Doctor Who (2005): Love & Monsters Episode Trivia

Doctor Who (2005): Love & Monsters

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Barney Harwood, the presenter of Totally Doctor Who, makes a cameo appearance in this episode. He is one of the market stool owners, when Elton first spots Jackie across the street. edit »
St David's Market in Cardiff doubles for London in the scene where Elton goes looking for Rose. The same location was also used in 'Rose', in the final scene when the Doctor asked Rose to travel with him. edit »
Elton John is not the first well known British Music act to appear playing in Doctor Who. That honour belongs to The Beatles in the original series story The Chase. edit »
This episode takes place over the longest period of time so far and has the most number of costume changes per character. edit »
Look Hard: In addition to the faces of the people from L.I.N.D.A., there are two other faces but these do not move. edit »
Three of the flashback scenes (to Rose, Aliens of London and The Christmas Invasion) were actually reshot to include Elton in the thick of things.

If you look carefully at the point Elton is nearly run over by a Taxi you can see the bridal Auton in the background that attacks Jackie Tyler later on.

The only actual footage from the original episodes intercut appears to be the alien craft flying down Whitehall and the Big Ben crash, everything else is new. edit »
L.I.N.D.A stands for London Investigation 'N Detective Agency. edit »
In this episode Victor Kennedy makes mention of both Torchwood and Bad Wolf. He claims that information on the Doctor's companions in the Torchwood files have been corrupted by what is called the �Bad Wolf� virus. edit »
The Abzorbaloff's home planet is called Klom which is the twin planet of Raxacoricofallapatorious, the home planet of the Slitheen. edit »
This episode features the first use of the phrase "Bad Wolf" in the second season. edit »
Footage from Rose, Aliens of London and The Christmas Invasion is used in this episode, though all from Elton's point of view. The footage of the spaceship destroying Big Ben is re-used again from Aliens of London. edit »
Elton mentions that he will wonder when Rose and Jackie "...will pay the price". This follows a string of 'hints' from previous episodes that possibly someone will die. Already the Beast in episodes 8 and 9 of series 2 has mentioned that Rose will die in battle. Reinette from The Girl in the Fireplace has mentioned to Rose that "...the Doctor is worth the monsters". Queen Victoria warned The Doctor and Rose about their dangerous lifestyle in Tooth and Claw and even as early as New Earth we see death in the form of Cassandra. A possibly hint maybe? Similar to Bad Wolf? edit »

The Abzorbaloff: And I'll return there (Clom, the Abzorbaloff's home planet), victorious, once I possess your travelling machine.
The Doctor: Well, that's never gonna happen! edit »
Elton: So, there you go. Turns out I�ve had the most terrible things happen. And the most brilliant things. And sometimes� well, I can�t tell the difference. They�re all the same thing. They�re� just me. You know, Stephen King said once, he said �salvation and damnation are the same thing�. And I never knew what he meant. But I do now. Cos the Doctor might be wonderful but� thinking back, I was having such a special time. Just for a bit. I had this nice little gang (brief clip of �musical L.I.N.D.A.�) and they were destroyed. It�s not his fault. Maybe that�s what happens when you touch the Doctor. Even for a second. I keep thinking about Rose and Jackie, and how much longer before they pay the price. edit »
Abzorbaloff: You�ll surrender yourself to me, Doctor. Or this one (indicating Elton) dies. You see, I�ve read about you, Doctor. I�ve studied you. So passionate. So sweet. You wouldn�t let an innocent man die. And I�ll absorb him unless you give yourself to me.
The Doctor: (scratching his head) Sweet, maybe� passionate, I suppose� but don�t ever mistake that for nice. Do what you want. edit »
(Elton and Ursula see Victor in his true form as the Abzorbaloff)
Elton: You�re a� thing!
Abzorbaloff: A thing? This thing is my true form. Better than that crude pink shape you call a body. edit »
Jackie: (to Elton) I went in your coat. For once in my life I thought, �I�ll pay�. I thought, �he�s such a nice man, he won�t accept anything, so I�ll just slip a tenner in his pocket�. And look what I found. (holds out the photo of Rose) A photograph of my daughter.
Elton: No, no, no, it�s not like that. I can explain.
Jackie: I bet you can.
Elton: I wasn�t being pervy or anything. I wasn�t after her. I was looking for the Doctor.
Jackie: Oh, I know that. I worked that out. Cos it�s never me, is it?
Elton: No but that�s how it started. But I changed my mind�
Jackie: (cutting him off) Let me tell you something about those who get left behind. Because it�s hard. And that�s what you become. Hard. But if there�s one thing I�ve learned, it�s that I will never let her down. And I�ll protect them both until the end of my life. So whatever you want, I�m warning you� Back off. edit »
(After ingratiating himself with Jackie, Elton reports back to the group)
Victor Kennedy: Magnificent! Oh, I could kiss you. Except I can�t, of course� the ec-ZEE-ma�
Elton: I�ve even got a picture of her on my phone. (shows the group)
Mr. Skinner: Well, that�s amazing. You�ve achieved steps one to four in precise order. How did you manage it?
Elton: I had to work very hard. She keeps everything very close to her chest.
Ursula: (looking at the picture) That�s a hell of a chest. edit »
(Elton has followed Jackie into a launderette)
Elton: (voice-over) I�d been trained for this. Victor Kennedy�s classes covered basic surveillance and espionage. Step one: engage your target. Find some excuse to start a conversation. But how was I going to do this? How?
Jackie: Excuse me, love. You couldn�t give me a quid for two fifties, could you?
Elton: Yeah, I�ll just� (find the change to give to her)
Jackie: Oh, lovely, cheers.
Elton: (voice-over) Step Two: without provoking suspicion, get on first name terms with the target.
Jackie: My name�s Jackie, by the way.
Elton: I�m Elton.
Jackie: Oh, you don�t meet many Eltons do you? Apart from the obvious. (laughs)
Elton: (voice-over) Step Three; ingratiate yourself with a joke or some humorous device.
Jackie: (putting washing into one of the machines) I tell you what, Elton, here we are, complete strangers, and I�m flashing you my knickers. (laughs)
Elton: (voice-over) Step Four: find some subtle way to integrate yourself in the target�s household.
Jackie: Mind you, I�m only down here cos my washing machine�s knackered. I don�t suppose you�re any good at fixing things, are you? edit »
(Victor has instructed L.I.N.D.A. to find Rose)
Elton: (voice-over) And so it began. The impossible task. To scour the mean streets, to search a major capital city for an unknown girl. To hunt down that face in a seething metropolis of lost souls. To find that one girl in ten million.
(Cut to Elton showing a photograph of Rose to Mrs. Croot)
Mrs. Croot: Oh, that�s Rose Tyler. She lives just down there. Butland House, number forty-seven. Her mum�s Jackie Tyler. Nice family. Bit odd. edit »
Victor Kennedy: You met him and you froze? You stupid man! (He raises his hand to hit Elton)
Elton: You can�t hit me, �cos you don�t touch. You said so. You get a rash and an itch�
Victor Kennedy: (reaching for his cane) I can use this!
Ursula: Use a cane on him and you�ll get one hell of a smack off me. And then a good kick. Is that completely understood, Mr. Kennedy?
Victor Kennedy: Duly noted. Ursula Blake, most likely to fight back. edit »
Victor Kennedy: No, no, no, I don't shake hands, back, back. I suffer from a skin complaint. Ec-ZEMA.
Elton: Don't you mean Eczema?
Victor Kennedy: This is worse. Much worse. I blister to the touch. edit »
Ursula: His name is the Doctor.
Elton: Doctor what?
Ursula: That's all anyone knows. edit »
Elton: That wasn't the first time I met the Doctor, and it certainly wasn't the last. Oh no. I just put that at the beginning because it's a brilliant opening. edit »
Elton: That's what it did. It went RAR! And if you think that was the most exciting day of my life, wait till you hear the rest. Oh boy. edit »
Rose: You upset my mum.
Elton: Right. (Indicates Abzorbaloff) Big absorbing alien over there, and you're having a go at me?
Rose: No-one upsets my mum! edit »
The Doctor: (talking to the monster) Here boy! Eat the food! Come on! Look at the lovely food! Isn't that nice? Isn't it? Yes it is - get out of here quickly - (refering to Elton) that's a boy how'd-ya-like-a-porky-chopy-then- I SAID RUN!
(Rose comes running in with a blue bucket)
Rose: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
The Doctor: Wrong one! Ya made it worse!
Rose: You said blue!
The Doctor: I said not blue!
(Rose runs off) edit »
(Holding Ursula/floor tile)
Elton: It's a relationship.. of sorts. But we manage. We've even got a bit of a love life.
Ursula: Oh, let's not go into that... edit »
The Doctor: Elton! Fetch a spade! edit »
Elton: But the thing is ... but what I wanted to say is, you know when you're a kid, they tell you it's all "Grow up, get a job, get married, get a house, have a kid" and that's it. Nah. The truth is the world is so much stranger than that, it's so much darker. And so much madder. And so much better. edit »
Rose: Is it me, or is he a bit...Slitheen?
The Doctor: Not from Raxicoricofallapatorious, are you?
Abzorbaloff: No, not those swine. I spit on them. I was born on its twin planet.
The Doctor: Really? What's the twin planet of Raxicoricofallapatorius?
Abzorbaloff: Clom.
The Doctor: Clom?
Abzorbaloff: Clom. edit »

Both David Tennant (The Doctor) and Shirley Henderson (Ursula Blake) previously appeared in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as Barty Crouch, Jr. and Moaning Myrtle, respectively. Unlike in Harry Potter though, the two shared scenes here. edit »
The final viewing figure for the BBC One airing of this episode was 6.66 million. edit »
Music: aside from ELO, Il Divo's Unbreak My Heart (Regresa A Mi) is played when Jackie attempts to seduce Elton. edit »
LINDA were first mentioned in Why Don't You...? a childrens show produced by Russel T Davies edit »
The ELO song that the members of LINDA perform is Don�t Bring Me Down. In Elton�s flashback to that moment the song Mr. Blue Sky is played. edit »
When Elton John briefly appears the song he is performing is Daniel. edit »
One of the reasons that the Doctor and Rose got so little screentime in Love and Monsters was because this episode was 'double-banked' with The Impossible Planet and The Satan Pit. This means that two film crews were operating simultaneously - one filming episodes eight and nine, and the other filming Love and Monsters - hence Tennant and Piper could not be at both shoots at once. edit »
The song played throughout most of the episode is Mr. Blue Sky by the Electric Light Orchestra or ELO as they are more commonly known. edit »
Peter Kay was considered for the role of Elton but preferred playing the monster. edit »
The monster at the beginning is called the Hoix. It wasn't named in the script, but for the credits a name was needed. Producer Peter Collinson decided on the name. edit »
In 2005, Blue Peter ran a competition to design a Doctor Who monster. With 43,920 entries, it received the biggest response in 13 years and the Abzorbaloff, created by 9 year old William Grantham from Colchester in Essex, was the winner.

During filming, with Kay on set and in costume as the Abzorbaloff, William was invited to witness his creation in the flesh (and latex). His reaction? "Oh. It was supposed to be the size of a double-decker bus". Something he had forgotten to mention on his entry! edit »

Elton: A quote by Stephen King. 'Salvation is Damnation'.

Stephen King is a popular horror writer of the 20th century and the 21st century. He has written many books including Carrie, The Stand, and Salem's Lot and the popular series The Dark Tower. The quote is actually used in The Dark Tower Volume I: The Gunslinger edit »