OVERALL EPISODE NUMBER: 639
STORY NUMBER: 142
TRANSMITTED: Saturday 16 February 1985
WRITER: Robert Holmes
DIRECTOR: Peter Moffatt
SCRIPT EDITOR: Eric Saward
PRODUCER: John Nathan-Turner
RATINGS: 6.6 million viewers
FORMAT: DVD: Doctor Who - The Two Doctors
The Second Doctor & Jamie go to Space Station Chimera in the Third Zone to visit the Doctor's old friend Dastari to complain on behalf of the Time Lords about the Time Travel experiments his Professors Karts & Reimer are conducting. While they are there the space station is attacked by Sontarans, helped by Dastari's assistant the genetically enhanced Androgum Chessene. Jamie flees at the Doctor's urging but the Doctor is shot by the invaders. The Androgum Chef, Shockeye, has developed a desire to taste human flesh so to indulge him Chessene decides they will hide out on Earth. Following a failed fishing trip the Sixth Doctor collapses. On Peri's suggestion he decides to see a Doctor and so he goes to see Dastari, finding the station deserted and damaged. The station's computer attempts to kill them as intruders so they escape into the ducting allowing the Doctor to deactivate the computer's offensive systems. While he works Peri explores and is stalked by a hooded figure but when she summons help the Doctor falls and is left dangling from cables.
Leisurely is probably the best word to describe this episode. You could probably with a bit of work cut this down to the old 25 minute slot, albeit at the expense of some of Robert Holmes script, filled with some great dialogue, especially for John Stratton's Shockeye of the Quawncing Grig. Patrick Troughton & Frazer Hines as The Second Doctor & Jamie McCrimmon pick up like they've never left....
... which brings us to something of a problem. The Second Doctor & Jamie mention having dropped Victoria off & intend to collect her again, which kind of indicates that we're in Troughton's second season - Victoria featured in Evil of the Daleks, The Tomb of the Cybermen, The Abominable Snowmen, The Ice Warriors, The Enemy of the World, The Web of Fear & Fury from the Deep. And yet in this time the Doctor never mentions his people, and never names them as the Time Lords till the War Games. He'd certainly not be galloping off on a mission for them indeed the War Games indicates they're still very much looking for him. Throw in that we have a clearly older Second Doctor & Jamie here and we're in trouble somewhat. The solution to this is the previously alluded to Season 6B theory. The theory runs that in order to account for all of Troughton's post War Games appearances, his ability to steer the Tardis, his recall of Jamie & Zoe having their memory wiped (both in the Five Doctors), and his serving of the Time Lords he must have had adventures after the War Games. So following his disappearance at the end of that story he finds himself in the employ of the Time Lords, possibly the Celestial Intervention Agency mentioned in The Deadly Assassin, recovers his old companions, restores Jamie's memories and continues to have adventures until at some point, having parted company with Jamie & Victoria again, sentence is reimposed and he is forced to regenerate and return to Earth. Having had his memory wiped by the Time Lords he remembers nothing of this. Personally I don't like the theory, but it fits the facts and has worked it's way into the BBC Doctor Who Past Doctor adventures where Terrance Dicks has used it in three of his books: Players, Endgame & World Game.
When this episode was cut into two twenty five minute episodes for overseas audiences the break occurred when Peri collapses on the space station.
Robert Holmes once again uses his name, Tellurians, in this story which previously cropped up in Carnival of Monsters and at least one other story that he wrote. Finally it's confirmed that a Tellurians is indeed human.
Two of the cast are known to us from previous Doctor Who stories. Laurence Payne appears as Dastari and, uncredited, as the Space Station Computer voice. He was previously Johnny Ringo in The Gunfighters and, briefly, Morix in The Leisure Hive. Clinton Greyn plays Stike here but was previously Ivo in State of Decay. James Saxon as Oscar Botcherby, the botanist/actor/restaurant owner who, with his Spanish girlfriend Anita, sees Stike's ship land was a regular face on television as his imdb entry shows, including playing Darcy De Farcy, Roland Rat's agent. But by far the most recognisable face in the entire production was in fact a late replacement as another actress. Originally cast as Chessene of the Franzine Grig was Elizabeth Spriggs. The role was recast at a late stage when Spriggs refused to attend the location rehearsals with Jacqueline Pearce appearing in the finished production. Pearce is best known as the Blake's 7 villain Servalan and indeed her performance here is more than slightly reminiscent of that earlier role. So today we'll take a look at Doctor Who personnel involved in the Fourth season of Blake's 7. Producer David Maloney (Doctor Who director on many stories) has departed the Producer's chair but script editor Chris Boucher (writer of Face of Evil, Robots of Death & Image of the Fendahl) remains in place. Also returning in the cast are Paul Darrow as Avon (Captain Hawkins in the Silurians and Tekker in the next story Timelash), Michael Keating as Villa (Goudry in the Sunmakers), Peter Tuddenham as Orac & the new ship's computer Slave and Jacqueline Pearce as Servalan.
EPISODE: D1 Rescue
DIRECTED BY: Mary Ridge - directed Terminus
WRITTEN BY: Chris Boucher
BROADCAST ON: 28/09/1981
No Doctor Who cast involved.
EPISODE: D2 Power
DIRECTED BY: Mary Ridge
WRITTEN BY: Ben Steed
BROADCAST ON: 05/10/1981
Dicken Ashworth (Gunn Sar) Sezom in Timelash
EPISODE: D3 Traitor
DIRECTED BY: David Sullivan Proudfoot
WRITTEN BY: Robert Holmes Writer & script editor
BROADCAST ON: 12/10/1981
Christopher Neame (Colonel Quute) Skagra in Shada
EPISODE: D4 Stardrive
DIRECTED BY: David Sullivan Proudfoot
WRITTEN BY: James Follett
BROADCAST ON: 19/10/1981
Barbara Shelley (Dr. Plaxton) Sorasta in Planet of Fire
EPISODE: D5 Animals
DIRECTED BY: Mary Ridge
WRITTEN BY: Allan Prior
BROADCAST ON: 26/10/1981
Kevin Stoney (Ardus) Mavic Chen in the Dalek Masterplan, Tobias Vaughn in The Invasion and Tyrum in Revenge of the Cybermen
Max Harvey (Borr) Cardinal Zorac in Arc of Infinity
William Lindsay (Captain) Zargo in State of Decay
EPISODE: D6 Headhunter
DIRECTED BY: Mary Ridge
WRITTEN BY: Roger Parkes
BROADCAST ON: 02/11/1981
Lynda Bellingham (Vena) The Inquisitor in Trial of a Timelord
EPISODE: D7 Assassin
DIRECTED BY: David Sullivan Proudfoot,Vere Lorrimer (uncredited)
WRITTEN BY: Rod Beacham
BROADCAST ON: 09/11/1981
Richard Hurndall (Nebrox) The First Doctor in The Five Doctors
Adam Blackwood (Tok) Balzar in Trial of a Timelord 1-4
EPISODE: D8 Games
DIRECTED BY: Vivienne Cozens
WRITTEN BY: Bill Lyons
BROADCAST ON: 16/11/1981
Stratford Johns (Belkov) Monarch in Four to Doomsday
David Neal (Gerren) President in Caves of Androzani
EPISODE: D9 Sand
DIRECTED BY: Vivienne Cozens
WRITTEN BY: Tanith Lee
BROADCAST ON: 23/11/1981
Stephen Yardley (Reeve) Sevrin in Genesis of the Daleks, Arak in Vengeance on Varos
Daniel Hill (Chasgo) Chris Parsons in Shada
Peter Craze (Servalan's assistant) Dako in the Space Museum, Du Pont in the War Games & Costa in Nightmare of Eden. Brother of Michael Craze (Ben Jackson)
Michael Gaunt wasn't in Doctor Who but lets just say he has "An Interesting CV".
EPISODE: D10 Gold
DIRECTED BY: Brian Lighthill
WRITTEN BY: Colin Davis
BROADCAST ON: 30/11/1981
No Doctor Who cast involved.
EPISODE: D11 Orbit
DIRECTED BY: Brian Lighthill
WRITTEN BY: Robert Holmes
BROADCAST ON: 07/12/1981
John Savident (Egrorian) The Squire in The Visitation
EPISODE: D12 Warlord
DIRECTED BY: Viktors Ritelis
WRITTEN BY: Simon Masters
BROADCAST ON: 14/12/1981
Roy Boyd (Zukan) Driscoll in Hand of Fear
Rick James (Chalsa) Cotton in The Mutants
Charles Augins (Lod) Queeg & Choreographer on Red Dwarf
EPISODE: D13 Blake
DIRECTED BY: Mary Ridge
WRITTEN BY: Chris Boucher
BROADCAST ON: 21/12/1981
David Collings (Deva) Vorus in Revenge of the Cybermen, Mawdryn in the Mawdryn Undead and Poul in The Robots of Death. Silver in Saphire & Steel
Janet Lees Price (Klyn) wife of actor Paul Darrow who plays Avon
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