The Stolen Earth ( TV story ) The Stolen Earth was the twelfth episode of series 4 of BBC Wales " Doctor Who " . The episode marks the first television appearance of Davros since the 1988 story " Remembrance of the Daleks " . The result of Dalek Caan ' s emergency escape in " Evolution of the Daleks " is revealed as well . It also marked the return of several past associates and companion s of the Doctor , including Sarah Jane Smith , Martha Jones , Jack Harkness , Harriet Jones and Rose Tyler . It served as a " cross - over " between " Doctor Who " and its two current spin - off series , marking the first appearance in the series itself of several characters introduced in those spin - offs ; namely , Ianto Jones , Gwen Cooper , Mr Smith , and Luke Smith . The episode also featured the death of Harriet Jones and the loss of the " Valiant " in ill - fated meetings with the Daleks . Once again , it showed the legacy that the Doctor leaves behind on Earth , with many of his ex - companions and allies playing a very important part in saving the world . This episode ' s cliffhanger , which featured the Tenth Doctor beginning a regeneration , caused much commotion within the circles of " Doctor Who " enthusiasts , who were taken by surprise . No announcement was made regarding actor David Tennant ' s departure , which triggered a phenomenal influx of viewers during the Series 4 finale , " Journey ' s End " , in anticipation of a new incarnation of the Doctor and new respective actor . However , this flurry of suspense would be dispelled with the outcome of the finale . Narratively , it also paved the way for the Doctor ' s " final " regeneration of his original cycle . Synopsis . When Earth and twenty - six other planets are stolen and taken to the Medusa Cascade and the Doctor is nowhere in sight , it ' s up to the combined forces of UNIT , Torchwood , Sarah and Rose to fight off the thieves , who only have one thing to say to the resistance : " EX - TER - MIN - ATE ! " Plot . Having seen the signs , the Tenth Doctor and Donna return to Earth to find everything in order . The Doctor asks a milkman what day it is — it is Saturday . Donna presses the Doctor for an explanation of Rose ' s unexpected reappearance , and the Doctor explains that if Rose can cross from her parallel world to Donna ' s parallel world , then the walls of reality are breaking down . Still , with Earth apparently safe for now , they return to the TARDIS . The TARDIS rumbles with an apparent earthquake . The Doctor and Donna rush to the doors and fling them open to find they are hanging in space . The Doctor checks the readings . They have not moved , the TARDIS is still in the same spot it landed in . As for the Earth , she ' s gone . Impossibly , the entire planet has been stolen — but by whom ? At the UNIT New York Base , Dr Martha Jones regains consciousness after an earthquake to find UNIT in chaos and its personnel panicking . One horrified colleague tells Martha to look at the sky . In Torchwood Three , Captain Jack Harkness guesses that the Rift may have been responsible for the brief but violent earthquake that has just devastated the Hub . After making sure that the other members of Torchwood Three — Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones — are all right , Jack heads outside to survey the damage . Presuming it to be a localised event , Ianto and Gwen look at the computer s . Ianto realises that whatever the problem is , " It ' s a bit bigger than South Wales . " At 13 Bannerman Road , Ealing , London , Sarah Jane Smith and her son Luke comment on the earthquake and wonder why it is now dark outside since it was only 8 a . m . when the quake struck . Sarah asks her alien supercomputer Mr Smith for an explanation . Mr Smith says that she should look outside because she will " find the visual evidence most conclusive " . In Chiswick , London , Donna ' s mother Sylvia and grandfather Wilf are not sure what has caused the earthquake , but Wilf is positive it ' s alien s again . As they step outside their home , Sylvia looks at the sky in horror . On the street in London where the TARDIS had been parked , the milkman turns and sees Rose Tyler materialise in a flash of white light , carrying a large futuristic gun . She looks up . Alone of the Doctor ' s friends , she is " not " surprised . Arming her gun , she declares , " All right , " now " we ' re in trouble . And it ' s only just beginning . " The familiar sky is gone . The sun is gone . The constellation s have been replaced with strange new ones . Twenty - six new planet s have appeared in the sky . Aboard the TARDIS , Donna demands to know if her family is dead . The Doctor does not know . He decides they need help , and he sets course for the Shadow Proclamation . At Sarah ' s house , Mr Smith picks up readings of a fleet of two hundred spaceships apparently headed towards Earth . At UNIT , American UNIT leader General Sanchez enters and tells all soldiers and staff that Geneva has declared a Code Red Emergency . Martha tells him that she has tried to phone the Doctor , but the signal is dead . The number calls anywhere in the universe , but the signal is being blocked by some unknown force . Sanchez notes that they will likely find out soon : the fleet is coming into orbit . Gwen calls her husband , Rhys , and tells him to stay indoors and call her mother . She then joins the others as they are reviewing the situation . The atmosphere is in place . They muse that whoever has done this wants the human race alive , which Ianto calls " a plus " . Gwen notices something at the heart of the planets that gives a different reading . It is not a planet . Meanwhile , Rose is walking along the streets of London , which are in chaos with drunks , looters and hysterics . She threatens a pair of looters with her gun ( who promptly scarper ) and looks at a computer screen in the electronics shop they were robbing . It shows a readout of the alien ships . Torchwood has also detected the ships coming into orbit . Jack ' s phone then rings . It is Martha calling , and they confirm that neither of them has heard from the Doctor . They discuss UNIT ' s " Project Indigo " , which is the reason for Martha Jones ' presence in New York . Mr Smith tells Sarah that the ships have a message for the human race and puts it through . It consists of a single repeated word : " Exterminate ! " . The message is heard on all frequencies , including UNIT , the speakers at Torchwood Three , and at Sarah Jane ' s attic . Jack and Sarah Jane react with horror as they realise the enemy is the Dalek s . Jack says , " I ' m sorry , we ' re dead " , kissing Ianto and Gwen on the forehead . Sarah hugs Luke , crying , " You ' re so young . " Rose hears the message and heads outside to see a massive Dalek spaceship flying over London , shooting at everything in its path . In space , thousands of other saucers descend upon the helpless Earth . At UNIT ' s New York City base , General Sanchez orders everyone to their battle stations and Geneva declares an Ultimate Code Red : put simply , Earth is at war . The room promptly shakes and Martha rushes to the window in time to see dozens of Dalek ships descend and wreak havoc and destruction upon Manhattan . Aboard a massive spaceship at the heart of the cluster of planets , the Daleks finalise their plans . The Supreme Dalek , a red Dalek with extra panels , declares that the Crucible will soon be complete and " We have waited long for this ultimate destiny . Now the Daleks are the masters of Earth ! " The Daleks eagerly take up the chant . Far across the universe , on board the TARDIS and unaware of the unfolding destruction on Earth , the Doctor and Donna arrive at the Shadow Proclamation . They are greeted at gunpoint by its rhino - headed guards , the Judoon , but the Doctor convinces them they mean no harm and need help with the trusted help of his knowledge of the Judoon ' s language . A female member of the Proclamation tells the Doctor that the situation is worse than he suspects — not one but twenty - four planets have been stolen . Donna asks about Pyrovillia , but the Judoon captain tells her that Pyrovillia is a cold case ; it disappeared over two thousand years ago . Donna asks about the Adipose Breeding Planet and the Doctor realises that planets are being snatched out of time as well as space . The Doctor heads over to the computer and shifts the display of the missing planets into 3D . He adds Adipose 3 , Pyrovillia , and the lost moon of Poosh , which all vanished in the past . The model rearranges itself into a perfect balance , fitting together " like pieces of an engine " . Recalling a distant memory , the Doctor says that someone tried to move the Earth once before . . . Back on Earth , the Daleks attack the " Valiant , " disabling its shields and forcing the crew to abandon ship . Jack , Gwen , and Ianto try to find a way to stop them , but their efforts are futile . Daleks are landing in Japan , the Air Force is put into retreat over Africa , and contact with the British Prime Minister ' s plane is lost . Back in Manhattan , the UNIT base is attacked by Daleks . Jack tells Martha to get out of there , but she does not listen . General Sanchez declares that Project Indigo has been activated . Back in the control room , personnel cowering behind desks are knocked backwards as Daleks blast their way into the room . UNIT soldiers fruitlessly but bravely open fire as administrative personnel attempt to flee , though some are exterminated in the process . Sanchez leads Martha and another UNIT soldier to the vault where Project Indigo is being kept . He orders Martha to put it on , and she straps a device onto her back . As Jack protests for Martha not to use it because it is too dangerous , General Sanchez orders Martha to do it . He hands her something called " the Osterhagen Key " . Martha is horrified , understanding the purpose of the key . She at first refuses to take it , but General Sanchez orders her to do so for the sake of human ity . Martha activates Project Indigo as Jack rages . The General and another soldier begin firing as the Daleks break in , and Martha vanishes . Inside Torchwood , Jack tells Gwen and Ianto that Project Indigo is a teleport device reverse - engineered from the teleport pod salvaged from the Sontaran s , but they have no coordinates or stabilisation . When Gwen asks where Martha is , an upset Jack says she has been " scattered into atoms . Martha is down . " On board the Dalek station , the Supreme Dalek orders the Daleks to prepare landings and bring the humans to " the Crucible " . He receives a call from the control room , asking about news . The Supreme Dalek declares , " Earth has been subjugated . " The speaker is a sinister figure : the lower half of his body is Dalek , but his upper half is hidden in shadow . However , a blue light is visible on what seems to be his head . He is really asking for news of the Doctor . The Supreme Dalek gleefully replies , " No reports of the Time Lord . We are beyond the Doctor ' s reach ! " The figure is fascinated by the Dalek ' s triumphant tone and warns him about his pride . Undeterred , the Supreme Dalek proclaims , " The Doctor cannot stop us ! " The figure replies , " And yet , Dalek Caan is uneasy . " A light switches on to show a Dalek with its shell opened to reveal the mutated , tentacled creature inside , its top half destroyed . The Supreme Dalek protests , " The abomination is insane ! " The figure demands that the Dalek show respect ; after all , without Dalek Caan , Earth could never be conquered . Also , everything Caan says comes true . Caan says , " He is coming . The three - fold man , he dances in the lonely places . . . oh , creator of us all . . . the Doctor is coming ! " then bursts into insane laughter . Back at the Shadow Proclamation ' s space station , Donna is sitting on the stairs , waiting for the Doctor to work out what has happened . A member of the Shadow Architect ' s race comes over and gives Donna some water . She somehow knows that there had been something on Donna ' s back earlier , and tells her there is a loss still to come . The Doctor asks Donna if anything strange was happening on Earth . Donna reminds him about the bees disappearing . The Doctor realises that this is a clue . Donna tells him some people thought it was pollution or global warming , but the Doctor tells her that in fact the bees were returning home , to the planet Melissa Majoria : the Tandocca Scale . They realise that if they follow the trail , they can find the Earth . The Shadow Architect stops them , saying , " The planets were taken with hostile intent . We are declaring war , Doctor , right across the universe , and you will lead us into battle ! " The Doctor looks stunned , then replies , " Right , ' course I will . I ' ll just go get you a key . " He closes the door and the TARDIS dematerialises , to the Shadow Architect ' s fury . Back on Earth , the Daleks have enslaved London and are ordering all humans to leave their homes . Wilf and Sylvia watch . When a man and his family defy the Daleks and return to their home , the Daleks brutally incinerate the house , leaving no survivors . Wilf and Sylvia run onto the street and are confronted by a Dalek . Wilf grabs a paintball gun and shoots the Dalek in the eye , but the Dalek melts the paint away . The Dalek prepares to exterminate them , but then explodes . Behind its wreckage stands Rose , who has shot it with her gun . She asks if they are Donna ' s family , and when they reply yes , she tells them she needs them . Wilf reveals he has tried calling Donna , but there is no reply . The last time Donna had phoned them was when she was on Midnight . Sylvia thinks this is ridiculous , but Wilf tells her she cannot start denying things now . Upon discovering that they do not know how to reach Donna , Rose despairs ; they had been her " last hope " to find the Doctor . Meanwhile , the TARDIS stops in the Medusa Cascade . The Doctor tells Donna he came here when he was just a kid ( ninety years old ) and that it is the centre of a rift in time and space . Donna asks about the twenty - seven planets . The Doctor tells her that they are nowhere . Donna asks what they are to do , but the Doctor does not reply . . . he now has no options and no clue what to do next . On Earth , Torchwood and Bannerman Road listen as the United Nations officially declares Earth ' s surrender . Sarah and Captain Jack have given up : Earth has no hope but to wait and pray that the Daleks bring the end quickly . At the Nobles ' house , the laptop suddenly switches itself on and a voice comes through . Sarah and the people at Torchwood hear it , too . Jack believes it is just another suffering person crying for help amongst millions of others . He tells Gwen to leave it , but the woman speaking shames him and demands that he stand to attention . She identifies herself as Harriet Jones , former prime minister . Harriet also makes contact with Sarah and decides they should be able to talk to each other . There are four contacts : Harriet , Sarah Jane , and the Torchwood team , but the fourth contact is having trouble getting through . Rose assumes she is the fourth contact however the Nobles ' lack webcam ( Sylvia having forbidden them , believing webcams to be " naughty " ) . To Rose ' s surprise and dismay , Martha appears on screen as the fourth contact instead . Feeling left out , Rose protests , " Who ' s she ? " , but no one in the network can hear her . Martha reveals that Project Indigo had brought her home to her mother , possibly tapping into her mind to determine where she really wanted to go . Harriet introduces Torchwood to Sarah . Jack states that he has been following Sarah ' s work , telling her , " Nice job with the Slitheen . " Sarah tartly replies that she has been staying away from Torchwood — " Too many guns . " Far from offended , Jack suggestively tells her that she is " looking good " . Harriet is unimpressed by Jack ' s incorrigible flirting , though Sarah is quite flattered , and explains that they are communicating through a subwave network — a sentient computer programme obtained from the Mr Copper Foundation to contact anyone and everyone who can contact the Doctor . Jack tells everyone that what they need at the moment is something to fight the Daleks with and asks Martha what the Osterhagen Key does . Harriet abruptly interrupts telling Jack that the Osterhagen Key is not an option and isn ' t to be used under any circumstances and what they need is the Doctor . Sarah wonders why Harriet is doing this , given that the Doctor deposed her . Harriet admits that she has often wondered whether or not her decision was wrong . Regardless , she asserts , " I stand by my actions to this day because I knew that one day , the Earth would be in danger , and the Doctor would fail to appear . " Martha explains that she has tried to phone the Doctor , but the signal cannot get through . Jack realises they can transmit to the Doctor using " all the power of the Rift " . Luke points out that Mr Smith can tap into the global telecommunications network , forcing every phone across the globe to call the same number at the same time ; Jack is impressed . Ianto appears beside Jack and theorises that as soon as transmitting begins , the subwave network will become visible to the Daleks . Harriet understands that the signal will be traced back to her , but she declares , " My life does not matter — not if it saves the Earth . " Jack salutes her . She tells Jack to give the Doctor a message : " He chose his companions well . " Martha sends them all the Doctor ' s phone number and Rose decides to call the Doctor herself . The transmitting starts , manifesting as glowing blue rings that shoot up the water tower in Roald Dahl Plass and extend out into space , Earth and the twenty - six other worlds calling their Doctor for help . Rose , Sylvia and Wilf start to call the Doctor . Mr Smith and the equipment at Torchwood are pushed beyond their limits . Suddenly , transmitting slows . The Daleks have detected the subwave network . The Supreme Dalek orders that the culprit be exterminated . The figure in the control room contacts him again , telling him , " I warned you , Supreme One . Just as Dalek Caan foretold , the Children of Time are moving against us , but everything is falling into place . " Gwen warns Harriet that the Daleks have found her , but Harriet keeps working . She sends control to Torchwood just as the Daleks arrive in her home . She introduces herself as usual , and the Daleks tell her they know her . Harriet retorts defiantly , " Oh , you know nothing of any human . And that will be your downfall . " With this , she is exterminated , though the Daleks have the decency to destroy the video link before doing so . On board the TARDIS , as the Doctor and Donna sit despondent , the phone Martha gave him starts ringing . The two jump into action and , although there is no voice on the other end , the Doctor picks up the signal and locks onto it . The TARDIS travels through time , overloading . The twenty - seven planets come into view and the Doctor realises that they were all one second out of sync with the universe — he describes it as " the perfect hiding place " . He picks up the subwave network and his companions appear onscreen . The Doctor introduces Donna to all of them , but is disappointed that Rose is not visible . On board the Crucible , Caan says , " He is here . . . the Dark Lord is coming . " The figure demands access to the subwave network . Suddenly , all the contacts vanish off of the screen . Donna thinks they are losing contact , but the Doctor realises there is another contact coming through . He thinks it is Rose , but when he and Sarah hear the figure sneer , " Your voice is different and yet , its arrogance is unchanged , " they realise who it is with horror : the creator of the Daleks , Davros . He gloats , " Welcome to my new empire , Doctor . It is only fitting that you should witness the resurrection and the triumph of Davros , lord and creator of the Dalek race . " The Doctor protests that Davros was destroyed in the very first year of the Time War , that his command ship flew into the jaws of the Nightmare Child at the Gates of Elysium , even though he tried to save Davros . Davros mockingly replies , " But it took one stronger than you — Dalek Caan himself . " Caan continues the story , shrilly crying , " I flew into the wild , and the fire ; I danced and died a thousand times . " Davros explains that , after the events of " Evolution of the Daleks , " Caan ' s emergency temporal shift took him back into the Time War . The Doctor protests that the war is time - locked , and therefore completely prevented from being accessed . Davros points out the obvious : " Yet he succeeded . " Caan was somehow able to break the barriers and rescue Davros , but in the process lost his sanity . The Doctor realises that after being rescued , Davros created a new race of Daleks . Davros boasts , " I gave myself to them — quite literally : each one grown from a cell of my own body . " He reveals that parts of his torso have been replaced by metal — much of his ribcage and what lies beyond is clearly visible . He proudly proclaims , " New Daleks . . . true Daleks . I have my children , Doctor . What do you have now ? " The Doctor ' s response is just one word : " Bye ! " He cuts transmission with Davros and sets the TARDIS for Earth . The Supreme Dalek orders that the Daleks locate the TARDIS and the Doctor , but Davros points out that they need only look on Earth ; the Doctor is sure to seek out his companions . Caan ominously screeches , " Death is coming . I can see it ! Everlasting death for the most faithful companion ! " Suddenly , the Daleks detect that the subwave network has been rebooted and the new location is Torchwood . The Supreme Dalek orders Torchwood exterminated . On Earth , Jack contacts Martha by phone and asks what the two oscillating digits on the Project Indigo transporter are ; she responds that they are a 4 and a 9 . Jack tells her that those are the teleport base codes , which is all Jack needs to reactivate his vortex manipulator ' s teleportation ability . Jack grabs a large gun and promises Gwen and Ianto that he will come back , then vanishes . Sarah heads off in her car to find the Doctor after Mr Smith promises to protect Luke . Rose contacts the parallel Torchwood and has them lock her onto the TARDIS before being teleported away . The TARDIS lands in a trashed and deserted street . The Doctor asks Donna what Rose said in the parallel Earth and Donna replies with a smile , " Why don ' t you ask her yourself ? " The Doctor turns around and sees Rose standing down the street . They run towards each other , absolutely delighted . As they get closer , a Dalek appears from behind a van and shoots at the Doctor , sending him to the ground . Captain Jack teleports into the street and blasts the Dalek to bits with his defabricator gun . A distraught Rose kneels over the Doctor as he lies on the ground in agony ; Jack and Donna prepare to move him into the TARDIS . Meanwhile , in Torchwood , Gwen and Ianto pick up machine gun s and get ready for battle despite knowing full well that the guns are useless ; Gwen is prepared to die in the line of duty like the recently deceased Owen and Tosh . A Dalek enters Torchwood and Gwen and Ianto open fire . Back in the TARDIS the Doctor is in terrible pain . Donna asks if there ' s anything they can do to help him but Jack tells her to stay away . The Doctor lifts up his hand , which has begun to glow . Sarah is still in her car , driving down a street until she nearly hits two Daleks on the road . Despite her frantic attempts to apologise , the Daleks prepare to exterminate her : " Daleks do not accept apologies ! " On board the TARDIS , Jack makes the others back away . Donna asks about what is happening . Rose explains that when the Doctor is dying he can heal himself , but changes in the process . Rose doesn ' t want the Doctor to change as she has come a long way to find him , but the process has already started and can ' t be stopped . In Torchwood Three , Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones aim their weapons and pull the safety catches , as the Dalek says for a third and final time , " Exterminate ! " The Doctor gets to his feet . Glowing brighter and brighter by the second , he stretches his arms out as his body explodes into golden energy and begins to regenerate . . .