49M 86
BBC HD 8. The Hungry Earth Saturday, May 22, 2010 6:15 PM - 7:00 PM
BBC 1 9. Cold Blood Saturday, May 29, 2010 7:00 PM - 7:45 PM 7.49M 85
BBC HD 9. Cold Blood Saturday, May 29, 2010 7:00 PM - 7:45 PM

Click here to show repeat broadcasts on the BBC

Studios

  • Upper Boat Studios: Studio 1 & 2
  • Upper Boat Studios: Studio 3
  • Upper Boat Studios: Studio 6

Outside Locations

  • Bedwellty Pitts, Tredegar
  • Hensol Castle, Hensol, Vale of Glamorgan
  • Llanwonno Church, Llanwonno, nr Ynysybwl/Pontypridd, Mid Glamorgan
  • Mir Steel, Corporation Road, Newport
  • Plantasia, Parc Tawe, Swansea
  • Temple of Peace, College Road, Cardiff
  • The Vicarage, Lawn Terrace, Ryhmney
  • Tower Colliery, Hirwaun, Glamorgan