sˈɛt dˈʊɹɹɪŋ ðə wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹɾi z, ðə dˈɑːktɚ ænd hɪz kəmpˈæniənz ɚɹˈaɪv dˈʊɹɹɪŋ ðɪ ɪndˈʌstɹɪəl ɹˌɛvəlˈuːʃən ɪn ˈɪŋɡlənd, ænd lˈɜːn ðæt ɐn ɪnvˈɛntɚ hˈæzbiːn ˈɔːɹdɚd baɪ ɐn ˈeɪliən fˈoːɹs tə kənstɹˈʌkt ɐ məʃˈiːn nˈoʊn æz ðə juːtˈoʊpiə ˈɛndʒɪn, ɐ məʃˈiːn ðæt wɪl kˈɔːz ðɪ ɛntˈaɪɚ plˈænɪt tə ɹˈæpɪdli ˈeɪdʒ.
Set during the 1840s, the Doctor and his companions arrive during the Industrial Revolution in England, and learn that an inventor has been ordered by an alien force to construct a machine known as the Utopia Engine, a machine that will cause the entire planet to rapidly age.