The Hungry Earth

209a – "The Hungry Earth"
Doctor Who episode
Alaya talks to the Doctor. This episode featured redesigned Silurians, the reception of which was mixed.
Cast
Doctor Matt Smith – Eleventh Doctor
Companions Karen Gillan – Amy Pond Arthur Darvill – Rory Williams
Guest Neve McIntosh – Alaya Meera Syal – Nasreen Chaudhry Robert Pugh – Tony Mack Nia Roberts – Ambrose Alun Raglan – Mo Samuel Davies – Elliot
Production
Directed by	Ashley Way
Written by	Chris Chibnall
Script editor	Lindsey Alford
Produced by	Peter Bennett
Executive producer(s)	Steven Moffat Piers Wenger Beth Willis
Music by	Murray Gold
Production code	1.8
Series	Series 5
Running time	1st of 2-part story, 45 minutes
First broadcast	22 May 2010 (2010-05-22)
Chronology
← Preceded by "Amy's Choice" Followed by → "Cold Blood"
List of episodes (2005–present)

"The Hungry Earth" is the eighth episode of the fifth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on 22 May 2010 on BBC One. It was written by Chris Chibnall, who had previously written for Doctor Who and its spin-off series, Torchwood. It is the first episode of a two-part story, the second episode being "Cold Blood", and features the return of the Silurians, a reptile-like humanoid race last seen in 1984's Warriors of the Deep.

In the episode a drilling operation headed by Nasreen Chaudhry (Meera Syal) in 2020 Wales is drilling deep into the earth and disrupting a civilisation of Silurians who dwell beneath the earth. In turn, the Silurians open holes in the ground to experiment on one villager, Mo (Alun Raglan), and hold Mo's son Elliot (Samuel Davies) hostage. After the Silurian Alaya (Neve McIntosh) is subdued in Wales, there is a stalemate between the two settlements as both sides have a hostage.

Executive producers Steven Moffat and Piers Wenger contacted Chibnall and asked him to write a two-part episode involving Silurians and a drill. Moffat wished to redesign the Silurians and worked together with Chibnall to create the idea of distinguishing prosthetics for their faces. Being in the fourth production block of the series, the episode was filmed in October and November 2009, with location filming in Llanwynno, Wales. McIntosh then returned in the series as a recurrent actress, portraying Madame Vastra, another Silurian character. The episode was watched by 6.49 million viewers on BBC One and BBC HD and received mixed reviews from critics. While some praised the horror, some noted that the story was very simplistic, and critics disagreed about the redesigned Silurians.