The Celestial Toymaker
Encyclopedia
The Celestial Toymaker is a serial in the British
science fiction television series Doctor Who
, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 2 April to 23 April 1966.
and rendered the First Doctor
invisible, leaving Dodo Chaplet
and Steven Taylor
incredulous. They step outside into a strange realm where the Doctor reappears, saying he recognises the place they are in. They have come to the realm of the Celestial Toymaker, an eternal being of infinite power who sets games and traps for the unwary so that they become his toys and playthings. The TARDIS is removed to prevent their escape and hidden with hundreds of facsimiles to prevent detection. The Doctor and the Toymaker have faced each other before, and the Toymaker abducts his old adversary to another place. The Doctor appears in the Toymaker’s study where he is given the Trilogic game, a ten piece Tower of Hanoi
puzzle whose pieces must all be moved and remounted in a precisely correct 1023 move sequence to ensure success at the game. Screens are placed in the two rooms which transmit the progress of the Doctor to his friends and vice versa. When the Doctor tries to communicate with his friends he is rendered invisible, unable to offer any advice or support. The game is advanced automatically to a further stage, with the Toymaker warning the Doctor that both parties must finish their tasks at the same time to win the game. A similar transgression later leads to him being made mute.
Steven and Dodo face different challenges. The first to appear are two clowns, Joey and Clara, full of childish tricks and a rather dangerous game of Blind Man's Buff
based on buzzed clues which is not as simple as it first seems. The clowns are made to replay the game when it is clear they are cheating, and the second time round Joey loses his footing on an obstacle course and the challengers are transformed into twisted dolls on the floor. Steven and Dodo then venture down a corridor into another chamber with three beautiful chairs and a challenge from living playing cards, the King and Queen of Hearts, along with a Knave and a Joker. An adjoining room has a further four chairs and Steven deduces from a rhyme that six of the seven chairs are deadly to sit on. Seven mannequins are provided to be used for testing on the chairs. The King and Queen play alongside them, and some of the mannequins are destroyed as seats are proven unsafe and eliminated. Dodo herself sits in the freezing chair and starts to freeze, only being rescued in the nick of time. The King and Queen, however, perish when they sit in a chair, with Cyril the Knave and the Joker having abandoned them to their games.
The next hurdle for Steven and Dodo are the comical Sgt. Rugg and Mrs. Wiggs, who hold court in a kitchen. They challenge them to hunt the thimble – or rather the key to the exit door – beyond which the TARDIS is presumed to be. Rugg and Wiggs are soon fighting, hurling crockery and food around, and in the chaos Dodo finds the key inside the large pie which Mrs Wiggs was making. She and Steven depart and enter another room with the dancing floor. There they encounter the three mannequins not destroyed by the chairs, who transform into ballerinas, and start to dance. At the far end of the floor is indeed the TARDIS. Sgt Rugg and Mrs Wiggs turn up too, determined to please the Toymaker and stop Steven and Dodo from reaching their craft. Steven and Dodo get trapped as partners with two of the dolls, and only manage to free themselves by swapping their partners for each other. They pelt on to the TARDIS, leaving Wiggs and Rugg to their fates, but the Police Box is once more a fake.
With the Doctor making good progress with the Trilogic Game, the Toymaker now chooses Cyril the schoolboy to take on his companions. Dodo and Steven now find themselves in a vast game of hopscotch
against the schoolboy, who delights in tricks and traps to prevent them winning. The TARDIS is the alluring prize at the end of the game, and to reach it you need to win dice throws, relying on luck, and avoid the electrified spaces beyond the proper squares. It is, however, Cyril who literally falls foul of his own traps when he slips on a square he has made booby-trapped
and is electrocuted. Dodo and Steven thus are at the TARDIS.
In the Toymaker’s study at the same time, the Doctor is at the final stage of the Trilogic Game. He has been returned to visibility and voice, and holds the final piece of the puzzle in his hand. The three friends are now reunited, with Steven and Dodo sent into the TARDIS for safety while the Toymaker challenges the Doctor to complete the Game. The Doctor realises that when he makes the move and the Game is won, the Toymaker’s domain will disappear – and the TARDIS with it. He cleverly orders the last piece to move using the Toymaker’s voice from inside the TARDIS, allowing them to depart while the Toymaker’s world is destroyed. The Doctor celebrates with a sweet from a bag given to Dodo by Cyril, but it leaves him in agony...
, the producers, received complaints from lawyers acting on behalf of the late Frank Richards' estate. The character Cyril (played by Peter Stephens
) was said to bear a remarkable resemblance to Billy Bunter
. The BBC subsequently issued a disclaimer saying that Cyril was merely "Bunter-like".
and Alison Bingeman, was published by Target Books
in June 1986. It is one of the few Doctor Who novels (original or adapted) to be written by more than one person.
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...
, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 2 April to 23 April 1966.
Plot
An alien intelligence has invaded the TARDISTARDIS
The TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s...
and rendered the First Doctor
First Doctor
The First Doctor is the initial incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by the actor William Hartnell from 1963 to 1966. Hartnell reprised the role in the tenth anniversary story The Three Doctors in 1973 - albeit in a...
invisible, leaving Dodo Chaplet
Dodo Chaplet
Dorothea "Dodo" Chaplet is a fictional character played by Jackie Lane in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. An Earth teenager from the year 1966, she was a companion of the First Doctor and a regular in the programme in its third season, from February to July,...
and Steven Taylor
Steven Taylor (Doctor Who)
Steven Taylor is a fictional character played by Peter Purves in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A space pilot from Earth in the future, he was a companion of the First Doctor and a regular in the programme from 1965 to 1966.-Character history:Steven first...
incredulous. They step outside into a strange realm where the Doctor reappears, saying he recognises the place they are in. They have come to the realm of the Celestial Toymaker, an eternal being of infinite power who sets games and traps for the unwary so that they become his toys and playthings. The TARDIS is removed to prevent their escape and hidden with hundreds of facsimiles to prevent detection. The Doctor and the Toymaker have faced each other before, and the Toymaker abducts his old adversary to another place. The Doctor appears in the Toymaker’s study where he is given the Trilogic game, a ten piece Tower of Hanoi
Tower of Hanoi
The Tower of Hanoi or Towers of Hanoi, also called the Tower of Brahma or Towers of Brahma, is a mathematical game or puzzle. It consists of three rods, and a number of disks of different sizes which can slide onto any rod...
puzzle whose pieces must all be moved and remounted in a precisely correct 1023 move sequence to ensure success at the game. Screens are placed in the two rooms which transmit the progress of the Doctor to his friends and vice versa. When the Doctor tries to communicate with his friends he is rendered invisible, unable to offer any advice or support. The game is advanced automatically to a further stage, with the Toymaker warning the Doctor that both parties must finish their tasks at the same time to win the game. A similar transgression later leads to him being made mute.
Steven and Dodo face different challenges. The first to appear are two clowns, Joey and Clara, full of childish tricks and a rather dangerous game of Blind Man's Buff
Blind man's buff
Blind man's buff or blind man's bluff is a children's game, a variant of tag. The traditional name of the game is "blind man's buff", wherein the word buff is used in its older sense of a small push...
based on buzzed clues which is not as simple as it first seems. The clowns are made to replay the game when it is clear they are cheating, and the second time round Joey loses his footing on an obstacle course and the challengers are transformed into twisted dolls on the floor. Steven and Dodo then venture down a corridor into another chamber with three beautiful chairs and a challenge from living playing cards, the King and Queen of Hearts, along with a Knave and a Joker. An adjoining room has a further four chairs and Steven deduces from a rhyme that six of the seven chairs are deadly to sit on. Seven mannequins are provided to be used for testing on the chairs. The King and Queen play alongside them, and some of the mannequins are destroyed as seats are proven unsafe and eliminated. Dodo herself sits in the freezing chair and starts to freeze, only being rescued in the nick of time. The King and Queen, however, perish when they sit in a chair, with Cyril the Knave and the Joker having abandoned them to their games.
The next hurdle for Steven and Dodo are the comical Sgt. Rugg and Mrs. Wiggs, who hold court in a kitchen. They challenge them to hunt the thimble – or rather the key to the exit door – beyond which the TARDIS is presumed to be. Rugg and Wiggs are soon fighting, hurling crockery and food around, and in the chaos Dodo finds the key inside the large pie which Mrs Wiggs was making. She and Steven depart and enter another room with the dancing floor. There they encounter the three mannequins not destroyed by the chairs, who transform into ballerinas, and start to dance. At the far end of the floor is indeed the TARDIS. Sgt Rugg and Mrs Wiggs turn up too, determined to please the Toymaker and stop Steven and Dodo from reaching their craft. Steven and Dodo get trapped as partners with two of the dolls, and only manage to free themselves by swapping their partners for each other. They pelt on to the TARDIS, leaving Wiggs and Rugg to their fates, but the Police Box is once more a fake.
With the Doctor making good progress with the Trilogic Game, the Toymaker now chooses Cyril the schoolboy to take on his companions. Dodo and Steven now find themselves in a vast game of hopscotch
Hopscotch
Hopscotch is a children's game that can be played with several players or alone. Hopscotch is a popular playground game.- Court and rules :- The court :...
against the schoolboy, who delights in tricks and traps to prevent them winning. The TARDIS is the alluring prize at the end of the game, and to reach it you need to win dice throws, relying on luck, and avoid the electrified spaces beyond the proper squares. It is, however, Cyril who literally falls foul of his own traps when he slips on a square he has made booby-trapped
Booby trap
A booby trap is a device designed to harm or surprise a person, unknowingly triggered by the presence or actions of the victim. As the word trap implies, they often have some form of bait designed to lure the victim towards it. However, in other cases the device is placed on busy roads or is...
and is electrocuted. Dodo and Steven thus are at the TARDIS.
In the Toymaker’s study at the same time, the Doctor is at the final stage of the Trilogic Game. He has been returned to visibility and voice, and holds the final piece of the puzzle in his hand. The three friends are now reunited, with Steven and Dodo sent into the TARDIS for safety while the Toymaker challenges the Doctor to complete the Game. The Doctor realises that when he makes the move and the Game is won, the Toymaker’s domain will disappear – and the TARDIS with it. He cleverly orders the last piece to move using the Toymaker’s voice from inside the TARDIS, allowing them to depart while the Toymaker’s world is destroyed. The Doctor celebrates with a sweet from a bag given to Dodo by Cyril, but it leaves him in agony...
Continuity
- The character of the Toymaker was to return in Season 23 in a story titled The Nightmare FairThe Nightmare FairThe Nightmare Fair is a story originally written for the 1986 season of Doctor Who, but never filmed. A novelisation based on the script was published in 1989 by Target Books, as the first volume of its Missing Episodes series...
with the Sixth DoctorSixth DoctorThe Sixth Doctor is the sixth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Colin Baker...
& Peri BrownPeri BrownPeri Brown, full name Perpugilliam Brown, is a fictional character played by Nicola Bryant in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who....
. However, that season was placed on hiatus by then BBC Controller Michael GradeMichael GradeMichael Ian Grade, Baron Grade of Yarmouth CBE is a British broadcast executive and businessman. He was BBC chairman from 2004 to 2006 and executive chairman of ITV plc from 2007 to 2009.-Early life:...
and when the hiatus was over, all of the original stories were dropped in favour of the season-long story The Trial of a Time LordThe Trial of a Time LordThe Trial of a Time Lord is a fourteen-part British science fiction serial of the long running BBC series Doctor Who. The serial, produced as the twenty-third season of the Doctor Who television series, aired in weekly episodes from 6 September to 6 December 1986...
. - The Nightmare Fair was later released in May 1989 as a novel under the same title. The Nightmare Fair was later released in 2009 as an audio play by Big FinishBig Finish ProductionsBig Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
, featuring the two of the original TV cast, Colin BakerColin BakerColin Baker is a British actor who is known for playing Paul Merroney in The Brothers from 1974 to 1976 and as the sixth incarnation of the Doctor in the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who, from 1984 to 1986.- Background:Colin Baker was born in London, but moved north to...
and Nicola BryantNicola Bryant-External links:** at shillpages.com/dw *...
, and with David BailieDavid BailieDavid Bailie is a British actor, known for his performances on stage, television and film. In the '60s and '70s he worked for both the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he was an associate artist. On TV he played "Dask" in the 1977 Doctor Who serial The Robots of Death, and...
as the Toymaker. - The character of the Toymaker also appeared in the BBC BooksBBC BooksBBC Books is an imprint majority owned and managed by Random House. The minority shareholder is BBC Worldwide, the commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation...
Fifth DoctorFifth DoctorThe Fifth Doctor is the fifth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is portrayed by Peter Davison....
Past Doctor AdventuresPast Doctor AdventuresThe Past Doctor Adventures were a series of spin-off novels based on the long running BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who and published under the BBC Books imprint. For most of their existence, they were published side-by-side with the Eighth Doctor Adventures...
novel Divided LoyaltiesDivided Loyalties (Doctor Who)Divided Loyalties is a BBC Books original novel written by Gary Russell and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
by Gary RussellGary RussellGary James Russell is a freelance writer and former child actor. As a writer, he is best known for his work in connection with the television series Doctor Who and its spin-offs in other media...
(which reveals that the Celestial Toymaker is of the GuardianBlack GuardianThe Black Guardian is a character in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He was played by Valentine Dyall....
alien race, as well as revealing the details of the First Doctor's original encounter with the Toymaker while he was still at the Academy). He is also seen in Doctor Who Magazine's first Eighth DoctorEighth DoctorThe Eighth Doctor is the eighth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Paul McGann...
comic strip End Game. The Toymaker also appears in two original Big Finish audio plays: with the Seventh DoctorSeventh DoctorThe Seventh Doctor is the seventh incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by the actor Sylvester McCoy....
in The Magic MousetrapThe Magic MousetrapThe Magic Mousetrap is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
and with companion Charlotte Pollard in Solitaire. David Bailie again played the role. - A picture of Clara the clown appears on Sarah Jane's laptop in The Sarah Jane AdventuresThe Sarah Jane AdventuresThe Sarah Jane Adventures is a British science fiction television series, produced by BBC Cymru Wales for CBBC, created by Russell T Davies and starring Elisabeth Sladen...
story The Day of the ClownThe Day of the ClownThe Day of the Clown is the second story of Series 2 of The Sarah Jane Adventures The two-part serial was broadcast on 6 October and 13 October 2008; "Part One" on the CBBC Channel at 5.15 p.m. on 6 October; "Part Two" on the CBBC Channel at 5.15 p.m. on 13 October...
Production
- All episodes of this story except Episode 4 are missingDoctor Who missing episodesThe Doctor Who missing episodes are the instalments of the long-running British science-fiction television programme Doctor Who that have no known film or videotape copies. They were wiped by the BBC during the 1960s and 1970s for economic and space-saving reasons...
from the BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
archives. - Working titles for this story included The Toymaker and The Trilogic Game.
- William Hartnell was on holiday during episodes two and three. Pre-recordings of his voice were heard in episode two and Albert Ward was a hand double for scenes where the mostly invisible Doctor played the Trilogic Game throughout the story.
- Brian Hayles was unavailable to do necessary rewrites, so then script editor Donald ToshDonald ToshDonald Tosh was a BBC screenwriter during the 1960s who contributed to the Doctor Who programme in 1965.Before working on Doctor Who Tosh was briefly script editor on the series Compact, and had helped to develop the show that eventually became Coronation Street.Tosh was the story editor for the...
performed them. As Tosh would no longer be script editor by the time the story was transmitted, he agreed with Hayles to take the writer's credit, with Hayles being credited for the idea. After Tosh finished work on the scripts, his successor, Gerry Davis, was forced to make further rewrites due to a budget shortfall. Tosh was unhappy with the rewrites and refused to be credited, while Davis could not take a credit because he was the series' script editor. As a result of this, Hayles was the sole credited author on the final serial, despite the fact that he had not worked on it in three months and the final scripts bore little to no resemblance to what he wrote.
Cast notes
- See also Celebrity appearances in Doctor WhoCelebrity appearances in Doctor WhoThis is a list of actors who have made guest appearances in Doctor Who.-First Doctor stories:-Second Doctor stories:-Third Doctor stories:-Fourth Doctor stories:-Fifth Doctor stories:-Sixth Doctor stories:-Seventh Doctor stories:...
. - Michael Gough would return to the programme in the Arc of InfinityArc of InfinityArc of Infinity is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts from 3 January to 12 January 1983...
. - Peter Stephens returned to play Lolem in the Second Doctor story The Underwater MenaceThe Underwater MenaceThe Underwater Menace is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 14 January 1967 to 4 February 1967. The story constitutes Jamie McCrimmon's first journey with the Doctor as a travelling companion.-Plot:The TARDIS...
- Carmen Silvera appeared in Invasion of the DinosaursInvasion of the DinosaursInvasion of the Dinosaurs is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from 12 January to 16 February 1974.-Synopsis:...
.
Broadcast and reception
BBC TelevisionBBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
, the producers, received complaints from lawyers acting on behalf of the late Frank Richards' estate. The character Cyril (played by Peter Stephens
Peter Stephens
Peter Stephens was an English stage, film and television supporting actor, notable for his portrayal of the Bunteresque character, Cyril, in the BBC TV series Doctor Who series entitled The Celestial Toymaker...
) was said to bear a remarkable resemblance to Billy Bunter
Billy Bunter
William George Bunter , is a fictional character created by Charles Hamilton using the pen name Frank Richards...
. The BBC subsequently issued a disclaimer saying that Cyril was merely "Bunter-like".
In print
A novelisation of this serial, written by Gerry DavisGerry Davis (screenwriter)
Gerry Davis was a British television writer, best known for his contributions to the science-fiction genre. He also wrote for the soap operas Coronation Street and United!....
and Alison Bingeman, 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 June 1986. It is one of the few Doctor Who novels (original or adapted) to be written by more than one person.
VHS, DVD and CD releases
- Episode 4 was released on The Hartnell Years VHSVHSThe Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
in 1991. - In November 2004, it was released on Region 2 DVDDVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in the three-disc Lost in Time box set. - Soundtrack recordings made by fans, coupled with linking narration by Peter Purves, also facilitated the story's CD release. In episode 2, the King of Hearts recites a version of the children's rhyme Eeny, meeny, miny, moeEeny, meeny, miny, moe"Eeny, meeny, miny, moe", which can be spelled a number of ways, is a children's counting rhyme, used to select a person to be "it" for games and similar purposes such as counting out a child that has to be stood down from a group of children as part of a playground game...
which includes the racial slur "niggerNiggerNigger is a noun in the English language, most notable for its usage in a pejorative context to refer to black people , and also as an informal slang term, among other contexts. It is a common ethnic slur...
" in the second line. On the audio release, the offending section is masked by Peter Purves's narration.