Tuesday 26 April 2011

155 The Macra Terror: Part Three

EPISODE: The Macra Terror: Part Three
OVERALL EPISODE NUMBER: 155
STORY NUMBER: 034
TRANSMITTED: 25 March 1967
WRITER: Ian Stuart Black
DIRECTOR: John Davies
SCRIPT EDITOR: Gerry Davis
PRODUCER: Innes Lloyd
FORMAT: CD: Doctor Who: The Macra Terror
TELESNAPS: The Macra Terror: Part Three

Polly screams that the Macra are in control. She, the Doctor & Jamie are sent to the mine where they were reunited with Medok. The Doctor supervises from the control room while the others go bellow. The Gas mined is poisonous to humans and Polly wonders what it's for. The Doctor deduces a formula from the gauge readings in the control room which infuriates the pilot claiming the formula is a secret known to only 2 people. Jamie steals keys from a guard and makes an escape into a sealed tunnel. Medok follows Jamie and is killed by a Macra. Ben is questioned because he failed to stop Jamie escaping. The Doctor discovers the gas is being pumped into the old tunnel for some unknown reason as Jamie, weakening in the poisonous atmosphere, collapses.

OK, so what's this business with the formula about? It's really not clear from the episode. I'm guessing that the mined gas is being processed before being pumped into the shaft where, surprise surprise, the Macra seem to be hiding.

Two long running Who supporting artists make their debut in this series: Terence Lodge, Medok, will later appear as Orum in what's one of my favourite Pertwee stories, Carnival of Monsters, and Moss in the recently released on DVD Planet of the Spiders. Ian Fairbairn, Questa, then becomes a Camfield regular as Gregory in The Invasion, in my absolute favourite Pertwee story Inferno as Bromley & the Penetration Announcer and in Camfield's Tom Baker swansong The Seeds of Doom as Chester.

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