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.

In South Wales in 2020, a driller at a mining operation called Mo is pulled underground during the night shift.

The following day, Amy is pulled underground on the same spot; the Eleventh Doctor assures her fiancé Rory that he will get her back.

[1] Meera Syal, who was cast as Nasreen, had been a fan of the series since childhood and had been trying to secure a role in the show since its revival in 2005 and was pleased when she received it.

[1] "The Hungry Earth" and the second part, "Cold Blood", made up the fourth production block of the series and were filmed in late October and November 2009 in the Upper Boat Studios and Llanwynno, Wales.

[6] For the scene in which Amy is dragged underneath the ground, Gillan stood on boxes and lowered herself into a stone compartment.

Gillan, initially scared at performing the stunt, put some of her fear and claustrophobia into the scene as she expected Amy felt the same way.

[11] "The Hungry Earth" was released in Region 2 on DVD and Blu-ray on 2 August 2010 with the episodes "Amy's Choice" and "Cold Blood".

Dan Martin, writing for The Guardian, said that the episode set up an "interesting quandary" but, although many elements were introduced, "not a lot actually seems to happen".

He was also critical of the family members and found he did not care about any of them besides Elliot and Nasreen, and although the scene in which Amy was pulled into the ground was "effective and poignant", it left a lack of "Pond-life" in the rest of the episode.

However, he was not favourable to Meera Syal's performance and considered the Silurian's redesign too "radical and divorced" from their original appearance, most notably the absence of their third eye.

[16] Patrick Mulkern of Radio Times gave the episode a positive review, saying that it felt "like proper, classic Doctor Who" in terms of "gripping storytelling, terrific pace, spooky direction, a grand idea...a small-scale Earth setting in the near future, characters worth caring about...plenty of meat for the three leads" and "a companion in real peril".

He felt that it was "more suspense and adventure than horror", wishing that it was scarier, and also commented that it was "very simplistic" and did not re-introduce the Silurians as well as it would have, had they been part of the overall storyline.

He said that the narrative was "simplistic" without much depth, but that the "strong supporting cast" and "sympathetic characters" made it a "refreshingly involving tale".

[19] Ian Berriman for SFX magazine gave the episode three out of five stars, mainly displeased with the redesign of the Silurians, although he was positive toward their "venomous tongue lash" and costume.