358 The Time Warrior Part Three

EPISODE: The Time Warrior: Part Three
OVERALL EPISODE NUMBER: 358
STORY NUMBER: 070
TRANSMITTED: Saturday 29 December 1973
WRITER: Robert Holmes
DIRECTOR: Alan Bromly
SCRIPT EDITOR: Terrance Dicks
PRODUCER: Barry Letts
RATINGS: 6.6 million viewers
FORMAT: DVD: Doctor Who - The Time Warrior
EPISODE FORMAT: 625 video

"How fortunate that you have returned, Doctor. My failure to destroy you was the one thing that marred the pleasure of my approaching departure from this miserable planet!"

Hal shoots the axe out of Irongron's hand allowing he & Sarah to rescue the Doctor. They take him captive to Sir Edward's castle where the Doctor explains what is actually happening and that Linx is helping Irongron. Irongron attacks Sir Edward's castle but is repelled by the Doctor using a superior stink & smoke bomb. The Doctor & Sarah, disguised as wandering monks, sneak into Irongron's castle and into the dungeon where they are reunited with Professor Ruebish. While trying to revive & release the exhausted enslaved scientists so he can return them home the Doctor is captured by Linx who fires his weapon at him.

Or "Sarah learns she has jumped to the wrong conclusions". Won't be the last time either ;-)

SARAH: Now
DOCTOR: You've been getting around, Sarah. Are you on visiting terms with all the local nobility?
SARAH: Doctor, let's get a few things straight, shall we?
DOCTOR: Oh dear. You know, I'm afraid you're going to be awfully confused if you ask me to explain about the Tardis.
SARAH: The Tardis?
DOCTOR: Yes, my police box. You were a stowaway, I imagine.
SARAH: Yes, but we'll come to that later. Now then, why are you helping Irongron?
DOCTOR: My dear girl, I'm not helping him. Linx is. I'm trying to stop him.
SARAH: Linx?
DOCTOR: Yes, perhaps you're lucky enough not to have met him yet. Nasty, brutish and short just about sums him up.
SARAH: There was a strange looking knight with Irongron.
DOCTOR: Yes, well, he'd have looked even stranger if he hadn't been wearing space armour. He comes from a planet where the surface gravity is many times than of Earth.
SARAH: A man from the stars?
DOCTOR: Mmm hmm.
SARAH: How do I know you're telling the truth?
DOCTOR: Because I never lie. Well, hardly ever. You ever heard of UNIT?
SARAH: You work for UNIT?
DOCTOR: In an advisory capacity, yes. Well, they asked me to look into this question of the missing scientists for them.
SARAH: But I thought you were responsible for that.
DOCTOR: My dear girl, I don't go around kidnapping scientists. No, Linx brought them here to staff his workshop. Now I've got to find a way of sending them back to there own time.

ELEANOR: This is the magician?
SARAH: Er, yes. This is the Doctor.
EDWARD: You have done well, Sarah.
DOCTOR: How do you do? It is a pleasure and a privilege to be in the company of civilised people at last.
EDWARD: A courtly rogue.
ELEANOR: Is he willing to change his allegiance and serve Sir Edward instead of Irongron?
SARAH: Well, he says he wasn't serving Irongron, and there is another stranger at the castle. Someone called Linx.
DOCTOR: Yes, he's your enemy, I assure you, not me. We'd be well advised to join forces against him.
EDWARD: Does he speak truth?
SARAH: I'm not sure. I suppose I could have been wrong.
DOCTOR: That's a generous admission. Especially coming from one of the fair sex.
SARAH: Or he could just be changing sides to save his own skin.
ELEANOR: These wizards and warlocks were ever a treacherous breed. We'd best be wary of him.
EDWARD: I shall spare your life, if you cast your spells and incantations to help me against Irongron, Doctor. Refuse and you die.
DOCTOR: You offer a somewhat restricted choice, Sir Edward.
EDWARD: What is your answer?
DOCTOR: My services are at your disposal, sir. Such as they are.
EDWARD: Good. Serve me straight, Doctor, and I shall reward you well.
HAL: Oh, master. Oh but master, Irongron marches here before noon! We heard this said from his own mouth.
EDWARD: Then we are lost. We cannot stand against them.
DOCTOR: On the contrary, sir, I think we can.
EDWARD: But how? With a handful of men?
DOCTOR: Yes sir, with just a few men I think I can persuade Irongron that we have a full garrison.
EDWARD: By the use of your magic?
DOCTOR: By creating an illusion, anyway.
EDWARD: Your magic will have to be powerful indeed to discourage Irongron.
DOCTOR: It will be, sir.

After that they seem to get on like a house on fire and the Doctor is quickly explaining about himself to her:

SARAH: Lady Eleanor's got every serving wench in the castle sewing away like mad.
DOCTOR: I told you there'd be plenty of work for everybody, didn't I?
SARAH: Oh. Typically masculine arrangement, though. We do all the dirty work, you get all the fun.
DOCTOR: You don't think mixing this singularly noxious compound is fun, do you? How's the rest of it going?
SARAH: Not bad. I put Sir Edward in charge of painting the dummies' faces and he's turned out to be quite an artist. Once I'd set him on the right lines.
DOCTOR: Excellent. I'm glad I decided to let you stay.

SARAH: You decided?
DOCTOR: You know, I was never much of a hand with a paint brush myself.
SARAH: No?
DOCTOR: No. Nor a palette knife for that matter. But I'd like to study under one of the masters one day. Rembrandt, preferably.
SARAH: Rembrandt?
DOCTOR: Mmm hmm.
SARAH: Can you, can you just go anywhere you like in that Tardis?
DOCTOR: Yes, within reason.
SARAH: Then why are you staying here? Why don't you go somewhere safer?
DOCTOR: Because, my dear Sarah, I've got a job to do. One that involves the whole future of your species. Here, hold this will you?
SARAH: My species?
DOCTOR: Mmm hmm.
SARAH: You're talking as if you weren't human.
DOCTOR: Yes, well, the definition of the word humanity was always a rather a complex question, wasn't it?
SARAH: You know perfectly well what I mean. Are you or aren't you?
DOCTOR: If you mean am I a native of the planet Terra, the answer is no, I'm not.
SARAH: Well, what are you then?
DOCTOR: Me? I'm a Time Lord.
SARAH: A Time Lord?
DOCTOR: Yes, that's right. And my people are very keen to stamp out unlicensed time travel. You can look upon them as galactic ticket inspectors, if you like.
SARAH: Galactic ticket inspectors? Oh, I could murder a cup of tea. You're serious, aren't you?
DOCTOR: About what I do, yes. Not necessarily the way I do it. For example, you know what this is?
SARAH: I've no idea.
DOCTOR: This is my own special smoking mixture, consisting of saltpetre, sulphur and fat. With a few little extras thrown in. Ah. That is Irongron. Battle is about to commence!

This is the first Doctor Who for director Alan Bromly. He'd worked as a Director in the 1950s and then become a producer and it was in this role that he succeeded Irene Shubik taking charge of the later series of Out of the Unknown.

His first series of Out of the Unknown was series 3, the first broadcast in colour, which has been absolutely devastated in the archives with just one complete episode surviving, The Last Lonely Man directed by Douglas Camfield, with a large proportion of another, The Little Black Bag, recovered in recent years.

While series 3 of Out of the Unknown continued Shubik's pattern of science fiction adaptations, and indeed most of the work had been done by her prior to Bromly taking over, Bromly and his script editor Roger Parkes revamped Series 4 into more psychological and horror territory. Series 4 fares slightly better in the archives with 4 episodes surviving: To Lay a Ghost, This Body Is Mine, Welcome Home & Deathday, the only fourth season story which is an adaptation of existing material which was done by Doctor Who's Brian Hayles, whose work we'll be seeing again here shortly.

All of the surviving Out of the Unknown episodes can be seen on the Out of the Unknown DVD Set.

Bromly returns to Doctor for Nightmare of Eden, which was not a happy experience for all concerned. On set difficulties between him and the cast led to him leaving production midway through the story and the producer at the time, Graham Williams, directing the rest of the serial.

Lots of supporting artists in this story: In amongst Irongron’s Men we have Bill Lodge who was a Rill in Galaxy Four, a UNIT Soldier in Doctor Who and the Silurians, a Villager in The Dæmons and a Functionary in Carnival of Monsters IMDB has him down for two Doomwatch appearances as a Lab Assistant in the first episode The Plastic Eaters and a man in Spectre at the Feast.

Stuntman Marc Boyle. He'd been a UNIT Motorcyclist & a Policeman in The Ambassadors of Death, an Stuntmen playing UNIT Soldiers/Auton Daffodil Men/Technicians in Terror of the Autons, a Prisoner/Motor Cyclist/UNIT Soldier in Mind of Evil, a Castle Guard/Sailor/Sea Devil in The Sea Devils and Kronos in The Time Monster. He returns as an Exillon in Death to the Daleks and helps Fight Arrange this story. He appears in Superman II as a C.R.S. Man, The Professionals as Donatti in Kickback and The Living Daylights as a Blayden Grounds MI6 Man. He did stuntwork on Space: 1999 Space Brain, Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back & Return of the Jedi, The Italian Job, the James Bond films You Only Live Twice, The Spy Who Loved Me, Octopussy, Never Say Never Again & Licence to Kill, Superman & Superman III, An American Werewolf in London and Alien³

Emmett Hennessy had previously been a Tavern Customer in The Massacre, an Inferno Customer in The War Machines, an English Soldier in The Highlanders, a Roman Soldier in The War Games, a UNIT soldier in Claws of Axos, a primitive in Colony in Space, a gorilla & an American aide in Day of the Daleks and various Guards in Frontier in Space. He also plays a Technician in the Moonbase 3 episode Outsiders. Hennessey appears to have led an interesting life outside of Doctor Who involving the music business and living in the Caribbean!

Keith Norrish was a Techician in Inferno. and a Long-Haired Boy Green Death, who I couldn't spot when I watched the story! He returns as a Thal Officer in Genesis of the Daleks, a soldier & brethren member in The Masque of Mandragora, Leela's Guard in the Sunmakers, an Orderly in Frontios and a Technician in The Ops Room in Twin Dilemma. In he's a Federation Trooper in Bounty, a Salvage Man in Dawn of the Gods and a Guard in Moloch. In Porridge he plays a Prison Officer in the first episode, New Faces, Old Hands.He can be seen in Doomwatch as a RAF Man in Survival Code.

Jimmy Lyon was a man at the banquet in The Romans and returns as a Retrograde in Frontios. Alan Lenoir was a Man in Pub in The Daemons and later plays an Ice Warrior in Monster of Peladon. He's in Doomwatch as a man in Flood. Alan C Thomas returns as an SRS Bouncer/Officer/Audience member in Robot.

Irongron’s Men in the Workshop include Douglas Domingo who returns as an SRS Bouncer/Officer/Audience member in Robot while Robert Peters is an Extra in Hand of Fear and a Colonist in Frontios.

Onto the captured Scientists:

Paul Phillips was an Egyptian Slave in Dalek Masterplan, a Scotsman in The Highlanders, a Scientist at Hospital in the Macra Terror, a Prison Guard & Prisoner in War Games and a Lab Tech Claws of Axos. He returns a as a Miner in Monster of Peladon. In Porridge he's a Prisoner in No Way Out, The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin he's a Commuter in Hippopotamus and in I, Claudius he plays a Senator in Zeus, by Jove!

Eden Fox was a Scotsman in The Highlanders, a Man in The Firing Squad & Military Policeman in The War Games and a Rolling Axon Glob in Claws of Axos. He returns as a Miner in Monster of Peladon.

It's a Doctor Who debut for George Ballantine who returns as an Androids Villager in Android Invasion, Federico’s Servant in Masque of Mandragora, a Death Grade in The Sunmakers, a Logopolitan in Logopolis, a Castrovalvan in Castrovalva and a Hawker in Snakedance.

David Enyon is also on debut and returns as an SRS Bouncer/office/audience member in Robot, an Executive Grade in The Sunmakers, a Traken Citizen in Keeper of Traken and an Orange robed Time Lord in Trial of a Timelord.

Lastly Wessex Man Ronald Nunnery returns as a Kaled Councillor in Genesis of the Daleks. In Doomwatch he plays Mr. Norman in Friday's Child, in Porridge he's a Prisoner in No Way Out and in Blake's 7 he's a Federation Trooper in Bounty.

The word TIME crops up in Doctor Who story names quite a bit. Well it's a series about time travel, you'd expect it to.

The Space Museum 2: The Dimensions of Time
The Chase 2: The Death of Time
The Time Meddler
The Daleks' Master Plan 12: Destruction of Time

The Time Monster
The Time Warrior
The Invasion of Time
Time-Flight
Timelash
Trial a Timelord
Time and the Rani

Yeah. Not some of the series finest hours, Time Meddler & Destruction of Time excepting. What then shall we conclude? The series is better doing stuff about death than time?

357 The Time Warrior: Part Two

EPISODE: The Time Warrior: Part Two
OVERALL EPISODE NUMBER: 357
STORY NUMBER: 070
TRANSMITTED: Saturday 22 December 1973
WRITER: Robert Holmes
DIRECTOR: Alan Bromly
SCRIPT EDITOR: Terrance Dicks
PRODUCER: Barry Letts
RATINGS: 7 million viewers
FORMAT: DVD: Doctor Who - The Time Warrior
EPISODE FORMAT: 625 video

"Ah, yes. Yes, as I thought. A Sontaran warrior. So, the perpetual war between the Sontarans and the Rutans has spread to this tiny planet, has it?"

Sarah is taken to Irongron, who she believes is taking part in some form of role play. Linx hypnotises her and she reveals she's from the 20th century & that the Doctor brought her here. Linx demonstrates his new robot which fights the captures archer Hal. Hal escapes with Sarah. The Doctor penetrates Linx's rooms in the castle dungeon and finds the missing scientist under Linx's control. Ruebish has resisted the hypnotic effect due to his short sightedness. The Doctor is captured by Linx. Hal returns to Edward's castle bringing Sarah with him who tells them that she thinks the Doctor is responsible for aiding Irongron and must be stopped. The Doctor tells Linx he's from Gallifrey and is a Time Lord. Linx connects the Doctor to one of his machines to monitor the slave working scientists. Ruebish helps the Doctor escape, but while fleeing he attacks Irongron who raises his axe to kill him.

I find the Time Warrior a bit hard to really get interested in when I watch it. I get that it's big and important but it doesn't float my boat like some other stories do. We've already had a new companion and a new monster. Now 357 episodes into the series, and a week shy of the first anniversary of this blog, we learn the name of the place the Doctor is from: The planet Gallifrey.

LINX: You're not of this planet. How came you to be here?
DOCTOR: Oh, I'm just a tourist. I like it here.
LINX: This hole in space.
DOCTOR: You haven't seen it at its best.
LINX: It has no military value, no strategic significance.
DOCTOR: Once again, a Sontaran philosophy.
LINX: I'm Commander Linx - Fifth Sontaran Army Space Fleet.
DOCTOR: Ah, yes. Yes, as I thought. A Sontaran warrior. So, the perpetual war between the Sontarans and the Rutans has spread to this tiny planet, has it?
LINX: Emergency landing. I was on a reconnaissance mission when I was attacked by a squadron of Rutan fighters. You have encountered my race before, Doctor?
DOCTOR: Unfortunately.
LINX: I'll overlook that insult for the moment. What is your native planet?
DOCTOR: Gallifrey. I am a Time Lord.
LINX: Ah, yes. A race of great technical achievement, but lacking the morale to withstand a determined assault.
DOCTOR: Oh, do you think so?
LINX: I'm only a lowly Commander, Doctor. I merely quote from the appreciation circulated by our military intelligence.
DOCTOR: Yes, well, you'd be well advised never to put that appreciation to the test, Linx.
LINX: My only ambition at the moment is to return to my squadron. You can be of value to me. You can help me to repair this ship.
DOCTOR: You seem to have acquired some help all ready.
LINX: Primitives. I adapted my ship's frequency modulator and projected myself forward as far as I could. Unfortunately I only had the power to reach the twentieth century.
DOCTOR: From which you stole the equipment and the skilled help you couldn't find here.
LINX: Yes. But the work goes slowly.
DOCTOR: Commander Linx, if you will return these people to their own time I might possibly consider helping you.
LINX: Do not attempt to bargain with me, Doctor! Take that seat there by the controls. Move!
DOCTOR: You're interfering with human evolution, Linx. Don't you realise the damage that you're going to do to them?
LINX: I have no interest in human evolution.

OK we've already seen it three times in the War Games, briefly in the Colony in Space and most recently in the Three Doctors but this is the first time it's named.

The Doctor's "Would you excuse me I've got to go and find a young girl" is well worth a giggle and even gets picked on in the story.

Our lead villain, the Sontaran Linx is played by Kevin Lindsay on his Doctor Who debut. During this story he keeled over during the recording due to a heart condition exacerbated by the costume which led to a redesign before the Sontarans next appearance. He got on well with the show's star Jon Pertwee and returns as Cho Je in Planet of the Spiders, the third Doctor's farewell story, before making his own final appearance in 1975's The Sontaran Experiment as both Styre & The Marshal. He died of his heart condition at the age of 49 on 26th April 1975.

Barry Letts first offered roll of human warlord Irongron to up & coming actor Bob Hoskins who was forced to turn it down but instead recommended David Daker. He'll return as Captain Rigg in Nightmare of Eden, but is a familiar television face as Harry Crawford in the hit series Boon, PC Owen Culshaw in Z-Cars, Jarvis in Porridge: Final Stretch and Captain Nathan Spiker in Dick Turpin. He has smaller roles He was also in UFO Flight Path as a SHADO Guard and Time Bandits as Kevin's Father amongst many others.

Both Irongron and his deputy Bloodaxe, played by John J. Carne are for some reason uncredited on episode 1. Carne was also in UFO as the Studio Security Man in Timelash. He appears in The Sweeney as Eric in Trust Red and Blake's 7 as Sherm in City at the Edge of the World.

We've seen Lord Edward of Wessex, actor Alan Rowe before in the Moonbase as Dr. Evans and the Space Control voice. He'll be back as James Skinsale in The Horror of Fang Rock and in Full Circle as Garif. His IMDB entry shows he was a much in demand actor. I thought I Doctor Who was the only thing I've seen him in but my most recent look at IMDB spotted Inspector Morse: The Death of the Self where he played Alistair Haines. He was the partner of actor Geoffrey Bayldon who speaks about Rowe and their relationship during Whos' Round #117.

Lady Eleanor, Lord Edward's wife, is played by the most obviously recognisable member of the cast in this story now: June Brown is now well known for her 35+ years to date playing Dot Cotton in EastEnders. For many years her appearance as Mrs. Catchpole in the banned Doomwatch episode Sex and Violence remained unseen till it surfaced on The Doomwatch DVD. She too was in The Sweeney playing Mrs. Martin in Ringer and can be seen in Survivors as Susan in Manhunt. One of her few other roles since she has been in Eastenders was in the BBC adaptation of Gormenghast where she plays Nannie Slagg.

Their archer Hal is played by Jeremy Bulloch who we've previously seen as Tor in The Space Museum, but he's more famous now for being Boba Fett in The Empire Strikes Back & Return of the Jedi. He can be seen in The Professionals as Denver in Where the Jungle Ends, Chocky and it's sequel Chocky's Children as Landis, Octopussy as Smithers and as Edward of Wickham in the Robin of Sherwood episodes Lord of the Trees, The Enchantment, The Greatest Enemy, Herne's Son part 1, The Power of Albion, The Sheriff of Nottingham and The Time of the Wolf parts 1 & 2. He returns to the Star Wars universe in Revenge of the Sith as Captain Colton

`

Donald Pelmear's IMDB entry makes me think I've seen a few things that he's been in but every time I see him here as Professor Rubeish I have to convince myself that he's not Sam Kelly because Pelmear's appearance and mannerisms remind me of the well known comedy actor so much. Pelmear also has UFO to his name, playing the Estate Agent in Confetti Check A-O.K. You can also see him in The Day of the Triffids, as the University Gateman in episode 3, and Yes Minister, as the Permanent Secretary, DHSS in Equal Opportunities.

356 The Time Warrior Part One

EPISODE: The Time Warrior: Part One
OVERALL EPISODE NUMBER: 356
STORY NUMBER: 070
TRANSMITTED: Saturday 15 December 1973
WRITER: Robert Holmes
DIRECTOR: Alan Bromly
SCRIPT EDITOR: Terrance Dicks
PRODUCER: Barry Letts
RATINGS: 8.7 million viewers
FORMAT: DVD: Doctor Who - The Time Warrior
EPISODE FORMAT: 625 video

"Look! Stars are falling!"

A silver ball like spaceship lands in the England of the middle ages. Local Warlord Irongron claims it as his own but a Sontaran officer Linx emerges claiming Earth for the Sontaran empire and requests Irongron's help in exchange for modern weapons so that he may attack local Lord Edward of Wessex. In the 20th century a number of top scientists have disappeared from a research establishment so the Brigadier has taken some of the remainder into protective custody and the Doctor has joined them. The Doctor meets Professor Rubeish, who is complaining at being kept there, and the journalist Sarah Jane Smith who is posing as her aunt, Lavinia, a noted virologist. She's heard what is going on and is there looking for a story. She begins to suspect the Doctor of being responsible. During the night the Doctor detects delta particles indicating a time disturbance. He & Sarah find Rubeish gone and the Doctor uses a device to detect the image of the armoured Sontaran Warrior. The Doctor traces his through time and follows him in the Tardis little knowing Miss Smith is aboard. The Tardis materialises in the forest scaring Edward's remaining archer Hal. The Doctor emerges and pursues the signal shortly followed by Sarah who disturbs Hal's shot at Irongron. He runs but she is captured by Irongron's warriors at which point the Doctor spots her and follows. He sees Linx enter the courtyard as he removes his helmet revealing the alien face underneath.

The story has it that Robert Holmes submitted his storyline for this story to his Script Editor as a report from a scouting Sontaran Hol Mes to his superior Terran Cedicks. It succeeded and the Time Warrior makes it to the screen introducing us to the Sontarans, a high technology warlike race, who are the sixth and final great race of returning monsters in Doctor Who.

The story also has the job of introducing the Doctor's new companion Sarah Jane Smith, who is well served by this episode getting a decent introduction. We discover Sarah is a journalist, that she has an Aunt Lavinia, who we will eventually meet in eight years time, and we get a quite clear view on her attitude to life & women's role in it.

We can't go much further with talking about Sarah Jane without mentioning that she wasn't the Third Doctor's original third female companion. At some point an unknown actress was cast in an unknown role but for unknown reasons the show did not proceed with her in the part. (page 336 of the The Doctor Who Television Companion) The information, and the why the companion wasn't used, was kept so secret that even noted Doctor Who historian Andrew Pixley (don't bother looking on Wikipedia: he's not the murderer listed there!) did not know her identity. Barry Letts took the secret to his grave with him and if Jon Pertwee knew he did likewise, leaving just Terrance Dicks as the only possible person who might have known - And he wasn't telling either!

Then while m'learned colleague Mr David Brunt was researching for Doctor Who - U.N.I.T Files: Invasion of the Dinosaurs and the Android Invasion he discovered a payment to an actress named April Walker. Further digging revealed that she'd been paid for the entire season and that she was the original Season 11 companion for the Third Doctor. You can see her in Fawlty Towers as Jean in The Wedding Party and in Yes Minister as Jenny Goodwin in The Moral Dimension.

So that then leads to the casting of Liverpool born actress Elizabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith. Born 1st February 1946 she was by this point married to the actor Brian Miller who we'll be hearing from later. She had appeared in Coronation Street, Z-Cars and Some Mothers Do Have Em so had some amount of television experience already. Sadly her Doomwatch episode, the 1972 third season episode "Say Knife, Fat Man" is missing from the archives.

A few actors only feature in this episode, such as Gordon Pitt who briefly plays Eric, Edward's squire. He was previously in The Wheel in Space as a Wheel Crew member.

There's two UNIT soldiers guarding the scientists: the dark haired one on the left is David Cleeve, making his Doctor Who debut. He'll be back as an Ice Warrior in The Monster of Peladon, a Thal Soldier/Guard in Genesis of the Daleks, a Radation Suit Man in The Hand of Fear, An Other & Megro Guard in The Sun Makers and a Ceremonial Deon Guard in Meglos. His companion on the right is regular extra Steve Ismay who had been a BBC3 TV Crew member in The Dæmons, a Guerilla & Stills Cameraman in Day of the Daleks, Sea Devil in The Sea Devils, Varan's Bodyguard in The Mutants a Presidential Guard in Frontier in Space and a Security Guard in The Green Death. He's in every story this season playing an Army Soldier in Invasion of the Dinosaurs, an Exxilon and Exxilon Zombie in Death to the Daleks, a Guard in The Monster of Peladon & a Metebelis 3 Guard in Planet of the Spiders! He then returns as a Guard in The Deadly Assassin, a Leviathan Guard in Ribos Operation, a Gracht Guard & one of Zadek's Guards in The Androids of Tara, would have been a "Space Monster" in Shada, possibly a Cyberman, then plays a Citizen in Full Circle, a Cyberman in Earthshock and a Security Guard in Time Flight. He had been Man in the Doomwatch episode The Islanders & Flood, and then appears in The Sweeney as a Policeman in Cover Story, a Driver in Golden Boy and a Villain in Stoppo Driver. In Porridge he played a Prison Warden in A Night In and a Gardener in Happy Release while in The Tomorrow People he was in a Vesh Rebel in Worlds Away and an SIS Sergeant in The Dirtiest Business. In Blake's 7 he plays a Scavenger in Deliverance, a Guard in Dawn of the Gods, a Convict in Moloch and a Hommik in Power.

For the eleventh season of Doctor Who we get a new title featuring the famed Diamond Logo for the first time. You can watch it on YouTube if you've not seen it before but it is broadly similar to the Tom Baker sequence that replaces it after just 26 episodes. I remember my shock when putting the VHS of Death to the Daleks (the first season 11 story that I saw) in the machine and not seeing the familiar red, orange and green sequence.

What I love about this one is the very start of it with the streaks of light shooting towards the screen and resolving themselves into a tunnel. It's almost a shame this element isn't retained for it's replacement. Meanwhile the end titles are also revised with the diamond shaped tunnel, previously seen approaching us in the opening sequence, receding from us into the distance with the credits over the top. Good, but in this case Tom's version is far superior.

From this episode onwards each episode (with one exception) is named "Part" and then the number of the episode within the story, replacing the word "Episode" used previously.

355 The Green Death Episode Six

EPISODE: The Green Death: Episode Six
OVERALL EPISODE NUMBER: 355
STORY NUMBER: 069
TRANSMITTED: Saturday 23 June 1973
WRITER: Robert Sloman (and Barry Letts uncredited)
DIRECTOR: Michael Briant
SCRIPT EDITOR: Terrance Dicks
PRODUCER: Barry Letts
RATINGS: 7 million viewers
FORMAT: DVD: Doctor Who: The Green Death (Special Edition)
EPISODE FORMAT: 625 video

"Too late, Doctor. In five minutes, my power will be extended to seven other complexes throughout the world. Think of that. You have failed in your poor little attempt to halt our progress towards maximum efficiency and productivity.!"

The Doctor tries to find an antibiotic agent to attack the virus in Professor Jones' body, wondering what he meant by serendipity. Benton brings the Doctor a maggot chrysalis that he's found. Nancy finds the escaped Maggot dead, Benton wonders if what it ate killed him and the Doctor realises it's the fungus. The BOSS orders that Yates be subjected to total processing. Benton & the Doctor sprinkle the fungus on the hillside killing the maggots. Cliff is getting worse at the Wholeweal. Yates escapes from Global Chemicals. Benton & the Doctor are attacked by a giant fly, the metamorphosed form of the Maggot which the Doctor kills. Jo tells the Doctor of the accident she had with the fungus powder which enables the Doctor to produce a treatment. Yates tells the Doctor about BOSS's plans and the Doctor goes to Global Chemicals where BOSS prepares to link himself to seven other computers internationally. The Doctor goes to destroy the Boss ordering the Brigadier to attack the site if he's not finished by the deadline. As the plan draws near to fruition Stevens connects himself to the BOSS acting as BOSS's mouthpiece when the Doctor confronts him. The Doctor uses the blue crystal on Stevens to break his conditioning and released from BOSS's hold he destroys Global Chemicals and the BOSS. Jo & Professor Stevens decide to get married and go down the Amazon together to look for the fungus. The Brigadier receives word that Wholeweal has been granted status as a UN Priority One research centre, thanks to Jo making a request of her Uncle at the UN. The Doctor gives her the blue crystal he brought back from Metebelis 3, before silently slipping away from the celebratory party and driving off in Bessie into the night.

Usually deadlines or countdowns add some urgency to an episode but they don't really seem to here. We know that BOSS's plan comes into affect at 4pm but he's been very vague about what it is and as far as I can figure it's a poor man's attempt at knocking off WOTAN from the War Machines.

BOSS: Report.
STEVENS: The medical staff have completed all implantations, and all slave units are now ready to be activated.
BOSS: Good, good! Establish links with the seven international computers. The countdown to phase one can begin!

And the plan has only really been introduced in this episode as is the idea of the maggots pupating and turning into flies, which look superb as stationary models but maybe a little less so airborne. Maybe introducing both plot elements a little earlier in the story would have helped?

So we're left with Cliff Jones illness and imminent death as the plot element we're invested in, mainly because Jo's obviously fallen for him in a big way. Fortunately the treatment for the illness, and the solution to the maggot problem has been in plain sight for some while.

Two odd points to this episode.... well three, but we've already done the dodgy CSO earlier in the story. BOSS spends most of this episode behaving very oddly, humming Wagner and the like, which isn't behaviour you expect from a super computer and isn't really explained.

Then we have Terry Walsh's guard on the gate..... OK I get he's been immobilised, when BOSS tries to take control of his slaves, so he stands there wobbling around. But why doesn't anyone take his gun off him when the Doctor rushes past? He's still holding it when the Doctor returns some while afterwards. So UNIT just stood there while someone wobbles around for how many minutes leaving him holding a double barrelled shot gun ?????

Nice little cameo in the back of the party scene: There's Pat Gorman, seen earlier in the story and indeed this episode as a Security Guard at Global Chemicals, now featuring as a Wholewheal member.

But what the Green Death episode Six is best known as is it's Katy Manning's final episode of Doctor Who. Katy Manning's impending departure had been known about for some time and throughout this season her character shows some real development resisting the Masters hypnotism and fear machine in Frontier in Space and being given a potential love interest in Planet of the Daleks. Right through this story her attraction Cliff is obvious, as is his to her, which sets her departure up nicely and gives her probably the best departure story of any companion. Oddly enough this story also marks the start of real character development for another of our characters: Captain Mike Yates. The effects of what has happened to him here will be felt for some time and will tie into Jo's last influence on the series towards the end of the next series.

Katy Manning's eclectic career post Doctor Who includes presenting the arts & craft program Serendipity, posing naked with a Gold Dalek and many stage appearances. After having twins in 1978 she emigrated to Australia where she eventually became the partner of Barry Crocker, the writer of the theme music for the Australian Soap Opera Neighbours. Her best friend is Liza Minelli who is godmother to her children. No, honestly, I'm not making any of this up! She appeared opposite Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith and Elizabeth Sladen, her successor as companion, in the Sarah Jane Adventures episode The Death of Doctor Who where her character is credited as Jo Jones.

Jo Grant appears in 77 episodes of Doctor Who, which is exactly equal to the number of episodes the Ian & Barbara, the Doctor's original human companions, travelled with him albeit with the small caveat that they weren't both in all those episodes. At the moment that stands joint second behind Jamie McCrimmon who has 113 episodes spanning his first and last appearance with the same caveat that applies to Ian & Barbara. Nobody will ever overtake Jamie's record but Jo, Ian & Barbara will find themselves relegated to joint third place in a few years time.

As well a being the last episode to feature Jo Grant/Katy Manning this is the last appearance of the original Third Doctor/Jon Pertwee opening & closing title sequences which have been on the last 102 episodes. The record here is 152 episodes held by the original Hartnell sequence, and this only just beats the Troughton tally of 101 episodes. The next sequence will be the shortest, at just 26 episodes, but will serve as the template for what follows with Tom Baker's first title sequence being used on 150 episodes, of which 144 were broadcast. And to celebrate the final appearance of these titles the end sequence is once again, like episodes 2 & 5, broadcast the wrong way up and in reverse. This also the last time an episode is entitled "episode " & the number.

The Green Death has been repeated three times by the BBC. Firstly on 27th December 1973 it was shown as a 90-minute compilation. This no longer survives in the BBC archives, unlike the original transmission tapes for all 6 episodes which have always been there allowing it to be shown from the 2nd January to 6th February 1994 on BBC2. Then in 2006 on the 3rd to 5th April it was shown 2 episodes a night on BBC4. In fact more of this season, the tenth, of Doctor Who has been repeated than any other with The Three Doctors & Carnival of Monsters being shown as part of the Five Faces of Doctor Who in 1981 and Planet of the Daleks being shown to celebrate the 30th anniversary in 1993. The runners up here are Davison's first season & Pertwee's third with 14 episodes apiece shown and then Tom Baker's First & Last both of which have has twelve episodes of Doctor Who repeated.

The Green Death is the only story to be novelised by Malcolm Hulke that he did not write the television script for, but the anti big business and environmental issues click very nicely with themes expressed in his other stories, especially Colony in Space. Hulke gets round actor Tony Adams illness by restoring to Elgin all the lines taken by James in the fifth episode.

The Green Death was released in double video pack in August 1996 as a tribute to Jon Pertwee who died earlier that year. It was the first release after the break in the classic Doctor Who video range for the Eighth Doctor Paul McGann Doctor Who TV Movie and sports a modified style to the covers not yet quite in the style they would be for the last few years of the Doctor Who video range.

The Green Death was released on DVD 10th May 2004, as the fourth Jon Pertwee release, and includes a great mock documentary by Mark Gatiss. If you were at my wedding two month later then Rob Leitch gave the sermon there with his notes up against my copy which he'd borrowed and, knowing I wouldn't be back in Kingston for a while, thought he aught to return then! Doctor Who: The Green Death Special Edition DVD was released on August 5th 2013 with an expanded extras package

So while Doctor Who was off air in the summer of 1973 Barry Letts & Terrance Dicks were busy with Moonbase 3, a supposedly more realistic science fiction show. It didn't fare that well in the ratings and was for many years thought lost. However 525 line NTSC copies were recovered from the USA during the 90s. It was released on DVD but is now long out of print.

Oddly enough when I dug out the Doctor Who Magazine Third Doctor Special Edition to check something to do with Frontier in Space I discovered an advert for The Moonbase on DVD on the back!