Tin Dog Podcast
- Description:
- tin-dog@hotmail.co.uk The Tin Dog welcomes you to sit back and listen to his rants and ramblings about all that is best in modern SF and Television. Via the gift of the new fangled Podcast over the tinterweb. As you can probably guess Tin Dog mostly talks about Doctor Who, Torchwood and Sarah Jane Smith but that wont stop him talking about any other subject you suggest. Hailing from a non specific part of the northeast of England, Tin Dog is male and in his mid 30s. A life long fan of almost all TV SF. His semi-autistic tendencies combined with his total lack of social skills have helped him find a place in the heart of British SF Fandom. Even as a child the Tin Dogs mother told him that she can trace his love of SF TV back to his rhythmic kicking, while still in the womb, along to the beat of the Avengers theme music. From Gabriel Chase to Totters Lane, from the Bad Wolf Satellite to the back streets of the Cardiff, Tin Dog will give you his thoughts on the wonderful Whoniverse. Daleks and Cybermen and TARDIS ES Oh My If you enjoy these Tin Dog Podcasts please remember to tell your friends and leave an email tin-dog@hotmail.co.uk
Homepage: http://tin-dog.co.uk
RSS Feed: http://www.tin-dog.co.uk/rss
- Episodes:
- 2805
- Average Episode Duration:
- 0:0:09:56
- Longest Episode Duration:
- 0:2:09:15
- Total Duration of all Episodes:
- 19 days, 8 hours, 22 minutes and 56 seconds
- Earliest Episode:
- 1 May 2007 (6:54pm GMT)
- Latest Episode:
- 10 April 2024 (6:23am GMT)
- Average Time Between Episodes:
- 2 days, 4 hours, 56 minutes and 58 seconds
Tin Dog Podcast Episodes
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TDP 259: Batman and Spiderman
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 8 minutes and 45 secondsI went out!
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TDP 258: Protect and Survive Doctor Who from Big Finish
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 11 minutes and 23 secondsIf an attack with nuclear weapons is expected, you will hear the air attack warning. If you are not at home, but can get there within two minutes, do so. If you are in the open, take cover in the nearest building. If you cannot reach a building, lie flat on the ground and cover your head and your hands. Arriving in the North of England in the late 1980s, Ace and Hex seek refuge at the home of Albert and Peggy Marsden... in the last few hours before the outbreak of World War Three. Meanwhile, the Doctor is missing. Will there be anyone left for him to rescue, when the bombs begin to fall? Written By: Jonathan Morris Directed By: Ken Bentley Cast Sylvester McCoy (The Doctor), Sophie Aldred (Ace), Philip Olivier (Hex), Ian Hogg (Albert), Elizabeth Bennett (Peggy), Peter Egan (Moloch/Announcer)
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TDP 257: Big Finish Fourth Doctor Audio review 1.5 and 1.6
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 10 minutes and 15 seconds979. A legendary giant white worm is sought after by the Doctor, Leela and the Master.Cast The Doctor - Tom Baker Leela - Louise Jameson The Master - Geoffrey Beevers Colonel Spindleton - Michael Cochrane Demesne Furze - Rachael StirlingContinuity Geoffrey Beevers played the Master, alongside Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, in the 1981 television story The Keeper of Traken. The Fourth Doctor also encountered the Master in The Deadly Assassin and Tom Baker's last television story, Logopolis. The version of the Master that Beevers plays has an emaciated, corpse-like appearance. This was first seen in The Deadly Assassin, although in that story, the Master was played by Peter Pratt. For the Doctor and the Master, Trail of the White Worm takes place between The Deadly Assassin and The Keeper of Traken. The Doctor notices that the Master looks different, less emaciated, reflecting the differences in appearance in The Deadly Assassin and The Keeper of Traken. This may have been a result of the aborted rejuvenation at the end of The Deadly Assassin. Beevers previously reprised the role of the Master in two Big Finish audios, Dust Breeding and Master, both with the Seventh Doctor. In those dramas, the Master had reverted to his former deteriorated state, after losing the form he gained at the end of The Keeper of Traken.The Kraal attempt to invade the Earth, while the Doctor is trapped on their irradiated home world, Oseidon.Cast The Doctor - Tom Baker Leela - Louise Jameson The Master - Geoffrey Beevers Colonel Spindleton - Michael Cochrane Marshal Grimnal / Captain Clarke - Dan Starkey Tyngworg / Warner / UNIT R/T Operator - John BanksContinuity The Kraals were in the 1975 Fourth Doctor television story, The Android Invasion. That story also featured UNIT. This is the first use of Kraals by Big Finish Productions. The Doctor and Leela encounter the Master again in the third season of Fourth Doctor adventures, due to be released in 2014.[2]External links
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TDP 256: Why Do We love Doctor Who So much?
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 10 minutes and 23 secondsJust me having a ramble
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TDP 255: The Greatest Show In The Galaxy
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 6 minutes and 52 secondsThe Seventh Doctor and Ace respond to an invitation to visit the mysterious Psychic Circus on the planet Segonax, despite Ace’s fear of clowns and reluctance to go. Other travellers have arrived on the wasteland world too – the fannish Whizz Kid; the motorcycling maniac Nord; tiresome bore and intergalactic explorer Captain Cook and his young female companion Mags, whom the Captain curiously refers to as a "unique specimen". But all is not pleasant at the Circus. The Chief Clown travels around the planet's surface in a hearse with his team of mechanical clowns, using some unusual kites to search for and recapture an errant robot repairman named Bellboy, and his companion, Flower Child, who are trying to escape the circus. While hiding onboard a disused hippie bus, Flower Child is killed by something mysterious. It turns out to be a creepy robot conductor, which also attacks the Doctor, Captain, Ace and Mags when they discover the bus. The Doctor disables the killer robot, while Ace finds one of Flower Child’s earrings, and pins it to her jacket as a keepsake. They venture on to the circus tent itself, but Ace hesitates when she hears Mags screaming inside, as she witnesses Bellboy being punished. The Doctor, however, doesn't hear a thing, and persuades her to go in. Inside, they meet Morgana, the Circus ticket seller and fortune teller, who offers to read the Doctor's fortune, and reveals the Hanged Man Tarot card. The Doctor and Ace both join the audience, noticing that the only other audience members are a small family of three – father, mother, daughter – who observe the central stage with stoic disdain. The Ringmaster soon appears and invites the Doctor to join the entertainment. He agrees and is taken backstage where Nord, the Captain and Mags are also being kept. It appears that audience members are expected to become part of the show. Nord is duped into performing first, and when his act fails to amuse, he is obliterated. The Chief Clown meanwhile notices the earring pinned to Ace's jacket, and demands to know where she got it. Ace flees deeper into the Circus, and finds Bellboy strapped to a workbench. She hides as the Chief Clown comes in and lets him up to work, then questions him about what is really going on at the Circus. Bellboy sees Flower Child's earring pinned to Ace's jacket, and trusts her, but his memory seems to have been affected by his punishment, and he can only tell her that there used to be more people at the Circus, and then they all disappeared. Ace ventures back to the main entrance, where she sees Morgana and the Ringmaster arguing about the Circus. The Ringmaster does not seem to share Morgana's ethical qualms about the means used to fill the Circus. Their argument is interrupted by the arrival of Whizz Kid, who is ushered into the ring. He too is obliterated when he fails to please the family in the audience. The Doctor and Mags venture deeper into the Circus, and suddenly find a strange stone archway, which wasn't there before. Mags acts strangely when she sees the moon sign carved on the archway, but the Doctor manages to calm her down. At the end of a tunnel, they find a vast well shaft, with a pulse of energy at its core. A curious eye symbol looks up from the bottom of the well, which is also depicted on the kites that the Chief Clown uses to spy on the circus workers. Morgana also sees the eye at the heart of her crystal ball, which inspires her to pledge her loyalty to the forces that control the Circus and the planet. The Captain then corners the Doctor and Mags with a group of the robotic clowns, and tells the Doctor that he is next in the ring. Ace has meanwhile encouraged Bellboy to remember more about what went wrong at the Circus. One of the workers, Dead Beat, was once called Kingpin, and had brought them to Segonax in search of a great power, which then drove Dead Beat mad, and enslaved the rest of the Circus. The death of Flower Child was at the hands of a robot Bellboy built himself, and he feels wracked with guilt. When the Chief Clown arrives to recapture him and Ace, Bellboy sets a reprogrammed clown on himself, and it kills him. The Doctor has meanwhile escaped the Captain, and encountered Dead Beat, and has realised that he is key to the situation. The two of them find Ace, and together they visit the strange well again. Dead Beat has a medallion embossed with the image of the eye, which is missing a piece from its centre, and he and Ace head off to the old bus to try and find it. The Doctor gives them time by giving himself up, and finds himself in the ring with Mags; but Captain Cook is one step ahead. In an effort to ensure a good show and thus save his own skin a little longer, the Captain asks for some simulated moonlight to be beamed into the ring, and Mags begins to transform into a werewolf. He then tries to set Mags on the Doctor, but, unfortunately for the Captain, her chosen victim is him – but the whole macabre spectacle has delighted the trio in the crowd. The Doctor and a shaken Mags slip away, with the Family demanding more entertainment. The Ringmaster and Morgana are now tested in the ring and killed when they fail to entertain. Ace and Dead Beat meanwhile destroy the Bus Conductor, and retrieve the missing jewel for the medallion. With the jewel back in place, Dead Beat’s mind is restored, and he becomes Kingpin once more. They return to the Circus – disposing of the Chief Clown and his minions en route – to find the Doctor has become the next person in the ring, having responded to a challenge from the Family. When he enters the ring this time, he realizes that it is a dimensional portal, and that the Family are in fact the Gods of Ragnarok, who feed on entertainment and kill those who do not satisfy them. After an array of tricks and japes he holds off the Gods long enough for Ace and Kingpin to throw the medallion into the well. It reaches the Doctor through the dimensional portal and he uses it to repulse the power of the Gods. Thus it is they themselves who are the next victims of their own power. The Doctor returns to the Psychic Circus as it disintegrates and explodes, and flees with his friends. He and Ace depart while Kingpin and Mags elect to set up a new circus on another planet. As the Doctor and Ace leave, the Doctor quietly comments that he's now not so sure he likes clowns any more than Ace does. Continuity Near the beginning of the first episode, Ace briefly appears wearing the Fourth Doctor's trademark scarf, and Mel's top seen in Paradise Towers. The New Adventures novel Conundrum states that the Gods of Ragnarok created the Land of Fiction, seen in the Second Doctor story The Mind Robber. Another New Adventure, All-Consuming Fire by Andy Lane, identifies the Gods of Ragnarok with the Great Old Ones from H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos. The canonicity of the novels is unclear. Production
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TDP 254: Whostrology: A Time Traveller's Almanac
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 5 minutes and 4 secondsWhostrology: A Time Traveller’s Almanac by Michael M Gilroy-Sinclair Illustrated by Deborah Taylor Whostrology: an astrological system based upon the travels of a certain Time Lord. The mythic qualities of his tales of adventure form the basis for this book of daily readings that can help you shape your life and live in a truly Whovian way. It has been said that the Doctor was born under the sign of the crossed computers. This could mean one of two things. It could be nothing more than a flippant remark to a passing local; or it could be a reference to the stars as seen from the Doctor’s home world. As any visible constellations are an arbitrary set of images fully dependant on the observer’s location in time and space as well as their cultural heritage, it can also be argued that some people have nothing better to do than make things up. Whostrology is a book of daily readings, zodiac signs and explanations, and other Who-based astrological elements, designed to allow every Who fan to lead a life of peace and ordered calm. Available from www.telos.co.uk Released 31st October 2012.
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TDP 253: The Phonecall
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 2 minutes and 7 secondsThe Phonecall between Moff and the head of BBC Drama
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TDP 252: A Word from a Good Hypnotist
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 2 minutes and 0 secondsA public service anouncement from a Good Hypnotist with thanks to sioban G from the Whocast
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TDP 251: The Pitch
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 3 minutes and 37 secondsWild Geeks: The Movie with thanks to TOM from the "The Doctor Who Podcast". 1 of 3
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TDP: WHOSTROLOGY! OUT OCTOBER31st
Episode Duration: 0 minutes and 0 secondsThe book can finally be pre ordered!! click the link http://www.telos.me.uk/category.php?id=6 out on 31st october Doctor Who Whostrology: A Time Traveller's Almanac by Michael M Gilroy-Sinclair Illustrated by Deborah Taylor Whostrology: an astrological system based upon the travels of a certain Time Lord. The mythic qualities of his tales of adventure form the basis for this book of daily readings that can help you shape your life and live in a truly Whovian way. It has been said that the Doctor was born under the sign of the crossed computers. This could mean one of two things. It could be nothing more than a flippant remark to a passing local; or it could be a reference to the stars as seen from the Doctor’s home world. As any visible constellations are an arbitrary set of images fully dependant on the observer’s location in time and space as well as their cultural heritage, it can also be argued that some people have nothing better to do than make things up. Whostrology is a book of daily readings, zodiac signs and explanations, and other Who-based astrological elements, designed to allow every Who fan to lead a life of peace and ordered calm. Note: Please do not query non-receipt of orders until 28 working days after the publication date (see bar on right hand side) or the date the order was placed, whichever is the later. 384pp approx. 'B' format paperback book. ISBN 978-1-84583-062-5 (pb) Paperback @ £10.99 + p&p (Group B - click for details): View Cart
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TDP 250: The Krotons
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 14 minutes and 6 secondsOn an unnamed planet, a race called the Gonds are subject to the mysterious Krotons, unseen beings to whom they provide their brightest intelligences as “companions”. Thara, son of the Gond leader Selris, is the only one of his race to object to this practice. The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe arrive in time to witness the death of one of the chosen companions and intervene to save Vana, the other selected for this fate, using her survival as a means to convince Selris and the Gonds of the malign influence of the Krotons on their society. The Doctor calls it "self-perpetuating slavery” by which the brightest in Gond society have been removed. Similarly, there are large gaps in their knowledge, especially relating to chemistry. This situation has been in existence for many years since the Krotons arrived in their spaceship, polluting the lands beyond the Gond city and killing much of the Gond population. Thara uses the disquiet of the situation to lead a rebellion and attack the Teaching Machines of the Krotons in the Hall of Learning. This prompts a crystalline probe to appear and defend the Machines, and warn the Gonds to cease their rebellion. Zoe now tries the Teaching Machines and is selected to be a “companion” of the Krotons. The Doctor elects the same fate and both are summoned into the Dynotrope where they are subjected to a mental attack. Zoe deduces that the Krotons have found a way to transfer mental power into pure energy, while the Doctor busies himself with taking chemical samples of the Kroton environment. Circumstances now trigger the creation of two Krotons from chemical vats within the Dynatrope (the Kroton spaceship). The newly created Krotons capture Jamie but are really seeking the Doctor and Zoe, the “High Brains”, who have now left the Dynatrope. It takes Jamie quite some time before he is able to make an effective escape. Eelek and Axus, two councillors previously loyal to the Krotons, who begin to rally for all-out war with the Krotons, have now seized the initiative in Gond society. The more level headed Selris is deposed, but warns that an all-out attack will not benefit his people. Instead he has decided to attack the machine from underneath by destabilising its very foundation in the underhall. Eelek has Selris arrested and also reasserts control by negotiating with the Krotons that they will leave the planet if provided with the two “High Brains” who can help them power and pilot their ship. Zoe and the Doctor are forced into the Dynatrope and Selris dies providing them with a phial of acid which the Doctor adds to the Kroton vats. Outside, Jamie and the scientist Beta launch an attack on the structure of the ship using sulphuric acid. This two pronged assault destroys the tellurium-based Krotons and their craft. The Dynatrope dissolves away and the Gonds are free at last - choosing Thara rather than the cowardly and ambitious Eelek to lead them. Continuity The Krotons also feature in the Eighth Doctor Adventures spin-off novel Alien Bodies by Lawrence Miles. They also appeared in the Big Finish audio drama Return of the Krotons with the Sixth Doctor. Production Serial details by episode EpisodeBroadcast dateRun timeViewership (in millions)Archive "Episode One" 28 December 1968 23:00 9.0 16/35mm t/r "Episode Two" 4 January 1969 23:03 8.4 16mm t/r "Episode Three" 11 January 1969 21:47 7.5 16mm t/r "Episode Four" 18 January 1969 22:39 7.1 16mm t/r [1][2][3] Working titles for this story included The Trap and The Space Trap. Holmes had originally submitted The Trap to the BBC as a stand-alone science-fiction serial in 1965. Head of Serials Shaun Sutton rejected the serial as being not the kind of thing the BBC was interested in making at the time, but suggested the writer pitch it to the Doctor Who production office as an idea for that series. Holmes did so, and although story editor Donald Tosh was interested, the scripts went no further at the time. Some years later, assistant script editor Terrance Dicks found the story in the production office files when clearing a backlog, and decided to develop it with Holmes as a personal project, in case other scripts fell through. When the latter event occurred, Dick Sharples script Prison in Space a comedic dystopian tale where females rule with dollybird guards proved unworkable, Dicks was able to present the serial to his superiors as a ready production. Director David Maloney agreed the serial was viable, and it went before the cameras very quickly as an emergency replacement. Several scenes were filmed at the Tank Quarry and West of England Quarry on the Malvern Hills.[4][5] Cast notes Features a guest appearance by Philip Madoc, who would appear in a completely different role further on in the season in The War Games. See also Celebrity appearances in Doctor Who. Broadcast and reception The serial was repeated on BBC2 in November 1981, daily (Monday–Thursday, 9–12 November 1981) at 5:40 pm as part of "The Five Faces of Doctor Who", a series of repeats to bridge the long gap between seasons 18 and 19. At the time it was the only four part Patrick Troughton serial in the BBC archive. In print Doctor Who book The Krotons Series Target novelisations Release number 99 Writer Terrance Dicks Publisher Target Books Cover artist Andrew Skilleter ISBN 0-426-20189-2 Release date 14 November 1985 Preceded by ' Followed by ' A novelisation of this serial, written by Terrance Dicks, was published by Target Books in June 1985. VHS, CD and DVD releases Episode One of The Krotons exists as both a 16 mm film print and a 35 mm telerecording negative. Clips taken from a VidFIREd transfer of the high quality 35 mm negative can be seen in the restoration documentary on the DVD release of The Aztecs and as part of the 40th Anniversary music video on Doctor Who DVDs released in 2003. This story was released on VHS in February 1991 The soundtrack was released on CD in November 2008. The serial will be released on DVD in the UK on 2 July 2012.[6] The Region 1 release is scheduled for 10 July 2012.[7] References ^ Shaun Lyon et al. (31 March 2007). "The Krotons". Outpost Gallifrey. Archived from the original on 18 June 2008. Retrieved 31 August 2008. ^ "The Krotons". Doctor Who Reference Guide. Retrieved 31 August 2008. ^ Sullivan, Shannon (23 June 2008). "The Krotons". A Brief History of Time Travel. Retrieved 31 August 2008. ^ "Tank Quarry". Dr Who – The Locations Guide. Retrieved 27 January 2011. ^ "West of England Quarry". Dr Who – The Locations Guide. Retrieved 27 January 2011. ^ http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2012/05/dwn030512103008-dvd-update-summer.html ^ http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Doctor-The-Krotons-and-Death-to-the-Daleks/16830 External links Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Second Doctor The Krotons at BBC Online The Krotons at Doctor Who: A Brief History Of Time (Travel) The Krotons at the Doctor Who Reference Guide Doctor Who Locations - The Krotons Reviews The Krotons reviews at Outpost Gallifrey The Krotons reviews at The Doctor Who Ratings Guide The Krotons at Mania.com Target novelisation On Target — The Krotons
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TDP 249: The Happiness Patrol
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 11 minutes and 22 secondsThe Seventh Doctor and Ace visit a human colony on the planet Terra Alpha, and are unsettled by the planet's unnaturally happy society. Cheerful music plays everywhere; the planet's secret police force, the Happiness Patrol (governed by the vicious and egotistical Helen A, who is obsessed with eliminating unhappiness), roam the streets wearing bright pink and purple uniforms, while they hunt down and kill so-called 'Killjoys', and the TARDIS gets repainted pink so as not to look depressing. While exploring the planet, the Doctor and Ace encounter Trevor Sigma, the official galactic censor, who is visiting Terra Alpha to discover why so many of the population have disappeared. The Doctor and Ace have a brief period of incarceration in the Waiting Zone (Terra Alpha's version of prisons,) to find out more about the planet's laws against unhappiness, and meet unhappy guard Susan Q, who becomes a firm ally, and allows Ace to escape when she is taken away from the Doctor to be enrolled in the Happiness Patrol. The Doctor, meanwhile, encounters another visitor to the planet, Earl Sigma, a wandering harmonica player who stirs unrest by playing the Blues. Earl and the Doctor venture to the Kandy Kitchen, where most of the missing population of Terra Alpha vanished to, and discover Helen A's twisted executionist, the Kandy Man; a grotesque, sweet-based robot, created by Gilbert M, one of Helen A’s senior advisers. The Doctor manages to outwit the Kandy Man by gluing him to the floor with lemonade, and he and Earl escape in to the candy pipes below the colony, where dwell the native inhabitants of Terra Alpha, now known as Pipe People. They want to help overthrow the tyranny of Helen A. The Doctor returns to the surface, and begins stirring up trouble, supporting public demonstrations of unhappiness, encouraging the people to revolt, and attempting to expose Helen A's 'population control programme' to Trevor Sigma. Ace and Susan Q have meanwhile both been recaptured, and have been scheduled to appear in the late show at the Forum, where the penalty for non-entertainment is death. The Doctor and Earl rescue them both, and the four head off to Helen A’s palace for a final showdown, while a revolution takes full effect outside the palace walls. The first to be disposed of is Helen A’s pet Stigorax, Fifi, a rat-dog creature used to hunt down the Pipe People, which is crushed in the pipes below the city when Earl causes an avalanche of crystallised sugar with his harmonica. Then the Pipe People destroy the Kandy Man in a flow of his own fondant surprise (previously used to drown Killjoys). Realising that she is beaten, Helen A attempts to escape the planet in a rocket, only to discover that the rocket has already been commandeered by Gilbert M and Joseph C, her husband. She tries to flee, but the Doctor stops her, and tries to teach her about the true nature of happiness, which can only be understood if counter-balanced by sadness. Helen A at first sneers at the Doctor; but when she discovers the remains of her beloved pet Fifi, she collapses in tears, and finally feels some sadness of her own. The revolution complete, the Doctor and Ace slip away, leaving Earl, Susan Q and the Pipe People to rebuild the planet – but only once the TARDIS has been repainted blue. Continuity The Doctor tells Ace about the events of Invasion of the Dinosaurs and mentions the Brigadier at the start of this story. The Seventh Doctor and Ace later meet the Brigadier in Battlefield. The Doctor mentions his nickname in his academy days on Gallifrey was "Theta Sigma". The Doctor's classmate Drax referred to him by this nickname in The Armageddon Factor, as did River Song (in writing) in The Pandorica Opens. In the serial Battlefield, Mordred tells the Doctor, who is threatening him with a sword, to "Look me in the eye. End my life!", which is the same line the Doctor says to a sniper threatening his life in this story. Production Serial details by episode EpisodeBroadcast dateRun timeViewership (in millions) "Part One" 2 November 1988 24:51 5.3 "Part Two" 9 November 1988 24:48 4.6 "Part Three" 16 November 1988 24:25 5.3 [2][3][4] Working titles for this story included The Crooked Smile.[5] In the story, the Doctor sings "As Time Goes By", the song famously sung by Dooley Wilson in the 1942 film Casablanca. Helen A was intended to be a caricature of then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. In 2010, Sylvester McCoy told the Sunday Times: "Our feeling was that Margaret Thatcher was far more terrifying than any monster the Doctor had encountered." The Doctor's calls on the drones to down their tools and revolt was intended as a reference to the 1984-1985 miners' strike.[6] Most of this element was eventually toned down.[5] John Normington played Morgus in The Caves of Androzani, and later appeared in "Ghost Machine", an episode of the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood. Patricia Routledge was originally going to play Helen A,[citation needed] but Sheila Hancock was later cast. The production team considered transmitting this story in black and white to fit with its intended film noir atmosphere.[5] A fan myth holds that the third episode was supposed to be animated, but this was never the case.[7] Broadcast and reception Bassett's complained over the similarity between the Kandy Man in this story and their trademark character.[8] The BBC agreed not to use the Kandy Man again.[5] In The Discontinuity Guide, Paul Cornell, Martin Day and Keith Topping identify a gay subtext to the story: "there's entrapment over cottaging, the TARDIS is painted pink, and the victim of the fondant surprise is every inch the proud gay man, wearing, as he does, a pink triangle."[9] The story ends with Helen A's husband abandoning her and leaving with another man. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, referred to this story in his 2011 Easter sermon, on the subject of happiness and joy.[10] In print A novelisation of this serial, written by script-writer Graeme Curry, was published by Target Books in February 1990. Adapting his scripts rather than the televised version, Curry's book includes scenes cut during editing and his original envisioning of the Kandy Man with a human appearance, albeit with powdery white skin and edible candy-cane glasses. An unabridged reading of the novelisation by Rula Lenska was released by BBC Audiobooks in July 2009. Doctor Who book The Happiness Patrol Series Target novelisations Release number 146 Writer Graeme Curry Publisher Target Books Cover artist Alister Pearson ISBN 0-426-20339-9 Release date 15 February 1990 Preceded by ' Followed by ' VHS and DVD releases This serial was released on VHS on 4 August 1997. This story was released on DVD on 7 May 2012 alongside Dragonfire as part of the "Ace Adventures" box set. [11][12] References ^ From the Doctor Who Magazine series overview, in issue 407 (pp26-29). The Discontinuity Guide, which counts the four segments of The Trial of a Time Lord as four separate stories and also counts the unbroadcast serial Shada, lists this story as number 153. Region 1 DVD releases follow The Discontinuity Guide numbering system. ^ Shaun Lyon et al. (2007-03-31). "The Happiness Patrol". Outpost Gallifrey. Archived from the original on 2008-05-11. Retrieved 2008-08-30. ^ "The Happiness Patrol". Doctor Who Reference Guide. Retrieved 2008-08-30. ^ Sullivan, Shannon (2007-08-07). "The Happiness Patrol". A Brief History of Time Travel. Retrieved 2008-08-30. ^ a b c d The Happiness Patrol at Doctor Who: A Brief History Of Time (Travel) ^ "Doctor Who 'had anti-Thatcher agenda'", Daily Telegraph, 14 February 2010 ^ BBC - Doctor Who Classic Episode Guide - The Happiness Patrol - Details ^ Cadbury Global :: Our Brands :: Bassett's Brand Information ^ Cornell, Paul; Day, Martin; Topping, Keith (1995). "The Happiness Patrol" (reprinted on BBC Doctor Who website). The Discontinuity Guide. London: Virgin Books. p. 343. ISBN 0-426-20442-5. Retrieved 21 April 2009. ^ Williams, Rowan (24 April 2011). "Archbishop of Canterbury's 2011 Easter Sermon". archbishopofcanterbury.org. Retrieved 6 May 2012. ^ DWM 433 ^ http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2011/05/dwn030511125312-dvd-schedule-update.html External links Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Seventh Doctor The Happiness Patrol at BBC Online The Happiness Patrol at the Doctor Who Reference Guide Script to Screen: The Happiness Patrol, by Jon Preddle (Time Space Visualiser issue 42, January 1995) Reviews The Happiness Patrol reviews at Outpost Gallifrey The Happiness Patrol reviews at The Doctor Who Ratings Guide Target novelisation On Target — The Happiness Patrol
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TDP 248: Dragonfire
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 8 minutes and 17 secondsIceworld is a space-trading colony on the dark side of the planet Svartos. It is a mysterious place of terror and rumour ruled by the callous and vindictive Kane, who buys supporters and employees and makes them wear his mark iced in to their flesh. Kane’s body temperature is so cold that one touch from him can kill. In Kane’s lair is a vast cryogenic section where mercenaries and others are being frozen and stored, with their memories wiped for future unquestioning use as part of an army; including a freezer cabinet into which Kane deposits himself when he needs to cool down. There is also, most peculiarly, an aged sculptor who is carving a statue from the ice. The TARDIS materialises in a refrigeration sales section on Iceworld and the Seventh Doctor and Mel Bush venture outside. They soon meet up with their roguish old acquaintance, Sabalom Glitz, who owes Kane a substantial amount of money. Glitz has come to Svartos to search for a supposed treasure guarded by a dragon. It is located in the icy caverns beyond Iceworld and by chance Glitz has a map, which he won from Kane in a gamble – in fact, Kane wanted him to have the map because he wishes to use Glitz as a pawn in his own search for the treasure. Thus the map contains a tracking device in its seal. Kane in return has Glitz’s ship, the Nosferatu, which he orders destroyed. Without realising he is being used, Glitz heads off on the search with the Doctor in tow – though women are not allowed on the expedition so Mel stays with a young, rebellious waitress they have met called Ace. It is only a matter of time before Ace behaves appallingly to customers and is fired. Mel is stunned to hear that Ace is a human from late twentieth century Earth who only arrived on Iceworld after a bizarre chemistry experiment caused a time-storm in her bedroom. Kane’s staff are not happy. Once they have taken his coin they are his for life – as Ace wisely realises when she rejects such an offer. Officer Belazs was not so clever, and is keen to escape Kane’s service. She thus arranges for the Nosferatu not to be destroyed, hoping to use the craft to escape Iceworld. When this fails she tries to persuade Officer Kracauer to help her overthrow Kane, but he is one step ahead. Their attempt to alter the temperature in his chambers and kill him fails, so Kane exacts his revenge and kills them both. The same fate awaits the ice sculptor who has now finished his statue, which is of a woman called Xana. In the ice caverns it has taken time but the Doctor and Glitz have encountered the dragon, which turns out to be a biped which did not so much breathe fire as fire lasers from its eyes, but not the treasure. Mel and Ace have now ventured into the caverns too and they meet their allies and are actually defended by the dragon, which guns down some of Kane’s cryogenically altered soldiers who have been sent into the ice caverns to kill them. The dragon takes them to a room in the ice, which is some sort of control area and contains a pre-recorded hologram message. The hologram explains that Kane is one half of the Kane-Xana criminal gang from the planet Proamnon. When the security forces caught up with them Xana killed herself to avoid arrest, but Kane was captured and exiled to the cold, dark side of Svartos. It turns out that Iceworld is a huge spacecraft and the treasure is a crystal inside the dragon’s head, which acts as the key that Kane needs in order to activate the ship and free himself from exile. The dragon is thus both Kane’s jailer and his chance of freedom. Kane has overheard the location of the key through the bugging device on the map and now sends his security forces to the ice caverns to bring him the head of the dragon, offering vast rewards for such bravery. He also uses his cryogenic army to cause chaos in the Iceworld shops, driving the customers out and towards the docked Nosferatu. This is brutally accomplished. When the Nosferatu takes off Kane blows it up. The only survivors are a young girl called Stellar and her mother, who have become separated but both survive the massacre. Shortly afterward two of Kane’s troopers succeed in killing the dragon and removing its head, but are killed in the process. The Doctor has meanwhile realised that Kane has been a prisoner on Svartos for millennia. He retrieves the head of the dragon and is then told by intercom that Kane has captured Ace but is willing to trade her for the “dragonfire”. The Doctor, Glitz and Mel travel to Kane’s private chambers for the exchange. Kane rises to the Doctor’s taunts but still powers up Iceworld as a spacecraft, which now detaches itself from the surface of Svartos. However, when Kane tries to set course for Proamnon to exact his revenge he realises he has been a prisoner so long that the planet no longer exists, having been destroyed through late-stage stellar evolution of its sun. In desperation, he opens a screen in the surface of his ship and lets in hot light rays, which melts him. The Doctor now loses a companion but also gains one. Glitz has claimed Iceworld as his own spacecraft, renamed Nosferatu II, and Mel decides to stay with him to keep him out of trouble. The Doctor acquires Ace instead, promising to take her home to Perivale via the “scenic route”. Continuity This story marks the final appearance of Bonnie Langford as a regular cast member. Langford would only reprise her role as Mel once on television, in Dimensions in Time (1993). Langford departed the series of her own volition after being dissatisfied in the role. In recent years, she has reprised the character in several audio plays by Big Finish Productions, including playing an alternate universe version of Mel in the Doctor Who Unbound audio He Jests at Scars.... The character of Sabalom Glitz, with whom Mel departs to explore the galaxy, first appeared in The Mysterious Planet. This story also marks the first appearance of Sophie Aldred as Ace. Aldred actually auditioned for the part of the tomboy Ray from Delta and the Bannermen (1987), but lost the part to Sara Griffiths. Briggs, who had created the character of Ace, had stated in Ace's character outline for Dragonfire that she had slept with Glitz on Iceworld.[2] The Paul Cornell-written New Adventures novel Love and War implies (and his later novel Happy Endings confirms) that Ace lost her virginity to Glitz. The Doctor's acceptance of Ace as a companion is part of a larger game that would see its culmination in The Curse of Fenric. In the Virgin New Adventures novel Head Games by Steve Lyons it is revealed that the Seventh Doctor mentally influenced the brighter and more idealistic Mel to leave so that he could become the darker and more manipulative Time's Champion. This story marks the only farewell scene between the Seventh Doctor and one of his companions. Mel's departure scene was adapted from Sylvester McCoy's screen test, where Janet Fielding was hired to act as a departing companion and a villain.[3] McCoy stated that he always liked that particular screen test script and he lobbied for its inclusion in Dragonfire. One of the alien customers in the cafe is an Argolin from The Leisure Hive. Ace's first appearance begins her habit of calling the Doctor "Professor". The Doctor corrects her here, but rarely objects to her continuous use of the name over the next two seasons. Production Serial details by episode EpisodeBroadcast dateRun timeViewership (in millions) "Part One" 23 November 1987 24:01 5.5 "Part Two" 30 November 1987 24:40 5.0 "Part Three" 7 December 1987 24:26 4.7 [4][5][6] Working titles for this story included Absolute Zero, The Pyramid's Treasure and Pyramid in Space[7]. In one scene, the Doctor distracts a guard by engaging him in a philosophical conversation. One of the guard's lines, about the "semiotic thickness of a performed text", is a quotation from Doctor Who: The Unfolding Text, a 1983 media studies volume by John Tulloch and Manuel Alvarado. Story editor Andrew Cartmel had suggested that writers read The Unfolding Text to familiarise themselves with Doctor Who and its history, which inspired Ian Briggs to quote the academic text in his script, in a playful self-reference. Features a guest appearance by Patricia Quinn. See also Celebrity appearances in Doctor Who. The literal cliffhanger at the end of episode 1 in which the Doctor lowers himself over a guard rail to dangle over an abyss from his umbrella for no apparent reason comes under frequent criticism for its seeming absurdity. As scripted, the Doctor did have a logical motivation for his actions. According to Cartmel in a later interview, the passage leading to the cliff was meant to be a dead end, leaving the Doctor no option but to scale the cliff face. As shot, however, this reasoning became unclear.[7] For the effects shot of the death of Kane, a wax bust of the actor's screaming face was made and filmed being melted down to a skull within, this footage being sped up to achieve the effect. Though this is very similar to the death of Toht in Raiders of the Lost Ark, for the family audience of Doctor Who the colour red was carefully avoided in the bust. Ronald Lacey, who had portrayed Toht in the film, was director Chris Clough's first choice to play Kane, but was unavailable [8] John Alderton and David Jason were also considered for the part of Kane, but both were also not available for the role.[9] Reception On UK Gold (now known as G.O.L.D.) in 2003 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Doctor Who, over a weekend DrWho@40weekend was shown which consisted of the best serials of each Doctor voted by the viewing public. Dragonfire was the serial chosen as the best seventh Doctor serial.[citation needed] DrWho@40weekend also included interviews with the cast and crew of the series overall. The Doctor Who Appreciation Society voted the serial to be the best one of its season. In print Doctor Who book Dragonfire Series Target novelisations Release number 137 Writer Ian Briggs Publisher Target Books Cover artist Alister Pearson ISBN 0-426-20322-4 Release date 16 March 1989 Preceded by ' Followed by ' A novelisation of this serial, written by Ian Briggs, was published by Target Books in March 1989. VHS and DVD release The story was released on VHS in late December 1993. The story was released on DVD on 7 May 2012, coupled with The Happiness Patrol as part of the "Ace Adventures" box set. [10][11] References ^ From the Doctor Who Magazine series overview, in issue 407 (pp26-29). The Discontinuity Guide, which counts the four segments of The Trial of a Time Lord as four separate stories and also counts the unbroadcast serial Shada, lists this story as number 151. Region 1 DVD releases follow The Discontinuity Guide numbering system. ^ ""A Brief History of Time (Travel)" - The Curse of Fenric". ^ Cartmel, Andrew (2005). Script Doctor: The Inside Story of Doctor Who 1986-89. Reynolds & Hearn Ltd. ISBN 1-903111-89-7. ^ Shaun Lyon et al. (2007-03-31). "Dragonfire". Outpost Gallifrey. Archived from the original on 2008-05-11. Retrieved 2008-08-30. ^ "Dragonfire". Doctor Who Reference Guide. Retrieved 2008-08-30. ^ Sullivan, Shannon (2007-08-07). "Dragonfire". A Brief History of Time Travel. Retrieved 2008-08-30. ^ a b Dragonfire at Doctor Who: A Brief History Of Time (Travel) ^ Fact of Fiction, Doctor Who Magazine Issue 444 ^ Fact of Fiction, Doctor Who Magazine Issue 444 ^ DWM 433 ^ http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2011/05/dwn030511125312-dvd-schedule-update.html External links Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Seventh Doctor Dragonfire at BBC Online Dragonfire at the Doctor Who Reference Guide Script to Screen: Dragonfire, by Jon Preddle (Time Space Visualiser issue 38, March 1994) Reviews Dragonfire reviews at Outpost Gallifrey Dragonfire reviews at The Doctor Who Ratings Guide Target novelisation On Target — Dragonfire
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TDP 247: Fourth Doctor Update
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 13 minutes and 24 seconds1.02. The Renaissance Man Released February Prices CD £10.99 Download £8.99 Synopsis To continue Leela’s education, the Doctor promises to take her to the famous Morovanian Museum. But the TARDIS lands instead in a quiet English village, where they meet the enigmatic collector Harcourt and his family. When people start to die, reality doesn’t appear quite what it was. There’s something sinister going on within the walls of Harcourt’s manor, and the stakes are higher than they can imagine. The Doctor is about to discover that a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. Written By: Justin Richards Directed By: Ken Bentley Cast Tom Baker (The Doctor), Louise Jameson (Leela), Ian McNeice (Harcourt), Gareth Armstrong (Jephson), Anthony Howell (Edward), Daisy Ashford (Lizzie), Laura Molyneux (Beryl/Professor Hilda Lutterthwaite), John Dorney (Dr Henry Carnforth) Logged in as gabriel Chase Go to My Account Sign out £0.00 view Home Ranges News What's New Podcasts Vortex About Us Forums Home » Doctor Who » Doctor Who - Fourth Doctor Adventures » 1.03. The Wrath of the Iceni Main Details Technical Details Behind The Scenes 1.03. The Wrath of the Iceni Released March Prices CD £10.99 Download £8.99 Synopsis Britain. The height of the Roman occupation. The Doctor has brought Leela to ancient Norfolk to learn about her ancestors… but has no idea how much of an education she is going to get. Because this is the time of Boudica’s rebellion. When the tribe of the Iceni rises up and attempts to overthrow the Roman masters. As Leela begins to be swayed by the warrior queen’s words, the Doctor has to make a decision: save his friend… or save history itself? Written By: John Dorney Directed By: Ken Bentley Cast Tom Baker (The Doctor), Louise Jameson (Leela), Ella Kenion (Boudica), Nia Roberts (Bragnar), Michael Rouse (Caedmon/Festucas), Daniel Hawksford (Pacquolas/Man) 1.04. Energy of the Daleks Released April Prices CD £10.99 Download £8.99 Synopsis The Doctor and Leela find themselves in the middle of London at the time of a new energy crisis. The GlobeSphere Corporation seems to have all the answers – but several thousand protestors beg to differ. What is the connection between the National Gallery and a base on the Moon? Has radical thinker Damien Stephens simply sold out, or does he have a more sinister agenda? The Doctor has detected a mysterious energy reading. Could it be that the most evil creatures in the universe have returned to claim ultimate victory once and for all? Written By: Nicholas Briggs Directed By: Nicholas Briggs Cast Tom Baker (The Doctor), Louise Jameson (Leela), Alex Lowe (Damien Stephens/Robomen), Mark Benton (Jack Coulson), Caroline Keiff (Lydia Harding), Dan Starkey (Kevin Winston/Robomen), John Dorney (Robomen), Nicholas Briggs (The Daleks)
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TDP 246: Death to the Daleks
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 11 minutes and 26 secondsTravelling through space, the TARDIS suffers an energy drain and crash-lands on the planet Exxilon. The Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith venture outside to investigate the cause of the interference, and become separated. The Doctor is captured by the planet's inhabitants - the savage Exxilons - but escapes. Sarah is attacked by one of the creatures in the TARDIS, and flees into the night, finding a huge white City with a flashing beacon. When daylight arrives, the Doctor is found by a party of the Marine Space Corps; they take him to their ship, which has been stranded by a power drain. They are on an expedition to mine "Parrinium" - a mineral abundant only on Exxilon - which can cure and give immunity to a deadly space plague. The lives of at least 10 million people depend on the expedition's obtaining the Parrinium and leaving the planet within a month. They show the Doctor some photos they have taken of the nearby City - which the Exxilons worship, sacrificing anyone who ventures too close to it. Sarah does so, and is captured and taken to the Exxilons' caves to be sacrificed by their High Priest. A ship containing four Daleks now arrives; both the Daleks' ship and their weapons have been rendered useless by the energy drain. The Daleks claim that several of their planetary colonies are suffering from plague; thus they need Parrinium for the same reason as the humans. The Daleks, the Doctor, and the humans form an uneasy alliance to obtain Parrinium and escape Exxilon. While the allies are making their way to the humans' mining dome, the Exxilons ambush them, killing a human and a Dalek and capturing the others. The prisoners are taken to the Exxilon caves where the Doctor interrupts Sarah Jane's sacrifice; therefore, he is also condemned to death. When the dual sacrifice commences, a second party of Daleks, who have replaced their energy weapons with firearms, attack in force, killing a number of Exxilons. They then force the Exxilons and humans to mine Parrinium. The Doctor and Sarah flee into underground tunnels. The Doctor and Sarah meet a group of subterranean, fugitive Exxilons. Their leader, Bellal, explains that the City was built by the Exxilons' ancestors, who were once capable of space travel. The ancient Exxilons built the City to be capable of maintaining, repairing, and protecting itself. However, fitting the structure with a brain meant that the City no longer needed its creators. On realising this, the Exxilons had tried to destroy the City, but, instead, the City destroyed most of them; the savage surface dwellers and Bellal's group are the only survivors. Bellal's people seek to complete their ancestors' last, failed act - to destroy the City and ensure their race's survival. Bellal sketches some of the markings on the City wall, which the Doctor recognises from a temple in Peru. Bellal also explains that the City supports itself through underground 'roots' and the aerial beacon. The Doctor realises that the beacon must be the cause of the energy drain, and decides to go to the City and resolve the problem. The Daleks separately come to the same conclusion and create two timed explosives to destroy the beacon. One Dalek supervises two humans placing the explosives, but one of the humans, Galloway, secretly keeps one bomb. Two other Daleks enter the City to investigate the superstructure, but the Doctor and Bellal enter the City just before them. The two parties then proceed through the City, passing a series of progressive intelligence tests. The Doctor reasons that the City has arranged the tests so that only lifeforms with knowledge comparable to that of the City's creators would reach the brain, allowing the City to add the knowledge of the survivors to its databanks. On reaching the central chamber, the Doctor begins to sabotage the City's computer brain; the machine responds by creating two Exxilon-like 'antibodies' to 'neutralise' the Doctor and Bellal. The pair are saved when the Daleks enter and fight the antibodies, and the Doctor and Bellal escape as the City's sabotaged controls begin to malfunction. When the bomb on the beacon explodes, all power is restored. The Daleks order the humans to load the Parrinium onto their ship. On leaving Exxilon, the Daleks intend to fire a plague missile onto the planet, destroying all life and making future landings impossible, so that they will have the only source of Parrinium. Their true intention for hoarding Parrinium is to blackmail the galactic powers to accept their demands; refusal would mean the deaths of millions. As their ship takes off, Sarah reveals that the Daleks have only bags of sand while the real Parrinium is on the Earth ship, which is now ready to take off. Galloway has smuggled himself and his bomb aboard the Dalek ship; he detonates the bomb, destroying the Dalek ship before it fires the plague missile. Back on Exxilon, the City disintegrates and collapses, the Doctor sadly commenting that the Universe is now down to 699 Wonders. Continuity Death to the Daleks is also the name of a spin off audio drama by Big Finish Productions in the Dalek Empire series. The Doctor attempts to destroy the Exxilon supercomputer by feeding it illogical paradoxes. This is the same tactic he used against the mad BOSS computer in The Green Death the previous season. This is the only other story where the Daleks do not fire their energy weapons, due to the Exxilon power drain (although they technically do "fire" them, albeit without any success). This marks the last appearance of the TARDIS Console Room until Planet of Evil. Sarah later references this story in Pyramids of Mars. Production Serial details by episode EpisodeBroadcast dateRun timeViewership (in millions)Archive "Part One" 23 February 1974 24:32 8.1 PAL 2" colour videotape "Part Two" 2 March 1974 24:25 9.5 PAL 2" colour videotape "Part Three" 9 March 1974 24:24 10.5 PAL 2" colour videotape "Part Four" 16 March 1974 24:35 9.5 PAL 2" colour videotape [1][2][3] Working titles for this story were The Exilons and The Exxilons.[4] This is one of two Third Doctor serials (the other being The Claws of Axos) to still have a 90-minute PAL studio recording tape. The incidental music for this serial was composed by Carey Blyton and performed by the London Saxophone Quartet. Missing episodes Episode one of this story was missing from the BBC archives, when they were first fully audited in 1978; eventually, a 525-line NTSC recording was recovered from an overseas television station. A low-quality PAL recording was subsequently recovered, albeit with the opening scene missing. In 1992, this was followed by the recovery of a better-quality 625-line PAL recording from a shipment of episodes returned from Dubai. In Print Doctor Who book Death to the Daleks Series Target novelisations Release number 20 Writer Terrance Dicks Publisher Target Books Cover artist Roy Knipe ISBN 0-426-20042-X Release date 20 July 1978 Preceded by ' Followed by ' A novelisation of this serial, written by Terrance Dicks, was published by Target Books in July 1978. A German translation was published in 1990 by Goldmann. VHS and DVD releases The serial was released on video in an omnibus format in July 1987, the first Doctor Who video to be released on just VHS, instead of both VHS and Betamax. As the PAL version of episode one was not yet known to exist, this used the NTSC version of the episode. An episodic release (with the PAL version of episode one) was released on 13 February 1995, although episode two was slightly edited due to BBC Video mistakenly using a cut version of episode 2 returned from ABC TV in Australia (episodes 3 & 4 were also from ABC TV), instead of the UK master tapes of episodes 2-4. The serial will be released on DVD in the UK on 18 June 2012. The region 1 release date is 10 July 2012.[5][6] References ^ Shaun Lyon et al. (31 March 2007). "Death to the Daleks". Outpost Gallifrey. Retrieved 30 August 2008.[dead link] ^ "Death to the Daleks". Doctor Who Reference Guide. Retrieved 30 August 2008. ^ Sullivan, Shannon (7 August 2007). "Death to the Daleks". A Brief History of Time Travel. Retrieved 30 August 2008. ^ "Serial XXX: Death To The Daleks: Production". A Brief History of Time (Travel). Retrieved 31 December 2006. ^ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Doctor-Who-Death-Daleks-DVD/dp/B007EAFV58/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333383533&sr=8-1 ^ http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Doctor-The-Krotons-and-Death-to-the-Daleks/16830 External links Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Third Doctor Death to the Daleks at BBC Online Death to the Daleks at Doctor Who: A Brief History Of Time (Travel) Death to the Daleks at the Doctor Who Reference Guide Fan reviews Death to the Daleks reviews at Outpost Gallifrey Death to the Daleks reviews at The Doctor Who Ratings Guide Target novelisation Death to the Daleks (novelisation) reviews at The Doctor Who Ratings Guide On Target — Death to the Daleks [hide] v t e Doctor Who serials Classic seasons (1963–89): 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Revived series (2005–present): 1 2 3 4 2008–10 specials 5 6 7 Season 11 The Time Warrior Invasion of the Dinosaurs Death to the Daleks The Monster of Peladon Planet of the Spiders [show] Links to related articles View page ratings Rate this page What's this? Trustworthy Objective Complete Well-written I am highly knowledgeable about this topic (optional) Categories: Third Doctor serials Dalek television stories Doctor Who serials novelised by Terrance Dicks 1974 television episodes
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TDP 245: Wirrn Isle Big Finish Main Range 158
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 10 minutes and 31 secondsThe year is 16127. Four decades have passed since the colonists of Nerva Beacon returned to repopulate the once-devastated planet Earth – and the chosen few are finding the business of survival tough. Far beyond the sterile safety of sanitised Nerva City, transmat scientist Roger Buchman has brought his family to an island surrounded by what they once called Loch Lomond, hoping to re-establish the colony he was forced to abandon many years before. But something else resides in the Loch. A pestilent alien infestation that the Doctor, beaming in from Nerva City, remembers only too well from his time aboard the Beacon… The Wirrn are back. And they’re hungry.
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TDP 244: Nightmare of Eden
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 9 minutes and 6 secondshe TARDIS arrives close to an unstable area on the interstellar cruise ship “Empress”, which has emerged from hyperspace at the same co-ordinates as the trade ship “Hecate”, causing a dimensional crossover that the Doctor and Romana realise must be repaired and he offers his services to detach the two craft. Rigg, captain of the “Empress”, is suspicious of the Doctor’s alias as a representative of Galactic Salvage but nevertheless agrees to let him try and separate the two craft by reversing the smaller craft at full thrust. The Doctor is accompanied on this task by Riggs co-pilot, Secker, who, it becomes apparent, is a drug addict. He is hooked on the organic substance Vraxoin, whose origins are unknown, but whose properties are lethal and dangerous. Secker heads off alone into the unstable area and while there is attacked by a clawed monster and left for dead. K-9 arrives from the TARDIS and is tasked with cutting through the locked ships. Also aboard the “Empress” are a zoologist named Tryst and his assistant Della, with their CET (Continual Event Transmuter) Machine, which stores portions of planets on electro-magnetic crystals. Their collection is large and ethically dubious. Their most recent stop was on the planet Eden where one of their expedition was killed, but both Tryst and Della are reluctant to provide too many details. Romana, however, examines the Eden projection when she is on her own and is sure she has seen eyes staring out at her from the dark and forbidding jungle. When she later looks at the projection again an insect appears from within it and stings her. The Doctor and Rigg find the wounded Secker and send him to the sickbay where he dies. When the Doctor finds Seckers drugs stash he is prevented from acting when someone stuns him and steals the evidence. Once he has recovered, he returns with Rigg and K-9 to cut through the power source. Once a hole is made a roaring creature appears, flexing its vicious claws. K-9 repels the creature with blaster fire while the Doctor and Rigg refit the segment of the craft. The Doctor continues to try to separate the two ships while also trying to source the Vraxoin on the craft. Rigg is positive there are no drugs on his craft, but events soon take a sinister turn, which proves him wrong. When Romana wakes up an unseen hand spikes her refresher drink with the drug, but it is Rigg who ends up drinking it. He soon starts to show signs of addiction and altered perception and heads off alone as his cravings grow. After the Doctor and K-9 fail once more to separate the two ships, he spots a silver-suited stranger and pursues him through the passenger deck and into the blurred area between ships. The Doctor loses his quarry, but manages to relieve him of a radiation band which he dropped and proves that he was on Tryst’s expeditionary team in the past. The clawed monsters are loose near there. When the Doctor flees back to the “Empress” he discovers Rigg has become addicted and it becomes apparent that Tryst thinks Della is the smuggler, in league with her late partner Stott, who was killed on Eden. Two Azurian Customs and Excise officers now board the craft, Fisk and Costa, and start to suspect the Doctor of smuggling because of the traces of Vraxoin in his pocket. The Doctor and Romana make a break for it and head to the CET Machine room where they evade capture by leaping directly into the projection. Inside the projection, the Doctor and Romana are menaced by the jungle plants and must hide to avoid the clawed monsters, which obviously originate from Eden and roam freely in this section of the planet. They soon meet up with the fugitive previously sighted by them both, Stott, who takes them to his sheltered cubicle. It seems that he is a Major in the Intelligence Section of the Space Corp and has been hiding in the projection for the past 183 days while he tries to establish the source of the Vraxoin, which he knows is from Eden but not from which organic source. He also names the vicious creatures as Mandrels. The trio exit the projection and return to find the “Empress” under siege from the marauding beasts, which have now started killing the passengers (as shown in the picture above). Rigg too is killed, shot down by Fisk during a mad search for Vrax. The Doctor, Romana and K-9 evade the creatures while trying once more to separate the two spacecraft. In the process, the Doctor incinerates one of the Mandrels, which disintegrates into raw Vraxoin. The beasts are evidently the source of the drug. He reapplies himself to the technical task and, with the help of his companions, the ships are finally parted – but the Doctor disappears from the “Empress” in the process. The separation has been a success, with the elusive Dymond having returned to his own craft at the right time. Fisk warns him not to leave too quickly, but Dymond is keen to get away. The Doctor is also on the “Hecate”, having been caught up in the separation of the two ships, and, without being noticed, soon finds evidence of Dymond's complicity in the drug running project. Dymond returns to the “Empress” by shuttle, and the Doctor smuggles himself on board. Back on the “Empress”, Romana finds Della and confides in her that Stott is still alive, but Della is soon arrested by the Customs men and they are separated. The Doctor rejoins Romana on the “Empress” and says he has seen evidence that the smugglers are planning to use an intuca laser to transport the Eden projection between the two crafts. He is now certain that Dymond’s ally is Tryst and, when Stott arrives, he also confirms the source of the Vraxoin. Fisk and Costa turn up to arrest the Doctor, but Stott pulls rank and warns them to back off. In another part of the craft, Tryst is reunited with Della and confesses all about his part in the smuggling racket. She flees when a Mandrel arrives and distracts Tryst, who is rapidly trying to escape with Dymond. They head back to the “Hecate”. The Doctor has meanwhile rounded up the Mandrels using K-9’s dog whistle, having worked out they are pacified by ultrasonics. He leads them all back into the projection and then slips out, leaving the creatures trapped. His next task is to reverse the CET transfer process to stop the smugglers getting away with the Vraxoin supply. After allowing Tryst and Dymond to transport the Eden projection to the "Hecate", he activates the CET and traps them within a new projection – they are ready for the Customs Officers to walk in and arrest them. With the ships separated and the drug runners caught, the Doctor and friends slip away back to the TARDIS with the Eden project. The creatures will be projected back to their native planets. One can only hope that nobody else discovers the Mandrels' secret. Production Serial details by episode EpisodeBroadcast dateRun timeViewership (in millions) "Part One" 24 November 1979 24:17 8.7 "Part Two" 1 December 1979 22:44 9.6 "Part Three" 8 December 1979 24:06 9.6 "Part Four" 15 December 1979 24:31 9.4 [1][2][3] Working titles for this story included Nightmare of Evil. This story would be the final Doctor Who serial written by Bob Baker, who worked on it alone. Alan Bromly is credited with directing this story, but he quit part-way through filming as a result of a vehement dispute with Tom Baker. As a result, Producer Graham Williams wound up having to complete the director's duties uncredited. The unpleasantness of this whole incident led Williams to decide that he had wished to leave the series. Bromly never directed another story for the series and in fact went into full retirement soon afterwards. Outside references This is one of the few Fourth Doctor stories to have a strong moral message, in this case against drug abuse and the illegal drug trade. The drug in question was originally going to be called "xylophilin", or "zip". However, Lalla Ward was worried that the name would sound appealing to children, so it was changed to "vraxoin" instead. However, K-9 still mentions vraxoin as having the scientific code "XYP". The British tabloid newspaper The Sun wrote that the Mandrels were terrifying monsters, as no publicity shots had been taken for them (which, as later reported, was untrue). However, the majority of critics were more scathing and many of them saw the Mandrels as being thoroughly unconvincing (particularly the Doctor Who Appreciation Society, which described them as "cute rejects from The Muppet Show"). In print Doctor Who book Doctor Who and the Nightmare of Eden Series Target novelisations Release number 45 Writer Terrance Dicks Publisher Target Books Cover artist Andrew Skilleter ISBN 0-426-20130-2 Release date 21 August 1980 Preceded by ' Followed by ' A novelisation of this serial, written by Terrance Dicks, was published by Target Books in August 1980. VHS and DVD release This story was released on VHS in January 1999. The story was released on DVD on 2 April 2012. References ^ Shaun Lyon et al. (2007-03-31). "Nightmare of Eden". Outpost Gallifrey. Archived from the original on 2008-07-31. Retrieved 2008-08-30. ^ Dominique Boies. "Nightmare of Eden". Doctor Who Reference Guide. Retrieved 2008-08-30. ^ Sullivan, Shannon (2007-08-07). "Nightmare of Eden". A Brief History of Time Travel. Retrieved 2008-08-30. External links Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Fourth Doctor Nightmare of Eden at BBC Online Nightmare of Eden at Doctor Who: A Brief History Of Time (Travel) Nightmare of Eden at the Doctor Who Reference Guide Reviews Nightmare of Eden reviews at Outpost Gallifrey Nightmare of Eden reviews at The Doctor Who Ratings Guide Target novelisation On Target — Doctor Who and the Nightmare of Eden [hide] v t e Doctor Who serials
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TDP 243: The Fourth Wall Big Finish 157
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 9 minutes and 16 secondsSynopsis Business is bad for intergalactic media mogul Augustus Scullop, whose Trans-Gal empire is on the rocks. But, having retreated to his own private planet, Transmission, Scullop is about to gamble his fortune on a new show, made with an entirely new technology. And the name of that show… is Laser. Back in the real world, far from the realms of small screen sci-fi fantasies about monsters and aliens, the Doctor is interested only in watching Test Match cricket… but finds himself drawn into Scullop’s world when his new travelling companion, Flip, is snatched from inside the TARDIS. So, while the Doctor uncovers the terrible secret of Trans-Gal’s new tech, Flip battles to survive in a barren wilderness ruled over by the indestructible Lord Krarn and his pig-like servants, the Warmongers. And the name of that wilderness… is ‘Stevenage’. Written By: John Dorney Directed By: Nicholas Briggs Cast Colin Baker (The Doctor), Lisa Greenwood (Flip Jackson), Julian Wadham (Augustus Scullop), Yasmin Bannerman (Dr Helen Shepherd), Hywel Morgan (Nick Kenton/Jack Laser), Martin Hutson (Matthew Howland/Lord Krarn), Tilly Gaunt (Olivia Sayle/Jancey), Kim Wall (Chimbly/Head Warmonger), Henry Devas (Junior/Warmonger)
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TDP 242: The Daemons
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 22 minutes and 1 secondDuring a storm that whips through the village of Devil's End in Wiltshire, a dog gets away from its owner. He pursues it into a graveyard, only to encounter something unseen and die. The local doctor says that it was a heart attack, but Olive Hawthorne, the local witch, insists that the man died of fright. She has cast the runes, and there is evil afoot. Near the village, an archaeological dig is excavating the infamous Devil's Hump, a Bronze Age burial mound. The dig is being covered by BBC Three. The interviewer, Alistair Fergus, speaks to the cantankerous Professor Horner, who claims that the Hump holds the treasure and tomb of a warrior chieftain, and that he plans to open the tomb at the stroke of midnight on April 30, the pagan festival of Beltane. The television coverage is being watched by the Third Doctor and Jo at UNIT. While the Doctor scoffs at Jo's notions of the coming of the Age of Aquarius and the supernatural, he feels that something is wrong with the dig. On the television, they see Olive go to the dig to protest, warning of great evil and the coming of the horned one, but she is dismissed as a crank. The Doctor tells Jo that Olive Hawthorne is right — the dig must be stopped, and they start off to Devil's End. Olive returns to the village, and a strong wind whips up out of nowhere. She raises her hands to dismiss it, not knowing that the local constable, PC Groom, has gone into a trance behind her and is about to strike her with a stone. The wind dies down as she chants, and PC Groom regains his senses before he lands the blow. Olive then goes to see the vicar, but he has been mysteriously replaced with a new one, Rev. Magister. Magister — actually the Master — tries to assure her that her fears are unfounded, but his hypnosis fails to overcome Olive's will, and she says she will find someone who will believe her. The Doctor and Jo, driving to Devil's End, get lost when a wind spins a signpost and points them in the wrong direction. Over at the Hump, tempers start to flare for no reason. When the Doctor and Jo stop by the village pub to get directions, one of the villagers goes and informs the Master of the Doctor's presence. The Master tells him to get dressed for the ceremony. On the way to the Hump, the Doctor's car, Bessie, is blocked by a fallen tree. Unable to budge it, the Doctor and Jo rush to the mound on foot. The Master, dressed in ceremonial robes and with a coven of thirteen acolytes, starts a summoning ritual in the church catacombs. As his chanting grows more frenzied, the Doctor and Jo reach the mound and the Doctor rushes inside to stop Horner, but it is too late. The tomb door opens and icy gusts of wind rush out and the ground begins to shake, toppling the camera crew and even the coven in the catacombs. The Master laughs triumphantly and calls the entity's name — Azal, and the eyes of a gargoyle, Bok, flare with a reddish glow. Jo enters the mound to find Horner and the Doctor motionless, covered with frost. Horner is dead, and the Doctor seems dead as well. The Master uses a knife to indicate a stone covered in ritual markings as the "appointed place", dismissing the coven. Back at UNIT, Captain Mike Yates and Sergeant Benton were watching the end of the broadcast as it went dead. They try to find out what's going on while attempting to contact the Brigadier, who had earlier gone for a night at the opera. Meanwhile, the village doctor discovers that the Doctor may not be entirely dead after all, but is puzzled when he hears the beating of two hearts. Jo telephones Yates, who tells her he will be there by helicopter in the morning, just as the line is cut off from the outside. The Master prays in the church as Jo watches over the still unconscious Doctor in the pub. At the dig, the ground shakes and the constable on duty sees something gigantic with heavy footsteps, and falls. In the morning, Yates and Benton fly by helicopter to Devil's End, and see burn marks on the fields before the village that resemble enormous footprints. Once in Devil's End, Benton decides to look around the village while Yates finally manages to contact the Brigadier, who is not pleased that Yates has commandeered his helicopter, and calls for a car. Benton, looking around in the church, finds Olive trapped in a cupboard, where the Master's verger, Garvin, had locked her. Down in the cellar to hide from Garvin, she tells Benton about Magister. Garvin comes down with a rifle, and Benton tries to disarm him. In the ensuing fight, Benton falls on the marked stone and seizes up. Garvin holds both of them at gunpoint and moves them outside, just as the ground starts to shake. Garvin fires up at something gigantic, but is engulfed in a fireball. The heat wave extends even into the village, knocking Jo and Yates down, just as the Doctor awakens with a start. Olive and Benton make their way back to the pub, and the Doctor discusses the incident with Olive, who says that she saw the devil, 30 feet high and with horns. The Doctor is told of the new vicar, and realises who is behind this, as "Magister" is Latin for "Master". The Brigadier finds himself unable to enter the village, as there is a barrier surrounding it that causes anything trying to enter to heat up and burst into flame. He contacts Yates and is briefed on the situation while the Doctor and Jo return to the dig, an act the Master seems to be able to sense. They find the constable dead and a small spaceship in the mound the same shape as the Hump. Jo tries to lift it but cannot, as the Doctor explains that it weighs 750 tons. Suddenly, Bok leaps into the tent covering the entrance to the tomb, about to attack. The Doctor wards him off with some words in a strange language and an iron trowel. The Doctor explains to Jo that it was actually the words of a Venusian lullaby — it was the gargoyle's own superstition that drove it back. The Master, in the meantime, hypnotises the squire, Winstanley, as Olive and the Doctor debate about whether it is magic or science that is at work here. The Brigadier discovers that the heat shield is dome shaped, centred on the church, with a radius of ten miles out and one mile high. The Doctor shows the others pictures of various horned gods and demons from Olive's occult and history book collection, and explains that the creature Olive saw was an extraterrestrial, one of the Dæmons from the planet Dæmos, 60,000 light years away, who came to Earth one hundred thousand years before. The small spaceship's actual size is 200 feet long and 30 feet across, and the heat and cold waves they have been experiencing are the result of the energy displaced when the ship shrinks or grows. The Doctor further explains that the Dæmons have influenced Earth throughout its history, becoming part of human myth, and see the planet as a giant experiment. The Master has called the Dæmon up once, and right now, it is so small as to be invisible. The third summoning, however, could signal the end of the experiment, and the world. The Brigadier contacts Yates and says he is about to try attacking the heat shield from the air. The Doctor warns him not to, saying that it would only strengthen it, and suggests they use a diathermic energy exchanger. When UNIT technician Osgood fails to understand what the Doctor is getting at, he says he will come out and explain. When he does so, Tom Girton, one the villagers working with Master, hijacks the UNIT helicopter and uses it to attack the Doctor. The Doctor manages to swerve Bessie out of the way and the helicopter explodes against the heat shield. As the Doctor relates his instructions to Osgood, who protests that it goes against the laws of physics, the Master summons Azal again. A heat wave and an earth tremor once again sweeps through the village as Azal curses the Master for daring to summon him again. The Master tries to dismiss Azal with an iron candlestick holder, but it does not seem to work. He demands that Azal give him the power that is his right, but Azal warns him that he is not the Master's servant. Azal also senses the presence of another like the Master, and wants to speak to the Doctor to see if he is worthy to take over the world. Azal says on his third appearance, he will decide if Earth deserves to continue existing. If so, he will give it to the Master. Azal then vanishes in another heat wave. After explaining the process of creating the exchanger to Osgood, the Doctor returns to the village. However, the Master's agents are at work, and he is soon captured by a mob of villagers and tied up to a maypole, about to be burned alive. Olive goes to the mob and tells them that the Doctor is a mighty wizard, and with some help from Benton's silenced Pistol and a remote controlled Bessie, convinces the mob that the Doctor does indeed have magical powers. Jo and Mike, meanwhile, have returned to the church cellar and watch, hidden, as the Master gathers his coven to summon Azal one last time. Jo tries to interrupt the ritual, but it is too late. With another rush of heat, Azal manifests himself and Jo and Yates are taken prisoner. Outside, the Doctor explains that to the now calmer villagers that his "magic" was due to science, and so is the Master's trickery. The rituals are merely used to focus the psychokinetic energy of humans that the Master needs to summon the Dæmons. As Jo is prepared as a sacrifice to Azal, the exchanger finally works and UNIT forces go through the gap created in the heat shield, but the gap only lasts a few minutes and the exchanger soon overloads. Mike manages to escape and tell the Doctor about Jo, but Bok is guarding the entrance to the catacombs. The use of the exchanger momentarily weakens Bok and Azal, and the Doctor manages to rush by the gargoyle. He makes it down to the cellar, where the Master is expecting him. Outside, UNIT troops start firing at Bok, who can disintegrate objects and people with a wave of his hand, but he is also bulletproof. Even a bazooka does not work, as the pieces of the gargoyle reform almost instantly. Inside the church, the Master makes his case to the Dæmon that he will rule the Earth experiment's people for their own good. The Doctor argues that Man should be given a chance to grow up. Azal finally decides to give his power to the Master, and fires electricity at the Doctor to kill him. However, Jo, steps in front of the Doctor, asking Azal to kill her instead. This act of self-sacrifice does not make sense to Azal, and the confusion sends him into an agony. He shouts for all of them to leave as he is dying. Bok reverts to his stone form, and as everyone runs out of the church, it blows up. The Master tries to escape in Bessie, but the Doctor's remote control brings the car back, and the Master is taken into custody, to be put in maximum security. Olive Hawthorne hears the sound of bird songs and the smell of flowers once again, as the Earth is reborn each May Day. Olive takes Benton to dance around the maypole with the rest of the townsfolk, while Yates and the Brigadier go off to the pub for a drink. The Doctor and Jo join the dance, as the May Day celebrations continue and the Doctor remarks to Jo that perhaps there is magic in the world after all. Continuity The television news programme filmed at Devil's End was depicted as broadcast on a fictional channel called BBC Three. Since 2003, BBC Three has been an actual digital BBC channel. The Doctor uses the words of a Venusian lullaby to ward off Bok. He uses the lullaby again in The Curse of Peladon & The Monster of Peladon, singing the words to a tune which is actually the Christmas carol "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen". Venusian Lullaby is the title of a 1994 Virgin Missing Adventures novel by Paul Leonard featuring the First Doctor. In the 2007 episode "Utopia", two sound clips from this story ("Destroy him!" & "Then you will give your power to me!") were used when professor Yana prepares to open his fob watch. Fan myths associated with this story include the rumour that there was a sixth episode where the Master escaped from UNIT, recalled Azal, and killed everyone in Devil's End including the Doctor. This was actually an April Fool's Day joke in the fan magazine DWB. Guy Leopold, who is credited with writing the story, is a pseudonym for Robert Sloman and Barry Letts.[1] Production Serial details by episode EpisodeBroadcast dateRun timeViewership (in millions)Archive "Episode One" 22 May 1971 25:05 9.2 PAL D3 colour restoration "Episode Two" 29 May 1971 24:20 8.0 PAL D3 colour restoration "Episode Three" 5 June 1971 24:27 8.1 PAL D3 colour restoration "Episode Four" 12 June 1971 24:25 8.1 PAL 2" colour videotape "Episode Five" 19 June 1971 24:04 8.3 PAL D3 colour restoration [2][3][4] Working titles for this story included The Demons. Much of the serial was filmed on location in Aldbourne, Wiltshire.[5] The last episode of the story contains footage of a model church being blown up, the scene was realistic enough to lead many viewers to believe that the BBC had actually blown up a church as part of the filming. The BBC received a number of letters complaining about this.[5] Cast notes Features an appearance by television presenter and Sooty puppeteer, Matthew Corbett. See also Celebrity appearances in Doctor Who. Outside references The clip of the Brigadier's helicopter blowing up as it crashes into the heat shield is borrowed from the James Bond film From Russia with Love.[6] Many have noted the similarities between this story's plot and that of the 1958 BBC serial and 1967 Hammer film Quatermass and the Pit. Both involve the unearthing of an extraterrestrial spaceship, an alien race that has interfered with human evolution and is the basis for legends of devils, demons and witchcraft, and places with "devilish" names - Devil's End in this case, and Hob's Lane in Pit. The Master actually (and possibly deliberately) misquotes the occultist Aleister Crowley at one point saying "To do my will shall be the whole of the law". Crowley is famous for the similar "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law." The incantation that the Master uses in summoning Azal is actually the nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb" said backwards. The Doctor is briefly given the alias of "the Great Wizard Qui Quae Quod." This is actually the masculine, feminine, and neuter nominative forms of the relative pronoun "who", in Latin. At one point the Doctor refers to the laws of aerodynamics proving that bumble bees should be incapable of flight, which is an urban legend.[7][8] Broadcast and reception The story was repeated on BBC One as a condensed omnibus edition over Christmas 1971 (28/12/71 at 4.20pm). The omnibus's opening credits gave the title as Doctor Who and the Dæmons. The closing credits used were for those of episode 5, necessitating the BBC1 continuity announcer naming the cast and crew from earlier episodes.[9] Of the original 625-line PAL colour videotapes as an example of 1970s Doctor Who, all except Episode Four were wiped for reuse. However, a converted 525-line colour NTSC version recorded off-air from an American broadcast was made available to the BBC. This version was abridged and unsuitable for transmission as it was not of broadcast standard (the original US recordings were made on a domestic Betamax VCR). In 1992 the colour signal from the NTSC tapes was used as the basis for restoring the colour to the 16mm monochrome telerecordings of episodes one, two, three and five. These versions were subsequently repeated on BBC2 on consecutive Fridays in November/December 1992 (20/11/92 to 18/12/92 at 7.15pm). Jon Pertwee stated numerous times over the years that this was his favourite Doctor Who serial. In 1993, Pertwee, along with several members of the cast and crew including Nicholas Courtney, John Levene, Richard Franklin and director Christopher Barry returned to Aldbourne for the Reeltime Pictures reunion documentary Return to Devil's End. Nicholas Courtney titled his 1998 volume of autobiography Five Rounds Rapid after a line from this story: “ Jenkins. Chap with the wings there. Five rounds rapid. ” Reviewing its DVD release, Ian Berriman of SFX was more critical of the serial, giving it three and a half out of five stars. He derided it for being an "awful mess" with a plot that "doesn't make a shred of sense". Despite praising the "magnificent" characters of Hawthorne, Horner, and Fergus, he thought that other characters including the Doctor and the Master were "continually acting in a completely absurd way".[10] In print Doctor Who book Doctor Who and the Dæmons Series Target novelisations Release number 15 Writer Barry Letts Publisher Target Books Cover artist Chris Achilleos ISBN 0-426-10444-7 Release date 17 October 1974 Preceded by ' Followed by ' A novelisation of this serial, written by Barry Letts, was published by Target Books in October 1974. There have been Dutch and Portuguese language editions. An unabridged reading of the novelisation by author Barry Letts was released on CD in August 2008 by BBC Audiobooks. VHS and DVD releases The final episode of this story was also issued as a b/w film recording on the VHS release The Pertwee Years, along with the final episodes of Inferno and Frontier in Space In 1993, the episodes with restored colour (see "Broadcast and reception", above) were released on VHS. A DVD of the serial was released on the 19th March 2012. References ^ Howe, David J.; Walker, Stephen James (1998). "The Dæmons". Doctor Who: The Television Companion. London: BBC Worldwide. p. 211. ISBN 0-563-40588-0. ^ "The Daemons". Outpost Gallifrey. 2007-03-31. Archived from the original on 2008-05-18. Retrieved 2008-08-31. ^ "The Daemons". Doctor Who Reference Guide. Retrieved 2008-08-31. ^ Sullivan, Shannon (2008-08-31). "The Daemons". A Brief History of Time Travel. Retrieved 2008-08-31. ^ a b p196, Peter Haining, Doctor Who - A Celebration, W.H. Allen, 1983 ^ "The Daemons". Doctor Who Classic Episode Guide. BBC. Retrieved 22 October 2009. ^ John H. McMasters (March/April 1989). "The flight of the bumblebee and related myths of entomological engineering". American Scientist 77: 146–169. cited in Jay Ingram (2001). The Barmaid's Brain. Aurum Press. pp. 91–92. ISBN 1-85410-633-3. ^ See also Bumble bee#Myths. ^ Doctor Who: The Daemons (2012). BBC Warner DVD. ASIN: B0072BNJGC ^ Berriman, Ian (17 March 2012). "Doctor Who: The Daemons Review". SFX. Retrieved 6 April 2012. External links Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Third Doctor The Dæmons at BBC Online The Daemons at Doctor Who: A Brief History Of Time (Travel) The Dæmons at the Doctor Who Reference Guide Article about the village used in the serial Reviews The Daemons reviews at Outpost Gallifrey The Dæmons reviews at The Doctor Who Ratings Guide
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TDP 241: Curse of Davros - Big Finish main Range 156
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 16 minutes and 47 seconds156. The Curse of DavrosSynopsisIt's been a year since Philippa 'Flip' Jackson found herself transported by Tube train to battle robot mosquitoes on a bizarre alien planet in the company of a Time Lord known only as 'the Doctor'.Lightning never strikes twice, they say. Only now there's a flying saucer whooshing over the top of the night bus taking her home. Inside: the Doctor, with another extraterrestrial menace on his tail – the Daleks, and their twisted creator Davros!But while Flip and the fugitive Doctor struggle to beat back the Daleks' incursion into 21st century London, Davros's real plan is taking shape nearly 200 years in the past, on the other side of the English Channel. At the battle of Waterloo... Written By: Jonathan MorrisDirected By: Nicholas BriggsCastColin Baker (The Doctor), Lisa Greenwood (Flip Jackson), Terry Molloy (Davros), Ashley Kumar (Jared), Jonathan Owen (Napoleon Bonaparte), Rhys Jennings (Captain Pascal), Granville Saxton (Duke of Wellington), Robert Portal (Marshal Ney), Christian Patterson (Captain Dickson), Nicholas Briggs (The Daleks)
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TDP 240: Dirk Gently - BBC 4
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 8 minutes and 40 secondsDirk Gently (TV series) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Dirk Gently Titlescreen of series 1, based on Gently's painted whiteboard. Genre Comic science fiction/Detective fiction Created by Howard Overman Douglas Adams (novel) Written by Howard Overman Matt Jones Jamie Mathieson Directed by Damon Thomas Tom Shankland Starring Stephen Mangan Darren Boyd Composer(s) Daniel Pemberton Country of origin United Kingdom Language(s) English No. of series 1 No. of episodes 3 (+ pilot) (List of episodes) Production Executive producer(s) Howard Overman Saurabh Kakkar (ITV Studios) Brian Minchin (BBC) Eleanor Moran (BBC - Pilot) Jamie Laurenson (BBC - Pilot) Producer(s) Chris Carey Editor(s) Matthew Tabern Cinematography Ole Bratt Birkeland Camera setup Single-camera Running time 60 minutes Production company(s) ITV Studios The Welded Tandem Picture Company Distributor BBC Cymru Wales Broadcast Original channel BBC Four BBC HD (repeats) Picture format HDTV 1080i Audio format Stereo Original run 16 December 2010 – 19 March 2012 Chronology Related shows The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy External links Website Dirk Gently is a British comedy detective drama TV series based on characters from the Dirk Gently novels by Douglas Adams. The series was created by Howard Overman and stars Stephen Mangan as holistic detective Dirk Gently and Darren Boyd as his sidekick Richard MacDuff. Recurring actors include Helen Baxendale as MacDuff's girlfriend Susan Harmison, Jason Watkins as Dirk's nemesis DI Gilks and Lisa Jackson as Dirk's receptionist Janice Pearce. Unlike most detective series Dirk Gently features broadly comic touches and even some science fiction themes such as time travel and artificial intelligence. Dirk Gently operates his Holistic Detective Agency based on the "fundamental interconnectedness of all things", which relies on random chance methods to uncover connections between seemingly-unrelated cases. He claims that he follows the principles of quantum mechanics, and although the majority of his clients suspect he may be a conman he often produces surprising results. With the help of his assistant, Richard MacDuff, Dirk investigates a number of seemingly unrelated but interconnected cases. An hour-long pilot episode loosely based on plot elements from Adams' 1987 novel Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency was broadcast on BBC Four on 16 December 2010 and was watched by 1.1 million viewers. Critical reception was generally positive.[1] A full series of three one-hour episodes was subsequently commissioned in March 2011 and was broadcast on BBC Four in March 2012.[2] The series is the first continuing drama series produced for the digital channel.[3][4] The series is produced by ITV Studios and The Welded Tandem Picture Company for BBC Cymru Wales and shot in Bristol. The pilot was written by Howard Overman and directed by Damon Thomas. The full series was written by Overman, Matt Jones and Jamie Mathieson and directed by Tom Shankland. The series along with the pilot episode was released on DVD on 26 March 2012 by ITV Studios Home Entertainment.[5] An original television soundtrack album featuring music from the series composed by Daniel Pemberton was released by 1812 Recordings on 5 March 2012.[4] Contents 1 Production 1.1 Background 1.2 Announcement 1.3 Adaptation 1.4 Cast 1.5 Filming 1.6 Music 2 Plot 2.1 Episodes 3 Reception 3.1 Pilot 3.2 Series One 4 References 5 External links Production Background The novel Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency has its origins in the incomplete 1979 Doctor Who television serial Shada, featuring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor. Location filming in Cambridge had been completed, but a studio technicians' dispute at the BBC meant that studio segments were not completed, and the serial was never transmitted.[6] As a result of the serial's cancellation, Adams reused a number of ideas from this script and his other Doctor Who scripts as the basis for a new novel, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, published in 1987. Adams published another, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul in 1988 and at the time of his death in 2001 was working on a third installment to be titled The Salmon of Doubt, fragments of which were published posthumously. Each novel features new characters and scenarios, although Dirk (real name Svlad Cjelli), his "ex-secretary" Janice Pearce and Sergeant, later Inspector, Gilks recur in each.[7] The first Gently novel had previously been adapted into a stage play, Dirk and a BBC Radio 4 series by Above the Title Productions which was first broadcast in October 2007 and featured comedian Harry Enfield in the title role.[8][9][10] According to James Donaghy, Douglas Adams was frustrated that his Dirk Gently novels were never adapted for the screen.[1] Announcement During Hitchcon - a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy convention - Ed Victor, a literary agent who represents Adams's estate announced that a television adaptation of Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency was in production. Stephen Mangan was announced to be playing Gently, with Darren Boyd as MacDuff and Helen Baxendale as Susan. It is the first television adaptation of Adams' Dirk Gently series, although characters from the books had appeared in a 1992 episode of The South Bank Show.[11][12] Shooting on the pilot commenced early in October 2010 in Bristol.[7] The director was Damon Thomas and the producer was Chris Carey. Although it was commissioned by the BBC, it was produced by ITV Studios with The Welded Tandem Picture Company. The pilot was first broadcast on BBC Four on 16 December 2010 and was repeated a number of times during the next month.[13][14] The pilot gained a commission on 31 March 2011 for a three-part series of one hour-long episodes broadcast on BBC Four in March 2012.[3][4] The series is the first continuing drama series commissioned by BBC Four.[3] Adaptation The screenplay of the pilot by Howard Overman is not a direct adaptation of the novel, but uses certain characters and situations from the novel to form the basis of a new drama centred around Dirk.[15] Speaking about his interpretation, Howard Overman stated in an interview with Benji Wilson "I'm not even going to try to adapt the book: you can't adapt this story. Especially not on a BBC Four budget. We made the deliberate decision not to do a straight translation of the books. If we'd done that the fans would have felt badly let down, because you can never portray that world on the screen as well as it's been done in people's own imaginations...If you just do a straight adaptation like The Hitchhiker's Guide film, people are always going to be quite brutal about it because it's never going to live up to their expectations."[16] Dirk drives an old brown Austin Princess in the production. Stephen Mangan, writing a BBC blog on the programme stated "In my opinion, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency and The Long Dark Tea-Time Of The Soul are unfilmable as written...too much happens, there are too many ideas".[17] The pilot concentrates on two relatively minor plot strands in Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency: the disappearance of a cat, and the simultaneous disappearance of millionaire Gordon Way. Although time travel is involved in the solution, the novel's entire St Cedd's College / Electric Monk / Coleridge strand is omitted, although key words relating to these elements do appear on Dirk's whiteboard when it is first seen, though they are never subsequently referred to.[1][16][18] Other elements from the book, such as the trapped sofa, are also absent and the setting is updated to 2010, with email and voicemail replacing the answering machine messages in the book. There are changes to the characters too, one notable one being that Susan is Gordon's ex-girlfriend rather than his sister.[18] Several additional elements from Adams's novels, in particular St Cedd's College, were later to appear in the full series. Interviewed about the series, Stephen Mangan noted that "All three episodes are very different in tone and you get a different Dirk with each one...He's on the run from the police in one of them and in another there's a bit of romance in the air, which for Dirk is a surprise because he's probably the most asexual character on TV... There seems to be a vogue for dark, realistic, gritty detective series, apart from perhaps Sherlock. Dirk has so much humour in it. How many other detectives mix detection with quantum mechanics or drive a 30-year-old brown Austin Leyland Princess?"[19] Each episode of series one was written by different writers, who are mostly known for their contributions to science fiction and fantasy programmes; series creator Howard Overman also created Misfits and has written for Merlin, Matt Jones has previously written the Doctor Who stories "The Impossible Planet"/"The Satan Pit" and Jamie Matheson wrote the film Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel and has written scripts for Being Human.[20] Cast Stephen Mangan, best known for his role in the television series Green Wing, and subsequently Episodes, was cast in the main role as holistic detective Dirk Gently. Mangan already knew the novel and the author's works, stating in a press release "I've been a fan of Douglas Adams ever since the Hitchhiker's radio series which I used to record as a child and listen to over and over again in my bedroom. It's such a thrill to now be playing one of his brilliant characters. Dirk is a chaotic, anarchic force of nature with a totally unique take on the world. He is described as 'lazy, untidy, dismissive and unreliable'. I've absolutely no idea why they thought I'd be right for the role."[15] Cast alongside him were Darren Boyd and Helen Baxendale, both of whom had previously worked with Mangan in Green Wing and Adrian Mole: the Cappuccino Years respectively.[7] Darren Boyd and Helen Baxendale returned for the full series, with the character of Richard MacDuff becoming Dirk's "partner/assistant" for each of the episodes.[19] Other regular cast members are Jason Watkins as Detective Inspector Gilks and Lisa Jackson as Dirk's secretary Janice Pearce.[21] The programme pilot featured appearances from Doreen Mantle, Anthony Howell, Miles Richardson, Billy Boyle. Episode one saw guest appearances by Paul Ritter, Cosima Shaw, Ken Collard, Colin McFarlane and Miranda Raison. Episode two featured roles for Bill Paterson, Sylvestra Le Touzel, Lydia Wilson, Andrew Leung, Will Sharpe and Bethan Hanks. Episode three features Lisa Dillon and Tony Pitts.[21] Filming Wills Hall at the University of Bristol was used as the fictional St. Cedd's College, Cambridge. Although the series is set in the London boroughs of Camden Town and Islington, the series was shot entirely in Bristol. Areas and buildings featured in the programme included the Guildhall, the Bottle Yard, St Thomas Street and the Greenbank area.[22][23] The second series episode also featured extensive filming around the University of Bristol, with Wills Hall doubling as the fictional Cambridge College St. Cedd's. The production's location manager, Rob Champion, noted that each location had to be chosen carefully to avoid featured giveaway clues to Bristol, in particular any building made of the local building material, limestone.[24] He noted that "Episode 2 was the greatest challenge as it included two days material in a Robotic Laboratory. Bristol has such a thing...a joint venture between the two universities, with a very helpful professor, but its landlord was an American corporation with the most unimaginably anal restrictions on access. They basically didn't want us there and took the best part of two weeks to say so...We eventually settled upon a brand new building at the Bristol-Bath Science Park where they could not have been more helpful. All this on a BBC4 budget."[24] Music The series's soundtrack was composed by Daniel Pemberton. In creating the distinctive sound for the main titles and incidental music, Pemberton made use of a Marxophone, a zither which is a cross between a hammered dulcimer and a piano. These instruments were produced in America between 1927 to 1972.[25] The soundtrack also mixes in a harpsichord, synth, bass guitar and drums.[26][27] A soundtrack album featuring music from the series was released by 1812 Recordings on 5 March 2012.[4] Plot Dirk Gently (real name Svlad Cjelli) operates a Holistic Detective Agency based on the "fundamental interconnectedness of all things". To solve cases, Dirk relies on random chance methods for example "Zen navigation" (following people or vehicles who look like they know where they are going, in the hope that they will lead somewhere you want to be) or throwing a dart at a board of words to select the direction of his detection. By following up on apparently random occurences and whims, Dirk discovers connections between seemingly unrelated cases and often produces surprising results. He claims that he follows the principles of quantum mechanics (although it is implied when he speaks to an expert in these fields that he doesn't really understand them); most people suspect he is just a conman and he rarely gets paid by clients and is therefore in almost permanent financial difficulty.[16][28] In the pilot episode, Dirk bumps into a former university friend, Richard MacDuff, who has been made redundant from a job at an electricity board, and takes on a case for him. During the course of his investigation, Dirk hypnotises MacDuff and persuades him into investing his £20,000 redundancy money in his failing detective agency. MacDuff therefore becomes Dirk's partner in the business and "assistant" on investigations.[28] Richard MacDuff's girlfriend, Dr Susan Harmison, was also at university with the pair and is deeply sceptical about Dirk's abilities. Also present at the Agency is Dirk's receptionist Janice Pearce, whom Dirk has not paid for years and who therefore refuses to do any work.[28] Episodes No.TitleDirectorWriterViewing figures[29]Original air date 0 "Pilot" Damon Thomas Howard Overman 943 000 16 December 2010 When Dirk Gently sets out to solve an apparently simple and harmless disappearance of a cat from an old lady's house, he unwittingly uncovers a double murder which, in turn, leads to a host of even more extraordinary events. 1 "Episode 1" Tom Shankland Howard Overman 844 000 5 March 2012 Dirk discovers the connection between two unrelated cases - a client who believes the Pentagon are trying to kill him and another whose horoscopes appear to be coming true.[2] 2 "Episode 2" Tom Shankland Matt Jones 561 000 12 March 2012 Dirk is called back to his old university to protect a valuable robot but within 24 hours it has been stolen and a dead body discovered, with Dirk and MacDuff the prime suspects.[2] 3 "Episode 3" Tom Shankland Jamie Mathieson 592 000 19 March 2012 Dirk’s old clients are being randomly murdered with Dirk as the only link. Rather than talk to the police, Dirk elects to leave the country but is waylaid by a series of seemingly unconnected events.[2] Reception Pilot Stephen Mangan plays the titular holistic detective in the series. The pilot episode gained 1.1m viewers (3.9% share) on BBC Four, which was over three times the channel's slot average.[3] Critical reception for the pilot was largely positive. Several mentioned that it was only a loose adaptation of the novel, although the general consensus was that the essence of the original was maintained. Sam Wollaston in The Guardian stated "Coming to it fresh, it's a neat story about aforementioned missing cat and time travel, with a smattering of quantum physics and the fundamental connectedness of things. With a lovely performance from Doreen Mantle as the old lady/murderer. Stephen Mangan's good in the title role, too – a teeny bit irritating perhaps, but then Mangan is a teeny bit irritating. So is Dirk Gently, though – it's perfect. Funny too. Quite funny."[30] James Donaghy, also writing in The Guardian stated "Personally I hope Dirk Gently gets made into a full series. The programme shows promising glimpses, has a strong cast and Misfits already proves Overman can write. And a BBC4 adaptation feels like a good fit – Gently being exactly the kind of playground-of-the-imagination curio the BBC made its name indulging."[1] The Independent published two reviews. Alice-Azania Jarvis was extremely positive, writing "...there wasn't very much you could fault about the production at all. Right down to the quirky camerawork and youthful, poppy soundtrack (who would have thought the Hoosiers could be so right in any situation?), the director, Damon Thomas, got it pretty spot-on. The result was a pleasingly festive-feeling adventure; part Wallace & Gromit, part Doctor Who, part The Secret Seven. And the best thing? There wasn't a Christmas tree in sight. Douglas Adams once claimed that Gently would make a better film character than his more famous hero, Arthur Dent. Based on last night's experience, he may well have been right."[31] John Walsh's review for The Independent was cooler about the adaptation, although he praised Mangan's performance: "Given the talent and style on display, it should have been a scream. In fact it all seemed a little moth-eaten. Though set in the modern day, it was staggeringly old-fashioned...You could overlook these faults, however, for the joy of Stephen Mangan's performance as the titular gumshoe. With his alarmed-spaniel eyes and jutting-jawed stroppiness, his geography teacher elbow-patches and Medusan hair, he radiates mess...His ineptness as a sleuth provided some fine comic moments.[32] Paul Whitelaw in Metro was also positive, although he noted "At times it felt forced, with a sense of trying slightly too hard when a touch more subtlety would have brought out the essential Adamsian eccentricity."[33] Dan Owen of Obsessed with Film noted that the adaptation played with the idea of inexplicable situations: "Purists may grumble this isn't the Dirk Gently they wanted to see, but it's more accessible and practicable. And while Dirk Gently is certainly another gimmicky detective series (yawn), its details are unique and engrossing enough to shrug off the genre's clichés. In some ways it's a pastiche of whodunits, taking the genre's often tenuous explanations to an outrageous extreme."[34] Paul Whitelaw in The Scotsman noted that "Although Adams's more ambitious concepts are sidelined in favour of a more prosaic - if nonetheless enjoyable - sci-fi mystery, Overman captures at least some of the wit and whimsy of his distinctive comic voice" going on to suggest "This modestly-budgeted pilot suggests potential for a series, so the deviation from Adams's originals makes sense. It also adds yet another very British oddball to the pantheon currently occupied by Doctor Who and Sherlock.[35] Series One Critical opinion to the full series was mildly positive. The adaptation from the Adams' novels was the focus of several reviews. Jane Simon, writing in The Mirror stated "It's just a shame creator Douglas Adams isn't around to see how Howard Overman has transferred Dirk to the screen. He'd definitely approve.[36] Mark Braxton in the Radio Times likewise agreed that "Overman has plucked the comic essence of Adams from his novel...and worked it into a digestible, enjoyably eccentric format."[37] AA Gill writing in the Sunday Times March 11, 2012 wrote 'Who'd have guessed that this would ever get recommissioned?...It has to get a nomination as the greatest waste of the most talent for the least visible purpose or reward." Others complained that the series was not an exact adaptation of the novels. Nigel Farndale in The Telegraph stated "I struggled with Dirk Gently...It had nothing to do with Stephen Mangan's considerable comedic talents, still less with Darren Boyd who plays MacDuff, the Dr Watson to Dirk's Holmes. It is more to do with my devotion to Douglas Adams, upon whose comic novel this series is based...in Douglas Adams, 90 per cent of the pleasure is in the prose, the narration, the felicities of language."[38] Tom Sutcliffe in The Independent felt that the programme's qualities were "spread a little too thinly over a nonsensical thriller plot' and that "laughs... were far too widely spaced in a script that could have done with a lot more editing."[39] Several critics compared the production with the big-budget BBC One detective series Sherlock, the second series of which was broadcast in January 2012. Writing in Metro, Keith Watson said "There's no doubt Sherlock has raised the detecting duo bar on TV...it's more than a match for Sherlock on the dialogue front, neatly catching the surreal humour that was the Adams trademark...but there was no disguising the fact that Dirk Gently was a five-star script being filmed on a one-star budget, making it look like a designer label knockoff when set against the production values lavished on Sherlock.[40] Stuart Jeffries in The Guardian, meanwhile, found a comparison between the tone of the series and 1960s spy/detective capers; "Never since The Avengers has there been anything so unremittingly silly on British television as Dirk Gently...Dainty harpsichord music tells us we're back in an era of TV misrule, in whose glory days John Steed, Mrs Peel and Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) played fast and loose with viewers' intelligences."[26] The first episode had 737,000 viewers and a 3% audience share[41] but this fell to 415,000 and 2% share for the second episode.[citation needed] Series one, including the pilot episode, was released on DVD on 26 March 2012 by ITV Studios Home Entertainment.[5] References ^ a b c d James Donaghy "Douglas Adams's holistic detective Dirk Gently arrives on BBC4", The Guardian, 16 December 2010 ^ a b c d Helena Cole, Dirk Gently returns for three-part series, SFX, 17 February 2012 ^ a b c d "Dirk Gently to return to BBC Four", BBC Press Release, 31 March 2011 ^ a b c d Jason Deans, "Dirk Gently to return to BBC4", The Guardian, 31 March 2011 ^ a b http://www.comedy.co.uk/guide/tv/dirk_gently/buy/2802/dirk_gently_dvd/ ^ "Shada", BBC Cult, accessed 19 March 2012 ^ a b c Chris Harvey, "Dirk Gently: Douglas Adams's detective finally cracks TV", Daily Telegraph, 16 December 2010 ^ "BBC - Press Office - Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency opens for business". Retrieved 14 August 2007. ^ Dirk Maggs News and New Projects page ^ July 2007 BBC announcement of radio version ^ Rob Hastings, "BBC set to film Douglas Adams's Dirk Gently novel", The Independent, 6 October 2010 ^ The South Bank Show: Douglas Adams at the Internet Movie Database ^ Radio Times listing ^ "BBC News - Stephen Mangan to star as detective Dirk Gently". 6 October 2010. Retrieved 10 October 2010. ^ a b "BBC - Press Office - Stephen Mangan to play Dirk Gently in drama based on Douglas Adams' novel". Retrieved 10 October 2010. ^ a b c Benji Wilson, Dirk Gently: The case of the missing electric monk, The Telegraph, 5 March 2012 ^ Mangan, Stephen (16 December 2010). "Douglas Adams' Dirk Gently: How slavishly should a screen adaptation follow the book?". BBC. Retrieved 20 December 2010. ^ a b Tom Chivers, "Dirk Gently on BBC4: would Douglas Adams have recognised his creation?", Daily Telegraph, 17 December 2010 ^ a b "Stephen Mangan speaks about the return to our screens of Dirk Gently", Northampton Chronicle & Echo, 8 March 2012 ^ Helena Cole, "Dirk Gently returns for three-part series", SFX, 17 February 2012 ^ a b Cast lists, British Comedy Guide ^ Productions 2011-12, Bristol Film Office, accessed 18 March 2012 ^ News, Bristol Film Office, accessed 18 March 2012 ^ a b Dirk Gently, thecallsheet.co.uk, accessed 19 March 2012 ^ Photograph of recording session, Daniel Pemberton's Twitterfeed, accessed 22 March 2012 ^ a b Stuart Jeffries, "TV review: Dirk Gently; Empire", The Guardian, 5 March 2012 ^ Daniel Pemberton's Twitterfeed, accessed 22 March 2012 ^ a b c Dirk Gently homepage, BBC Four, accessed 19 March 2012 ^ "BARB". BARB. Retrieved 4 April 2012. ^ Sam Wollaston "TV review: The House That Made Me; Dirk Gently", The Guardian, 16 December 2010 ^ Alice-Azania Jarvis "Last Night's TV: Dirk Gently/BBC4", The Independent, 17 December 2010 ^ John Walsh, "Dirk Gently, BBC4, Thursday", The Independent, Sunday, 19 December 2010 ^ Keith Watson, "Stephen Mangan perfect for Douglas Adams's Dirk Gently", Metro, 16 December 2010 ^ Dan Owen, "TV Review: Dirk Gently", Obsessed with Film, 17 December 2010 ^ Paul Whitelaw, "TV preview: Dirk Gently", The Scotsman, 13 December 2010 ^ Jane Simon, "Douglas Adams would approve of Dirk Gently double act", The Mirror 12 March 2012 ^ Mark Braxton, Radio Times, 5 March 2012 ^ Nigel Farndale, White Heat, BBC Two, and Dirk Gently, BBC Four, review, Daily Telegraph, 9 March 2012 ^ Tom Sutcliffe, " Last Night's Viewing: Dirk Gently", The Independent 6 March 2012 ^ Keith Watson, Dirk Gently has a five-star script filmed on a one-star budget, Metro' 6 March 2012 ^ Ratings roundup, Digital Spy, 7 March 2012 External links Dirk Gently, BBC Online Dirk Gently at the Internet Movie Database Dirk Gently at the British Comedy Guide Official production team Twitterfeed
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Update
Episode Duration: 0 minutes and 0 secondsIve been quite busy but not able to podcast heres are some text reviews ive done for Starburst. The TDP will return. Herokin DVD http://www.starburstmagazine.com/reviews/dvd-and-blu-ray-home-entertainment-reviews/2457-dvd-review-hirokin-the-last-samurai Nightmare of eden http://www.starburstmagazine.com/reviews/dvd-and-blu-ray-home-entertainment-reviews/2222-dvd-review-doctor-who-nightmare-of-eden Ace Box Set http://www.starburstmagazine.com/reviews/dvd-and-blu-ray-home-entertainment-reviews/2224-dvd-review-doctor-who-ace-box-set-dragon-fire-a-the-happiness-patrolhttp://www.starburstmagazine.com/reviews/dvd-and-blu-ray-home-entertainment-reviews/2224-dvd-review-doctor-who-ace-box-set-dragon-fire-a-the-happiness-patrol The Deamons http://www.starburstmagazine.com/reviews/dvd-and-blu-ray-home-entertainment-reviews/1993-dvd-review-doctor-who-the-daemons I know itas not the same as a podcast but Im sure you will like them regards Michael
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TDP 239: Shada Book Review
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 26 minutes and 36 secondsFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search For the United States Navy ship, see USS Shada (SP-580); for the Arabic emphasis sign, see Shadda; for the village in Azerbaijan, see Sada. Shada Doctor Who Serial Shada, the prison planetoid of the Time Lords. Cast Doctor Tom Baker (Fourth Doctor) Companions Lalla Ward (Romana) David Brierley (Voice of K-9 Mk. II) Others Christopher Neame — Skagra Denis Carey – Professor Chronotis Daniel Hill – Chris Parsons Victoria Burgoyne – Clare Keightley Gerald Campion – Wilkin Derek Pollitt – Dr Caldera John Hallet – Police Constable David Strong – Passenger Shirley Dixon – Voice of the Ship James Coombes – Voice of the Krargs James Muir, Lionel Sansby, Derek Suthern, Reg Woods – Krargs Production Writer Douglas Adams Director Pennant Roberts (original) Script editor Douglas Adams Producer Graham Williams (original) John Nathan-Turner (video) Production code 5M Series Season 17 Length Incomplete (original) 6 episodes, 25 minutes each (intended) Originally broadcast Unaired (original) 6 July 1992 (video release)[1] Chronology ← Preceded by Followed by → The Horns of Nimon The Leisure Hive Shada is an unaired serial of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was intended to be the final serial of the 1979-80 season (Season 17), but was never completed due to a strike at the BBC during filming. In 1992, its recorded footage was released on video using linking narration by Tom Baker, the Doctor to complete the story. The script, with adaptions, was later produced by Big Finish Productions as an audio play, with animation and was made available on BBCi and the BBC website in 2003. This version saw Paul McGann take on the role of the Doctor, with Lalla Ward reprising her role as Romana II, with an otherwise different cast. A novelisation of the story written by Gareth Roberts and returning the action to the Fourth Doctor and Romana was released in March 2012.[2] Contents 1 Synopsis 1.1 Continuity 2 Production 2.1 Original television version 2.1.1 Levine animated version 2.2 Big Finish version (2003) 2.2.1 The Cast 2.2.2 Outside references 3 In print 4 VHS, Webcast and DVD releases 5 References 6 Bibliography 7 External links 7.1 Reviews 7.2 Fan novelisation 7.3 Webcast Synopsis The story revolves around the lost planet Shada, on which the Time Lords built a prison for defeated would-be conquerors of the universe. Skagra, an up-and-coming would-be conqueror of the universe, needs the assistance of one of the prison's inmates, but finds that nobody knows where Shada is anymore except one aged Time Lord who has retired to Earth, where he is masquerading as a professor at St. Cedd's College, Cambridge. Luckily for the fate of the universe, Skagra's attempt to force the information out of Professor Chronotis coincides with a visit by the professor's old friend, the Doctor. Continuity In an unfilmed scene in Episode 5, a listing of prisoners kept on Shada included a Dalek, a Cyberman, and a Zygon. Instead of these, aliens bearing resemblance to Ice Warriors were seen. In 1983, clips from Shada were used in The Five Doctors, the 20th-Anniversary special. Tom Baker, the fourth actor to play the Doctor, had declined to appear in the special, and the plot was reworked to explain the events in the clips.[3] In the book, various references are made to past and future Doctor Who. In particular past rebellious Time Lords are mentioned including, the Master, the Rani, the Meddling Monk and Morbius. For the Big Finish version, Tom Baker was originally approached to reprise the role of the Doctor, but declined. The Eighth Doctor was then substituted and the story reworked accordingly. Although working from the original Adams script, portions of the Big Finish version were reworked by Gary Russell to make the story fit into Doctor Who continuity. This included a new introduction, and a new explanation for the Fourth Doctor and Romana being "taken out of time" during the events of The Five Doctors; the Eighth Doctorhas come to collect Romana and K-9 because he has begun to have a feeling that there was something they should have done at that time. In addition to this – Romana is referred to as Madam President by Skagra in Episode 5. In Episode 6 it is Romana, using her Presidential powers, who decides that Chronotis should be allowed to return to Cambridge. When the policeman enters Chronotis' room, the Doctor can be heard talking about a "terrible way to see in the New Year" in a possible reference to that Doctor's first adventure. Various other minor dialogue changes throughout, mostly relating to the Eighth Doctor reflecting that he has missed Romana and K-9 since they left him and how much he enjoyed their company in the past. When Skagra is investigating the Doctor, clips from three other Big Finish productions can be heard, exclusively on the CD version – The Fires of Vulcan, The Marian Conspiracy and Phantasmagoria. The original serial was to have used clips from The Pirate Planet, The Power of Kroll, The Creature from the Pit, The Androids of Tara, Destiny of the Daleks, and City of Death. The webcast features outlines of the first eight Doctors' faces. Production Original television version The original story, as written by Adams, was scheduled to be 6 episodes. It is estimated that only about 50% of the story was filmed.[2] Location filming in Cambridge and the first of three studio sessions at BBC Television Centre were recorded as scheduled.[2] The second studio block was affected by a long-running technicians' dispute.[3] The strike was over by the time rehearsals began for the third recording session, but this was lost to higher-priority Christmas programming.[4] Attempts were made by new producer John Nathan-Turner to remount the story, but for various reasons it never happened and the production was formally dropped in June 1980. Nathan-Turner was eventually able to complete the story (so far as was possible) by commissioning new effects shots, a score and having Tom Baker record linking material to cover the missing scenes to create six shortened episodes of between 14 and 22 minutes each. The result was released on video in 1992 as a 111 minute VHS tape, but has never been aired on television—making Shada the only Doctor Who television story never to be broadcast.[2] Douglas Adams himself did not regard the story highly and was content for it remain permanently unseen in any form. He once claimed that when he had signed the contract allowing the 1992 release, it had been part of a pile of other papers presented to him by his agent to sign and he wasn't fully aware of what he was agreeing to.[5] Levine animated version In 2010, Ian Levine decided to fund a project to complete the original Shada story using animation and the original voice actors, minus Tom Baker and David Brierley, to complete the parts of the story that were never filmed. John Leeson would replace Brierley as the voice of K9 and Paul Jones, impersonating Baker, would replace him as the Doctor.[2] In October 2010, Dan Hall of 2 Entertain confirmed that a DVD release of Shada was in production and intended to release it with another title.[6] The completed story was finished in late 2011 and announced by Levine, via his Twitter account, on September 8, 2011.[2][7] J. R. Southall, writer for the science fiction magazine Starburst, reviewed Levine's completed version and scored it 10 out of 10 in an article published on September 15, 2011.[8] On October 26, 2011, 2 Entertain announced that only the Shada framgents would be released on DVD, along with the 1993 documentary 'Doctor Who': Thirty Years in the Tardis and other items, possibly sometime in 2012.[9] Southall confirmed the news that same day writing that Dan Hall, 2 Entertain's comissioning editor, was not going to release Levine's completed version.[10] Big Finish version (2003) Big Finish Productions audio play Shada Series Doctor Who Release number II Featuring Eighth Doctor Romana II Writer Douglas Adams, Gary Russell Director Gary Russell Producer(s) Gary Russell Set between Army of Death and Storm Warning Length 150 Release date December 2003 The Cast The Doctor – Paul McGann (Eighth Doctor) Romana II – Lalla Ward K-9 Mk. II – John Leeson Skagra – Andrew Sachs Professor Chronotis – James Fox Chris Parsons – Sean Biggerstaff Clare Keightley – Susannah Harker Wilkin – Melvyn Hayes Dr Caldera – Barnaby Edwards Motorist/Constable – Stuart Crossman The Ship – Hannah Gordon Think Tank Voice – Nicholas Pegg Broadcast date: 10 December 2005 In 2003, the BBC commissioned Big Finish Productions to remake Shada as an audio play which was then webcast[11][2] in six episodic segments, accompanied by limited Flash animation, on the BBC website using illustrations provided by comic strip artist Lee Sullivan.[12] The play starred Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor and Lalla Ward as Romana. The audio play was also broadcast on digital radio station BBC 7, on 10 December 2005 (as a 21⁄2-hour omnibus), and was repeated in six parts as the opening story to the Eighth Doctor's summer season which began on 16 July 2006. Lalla Ward (Romana) is the only actor to appear in both the original television version and the subsequent Big Finish remake. Outside references In Episode 2 of the webcast version, when Chris is in his lab showing Clare the book, a vending machine-like object in the background is labelled "Nutrimat", a reference to a similar device in Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Two other references are a sequence where Skagra steals a Ford Prefect and when images of Hitchhiker's Guide characters appear as inmates on Shada itself. In print Doctor Who book Doctor Who – Shada Writer Gareth Roberts Publisher BBC Books Release date 15 March 2012[13] Preceded by ' Followed by ' Doctor Who book Doctor Who and Shada Writer Paul Scoones & Jonathan Preddle Publisher JPS Books (unofficial novelisation) Cover artist Alistair Hughes Release date March 1989 Preceded by ' Followed by ' Elements of the story were reused by Adams for his novel Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, in particular the character of Professor Chronotis who possesses a time machine. Adams did not allow Shada, or any of his other Doctor Who stories, to be novelised by Target Books. It is, therefore, one of only five serials from the 1963–1989 series not to be novelised by Target – along with Adams' other stories The Pirate Planet and City of Death, plus Eric Saward's two Dalek stories (Resurrection of the Daleks and Revelation of the Daleks). A six-part adaptation of the story by Jonathan V Way appeared in issues 13-18 of Cosmic Masque, the Doctor Who Appreciation Society's fiction magazine. Douglas Adams granted permission for the adaptation on condition that it was never published in collected form.[14] A fan group in New Zealand published an unofficial adaptation in 1989, later republishing it as an online eBook titled Doctor Who and Shada.[15] BBC Books published a novelisation of this serial on 15 March 2012, written by Gareth Roberts. Roberts has drawn on the latest versions of the scripts available, as well as adding new material of his own to "fix" various plotholes and unanswered questions.[16] VHS, Webcast and DVD releases VHS release: The original televsion version of Shada was released in 1992 on VHS and featured linking narration by Tom Baker and was accompanied by a facsimile of a version of Douglas Adams's script (except in North America).[2] The release was discontinued in the UK in 1996. Webcast: The webcast version (originally broadcast via BBCi's "Red Button") remains available from the BBC Doctor Who "classic series" website, and an expanded audio-only version is available for purchase on CD from Big Finish. This expanded version was the one broadcast on BBC7. DVD: Ian Levine announced on 8 September 2011 that his personally-funded reconstruction of all six episodes of the serial, using animation and recently-recorded vocal tracks to fill in missing parts of the story, had now been completed.[9][7] However, the animation was rejected by 2Entertain, and it has been announced that the shot footage for the story will be released in 2012 with assorted Doctor Who material, including the 1993 documentary More Than 30 Years In The TARDIS.[9] References ^ Sullivan, Shannon (September 23, 2008). "Serial 5M: Shada". A Brief History of Time (Travel). Shannon Patrick Sullivan. Retrieved June 9, 2009. ^ a b c d e f g h Southall, J. R. (September 12, 2011). Jordan, Royce. ed. "Doctor Who and the Shada Man". Starburst Magazine (London, England). ISSN 0955-114X. OCLC 79615651. Retrieved April 1, 2012. ^ a b Dicks, Terrance (September 11, 2001). Doctor Who: The Five Doctors (DVD). London, England: BBC. Event occurs at 12:45. OCLC 52906976. ^ Ley, Shaun (December 12, 2009). "Shelved". BBC Radio 4. BBC. Retrieved April 1, 2012. ^ Simpson, M. J. (2005). Hitchhiker: A Biography of Douglas Adams. Boston, Massachusetts , US: Justin, Charles & Co.. ISBN 9781932112351. OCLC 144991011. ^ Wilson, Marcus (October 25, 2010). "DVD News - Seeds of Death Revisited". The Doctor Who News Page. Doctor Who News. Archived from the original on December 1, 2010. Retrieved October 25, 2010. ^ a b Burk, Graeme (September 16, 2011). "Shadariffic". Doctor Who Blog. Doctor Who Information Network. Retrieved April 1, 2012. ^ Southall, J. R. (September 15, 2011). Jordan, Royce. ed. "Review: Doctor Who 'Shada'". Starburst Magazine (London. England). ISSN 0955-114X. OCLC 79615651. Retrieved April 3, 2012. ^ a b c McArdell, Ian (October 28, 2011). "What hope Shada?". Regent Times. Alwyn Ash. Retrieved April 1, 2012. ^ Southall, J. R. (October 26. 2011). Jordan, Royce. ed. "TV News: DOCTOR WHO - SHADA Update". Starburst Magazine (London. England). ISSN 0955-114X. OCLC 79615651. Retrieved April 3, 2012. ^ "BBC - Doctor Who - Classic Series - Webcasts - Shada". BBC. BBC. 2003. Retrieved November 19, 2010. ^ Sullivan, Lee (2008). "Lee Sullivan Art, Doctor Who Webcasts". Lee Sullivan Art. Lee Sullivan. Retrieved November 19, 2010. ^ "Doctor Who: Shada". Amazon. Amazon.com. 2012. Retrieved April 1, 2012. ^ Foster, Chuck (February 13, 2012). "Doctor Who News: Shada". Doctor Who News. News in Time and Space. Retrieved April 3, 2012. ^ Scoones, Paul (2006). "NZDWFC: Doctor Who and Shada". The New Zealand Doctor Who Fan Club. Tetrap.com. Retrieved November 19, 2010. ^ Berriman, Ian (March 6 2012). "Doctor Who: Adapting Douglas Adams". SFX. Future Publishing Limited. Bibliography Howe, David J; Stammers, Mark; Walker, Stephen James. Doctor Who: The Seventies (1994) (London: Doctor Who Books) ISBN 9781852274443 External links Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Fourth Doctor Shada at BBC Online Shada at Doctor Who: A Brief History Of Time (Travel) Shada at the Doctor Who Reference Guide Cambridge Time Traveller Group, Article on Shada, Reviews Shada reviews at The Doctor Who Ratings Guide Fan novelisation Doctor Who and Shada ebook Shada reviews at Outpost Gallifrey Webcast Shada at the Doctor Who Reference Guide Shada webcast on the BBC website Big Finish Productions – Shada Shada reviews at Outpost Gallifrey Shada reviews at The Doctor Who Ratings Guide
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TDP 238: The Face Of Evil
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 8 minutes and 3 secondsThe Fourth Doctor, traveling alone in the TARDIS, arrives on a mysterious jungle planet. He soon encounters Leela, a savage from the local tribe, who denounces him as the Evil One of fable amongst her people. She has been exiled from her tribe, the Sevateem, for profaning their god, the mysterious Xoanon, which speaks to them through the tribe’s shaman, Neeva. Her father, tribal elder Sole, tried to intervene to protect her but died when taking the Test of the Horda on her behalf. Now Leela is an outcast beyond the invisible barrier around her tribal home. Neeva, meanwhile, has sent two men to murder her, an action witnessed by Leela's friend Tomas, who kills one of the men as Leela dispatches the other. In the jungle beyond that she encounters the Doctor soon wins her over by defending her from invisible monsters that rampage about, attracted by vibration of any kind. Exploring further, the Doctor finds a sophisticated sonic disruptor which creates the forcefield that keeps the creatures from attacking the village itself. Leela regales him with more folklore of her people: the god Xoanon is kept prisoner by the Evil One and his followers, the Tesh, beyond a strange black wall. The Sevateem have meanwhile decided to launch an attack on the domain of the Tesh to free their god. They are led by the combative Andor, who is determined to free his god, and also believes that an attack will unite the people. Andor suspects Neeva of being a false prophet, and Tomas tells him of Neeva's assassination attempt against Leela. Still, Andor believes the attack will succeed and is prepared to go ahead. Two warriors are scouring the jungle when they find the Doctor, and they too call him the Evil One, making a protective hand gesture which the Doctor interprets as the sequence for checking the seals on a Starfall Seven spacesuit. The warriors seize the Doctor, but not Leela, and take him to the village council, where his face is shown to all the tribe. Andor is convinced the prisoner is the Evil One, and has him confined. However, Leela manages to free him by using poisonous Janis thorns, which paralyze, then kill the victim. The Doctor is horrified by this and instructs her "No more Janis thorns, Ever". The pair flee the village and head to a clearing beyond, in which the Doctor is greeted with a stunning sight: carved into a mountain nearby is an impression of his own face. The Doctor cannot recall clearly why his face is depicted so, and persuades Leela to return to the village to find out more, despite the death sentence upon them. They return to Neeva’s holy tent and the Doctor inspects the ancient tribal relics, recognising them as artifacts from an Earth survey expedition. He also finds a transceiver used by Neeva to hear the commands of Xoanon. It speaks with the Doctor’s own voice, conveying exhilaration on hearing the Doctor that "At least we are here. At last I shall be free of us." They then head off to inspect the dark Wall that stands at the entrance to the realm of the Evil One. The Doctor deduces it is a primitive time barrier, and is convinced the Sevateem warriors will be massacred if they attack the fortress of their enemy, the Tesh. From a distance they see the massacre unfold, as laser beams cut down warriors armed only with crossbows and other basic tribal weapons. Half the tribe is lost in the assault and one of the elders, the devious Calib, is first back at the camp where he finds the Doctor and Leela. He is evidently intent on using the Doctor to break Neeva’s hold on the tribe by exposing the faith in Xoanon as misplaced mythology. Leela’s friend Tomas also arrives, and is appalled to find Calib has stabbed Leela with a Janis thorn to prevent her exposing his schemes. The Doctor gets Tomas to help him move Leela to Neeva’s tent, where he uses a bio-analyzer to synthesise an antidote to the poison. When the surviving warriors return, the Doctor, Leela and Tomas are invited to address the tribal elders in defence of their lives. Leela makes matters worse when she accuses Xoanon of causing the trap at the Wall. Calib intervenes to suggest the Doctor is not the Evil One, and this can be proven by getting him to take the fabled Test of the Horda. In the centre of the village is a pit full of Horda, two-foot-long worms which hunt in packs and react to the movements of their prey. They are reputed to strip flesh from a man in an instant. The Sevateem evolved the Test of the Horda as a measure of justice and bravery. It involves suspension on a rope above the pit, and accused characters are gradually lowered into the pit by means of a rope. The Doctor is given a crossbow which has to be fired at the exact moment to sever the rope without causing him to fall into the pit – which is, of course, the fate of the guilty. The Doctor succeeds, and is therefore presumed to be a non-malign influence and freed. He proceeds to examine some relics of the tribe and repairs a disruptor gun. He also tells some of the tribe that the Sevateem are the descendants of a “survey team” which left a Starfall Seven Earth colony ship. The Doctor and Leela then go to examine the face in the mountain, and they climb into the face by scaling the Doctor’s teeth. Neeva returns to his tent, where the voice of Xoanon tells him that the tribe will be destroyed, and the mysterious being then causes the sonic disruptor to shut down, leaving the village open to attack from the invisible beings. These descend on the village, killing indiscriminately, including crushing Andor to death. Tomas uses the disruptor gun built by the Doctor to expose the true appearance of the invisible beings: they are ferocious, angry depictions of the Doctor’s own face as shown in the picture. Leela and the Doctor notice a figure in a space suit in the “mouth” entrance and follow it through a projection of a wall. Beyond this barrier is a rocket, which the Doctor recalls as belonging to the Mordee Expedition, his memory of events earlier in his regeneration now returning. Xoanon has detected the Doctor nearby, and when he reaches the ship the god-creature is both ecstatic that "We are here” while also manically pledging that "We must destroy us." The Doctor and Leela now meet three representatives of the Tesh, who serve and worship Xoanon. They are human too, but technologically advanced and possessing telepathic abilities. The Doctor deduces both Sevateem and Tesh are descendants of the same crew from the Mordee Expedition, with the Tesh (or technicians) involved in the same deadly eugenics exercise as the Sevateem (or survey team). The invisible creatures that attacked the Sevateem are also part of the same deranged scheme: Xoanon is a highly sophisticated computer, designed to think independently. The Doctor had once repaired Xoanon but forgot to wipe his personality print from the data core, leaving the computer with a split personality. The Doctor and Leela are soon imprisoned but evade their captors and find the remote communications device used to communicate with Neeva. The Doctor, speaking as Xoanon, instructs Neeva to tell Calib, who is now tribal leader, to lead the Sevateem survivors through the mouth of the carved face in the mountain. Calib accepts this instruction and leads them into the safety of the mouth, where the invisible beings can no longer threaten the tribe. With Leela keeping guard and holding the Tesh at bay with a disruptor gun, the Doctor ventures into the computer room of the ship to confront Xoanon. He blames himself for creating the maddened split personality of the computer and now attempts to persuade it to shut down. When Xoanon refuses it channels a vicious mental assault at the Doctor, causing him to collapse. As the Doctor writhes on the floor, Xoanon booms: "Who am I?" Leela rescues the Doctor from the mental assault, and as he recovers he warns her of Xoanon’s power. Moments later they realise the computer has electrified the walls to try to kill them, and the Tesh become more purposeful in tracking them down within the spaceship. The Tesh also come under attack from Calib, Tomas and the survivors of the Sevateem, who now reach the spaceship too. This diverts the Tesh while the Doctor and Leela return to the computer room, where Xoanon briefly takes control of Leela’s mind. Most of the Sevateem come under the telepathic control of the computer too. The Tesh and Sevateem soon converge on the computer room too and interrupt the Doctor as he tries to repair Xoanon, realising the computer has now triggered the countdown to an atomic explosion. Elsewhere in the ship Neeva is alone but crazed, his faith in Xoanon shattered. The shaman uses the disruptor gun against one of the images of Xoanon/the Doctor projected through a wall. The ensuing blast kills Neeva but also interrupts Xoanon’s control of its subjects, allowing the Doctor to resume and complete his repairs. Xoanon’s circuits explode, knocking the Doctor out. Two days later the Doctor wakes up to find himself aboard the spaceship in the care of Leela. She explains Xoanon has been quiet and he interprets this as success for his extraction experiment. They visit the computer room and find Xoanon’s identity and sanity restored. The computer confirms it was running a eugenics experiment and thanks the Doctor for his repair work. The Doctor then contacts the survivors of the Tesh and Sevateem and tells them Xoanon is now cured and able to support their new society. He then heads off to the TARDIS followed by Leela. She insists she join him on his travels, and when he refuses she jumps into the TARDIS with him and starts the dematerialisation process. [edit] Continuity The story does not explicitly explain when the Fourth Doctor repaired the Starfall Seven's computer. The novelisation suggests that the earlier visit to the planet of the Sevateem took place during the story Robot, in the moment when Sarah sees him begin to leave in the TARDIS but calls for him to stay. [edit] Production Serial details by episode EpisodeBroadcast dateRun timeViewership (in millions) "Part One" 1 January 1977 24:58 10.7 "Part Two" 8 January 1977 24:58 11.1 "Part Three" 15 January 1977 24:40 11.3 "Part Four" 22 January 1977 24:46 11.7 [1][2][3] Working titles for this story included The Day God Went Mad. [edit] Cast notes See also: List of guest appearances in Doctor Who The actors credited as Xoanon do not appear onscreen; only their voices were used. Features guest appearances by Pamela Salem (voice only) and Leslie Schofield. Lloyd McGuire later played Generalleutnant Tendexter in the audio play The Architects of History. [edit] In print A novelisation of this serial, written by Terrance Dicks, was published by Target Books in January 1978. Doctor Who book Doctor Who and the Face of Evil Series Target novelisations Release number 25 Writer Terrance Dicks Publisher Target Books Cover artist Jeff Cummins ISBN 0-426-20006-3 Release date 19 January 1978 Preceded by ' Followed by ' [edit] DVD & VHS release This story was released on VHS in May 1999 The story was released on DVD on 5 March 2012[4] [edit] References ^ Shaun Lyon et al. (2007-03-31). "The Face of Evil". Outpost Gallifrey. Archived from the original on 2008-07-31. Retrieved 2008-08-30. ^ "The Face of Evil". Doctor Who Reference Guide. Retrieved 2008-08-30. ^ Sullivan, Shannon (2007-08-07). "The Face of Evil". A Brief History of Time Travel. Retrieved 2008-08-30. ^ http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2011/05/dwn030511125312-dvd-schedule-update.html [edit] External links The Face of Evil at BBC Online The Face of Evil at Doctor Who: A Brief History Of Time (Travel) The Face of Evil at the Doctor Who Reference Guide Fan reviews The Face of Evil reviews at Outpost Gallifrey The Face of Evil reviews at The Doctor Who Ratings Guide Target novelisation Doctor Who and the Face of Evil reviews at The Doctor Who Ratings Guide On Target — Doctor Who and the Face of Evil [hide] v t e Doctor Who
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TDP Special: WIN A SIGNED COPY OF SHADA
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 0 minutes and 56 secondsAs Suplied by Forbidden Planet.com To Win A signed copy of Shada simply anser this question name another doctor Who story by douglas adams. send your name address and answer to tin-dog@hotmail.co.uk marked shada comp
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TDP 237: Blake's 7 Big Finish Box Set
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 12 minutes and 48 secondsBlake's 7 CD Box Set 1(Duration: 180' approx)CAST:Gareth Thomas (Blake), Paul Darrow (Avon), Michael Keating (Vila), Anthony Howell (Nyrron)SYNOPSIS:Three enhanced audiobooks performed by the stars of the classic BBC television series. These stories are set during Series 1.The Turing Test by Simon GuerrierStarring Paul Darrow as Avon and Michael Keating as VilaAfter evading an attack by Cassini pirates, the Liberator heads to the rogue moon of Quentil, where Avon and Vila infiltrate a top secret Federation science facility.Vila assumes the guise of Doctor Yarding Gill, an expert in digital memory. And Avon is his 'creation' - a super-advanced android that could pass for human. In fact, he does...Can they maintain the ruse for long enough to complete their mission? And will the Cassini pirates catch up with them?Solitary by Nigel FairsStarring Michael Keating as Vila and Anthony Howell as NyrronVila is in solitary confinement. His friends have abandoned him; his only contact with the world outside is Nyrron, a scientist from the planet Auron.Amnesiac and confused, Vila attempts to piece together recent events... A mission to Dulcimer 4. An important meeting. And a visit to the jungle world of Terrulis Major.In the depths of the foliage, the truth is waiting. And it's more terrifying than Vila could possibly have imagined...Counterfeit by Peter AnghelidesStarring Gareth Thomas as Blake and Paul Darrow as AvonThe Bovee Mining Facility: a Federaqtion slave camp worked by disgraced scientists.The planet shouldn't be of interest but is it: Avon's investigations reveal that it's rich in Illusium, a mineral that can change from one substance to another. With it, the Federation could be invulnerable...Blake teleports down to Bovee, but gets more than he bargained for. There's another visitor to the facility - and his presence changes the whole game...AUTHORS: Simon Guerrier, Nigel Fairs and Peter Anghelides DIRECTOR: Lisa BowermanSOUND DESIGN: Alistair Lock MUSIC: Alistair LockCOVER ART: Anthony Lamb NUMBER OF DISCS: 3RECORDED DATE: 23 September 2011 RELEASE DATE: 28 February 2012PRODUCTION CODE: BFPB7BOX001 ISBN: 978-1-84435-624-9 CHRONOLOGICAL PLACEMENT:These stories are set between Project Avalon and Breakdown.
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TDP 236: My 40th Birthday (and the Tin Dog Podcasts 6th) Special
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 8 minutes and 12 secondsA Heartfelt thank you for listening as we enter out seventh year together! Choices. by Michael M Gilroy-Sinclair It's nineteen eighty three and I am late. I’m perched on the edge of a sofa, dressed in what I can only describe as a paramilitary uniform. I have a green beret on my head, a golden cap badge and the insignia on my arm says that I am second in command of my sub group. My heart rate is up and I am full of guilt. Except that’s only part of the truth. I am eleven years old and I am watching Doctor Who, The Doctor is talking to a pirate queen and I am transfixed. Both of these are true, I am dressed to go to the scouts and I am, as I have said quite late. I was never athletic and yet I run. I run in the way you can when you are eleven. The wind holds its breath and lets you past. Traffic slows down to let you cross roads. You can bend space/time when you are eleven. One day the The Wachowskis have nothing on this. Across the field and down the cinder path, down Exeter road and onwards to the hut containing others of my kind. The green wooden hut belongs in a Just William story and it is home to the 8th Tynemouth Scout group. I had been a cub and with an arm full of merit badges and a neckerchief which was always was worn with pride. I burst in with an entry worthy of Sodeed, all eyes turn to me. A room full of punctual automatons all lined up for inspection. I took my spot at the end of the line and waited. I knew that I would receive... 'a chat' one of the first 'have a quiet words with' id receive in a lifetime of 'having quiet words with'. I did not have to wait for long. Immediately after inspection I was taken to one side by as huge man, An ambulance driver by day and Scout leader by night. I remember his moustache bristling in a way I'd only heard about in Terrance Dicks novelizations. He looked me square in the face and asked a simple question. He said it as a statement of fact, a management technique used by many. “You have to work out what’s more important. Doctor Who or...” any words after that were lost to me. I stayed the session and let my mind fill with Robots and Terileptils. I never returned. I knew that my heart belonged in the blue box and no amount of church parades and camping could ever change that. It is also important to note that drama club was on a night when my Beloved TARDIS was not on television and there were also girls there!
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TDP 235: DWPA @ Gally 2012 - Network 23
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 25 minutes and 43 secondsKen Deep spearheaded a podcast recording at Gallifrey One's Network 23 featuring:Ken from PodshockSteven from Radio Free SkaroDaisy from Sonic ToolboxChip from Two-Minute Time LordTom from Geek PlanetIt's an interesting discussion about the convention and about Doctor Who in general
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TDP 234: Sarah Jane Smith @ Big Finish 1.5 Mirror, Signal, Manoeuvre
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 15 minutes and 4 secondsTechnical Details Cast: Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith); Jeremy James (Josh); Patricia Maynard (Miss Winters); Sadie Miller (Natalie Redfern); Robin Bowerman (Harris); Louise Faulkner (Wendy Jennings); Peter Miles (Dr. Brandt); Toby Longworth (Taxi Driver); Mark Donovan (Taxi Driver) Writer: Peter Anghelides Recorded: 26 February 2002 Director: Gary Russell Released: 7 November 2002 Music: Davy Darlington No. of Discs: 1 Sound Design: Davy Darlington Duration 67' 21" Cover Art: Lee Binding Production Code: SJ05 ISBN: 1-903654-96-3 Synopsis A bio-warfare scandal from the 1940s takes Sarah to a remote island in the Indian Ocean. She pursues the scoop with a fellow journalist from her former company, Planet 3. But why won’t she contact her friends back in the UK? The more she investigates the story, the less Sarah recognises that she is the story. Josh and Natalie discover that Sarah has been searching for pursuers in the rear-view mirror for so long that she hasn’t noticed who’s now in the driving seat. A long way from home, and far from safe, will Sarah see the dangers in her present and the enemies from her past - before it’s too late?
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TDP 233: The Robots of Death (Story Three from the new box set)
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 8 minutes and 43 secondsreprinted from wikipedia with thanks and repect The Robots of Death is the fifth serial of the 14th season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 29 January to 19 February 1977. Plot On a distant planet, a huge sandminer vehicle, Storm Mine 4, is slowly scraping the surface of a vast, barren desert in search of precious minerals. The sandminer is manned by nine humans and numerous robots - black 'Dums' that cannot speak, pale green 'Vocs', and a silver 'Super Voc' which controls all the 'Dums' and 'Vocs'. The robots conduct a routine scan of the area and locate a large sandstorm, which the humans decide to pursue, as the storm will bring heavier minerals to the surface. One of the humans, a meteorologist called Chub, goes to collect an instrument package to place into his weather balloon to study the storm. However, he is later found strangled. At about this time, the TARDIS materialises in one of the scoops. After the Doctor and Leela emerge from the TARDIS, it is removed by a large mechanical arm as it is blocking the scoop. Later, the Doctor and Leela are brought out of the scoop by two robots and locked in a room. The Doctor uses his sonic screwdriver to unlock the door, and goes in search of the TARDIS, while Leela finds Chub's body being taken away by some robots. The human crew suspects the two time travellers of murdering Chub, and tensions increase when it is found that they have left the room in which they were locked. By the time they are both recaptured, the Doctor has found a second dead man (Kerril), and Leela has found both a third dead man (Cass) and a 'Dum' robot which can secretly speak. Commander Uvanov orders them to be locked up in the robot storage bay, on suspicion of killing all three humans. One of the humans, Poul, believes the Doctor and Leela to be innocent, so he frees them and shows them where Chub was murdered. There, the Doctor convinces Poul that a robot may have killed the mineralogist. While this is happening, a woman named Zilda is murdered, and Poul - sent to the room to investigate Zilda's accusations of murder against Commander Uvanov over a tannoy system - finds the Commander standing over Zilda's body and has him confined to his quarters for murdering Zilda. The sandminer's engines begin to run out of control, threatening the vehicle with destruction. It is found that Borg, the human responsible for controlling power to the motors, has been viciously strangled, and the controls have been sabotaged. The Doctor saves the miner by cutting off the power to the motors, while a man named Dask repairs the damaged controls so that the miner can continue on its way. The Doctor goes to see the 'Dum' robot that Leela claimed could speak, D84. The robot reveals that it and Poul are undercover agents for the mining company, who were placed on board the miner as a precaution to threats of a robot revolution by a scientist called Taren Capel, who was raised by robots. D84 itself is unique in the fact that it can function autonomously from Super Voc SV7's commands, and appears to possess a high level of logical reasoning. The Doctor and D84 search the miner for proof that Taren Capel is on board, and find a secret workshop where the robots' programming has been changed to enable them to kill humans. The Doctor arranges for all the remaining humans to go to the command deck. Dask shuts down all of the robots whose programming has not been changed, leaving just the killer robots and D84 operational. Dask is later revealed to be the mad scientist Taren Capel, intent on 'releasing [his] 'brothers' (the robots) from bondage to human dross' and 'programming them with an ambition to rule the world'. Taren Capel orders his modified robots to destroy the remaining humans and the Doctor and Leela. Leela shows the Doctor a damaged robot in the storage bay with its hand covered in blood - which the Doctor reasons is Borg's, guessing that Borg sabotaged the engine controls in a suicidal attempt to destroy the miner and all the killer robots on board. The Doctor dismantles the damaged robot and creates a final deactivator - a device that will destroy any still functioning robots at close range. The Doctor hides Leela in Taren's workshop with a canister of helium gas, telling her to release it slowly when Taren comes in. The Doctor hopes that this will change Taren's voice, so his robots - unable to recognise him - won't obey his orders. Taren arrives and damages D84, but the robot is able to activate the Doctor's device to destroy a killer robot, knowingly sacrificing itself in the process. Leela releases the helium gas, causing Taren's voice to become high-pitched and squeaky, and Taren is killed by SV7 when it fails to identify his voice. The Doctor then destroys SV7 with a laser probe. The robot threat over, and a rescue ship coming to collect the surviving humans, the Doctor and Leela return to the TARDIS and leave the sandminer. [edit] Continuity This story reveals the Doctor's immunity to the vocal-altering effects of helium. It is not clear why though. The BBC Books spin-off novel Corpse Marker by Chris Boucher is a sequel to this serial, as is Robophobia, a Seventh Doctor audio play by Nicholas Briggs. There's also the independently produced Kaldor City audio plays, not featuring the Doctor. This serial marks the final appearance of the wood-panelled secondary TARDIS console room. The audio story Empathy Games gives a possible explanation for its loss. [edit] Production Serial details by episode EpisodeBroadcast dateRun timeViewership (in millions) "Part One" 29 January 1977 24:06 12.8 "Part Two" 5 February 1977 24:15 12.4 "Part Three" 12 February 1977 23:51 13.1 "Part Four" 19 February 1977 23:42 12.6 [1][2][3] Early titles for the script included "Planet of the Robots" and "The Storm-mine Murders". The ship main cabin set was originally used in the 4th Doctor story Planet of Evil.[citation needed] [edit] Cast notes See also: List of guest appearances in Doctor Who Russell Hunter was allegedly cast against the intention of the script, which implied that Commander Uvanov should be a physically imposing man, much in the mould of an eighteenth century sailing master. David Collings, who plays Poul, previously appeared as Vorus in Revenge of the Cybermen and would later appear as Mawdryn in Mawdryn Undead as well as an alternative incarnation of the Doctor in the Big Finish Productions' Doctor Who Unbound audio drama Full Fathom Five. Pamela Salem, who plays Toos, had provided voice work in the preceding story The Face of Evil and would later appear as Professor Rachel Jensen in Remembrance of the Daleks. David Bailie went on to play the Celestial Toymaker in the audio plays The Nightmare Fair and Solitaire. [edit] Outside references The murder plotline owes a great deal to Agatha Christie; notably Ten Little Indians and The Mousetrap. The treatment of robots in this serial has many intentional nods to Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics. The villain of the story is named Taren Capel, which is a reference to Karel Capek,[4] who is credited with first coining the word "robot". Uvanov's name is a reference to Isaac Asimov,[citation needed] while Poul is a reference to the science fiction writer Poul Anderson.[4] The script several times refers to Robophobia (the irrational fear of robots) as 'Grimwade's Syndrome', an inside joke reference to Peter Grimwade, a production assistant who directed some of the filmed scenes in the episode. Grimwade had frequently lamented that he was always working on material involving robots. [edit] In print A novelisation of this serial, written by Terrance Dicks, was published by Target Books in May 1979. This novelisation was the shortest and notable for featuring the character of Cass attending a meeting after being murdered in the previous chapter. Doctor Who book Doctor Who and the Robots of Death Series Target novelisations Release number 53 Writer Terrance Dicks Publisher Target Books Cover artist John Geary ISBN 0-426-20061-6 Release date 24 May 1979 Preceded by ' Followed by ' [edit] VHS and DVD releases This story was released on VHS in omnibus format in April 1986 and in episodic format in February 1995. It was released on DVD on 13 November 2000. A special edition of the DVD, with new bonus features, is to be released in the uk on 13 February 2012 in the third of the ongoing Revisitations DVD box sets. [edit] References ^ Shaun Lyon et al. (2007-03-31). "The Robots of Death". Outpost Gallifrey. Archived from the original on 2008-07-31. Retrieved 2008-08-30. ^ "The Robots of Death". Doctor Who Reference Guide. Retrieved 2008-08-30. ^ Sullivan, Shannon (2007-08-07). "The Robots of Death". A Brief History of Time Travel. Retrieved 2008-08-30. ^ a b Cornell, Paul; Day, Martin; Topping, Keith (1995). "90 'The Robots of Death'". Doctor Who: The Discontinuity Guide. London: Doctor Who Books. p. 205. ISBN 0 426 20442 5. [edit] External links The Robots of Death at BBC Online The Robots of Death at Doctor Who: A Brief History Of Time (Travel) The Robots of Death at the Doctor Who Reference Guide Essay on The Robots of Death (contains plot detail) Fan reviews The Robots of Death reviews at Outpost Gallifrey The Robots of Death reviews at The Doctor Who Ratings Guide Target novelisation Doctor Who and the Robots of Death reviews at The Doctor Who Ratings Guide On Target — Doctor Who and the Robots of Death
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TDP 232: The Three Doctors (Story Two from the new box set)
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 7 minutes and 9 secondsReprinted from wikipedia with thanks and respect The Three Doctors is the first serial of the tenth season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, first broadcast in four weekly parts from 30 December 1972 to 20 January 1973. The serial opened the tenth anniversary year of the series. Synopsis The home planet of the Time Lords is under siege, by an unknown force that by all accounts should not even exist. The only person who can help them is the Doctor, but even he will need assistance – from his previous selves. [edit] Plot A superluminal signal is sent to Earth, carrying with it an unusual energy blob that seems intent on capturing the Third Doctor. In the meantime, the homeworld of the Time Lords is under siege, with all the power sustaining it being drained through a black hole. Trapped and desperate, the Time Lords do the unthinkable and break the First Law of Time, allowing the Doctor to aid himself by summoning his two previous incarnations from the past. Unfortunately, the First Doctor is trapped in a time eddy, unable to fully materialize, and can only communicate via viewscreen, but the Second Doctor joins the Third in investigating the origins of the creature and the black hole, while UNIT headquarters faces an attack by the gel-like alien creatures. The First Doctor deduces the black hole is a bridge between universes, and the other two Doctors allow the TARDIS to be swallowed up by the energy creature, which transports them, Dr Tyler, Jo Grant, Sergeant Benton and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart into an antimatter universe created by the legendary Time Lord Omega. Omega was a solar engineer who created the supernova that powers Time Lord civilization, but was considered killed in the explosion. In actuality, he had been transported to the antimatter universe, where his will and thought turned the formless matter into physicality. Trapped, due to the fact that his will is the only thing maintaining reality, he vowed revenge on the Time Lords who left him stranded. It is clear that the exile has made Omega quite insane. Along with his revenge, he has summoned the Doctors here to take over the mental maintenance of the antimatter universe so he can escape. However, the Doctors discover that years of exposure to the corrosive effects of the black hole's singularity have destroyed Omega's physical body – he is trapped forever. Driven over the edge by this discovery, Omega now demands that the Doctors share his exile. The Doctors escape briefly, and offer Omega a proposition. They will give him his freedom if they send the others back to the positive matter universe. Omega agrees, and when that is done, the Doctors offer Omega a force field generator containing the Second Doctor's recorder, which had fallen in it prior to the transport through the black hole. Omega knocks the generator over in a rage and the unconverted positive matter recorder falls out of the force field. When the recorder comes into contact with the antimatter universe, it annihilates everything in a flash, returning the Doctors in the TARDIS to the positive matter universe. The Third Doctor explains that death was the only freedom anyone could offer Omega. With the power now restored to the Time Lords, they are able to send the First and Second Doctors back to their respective time periods. As a reward, the Time Lords give the Third Doctor a new dematerialization circuit for the TARDIS and restore his knowledge of how to travel through space and time. [edit] Continuity Omega would return in the Fifth Doctor serial, Arc of Infinity (1983), the Big Finish Productions audio play Omega, the novel The Infinity Doctors and the gamebook Search for the Doctor. The Chancellor is portrayed by Clyde Pollitt who had also played one of the Time Lords who tried and exiled the Second Doctor. Barry Letts states in the DVD commentary that this was intentional as he meant for this to be the same character. Similarly, Graham Leaman reappears as a Time Lord having been seen in the role in Colony in Space, discussing the Master's activities and their use of the exiled Doctor as an agent. The Brigadier refers to the Yeti (The Web of Fear), the Cybermen (The Invasion) and the Autons (Spearhead from Space). The Virgin Missing Adventures novel The Empire of Glass states that the First Doctor is taken out of time between the stories The Time Meddler and Galaxy 4 but immediately before the novel. [edit] Production Serial details by episode EpisodeBroadcast dateRun timeViewership (in millions)Archive "Episode One" 30 December 1972 24:39 9.6 PAL 2" colour videotape "Episode Two" 6 January 1973 24:18 10.8 PAL 2" colour videotape "Episode Three" 13 January 1973 24:22 8.8 PAL 2" colour videotape "Episode Four" 20 January 1973 25:07 11.9 PAL 2" colour videotape [1][2][3] Working titles for this story included The Black Hole. The script was originally supposed to feature all three Doctors equally, but William Hartnell was too ill to be able to play the full role as envisioned. He was, therefore, reduced to a pre-recorded cameo role, appearing only on the TARDIS's scanner and the space-time viewer of the Time Lords. It would be the last time he played the Doctor and his last acting role before his death in 1975. Hartnell's scenes were filmed at BBC's Ealing Studios and not in a garage or a garden shed as fan myth would have it. The serial's promotional photo shoot was the only time the three actors were shown together. The production team also planned for Frazer Hines to reprise his role of Jamie McCrimmon alongside the Second Doctor; however, Hines was not available, due to his work on the soap opera Emmerdale Farm. Much of the role originally intended for Jamie was reassigned to Sergeant Benton. [edit] Outside references Jo references The Beatles' song "I Am the Walrus".[4] [edit] In print A novelisation of this serial, written by Terrance Dicks, was published by Target Books in November 1975. The novelisation provides a rationale for Omega's realm to be a quarry: over the millennia, Omega has become weary of the mental effort required to generate a verdant landscape and now makes do with rock and soil. The Second Doctor is referred to throughout as Doctor Two. In the book, Mr Ollis is renamed Mr Hollis. Doctor Who book The Three Doctors Series Target novelisations Release number 64 Writer Terrance Dicks Publisher Target Books Cover artist Chris Achilleos ISBN 0-426-11578-3 Release date 20 November 1975 Preceded by ' Followed by ' [edit] Broadcast, VHS and DVD releases The serial was repeated on BBC2 in November 1981, daily (Monday-Thursday) (23 November 1981 to 26 November 1981) at 5.40pm as part of "The Five Faces of Doctor Who". This story was released twice on VHS, first in August 1991 and thereafter remastered and re-released in 2002 as part of the W H Smith's The Time Lord Collection boxed set. This story was released on DVD in the UK in November 2003 as part of the Doctor Who 40th Anniversary Celebration releases, representing the Jon Pertwee years. Some copies came in a box set housing a limited edition Corgi model of "Bessie", the Third Doctor's vintage roadster. A special edition of the DVD, with new bonus features, is to be released in the uk on 13 February 2012 in the third of the ongoing Revisitations DVD box sets. [edit] References ^ Shaun Lyon et al. (2007-03-31). "The Three Doctors". Outpost Gallifrey. Archived from the original on 2008-05-18. Retrieved 2008-08-30. ^ "The Three Doctors". Doctor Who Reference Guide. Retrieved 2008-08-30. ^ Sullivan, Shannon (2007-08-07). "The Three Doctors". A Brief History of Time Travel. Retrieved 2008-08-30. ^ Cornell, Paul; Day, Martin; Topping, Keith (1995). "The Three Doctors". Doctor Who: The Discontinuity Guide. London: Doctor Who Books. p. 141. ISBN 0 426 20442 5. Retrieved 2010-09-03. [edit] External links Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Third Doctor The Three Doctors at BBC Online The Three Doctors at Doctor Who: A Brief History Of Time (Travel) The Three Doctors at the Doctor Who Reference Guide Reviews The Three Doctors reviews at Outpost Gallifrey The Three Doctors reviews at The Doctor Who Ratings Guide Target novelisation The Three Doctors (novelisation) reviews at The Doctor Who Ratings Guide On Target — The Three Doctors
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TDP 231: Doctor Who The Fourth Doctor Lost Tales Volume One
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 11 minutes and 0 secondsThe Foe from the FutureThe Grange is haunted, so they say. This stately home in the depths of Devon has been the site of many an apparition. And now people are turning up dead. The ghosts are wild in the forest. But the Doctor doesn’t believe in ghosts.The TARDIS follows a twist in the vortex to the village of Staffham in 1977 and discovers something is very wrong with time. But spectral highwaymen and cavaliers are the least of the Doctor’s worries. For the Grange is owned by the sinister Jalnik, and Jalnik has a scheme two thousand years in the making. Only the Doctor and Leela stand between him and the destruction of history itself. It’s the biggest adventure of their lives – but do they have the time?The Valley of DeathA century after his Great-Grandfather Cornelius vanished in the Amazon rainforest, Edward Perkins is journeying to the depths of the jungle to find out what became of his ancestor’s lost expedition. Intrigued by what appears to be a description of a crashed spacecraft in the diaries of that first voyage, the Doctor and Leela join him on his quest. But when their plane runs into trouble and ends up crash landing, everyone gets more than they bargained for.The jungle is filled with giant creatures and angry tribesmen, all ready to attack. But in the famed lost city of the Maygor tribe, something far, far worse is lurking. Something with an offer to make to mankind. Who are the Lurons and can they be trusted? Will the Doctor defeat the plans of the malevolent Godrin or will he become just another victim of the legendary Valley of Death? Starring Tom Baker and Louise Jameson (Duration: 300' approx) CAST: Tom Baker (The Doctor), Louise Jameson (Leela)The Foe from the Future: Paul Freeman (Jalnik), Louise Brealey (Charlotte), Blake Ritson (Instructor Shibac), Mark Goldthorp (Constable Burrows), Philip Pope (Father Harpin), Jaimi Barbakoff (Supreme Councillor Geflo), Dan Starkey (Historiographer Osin), Camilla Power (Councillor Kostal) The Valley of Death: Nigel Carrington (Emissary Godrin/Dr Summersby/Announcer), Delia Lindsay (Overlord Saldor/Newsreader), Jane Slavin (Valerie Carlton), Anthony Howell (Edward Perkins), David Killick (Professor Cornelius Perkins), Richard Bremmer (General Hemmings/Valcon/Taxi Driver)
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TDP 230: Tomb Of The Cybermen (Box Set Story One)
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 8 minutes and 29 secondsReprinted from Wikipedia with thaks The Tomb of the Cybermen is the first serial of fifth season in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who that originally aired in four weekly parts from 2 September to 23 September 1967 and is the earliest serial starring Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor to exist in its entirety. It stars Frazer Hines and Deborah Watling as companions Jamie McCrimmon and Victoria Waterfield and features recurring villains the Cybermen, as well as the introduction of the Cyberman Controller and the Cybermats. On the planet Telos, an archeological expedition uncovers a hidden entrance in a mountain. The TARDIS lands nearby, and the expedition is joined by the Doctor, Jamie and Victoria. Parry, the expedition's leader, explains that they are here to find the remains of the Cybermen, who apparently died out five centuries before. The expedition is funded by Kaftan, who is accompanied by her giant manservant Toberman and her colleague Klieg. A man is electrocuted opening the doors, but the party manages to enter the chamber. They find a control panel and a large, sealed hatch. The Doctor is able to open two hidden doors in the walls, but the hatch remains sealed. Parry and Klieg continue to try and open it as Toberman slips out. The remaining members of the expedition begin to explore. Victoria and Kaftan come across a chamber with a sarcophagus-like wall inset facing a projection device that was apparently used to revitalise the Cybermen. Victoria curiously climbs inside. Kaftan secretly seals Victoria in the sarcophagus and tries to activate the projector pointing at the sarcophagus but the Doctor, thinking Victoria had only accidentally locked herself in, frees her. Meanwhile, Haydon and Jamie have been experimenting with a control panel in another room; a Cyberman slides into view and a gun fires, killing Haydon. The Doctor points out that Haydon was shot in the back. Throwing the switches again, the Cyberman -in reality an empty shell - is destroyed by the gun which emerges from a hidden panel, showing that the room is actually a testing range. Outside, Toberman reports to Kaftan that "It is done." Captain Hopper, the expedition's pilot, returns and angrily reveals that someone has sabotaged the rocket ship — they cannot leave the planet until repairs are made. The hatch is finally opened. Leaving Kaftan and Victoria behind, the men descend through the hatch. They find a vast chamber beneath, with a multistorey structure containing cells of frozen Cybermen. Back in the control room, Kaftan drugs Victoria and reseals the hatch. Inside it, Klieg activates more controls in the tomb and the ice begins to melt. When Viner tries to stop him, Klieg shoots him dead and holds the rest at bay as the Cybermen return to life. Klieg reveals that he and Kaftan belong to the Brotherhood of Logicians, who possess great intelligence but no physical power. He is certain the Cybermen will be grateful for their revival and will ally themselves with him. Victoria awakes and confronts Kaftan, who threatens to shoot her if she tries opening the hatch. A small mechanical cybermat revives and attacks Kaftan, rendering her unconscious. Victoria grabs Kaftan's pistol and shoots the cybermat. Not knowing which lever opens the hatch, she leaves to find Hopper. Down in the tombs, the Cybermen free their leader, the Cyberman Controller, from his cell. When Klieg steps forward to take the credit for reviving them, the Cybercontroller grabs and crushes his hand, declaring, "You belong to us; You shall be like us." The Doctor realises that the tombs were an elaborate trap: the Cybermen were waiting for beings intelligent enough to decipher the controls to free them. The expedition will be converted into Cybermen in preparation for a new invasion of Earth. In the control room, Capt. Hopper and Callum have figured out how to open the hatch. Hopper descends into the tombs, and uses smoke grenades to distract the Cybermen while the humans make their escape - all but Toberman, who has his arms cybernetically converted. Klieg and Kaftan are moved into the testing range to keep them out of mischief while the others decide on their next course of action. Klieg extricates the weapon from the wall, an X-ray laser he calls a cybergun, to coerce the Cybermen to do their bidding. Meanwhile, the others fend off an attack by cybermats. Klieg and Kaftan step out, and Klieg fires the laser in the direction of the Doctor. Klieg misses, wounding Callum. He opens the hatch, and calls for the Cyberman Controller. The Controller climbs up, accompanied by Toberman, who has been partially cyberconverted and is under Cyberman control. The Controller moves slowly, as his energy is running low — most of the Cybermen have been ordered back to their tombs to conserve power. Klieg says he will allow the Controller to be revitalised if the Cybermen help him conquer the Earth. It agrees. The Doctor helps the Controller into the sarcophagus in an attempt to trap it there, but the revitalised Controller is too strong and breaks free. Toberman knocks Klieg unconscious. The Controller picks up Klieg's cybergun and kills Kaftan when she tries to block its return to the tombs. The death of Kaftan and the urging of the Doctor shake Toberman out of his controlled state. He struggles with the Controller and hurls it into a control panel, apparently killing it. The Doctor, wanting to make sure the Cybermen are no longer a threat, goes back down into the tombs with Toberman. Klieg regains consciousness and sneaks down with the cybergun and revives the Cybermen once again. Klieg expects to control them now that the Controller is dead, but a revived Cyberman throttles Klieg from behind and kills him. Toberman fights and kills this Cyberman by tearing open its breathing apparatus, while the Doctor and Jamie refreeze the others in their cells. Hopper's crew have repaired the ship, and the Doctor rewires the controls to the station so they can't be used. He then sets up a circuit to electrify the doors again along with the control panels. The Controller, still alive, lurches forward. Everyone tries to shut the outer doors, but the Controller is too strong. Toberman comes forward, pushes the others aside and uses his bare hands to shut the doors. He succeeds, completing the circuit, and both he and the Controller are electrocuted. The Doctor and his companions say good-bye to the expedition members and return to the TARDIS. No one notices a lone cybermat, moving along the ground toward Toberman's body. [edit] Continuity The iconography of this serial, in particular the image of Cybermen breaking through plastic sheeting to escape their tombs, has had an influence on nearly all subsequent Cyberman stories. Likewise, the idea of Cybermen being kept in cold storage has since been a continuing theme. The Doctor returns to Telos in the Sixth Doctor serial Attack of the Cybermen, where he also encounters the Cryons, the original inhabitants of the planet.[1] The story contains a rare reference to the Doctor's family. When Victoria doubts he can remember his family because of "being so ancient", the Doctor says that he can when he really wants to and "the rest of the time they sleep in my mind" because he has "so much else to think about, to remember". The Doctor mentions here that he is about 450 years old. Eleventh Doctor actor Matt Smith has stated that it was watching this serial that inspired his own costume as the Doctor.[2] [edit] Production Serial details by episode EpisodeBroadcast dateRun timeViewership (in millions)Archive "Episode 1" 2 September 1967 23:58 6.0 16mm t/r "Episode 2" 9 September 1967 24:44 6.4 16mm t/r "Episode 3" 16 September 1967 24:14 7.2 16mm t/r "Episode 4" 23 September 1967 23:22 7.4 16mm t/r [3][4][5] [edit] Writing The working titles for this story were The Ice Tombs of Telos and The Cybermen Planet.[6] Peter Bryant, who had previously been assistant to Gerry Davis and been newly promoted to script editor on the preceding story, was allowed to produce this serial in order to prove that he could take over from Innes Lloyd as producer later on in the season. Bryant's own assistant, Victor Pemberton acted as script editor on this serial, but left the series after production of the serial was finished, deciding that he didn't want to be a script editor. When Bryant's eventual promotion to producer came, Derrick Sherwin would become script editor. Toberman was originally intended to be deaf, hence his lack of significant speech; his hearing aid would foreshadow his transformation into a Cyberman.[6] [edit] Recording The cybermats were controlled by various means - some by wires, some by wind-up clockwork, some by radio control, and some by simply being shoved into the shot.[7] The scene of the Cybermen breaking out of their tombs was filmed entirely in one take.[8] [edit] In print A novelisation of this serial, written by Gerry Davis, was published by Target Books in 1978, entitled Doctor Who and The Tomb of the Cybermen. Doctor Who book Doctor Who and the Tomb of the Cybermen Series Target novelisations Release number 66 Writer Gerry Davis Publisher Target Books Cover artist Jeff Cummins ISBN 0-426-11076-5 Release date 18 May 1978 Preceded by ' Followed by ' [edit] VHS, DVD and CD releases When the BBC's film archive was first properly audited in 1978, this serial was one of many believed missing (although it is absent in earlier 1976 listings). This story was prepared for release in early 1991 on cassette as part of the "Missing Stories" collection, with narration by Jon Pertwee. Then in late 1991, film telerecordings of all four episodes were returned to the BBC from the Hong Kong-based ATV television company. In May 1992, the serial was released on VHS, to much fan excitement and with a special introduction from director Morris Barry. The VHS release topped the sales charts throughout the country. This was the only original Doctor Who episode from the original era to top the UK charts.[citation needed] With the recovery of the film prints, the planned soundtrack release was delayed until 1993, when contractual obligations forced its release. See List of Doctor Who audio releases. UK DVD front cover In the UK the DVD was released 13 January 2002. A special edition of the DVD, with new bonus features, is to be released in the uk on 13 February 2012 in the third of the ongoing Revisitations DVD box sets. Following the 1993 cassette release, on 1 May 2006 the soundtrack was released on a 2-CD set with linking narration by and a bonus interview with Frazer Hines. This was the first existing story to be released on audio in the same format as the missing story range. [edit] Music release Music from The Tomb of the Cybermen Soundtrack album Released 1997 Genre Soundtrack Length 22:40 Label Via Satellite Records Doctor Who soundtrack chronology Doctor Who: 30 Years at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop (1993) Music from the Tomb of the Cybermen Doctor Who: Original Soundtrack Recording (1997) Stock music and sound effects from this story was released on a "mini-album" by Via Satellite in 1997. It is composed of 2 versions of the Doctor Who theme music, sound effects from Doctor Who: 30 Years at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop and stock music used in the story. It was planned to be the first in a series of mini-albums, with The Faceless Ones and Inside the Spaceship being mooted as future albums. Neither were produced.[9][10] [edit] Track listing Track #ComposerTrack name 1 Ron Grainer (realised by Delia Derbyshire) "Dr. Who Theme"[a] 2 Brian Hodgson "Tardis Interior"[a] 3 "Tardis Landing"[a] 4 Dick Mills "Tardis Doors Opening"[a] 5 M. Slavin "Space Adventures (Parts 1-3)" 6 J. Scott "Palpitations" 7 E. Sendel "Astronautics Theme (Parts 1-7)" 8 H. Fleischer "Desert Storm" 9 Wilfred Josephs "Space Time Music (Parts 1-4) 10 Brian Hodgson "Tardis Take Off"[a] 11 Ron Grainer (realised by Delia Derbyshire) "Dr. Who Theme (A New Beginning)"[a] ^a This recording does not actually feature in The Tomb of the Cybermen[11] See also: Dr Who - Music from the Tenth Planet and Space Adventures - Music from 'Doctor Who' 1963–1968 [edit] References ^ Attack of the Cybermen. Writer "Paula Moore" (Paula Woolsey), Director Matthew Robinson, Producer John Nathan-Turner. Doctor Who. BBC. BBC1, London. 5 January 1985–12 January 1985. ^ Doctor Who Magazine (Panini Comics) (418). 3 February 2010. ^ Shaun Lyon et al. (2007-03-31). "The Tomb of the Cybermen". Outpost Gallifrey. Archived from the original on 2008-06-18. Retrieved 2008-08-30. ^ "The Tomb of the Cybermen". Doctor Who Reference Guide. Retrieved 2008-08-30. ^ Sullivan, Shannon (2008-03-22). "The Tomb of the Cybermen". A Brief History of Time Travel. Retrieved 2008-08-30. ^ a b Howe, Walker, p 184 ^ Morris Barry. Tombwatch. Event occurs at 8:20. ^ Morris Barry. Tombwatch. Event occurs at 15:13. ^ (1997) Album notes for Music from The Tomb of the Cybermen [CD Booklet]. Glasgow, Scotland: Via Satellite Recordings (V-Sat ASTRA 3967). ^ Ayres, Mark. "Doctor Who Compact Disc Catalogue". Archived from the original on 2007-10-12. Retrieved 2007-12-11. ^ "The Millennium Effect". Archived from the original on 2007-12-06. Retrieved 2007-12-11. [edit] Bibliography Andrew Beech (Producer), Peter Finklestone (Editor) (January 22). Tombwatch (Documentary; Special feature on The Tomb of the Cyberman DVD release). London, England: BBC Video. Retrieved 2008-01-12. Howe, David J & Walker, Stephen James (23). The Television Companion: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to DOCTOR WHO (2nd ed. ed.). Surrey, UK: Telos Publishing Ltd.. ISBN 1-903889-51-0. The Tomb of the Cybermen. Writers Kit Pedler, Gerry Davis, Director Morris Barry, Producer Peter Bryant. Doctor Who. BBC. BBC1, London. 2 September 1967–23 September 1967. [edit] External links The Tomb of the Cybermen at BBC Online The Tomb of the Cybermen at Doctor Who: A Brief History Of Time (Travel) The Tomb of the Cybermen at the Doctor Who Reference Guide Doctor Who Locations - The Tomb of the Cybermen [edit] Reviews The Tomb of the Cybermen reviews at Outpost Gallifrey The Tomb of the Cybermen reviews at The Doctor Who Ratings Guide [edit] Target novelisation The Tomb of the Cybermen reviews at The Doctor Who Ratings Guide On Target — Doctor Who and the Tomb of the Cybermen
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TDP 229: Destination Nerva
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 11 minutes and 19 secondsDestination Nerva From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Big Finish Productions audio play Destination: Nerva Series Doctor Who 4th Doctor Adventures Release number 1.1 Featuring Fourth Doctor Leela Writer Nicholas Briggs Director Nicholas Briggs Executive producer(s) Nicholas Briggs Set between The Talons of Weng-Chiang and The Renaissance Man Release date January 2012 Destination: Nerva is an audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. This audio drama was produced by Big Finish Productions. As with all Doctor Who spin-off media, its relationship to the televised serials is open to interpretation. Tom Baker played the Fourth Doctor from 1974 to 1981. Although Big Finish Productions has been producing audio dramas with all the other living, Classic Series Doctors since 1999, Tom Baker had declined to participate. Baker finally reprised the role in a series of audio dramas for the BBC in 2009, starting with Hornets' Nest. Destination Nerva is the first in a series of audio dramas produced by Big Finish Productions. Contents [hide] 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Continuity 4 Notes 5 External links 6 References [edit] Plot Having wrapped up their adventure with Jago and Litefoot in Victorian London, the Doctor and Leela are alerted to an interstellar distress signal emanating from an English manor house, in the nearby year of 1895. From there, they chase an alien spaceship a millennium into the future, to the newly constructed Space Dock Nerva, orbiting Jupiter. [edit] Cast The Doctor - Tom Baker Leela - Louise Jameson Dr Alison Foster - Raquel Cassidy McMullan/Pilot - Sam Graham Laura Craske - Tilly Gaunt Giles Moreau/Jenkins - Tim Bentinck Jim Hooley/Drelleran 1/Security Guard - Kim Wall Lord Jack/Drudgers/Drelleran 2 - Tim Treloar [edit] Continuity This story begins by picking up from the closing scene of the 1977 television story, The Talons of Weng-Chiang. The final lines spoken in that story are repeated here. The Fourth Doctor was previously on-board Nerva in the 1975 television story The Ark in Space. That was several thousand years into the future, when "Space Station Nerva" was converted to house the cryogenically frozen survivors of the human race, as they orbited an inhospitable Earth. The Doctor returned to "Nerva Beacon", thousands of years earlier, in Revenge of the Cybermen, when it orbited a moon of Jupiter. In Destination: Nerva, "Space Dock Nerva" has only just been built. [edit] Notes Raquel Cassidy was in the 2011 Doctor Who television story The Rebel Flesh / The Almost People. [edit] External links Destination Nerva [edit] References Big Finish News Page Doctor Who News Page [hide] v d e Fourth Doctor audio dramas Sarah Jane Doctor Who and the Pescatons Exploration Earth: The Time Machine Leela The Catalyst Empathy Games The Time Vampire The Foe From The Future/The Valley of Death Destination Nerva The Renaissance Man The Wrath of the Iceni Energy of the Daleks Trail of the White Worm The Oseidon Adventure The Child Mrs Wibbsey Hornets' Nest Demon Quest Serpent Crest Romana I and K-9 The Stealers from Saiph Ferril's Folly Tales from the Vault The Auntie Matter The Sands of Life War Against The Laan The Justice of Jalxar Phantoms of the Deep Romana II and K-9 The Beautiful People The Pyralis Effect Romana II, K-9 and Adric The Invasion of E-Space Other The Kingmaker
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TDP 228: The Sensorites
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 8 minutes and 54 secondsFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 007 – The Sensorites Doctor Who serial The Doctor meets the Sensorites Cast Doctor William Hartnell (First Doctor) Companions Carole Ann Ford (Susan Foreman) Jacqueline Hill (Barbara Wright) William Russell (Ian Chesterton) Others Stephen Dartnell — John Ilona Rodgers — Carol Lorne Cossette — Maitland John Bailey — Commander Martyn Huntley — First Human Giles Phibbs — Second Human Ken Tyllsen — First Sensorite/First Scientist Joe Greig — Second Sensorite/Second Scientist/Warrior Peter Glaze — Third Sensorite/City Administrator Arthur Newall — Fourth Sensorite Eric Francis — First Elder Bartlett Mullins — Second Elder Anthony Rogers, Gerry Martin — Sensorites Production Writer Peter R. Newman Director Mervyn Pinfield (episodes 1-4) Frank Cox (episodes 5,6) Script editor David Whitaker Producer Verity Lambert Mervyn Pinfield (associate producer) Executive producer(s) None Production code G Series Season 1 Length 6 episodes, 25 minutes each Date started 20 June 1964 Date ended 1 August 1964 Chronology ← Preceded by Followed by → The Aztecs The Reign of Terror The Sensorites is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from June 20 to August 1, 1964. The story is notable for its demonstration of Susan's telepathy and references to the Doctor and her home planet. Contents [hide] 1 Plot 1.1 Continuity 1.1.1 Susan's telepathy 2 Production 2.1 Cast notes 3 Broadcast and reception 4 In print 5 VHS, CD and DVD releases 6 References 7 External links 7.1 Reviews 7.2 Target novelisation [edit] Plot The TARDIS travellers land on a moving spaceship and find the crew apparently dead. However, one of the crew members, Captain Maitland, regains consciousness and Ian Chesterton fully revives him and another woman, Carol Richmond. These two tell the travellers that they are on an exploration mission from Earth and are orbiting Sense-Sphere. However, its inhabitants, the Sensorites, refuse to let them leave the orbit. The Sensorites visit and stop the travellers from leaving, while sending them on a collision course, which the Doctor diverts. The travellers then meet John (whose mind has been broken by the Sensorites) and find out that he is Carol's fiancé. Returning to plague the crew, the Sensorites freeze Carol and Maitland once more. The Doctor breaks Maitland's mental conditioning, but cannot help John. Susan's telepathic mind is flooded with the many voices of the Sensorites who remain scared of the humans and are trying to communicate with her. Meanwhile, The Doctor works out that the Sensorites attacked the human craft because John, a mineralogist, had discovered a vast supply of molybdenum on Sense-Sphere. Susan reports that the Sensorites want to make contact with travellers, asking the crew to go aboard Sense-sphere and reveal that a previous Earth expedition caused them great misery. The Doctor refuses but Susan, under duress, agrees and begins to leave the ship. The Doctor deduces that the Sensorites need plenty of light, so Ian reduces the lighting on the ship, rendering the Sensorites helpless and rescuing Susan. The Doctor then asks the Sensorites to return his lock and is invited to go to Sense-Sphere to speak with the leader. Susan, Ian, Carol and John join him while Barbara and Maitland stay behind. John is promised that his condition will be reversed. On their journey to Sense-Sphere, the party learn that the previous visitors from Earth exploited Sense-Sphere for its wealth, then argued. Half of them stole the spacecraft, which exploded on take-off. The Sensorite Council is divided over the issue of inviting the party to Sense-Sphere: some of the councillors plot to kill them on arrival, but some believe that the humans can help with the disease that is currently killing many Sensorites. Their first plot is foiled by the other Sensorites, but they continue to plot in secret. The humans are not told of the first plot, and John and Carol are cured. In the main conference room, Ian starts coughing violently and collapses. Suffering from the disease that has blighted the Sensorites, he is told that he will soon die. It turns out that he was actually poisoned by drinking water from the general aqueduct. The Doctor finds the problematic aqueduct and starts work with the Sensorite scientists. The plotting Sensorites capture and then impersonate a Sensorite leader, the Second Elder and steal the new cure, before it is given to Ian, but a new one is made easily and Ian is cured. Meanwhile, investigating the aqueduct, the Doctor finds strange noises and darkness. He finds and removes deadly nightshade (the cause of the poisoning), but on going back, meets an unseen monster. Susan and Ian find him unconscious with a ripped coat, but otherwise unharmed. On being recovered, he tells of his suspicion that some Sensorites are plotting to kill them. The plotting Sensorites kill the Second Elder and one of them replaces him in his position. John tells the others that he knows the lead plotter, but he is now too powerful, so The Doctor and Ian go down to the aqueduct to find the poisoners. Their weapons and map were tampered with and are useless. Elsewhere, a mysterious assailant abducts Carol and forces her to write saying she has left for the ship. Neither Susan, John or Barbara believe this so they go to investigate and find her imprisoned. Susan, John and Barbara overpower the guard and release Carol. On finding out about the tampered tools, they go into the aqueduct to rescue the Doctor and Ian. The leader discovers the plotters a little while later. Ian and the Doctor discover that the monsters were actually the survivors of the previous Earth mission, and they had been poisoning the Sensorites. Their deranged Commander leads them to the surface, where they are arrested by the Sensorites. The Doctor and his party return to the city, pleading clemency for the poisoners. The leader of the Sensorites agrees and sends them back with Maitland, John and Carol to Earth, for treatment for madness. [edit] Continuity Susan's description of her home planet as having a burnt orange sky and silver leaved trees is echoed by a similar description of the planet by the Tenth Doctor to Martha Jones in "Gridlock". It also bears similarities to the description given to Grace in the 1996 telemovie. In the Doctor Who Confidential episode, You've Got the Look (released to accompany "The Impossible Planet"), Russell T Davies said that he wanted the Ood to resemble the Sensorites, and that he likes to think they come from a planet near the Sense Sphere. This was later confirmed in the Tenth Doctor episode "Planet of the Ood", in which the Doctor visits the Ood's homeworld (the Ood-Sphere) and mentions that he once visited the Sense-Sphere in the same system. Susan's experiences here carry over into the Big Finish Productions audio story Transit of Venus. It takes place directly after this story, despite the fact that the ending of The Sensorites seems to lead directly into The Reign of Terror. However, this inconsistency is explained in the audio play. One of the creatures in the episode Kidnap attacks the Doctor, and he states later that it attacked him under his heart - suggesting that he has only one heart. The Doctor's having two hearts did not appear in the series until much later. [edit] Susan's telepathy This episode is known for Susan's use of telepathy. The earlier conception of Susan's character spun her as a less ordinary girl who had unusual abilities, of which Susan's ability in this story may been seen as one of the few remnants. At the end of the story, Susan loses her telepathy because according to the Sensorites, the Sense Sphere "has an extraordinary number of ultra-high frequencies, so I won't be able to go on using thought transference." However, the Doctor says that she has a gift and "when we get home to our own place, I think we should try to perfect it." The spin-off media have more explicitly clarified that Time Lords have limited telepathic abilities. [edit] Production Serial details by episode EpisodeBroadcast dateRun timeViewership (in millions)Archive "Strangers in Space" 20 June 1964 24:46 7.9 16mm t/r "The Unwilling Warriors" 27 June 1964 24:44 6.9 16mm t/r "Hidden Danger" 11 July 1964 24:53 7.4 16mm t/r "A Race Against Death" 18 July 1964 24:49 5.5 16mm t/r "Kidnap" 25 July 1964 25:47 6.9 16mm t/r "A Desperate Venture" 1 August 1964 24:29 6.9 16mm t/r [1][2][3] Jacqueline Hill does not appear in episodes 4 and 5, though she was still credited on-screen. Designer Raymond Cusick used almost all curves in his sets for the Sense Sphere, feeling that this would give a more alien look. [edit] Cast notes Arthur Newall also appeared as a Sensorite in this story, not a Dalek as is commonly believed. Stephen Dartnell appears as John. He had previously appeared as Yartek in The Keys of Marinus. John Bailey, who plays the Commander, returned to the series to play Edward Waterfield in The Evil of the Daleks and Sezom in The Horns of Nimon. [edit] Broadcast and reception The third episode was postponed by one week following the overrun of sports programme Grandstand. [edit] In print The serial was novelised for Target Books by Nigel Robinson in February 1987 as Doctor Who: The Sensorites. Doctor Who book The Sensorites Series Target novelisations Release number 118 Writer Nigel Robinson Publisher Target Books Cover artist Nick Spender ISBN 0-491-03455-5 Release date February 1987 (Hardback) 16 July 1987 (Paperback) Preceded by ' Followed by ' [edit] VHS, CD and DVD releases A restored and VidFIREd version of this story was released on VHS in November 2002. In July 2008, the original soundtrack was released on CD in the UK, with linking narration provided by William Russell. The story is scheduled to be released on DVD in the UK on 23 January 2012 [4] [edit] References ^ Shaun Lyon et al. (2007-03-31). "The Sensorites". Outpost Gallifrey. Archived from the original on 2008-05-06. Retrieved 2008-08-30. ^ "The Sensorites". Doctor Who Reference Guide. Retrieved 2008-08-30. ^ Sullivan, Shannon (2008-06-23). "The Sensorites". A Brief History of Time Travel. Retrieved 2008-08-30. ^ http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2011/05/dwn030511125312-dvd-schedule-update.html [edit] External links The Sensorites at BBC Online The Sensorites at Doctor Who: A Brief History Of Time (Travel) The Sensorites at the Doctor Who Reference Guide The Sensorites on TARDIS Index File, an external wiki [edit] Reviews The Sensorites reviews at Outpost Gallifrey The Sensorites reviews at The Doctor Who Ratings Guide [edit] Target novelisation On Target — The Sensorites [hide] v d e
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TDP 227: The Doctor The Widow and the Wardrobe (DVD Review)
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 6 minutes and 27 secondsSeries Doctor Who DVDs Country United Kingdom Release date 16 January 2012 No. of discs 1 Rating Uk dvd rating 12.png Original RRP £13.27 Subtitles English Region 2 PAL Aspect ratio 16:9 Running time 60 mins approx Cover blurb It's Christmas Eve, 1938, when Madge Arwell comes to the aid of an injured Spaceman Angel as she cycles home. He promises to repay her kindness - all she has to do is make a wish. Three years later, a devastated Madge escapes war-torn London with her two children for a dilapidated house in Dorset. She is crippled with grief at the news her husband has been lost over the channel, but determined to give Lily and Cyril the best Christmas ever. The Arwells are surprised to be greeted by a madcap caretaker whose mysterious Christmas gift leads them into a magical wintry world. Here, Madge will learn how to be braver than she ever thought possible. And that wishes can come true... Special features Users who have this • The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe Prequel • The Best of The Doctor • The Best of The Companions • The Best of the Monsters
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TDP 226: The Android Invasion (UNIT BOX SET Story 2)
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 6 minutes and 43 secondsReprinted from Wiki with thanks and respect A UNIT soldier walks, as if in a trance, through the woods, his right arm twitching spasmodically. Nearby, the TARDIS materialises, and the Doctor and Sarah step out. The Doctor explains that the coordinates were set for Sarah's time but the linear coordinates were off, so they could be miles from London. In any case, Sarah is glad to be back on Earth. The Doctor detects an odd reading of energy or radiation nearby. The Doctor and Sarah meet a group of four men in white suits and opaque helmets. When the Doctor asks them for directions, they start shooting at them with their index fingers. The Doctor and Sarah duck and run, with the four in pursuit. Sarah slips down a hillside and clings to a cliff ledge. The Doctor helps her up; at that point, they see the soldier, jerkily making his way towards the cliff's edge. The Doctor shouts at him to stop, but he pays no heed, running right over the cliff and falling to his death. The Doctor searches the body, finding a wallet full of shiny, freshly minted coins, all dated the same year. They also spot a casket-shaped pod nearby, which the Doctor finds familiar. Before he can identify it further, shots ring out: the white-suited men have found them again. They run once more through the countryside, avoiding their pursuers and reaching a village, which Sarah recognises as Devesham, which lies about a mile from a Space Defence Station. The village, however, is deathly quiet, and seems unpopulated. The Doctor decides to try the local pub, the Fleur-de-Lys, but it is also empty, and the Doctor finds the same freshly minted coins in the register. Sarah then spots the white suits coming down the street, accompanied by the "dead" soldier. A Ford Transit pick-up truck arrives, carrying what seem to be villagers, all in a trance-like state. They are helped off the vehicle by the white suits, and distribute themselves around the village. Mr Morgan, the landlord of the pub, enters it along with several other people while Sarah and the Doctor hide in the store room. The villagers take their seats silently, waiting motionless until the clock strikes eight, when they suddenly come to life, acting normally. The Doctor intends to get to the Space Defence Station and contact UNIT. He leaves, telling Sarah to meet him at the TARDIS if anything goes wrong. However, the "dead" soldier finds her in the store room and questions her. Morgan suggests that Sarah might be part of "the test". But when Sarah asks what test, he tells Sarah that she should go. Outside, Sarah hides behind the lorry, observing one of the white suits turn around. Behind the opaque visor is nothing but a slab of plastic and electronics. Sarah runs for the woods, reaching the TARDIS. She spots a similar pod just next to the time machine and goes to examine it, leaving the TARDIS key in the lock. Suddenly, the TARDIS dematerialises without her, and as Sarah is still trying to understand why, a hand reaches out from the pod. Startled, Sarah sees a man lying inside, but when she goes closer, he grabs her around the throat. She breaks free and runs. At the Defence Station, the Doctor asks a soldier on guard where the command officer is, but the soldier just stares ahead, unresponsive. Also inside the building, Senior Defence Astronaut Guy Crayford is addressed by a disembodied voice. The voice, named Styggron, tells him that there is a random "unit" within the complex and orders him to check. The Doctor enters an office marked with Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart's name, but it is empty. Crayford enters, and points a gun on him. The Doctor introduces himself as UNIT's scientific advisor. Crayford has heard of him, but as the Brigadier is in Geneva, and Colonel Faraday is in command, there is no one to confirm the Doctor's identity; he could be an impostor. Before Crayford can have the Doctor taken to detention, the Doctor flips the desk over and runs. However, despite making it outside, he is recaptured. Sarah sees this and sneaks into the building, going to the Doctor's cell and unlocks the door, unaware that from behind a wall a stony alien face is observing them. Styggron contacts Crayford again, complaining about a second random unit. Crayford identifies this random units as the Doctor and Sarah. At that moment, the alarm sounds indicating the Doctor's escape. Crayford sends his UNIT soldiers to stop them. Hiding in a storage cupboard, the Doctor tells Sarah about Crayford. She replies that it is impossible: Crayford was in deep space while testing the XK-5 Space Raider when it vanished, presumed destroyed. The Doctor and Sarah venture out to find Sergeant Benton standing in the reception area, who points a pistol at them. Styggron wants the Doctor captured alive. When Crawford cancels the kill order, Benton becomes dizzy, giving the Doctor and Sarah a chance to run away. Crayford orders Harry Sullivan to cordon off the perimeter road. The two decide to return to the village and warn London, while being pursued by tracker dogs. Sarah twists her ankle while running through the woods and this slows her down. The Doctor hides Sarah in a tree, taking her scarf to draw the dogs away. He then hides in a stream, the dogs losing his trail. Unfortunately, when the soldiers turn back, they spot Sarah, and capture her. Styggron tells Crayford to locate, but not seize the Doctor. He has other plans for him. Meanwhile, in an alien-looking room, Sarah is strapped down to a table. Harry tells her it is no use to struggle, and under Styggron's order, commences the scan. In the village, the Doctor finds the telephones are not working. He meets Morgan, who tells him the lines are down after a gale. Styggron speaks to another of his kind, Chedaki, who feels that the time for experiments are over, but Styggron insists that they must confirm their techniques are flawless if they are to conquer worlds other than Earth. Styggron contacts Crayford and tells him to commence the final test. In the pub, the Doctor finds more oddities: an unused dart board, plastic horse brass on the wall and a tear-off calendar with only one date on every page - Friday 6 July. The telephone rings, and the call is for the Doctor. It is Sarah, who tells the Doctor she was captured but managed to escape. She asks the Doctor to meet her by the Village shop and to be careful of the robots. He hangs up the call, then finds that the telephone has stopped working again. The Doctor meets Sarah, who explains how she escaped. The Doctor remarks on the providence of her finding the only telephone in the village that worked, and believes they are being tested to find out how smart they are. He decides to take Sarah to the TARDIS and use the radio there. However, the TARDIS is gone. The Doctor is puzzled: the ship is not programmed to auto-operate, unless... he asks Sarah for her TARDIS key, and when she claims she has lost it, the Doctor tells her she never had it. When Sarah put the key in the lock, she released the TARDIS's pause control and it continued its journey to Earth. This is not Earth, this is not a real forest, and she is not the real Sarah. Moreover, the real Sarah wasn't wearing a scarf, which the Doctor took off to draw the dogs away. The Doctor grabs the duplicate by the shoulders and demands to know where Sarah is. The duplicate pulls free, but falls to the ground, her face popping open and revealing the electronics underneath. The android Sarah rises to its feet and starts to fire its pistol at the Doctor's retreating form. Chedaki tells Styggron that it was a foolish experiment. The Doctor could undo their plans. Styggron dismisses this; both the village and the Doctor will be destroyed by a matter dissolving bomb. The real Sarah is being kept alive so Styggron can test the virus he intends to use to cleanse the Earth of human life. All the while, Sarah is feigning unconsciousness and listening. When the coast is clear, she gets up and sneaks away. The Doctor watches the pick-up drive into the village and evacuate the androids to the Kraal base. The Doctor is grabbed from behind by Styggron, who gets two white suits to tie him up while the Kraal places the bomb at the Doctor's feet. Luckily, Sarah too has made it back to the village, and uses the Doctor's sonic screwdriver to cut his bonds. With seconds to spare, they run into the base and shut the door, as the village dissolves into a wasteland. However, the two are surrounded by androids, who escort them to a cell. The Doctor tells Sarah that he should have realised — the radiation levels he picked up when they landed were those of Oseidon, the Kraal planet. The levels are increasing and the planet will soon be uninhabitable, which is why the Kraals are invading Earth. The duplicated village and their androids were a training ground. Crayford enters the cell and tells the Doctor that it is all for the best. Soon, the Kraals will send his ship back by space-time warp so he can make a normal landing. He has recently established radio contact with Earth, and fed them a story of how his ship was trapped in an orbit around Jupiter and he survived by rationing his supplies and recycling his water. The world's attention focused on his landing, the space shells containing the androids will be taken for meteorites, who will emerge and pave the way for the main invasion fleet. He is helping the Kraals because while Earth left him for dead, they rescued his ship and reconstructed his body. The Kraals only want to survive, and have also promised him no humans will be harmed as long as they obey. Styggron gets "Harry" to place a drop of the virus in a jug of water to be taken to the cell. Meanwhile, although the sonic screwdriver is useless on the door, the Doctor has managed to remove a floor plate, intending to use the wiring below to electrocute their android guard. "Harry" enters with the water, and also to take the Doctor away. Before he goes, he tells Sarah not to waste the water and mentioned it is very good electrolyte. The Doctor is strapped down to the Kraal analysis table which will copy all his knowledge and experience. Despite what Styggron has told Crayford, he reveals that does intend genocide. Earth's resources are too limited to be wasted on an "inferior species". The virus, distributed by androids, will wipe the Earth clean in three weeks, then burn itself out. Styggron will then signal the invasion fleet. Styggron leaves the machine to do its work, and when it finishes, the stimulation will make the Doctor's head explode. Sarah rigs the wiring beneath the cell floor, then sets a small fire to lure the android guard in. He steps in the puddle of water, and is electrocuted when Sarah applies the power cable. She makes her way to the Doctor and turns off the scan. She helps the disorientated Time Lord out of the base, heading for Crayford's rocket before it takes off. The rocket is launched, and the G-forces start to crush them. Sarah blacks out, but is awakened by the Doctor. He tells her that was nothing; there is a more dangerous ride ahead. Before the rocket lands, the pods will be ejected, and the Doctor and Sarah will ride two of them to Earth to warn the real Defence Station, although he cannot guarantee they will survive the trip down. As they talk, neither notices a nearby pod open slightly to reveal an android Doctor. On Earth, Matthews at the Defence Station's scanner room picks up Crayford's rocket. Grierson, the man in charge, informs Colonel Faraday. Meanwhile, having found the TARDIS in the woods near Devesham, Benton and Harry have been searching for the Doctor and Sarah, but to no avail. Benton is worried, as he has never known the Doctor to leave the TARDIS key in its lock. Faraday welcomes Crayford home on the radio, but the signal is broken up by the "meteor shower" of pods which, unusually, slow down as they enter the atmosphere. Some of the pods land in a nearby field, and one opens up to reveal the Doctor. However, he is unable to find Sarah. Sarah, having landed elsewhere, finds the TARDIS in the woods. As she looks around, the Doctor taps her on the shoulder. However, this Doctor is an android, and behind it a pod opens to disgorge another Sarah replica. The real Sarah runs for it. The XK-5 re-establishes contact and comes in for a landing. Harry and Faraday head for the rocket, not knowing that Styggron is there with Crayford. The real Doctor enters the Station, and recognises the "dead" soldier. Showing him a pass, the Doctor tells the soldier that if he sees the Doctor again today he is to report it to him immediately. The Doctor goes to the scanner room, leaving the soldier puzzled. When Benton tells him where Harry and Faraday are, the Doctor contacts them on the radio and urges them not to enter the rocket. He will meet them at the lift. While the Doctor gives Grierson some instructions for modifying the radar dish, an android Matthews has incapacitated Benton and introduced an android replacement. Grierson says that if the Doctor points the dishes down here, it will jam every piece of electronic equipment for miles. Faraday returns to the scanner room, demanding an explanation. The Doctor tells them about the Kraal invasion. However, the Doctor is too late: Harry and Faraday have been replaced, and the android Doctor is pointing a gun at him. He slams the door in the android's face and leaps through a window. Outside, he meets Sarah. The Doctor tells Sarah their only chance is to stop the androids before they take over the complex, and runs back towards the scanner room, bluffing his way past "Benton" by posing as his duplicate. Sarah climbs up the rocket towards the real Harry and Styggron. Grierson finishes his modifications, but is shot in the shoulder by the android Doctor before he can turn on the power. The android is about to shoot the original when Crayford enters, saying that Styggron promised no killing. The "Doctor" calls him a fool, and tells him about the virus. Crayford cannot believe this, but the real Doctor tells him that his rocket was actually hijacked by the Kraal, and they did not reconstruct but merely brainwashed him. Realising the truth, Crayford rushes out, distracting the android long enough for the Doctor to make his move. In the struggle, the Doctor manages to activate the power to the radar, jamming all the androids in mid-step. In the rocket, Sarah unties Harry and Faraday. Styggron enters, holding a ray gun on them, but Crayford appears and attacks him. The two grapple, and Styggron shoots Crayford. The Doctor makes his own entrance, punching the Kraal, who falls on the vial of virus, cracking it open. Styggron shoots the Doctor before he dies. Sarah is horrified, but the real Doctor shows up — he had programmed his duplicate to distract Styggron. As proof, the android disintegrates into its component parts. Sarah and the Doctor make their way back to the TARDIS. Sarah says she is going to take a taxi home, but when the Doctor offers to take her home instead, she smiles, "How can I refuse?" The two enter the ship and it vanishes. [edit] Continuity This story marks the last appearances of John Levene (Sergeant Benton) and Ian Marter (Harry Sullivan) in the series. The characters were mentioned (but did not appear) in Mawdryn Undead (1983). Harry was said to be working with NATO and doing something "hush-hush at Porton Down". Benton was said to have left the army and become a used car salesman. This story also marks the first appearance of The Doctor's grey coat, with its black elbow patches. This version of his costume would alternate with others for the next couple of seasons. [edit] Production Serial details by episode EpisodeBroadcast dateRun timeViewership (in millions) "Part One" 22 November 1975 24:21 11.9 "Part Two" 29 November 1975 24:30 11.3 "Part Three" 6 December 1975 24:50 12.1 "Part Four" 13 December 1975 24:30 11.4 [1][2][3] Working titles for this story included The Kraals, The Kraal Invasion, and The Enemy Within. Location filming for the Kraal-replicated village of Devesham took place in East Hagbourne, Oxfordshire, a few miles from Didcot. The story was influenced by the film Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and would be the last Terry Nation script for Doctor Who for four years until his final script for the series, Destiny of the Daleks (1979). This was the first script by Nation since The Keys of Marinus (1964) that did not feature the Daleks. Nicholas Courtney was unavailable to play Lethbridge-Stewart, so his character was re-written as Colonel Faraday. Kenneth Williams briefly mentioned viewing episode two of this story in his diaries, writing on 29 November 1975 "Dr Who gets more and more silly."[citation needed] [edit] Cast notes Ian Marter would continue his acting career and go on to write several Doctor Who novelisations, an original novel featuring Harry and an unused screenplay, Doctor Who Meets Scratchman, the last with Tom Baker. He died in 1986 from diabetes-related health complications. Milton Johns' had appeared as Benik in The Enemy of the World. His next appearance in Who would be as Castellan Kelner in The Invasion of Time. Only three Kraals are seen throughout the story. Styggron was played by Martin Friend. Marshal Chedaki, was played by Roy Skelton. The silent Kraal underling that appears in one scene was played by the series' long time stuntman Stuart Fell. [edit] Outside reference Near the end of Part Three just after Sarah frees the Doctor from the machine, the Doctor tells her, "Listen! Once upon a time, there were three sisters, and they lived in the bottom of a treacle well! Their names are Olga, Masha, and Irina." This is a conflation of the dormouse's story in chapter seven of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Anton Chekhov's play, Three Sisters. [edit] In print A novelisation of this serial, written by Terrance Dicks, was published by Target Books in November 1978. The novelisation was later designated number 2 when Target opted to number the first seventy-three novelisations alphabetically; however no edition using the number was ever released. Doctor Who book Doctor Who and the Android Invasion Series Target novelisations Release number (Assigned 2, but never used) Writer Terrance Dicks Publisher Target Books Cover artist Roy Knipe ISBN 0-426-20037-3 Release date 16 November 1978 Preceded by ' Followed by ' DVD & VHS release This story was released on VHS in March 1995. The story has been announced for DVD release on 9 January 2012 alongside Invasion of the Dinosaurs, coupled as the "UNIT Files" box set. [4] References ^ Shaun Lyon et al. (2007-03-31). "The Android Invasion". Outpost Gallifrey. Archived from the original on 2008-07-31. Retrieved 2008-08-30. ^ "The Android Invasion". Doctor Who Reference Guide. Retrieved 2008-08-30. ^ Sullivan, Shannon (2007-08-07). "The Android Invasion". A Brief History of Time Travel. Retrieved 2008-08-30. ^ http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2011/05/dwn030511125312-dvd-schedule-update.html External links The Android Invasion at BBC Online The Android Invasion at Doctor Who: A Brief History Of Time (Travel) The Android Invasion at the Doctor Who Reference Guide Reviews The Android Invasion reviews at Outpost Gallifrey The Android Invasion reviews at The Doctor Who Ratings Guide Target novelisation Doctor Who and the Android Invasion reviews at The Doctor Who Ratings Guide On Target — Doctor Who and the Android Invasion
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TDP 225: Invasion of the Dinosaurs
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 11 minutes and 23 secondsreprinted from wikipedia with respect and thanks Synopsis The Doctor and Sarah arrive in 1970s London to find that it has been evacuated, due to the mysterious appearance of dinosaurs. It turns out that the dinosaurs are being brought to London via a time machine in order to further a plan to revert London to a pre-technological level. [edit] Plot The Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith arrive in a deserted London plagued by looters and lawlessness where UNIT is assisting with maintaining martial law. The regular army, headed by General Finch, has evacuated the entire city and issues a command that any looters in London will be shot on sight. The Doctor and Sarah are soon arrested on suspicion of being looters themselves but are identified from the photographs by Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, who is heading up the UNIT operation, and arranges that the pair are freed to help combat the monsters that have necessitated the evacuation of London. Dinosaurs have started appearing all over the city – but that is not all, as the Doctor comes across a medieval peasant from the days of King Richard, who disappears in a time eddy. It seems the dinosaurs have been present for several months, but nobody can account for their sudden appearance or the havoc they are causing. The British Government has been relocated to Harrogate during the crisis, and the army has taken charge to ensure an orderly evacuation and to try and maintain some sort of control in the city. The dinosaur appearances are various – pterodactyls, Stegosaurus, Tyrannosaurus Rex – but the creatures seem to vanish as mysteriously as they appear. The Doctor ventures out around the city with a UNIT escort, hoping to learn more of the curious phenomenon, and they encounter a Stegosaurus moments before it disappears. He starts to suspect someone is deliberately bringing the dinosaurs to London – and in a hidden laboratory a pair of scientists, Butler and Professor Whitaker, are shown operating the Timescoop technology that is making the situation possible. They are being aided by Captain Mike Yates from UNIT, who is revealed to be recovering from a nervous breakdown caused by the events depicted in The Green Death. Mike feels the Doctor could help them achieve Operation Golden Age, but Whitaker is unconvinced, and tells Mike to sabotage the stun gun, which the Doctor is building for use on the dinosaurs. He does this, imperilling the Doctor when he encounters a Tyrannosaurus Rex, but the situation is saved and the creature is stunned and captured. Hours later, however, General Finch sets it free, evidently part of the conspiracy too. Sarah Jane has meanwhile set off to gather her own evidence and meets with Sir Charles Grover, an ecologist MP who is acting as Minister with Special Responsibilities in London. She is drugged by him and when she wakes up is astounded to find herself on a vast spaceship. The crew include Mark, Adam and Ruth, all famed British minor celebrities who have adopted new aliases and lives. They tell her they en route for a New Earth where mankind can begin again, closer to nature. They left Earth three months earlier and the ship is one of a fleet that is carrying over two hundred people to a new life. Sarah is committed to the re-education programme to enable her to think like them. The Doctor now focuses on more searches of London using his new vehicle, the Whomobile, as transport. Under Trafalgar Square tube station he finds the base used by Whitaker and Butler, but is scared away when they use a pterodactyl to defend their lair. When he returns with the Brigadier, the signs of occupation have been removed. Operation Golden Age is revealed to be a broad conspiracy containing Whitaker, Butler, Yates, Grover and Finch as its core co-ordinators. They have emptied London to enable it to revert to a more natural state, after which the people on the spaceships (in reality they are in vast bunkers and not in space at all) will be allowed out and enabled to repopulate a clean and free planet. Whitaker also works out how to reverse time, so that soon none of humanity apart from their own chosen specimens will ever have existed. Finch tries to frame and discredit the Doctor, whom he knows will not support their plans, and the Doctor soon twigs that an over-zealous Yates is the UNIT mole. Sergeant Benton lets the Doctor escape, for which Finch threatens a court martial. The Doctor uses his freedom to track down more monsters, but when he is recaptured the Brigadier asserts his authority and takes the Doctor into UNIT custody rather than the regular army’s. Sarah has meanwhile escaped from the fake spaceship having learnt its true nature, but is apprehended by Finch, who tracks her down and returns her to Whitaker’s custody. While she is away Mark works out that the ship is a fake too and exposes this to the other passengers, but he is not believed. When Sarah is returned to the ship she and Mark use the fake airlock to convince Ruth and the others of the depth of the deception Shortly afterward Finch and Yates reveal their hands to the Doctor, Benton and the Brigadier, and reveal the nature of their plans. The Doctor and the Brigadier get away once more and head back to the base, evading dinosaurs en route, where they confront Grover and Whitaker. The duped environmentalists from the fake spaceship also appear, along with Sarah, and demand an explanation. In the ensuing fight Whitaker and Grover are transported back through the Timescoop to the Golden Age they sought to bring to modern Britain. Back at UNIT HQ, the Brigadier confirms to the Doctor that the crisis is over, but there are still some human casualties to deal with. Finch will face a court martial while Yates is being offered the chance to resign and given extended sick leave. The Doctor reflects that people like Grover may have had good motivations in wanting to fight pollution and environmental degradation, but they took their schemes too far and endangered all mankind and its civilisation. He decides it is time for a holiday and offers to take Sarah Jane to the holiday planet of Florana. [edit] Continuity This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2011) Sarah Jane Smith refers to her encounter with real dinosaurs in a conversation with Rose Tyler during the episode "School Reunion". The Seventh Doctor also mentions the events of this story to Ace in The Happiness Patrol. A clip on the website of The Sarah Jane Adventures refers to the events of this story as having been explained as mass hallucinations caused by a contaminated water supply. An alternative version of the events of this serial is mentioned in the Big Finish Doctor Who Unbound audio play Sympathy for the Devil. [edit] Production Serial details by episode EpisodeBroadcast dateRun timeViewership (in millions)Archive "Part One" 12 January 1974 25:29 11.0 16mm black and white engineering print "Part Two" 19 January 1974 24:43 10.1 PAL 2" colour videotape "Part Three" 26 January 1974 23:26 11.0 PAL 2" colour videotape "Part Four" 2 February 1974 23:33 9.0 PAL 2" colour videotape "Part Five" 9 February 1974 24:30 9.0 PAL 2" colour videotape "Part Six" 16 February 1974 25:34 7.5 PAL 2" colour videotape [1][2][3] Working titles for this story included Bridgehead from Space and Timescoop. The first episode has the story title contracted to Invasion in an attempt to conceal the central plot device. However this was undermined by the BBC listings magazine Radio Times who gave the full story title. In the original novelisation, no reference is made to the "Whomobile" and the Doctor uses a military motor bike with electronic scanning equipment attached to it. Malcolm Hulke protested against the use of the title Invasion of the Dinosaurs, preferring the original working title of Timescoop, and felt the contraction for the first episode was silly, especially because the Radio Times listing used the full title. In a response letter after transmission script editor Terrance Dicks pointed out that all the titles used for the project had originated in the Doctor Who production office. He agreed that the contraction to Invasion was a decision he now regretted but noted that "Radio Times are a law unto themselves". Locations used in London included: Westminster Bridge, Whitehall, Trafalgar Square, Haymarket, Covent Garden, Southall and Wimbledon Common [edit] Missing Episodes & Archive All episodes of this story bar episode 1 exist on their original PAL colour master tapes, with the first episode only existing as a monochrome 16mm film print. There is a longstanding fan myth that the tape of episode 1 was erased by mistake, having been confused with an episode of the Patrick Troughton serial The Invasion. In reality, BBC Enterprises issued instructions to wipe all six episodes of Invasion of the Dinosaurs in August 1974, just six months after the story's transmission; for reasons unknown, however, only episode 1 was actually junked. As far as the BBC was concerned, the story had been wiped in its entirety; researchers for the 1976 documentary Whose Doctor Who found that none of the episodes was listed as existing in the BBC library.[4] The surviving film recording of Episode 1 is the only telerecording of a Season 11 episode known to exist. A black-and-white film print exists of the film sequences from part one. This includes one scene of a scared scavenger stealing money from a dead milkman's satchel omitted from the transmitted version, this would have been part of the deserted London montage. The black-and-white prints were used as practice for the film editor to make cuts before they cut the colour negatives. Colour 35mm film sequences from Episode five also exist. Episode 3's first edit (also known in the BBC as a 71 edit) also exists, without sound effects or music on the soundtrack. [edit] Cast notes John Bennett would later return to Doctor Who as Li H'sen Chang in The Talons of Weng-Chiang. Peter Miles has also appeared in Doctor Who in other roles in Doctor Who and the Silurians and Genesis of the Daleks. Martin Jarvis had earlier appeared as Hilio in The Web Planet and would later appear as the Governor of Varos in Vengeance on Varos. Carmen Silvera had previously appeared in The Celestial Toymaker. [edit] Reception After the episodes were broadcast, many children viewers of the show complained that the Tyrannosaurus Rex was actually an Allosaurus.[5] Doctor Who: The Television Companion (by Howe and Walker, BBC Publishing, 1998) quotes a contemporary review (from a fanzine) that describes the dinosaur special effects thus: "After escaping they [the Doctor and Sarah] came up against the first dinosaur and, oh dear, shades of Basil Brush! A glove puppet nervously skiing about London streets didn't exactly fill me with fright..." [edit] In print A novelisation of this serial, written by Malcolm Hulke, was published by Target Books in February 1976 as Doctor Who and the Dinosaur Invasion. In 1993 it was reprinted with the title Doctor Who - Invasion of the Dinosaurs. The novelisation features a prologue about the dinosaurs and ends with the Doctor consulting the Book of Ezekiel to determine the final fate of the Golden Age time travellers. An unabridged reading of the novelisation by actor Martin Jarvis was released on CD in November 2007 by BBC Audiobooks. Doctor Who book Doctor Who and the Dinosaur Invasion Series Target novelisations Release number 22 Writer Malcolm Hulke Publisher Target Books Cover artist Chris Achilleos ISBN 0-426-10874-4 Release date 19 February 1976 Preceded by ' Followed by ' [edit] VHS and DVD release This was the final complete story to be released by BBC Worldwide on VHS, in 2003. The story is to be released on DVD in the UK on 9 January 2012 alongside the 1975 Tom Baker story The Android Invasion, together forming the U.N.I.T Files box set.[6] The DVD will feature a restored black-and-white version of Episode 1 as the default and also a 'best-endeavours' attempt at colour recovery of this episode as a branched-extra feature.[7] In contrast to other wiped colour episodes from the Pertwee era where the missing colour information had been inadvertently recorded on the surviving black and white film copies as a sequence of visual artifacts/dots or chroma dots, in the case of Episode 1 of this story this information was found to be incomplete, and only the red and green colour signal information was recoverable, requiring the missing blue signal information to be obtained via other means. The new colour version of Episode 1 featured on the DVD thus employs approximated blue colour information, and although the outcome is not up to normal DVD quality, it gives an impression of what the episode would have looked like when originally broadcast.[8] [edit] References ^ Shaun Lyon et al. (2007-03-31). "Invasion of the Dinosaurs". Outpost Gallifrey. Retrieved 2008-08-30.[dead link] ^ "Invasion of the Dinosaurs". Doctor Who Reference Guide. Retrieved 2008-08-30. ^ Sullivan, Shannon (2007-08-07). "Invasion of the Dinosaurs". A Brief History of Time Travel. Retrieved 2008-08-30. ^ Molesworth, Richard Wiped! Doctor Who's Missing Episodes, Telos Publishing Ltd, Sept 2010 ^ "Doctor Who in the BBC" ^ "Doctor Who: U.N.I.T Files Box Set (DVD)". Retrieved 29 December 2011. ^ http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2011/08/dwn010911000112-double-invasion-due-in.html ^ http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Doctor-Invasion-of-the-Dinosaurs-and-Android-Invasion/15889 [edit] External links Invasion of the Dinosaurs at BBC Online Invasion of the Dinosaurs at Doctor Who: A Brief History Of Time (Travel) Invasion of the Dinosaurs at the Doctor Who Reference Guide Fan reviews Invasion of the Dinosaurs reviews at Outpost Gallifrey Invasion of the Dinosaurs reviews at The Doctor Who Ratings Guide Target novelisation Doctor Who and the Invasion of the Dinosaurs reviews at The Doctor Who Ratings Guide On Target — Doctor Who and the Invasion of the Dinosaurs
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TDP 224: Doctor Who Confidential Replacement Service
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 11 minutes and 6 secondswith thanks to the official bbc site
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TDP 223: The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 17 minutes and 25 secondsFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia224 – "The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe"Doctor Who episodeCastDoctor Matt Smith (Eleventh Doctor)ProductionWriter Steven MoffatDirector Farren Blackburn[1]Executive producer(s) Steven Moffat Piers Wenger Caroline Skinner[2]Series Specials (2011)Length 60 minOriginally broadcast 25 December 2011[3]Chronology← Preceded by Followed by →"The Wedding of River Song" Series 7"The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, in which the Doctor visits Earth and an alien forest. The episode was shown in the United Kingdom on Christmas Day on BBC One,[4] BBC America in the United States[5] Space in Canada,[6] and on ABC1 in Australia.[7] It is the seventh Christmas special since the show's revival in 2005.The episode features Claire Skinner, Bill Bailey, Arabella Weir and Alexander Armstrong. A sneak preview was aired on 18 November 2011 for Children in Need.[8]Contents [hide] 1 Plot 1.1 Prequel 1.2 Episode 1.3 Continuity 2 Production 2.1 Cast notes 3 References 4 External links[edit] Plot[edit] PrequelOn 6 December, a prequel to the episode was released online.[9] The Doctor is seen on a spaceship holding a red button which, when he lets go, will cause the space ship to explode. While holding the button, he has phoned the TARDIS to speak to Amy Pond asking her to rescue him, although he does not have his co-ordinates. Amy cannot fly the TARDIS, and she is not on the TARDIS. The Doctor wishes Amy a Merry Christmas before letting go of the button, and the spaceship explodes.[10][edit] EpisodeDuring the Christmas season of 1938, the Doctor finds himself on a damaged alien spacecraft in Earth's orbit. He escapes the exploding ship and the fall to Earth by rapidly donning an impact space suit, though in his haste, the helmet is put on backwards. On crashing to Earth, he is found by Madge Arwell, wife of Reg and mother of two children, Lily and Cyril. She helps the Doctor, stuck and unable to see while in the impact suit, to his TARDIS, and the Doctor promises to repay her for her kindness.Three years later, during World War II, Reg is reported killed in action when the Lancaster Bomber he was piloting disappeared over the English Channel. Madge is told this via telegraph just before Christmas, but decides not to tell her children, hoping to keep their spirits up through the holiday. Madge and the children evacuate London to a relative's house in Dorset, where they are greeted by the Doctor, calling himself "the Caretaker"; Madge does not recognise him from their previous encounter.The Doctor has prepared the house specially for the children and the holiday; though the children are pleased, Madge privately explains about Reg's death to the Doctor and insists he not overindulge the children. During the first night, Cyril is lured into opening a large glowing present under the Christmas tree, revealing a time portal to a snow-covered forest. The Doctor shortly discovers Cyril's absence and follows him with Lily; the two eventually track Cyril down to a strange lighthouse-like structure. Madge, finding her children missing, soon follows them into the forest, but is met by three miners in space suits from the planet Androzani Major.At the lighthouse, Cyril is met by a humanoid creature made of wood; it places a simple band of metal around his head like a crown. Lily and the Doctor arrive, followed by another wood creature, but find that they have rejected Cyril as he is "weak", as is the Doctor. The Doctor concludes that the life forces of the trees in the forest are trying to escape through a living creature, the crown acting as an interface. Meanwhile, Madge, holding the miners at gunpoint, is taken back to their excavation walker and told that the forest of the planet they are on is scheduled to be melted by acid rain within minutes, killing anything within it. The miners are teleported away safely before the rain starts after helping Madge to locate where her children are.Madge, using the little knowledge she knows of flying a plane from Reg, directs the walker to the lighthouse and safely reunites with her children as the acid rain starts. The wood creatures identify her as "strong", and the Doctor realises they consider her the "mothership", able to carry the life force safely. Donning the band, Madge absorbs the life force of the forest, allowing her to direct the top of the lighthouse as an escape pod away from the acid rain and into the time vortex. To get them home, the Doctor directs her to think of memories of home, allowing Madge to revisit her fond memories of Reg, shown on screens within the pod. She realises that she will have to recall the moment of Reg's death, but the Doctor forces her to continue to do so; Lily and Cyril come to learn the truth as they witness his last moments aboard the Lancaster bomber.Soon, the escape pod safely leaves the time vortex, landing just outside the house in Dorset, and the life force of the forest have converted themselves to ethereal beings within the time vortex. The Doctor steps outside while Madge starts to explain Reg's death to Lily and Cyril, but he returns to interrupt her and to tell her to come outside. There stands Reg and his Lancaster; he had followed the bright light of the escape pod into the time vortex and came out safely along with the pod at Dorset. The family has a tearful reunion as the Doctor watches.As Madge and her family turns to celebrate Christmas, the Doctor attempts to slip away, but Madge catches him, and as she sees the TARDIS realises that he is the man in the space suit from three years back. She insists on him staying for Christmas dinner, but when the Doctor reveals he has other friends out there that believe he is dead, Madge convinces him to go to see them at Christmas. The Doctor offers Madge his help if she ever needs it again.Later, the Doctor arrives outside Amy and Rory's home, two years since he left them there. Amy pretends to be angry at him for leaving them the way he did, but explains that River Song told them about his faked death, and Rory reveals that they have been setting a place for him at their Christmas dinner table every year. Having remarked earlier in the episode how "humany-wumany" it is to cry because of happiness, the Doctor finds himself shedding a tear of happiness in reaction to Rory's remark, and grins in wonder, and then steps inside to join them for dinner.[edit] Continuity The three tree harvesters are from Androzani Major in the year 5345, a planet already featured in the serial The Caves of Androzani. The Doctor also mentions the Forest of Cheem, which appeared in the Ninth Doctor episode The End of the World. He also mentioned that one of them fancied him, which was Jabe Ceth Ceth Jafe, who sacrificed her life for him. Amy Pond tells the Doctor that two years have passed since Lake Silencio ("The Impossible Astronaut"/"The Wedding of River Song").[edit] ProductionThe Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre's preserved Lancaster bomber Just Jane, used in the programmeThe BBC announced in September 2011 that production had started for the special and filming was due to be complete by mid October 2011.[11] However, filming was disrupted on 30 September due to a 24-hour protest at BBC Wales because of compulsory redundancies.[12] The story is partly inspired by The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (from The Chronicles of Narnia) by C. S. Lewis.[13] C. S. Lewis died the day before the very first episode of classic Doctor Who aired. Filming of some scenes involving Alexander Armstrong took place in and around the Lancaster bomber 'Just Jane' at the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre on 3 October 2011.[14] External footage of the lighthouse building took place in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire.[15][edit] Cast notesAlexander Armstrong previously appeared in Doctor Who episodes "The Stolen Earth" and "Journey's End" as the voice of Mr Smith, an alien computer, his character from The Sarah Jane Adventures.Arabella Weir previously appeared as an alternate incarnation of the Third Doctor in the Doctor Who Unbound audio drama Exile.[16]Claire Skinner is placed in the opening titles instead of Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill, whose appearance in the episode was not reported before broadcast. Gillan and Darvill are, however, credited above Skinner in the episode's end credits.[edit] References ^ Golder, Dave (21 September 2011). "UPDATE: Doctor Who Christmas Special Director Revealed". SFX. Retrieved 15 December 2011. ^ "Steven Moffat on the New Exec". BBC. 21 July 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2011. ^ Seale, Jack (29 November 2011). "Christmas TV: scheduling confirmed for Doctor Who, Strictly and Downton". Radio Times. Immediate Media. Retrieved 29 November 2011. ^ "Doctor Who: Christmas Day at 7:00pm". BBC. 29 November 2011. Retrieved 15 December 2011. ^ "Doctor Who Christmas Special" (Press release). BBC America. Retrieved 15 December 2011. ^ "Doctor Who: The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe - December 25th at 9pm ET!". Space. Retrieved 28 December 2011. ^ http://www.abc.net.au/tv/doctorwho/christmas2011/ ^ Golder, Dave (27 October 2011). "Doctor Who Christmas Special Clip During Children in Need". SFX. Retrieved 29 October 2011. ^ "Adventure Calendar 2011". BBC. 1 December 2011. Retrieved 15 December 2011. ^ "The Prequel to The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe" (Video). BBC. 6 December 2011. Retrieved 15 December 2011. ^ "Christmas Special: The Stars! The Story!". BBC. 20 September 2011. Retrieved 15 December 2011. ^ Jeffery, Morgan (30 September 2011). "'Doctor Who' Christmas special filming disrupted by BBC Wales strike". Digital Spy. Retrieved 30 September 2011. ^ "Doctor Who Christmas special cast to include Bill Bailey and Claire Skinner". Metro. 21 September 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2011. ^ "Doctor Who Christmas Special role for Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre". Skegness Standard. Retrieved 30 November 2011. ^ who "Look what's landed for Dr Who Xmas special!". The Forester. 22 September 2011. Retrieved 26 December 2011. ^ "Doctor Who Unbound — Exile". Big Finish. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
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TDP 222: Yule/Christmas Special
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 4 minutes and 19 secondsA secret meeting at the bbc... recorded for you... the true future about doctor Who Confidential
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TDP 221: Sarah Jane Smith @ Big Finish 1.4 Ghoat Town
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 14 minutes and 22 seconds2 November, 2001. A worried scientist, working alone in his laboratory, has finally isolated the perfect pitch, but he’s beginning to become concerned about the purpose of “Project CIA.” His doubts have come too late, however, as a familiar figure enters the lab and a struggle ensues. Some time later, Yolande Benstead is woken by a hammering at her door; a bedraggled, terrified figure has stumbled to her home through the storm, and he has no idea who he is... Synopsis (drn: 56'42") Following the recent sarin gas incident, Sarah and Josh have decided they need a holiday, and thus they’re off to Romania to look up an old friend of Sarah’s. As Josh tries to overcome his fear of flight, Sarah admits to him that she’s finally taken the step of selling her aunt’s house and market garden in Moreton Harwood. Juno Baker sorted out the details, the money has been deposited into her “Marie Samuels” account, and her belongings are waiting to be unpacked in her new flat, which used to belong to the late Claudia Coster. But all that can wait; now she and Josh are on their way to a small town in Romania, where Yolande Benstead retired when her brand of journalism became too controversial for her nervous editors. As it happens, the village is currently hosting an international peace conference, and Sarah wants to see this historic event first-hand. Sarah and Josh take a taxi to Yolande’s home, a creepy Carpathian chateau which Josh compares to something out of Scooby-Doo. Yolande is delighted to see Sarah again, and after Josh and Sarah get unpacked and settle in, dinner is served and Sarah and Yolande catch up. There are no televisions in the house; Yolande is too far out to get a good signal, and she keeps abreast of the news via the papers and an old wireless in one of the bedrooms. She lives alone apart from her servant “Dmitri”, who turned up on her doorstep six months ago with no memory. Yolande has tried to help him remember who he is, but she fears tat he’s experienced something so traumatic that he may never remember what happened to him. She feels sure, however, that he is completely harmless. Sarah and Josh retire for the night in separate rooms, but Josh tells Sarah to give him a shout if anything spooky happens. Sarah scoffs and retires to her room, which comes complete with a stuffed grizzly bear and the old wireless set which Yolande mentioned. However, her sleep is broken when the clock strikes three by an eerie, low-pitched hum, and by the terrifying shrieks and wails of a spectral apparition. Josh arrives to find Sarah screaming hysterically, and as she recovers, she claims to have seen a ghost... The next day dawns bright and sunny, but Sarah is still shaken and can’t believe she actually saw a ghost. She tries to snap out of her mood by going for a walk around the village with the grumbling Josh. Meanwhile, Yolande speaks with Dmitri and tries again to find out who he is, but he seems particularly agitated today and insists that he can remember nothing. All he knows is that something unbearable happened to him -- and last night he hears a sound which he believes he’s heard before. Josh and Sarah split up upon reaching the village; Sarah wants to explore the town, but Josh just wants a pint after the exhausting three-mile hike. Sarah finds her way to a local museum, where she meets another expatriate Brit, Christian Ian Abbotly. Abbotly won’t or can’t tell her what he does for a living, leading her to conclude he’s involved with the peace conference in some way, but he does offer her his business card and invite her to share a cup of coffee. While Sarah spends a pleasant afternoon in Abbotly’s company, Josh catches a taxi back to the house and finds Dmitri helping Yolande with the gardening. He also tries to find out what Dmitri knows about last night’s strange events, but gets no further than Yolande; however, he does get the strong impression that Dmitri is hiding something, perhaps even from himself. That night, Yolande invites two more friends to dinner: Jack McElroy, the American delegate to the peace conference, and his young wife Candy. The five of them spend a very pleasant evening together, and it’s well past midnight by the time Jack and Candy take their leave. Candy is devoted to her husband, and Sarah considers him a very lucky man. But that night his luck runs out. As the clock strikes three, Sarah sees the same apparitions she did the previous night, but this time they’re not quite as terrifying as before... but in the McElroy’s home, Candy is literally frightened to death while preparing for bed. The next day, Sarah and Josh learn of Candy’s death. Jack is in a state of shock, and Sarah, furious, vows to learn the truth. Sarah and Josh return to Yolande’s home, where Yolande is trying to calm the agitated Dmitri; last night, he actually managed to write something down on a piece of paper, until the sounds came and frightened the memory out of him again. Yolande finally admits to Sarah that things like this have been going on for months, but she’s wary of investigating; even after spending six years in the village, she is still regarded as an outsider, and if she calls in the police because she’s seen a ghost, she’ll never be accepted. This is the real reason she invited Sarah to stay with her. Sarah and Josh return to the village to investigate, and while there Josh meets Abbotly. He doesn’t get along with the smug ex-pat and retreats to the bar, but Sarah accepts Abbotly’s invitation to dinner. Abbotly excuses himself as Josh returns with further information; it seems that quite a few delegates have seen apparitions similar to those which killed Candy, and the conference is being disrupted as a result. Is the entire village haunted? Sarah decides to get positive proof one way or the other, and has Josh wire up her bedroom with audio and video recording equipment. Yolande is reluctant to risk Sarah’s life, but allows her to try this experiment anyway. That night at 3 a.m. the apparitions return, and this time Josh and Yolande see them as well when they burst into Sarah’s room to rescue her. Thunder rolls as they flee to safety, while elsewhere in the house, the terrified Dmitri is confronted by a very familiar figure. Yolande hears something like a muffled thunderclap and investigates, to find that Dmitri has been shot and killed. The next day, Josh finds that the video equipment has burned out; they’ll need to rent another player to find out what’s been recorded. In the meantime, Sarah has another lead; Dmitri’s murder definitely implies he’s involved with whatever’s happening, and before he died he wrote down the name of a university department. Josh and Sarah drive to the university, where they finally learn Dmitri’s true identity; he was once known as Doctor Mikhail Berberova, and he was a professor in the physics department. Sarah and Josh question the department head, Professor Vodancski, who is shocked to learn of Berberova’s death. Berberova was doing brilliant work in the field of sonics until he vanished two years ago, apparently resigning his position to work on a top-secret project which he referred to in his notes as “Project CIA”. Josh can’t quite believe what he’s become involved with, but for Sarah the pieces are starting to fit together. When she and Josh return and play back the video from last night, Sarah isn’t surprised to find that there’s nothing unusual on the tape; the spectres which so terrified her, Josh and Yolande simply weren’t there. Ordering Josh and Yolande to call the police if anything happens to her, Sarah prepares to keep a dinner date -- but first she and Josh pay one more visit to Jack McElroy to see if Sarah’s suspicions are justified. In the room where Candy died, Sarah finds an old radio receiver, just like the wireless set in her own guest room. Sarah visits Abbotly at his home, and questions him about the peace conference, claiming that she’s heard it’s not going as smoothly as hoped. Abbotly evades her questions and leaves to fetch some more wine, and as soon as he’s gone Sarah searches the room -- and finds a tape with Berberova’s voice, a record of his notes and his personal doubts about Project CIA. Abbotly catches Sarah listening to the tape and holds her at gunpoint, admitting that he’s been using Berberova’s work to disrupt the peace conference but refusing to tell her who he’s working for. As Sarah suspected, Berberova had isolated certain low-frequency electromagnetic fields which affected people’s perceptions, creating the illusion of supernatural visitations and generating fear within their minds. Once his work was complete, Abbotly turned the ghost-wave on him, and eventually murdered him to keep him silent. He now prepares to shoot Sarah, but at the last moment Josh arrives, overpowers him and seizes the gun. Like Sarah, he worked out the truth when he realised that “CIA” stood for “Christian Ian Abbotly.” Sarah survived despite the old radio receiver in her room because Yolande’s house was too far out to receive a strong signal. With Jack’s guidance, the delegates agree to resume the conference after some time off; Abbotly’s mysterious employers have failed to disrupt the cause of international peace.
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TDP 220: Sarah Jane Smith @ Big Finish 1.3 Test of Nerve
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 7 minutes and 30 secondsCast: Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith); Jeremy James (Josh Townsend); Sadie Miller (Natalie Redfern); Robin Bowerman (Harris); Caroline Burns-Cook (Claudia Coster); Juliet Warner (Ellie Martin); Mark Donovan (DI Morrison); Roy Skelton (James Carver); Alistair Lock (Newsreader) Writer: David Bishop Recorded: 23 February 2002 Director: Gary Russell Released: 5 September 2002 Music: Davy Darlington No. of Discs: 1 Sound Design: Davy Darlington Duration 59' 12" Cover Art: Lee Binding Production Code: SJ03 ISBN: 1-903654-94-7 Synopsis Sarah Jane Smith receives a mysterious gift with a cryptic message. The London Underground will suffer an horrific terrorist attack during rush hour unless Sarah can find and stop those responsible. As rush hour draws closer, the terrifying reality of the threat becomes all too apparent. One friend is murdered and another abducted. Sarah must be willing to sacrifice everyone and everything she holds dear to save the city. This is one deadline she cannot miss!
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TDP 219: Smith Yr 2 Box Set Review
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 9 minutes and 52 secondsinfo to follow
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TDP 218: Confidetial Update
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 5 minutes and 15 secondsDoctor Who Confidential Still Canselled
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TDP 217: Sarah Jane Smith @ Big Finish 1.2 The Tao Connection
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 17 minutes and 6 secondsCast: Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith); Jeremy James (Josh Townsend); Sadie Miller (Natalie Redfern); Caroline Burns-Cook (Claudia Coster); Juliet Warner (Ellie Martin); Mark Donovan (DI Morrisson); Moray Treadwell (Will Butley); Steven Wickham (Mr. Sharpe); Jane McFarlane (Nurse Jepson); Robert Curbishley (Read); Wendy Albiston (Meg Hawkins); Toby Longworth (Wong Chu); Maggie Stables (Mrs Lythe)Writer: Barry Letts Recorded: 27 February 2002Director: Gary Russell Released: 8 August 2002Music: Davy Darlington No. of Discs: 1Sound Design: Davy Darlington Duration 73' 18"Cover Art: Lee Binding Production Code: SJ02 ISBN: 1-903654-93-9SynopsisThe body of an old man is found floating in the Thames although the DNA of the corpse corresponds to an 18-year old friend of Josh and Ellie. Sarah Jane heads towards West Yorkshire in a bid to discover what killed the man, why someone is kidnapping homeless teenage boys and whether there is a link between that and the retreat of philanthropist Will Butley which hosts The Huang Ti Clinic. Sarah discovers that there is more to ancient Dark Sorcery than she may have otherwise believed.
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TDP 216: Sarah Jane Smith @ Big Finish 1.1 Comeback
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 15 minutes and 46 secondsReprinted from Wiki Pedia with thanks and respect Sarah Jane Smith: Comeback is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It stars Elisabeth Sladen reprising her role as Sarah Jane Smith. Contents [hide] 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Trivia 4 External links [edit] Plot Six months after the last part of her investigative television series for Planet 3 Broadcasting went out, Sarah Jane Smith is running scared. Meeting new friend Josh Townsend, she finds herself investigating mysterious events in the village of Cloots Coombe. [edit] Cast Sarah Jane Smith - Elisabeth Sladen Harris - Robin Bowerman Mr Venables - Alistair Lock Josh Townsend - Jeremy James Bank robber - Matthew Brenher Bank robber - David John Mr Hedges - Nicholas Briggs Natalie Redfern - Sadie Miller The Squire - David Jackson Rev. Gosforth - Peter Sowerbutts Ellie Martin - Juliet Warner Maude - Patricia Leventon [edit] Trivia Another employee of Planet 3 Broadcasting is Francis Currie. Sadie Miller (Natalie Redfern) is the real life daughter of Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith). In the opening scene, Sarah Jane Smith refers to three characters who appeared in the 1981 spin-off special K-9 and Company: her aunt Lavinia Smith (who has very recently died), Brendan Richards (who is said to be in San Francisco) and Juno Baker. [edit] External links Big Finish Productions - Sarah Jane Smith: Comeback Sarah Jane Smith: Comeback at the Doctor Who Reference Guide Autobiography Elisabeth Sladen: The Autobiography was released posthumously on 7 November 2011 by Aurum Press Ltd.[154] The BBC will be releasing an audio CD version of the book on 1 December 2011. [155]
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TDP 215: YOU AND WHO now on pre order
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 12 minutes and 50 secondsYou and Who is now available to pre-order(with a provisional publishing date of December 12th 2011)from the Hirst Books website:http://www.hirstpublishing.com/You_and_Who_edited_by_JR_Southall/p384445_4969072.aspxThe legend Babelcolour gives a reading on his YouTube channel:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yefWXQNHdZ8&feature=youtube_gdata_playerIt looks like there'll be an 'official launch' at the Hirst Books Christmas Event in Newbury, on Saturday 10th December, where I'll be signing copies of You and Who, hopefully alongside other, more respectable Hirst authors, such as Michael Troughton and John Leeson, potentially - but not Colin Baker, alas, who'll be appearing in panto in Mansfield that day! More news as and when.“It's a wonderful idea, and I'll be sure to buy the book.”Robert Shearman(author The Chimes of Midnight, Dalek, Tiny Deaths, Love Songs For the Shy and Cynical)You and Who is the definitive volume on what it means to be a Doctor Who fan.The book has been written almost entirely by previously unpublished authors, from the ages of six to sixty, and comprises more than sixty-six essays on the subject of how and why it is that we have come to love Doctor Who.Whether it be a tale of meeting the sixth Doctor, building up a huge library of VHS tapes, or discovering the programme through satellite channel repeats, there's a story in here that almost any fan will recognise as their own.Beautifully written, filled with warmth and generosity, witty and delightful, You and Who is a book that no Doctor Who fan should be without.Available 1 12 2011 from Hirst Publishing.The proceeds will be donated to Children in Need.- J.R. Southall So, here is the contents page! I've arranged the order of the submissions into that which I think best serves the material (and the authors), and I've tried to ensure that no essays too similar sit right next to one another in the book - unless I've specifiaclly wanted them to do so (there were a couple of instances of this). Wow! If your name's on this list, this must be pretty exciting stuff...5 Introduction11 Spoilers! by Cameron Sinclair Harris16 Dear Doctor, by Chris Orton19 The Taking of Planet Wilf (Part One), by Andrew Philips24 Teatime and an Open Mind, by Stuart Humphryes28 The Complete History of Doctor Who (1963 – 1989), by Jonathon Lyttle41 The “Matt Smith” Generation, by Abby Dorey44 An Unearthly Show, by J.R. Southall49 I Was a Teenage Time Lord, by Rob Irwin54 Voted Most Quotable Show Ever, by Mike Morgan56 I Am a Doctor Who Fan, by Mark Hevingham61 Loving the Hated, by Matthew Kresal65 A Fireplace and a Rug, by Will Brooks68 The Life and Times of a Whovian, by Daniel J McLaughlin72 The Third Era, by Julio Angel Ortiz76 Still Seeking Susan, by Richard Kirby79 Further Reading, by Stephen Candy81 The Trip of a Lifetime, Indeed! by Larry Mullen84 Good Old Tom-Boy! by Dez Skinn87 The Doctor, Me and Everyone Else, by Adam Ray90 After All, That’s How It All Started! by Andrew Clancy97 “Don’t Worry, He’ll Just Regenerate!” by Daniel Peat100 Getting a First Look Through Repeats, by Joseph Channon102 Every Child Should See a Doctor, by Vince Stadon106 Who On 2 (Or, How I Fell in Love With an Old, Dead Thing), by Nicholas Blake116 The Unconventional Hero, by Rik Moran120 Tears Before Bedtime, by Greg Dunn123 Mission to the Unknown, by Andrew Curnow127 All Thanks to Patrick... by Paul Butler129 Police Public Call Box – Out of Order, by Robert Morrison138 A Prescription for Nostalgia, by Kristan Johnson147 Now Here’s a Funny Idea... by Nicholas Peat150 Shaping a Childhood, by Amanda Evans152 A Special Time, by Richard Angell154 Loving Who, by Cindy A. Matthews157 Doctor Who and My Ongoing Quest to Like All Things, by Tom Henry161 Infinite Dimensions in Space and Time: When the TARDIS Landed in Mexico, by Fernanda Boils164 Through the Wilderness, by Dave Workman166 Why Doctor Who is Like Christmas! by Nicola J. Johnson169 “Do You Want to Come With Me?” by Grant Webb172 A Madman With a Box Opens My Box, by Michael Russell176 The Day I Met the Doctor, by Simon Hart179 Who, Where and When, by Alex Storer184 Choices, by Michael M. Gilroy-Sinclair186 An American on Gallifrey, by Nicholas A. Tosoni190 That Battered Blue Box, by Lucy Horn193 Growing Up With the Doctor, by Antony Cox198 The Day the Music Died, by Tony Green202 Time and Again, by John G. Wood206 Stranger in Space, by Greg Walker208 Doctor Who is Responsible for Everything! by Mikael William Barnard214 Why I Like Doctor Who, by Andrew Bowman215 What’s Wrong With It, by Eamon Jurdzis218 Me and Who, by Ben Jones223 1993 Was the Year of the Tin, by Lissa Levesque229 A Death in the Family, by Brendan Jones234 Just Vinegar, Please, by Emma Lucy Whitney238 We Walk in Eternity, by Matthew Crossman240 Take Home and Keep, by Michael Bellamy243 The Daisyest Daisy, by Jef Hughes246 Genesis of My Enlightenment, by Neil Thomas252 “I Just Do the Best I Can,” by Andrew Orton256 I Think I’m Rather More Expendable than You Are, by Christopher Bryant260 Whose Time Is It Anyway?, by Paul Driscoll262 The Taking of Planet Wilf (Part Two), by Andrew Philips269 The Doctor’s An Alien – So Am I, by Steven Ray270 It’s Got Daleks In It! by Andrew Tomlinson274 I Love Doctor Who, by Elizabeth Tomlinson
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TDP 214: The Nicola Brynat Interview DWPA/Whoovers 3 - 2011
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 32 minutes and 22 secondsTaken from http://www.nicolabryant.net Nicolas own site Nicola is probably best known to the public for her work in Television. Her first professional role was as the American companion Peri in Doctor Who opposite Peter Davison and Colin Baker. "I grew up in a small Surrey village just outside Guildford. My parents, Sheila and Denis had two daughters. I came along first and then three years later, my little sister Tracy arrived. Both sets of grandparents and many aunts and uncles all lived in the same village. It was a great way to grow up. It gave both my sister and I such freedom. Only once you reached your teens did the cosiness start to feel a little claustrophobic but that's all a part of growing up. I started dance classes at the age of 3 and piano a year later. When friends visited we would spend the day choreographing little shows that we would perform that evening for our long suffering parents. All I knew was that I wanted to be a dancer. I wanted to be on stage. I always wanted to go to ballet school and although at age 10 I auditioned and was accepted into several schools I couldn't go because I suffered so badly from asthma, which ran in the family. I was so upset by this that my mother got me involved in a local amateur dramatics company and I soon started to fall in love with acting. Once I had completed my formal education I auditioned for all the London drama schools eventually accepting a scholarship to the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. It was in my final year at Webber Douglas that a production of the American musical "No, No, Nanette" was staged. We all had to audition for the parts and I got the role of Nanette, much to everyone's surprise, including my own. Weeks later I had completed my diploma at Webber Douglas and I was out in the big wide world of professionals, searching for work. At that time of course there was the catch 22 situation that you needed to work to get your equity card but you couldn't get work without an equity card. To make matters worse there were very few jobs that would give you a card. Well, to cut a long story short, Terry Carney called me to audition for the part of "Peri" the new American companion in Doctor Who. I was incredibly lucky to get that chance and after 3 months of auditions in which the producer John Nathan-Turner saw literally hundreds of girls from the States and Canada, I finally got the part. It was a wonderful time, in which I made a lot of friends and worked with some amazing people. I then spent nine months in the West End with Patrick McNee at the Savoy Theatre in the thriller "Killing Jessica" directed by Bryan Forbes. After a leading role in the West End and playing the companion in Doctor Who my career was well and truly launched. Since then I’ve been lucky enough to have had a very varied career, travelling the world and working with some wonderfully talented people in various mediums; stage, television, audio and film. This year I have made appearances in the soon to be released TV series 'Love in Hyde Park'; in the sit-com 'My Family'; and the controversial drama documentary on Princess Diana’s inquest, 'There are Dark Forces'.
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