199 Fury from the Deep: Episode Two

EPISODE: Fury from the Deep: Episode Two
OVERALL EPISODE NUMBER: 199
STORY NUMBER: 042
TRANSMITTED: 23 March 1968
WRITER: Victor Pemberton
DIRECTOR: Hugh David
SCRIPT EDITOR: Derrick Sherwin
PRODUCER: Peter Bryant
FORMAT: CD: Doctor Who: Fury from the Deep
TELESNAPS: Fury from the Deep: Episode Two

The Doctor and Jamie rescue Victoria from the weed and foam. Robson doesn't believe her story and accuses her of sabotage. Maggie Harris tells her husband that the seaweed stung her before passing out. Out on the veranda the sea weed is producing foam. The Doctor and Robson are arguing about the sound the Doctor heard. The Doctor says it was a heartbeat, Robson says it's a propeller mechanism. Harris asks The Doctor to come and see Maggie. She in turn is opening the door to Mr Oak, a short fat man, and Mr Quill, a tall thin man. They claim to be from maintenance but are revealed to have arms covered in seaweed which they cover with white gloves. They breathe toxic gas at Mrs Harris rendering her unconscious again. Gas is vented from the pipeline to reduce pressure. Once more Van Lutyens argues with the stubborn Robson as the main impeller stops moving cutting off the gas flow. The Doctor and Harris find Maggie unconscious: he tells them about the seaweed. Van Lutyens seeks support from Chief Baxter to investigate the problems but Robson won't listen to him either when Van Lutyens' name is mentioned. The Impeller starts again as Van Lutyens explains his concerns

It's down there, in the darkness, in the pipeline, waiting

Oh what a wonderfully creepy bit of dialogue to end with, that's superb. Robson's a stubborn old goat, doesn't listen to anything anyone says to him preferring to back his own experience. The controlled Oak & Quill are obviously meant to be a sort rift on Laurel & Hardy and because of that are all the more sinister for it

Playing Robson is Victor Maddern a famous British film & TV actor. I didn't know till I saw his IMDB credits that he'd been in the Beiderbecke Tapes. If you've not seen the Biderbecke Affair/Tapes/Connection then buy The Beiderbecke Trilogy on DVD as it's one of the best things that's ever been on television. While Roy Spencer appearing as Harris had previously been in The Ark, it's a first Doctor Who role for Jane Murphy, playing his wife Maggie Harris, who'll be back as Jane Blythe in The Sea Devils. John Abineri is also making his first Who appearance here as Van Lutyens but he'll be back in the Ambassadors of Death, Death to the Daleks & Power of Kroll as well as appearing as Herne the Hunter in Robin of Sherwood, Rimmer's Dad in Red Dwarf and roles in numerous other TV productions. On Who debut as well is Hubert Rees as the Chief Engineer. He'll be back as Captain Ransom in "The War Games" and "The Seeds of Doom" as John Stevenson.

A brief clip from this episode exists courtesy of the Australian censors showing Oak & Quill breathing out the toxic gas.