Damaged Goods (TV Story)

***Damaged Goods*** was the sixth and final serial of Season 33 of *Doctor Who*. It was written by Russell T Davies, directed by Michael Owen Morris, and starred Stephen Fry as the Ninth Doctor and Emma Fielding as Lena Haigh.

## Synopsis

The Doctor and Lena arrive at the Quadrant, a troubled council block in Thatcher's Britain. There's a new drug on the streets, a drug that's killing to a plan. Somehow, the very ordinary people of the Quadrant are involved. And so, amidst the growing chaos, a bizarre trio moves into number 43.

The year is 1987: a dead drug dealer has risen from the grave, and an ancient weapon is concealed beneath human tragedy. But the Doctor soon discovers that the things people do for their children can be every bit as deadly as any alien menace - as he uncovers the link between a special child, an obsessive woman, and a desperate bargain made one dark Christmas Eve.

## Cast

* The Doctor - Stephen Fry
* Lena Haigh - Emma Fielding
* David Daniels - Matt Bardock
* Winnie Tyler - Pauline Collins
* Bev Tyler - Sarah Alexander
* Gabriel Tyler/Steven Jericho - Nick Robinson
* Eva Jericho - Gillian Barge
* Simon Jenkins - Andrew Scarborough
* Dr. James Greco - Edward Woodward

## Worldbuilding

### Species

* Haemovores went extinct as their evolution fed on itself.

### Technology

* Tribophysics literally means the science of interacting surfaces in relative motion and dates back to the Time of Legend on Gallifrey.

### Time Lords

* Patrexes are a Gallifreyan Chapter of artists, aesthetes and shallow Epicureans with pretentious minds. They think there's something beautiful about the death of suns.

### Food and beverages

* The Doctor drinks water with a slice of lemon in 1980s New York whilst holidaying with his companions.
* The Doctor and Lena drink "nasty coffee" at the Angel Square Café in London.

## Notes

* This story was written by Russell T Davies and features a family named Tyler. The surname Tyler is one used often by Davies throughout his writing career.
* Davies cites the musical *Blood Brothers* as an influence on the story. The musical focuses on two brothers separated at birth, one who grew up in an urban background and the other who grew up to be well-off; this is similar to the relationship between Gabriel Tyler and Steven Jericho in the story
* While the fire in apartment 11 is being put out, the Doctor speaks with Mrs. Hearn. He tells her at one point "Somewhere in the universe, the tea’s getting cold,". This is also the penultimate line spoken during the run of the original series from 1963 to 1989 in the final serial TV: *Survival*.
* Gabriel likes the television program *"Why Don't You..?"*. The full name of the program is "*Why Don't You Just Switch Off Your Television Set and Go and Do Something Less Boring Instead?".* Russel T Davies was the director and producer of this very same television program in the late 80s and early 90s.

## Continuity

* The Doctor mentions an anti-Dalek weapon he built during the Shoreditch Incident. (TV: *Remembrance of the Daleks*)
* The Doctor tells Mrs. Hearn during the apartment 11 fire "Somewhere in the universe, the tea’s getting cold," something he told Ace too. (TV: *Survival*)
* Harry Sullivan is mentioned here, and described as being the "former head of MI5" in 2015.
* Lena and the Doctor talk about his time in exile on Earth, something confirmed to Lena during her first meeting with him. (TV: *Subjects of War*) The Second Doctor was forced to regenerate by the Time Lords into the Third Doctor and was forced to live in exile on Earth for many years in the 1970s, during which he worked for UNIT. (TV: *The War Games*, *Spearhead from Space*, et al.)
* The Osirans are mentioned as potential creators of the weapon inhabiting the Capper's corpse. (TV: *Pyramids of Mars*)

## Home Video & DVD Releases

### VHS

* This story was released on VHS in 1999.

### DVD

* This story along with the other stories in Season 33 were released as *Doctor Who: The Complete Thirty-Third Season* in 2011.

### Blu-ray

* This story along with the other stories in Season 33 were upscaled in 1080i50 high definition and were released as *Doctor Who: The Collection - Season 33* in the UK.