S01E01: 'Rose'

When young department store worker Rose Tyler takes a trip to the shop's basement, some plastic mannequins spring to life and menacingly surround her. Before they can strike, a mysterious leather jacket-clad man called The Doctor arrives on the scene to save her. Much to Rose's disappointment, the man soon disappears and Rose watches as the store blows up.

She returns to the flat she shares with her mother Jackie clutching a memento - a detached plastic arm - which she then asks her boyfriend Mickey to dispose of. The next day The Doctor pays her a visit, in search of the arm. After fending off Jackie's amorous advances, he has to to prise off the plastic arm from around his neck after he locates it behind the sofa.

Once more, The Doctor makes a hasty exit but explains to Rose that there's a war going on that she's not even aware of, involving an alien race with the ability to control plastic. She sees him walk towards a blue police box, which is gone a moment later as she turns her back.

Via the internet, Rose tracks down Clive - a man obsessed with The Doctor who believes he has cropped up all over time. Meanwhile, Mickey is swallowed up by a plastic wheelie-bin and a sinister lookalike takes his place.

The young couple have dinner that night, but the Mickey imposter's erratic behaviour and desire to find out more about The Doctor worries her. As he becomes more aggressive, The Doctor arrives on the scene to behead plastic Mickey and escapes with Rose into the safety of the mysterious blue box.

Rose is shocked to discover that the box is in fact vast on the inside and can travel in time and space. The first port of call is London, where The Doctor tracks down the enemy to an underground lair. He believes that they want to use the landmark to relay a signal that will bring all the plastic in the country under their malevolent control.

The Doctor and Rose enter the lair and are soon reunited with the real Mickey, cowering in the corner. But The Doctor is quickly grabbed by a pair of mannequins - known as Autons - as he tries to reason with the large vat of liquid plastic known as the Nestene Consciousness.

The Doctor is unable to prevent the signal from being sent out via the London Eye, as mannequins come to life over the country, their hands opening up to reveal a gun. Clive is shot dead in front of his family in a shopping centre, whilst Jackie runs for her life as the Autons advance. It's up to one girl with a bronze medal in under-sevens gymnastics to try and save the day...