The 51st Century is a time where the human race branches out across half the Galaxy. The Earth Empire is in its prime. However, alien threats and dangers are still part of life for ordinary space travellers. Many monsters (i.e. Clockwork Robots, Weeping Angels, the Vashta Nerada and the Ice Warriors), villains, viruses (i.e. the Nucleus of the Swarm) and dangerous species thrive in the 51st Century, which has been depicted many times throughout Doctor Who‘s history. The Doctor’s trusty robot dog K-9 originates from the year 5000AD, an invention of Professor Marius!

The Talons of Weng-Chiang

★★★★★

TX: 26/02/1977 – 02/04/1977

Written by Robert Holmes    Directed by David Maloney

In this classic, oriental adventure, the Fourth Doctor and Leela arrive in Victorian London. A spate of disappearances, gruesome murders and a Chinese crime syndicate leads the time travellers to the Palace Theatre run by Henry Gordon Jago. Jago’s most popular act, Chinese magician Li H’sen Chang, is secretly working for Weng-Chiang – a disguise for the war criminal Magnus Greel. Greel has fled his blood soaked actions in the 51st Century and is on the run with his servant Peking Homunculus (‘Mr Sin’). Greel’s experiments with Zygma Energy to try to reactivate his Time Cabinet, draining the life essences of various young women kidnapped by Li H’sen. Leela is about to become the next victim of this terrifying system, but she escapes before being savaged by a giant rat in the sewers of London (another result of Greel’s experiments).

The Doctor and Leela team up with Jago and pathologist Professor George Litefoot in order to confront Greel (who suspects the Doctor to be a Time Agent) and the Tong of the Black Scorpion at the House of the Dragon. The Doctor uses Greel’s Time Cabinet’s fragile crystal key as a bargaining chip for the release of the kidnapped Jago and Litefoot. In the ensuing battle, Mr Sin turns on Greel as the Doctor convinces it that Greel escaping in his time cabinet will create a catastrophic implosion. The Doctor defeats Greel by shoving him into his own extraction machine, which disintegrates him. The Doctor then captures and deactivates Mr Sin. The Talons of Weng-Chiang has become mired in controversy in recent years because the story contains some racial stereotypes and troubling depictions of Chinese characters. However, in 2023 the story was voted as the fifth best adventure of the Tom Baker era of Doctor Who – proving that the serial is still a beloved classic amongst fans and that its production is simply of its time.

Torchwood: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

★★★★★

TX: 16/01/2008

Written by Chris Chibnall    Directed by Ashley Way

In this outstanding episode of Torchwood, Captain Jack Harkness is confronted by his past when he encounters a fellow rogue Time Agent – Captain John Hart (the Time Agency is an organisation based in the 51st Century). Captain John infiltrates the Torchwood team and starts trying to pick them off one-by-one. However, the team fight back and ultimately repel Captain John which leads to a situation where he ends up with a disk bomb genetically wired into his chest. Owen Harper manages to genetically confuse the disk bomb by injecting Captain John with blood from each of the Torchwood members. The disk bomb detaches and Jack throws the bomb into the time fissure through which Captain John arrived. Captain John leaves after informing Jack that he has found his long lost brother Gray.