Series 4 Episodes: Planet of the Ood

The Doctor (David Tennant) uses his TARDIS to land at a random point in time and space. Leaving the TARDIS, he and his companion Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) find a dying Ood, a species the Doctor previously encountered in "The Impossible Planet" and "The Satan Pit". Before dying, the Ood's eyes turn red and it attacks the Doctor. The Doctor muses that the last time he met them, they were being influenced by the Devil, so their docility is being influenced by a different and closer being. The Doctor and Donna find an industrial complex controlled by Ood Operations, who are selling the Ood as a servant race. The Doctor locates their position: the Ood-Sphere in the 42nd century.

The "Red Eye" phenomenon is affecting other Ood on the planet: several people have been killed in the weeks prior to the narrative. During the outbreak, the Ood state that "the circle must be broken". Ood Operations noted an increase in the phenomenon, and consider the problem similar to foot and mouth disease; CEO Klineman Halpen (Tim McInnerny) tells the Doctor that the method of killing the Ood is identical.

Throughout the episode, Donna becomes sympathetic to the Ood and is horrified by their status as slaves. The Doctor takes an interest in the Ood too: he notes that being born to serve would be against Richard Dawkins' "selfish gene" argument. He and Donna travels through the complex and finds a batch of uncultivated Ood. Instead of a translation sphere, the Ood hold a "hind brain"; the Doctor derides Halpen for lobotomising them.

The Doctor and Donna are captured by Ood Operations' security force. Shortly after this, the Ood begin a mass revolution, and the complex is evacuated. The Doctor follows Halpen to a locked warehouse, which contains a large brain. The brain's control of the Ood limited by a circle of pylons. Halpen plans to kill the brain, and by extension, all of the Ood, but is stopped by a joint effort between the Doctor, Donna, and Halpen's personal Ood, Ood Sigma (Paul Kasey); Ood Sigma has used Halpen's hair-loss medication to slowly convert Halpen to an Ood.

The Doctor shuts down the circle, freeing the Ood. Before leaving, Ood Sigma promises to include the Doctor and Donna in the Ood's song, but comments that the Doctor's song may soon end.

Guest Stars:
Ayesha Dharker – Solana Mercurio
Tim McInnerny – Klineman Halpen
Paul Clayton – Mr Barton
Adrian Rawlins – Dr Ryder
Tariq Jorden – Rep #1
Paul Kasey – The Ood; Ood Sigma
Silas Carson – Voice of the Ood
Roger Griffiths - Commander Kess

Production
Writer Keith Temple
Director Graeme Harper
Producer Susie Liggat
Executive producer(s) Russell T. Davies
Julie Gardner
Phil Collinson
Production code 4.3
Series Series 4
Length 45 mins
Originally broadcast 19 April 2008