The Christmas Invasion ( TV story ) The Christmas Invasion was the first episode of " Doctor Who " to premiere on Christmas Day since " The Feast of Steven " , the seventh part of the 1966 twelve - part serial " The Daleks ' Master Plan " . However , unlike that episode , " The Christmas Invasion " was specially commissioned by BBC One to be transmitted outside the programme ' s normal broadcasting season . It was thus the first in the modern tradition of the " Christmas special " , and its sixty - minute running time made it then the longest episode yet produced by BBC Wales . Narratively , it continued the story of Harriet Jones , started the Torchwood story arc and involved UNIT in its first major appearance in the new series . More importantly , it was the first full story to feature the Tenth Doctor , played by David Tennant . Its initial pre - titles sequence on the Powell Estate was later used to " bookend " the closing scenes of " The End of Time " . Its setting was the first and last place on Earth the Tenth Doctor saw . Synopsis . It ' s Christmas Eve and high above London , the alien Sycorax are holding the Earth for ransom . The Tenth Doctor must recover from his regeneration in time to save the human race from slavery . Plot . It is Christmas Eve on Earth . As Jackie prepares presents and Mickey works in the garage , both of them hear the distinctive sound of the TARDIS ' engines . Rushing out into the street of the Powell Estate , they see the TARDIS blink into existence above them , ricochet off a few buildings and a post van , then come to a crashing halt . A strange man stumbles out of the police box doors , greets them by name and wishes them a merry Christmas before collapsing . Rose follows and , in response to Jackie and Mickey ' s questions , identifies the stranger as the Doctor . They bring the Doctor to Jackie ' s flat and dress him in pyjamas belonging to Howard , Jackie ' s current beau , who has the habit of keeping pieces of fruit in his pocket for snacks . While Rose discusses the Doctor ' s change of appearance and the fact he has two hearts with Jackie , they do not see a wisp of vortex energy emerging from the Doctor ' s mouth , which then floats into space . On television , Prime Minister Harriet Jones and project director Daniel Llewellyn give a press conference about the " Guinevere One " space probe , which is about to land on Mars . In space , however , the probe is swallowed up by an island - like spaceship . That evening , Rose and Mickey go Christmas shopping , but are attacked by a group of masked Santas armed with lethal musical instruments . Managing to escape when the tuba mortar brings a giant Christmas tree down on the Santas , Rose realises that the Santas must be after the Doctor . She and Mickey rush home . When they reach the flat , Rose notices an unfamiliar Christmas tree in the sitting room , which Jackie says was delivered to the door . As they realise that none of them purchased the tree , it comes to life , whirling around with razor - sharp branches . The three retreat to the bedroom , the " Christmas tree " in hot pursuit . Rose places the sonic screwdriver in the still - comatose Doctor ' s hand and asks him to help her . Reacting instinctively , the Doctor rises as the tree bursts through the door and disintegrates the tree with the screwdriver . He then strides outside the flat to see who was remotely controlling the tree . From ground level , the Santas stare up at the Doctor , but transmat away when the Doctor points the sonic screwdriver at them . The Doctor calls them " pilot fish " and collapses in pain , saying that Rose woke him up too soon : he is still regenerating . The energy leaking from him has attracted attention , and if the “ pilot fish ” could trace it , then something bigger is coming . He then loses consciousness again . The first signal from " Guinevere One " arrives : a distinctly alien face , which is soon broadcast all over the world . Llewellyn is escorted by Major Blake to the Tower of London , which houses a facility run by the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce . There , he meets the Prime Minister and her aide , Alex , who tells him that the cover story is that a student in a mask hacked into the television signal . Llewellyn is shaken to realise that extraterrestrial life does exist , and that both the British government and the United Nations are aware of this . A technician , Sally Jacobs , explains that the signal did not come from Mars but 5000 miles above the planet ' s surface , which means that there is a ship , and it is moving rapidly towards Earth . As Rose and Mickey use his laptop to monitor UNIT ' s readings , the aliens send another signal . The aliens speak in their own language , but Rose does not understand it . Normally , the TARDIS would translate it for her , but it seems that with the Doctor unconscious , that function is not working . At UNIT , Blake orders the use of translation software . With no sign of the Doctor , Jones asks Blake about " Torchwood " . She knows that she is not supposed to know about them – not even the United Nations knows — but she wants them to be ready . The software rather imprecisely translates the message . The aliens are the Sycorax , and they are claiming the planet as their own , demanding surrender or " they " will die . Their word for " human " also appears to be similar to that of " cattle " , temporarily baffling UNIT . Jones declines to surrender , warning the Sycorax that the planet is armed . As dawn rises over London , the Sycorax respond . With a wave of the leader ' s hand , blue energy sweeps over a third of the world ' s population , mesmerising them . The mind - controlled people , Sally Jacobs amongst them , climb to the highest spots they can find ( primarily the roofs of buildings ) , and stand at the edge , poised to jump . Checking the UNIT staff ' s medical records , Llewellyn discovers that all the affected people have A + blood . The Sycorax found the sample of A + blood that was sent with other materials on Guinevere One to identify the human race in case of alien contact , and are somehow using that as a control mechanism . Desperate now , Jones gives an emergency broadcast on television , pleading for the Doctor ' s help if he is out there . She also informs the public that the Queen ' s Christmas speech has been cancelled and finds that the Royal Family are " on the roof " . Just then , the shockwave of the Sycorax ship entering the atmosphere shatters windows all over the city ; the gigantic craft takes position above the centre of London as the frightened population watch . Rose , driven to despair by the Doctor ' s comatose state and not knowing what else to do , asks Mickey and Jackie to help move the Doctor to the safety of the TARDIS . Jackie gathers food and other supplies , including a thermos flask of tea . The Sycorax transmat Jones , Alex , Blake and Llewellyn up to their ship . The Sycorax leader removes his helmet , revealing a skinless face surrounded by a mantle of bone . His hand hovering over a large glowing button , he demands immediate surrender , or he will order the controlled humans to jump . Llewellyn tries to reason with the Sycorax , but is reduced to a pile of bones by the leader ' s energy whip , as is Blake when he protests . Half of the world will be sold into slavery or a third will die ; it is Jones ' s choice . As Rose and Mickey move the Doctor into the console room , Jackie goes back to get more supplies . Rose , having apparently given up , broods by the console as Mickey tries to use the TARDIS scanner to tune into what is happening , but the time machine ' s advanced technology is detected by the Sycorax . Outside , Jackie watches helplessly as the TARDIS is transmatted up . Not realising that they are aboard the Sycorax ship , Rose steps out of the TARDIS , and screams when she sees the aliens . Mickey rushes out after her , dropping the flask of tea , which spills and starts dripping through the grilles at the base of the console next to the Doctor ' s unconscious form . The Doctor breathes in the fumes created as the tea sparks against various components . Rose tries to bluff the Sycorax by quoting various things and races she has encountered on her travels , commanding them to leave , but is answered with laughter . The Sycorax leader taunts her attempts to pass off second - hand knowledge as authority , but as he gloats , his alien words start turning into English . Rose realises that the TARDIS translation is working again , and as the Doctor must be conscious for it to be active , that can mean only one thing : the Doctor is awake . On cue , the doors of the police box open and the Doctor stands there , smiling as he says , " Did you miss me ? " Easily deactivating the Sycorax leader ' s energy whip and breaking his staff , the Doctor bluntly tells the alien to wait while he gets more important things out of the way , namely , getting reacquainted with his friends . Disappointed at not being " ginger " ( red haired ) , and somewhat annoyed at Rose ' s speed in giving up on him , he tells them that all he needed was a " good cup of tea ; a superheated infusion of free radicals and tannin . Just the thing for healing the synapses . " As the Sycorax leader demands to know who he is , the Doctor blithely strides across the ship ' s floor , nattering on cheerfully and still working out what his personality is like in this new incarnation . He walks up to the glowing button , discovers that it is powered by A - positive human blood , and quickly deduce s that the Sycorax are using blood control — they ' re controlling all the humans with A - positive blood . The Doctor tells the leader that in his unstable state , when he sees a large glowing button he just cannot help himself — and to everyone ' s shock , he pushes it . However , instead of sending the possessed crowds on Earth to their deaths , it simply releases them from the Sycorax control . The Doctor explains that blood control is like hypnosis : " you can hypnotize someone to cluck like a chicken or sing like Elvis , but you can ' t hypnotize them to death . Survival instinct ' s too strong . " The Sycorax were bluffing , and the Doctor merely called them on it . The leader says that they can still conquer Earth with an armada , but the Doctor demands that the humans be left alone ( quoting part of " The Circle of Life " from " The Lion King " in the process ) , ultimately challenging the leader to single combat for the planet . The Doctor goads the leader into it the fight by insulting him in his native Sycoraxic . The swordfight goes from inside the ship to its exterior . In the midst of it , the leader cuts the Doctor ' s hand off , and it falls below with his sword . The leader assumes the Doctor will yield as he ' s been " disarmed " . While his friends are horrified , the Doctor is quite calm ; he notes that he is still within the first fifteen hours of changing into his new incarnation . Grinning , he explains that there ' s leftover energy after the change to rectify any anomalies or missing bits ; his hand regrows . Grabbing a new sword , the Doctor notes " This new hand , it ' s a fightin ' hand ! " and reengages the leader in battle . The Doctor ultimately pins the leader , telling him to leave the planet and never return , in return for the Doctor sparing his life . As the Doctor walks back , celebrating his victory with Rose , the leader tries a final attack whilst the Doctor ' s back is turned . The Doctor calmly bounces a satsuma he finds in Howard ' s dressing gown off a control button , opening a section of the ship ' s wing beneath the leader , sending the alien plunging to his death . With a now - grim expression , the Doctor states to Rose that he ' s a man who doesn ' t give second chances now . The Doctor sends the other Sycorax on their way with a reminder that the planet Earth is defended . They are transmatted back to London , and Jones asks if there are more aliens out there . The Doctor notes that there are thousands ; the human race is being noticed more and more . As Jones ponders this , visibly troubled , Alex receives a telephone call and quietly informs Jones that Torchwood is ready . Jones seems reluctant , but nevertheless gives the order to fire . Five green beams converge as one over London , and the resulting energy burst destroys the Sycorax ship as it heads into space . The Doctor glares at Jones , furious , but she tries to justify the use of the weapon ( engineered from a crashed spaceship ten years previously ) as defending the planet , especially since the Doctor cannot be there all the time . The Doctor bitterly says he should have warned the Sycorax to run , as the real monsters , the humans , are coming . When Jones asks if she should consider the Doctor another alien enemy , the Doctor warns her that he can bring down her government with just six words . He whispers them in Alex ' s ear : " Don ' t you think she looks tired ? " Jackie , Mickey and Rose serve Christmas dinner in the flat . The Doctor looks through the TARDIS wardrobe , finally settling on a brown pinstripe suit and a long brown coat . He joins the others for dinner , and they watch Harriet Jones on the television , fending off rumours about her ill - health and a pending vote of no confidence in the House of Commons . Outside , what looks like snow is falling over London , accompanied by shooting stars , but the Doctor points out that it is , in fact , ash — the remains of the Sycorax spaceship . It is a new start for Earth , however ; with so many people seeing the Sycorax ship , there is no covering up the existence of aliens this time . But there are new worlds to see and explore . With a now - trusting Rose by his side and eager to continue their travels , the Doctor looks up into the sky to choose a star for their next destination , assuring her that it will be , in the words of his previous incarnation , " fantastic " .