The Doctor takes Rose back to her flat but it's not 12 hours it's 12 months. Flyers everywhere 'have you seen this girl?' 'Where is Rose?' and her mother is so shocked to see her. It's only been a few days for Rose and the changes are almost overwhelming.

Rose's mother slaps the Doctor for taking Rose away from her.

They go outside to mull over this development when a space ship suddenly crash lands in the Thames, destroying Big Ben on the way down.

They rush to the scene but can't get through as it's already been blocked off.

They head back to Rose's mother's flat and watch it on the news.

Meanwhile the body has been brought into the hospital and is being investigated. The brain has been augmented and we don't initially get to see the body. We find out that something has happened to the Prime Minister.

At number 10 the position has been taken over by someone else. Apparently the Slitheen are disguised as humans and now running the country from Downing street.

Later there are parties around the estate with people celebrating the arrival of aliens. Mickey sees the Doctor disappear and realises that means that Rose may be back. He rushes in, angry about the situation.

Mickey had waited for her and had even been questioned by the police 5 times as Rose's mother thought he'd murdered her.

The Doctor has gone to the hospital to investigate the body but gets caught by some military types.

Dr Toshiko Sato (Torchwood) screams and the Doctor uses this to his advantage, rushing to her aid.

They find that the alien body was not dead and that the 'Pigs in space' pig has escaped. Unfortunately he's shot by one of the army guys. He was just a scared normal pig that had been augmented to fit into a space suit.

Mickey tells Rose that the Doctor has left her but she shows him the TARDIS key that the Doctor gave her.

Rose's mother follows them down to where the TARDIS was as it rematerialises. Rose did not tell her mother about the Doctor, and neither did Mickey but now her mother's so shocked at the appearance of the TARDIS that she rushes inside. Totally overwhelmed by the situation her mother runs back to her flat and sits on the bed wondering what to do.

Harriet Jones is making a nuisance of herself at number 10, attempting to tell the acting prime minister about her plans for cottage hospitals. Unwittingly she finds herself in the main boardroom reading the emergency protocols for alien invasions when the aliens disguised as humans come back. She hides in the cupboard and listens to their plans. They kill the General and take over his body and she gets to see them as they really are.

Rose's mother rings the alien hotline and the words Doctor, Blue Box, and TARDIS activate a code 9. Suddenly the area around the TARDIS is swarming with army jeeps, military personnel and helicopters. Mickey manages to escape but the Doctor and Rose are 'captured'

It turns out that they will be escorted to number 10 Downing street to advise on extraterrestrial incursions. When they get there Harriet Jones grabs Rose as she knows about the Doctor, and after gathering herself she informs her of the invasion plot.

They go back to the boardroom so that Harriet can show Rose the skin and they find the dead Prime Minister in another cupboard. The aid comes in just as one of the disguised Slitheen comes in and changes into her real form. She grabs the aid and smashes him against the wall, then goes after Rose and Harriet.

The Doctor and the other extraterrestrial experts watch as the Slitheen reveal themselves and then everyone in the room are attacked by electric bolts via their ID tags.

Rose's mother is interviewed by a Police officer who changes into a Slitheen and tries to kill her.

So, just like the well known triple cliffhanger in Masque of Mandragora, we have a triple cliffhanger in Aliens of London. Unfortunately the cliff hanger was overdone and repetative, as well as ruined when the 'next week on Doctor Who' segment began. Oh well.
 

And this doesn't even take into consideration the books, which, according to the general novel timeline, puts the Doctor's age at around 1200 at least, at the end of the 8th Doctor's life.

Having said that, maybe the time war gave the Doctor back a hundred years of his life.

Jumping forward a couple of years to 'Rise of the Cybermen' when the Doctor restarted a power cell with his own life force, he said it cost him 10 years of his life. So is he 913 now?

Moving on. I'd like to now give a critical and probling, in-depth opinion on the new creatures in Doctor Who - The Slitheen. They're crap!

Okay, they're not that bad. But really, come on guys, why aren't they a bit more scary? Why do they look like babies with claws? How about some squinty eyes, drooling teeth? So, not impressive. And the difference between computer graphics and model work is a bit jarring at present. I know it'll get better, of course.

Aliens of London, World War Three Dalek

Order the  Complete Series 1 Box Set The complete first series of New Doctor Who. Order from the UK

The complete first series of New Doctor Who, now available to order in the US