What are The 456? (Doctor Who's Biggest Unsolved Mystery)

Torchwood Children of Earth is one of the darkest pieces of Doctor Who related media to date, and it's villains, the 456, remain some of the most mysterious in the franchise's history.

[@dwfan91-]

Apologies for the late upload, this was meant to drop yesterday but we all know the drill, copyright shenanigans- but I hope you all enjoy the video! If you want me to talk more about Children of Earth of Miracle Day let me know in the comments below

[@RedBoothStudios2015]

Honestly would love a more in depth video for these stories and other Torchwood related shtuff

[@islaarnxld]

I will watch you talk about literally anything

[@JupiterRising3607]

​@@islaarnxld totally feel the same.

[@JupiterRising3607]

Yes, would love a video of that when you can. Thanks dwfan91 🙏🏼💥🍀👍🏼🌏

[@alvarohernani6645]

Where can i watch it? I live outside the UK

[@Dodge_this]

I love how Peter plays 3 different doctor who characters

[@lucahermann3040]

Or does he?

[@themightybob]

Theyre all the doctor, hes just undercover😂

[@Minerva_El-tan_Starlight]

@@themightybob hahaha

[@DficienC]

RTD said John Frobisher is a desvendent of the guy the Doctor saves in Pompeii.

[@professorhaystacks6606]

I thought that was him but I haven't seen this and the clip was quick.

[@stelmaria-mx]

Torchwood Series 3 is one of the best series of Who-related TV and is a near-perfect distillation of the potential Torchwood had before its cancellation.

[@dwfan91-]

my unpopular opinion is that Miracle Day isn't as bad as people say it is

[@JohnMarston-rt5kr]

@@dwfan91-I didn’t know people hated on it. I’ll still end up watching it any way when I get round to it. Last time I watched Torchwood was 6 - 7 years ago, and it was Series 1 & 2. I legit only found out in the past couple of years about the other series💀

[@ChrisKeziahHyde]

​@@dwfan91-just rewatched Miracle Day and I think it's good (the premise is incredible but the execution could've been better) but you can tell that without Russell it does get a bit stale.

[@dwfan91-]

@@ChrisKeziahHyde He was still a big part of it

[@twilliamspro]

​@@dwfan91- i really enjoyed miracle day and the end left so much open for continuation

[@andrealiee]

absolutely terrifying to think that a mothership was not real and this is just a tweaking junkie

[@twilliamspro]

Wouldn't be the first time a small group or individual caused major issues the Slitheen was one family

[@whereami2477]

Yeah but how would one alien have managed the millions of kids it was trying to get

[@crickcrackcricketycrack5501]

@@whereami2477 Maybe it was gonna sell them on to others of its species. Like a moral corrupt but business minded dealer

[@whereami2477]

@@crickcrackcricketycrack5501 I mean like storing them. If we assume it came with just one ship, how is it really gonna store 35 million kids onboard when it transports them onto it? If there's a full fleet in orbit, at least that's more manageable

[@Stevetendo_Glitch]

⁠@@whereami2477 I know I’m two months late, but IT’S BIGGER ON THE INSIDE I’m only joking, but still

[@itsirrelephantman]

I remember when I first realised that 'Torchwood' is an anagram of 'Doctor Who', it seemed so obvious afterwards.

[@Maximaker02]

…I didn’t know this was a thing until now.

[@RAFMnBgaming]

oh my god they did not

[@solidghost1337]

WHAT

[@toolatetothestory]

ARE YOU SERIOUS RN

[@zouwu4487]

I remember the time I learned this info off of a two month old KZbin comment 😂❤

[@TheOldBlackShuckyDog]

The idea that it was just one guy trying his luck is somehow even scarier than a race of them 💀

[@lennonkelly-james2693]

I honestly always thought that was the case to show how vulnerable humanity is without the doctor.

[@jonathanwatson4484]

that actually terrifying, heck that one guy might have been a junkie who was exiled from his species due to his needs of addiction.

[@Cosmic_Nite]

Tbh the 456 kinda remind me of the Sycorax, in that they're seemingly more bark than bite. Like, yeah, they both seem to have incredible power, being able to possess large chunks of the human race, and the 456 release a virus in 1 building, but that's pretty much where their power ends. Not only that, but all it takes to defeat them is to use their own wavelength against them. They have a lot of mystery surrounding them which makes them intimidating, but personally I don't think they're the all-powerful malevolent beings they try to appear as. It's the mystery that makes them so interesting though!

[@dwfan91-]

Very true actually! I wonder if that was intentional or just a byproduct of same writer, similar idea. Either way I'm a big fan of both

[@poohslosteyes264]

I think that was possibly the intention. A thing that Davies often touched upon were the consequences of the Doctor not being there to save the day (Harriet Jones' arc, Love and Monsters, Turn Left, etc.). He does the same thing in L&M where the villain is actually a relatively minor threat, but without the Doctor the humans are still next to useless against it. It illustrates how truly puny we are in the universe that we can't even get the better of a gang of low-level alien potheads.

[@Joshpox]

Same with the Monks in series 10. They have incredible power but they abandon their mission entirely after a single defeat.

[@Shub-Nagruth]

that's the genius of 456: making you believe that they are weak, and that they are powerless, when they are not. They do not want to exterminate humanity, quite the contrary.

[@kaizoisevil]

@@Joshpox I think the Monks are as powerful as people are willing to make them. Once people stop believing in them, the power fades.

[@sunsetsstarsrise3011]

I remember watching the series the first time and joking with my family watching with me that they want the children as drugs. Once the 456 said "the hit" I was completely shocked that my dumb joke to smooth tension while watching was correct. I remember going "You don't even want them as slaves or something. Just to get high". Such a gut wrenching scene in the show omg

[@alansmithee419]

"Haha that would be ridiculous right? lol" "...right? Oh god..."

[@toolatetothestory]

@@alansmithee419 One of those moments where you really do not want to be right.

[@YodaOnABender]

I miss torchwood. The idea of a way grittier show set in the doctor who franchise blew my mind as a kid

[@itsirrelephantman]

Fun fact: 'Torchwood' is an anagram if 'Doctor Who'

[@Shugg-Goff-HHoffical]

They should soft-sequel as a Web series. Call it Into The Darkwoods. A reference to the Cosmic Horror Darkwoods philiosphy. But now Disney has got it's hooks in it. That hope is remote. Imagine a version of Harkness forms a new generation of Torchwood now called Darkwoods with a more kickass counter-terrorist field team. You can make it that when CJH pissed off to the end of time to drown his sorrows he left behind unbeknownst to him a Qusntunum Trauma Echo. A unexpected side-effect of his Time Jumping in that heightened Emotional and Mental State. That was created from The Children of Earth event. Creating an Anomaly For years the QTE wondered as an amnesiac vagarant. Until it gained full self sentience remembering only The Children of Earth event and nothing else it became an aging time-bound version of him. More human with the memories of a man he never truly was. All he has is his rage , and has a zero tolerance policy on Entitues Hostile To Humans. His empathy is non-existent. He is effectively an angry earthbound ghost. This leads to a more Tactical Savvy Crash team funded covertly by UNIT. Now going by the shadowy moniker as simply The Strategist he dedicates his life to hunting cosmic horrors as he age's at an accelerad rate. He must ensure that the war continues after he fades from existence. Look - where close cropped hair, dark long coat and scraf with a walking stick that holds all kinds of tricks. Wheezing with an oxygen tank and mask. A man who is slowly being crushed by his pain.

[@michaelkean5969]

I just love the reason they gave for why the Doctor never cameo’d in torchwood and it’s because The threats the TW team faced would suffer a fate far worse than what Jack’s team did to them. What people need to understand about the Doctor is that he’s effectively a more terrifying Erdrich horror than anything he’s Ever faced, I love the idea that Sarah Jane and Jack’s teams aren’t just protecting the earth when the Doctor isn’t there they are also effectively sparing the Threats to earth a fate far worse than death, (The Doctor has always been an Anti-hero masquerading as a Hero) The family of blood are the perfect example of why you don’t cross the Doctor. I like to imagine the 456 just screaming in terror if they heard the Tardis engines.

[@toolatetothestory]

The Doctor is pretty down with genocide at times. He does not care. The 456 would cease existing as a species if anyone told him.

[@Jackson-ub1uv]

It’s incredible how just _two words_ can turn an already horrifying situation into an absolutely nightmarish one.

[@joebees21]

Honestly when they show the child that was taken from the 60s in the tank being used as drugs - that still scares me as an adult. Horrible.

[@TommyLednorMusic]

When I first watched this and heard the words “the hit” my jaw actually dropped like literally and that’s never happened. I was so so shocked about how far a Whoniverse show could go, and then when I saw the shot of the kid all wired up, that was tough man. I so respect the guts they had to show this and I strangely really want to see more stuff like this in the supposed new spinoff (maybe UNIT… hopefully not UNIT). Definitely more videos on Torchwood and Children of Earth please, and even more RTD Whoniverse content maybe? I love your videos and it’d be great to see more stuff like this. I definitely want to see a more in depth explanation as to what you think The 456 are

[@selalewow]

I loved how they used a rigged lottery system to "choose" the 10% of children. The rich, the affluent, their kids were spared and they actually said they could spare the "poor" kids. That hit a little too close to the current bone.

[@5Demona5]

Saaaame! The alien said "The hit" and I was like "What?! WHAT?!?!?!!!!"

[@toolatetothestory]

@@selalewow It was so cruel. Because yeah, just goes to show again that humans are not created equal. If there would be a sacrifice needed, I would be one of the first ones to go because I am just less valuable by nature.

[@Galactus78]

I’m okay with the Daleks absolutely torching the 456’s planet

[@darkassassinkantafly]

To be fair we don't know if the whole species is evil. Same way not every human is a drug addict. (Clarification I'm not saying drug addicts are evil, only the ones who's drug of choice is children)

[@ChrisVillagomez]

I've never properly watched Torchwood but I watched a breakdown of Children of Earth by Jack Antrobus and I remember the reveal about the 456's true purpose for the children, the government's successful coercion by an alien crackhead, and then Frobisher and his family's subsequent fate being absolutely sickening. A 45 minute video just talking about the season still had such an impact that I haven't actually watched the video again. I learned about the 456, which your video actually inspired me to search for, and it's so horrific and unbelievably realistic in the way they wrote everything that i just don't feel the need to watch a breakdown about it again. I've seen all kinds of horrific things in fiction like the Flood and ONI from Halo, Abeloth, Space Wraiths, the Mnngal-Mnngal, and Entechment from Star Wars, and the Lovecraftian horrors of A Song of Ice and Fire, and the Children of Earth storyline is still incredibly disturbing and realistic to a degree that most things can't reach, personally. After watching that breakdown, I want to go hang out with Jack, too

[@nahumgardner]

I always assumed the 456 we see on the show is a rogue member of their species who also is a drug dealer. I think the plural pronouns are representative of the fact that he has multiple heads and is possibly a collective being.

[@stuff31]

Holy crap, I just watched this series and it was so goddamn scary. Thank you dwfan91 for your perdectly-timed video! I loved how the 456 are kept so ambiguous and unseen, it really heightens the tension and discomfort of the series - "Who are we even fighting?" And that poor kid hooked up to the monster, kept alive but eternally leeched for its recreational pleasure. So horrifying, but so perfectly executed.

[@juliet1203_]

I love Children of Earth. Absolutely beautiful. I currently rewatched this after having my first child and I appreciate this so much more!

[@dwfan91-]

I remember my parents tried to watch this back in 2009. They couldn't handle it and I understand why.

[@AngieDeAguirre]

I watch it every few months. It's just too good.

[@OzBaxter]

Children of Earth is my single favorite season of Torchwood. Somehow it just hit every chord right. Also, Capaldi.

[@maraaboul5966]

Torchwood had so much potential and was so good at points. I really wish they had written and invested more into the show. Children of earth was so unique and chilling one of the best in the DW universe.

[@TDdelta777]

The idea that those are basically space junkies that are capable to end an entire civilization to get a “hit” is horrifying.

[@tokublwhovian]

Children of Earth is the kind of writing and characters I’ve always wanted from RTD (especially with his return), but he can never manage to do it in Doctor Who (I guess because that’s a family show and Torchwood is for older viewers, but still). The only time would be in Series 4 with Donna and the Tenth Doctor. Also, The Sarah Jane Adventures. Specifically, Invasion of the Bane and Death of the Doctor.

[@dwfan91-]

There is going to be a similar dystopian style episode in the upcoming Series 14 so maybe your prayers will be answered

[@BottomBunkArt]

Captain Jack never got enough room to thrive. Talk about Miracle Day. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

[@skullyinc.]

It's refreshing hearing a new Doctor who KZbinr

[@PlaylistKid25]

always a good day when the best dr who youtuber uploads🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@Geordie_Boy01]

The 456 is the scariest villain in the whoverse that i have ever seen

[@stewartmair3995]

The design and execution reminded me of David lynches guild navigators in Dune. Being addicted to drugs and being immersed in them constantly mutated them into monsters. Perhaps the 456 are mutated humans from the future who've become so nihilistic that this "Kid Drug" is the only thing they have going for them. That might explain why the doctor isn't here (after all Gwen's reason is bullshit). The doctor hasn't stopped human terrors committed by humans before like the holocaust, so he probably wouldn't interfere in a case where humans comitt terrors against themselves.

[@generalskywalker2543]

I initially thought this was going to be about the Toclofane somehow, since they look sort of similar, but it turns out to be the spookiest story about junkies ever!!

[@theauthor1238]

Children of Earth delivered such drama, such disgust, such excitement - that I'm surprised that its associated with the same series of "OWEN AND GWEN" having an affair. (Rhys deserved better!) I miss Ianto :C

[@alansmithee419]

The shame with Torchwood is they were this big organisation that had a really cool sci-fi name and by the end of the series they basically just don't exist anymore. I mean, it's possible they had other locations that just stayed out of each others' way until they forgot about each other but in that case... where were they during this? Or during miracle day? Speaking of, where the hell was UNIT?

[@chrizmartin9890]

Unit operations are under government well torchwood was set up beyond the world government which they didn’t like

[@twig3810]

"We are coming. We are coming. We are coming back.", I think my mind is a bit to dirty.

[@JohnMarston-rt5kr]

I’ve started my Torchwood rewatch and I’m loving it thanks for the reminder, I’m on the episode Countrycide at the moment. I would have love(d) a season 5 to properly finish it off. It’s unfortunate.

[@tom_4615]

The back at it again with another BANGER he simply never misses...

[@Comicbroe405]

I liked that this ep even tied back to the main show with Capaldi's character. That was cool.

[@pewpewdestroyerofworlds8349]

I still have feelings of gut wrenching pain whenever I just think about these episodes... That's how viscerally good these were. Aw, I miss Torchwood 😢

[@MrRjhyt]

It does feel like they'd make a good arc villain for a series, with hints dropped in over the various individual stories. A sweet change from the regulars. Their range of powers is chilling, and could be a little extreme for the more family friendly audience. Though a few tweaks, or evolutions could keep their edge and lose the more horror elements.

[@SaammuelWho]

Great video man! You beat me to this video im ngl. Had it sitting on my ideas list for a while. Ill get around to it at some point. Children of Earth is so good. W video

[@laurencewinch-furness9450]

This series really blew my mind. If you've ever read John Wyndham you'll really see his influence on Children of Earth.

[@xehanort3623]

How so?

[@LibertyBridgeProductions]

I wish every season of torchwood was like children of earth it’s amazing

[@ManiBatchelor]

Watched the entire series to watch this video, and I am horrified. Cheers brother!! 👍👍

[@swiftbird4846]

Excellent analysis. I thoroughly enjoyed this mini-series and I can only recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it.

[@AngieDeAguirre]

My favourite Torchwood season! Nice of you to cook while I'm not home 😂 Awesome vid dude!!!!

[@dwfan91-]

Thank You!

[@Joeh2o]

This series was not only the best of Torchwood but one of the greatest series of any show of all time

[@yusaki8064]

Honestly. All of Torchwood is really good in my eyes. With a few, questionable, episodes in between. But I am not watching Children of Earth and Miracle Day again because it was way too traumatic.

[@Godwhyrhys]

This is actually one of the best who tube channels your vids slap so hard please don't stop 🙏

[@karenhall4645]

Doctor Who has dealt with some dark themes, but everything usually gets worked out. This story is so dark and so hard to solve I don't think it would have worked for Doctor Who, but Torchwood is perfect.

[@shaneb.2464]

I was 12 when I saw this, when it was aired new. It just got more disturbing and bleak with each episode. This is something that will never leave my psyche.

[@TheUnarmedPanda]

0:25 the kid far right looks at the camera

[@Dr_Pickle]

I took it as 456 actually being a collection of children from different species considering the three separate heartbeats out of sync. One of them is human. The others? Who knows. Maybe the mucus and stuff was one of the other children that it was speaking through?

[@AcridGoblin]

1 heart beat was for the camera dude another for the child and the last was the alien.

[@udontbreaktherules7694]

I can't believe how good this default profile pic channel is 😂

[@sono_chi_no_sodium_chlorid7635]

I like to think that in the mind of 456 10% is not a big deal as it's JUST 1/10 of their kids

[@randomericthings7506]

I think I would rather be converted into a Cyberman than go through whatever those poor kids are going through.

[@AcridGoblin]

It's confirmed in the show they are not claws and that the 456 have 3 heads.

[@valmid5069]

Takeaways from this iconic gritty spin off was that: --Capt Jack used to work for them --Debating if the Doctor should always save the day in these times of crisis...when humans are already shameful and horrible as they are --Capt Jack makes the ultimate sacrifice *...And that was a tip of the iceberg!*

[@alenkaharden8403]

Captain Jack didn’t make the ultimate sacrice. He killed a child, a child who trusted and loved him and came to him willingly, in the most horrofic way. While the mother was watching. All that to undo the damage he did when he sentenced a dozen of orphans to a fate worse that death. As far as I am concerned, what he did was unforgivable. And I hated how the show focused so much on Jack’s guilt while the real victim was not him - it was the kids and his own flesh and blood in particular.

[@dwfan91-]

@@alenkaharden8403 I'm not saying you're wrong because there is no right answer but I have to ask because im interested... what would you have done?

[@alenkaharden8403]

@@dwfan91- Not given them children to begin with.

[@joedredd1168]

Mate this was a good time. Doctor Who for the family, The Sarah Jane Adventures for the kids, and Torchwood for the adults, I miss those days.

[@VaughanDee93]

Torchwood had lost most of its strength from Seasons 1-2 I think if the Doctor was around he'd take down 456 pretty easily lol But yeah the mystery of them was cool

[@rinmixx]

Just saying the events of Children of Earth would have been resolved way quicker and easier if Sailor Moon was there

[@ptonpc]

Children of Earth was a great story. Peter's acting made it *chef's kiss*. It's pity the rest of Torchwood's writing rarely reached the same level.

[@joking_oregon1]

The prop you showed for the 456 is canonically an orphan from 1965 hooked up to the 456’s body unable to age or feel pain while the 456 uses it to get high

[@dwfan91-]

on the left side you'll see the 456's prop

[@purplerazor]

Yooooooooooooooooo an upload, so excited I just won't sleep 🤣🤣

[@purplerazor]

No.. there are spoilers 😢

[@zarrg5611]

The Judoon then arrest humanity for dealing narcotics.

[@cillianennis9921]

I recently rewatched the series. It was better than I remembered & made me cry more than once. the worst part to watch was when the 12th doctor had to kill his family & then himself. (I forget his name in that show)

[@cah137-y4s]

Children of Earth, in my opinion, is the one and only time Torchwood actually felt like it lived up to its potential. The first two seasons were an embarrassing mess as the writers tried so desperately to be "edgy" and "adult" that they basically just threw every gratuitously gory and/or sexualized idea they could think of at the screen in the desperate hope that some of it would actually land. Rather than "Doctor Who for adults", it feels in retrospect a lot like a sci-fi version of Game of Thrones in all the worst possible ways. The second season _did_ admittedly improve it somewhat, but it just never felt like it fit properly in the franchise. As for Miracle Day, it had some really good ideas and a few excellent moments, but it was bogged down by somehow simultaneously having too much happening and not enough happening, not to mention its genuinely compelling mystery was marred by a hilariously nonsensical "explanation". This season is the only one that truly felt like it was from the same universe as Doctor Who; it captured the energy of the Whoniverse while delving into darker and more serious subject matter than the main series would ever be allowed to.

[@FrazerSalt]

I would love more Torchwood videos from ya you legend.

[@RoflCannon6]

I think the doctor should be more concerned with who ate 9.

[@Lennette20th]

Is that Peter Capauldi playing a random dude or is that supposed to be the Doctor?

[@firebladetenn6633]

I was today years old when I learned Peter Capaldi was in Torchwood.

[@ShaunakDesaiPiano]

2:04 “but what do they mean… back” Later on in Doctor Who: “what do you mean… One?” “Sorry, um, spoilers.”

[@ShaunakDesaiPiano]

4:28 I thought it was because Clem had just started going through puberty and the 456 could only get high off completely prepubescent children.

[@JohnMarston-rt5kr]

We getting nostalgic with this one! We have the Minecraft Halloween Music

[@pitiedvod]

Children of Earth and Adrift had some truly creepy parts to them. They more than made up for the cringiness in season 1.

[@ChrisKeziahHyde]

Who are the 456? One of the scariest monsters in Doctor Who that's what!

[@jeremy1860]

These guys are proof that the Doctor doesn't always know what's going on with Earth. Because if he even got a whiff of something like this happening to Earth's children, he would legit rain the fires of Hell down on these monsters 😠

[@lukedaley17]

Torchwood series 3 is the greatest series I’ve ever seen.

[@rog2224]

TW:CoE was one of the last great pieces of event television on British TV.

[@SamBeck6090]

I just love how capaldi has 3 diferent roles in the dr who universe.

[@loftus4453]

Best Torchwood series in my opinion. Dark, gritty and fantastic.

[@chris.fyourman2648]

Good to see this report. I think it's a very overlooked series.

[@MrTheHawk]

LETS GOO! New DW content 👀👀👀

[@geneawisea2708]

Children of Earth is Legendary

[@Splongus_]

Another banger, the goat never misses ‼️‼️🔥🔥🔥

[@Azure-Star]

I like you combining Pokémon music with Doctor Who videos.

[@danese1636]

We really don't need a spoiler warning, we've had over a decade and a half to watch it xD

[@josecarlitox1]

so technically High on Life took the premise of that episode

[@paniniboy]

Great video, your next unsolved video should be about the listen creature from series 8.

[@lisagonzalez1371]

Would love to see more of torchwood. I don't hear many people talk about it

[@crowleyking7128]

I think Cap's appearance on The End of Time is before Torchwood: Children of Earth, as I vaguely remember Cap talked about meeting a new guy and Ianto felt jealous

[@Legendary3Dgamer]

I still wanna know what happened to that kid in the thumbnail and plus he looks disturbing

[@whereami2477]

Probably killed when the 456 exploded in the tank

[@una3450]

The valeyard is the only doctor who is truly a sigma male

[@ItsaNekoTV]

i really do miss Torchwood especially the big episodic ones like Children of earth and Miracle Day

[@mattandrews2594]

I maintain to this day that Denis Villeneuve took a lot of The 456 into his film Arrival. The similarities are uncanny.

[@Ericiswaiting]

WE GETTING SPOILED WITH THIS ONE ‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

[@surpreemleadernoot]

tbh I find torchwood series 4 a lore more dark than 3

[@jlbwho7913]

People dunk of series 2? Let me at them! Series 2 best series of Torchwood. Children of earth is great too, in a depressing way but still great

[@JoeyTheBeastHD]

I was a child in 2009 and I don't recognizing stopping like these kids but this was a strange / Good Season of Torchwood. 🤣🤣

[@keyblademasterclark]

I'll be honest, the only torchwood episodes I liked were the ones with Martha in them and Children of Earth

[@chrizmartin9890]

The doctor would probably do something that make the alien forever crave the drugs they came for but times 1000 and they be trapped forever with prolonged life

[@aresgalamatis7022]

Children of Earth stars Capaldi, so... it had to be the BEST :p

[@yannatoko9898]

I would posit the biggest unsolved mystery of Doctor Who is "What's his name?"

[@dwfan91-]

theta sigma

[@archerymidnight3422]

​@@dwfan91-That's not his name. That's a nickname from when he was at college which came from his Student ID Code. The closest we ever got was the doctor's name equation (delta cubed sigma x squared) but no pronunciation or meaning was ever given

[@rhodrage]

My favourite thing about these videos is the Pokemon music.