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:
- 2905
- Average Episode Duration:
- 0:0:10:09
- Longest Episode Duration:
- 0:2:09:15
- Total Duration of all Episodes:
- 20 days, 11 hours, 17 minutes and 36 seconds
- Earliest Episode:
- 1 May 2007 (6:54pm GMT)
- Latest Episode:
- 20 June 2025 (5:54am GMT)
- Average Time Between Episodes:
- 2 days, 6 hours, 43 minutes and 43 seconds
Tin Dog Podcast Episodes
-
TDP 259: Batman and Spiderman
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 8 minutes and 45 secondsI went out!
-
TDP 259: Batman and Spiderman
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 8 minutes and 45 secondsI went out!
-
TDP 259: Batman and Spiderman
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 8 minutes and 45 secondsI went out!
-
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)
-
TDP 259: Batman and Spiderman
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 8 minutes and 45 secondsI went out!
-
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)
-
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)
-
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)
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
TDP 253: The Phonecall
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 2 minutes and 7 secondsThe Phonecall between Moff and the head of BBC Drama
-
TDP 253: The Phonecall
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 2 minutes and 7 secondsThe Phonecall between Moff and the head of BBC Drama
-
TDP 253: The Phonecall
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 2 minutes and 7 secondsThe Phonecall between Moff and the head of BBC Drama
-
TDP 253: The Phonecall
Episode Duration: 0 days, 0 hours, 2 minutes and 7 secondsThe Phonecall between Moff and the head of BBC Drama
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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