The Pescatons
Encyclopedia
Doctor Who and the Pescatons (commonly shortened to The Pescatons in a similar manner to Doctor Who and the Silurians
) is an audio play
in two episodes based on the long-running British
science fiction television
series Doctor Who
. It is written by Victor Pemberton
, and stars Tom Baker
as the Fourth Doctor
, Elisabeth Sladen
as Sarah Jane Smith
and Bill Mitchell as Zor.
It was released on LP and cassette by Argo
(a division of Decca
) in July 1976, re-released on CD in 1991 by Silva Screen Records, and re-released again by BBC Audio on CD on 3 January 2005. The 2005 CD release includes the complete original programme on disc one, and a new interview with Elisabeth Sladen recorded on 21 May 2004 on disc two.
Doctor Who and the Pescatons was the very first audio drama based upon Doctor Who, and not counting radio plays would be the last until the late 1990s when Big Finish Productions
would revive the idea for a prolific series of audio productions based upon the series. Like Doctor Who and the Pescatons, original cast members from the series would be included. Doctor Who and the Pescatons remained the only original Doctor Who audio production to feature Tom Baker (apart from the educational Exploration Earth: The Time Machine
) until the Hornets' Nest
series of audios released in 2009.
. Although not the final Target release (that would come in 1994 with The Paradise of Death
), this was the final new release in Target's traditional format which had been in place since 1973; subsequent new releases would be longer and in a differently presented book format. Discounting radio plays, it is to date the only Doctor Who audio drama to be novelised.
Doctor Who and the Silurians
Doctor Who and the Silurians is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in seven weekly parts from January 31 to March 14, 1970. The story is the first appearance of a recurring family of Earth-dwelling reptiles...
) is an audio play
Radio drama
Radio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...
in two episodes based on the long-running British
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
Science fiction on television
Science fiction first appeared on a television program during the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary world not limited by the constraints of reality; this makes television an excellent medium...
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...
. It is written by Victor Pemberton
Victor Pemberton
Victor Pemberton is a British writer and television producer.Victor Pemberton's scriptwriting work included BBC radio plays, and television scripts for the BBC and ITV, including Doctor Who, The Slide and The Adventures of Black Beauty.His television production work included the British version of...
, and stars Tom Baker
Tom Baker
Thomas Stewart "Tom" Baker is a British actor. He is best known for playing the fourth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction television series Doctor Who, a role he played from 1974 to 1981.-Early life:...
as the Fourth Doctor
Fourth Doctor
The Fourth Doctor is the fourth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC British television science-fiction series Doctor Who....
, Elisabeth Sladen
Elisabeth Sladen
Elisabeth Clara Heath-Sladen was an English actress best known for her role as Sarah Jane Smith in the British television series Doctor Who. She was a regular cast member from 1973 to 1976, alongside both Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker, and reprised the role many times in subsequent decades, both on...
as Sarah Jane Smith
Sarah Jane Smith
Sarah 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....
and Bill Mitchell as Zor.
It was released on LP and cassette by Argo
Argo Records (UK)
Argo Records was a record label founded in 1951 by Harley Usill , and musicologist Cyril Clarke with £500 capital, initially as a company specialising in "British music played by British artists" , but it quickly became a company primarily specialising in spoken-word recordings and other esoteric ...
(a division of Decca
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
) in July 1976, re-released on CD in 1991 by Silva Screen Records, and re-released again by BBC Audio on CD on 3 January 2005. The 2005 CD release includes the complete original programme on disc one, and a new interview with Elisabeth Sladen recorded on 21 May 2004 on disc two.
Doctor Who and the Pescatons was the very first audio drama based upon Doctor Who, and not counting radio plays would be the last until the late 1990s when Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
would revive the idea for a prolific series of audio productions based upon the series. Like Doctor Who and the Pescatons, original cast members from the series would be included. Doctor Who and the Pescatons remained the only original Doctor Who audio production to feature Tom Baker (apart from the educational Exploration Earth: The Time Machine
Exploration Earth: The Time Machine
"Exploration Earth: The Time Machine" is an episode of the BBC Schools radio drama series Exploration Earth, a series exploring geography. It was the third episode in this series. As it was an educational programme, it used the Doctor Who format and elements to explore the processes of the creation...
) until the Hornets' Nest
Hornets' Nest (Doctor Who)
Hornets' Nest is an audio play in five episodes based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is written by Paul Magrs, and stars Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor and Richard Franklin as Captain Mike Yates...
series of audios released in 2009.
In print
Doctor Who and the Pescatons was novelised in 1991 by Victor Pemberton as Doctor Who – The Pescatons and published by Target BooksTarget 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...
. Although not the final Target release (that would come in 1994 with The Paradise of Death
The Paradise of Death
The Paradise of Death is a radio audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who, produced by the BBC and first broadcast in five episodes on BBC Radio 5 from 27 August to 24 September 1993. The original radio play was released on CD as part of the BBC...
), this was the final new release in Target's traditional format which had been in place since 1973; subsequent new releases would be longer and in a differently presented book format. Discounting radio plays, it is to date the only Doctor Who audio drama to be novelised.