Terror of the Autons
Encyclopedia
Terror of the Autons is a serial in the British
science fiction television series Doctor Who
, broadcast in four weekly parts from 2 to 23 January 1971. The serial opened Season 8 of the series, introducing three new characters: the Third Doctor
's new companion, Jo Grant
(played by Katy Manning
); his archenemy
, the Master
(Roger Delgado
); and Captain Mike Yates (Richard Franklin
).
to the circus owner, Luigi Rossini, and hypnotises him; this allows him to use Rossini and his crew to help him break into the National Space Museum and steal the sole surviving Nestene energy unit. At UNIT
headquarters, the Doctor
meets his new assistant, Josephine Grant, who accidentally ruins one of his experiments, mistaking smoke for fire.
Meanwhile, the Master takes the energy unit to a radio telescope facility, killing the technician on duty. The Master hooks up the energy unit to the radio telescope and sends a signal into space. Another technician, Professor Phillips, arrives and confronts the Master, only to be brought under his control.
At UNIT Headquarters, the Doctor is dismayed that he has not been assigned a scientist as the replacement for Liz Shaw, who has returned to Cambridge
, but he reluctantly accepts Jo Grant as her replacement as he hasn't the heart to tell her otherwise. Reports of the theft of the Nestene unit and sabotage at the radio telescope facility lead the Doctor, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart
and Jo to investigate. At the facility, the Doctor encounters a fellow Time Lord
who warns him that his old enemy, the Master, is here and will try to kill him.
In the meantime, the Master arrives at a local plastics factory and introduces himself as "Colonel Masters" to the young manager, Rex Farrel. He easily hypnotizes Rex and takes over the factory's production to build Auton
s. James McDermott, Rex's assistant and head of production, gets suspicious of Colonel Masters and calls up Rex's father, the owner of the factory. Jo, while investigating Farrel's factory, is discovered by the Master, who hypnotises her and wipes her memory of meeting him. He sends her back to UNIT. When the chained-up box that used to contain the unit is brought to UNIT headquarters, Jo offers to open it. The Doctor realises that Jo has been hypnotised and that the box is a trap. Jo, however, shouts out she has to open the box.
The Doctor manages to throw the open and smoking box (which contains a powerful bomb) out of the window, where it explodes in the river. Jo falls into a catatonic state from which the Doctor revives her, but she is unable to remember where she met the Master. At the factory, Mr. McDermott confronts the Master, and is killed by a plastic chair that swallows him up and suffocates him. The elder Mr. Farrel arrives, threatening to retake the factory, and his will is strong enough to resist the Master's hypnotism. The Master sends Mr. Farrel home with a plastic troll-like doll. It later comes to life when put on the radiator and strangles him.
Searching for Professor Phillips, the Doctor visits Rossini's circus. He is captured by Rossini just as he is about to open the Master's TARDIS and is tied up. He is freed by Jo, who had followed the Doctor there against orders. Professor Phillips, also under the Master's influence, tries to kill Jo and the Doctor with a sophisticated grenade
. The Doctor urges Professor Phillips to resist the Master's control, and Professor Philips is killed while trying to throw the explosive away. The Doctor enters the horsebox and removes something from it, only to be attacked by Rossini and his men. Seemingly rescued by two policemen, the Doctor and Jo are driven away from the scene just as the Brigadier and Yates arrive, and follow them. Inside the police car the Doctor and Jo see that instead of going back to UNIT, the car has arrived at a quarry. The Doctor gets suspicious and unmasks one of the officers as an Auton.
The Doctor attacks the driving Auton, but the car crashes into some rocks. Escaping from the vehicle, the Doctor and Jo hide as the Brigadier and Captain Mike Yates arrive. A firefight breaks out between them and the Autons from which they manage to escape. Back at UNIT, the Doctor fits the dematerialisation circuit from the Master's TARDIS into his own and tries to take off, but only manages to produce a lot of smoke because of incompatible systems. His frustration turns into amusement, however, when he realises that without the circuit, the Master is now trapped on Earth as well.
Meanwhile, Autons dressed in flashy costumes and plastic carnival heads hand out plastic daffodils to the public. Soon deaths from asphyxiation, shock, and heart failure are being reported across the country. The only connection is between the first two victims - McDermott and the elder Mr. Farrel. Interviewing Mrs. Farrel, Jo and the Doctor discover her husband's concerns about "Colonel Masters".
The Master, meanwhile, has infiltrated UNIT headquarters disguised as a telephone
technician and installs a long, plastic telephone cable in the Doctor's lab. The Doctor brings the troll doll back to UNIT to examine it, but it is simply solid plastic. While the Brigadier and the Doctor are at the factory, the doll comes to life due to its proximity to a Bunsen burner
and tries to attack Jo, but Yates arrives and shoots it. At the now empty factory, the Brigadier and the Doctor discover that Rex Farrel has chartered a bus
. They also find a plastic daffodil, providing the connection between the factory and the Master.
Back at UNIT, Yates tells the Doctor about the doll, but using heat on the daffodil fails to activate any sinister function. The telephone rings, and it is the Master, who bids the Doctor goodbye as he sends an electronic signal across, causing the telephone cable to begin to strangle the Doctor.
Luckily the Brigadier hears the Doctor's cries for help and disconnects the cable. The Doctor tells him that the Nestenes can put life into anything made of plastic. The Brigadier says there is a lot of plastic around. Then the Brigadier calls out an airstrike
on the Auton bus.
As the Doctor tries to decode the Nestene instructions imprinted in the plastic flower, a radio
signal from a walkie-talkie
accidentally activates it. The daffodil sprays a plastic film over Jo's face, nearly suffocating her until the Doctor removes the film with a spray. The plastic quickly dissolves soon after, explaining why it was not found at the sites of the deaths.
The Master arrives at UNIT to retrieve his dematerialisation circuit, threatening to kill Jo if he does not hand it over. Jo, trying to convince the Doctor not to do so, blurts out that the airstrike has been confirmed. With this revelation, the Master decides to bring Jo and the Doctor with him as hostages. The Brigadier has no choice but to abort the airstrike and the bus drives off to the radio telescope. Farrel, regaining his mental independence at last, tries to crash the bus in a field, but the Master hits him on the back, and the Doctor and Jo escape. The Master kills a scientist by throwing him over the side of the staircase on his way to the radio telescope.
UNIT troops engage the Autons while the Doctor and the Brigadier pursue the Master into the facility's control room. The Master declares that the invasion force is about to arrive by travelling along the frequency he created. However, the Doctor convinces the Master that the Nestenes will not distinguish between ally or foe once they arrive. Together, they close the channel for the invasion, driving the Nestenes back to wherever they were coming from and causing the Autons to collapse. While the Doctor and the Brigadier catch their breath, the Master vanishes.
At the bus, the Master emerges, apparently surrendering, but when he pulls out a gun, Yates shoots him. The Doctor peels back the disguise on the corpse to reveal that it is Rex Farrel masked to look like the Master. The real Master drives off in the bus. However, with the dematerialisation circuit in the Doctor's hands, the Master is still trapped on Earth. Back at UNIT, The Doctor remarks to Jo and the Brigadier that he looks forward to their next encounter.
debate about the effect of mass media on the public, the serial was cited as an example of a programme that might be too 'scary' for younger children.
, was published by Target Books
in May 1975. The cover art depicts what is supposed to be a fully developed Nestene. The novelisation introduces Jo Grant, although the Colony in Space novelisation (as The Doomsday Weapon) had already done so, albeit in contradiction to the television programme. The Master and Doctor are revealed herein to have names that are mathematical formulae and the grenade the Master uses is identified as Sontaran
. An unabridged reading of the novelisation by actor Geoffrey Beevers
was released on CD on 7 July 2010 by BBC Audiobooks.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
science fiction television series Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
, broadcast in four weekly parts from 2 to 23 January 1971. The serial opened Season 8 of the series, introducing three new characters: the Third Doctor
Third Doctor
The Third Doctor is the third incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by actor Jon Pertwee....
's new companion, Jo Grant
Jo Grant
Josephine "Jo" Grant is a fictional character played by Katy Manning in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
(played by Katy Manning
Katy Manning
Katy Manning is an English actress best known for her part as the companion Jo Grant in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who. She has also made many theatre appearances, and is now a citizen of Australia. She is myopic...
); his archenemy
Archenemy
An archenemy, archfoe, archvillain or archnemesis is the principal enemy of a character in a work of fiction, often described as the hero's worst enemy .- Etymology :The word archenemy or arch-enemy originated...
, the Master
Master (Doctor Who)
The Master is a recurring character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He is a renegade Time Lord and the archenemy of the Doctor....
(Roger Delgado
Roger Delgado
Roger Caesar Marius Bernard de Delgado Torres Castillo Roberto was an English actor, best known for his role as the first Master in Doctor Who....
); and Captain Mike Yates (Richard Franklin
Richard Franklin
Richard Franklin is a British actor.He has had various roles in different television programmes including Crossroads and Emmerdale Farm...
).
Plot
A van materialises out of thin air at a circus. A thin, bearded man dressed in a black suit introduces himself as the MasterMaster (Doctor Who)
The Master is a recurring character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He is a renegade Time Lord and the archenemy of the Doctor....
to the circus owner, Luigi Rossini, and hypnotises him; this allows him to use Rossini and his crew to help him break into the National Space Museum and steal the sole surviving Nestene energy unit. At UNIT
UNIT
UNIT is a fictional military organisation from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures...
headquarters, the Doctor
Doctor (Doctor Who)
The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and has also featured in two cinema feature films, a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....
meets his new assistant, Josephine Grant, who accidentally ruins one of his experiments, mistaking smoke for fire.
Meanwhile, the Master takes the energy unit to a radio telescope facility, killing the technician on duty. The Master hooks up the energy unit to the radio telescope and sends a signal into space. Another technician, Professor Phillips, arrives and confronts the Master, only to be brought under his control.
At UNIT Headquarters, the Doctor is dismayed that he has not been assigned a scientist as the replacement for Liz Shaw, who has returned to Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, but he reluctantly accepts Jo Grant as her replacement as he hasn't the heart to tell her otherwise. Reports of the theft of the Nestene unit and sabotage at the radio telescope facility lead the Doctor, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart
Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart
Brigadier Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, generally referred to simply as the Brigadier, is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, played by Nicholas Courtney...
and Jo to investigate. At the facility, the Doctor encounters a fellow Time Lord
Time Lord
The Time Lords are an ancient extraterrestrial race and civilization of humanoids in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, of which the series' eponymous protagonist, the Doctor, is a member...
who warns him that his old enemy, the Master, is here and will try to kill him.
In the meantime, the Master arrives at a local plastics factory and introduces himself as "Colonel Masters" to the young manager, Rex Farrel. He easily hypnotizes Rex and takes over the factory's production to build Auton
Auton
The Autons are an artificial life form from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, and adversaries of the Doctor. First appearing in Jon Pertwee's first serial as the Doctor, Spearhead from Space in 1970, they were the first monsters on the show to be presented in colour.Autons...
s. James McDermott, Rex's assistant and head of production, gets suspicious of Colonel Masters and calls up Rex's father, the owner of the factory. Jo, while investigating Farrel's factory, is discovered by the Master, who hypnotises her and wipes her memory of meeting him. He sends her back to UNIT. When the chained-up box that used to contain the unit is brought to UNIT headquarters, Jo offers to open it. The Doctor realises that Jo has been hypnotised and that the box is a trap. Jo, however, shouts out she has to open the box.
The Doctor manages to throw the open and smoking box (which contains a powerful bomb) out of the window, where it explodes in the river. Jo falls into a catatonic state from which the Doctor revives her, but she is unable to remember where she met the Master. At the factory, Mr. McDermott confronts the Master, and is killed by a plastic chair that swallows him up and suffocates him. The elder Mr. Farrel arrives, threatening to retake the factory, and his will is strong enough to resist the Master's hypnotism. The Master sends Mr. Farrel home with a plastic troll-like doll. It later comes to life when put on the radiator and strangles him.
Searching for Professor Phillips, the Doctor visits Rossini's circus. He is captured by Rossini just as he is about to open the Master's TARDIS and is tied up. He is freed by Jo, who had followed the Doctor there against orders. Professor Phillips, also under the Master's influence, tries to kill Jo and the Doctor with a sophisticated grenade
Grenade
A grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
. The Doctor urges Professor Phillips to resist the Master's control, and Professor Philips is killed while trying to throw the explosive away. The Doctor enters the horsebox and removes something from it, only to be attacked by Rossini and his men. Seemingly rescued by two policemen, the Doctor and Jo are driven away from the scene just as the Brigadier and Yates arrive, and follow them. Inside the police car the Doctor and Jo see that instead of going back to UNIT, the car has arrived at a quarry. The Doctor gets suspicious and unmasks one of the officers as an Auton.
The Doctor attacks the driving Auton, but the car crashes into some rocks. Escaping from the vehicle, the Doctor and Jo hide as the Brigadier and Captain Mike Yates arrive. A firefight breaks out between them and the Autons from which they manage to escape. Back at UNIT, the Doctor fits the dematerialisation circuit from the Master's TARDIS into his own and tries to take off, but only manages to produce a lot of smoke because of incompatible systems. His frustration turns into amusement, however, when he realises that without the circuit, the Master is now trapped on Earth as well.
Meanwhile, Autons dressed in flashy costumes and plastic carnival heads hand out plastic daffodils to the public. Soon deaths from asphyxiation, shock, and heart failure are being reported across the country. The only connection is between the first two victims - McDermott and the elder Mr. Farrel. Interviewing Mrs. Farrel, Jo and the Doctor discover her husband's concerns about "Colonel Masters".
The Master, meanwhile, has infiltrated UNIT headquarters disguised as a telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
technician and installs a long, plastic telephone cable in the Doctor's lab. The Doctor brings the troll doll back to UNIT to examine it, but it is simply solid plastic. While the Brigadier and the Doctor are at the factory, the doll comes to life due to its proximity to a Bunsen burner
Bunsen burner
A Bunsen burner, named after Robert Bunsen, is a common piece of laboratory equipment that produces a single open gas flame, which is used for heating, sterilization, and combustion.- Operation:...
and tries to attack Jo, but Yates arrives and shoots it. At the now empty factory, the Brigadier and the Doctor discover that Rex Farrel has chartered a bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
. They also find a plastic daffodil, providing the connection between the factory and the Master.
Back at UNIT, Yates tells the Doctor about the doll, but using heat on the daffodil fails to activate any sinister function. The telephone rings, and it is the Master, who bids the Doctor goodbye as he sends an electronic signal across, causing the telephone cable to begin to strangle the Doctor.
Luckily the Brigadier hears the Doctor's cries for help and disconnects the cable. The Doctor tells him that the Nestenes can put life into anything made of plastic. The Brigadier says there is a lot of plastic around. Then the Brigadier calls out an airstrike
Airstrike
An air strike is an attack on a specific objective by military aircraft during an offensive mission. Air strikes are commonly delivered from aircraft such as fighters, bombers, ground attack aircraft, attack helicopters, and others...
on the Auton bus.
As the Doctor tries to decode the Nestene instructions imprinted in the plastic flower, a radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
signal from a walkie-talkie
Walkie-talkie
A walkie-talkie is a hand-held, portable, two-way radio transceiver. Its development during the Second World War has been variously credited to Donald L. Hings, radio engineer Alfred J. Gross, and engineering teams at Motorola...
accidentally activates it. The daffodil sprays a plastic film over Jo's face, nearly suffocating her until the Doctor removes the film with a spray. The plastic quickly dissolves soon after, explaining why it was not found at the sites of the deaths.
The Master arrives at UNIT to retrieve his dematerialisation circuit, threatening to kill Jo if he does not hand it over. Jo, trying to convince the Doctor not to do so, blurts out that the airstrike has been confirmed. With this revelation, the Master decides to bring Jo and the Doctor with him as hostages. The Brigadier has no choice but to abort the airstrike and the bus drives off to the radio telescope. Farrel, regaining his mental independence at last, tries to crash the bus in a field, but the Master hits him on the back, and the Doctor and Jo escape. The Master kills a scientist by throwing him over the side of the staircase on his way to the radio telescope.
UNIT troops engage the Autons while the Doctor and the Brigadier pursue the Master into the facility's control room. The Master declares that the invasion force is about to arrive by travelling along the frequency he created. However, the Doctor convinces the Master that the Nestenes will not distinguish between ally or foe once they arrive. Together, they close the channel for the invasion, driving the Nestenes back to wherever they were coming from and causing the Autons to collapse. While the Doctor and the Brigadier catch their breath, the Master vanishes.
At the bus, the Master emerges, apparently surrendering, but when he pulls out a gun, Yates shoots him. The Doctor peels back the disguise on the corpse to reveal that it is Rex Farrel masked to look like the Master. The real Master drives off in the bus. However, with the dematerialisation circuit in the Doctor's hands, the Master is still trapped on Earth. Back at UNIT, The Doctor remarks to Jo and the Brigadier that he looks forward to their next encounter.
Continuity
- This serial introduces the Master's signature weapon, the Tissue Compression Eliminator – though the device itself was not named until Time-FlightTime-FlightTime-Flight is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts from 22 March to 30 March 1982...
. - The Nestene Consciousness and its Auton drones first appeared in the 1970 serial Spearhead from SpaceSpearhead from SpaceSpearhead from Space is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 3 January to 24 January 1970. The serial opened Series 7 of the show and was the first to be produced in colour. The serial introduced Jon Pertwee as the...
; thirty-five years later, they would appear in the Ninth DoctorNinth DoctorThe Ninth Doctor is the ninth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is played by Christopher Eccleston....
's introductory story, "RoseRose (Doctor Who)"Rose" is the first episode of Series One of the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who. Written by show runner Russell T Davies and directed by Keith Boak, the episode was first broadcast on 26 March 2005....
". - The story is set in the fictional town of Tarminster. In the 2008 Sarah Jane Adventures story The Mark of the BerserkerThe Mark of the BerserkerThe Mark of the Berserker is a story of The Sarah Jane Adventures which was broadcast on CBBC on 3 and 10 November 2008. It is the fourth serial of the second series...
, Sarah Jane SmithSarah Jane SmithSarah Jane Smith is a fictional character played by Elisabeth Sladen in the long-running British BBC Television science-fiction series Doctor Who and its spin-offs K-9 and Company and The Sarah Jane Adventures....
visits a hospital in the same town. The town is also mentioned on the Harold Saxon promotional website. It states that Lucy Saxon's father was Lord Cole of Tarminster. - Footage of the Doctor from this story appears in the projection from the Cybermen'sCybermanThe Cybermen are a fictional race of cyborgs who are amongst the most persistent enemies of the Doctor in the British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. Cybermen were originally a wholly organic species of humanoids originating on Earth's twin planet Mondas that began to implant more...
datastamp in "The Next Doctor".
Production
- Working titles for this story included The Spray of Death.
- The dramatic scene at the start of Episode Three, where an Auton is hit with a car and tumbles off a cliff, was quite real. Dinny Powell was driving the vehicle in place of actor Richard Franklin, and stuntman Terry WalshTerry Walsh (actor)Terry Walsh was a British actor stuntman, stunt arranger and fight arranger who contributed much to British television and film, especially during the 1970s. He stunt-doubled for Michael Caine, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker and David Warner amongst others.Walsh is known for his work on the science...
, as the Auton, fell further down the slope than intended, being injured in the mishap. He nevertheless got back to his feet in the same take as planned.
Cast notes
- Harry Towb, who plays the unfortunate McDermott, had previously appeared in The Seeds of DeathThe Seeds of DeathThe Seeds of Death is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which originally aired in six weekly parts from 25 January to 1 March 1969...
. - Michael Wisher, the young Farrel, had also done uncredited voice work for Seeds, and had previously appeared in The Ambassadors of DeathThe Ambassadors of DeathThe Ambassadors of Death is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in seven weekly parts from March 21 to May 2, 1970.-Plot:...
and, later, Carnival of MonstersCarnival of MonstersCarnival of Monsters is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 27 January to 17 February 1973....
. He would go on to do various Dalek voices and become well known as the first actor to play the evil genius DavrosDavrosDavros is a character from the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Davros is an archenemy of the Doctor and is the creator of the Doctor's deadliest enemies, the Daleks...
in the Genesis of the DaleksGenesis of the DaleksGenesis of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who that was originally broadcast in six weekly parts from 8 March to 12 April 1975. It marks the first appearance of Davros, the creator of the Daleks.-Plot:...
. - Strong Man Roy StewartRoy StewartRoy Stewart , originally from Jamaica, began his career as a stuntman and went on to work in film and television, at a time when there were few working black actors....
previously appeared as strong man Toberman in The Tomb of the CybermenThe Tomb of the CybermenThe Tomb of the Cybermen is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who that originally aired in four weekly parts from September 2 to September 23, 1967 and is the earliest serial starring Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor to exist in its entirety...
. - Although credited on-screen, Bill McGuirk (Policeman) does not actually appear; his entire contribution was edited out prior to transmission. He had also appeared in The Enemy of the WorldThe Enemy of the WorldThe Enemy of the World is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which originally aired in six weekly parts from 23 December 1967 to 27 January 1968...
,
Broadcast and reception
Certain scenes in the serial, particularly the killer doll and the Auton policemen, caused controversy in the press as being too frightening for children. In an unconnected House of LordsHouse of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
debate about the effect of mass media on the public, the serial was cited as an example of a programme that might be too 'scary' for younger children.
In print
A novelisation of this serial, written by Terrance DicksTerrance Dicks
Terrance Dicks is an English writer, best known for his work in television and for writing a large number of popular children's books during the 1970s and 80s.- Early career :...
, was published by Target Books
Target Books
Target Books was a British publishing imprint, established in 1973 by Universal-Tandem Publishing Co Ltd, a paperback publishing company. The imprint was established as a children's imprint to complement the adult Tandem imprint, and became well known for their highly successful range of...
in May 1975. The cover art depicts what is supposed to be a fully developed Nestene. The novelisation introduces Jo Grant, although the Colony in Space novelisation (as The Doomsday Weapon) had already done so, albeit in contradiction to the television programme. The Master and Doctor are revealed herein to have names that are mathematical formulae and the grenade the Master uses is identified as Sontaran
Sontaran
The Sontarans are a fictional extraterrestrial race of humanoids from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, and also seen in spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures. They were created by writer Robert Holmes.-Culture:...
. An unabridged reading of the novelisation by actor Geoffrey Beevers
Geoffrey Beevers
Geoffrey Beevers is a British actor who has appeared in many different television roles.Beevers has worked extensively at the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond upon Thames, both as an actor ; and as an adaptor/director of George Eliot's novel Adam Bede , for which he won a Time Out Award, and Balzac's...
was released on CD on 7 July 2010 by BBC Audiobooks.
Commercial releases
- Although the BBC wiped the serial's original 625-line videotapes for reuse, they kept 16mm b/w telerecording film prints (these are now more commonly referred to as Film Recordings). In 1993, these prints were combined with the colour signal from an off-air 525-line NTSC domestic videotape recording, resulting in relatively high-quality colour masters for a VHS release.
- A short clip from Episode One, depicting the Doctor's first meeting with Jo Grant, still survives in its original 625-line format, on a clip reel prepared for a 1973 edition of the news show NationwideNationwide (TV series)Nationwide was a BBC News and Current affairs television programme broadcast on BBC One each weekday following the early evening news. It followed a magazine format, combining political analysis and discussion with consumer affairs, light entertainment and sports reporting...
. - The short Nationwide clip is presented on the DVD of The AztecsThe Aztecs (Doctor Who)-VHS and DVD releases:*The serial was released on VHS in 1992.*On 21 October 2002, it was released on Region 2 DVD. This release was the first Doctor Who DVD to use the VidFIRE process throughout the whole production.-External links:Fan reviews...
, in a featurette discussing the VidFIREVidFIREVidFIRE is a restoration technique intended to restore the video-like motion of footage originally shot with television cameras now existing only in formats with telerecording as their basis...
restoration process. - As of 5 August 2008, this serial has been included for sale on iTunesITunesiTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
. - It was released on DVD in 2011 in a boxset entitled Mannequin Mania with the special edition of Spearhead from SpaceSpearhead from SpaceSpearhead from Space is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 3 January to 24 January 1970. The serial opened Series 7 of the show and was the first to be produced in colour. The serial introduced Jon Pertwee as the...
. The Nationwide clip is incorporated into Episode one; the rest of the serial consists of restored footage. Comparison between the remastered episodes and clips included in the behind-the-scenes material demonstrate that a great deal of restoration work has been carried out on the picture and sound quality.