The Unquiet Dead

In the episode, the alien time traveller the Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) and his companion Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) travel to Victorian Cardiff on Christmas Eve, 1869 where there have been sightings of strange gas-like creatures. The Doctor and Rose team up with Charles Dickens (Simon Callow) to investigate Mr Sneed (Alan David), a man who runs a funeral parlour where it seems that corpses have come to life. It is revealed that the gaseous Gelth (voiced by Zoe Thorne) have entered Cardiff through a Rift, and wish to survive by taking over the corpses.


"The Unquiet Dead" is the first episode of the revival to be set in the past, and was intended to show the series' range. The original brief and script included a focus on mediums and was grimmer in tone, but it evolved into a story about zombies and became more of a "romp". Callow, who had researched Dickens as well as portraying him on multiple occasions, accepted the guest starring role in "The Unquiet Dead" because he felt the historical figure was written accurately. The episode also introduced the Cardiff Rift. The episode also features a guest appearance by actress Eve Myles; Myles would go on to play Gwen Cooper in the Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood from 2006. As contemporary Cardiff, location of the Doctor Who production, did not have enough Victorian architecture, location work for the episode was filmed in Swansea and Monmouth in September 2004 and Penarth in September and October, though one location scene was shot in Cardiff in September. Studio work was recorded at the Unit Q2 warehouse in Newport in September and October.


Computer-generated imagery (CGI) was used as the main visual effect for the Gelth. "The Unquiet Dead" was seen by 8.86 million viewers in the United Kingdom on first broadcast. It attracted generally positive reception, although some reviewers criticised some plot points and lack of moral dilemma.


This episode's mention of the Series wide arc, "Bad Wolf," comes in a conversation between Rose & Gwyneth. When Gwyneth sees 2005 through Rose. Before saying the following: "The things you've seen... The darkness... The Big Bad Wolf!"

Broadcast and reception[edit]

"The Unquiet Dead" was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 9 April 2005.^[21] In the United States, the episode aired on 24 March 2006 on the Sci-Fi Channel.^[7] Overnight figures showed that the episode was watched by 8.3 million viewers in the UK, an audience share of 37%.^[22] When final ratings were calculated, figures rose to 8.86 million.^[23] The episode received an Audience Appreciation Index score of 80.^[24] "The Unquiet Dead" received some criticism from parents, who felt that it was "too scary" for their young children; the BBC dismissed the complaints, saying that it had never been intended for the youngest of children.^[25]


Doctor Who novelist and Faction Paradox creator Lawrence Miles posted a scathing review of "The Unquiet Dead" on the Internet within an hour of its broadcast, focusing on a perceived political subtext suggesting that asylum seekers (the Gelth) are really all evil and out to exploit liberal generosity (the Doctor). He criticised the script for promoting xenophobia and "claiming that all foreigners were invaders",^[26] especially as the top stories in the news were about immigration into Britain.^[27] The review produced considerable backlash on the Internet, mainly over his comments about writer Mark Gatiss. Miles was personally contacted and ran into trouble with his publishers.^[27] Miles deleted the review and posted a revision,^[27][28] though the original is still available on another of his websites.^[26]


Dek Hogan of Digital Spy stated he "really enjoyed" the episode and it was "beautifully dark".^[29] He later described it as "a chilling tale" and "a cracker".^[30] Charlie Brooker of The Guardian wrote that the episode "may be the single best piece of family-oriented entertainment BBC has broadcast in its entire history", complimenting that "it's clever, it's funny, it's exciting, it's moving, [...] it looks fantastic, and in places it's genuinely frightening". Brooker also notes a similarity to the style of Nigel Kneale.^[31] Now Playing magazine reviewer Arnold T Blumburg gave "The Unquiet Dead" a grade of A−, describing it as "spectacular", though he noted there were "a few hiccups, such as the weak and convenient plot point that forces the Gelth ... to be drawn out of their human hosts by the mere presence of gas". He also criticised Eccleston for making the Doctor appear an "ineffectual goof", and noted that he played no role in the resolution.^[32] In 2013, Mark Braxton of Radio Times described the episode as "a sparkling script, as crisp and inviting as a winter wonderland", praising the magical atmosphere and the treatment of Dickens. However, he felt that "the spectral swirlings are all a bit Raiders of the Lost Ark".^[33]


In Who Is the Doctor, a guide to the revived series, Graeme Burk felt that "The Unquiet Dead" was "terribly, terribly disappointing" on first viewing, as Rose and the Doctor's characterisation did not drive the plot and the story was reduced to playing it safe and being "ordinary", as it just made the aliens evil instead of discussing their morality.^[34] Despite this, he wrote that the story was still enjoyable, with a "delightfully ludicrous" set-up, "vividly realized" period setting, and the characterisation of Dickens.^[34] Burk's coauthor, Robert Smith? [sic], called the episode a "complete mess". He felt that Gatiss was attempting to recreate the classic series, but that it came across as "half-hearted".^[35] He felt that there was no moral dilemma and Sneed underwent an unsettling character change. While he noted that Eccleston and Piper were "excellent", he felt that Rose and the Doctor's developing relationship was not subtle.^[35]