The Hand of Fear (TV story): Difference between revisions

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{{Infobox TV|
{{title dab away}}
story name= The Hand of Fear |
{{real world}}
image=[[Image:Handoffear_main.JPG|250px]] |
{{ImageLinkTV}}
series=[[Doctor Who]] - [[TV stories|TV Stories]] <br> [[Season 14]] |
{{Infobox Story SMW
number= 87 |
|image                 = Eldrad's ring.jpg
doctor=[[Fourth Doctor]] |
|series                 = [[Doctor Who television stories|''Doctor Who'' television stories]]
companions= [[Sarah Jane Smith]] (Departure)|
|season number          = Season 14 (Doctor Who 1963)
enemy= [[Eldrad]] |
|season serial number  = 2
year= <ul><li>[[Earth]]; circa [[1970s]] - [[1980s]]</li><li>[[Kastria]]; circa [[1970s]] - [[1980s]]</li></ul> |
|story number           = 87
writer= [[Bob Baker]] and [[Dave Martin]] |
|doctor                 = Fourth Doctor  
director= [[Lennie Mayne]] |
|companions             = [[Sarah Jane Smith|Sarah]]  
producer= [[Philip Hinchcliffe]] |
|enemy                 = [[Eldrad]]  
broadcast date= [[2nd October]] - [[23rd October]] [[1976]] |
|setting                = [[England]] and [[Kastria]], [[20th century]]
format= 4 25-minute Episodes |
|writer                 = Bob Baker, Dave Martin
production code= [[List of production codes|4N]]|
|director               = [[Lennie Mayne]]  
previous story= [[The Masque of Mandragora]] |
|producer               = [[Philip Hinchcliffe]]  
next story= [[The Deadly Assassin]]}}
|novelisation          = Doctor Who and the Hand of Fear (novelisation)
|epcount                = 4
|broadcast date         = 2 October - 23 October 1976  
|network                = BBC1
|format                 = 4x25-minute episodes
|serial production code = [[List of production codes|4N]]
|prev                  = The Masque of Mandragora (TV story)
|next                  = The Deadly Assassin (TV story)
|clip                  = Until we meet again Sarah - Sarah Jane leaves - The Hand of Fear - Doctor Who - BBC
|thwr                  = 45
|thwr2                  = 191
}}
'''''The Hand of Fear''''' was the second serial of [[Season 14 (Doctor Who 1963)|season 14]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]''. Significantly, it was the final regular appearance of [[Elisabeth Sladen]] as [[Sarah Jane Smith]], though she would return to the role in a semi-regular capacity in ''[[School Reunion (TV story)|School Reunion]]'' in [[2006 (releases)|2006]], and the main cast member of ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'' in [[2007 (releases)|2007]].


'''The Hand of Fear''' was the second story of [[Season 14]] of ''Doctor Who''. It was [[Sarah Jane Smith]]'s final story as a companion in the series.
''The Hand of Fear'' was originally intended for the 1976 six-part slot that was taken by ''[[The Seeds of Doom (TV story)|The Seeds of Doom]]''.<ref name="sullivan">http://www.shannonsullivan.com/drwho/serials/4n.html</ref> It was inspired by the 1946 film {{wi|The Beast with Five Fingers}}. (DCOM: ''The Hand of Fear'') There were several versions of the script. One saw the [[hand]] as an advance guard preparing the way for an alien army. Another fixed upon two "Omegans" — representing the "hawk" and "dove" — working against humanity. There were plans for [[Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart|the Brigadier]] and [[Harry Sullivan]] to appear, with the former, much like in early drafts of ''[[Pyramids of Mars (TV story)|Pyramids of Mars]]'', bowing out from ''Who'' in a blaze of glory.


==Synopsis==
However, [[script editor]] [[Robert Holmes]] took issue with its complexity and commissioned another script to be the final story of [[Season 13 (Doctor Who 1963)|season 13]], should this remain unresolved. Finally, in [[October (production)|October]] [[1975 (production)|1975]], ''The Hand of Fear'' was officially delayed and ''The Seeds of Doom'' was produced in its place.
When the TARDIS lands on Earth in a quarry, the Doctor and Sarah are caught in a mining explosion. Sarah is found clutching what appears to be a fossilised hand, buried in 150 million-year-old strata. Analysis shows the hand to be silicon-based and inert, but when Sarah begins to act as if possessed, the Doctor suspects that it may still be alive...


==Plot==
After Elizabeth Sladen told the production team she wanted to leave early in the next season, [[Douglas Camfield]] was commissioned to write ''The Lost Legion'', which would see Sarah killed at its conclusion. However, Holmes was unhappy with the script and, in a turn of fate, decided that ''The Hand of Fear'' might have to be used as a replacement. With [[UNIT]] and degenerating-humans removed from the plot, [[Bob Baker]] and [[Dave Martin]] produced a more linear story. Camfield fell behind on his own script and was discounted. Baker and Martin left the writing of Sarah's farewell scene to Holmes.


===Part 1===
[[Director (crew)|Director]] [[Lennie Mayne]] made his final contribution to ''Doctor Who'' with ''The Hand of Fear''. After finishing production on the serial and an episode of {{wi|Softly, Softly: Taskforce}}, he was drowned after a wave swept him overboard in the [[English Channel]] in May 1977.<ref name="sullivan" />
[[Image:Handoffear_part1.JPG|thumb|right|150px|[[The Doctor]] examines an x-ray of the mysterious hand]]
Millennia ago on the planet [[Kastria]], a traitor and criminal named [[Eldrad]] is sentenced to death for his crimes, including the destruction of the barriers that have kept the solar winds at bay. The pod containing the criminal is obliterated – but its hand survives.


[[Fourth Doctor|The Doctor]] and [[Sarah Jane Smith]] arrive in the [[the Doctor's TARDIS|TARDIS]] in a modern-day [[quarry]] and are caught up in a quarrying explosion. Sarah is rendered unconscious but in that state makes contact with the fossilised hand, its ring alive, and this has a [[hypnosis|hypnotic]] effect on her. The Doctor takes her to the local hospital, where the mesmeric power of the hand becomes more complete and both Sarah and a pathologist called [[Carter|Dr. Carter]] are brought under its control.
Permission to film at Oldbury Nuclear Power Station was obtained before the script was completed, so central was it to the story. Bob Baker found the staff very accommodating on his initial visit, such was their enthusiasm for the project. The [[radiation]] provided health and safety concerns, with [[geiger counter]] checks being performed on the cast and crew and Radiological Clearance Certificates having to be issued before any object could leave the premises. (DCOM/INFO: ''The Hand of Fear'')


Sarah heads for the nearest nuclear generator, the [[Nunton Experimental Complex|Nunton Complex]], where she causes a crisis by breaking into the reactor with the hand. It seems to thrive on radiation and begins to regenerate, growing back its missing finger and moving around unaided.
== Synopsis ==
When [[The Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]] lands in a [[quarry]] on [[Earth]], the Doctor and [[Sarah Jane Smith|Sarah]] are caught in a quarrying explosion. Sarah is found clutching what appears to be a fossilised hand, buried in one-hundred-fifty-million-year-old strata. Analysis shows the hand to be silicon-based and inert, but when Sarah begins to act as if possessed, the Doctor suspects that it may still be alive...


===Part 2===
== Plot ==
[[Image:The_Hand_of_Fear.jpg|thumb|left|150px|The hand possesses [[Sarah Jane Smith|Sarah]]]]
=== Part one ===
The head of the complex, [[Watson|Professor Watson]], displays great bravery in remaining at his post when the reactor goes critical, and offers the Doctor aid and advice in trying to get to Sarah. All of a sudden the radiation has been absorbed and the crisis is over. The Doctor goes to retrieve her from the reactor, but en route he encounters Carter, who tries to kill him, himself under the influence of the hand, but he accidentally falls to his death. When the Doctor reaches Sarah, he knocks her out and removes her from the reactor room, failing to notice the ring falling to the floor as they leave. When she comes to, Sarah has no memory or understanding of what she has done.
One hundred and fifty million years ago on the planet [[Kastria]], a traitor named [[Eldrad]] is sentenced to death for crimes including the destruction of the barriers that kept the [[solar wind]]s at bay.


The hand now takes over a nuclear operative called [[Driscoll]], who is manipulated into feeding the hand ever more radiation, threatening a nuclear explosion.
Placed into a capsule and shot into space, Eldrad awaits obliteration. The capsule is detonated prematurely, despite the risk of particle survival. Conditions are deteriorating rapidly on Kastria. The remaining [[Kastrian]]s await their fate on the desolate planet.


===Part 3===
The [[Fourth Doctor]] and [[Sarah Jane Smith]] arrive in [[the Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]] in a modern-day [[quarry]] on [[Earth]] and are caught immediately in a quarrying explosion. The Doctor is slightly injured. Sarah is found unconscious in the rubble, clutching a [[fossil]]ised hand. She is taken to a local [[hospital]].
[[Image:Handoffear_part3.JPG|thumb|right|150px|[[Eldrad]] lives]]
An un-explosion takes place instead. An [[RAF]] bombing raid simply adds to the available radiation and allows Eldrad to regenerate into a fully humanoid form. It is crystalline, female and [[silicon]]-based. Eldrad persuades the Doctor to take her back to Kastria, saying she helped her race thrive by building the solar barriers which were subsequently destroyed when Kastria was caught in the middle of an inter-stellar war.  


The Doctor, Sarah and Eldrad travel to Kastria in the present time in the TARDIS – 150 million years after she left. They find a barren and frozen world, with the few signs of civilisation many floors below ground. Eldrad is caught in a series of traps left behind by King [[Rokon]]. One such trap sees Eldrad impaled by a tube containing poisonous acid.
The hand is examined. Based on the strata of the rock in which it was found, it is one hundred fifty million years old. Pathologist Dr [[Carter (The Hand of Fear)|Carter]] dismisses these findings as ridiculous. Examining a sliver of the hand under an [[electron microscope]], the Doctor observes a helix similar to [[DNA]]. The minuscule radiation of the microscope causes the sample to grow. The Doctor realises that this fossil might actually contain vestiges of life.


===Part 4===
Sarah awakens in her hospital bed, holding a crystalline [[ring]] that slipped from the hand. The ring begins to pulse with energy. Sarah hears a voice in her head: "Eldrad must live." She steals the hand and flees the hospital, knocking out Carter with a flash from the ring. She heads for the nearest [[nuclear reactor]], the [[Nunton Experimental Complex|Nunton Complex]]. With the aid of the ring, Sarah overpowers guards and workmen and enters the reactor room, sending the complex into red alert. She watches as the hand absorbs radiation, regenerates its missing finger and begins to move...
[[Image:Handoffear_part4.JPG|thumb|left|150px|The remains of [[Kastria]]]]
Eldrad pulls out the acid tube and tells the Doctor it is deadly to Kastrians, Eldrad is visibly weaker and tells the Doctor she needs to go to the regeneration chamber in the kastrian city. They arrive there are Eldrad gets into the machine.
Eldrad appears to perish, but regenerates as a male, crazed psychopath who reveals that he created then destroyed the barriers himself after falling out with Rokon and the Kastrian leadership. Rokon appears in hologram form to denounce Eldrad as the destroyer of Kastria. When Eldrad tries to exact his revenge he finds Rokon and the other Kastrians all dead, their race banks destroyed, and no possibility of a new Kastrian future. To prevent Eldrad now returning to [[Earth]] and conquering it instead, the Doctor defeats the tyrant by engineering a fall into an abyss. The Doctor is uncertain if this is the end of Eldrad, noting that silicon-based lifeforms are very hard to kill.
Inside the Tardis, Sarah says she needs a bath and her hair washed.


Not long after departure in the TARDIS, the Doctor is summoned back to [[Gallifrey]] and declares he cannot take Sarah with him. She has been bluffing about wanting to leave the TARDIS and is totally taken aback, and quite unready to be returned to Earth in her own time. The Doctor and Sarah part company, it is only when the TARDIS dematerialises that Sarah notices the Doctor hasn't returned her to [[Croydon]] at all.
=== Part two ===
The head of the complex, [[Owen Watson|Professor Watson]], stays at his post when the reactor goes critical. He offers the Doctor aid and advice in trying to get to Sarah. She sits serenely amidst the chaos and klaxons. The Doctor resolves to enter the chamber through a [[cooling duct]] in [[Cooling systems control]]. His progress is interrupted by Dr Carter, now also under the [[hypnosis|hypnotic]] control of the ring. He tries to strike the Doctor while on a stairwell, but his own momentum carries him over the railing, and he falls to his death.


==Cast==
The Doctor enters the chamber and finds there is no radiation whatsoever; the hand is absorbing the entire output of the reactor. Sarah is removed, and the hand placed in a sealed cabinet. The Doctor breaks through Sarah's hypnosis.
*[[Fourth Doctor|The Doctor]] - [[Tom Baker]]
*[[Sarah Jane Smith]] - [[Elisabeth Sladen]]
*[[Carter|Dr. Carter]] - [[Rex Robinson]]
*[[Intern]] - [[Renu Setna]]
*[[Abbott]] - [[David Purcell]]
*[[Zazzka]] - [[Roy Pattison]]
*King [[Rokon]] - [[Roy Skelton]]
*[[Guard (The Hand of Fear)|Guard]] - [[Robin Hargrave]]
*[[Watson|Professor Watson]] - [[Glyn Houston]]
*[[Driscoll]] - [[Roy Boyd]]
*[[Jackson (The Hand of Fear)|Miss Jackson]] - [[Frances Pidgeon]]
*[[Elgin]] - [[John Cannon]]
*[[Eldrad]] - [[Judith Paris]]
*[[Kastrian]] Eldrad - [[Stephen Thorne]]


==Crew==
The ring, however, is left behind in the chamber. It is found by a technician named [[Driscoll (The Hand of Fear)|Driscoll]], who falls under its control. He takes the hand and makes his way to the [[reactor core]]. He uses the ring against the security personnel who attempt to stop him. The Doctor pursues him, closely followed by Sarah, and narrowly avoids becoming a victim of the ring. They catch up with Driscoll just as he is about to enter the core and set off a chain reaction. The Doctor pulls Sarah to the ground to await the explosion.
*[[Writer]]s - [[Bob Baker]] and [[Dave Martin]]
*[[Assistant Floor Manager]] - [[Terry Winders]]
*[[Costumes]] - [[Barbara Lane]]
*[[Designer]] - [[Christine Ruscoe]]
*[[Fight Arranger]] - [[Max Faulkner]]
*[[Film Cameraman]] - [[Max Samett]]
*[[Film Editor]] - [[Christopher Rowlands]]
*[[Incidental Music]] - [[Dudley Simpson]]
*[[Make-Up]] - [[Judy Neame]]
*[[Producer]] - [[Philip Hinchcliffe]]
*[[Production Assistant]] - [[Marion McDougall]]
*[[Production Unit Manager]] - [[Chris D'Oyly-John]]
*[[Script Editor]] - [[Robert Holmes]]
*[[Special Sounds]] - [[Dick Mills]]
*[[Studio Lighting]] - [[Derek Slee]]
*[[Studio Sound]] - [[Brian Hiles]]
*[[Theme Arrangement]] - [[Delia Derbyshire]]
*[[Title Music]] - [[Ron Grainer]]
*[[Visual Effects]] - [[Colin Mapson]]
*[[Producer]] - [[Philip Hinchcliffe]]
*[[Director]] - [[Lennie Mayne]]


==References==
Inside the control room, the panels explode, knocking Professor Watson to the floor...
''to be added''


==Story Notes==
=== Part three ===
*Working titles claimed for this story were ''The Hand of Death'' and ''The Hand of Time''. However, the production notes on the DVD release state that there were no working titles for this story.
[[File:Eldrad and the Doctor.jpg|thumb|left|The Doctor persuades [[Eldrad]] to let [[Owen Watson|Watson]] live.]]
*At the time, in terms of seasons, [[Elisabeth Sladen]] was the longest serving companion with any Doctor, appearing for over three seasons and surpassing [[Katy Manning]]'s record as [[Jo Grant]]. Sladen held the record until [[Janet Fielding]] played [[Tegan Jovanka]] for three years and one month. [[Frazer Hines]] as companion [[Jamie McCrimmon]] holds the record for the longest serving companion in terms of the number of episodes he appeared in. These records do not take audio adventures into account.
It seems they are waiting in vain, as nothing happens. The Doctor enters the reactor chamber where the level of radiation is, surprisingly, still normal. He explains that sort of "unexplosion" happened. They close the reactor core and hurry out as Watson has ordered an [[RAF]] strike to destroy the hand and the reactor. The missiles' impact, however, have no effect because the hand absorbed all the energy. The nuclear missiles and the full power of the reactor are enough to complete the regeneration of Eldrad.
*When Sladen expressed her intention to leave the series, Sarah was originally supposed to be killed off in a pseudo-historical story involving aliens and the Foreign Legion. However [[Douglas Camfield]], who was supposed to write the scripts, was unable to do so, much to Sladen's relief, as she did not want Sarah to be killed off or married off. Sladen also asked that Sarah's departure not be the main focus of the story, as she felt the program was about the Doctor, not the companion.
*The nuclear power station was originally supposed to be the [[Nuton Power Complex]] of ''[[The Claws of Axos]]'' but was renamed the [[Nunton Experimental Complex]] instead. The real-life location was the ''Oldbury nuclear power station'' in [[Gloucestershire]].
*In the original script, [[Miss Jackson]] was a nameless male. Director [[Lennie Mayne]] built up the part, changed the gender, and cast his wife, [[Frances Pidgeon]].
*Eldrad's home was originally supposed to be the black hole of Omega 4.6. When [[Robert Holmes]] pointed out to [[Bob Baker]] and [[Dave Martin]] that the name Omega had already appeared in ''Doctor Who'' (in ''[[The Three Doctors]]''; ironically this story was also written by Baker and Martin), they changed the name to [[Kastria]].
*The original script for the story featured an aging Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart, who had been moved from [[UNIT]] to the Extraterrestrial Xenological Intelligence Taskforce to study UFO activities. He was to be killed when he steered his spaceship into an Omegan kamikaze ship to prevent that ship from crashing into Earth. This plan did not go through due to [[Nicholas Courtney]] being unavailable for filming. The original script also featured [[Harry Sullivan]].
*Baker and Martin intentionally did not write Sarah's departure scene. The script for that scene was rewritten by Sladen and [[Tom Baker]] from Robert Holmes's original version.
*In the final scene, Sarah Jane whistles the tune "Daddy Wouldn't Buy Me a Bow-Wow". Since Elisabeth Sladen is unable to whistle, director Lennie Mayne provided the whistling while she mimed to it.


===Ratings===
Crystalline, [[silicon]]-based and [[female]], she tells the story of how she created the [[spatial barrier]]s that let Kastria thrive, but in an interstellar war the barriers were destroyed, and she was disgraced and condemned. Eldrad persuades the Doctor to return her to Kastria so she can save her people; he agrees on the condition that they travel to Kastria in the present, a hundred fifty million years after she left.
*Part 1 - 10.5m viewers.
*Part 2 - 10.2m viewers.
*Part 3 - 11.1m viewers.
*Part 4 - 12m viewers.


===Myths===
Immediately afterwards, Watson arrives and attempts to attack Eldrad, firing a gun at her with no effect. She immediately retaliates and means to kill him, but she is persuaded otherwise by the Doctor. Leaving Watson to work on getting Nunton back to normal, the Doctor, Sarah and Eldrad return to the quarry where the TARDIS landed, and depart for Kastria.
*A real-life quarry explosion was filmed for the episode. Unfortunately the crew badly underestimated the power of the explosion, and a rumour persisted for many years that a camera was totally destroyed in the blast. However, in the DVD commentary it is made clear that this is just a fan myth.  


===Location Filming===
The planet is barren and ruined, but her ring reactivates some instruments. The Kastrian opens the door to the underground thermal caves looking for survivors and triggers a trap. A syringe-like dart hits her in the chest.
''to be added''


===Discontinuity===
=== Part four ===
*The Doctor and Sarah seem unable to comprehend clear signs of danger in the first episode (sirens, man waving, etc.)
[[File:Sarah, Eldrad and 4.jpg|right|thumb|Sarah, Eldrad and the Doctor look upon the [[thermal chamber]]s.]]
*The fly that Elisabeth Sladen swallowed in an out take can be seen walking across [[Glyn Houston]]'s brow.
After she explains that the dart contained [[Eldrad's acid|an acid]] of her own design, the Doctor and Sarah take the dying Eldrad to a [[regenerator chamber]] deep below the surface of Kastria, in the [[thermal chamber]]s. Booby traps have been set along, targeting silicon-based beings. The regenerator chamber is rigged to destroy Eldrad, but a malfunction allows a full regeneration. The new form of Eldrad emerges and reveals he had based his earlier form on Sarah, the first human he encountered. Eldrad is now much taller and [[male]]. He boasts that he destroyed the solar barriers in a rivalry with [[Rokon|King Rokon]]. They find Eldrad's ultimate goal, to rule Kastria. He enters the Kastrian [[race bank]], where he intends to revive the dormant Kastrian people. The bank, however, is empty.
*There's lots of bad nuclear physics on show, including the air strike against the complex and hiding behind a jeep from an exploding reactor.


==Continuity==
An image of the long dead Rokon appears on a large video screen, informing Eldrad that without the barriers, facing perpetual subterranean existence and a small possibility of his return, the Kastrian race elected to destroy themselves and the race bank. It was Rokon who long time ago set the [[booby trap]]s. Rokon mockingly salutes Eldrad from the grave as "King of Nothing". A bitter Eldrad now decides to rule [[Earth]] instead and demands the Doctor return him there. The Doctor refuses, stating that his obligation to Eldrad is now finished. Eldrad pursues the Doctor and Sarah, but they stretch out [[the Doctor's scarf]] across the passageway. Tripping over it, Eldrad falls into an abyss to his apparent doom. The Doctor drops Eldrad's ring into the depths as well. He notes that Eldrad's fate is uncertain, as silicon-based lifeforms are difficult to kill.
*Sarah Jane mentions giving the Doctor's love to [[Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart]] and [[Harry Sullivan]] at the end.  
*Elisabeth Sladen would reprise the role of Sarah Jane Smith in ''[[K-9 and Company]]'', and later appear in the 20th Anniversary special ''[[The Five Doctors]]'' and the 30th Anniversary charity special ''[[Dimensions in Time]]''. While Sladen pulled back on her acting career after the birth of her daughter Sadie in [[1985]], she continued to appear as Sarah in various Doctor Who-related spin-off media, including a series of Sarah Jane Smith audio plays by [[Big Finish Productions]], the [[Tenth Doctor]] episode ''[[School Reunion]]'' (in which Sarah's departure point was revealed to be [[Aberdeen]] rather than Croydon), and her own spin-off series ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]''.  
*The Doctor's hypnosis of Sarah Jane Smith by putting his hands on the sides of her head is similar to what he does in the new series episodes of ''[[Fear Her]]'' and ''[[The Shakespeare Code]]''. However, unlike these two more recent episodes, in '''The Hand of Fear''', he does not lay Sarah down after commencing the hypnosis, and in fact, Sarah walks around and makes facial expressions for part of the conversation.


==DVD and Video Releases==
The Doctor and Sarah depart in the TARDIS, and the Doctor sets about making repairs. Sarah bemoans her life in the TARDIS — bouncing around the universe, fleeing from bug-eyed monsters and needing a [[bath]]. The Doctor is focused on his work on the TARDIS console, which infuriates her. She demands to be returned home and storms off to her room to pack.


'''DVD Releases'''
While she is gone, the Doctor receives a telepathic summons to return to [[Gallifrey]] and notes to himself that he cannot take Sarah with him. Sarah returns with her packed belongings (which include a stuffed toy [[owl]]), and the Doctor informs her that he must return her to Earth, as he cannot take her to Gallifrey. With her idle threat suddenly becoming reality, Sarah is taken aback, especially at missing the chance to see Gallifrey.
[[Image:Handoffear_region2.jpg|right|75px]]
 
[[Image:Handoffear_region1.jpg|right|75px]]
[[File:SarahJaneAway.JPG|thumb|left|Sarah walks away from [[The Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]].]]
Released as ''Doctor Who: The Hand of Fear''.
The Doctor steers the TARDIS to bring her to [[Hillview Road]], [[South Croydon]] — Sarah's home. She asks him not to forget her; he replies likewise. Once the TARDIS materialises, Sarah makes her exit, noting that travel does indeed broaden the mind, and the Doctor promises her that they will meet again. After watching the TARDIS dematerialise to return the Doctor home, Sarah realises that she is ''not'' on Hillview Road and guesses that she is probably not even in South Croydon. She playfully remarks to a nearby dog, "He ''blew'' it!" Whistling, she walks off toward her new life.
 
== Cast ==
* [[Fourth Doctor|Doctor Who]] - [[Tom Baker]]
* [[Sarah Jane Smith]] - [[Elisabeth Sladen]]
* Dr. [[Carter (The Hand of Fear)|Carter]] - [[Rex Robinson]]
* [[Intern (The Hand of Fear)|Intern]] - [[Renu Setna]]
* [[Abbott (The Hand of Fear)|Abbott]] - [[David Purcell]]
* [[Zazzka]] - [[Roy Pattison]]
* King [[Rokon]] - [[Roy Skelton]]
* [[Guard (The Hand of Fear)|Guard]] - [[Robin Hargrave]]
* [[Owen Watson|Professor Watson]] - [[Glyn Houston]]
* [[Driscoll (The Hand of Fear)|Driscoll]] - [[Roy Boyd]]
* [[Jackson (The Hand of Fear)|Miss Jackson]] - [[Frances Pidgeon]]
* [[Elgin (The Hand of Fear)|Elgin]] - [[John Cannon]]
* [[Eldrad]] - [[Judith Paris]]
* [[Kastrian]] Eldrad - [[Stephen Thorne]]
 
== Crew ==
* [[Writer]]s - [[Bob Baker]] and [[Dave Martin]]
* [[Assistant Floor Manager]] - [[Terry Winders]]
* [[Costumes]] - [[Barbara Lane]]
* [[Designer (crew)|Designer]] - [[Christine Ruscoe]]
* [[Fight Arranger]] - [[Max Faulkner]]
* [[Film Cameraman]] - [[Max Samett]]
* [[Film Editor]] - [[Christopher Rowlands]]
* [[Film sound|Film Recordist]] - [[Graham Bedwell]]
* [[Incidental Music]] - [[Dudley Simpson]]
* [[Make-Up]] - [[Judy Neame]]
* [[Producer]] - [[Philip Hinchcliffe]]
* [[Production Assistant]] - [[Marion McDougall]]
* [[Production Unit Manager]] - [[Chris D'Oyly-John]]
* [[Script Editor]] - [[Robert Holmes]]
* [[Special Sounds]] - [[Dick Mills]]
* [[Studio Lighting]] - [[Derek Slee]]
* [[Studio Sound]] - [[Brian Hiles]]
* [[Theme Arrangement]] - [[Delia Derbyshire]]
* [[Doctor Who theme|Title Music]] - [[Ron Grainer]]
* [[Visual Effects]] - [[Colin Mapson]]
* [[Producer]] - [[Philip Hinchcliffe]]
* [[Director (crew)|Director]] - [[Lennie Mayne]]
 
=== Uncredited crew ===
* [[Visual effects assistant|Visual Effects Assistants]] - [[Steven Drewett]], [[Charlie Lumm]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Hand of Fear'')
* [[Grams operator|Grams Operators]] - [[Martin Ridout]], [[Andy Stacey]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Hand of Fear'')
* [[Film sound assistant|Film Sound Assistant]] - [[John Pritchard]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Hand of Fear'')
* [[Lighting chargehand|Lighting Chargehand]] - [[Dennis Johnson]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Hand of Fear'')
* [[Film camera assistant|Film Camera Assistant]] - [[Laurie Bush]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Hand of Fear'')
* Film Locations - [[Jennie Betts]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Hand of Fear'')
* [[Costume dresser|Dressers]] - [[Mervin Bezar]], [[Gail Clarkson]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Hand of Fear'')
* [[Technical manager|Technical Manager]] - [[Fred Wright]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Hand of Fear'')
* [[Studio engineer|Studio Engineer]] - [[Ken Ayres]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Hand of Fear'')
* [[Design assistant|Design Assistant]] - [[Judith Lang]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Hand of Fear'')
* [[Director's assistant|Director's Assistant]] - [[Joy Sinclair]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Hand of Fear'')
* [[Senior cameraman|Senior Cameraman]] - [[Ronnie Peverall]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Hand of Fear'')
* [[Show working supervisor|Show Working Supervisor]] - [[Johnny Norris]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Hand of Fear'')
* [[Vision Mixer]] - [[Nick Lake]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Hand of Fear'')
* [[Inlay operator|Inlay Operator]] - [[Dave Chapman]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Hand of Fear'')
* [[Film operations manager|Film Operations Manager]] - [[Ian Brindle]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Hand of Fear'')
* [[Grip]]s - [[Stan Swetman]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Hand of Fear'')
 
== Worldbuilding ==
=== Cultural references from the real world ===
* Dr Carter points out that Sarah's clothes make her look "just like [[Andy Pandy]]".
* In the final scene, Sarah Jane whistles the tune, "[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daddy_Wouldn%27t_Buy_Me_a_Bow_Wow Daddy Wouldn't Buy Me a Bow-Wow]". Since [[Elisabeth Sladen]] was unable to whistle, director [[Lennie Mayne]] provided the whistling while she mimed to it.
 
=== Individuals ===
* Sarah Jane's home is [[Hill View Road]], [[South Croydon]].
* Among Sarah's personal belongings which she takes from the TARDIS are a plush [[owl]], a [[pelargonium]] pot and a [[white]] vest.
 
=== Species ===
* Eldrad has heard of the [[Time Lord]]s.
* Eldrad says he built barriers to keep out the winds and machines to replenish the soil and [[atmosphere]].
 
=== Science and technology ===
* The hospital intern administers an anti-[[tetanus]] serum to Sarah Jane.
* The hand is found in a stratum of black stone [[dolomite]], dating [[Jurassic]] (about 150000000 years before).
* Watson mentions the [[Atomic Energy Commission]].
* Radiation is measured in [[roentgen]]s.
 
=== TARDIS ===
* The extreme cold of Kastria might have affected the TARDIS's [[thermocoupling]]s, which the Doctor tries to repair with an [[astro rectifier]], a [[multi quantiscope]] and a [[Ganymede driver]]. He decides that he doesn't need the [[mergin nut]] or the [[Zeus plug]]s.
* The Doctor tells Eldrad that the interior of the TARDIS exists in a state of [[temporal grace]].
* The Doctor warns Eldrad that if the coordinates to Kastria are mis-set, "[[symbolic resonance]] will occur in the [[trackor time crystal]]", making the travel impossible.
 
=== Time travel ===
* According to the Doctor, bringing Eldrad back to their home time would contravene the [[Laws of Time#First Law of Time|first Law of Time]].
 
=== Influences ===
 
* [[Robert Holmes]] suggested [[Bob Baker]] and [[Dave Martin]] use the novel ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Mains_d%27Orlac Les mains d'Orlac]'' as inspiration, as well as "crawling hands" films such as ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beast_with_Five_Fingers The Beast with Five Fingers]'' (1946).
 
== Story notes ==
* When Elisabeth Sladen expressed her intention to leave the series, Sarah was originally supposed to be killed off in a pseudo-historical story involving aliens and the Foreign Legion. However [[Douglas Camfield]], who was supposed to write the scripts, was unable to do so. This was much to Sladen's relief, as she did not want Sarah to be killed or married off. Sladen also asked that Sarah's departure not be the main focus of the story, as she felt the programme was about the Doctor, not the companion. [[Bob Baker]] and [[Dave Martin]] intentionally did not write Sarah's departure scene. The script for that scene was rewritten by Sladen and [[Tom Baker]] from [[Robert Holmes]]'s original version.
* In terms of "seasons", [[Elisabeth Sladen]] was the longest serving companion with any Doctor, appearing for over three seasons and surpassing [[Katy Manning]]'s record as [[Jo Grant]]. In terms of "years", [[Janet Fielding]] holds the record for playing [[Tegan Jovanka]] for just under three years. [[Frazer Hines]] as companion [[Jamie McCrimmon]] holds the record for the longest serving companion in terms of the number of "episodes" in which he appeared. These records do not take non-televised adventures into account, nor later "guest" reappearances.
* The original script for ''The Hand of Fear'' had many differences from the finished version. The nuclear power station was supposed to be the [[Nuton Power Complex]] of ''[[The Claws of Axos]]'' but was renamed the [[Nunton Experimental Complex]] instead. The real-life location was the {{w|Oldbury nuclear power station|Oldbury Nuclear Power Station}} in [[Gloucestershire]]. Miss Jackson was a nameless man. Director [[Lennie Mayne]] built up the part, changed the gender and cast his wife, [[Frances Pidgeon]]. Eldrad's home was originally supposed to be the black hole of Omega 4.6. When [[Robert Holmes]] pointed out to [[Bob Baker]] and [[Dave Martin]] that the name Omega had already appeared in ''Doctor Who'' (in ''[[The Three Doctors (TV story)|The Three Doctors]]''; ironically this story was also written by Baker and Martin), they changed the name to [[Kastria]]. The story was to feature an ageing Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, who had been transferred from [[UNIT]] to the Extraterrestrial Xenological Intelligence Taskforce — EXIT for short — to study UFO activities. He was to sacrifice his life when he steered a commandeered experimental rocket into an Omegan kamikaze ship to prevent that ship from crashing into Earth. This plan did not go through as [[Nicholas Courtney]] was unavailable for filming.
* In a later version, a key character, Lieutenant Hawker, was later replaced by [[Harry Sullivan]]. Along with the calcified hand, an Omegan spaceship (referred to as “the Monolith”) was now discovered at the start of episode one, and became central to the storyline, serving as the location of the adventure's climax. The separate factions of Omegans were excised. Baker and Martin also introduced a new supporting character, in the form of a Time Lord named Drax. An untrustworthy Gallifreyan mechanic who wants to steal the TARDIS, [[Drax]] was conceived as a possible recurring character. He later appeared in ''[[The Armageddon Factor (TV story)|The Armageddon Factor]]''.
* [[Elisabeth Sladen]] is credited as "Sarah Jane" in ''Radio Times''. [[Frances Pidgeon]] (Miss Jackson) and [[Roy Boyd]] (Driscoll) are uncredited on-screen for part three, but are credited in ''Radio Times''. Boyd appears only in the reprise of part three.
* The fly that can be seen walking across [[Glyn Houston]]'s brow in one scene — where Professor Watson is on the telephone — was swallowed by Elisabeth Sladen in an outtake. The insect proved to be a disruption by interfering with the sound recording.
* This story was originally written for the finale of season 13, but there were problems with the scripts.
* This serial was repeated in May 2011 on BBC Four across two days as a tribute to [[Elisabeth Sladen]] after her death from cancer a month previously.
* [[Anthony Ainley]], [[Dinsdale Landen]], [[Glyn Owen]], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Stewart Patrick Stewart] and [[Stephen Yardley]] were considered for Professor Watson.
* Sarah Jane, after being released from Eldrad's influence, says "ELDRAD MUST LIVE — just testing!" This was a prank by [[Elisabeth Sladen]] meant to "corpse" [[Tom Baker]], but it seemed so in-character that [[Lennie Mayne]] kept it in.
* [[Philip Hinchcliffe]] felt that the first two episodes were lacking in incident and failed to give Sarah Jane enough of a role to befit her final adventure.
* The dog in the final scene was handled by [[Lennie Mayne]]'s wife, [[Frances Pidgeon]], whom he had also cast as Miss Jackson (a character originally intended to be male).
* [[Bob Baker]] and [[Dave Martin]] had assisted in securing Oldbury Court Power Station as a filming location, as it was very near to where they lived.
* The freeze-frame shot of Sarah Jane at the very end was added at the request of [[Elisabeth Sladen]]. She considered it her leaving present and [[Lennie Mayne]] was happy to give it to her.
* In the same way that Eldrad's humanoid form was patterned after Sarah, the alien's speaking voice was originally intended to be based on Dr Carter's.
 
=== Ratings ===
* Part one - 10.5 million viewers
* Part two - 10.2 million viewers
* Part three - 11.1 million viewers
* Part four - 12 million viewers
 
=== Myths ===
* Supposedly, the working titles for this story were ''The Hand of Death'' and ''The Hand of Time''.<ref name="sullivan" /> However, the production notes on the DVD release state that there were no working titles.
* One myth posited that a real quarry explosion was filmed for the episode and the crew badly underestimated the power of the explosion A rumour persisted for many years that a camera was totally destroyed in the blast. In the DVD commentary, it is made clear that this is just a fan myth. The camera was placed in a blast-proof box and although it was buried in the explosion, it was undamaged.
* Another contention is that ''The Hand of Fear'' establishes the rule that only Time Lords are allowed on Gallifrey. In fact, the Doctor only says to himself, "I can't take Sarah to Gallifrey", and tells her as much.
 
=== Filming locations ===
* Cromhall Quarry, Cromhall, Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire (Quarry where the TARDIS arrives at the start of the story)
* {{w|Oldbury nuclear power station|Oldbury Nuclear Power Station}}, Oldbury Naite, Thornbury, Gloucestershire (Location of the 'Nunton Experimental Complex')
* Stokefield Close, Thornbury, Gloucestershire (Where Sarah is dropped off by the Doctor)
* Rickmansworth Road (A412), Croxley Green, Hertfordshire (This was reused stock footage of an ambulance)
 
=== Production errors ===
{{discontinuity}}
* In part two, when the Doctor and Dr Carter enter the Nunton complex's Control Centre, Glyn Houston (Professor Watson) accidentally fluffs his scripted line, "We have a full-scale emergency here" — delivering it instead as, "We have a full emergency scale here".
* In part four, when Eldrad is ranting and raving following King Rokon's message, a camera can be seen in the dark doorway behind Sarah.
* When Eldrad is telling the Doctor about the race banks, the shadow of a boom mike moves over the wall behind Sarah (and its reflection can be seen in the wall to her left).
* When the Doctor and Sarah are setting the trap for Eldrad, the Doctor bumps a large rock to his left, causing it to wobble noticeably.
 
== Continuity ==
* Sarah Jane's and the Doctor's parting words were gentle admonishments not to forget one another. When [[K9 Mark III]] revealed that he was a gift from the Doctor, Sarah Jane remarked, "Oh, Doctor, you ''didn't'' forget." ([[TV]]: ''[[A Girl's Best Friend (TV story)|A Girl's Best Friend]]'') Their conversation was repeated nearly verbatim when Sarah and the Tenth Doctor parted after her aborted [[wedding]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith (TV story)|The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith]]'') Following Sarah's departure, the Fourth Doctor did not have another companion from Earth and only one human, [[Leela]], until his final story, [[TV]]: ''[[Logopolis (TV story)|Logopolis]]''.
* The Doctor later discovers that the summons to Gallifrey which he receives was actually sent by {{Pratt}}. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Deadly Assassin (TV story)|The Deadly Assassin]]'')
* The Doctor's quip that Gallifrey is "perhaps" in Ireland is one he repeats in [[TV]]: ''[[The Invisible Enemy (TV story)|The Invisible Enemy]] ''and ''[[Human Nature (TV story)|Human Nature]]''.
* Sarah expresses a desire to see Gallifrey. Her wish is granted, after a fashion, when she is abducted to the [[Death Zone]]. Here, she is reunited with the Doctor — although initially with his [[Third Doctor|third incarnation]], at a point in his time when he had not yet parted company with her. Before the end of that adventure, she caught glimpses of the first two incarnations of the Doctor, as well as the [[Fifth Doctor]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Five Doctors (TV story)|The Five Doctors]]'')
* Sarah later met the Doctor in his [[Tenth Doctor|tenth]] and [[Eleventh Doctor|eleventh incarnations]] and revealed to the former that he had actually left her in [[Aberdeen]], not Croydon. ([[TV]]: ''[[School Reunion (TV story)|School Reunion]]'', ''[[Death of the Doctor (TV story)|Death of the Doctor]]'')
* The Doctor had already practised [[hypnosis]] on Sarah Jane Smith before. ([[TV]]: ''[[Terror of the Zygons (TV story)|Terror of the Zygons]]'') The way he does so here — by putting his hands on the sides of her head — is similar to a method he uses in his [[Tenth Doctor|tenth incarnation]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Fear Her (TV story)|Fear Her]]'', ''[[The Shakespeare Code (TV story)|The Shakespeare Code]]'')
* The Doctor mentions zeus plugs again. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Girl in the Fireplace (TV story)|The Girl in the Fireplace]]'', ''[[Time Crash (TV story)|Time Crash]]'')
* Sarah has pangs about not being able to go to Gallifrey. She previously visited it in [[COMIC]]: ''[[Return of the Daleks (TVC comic story)|Return of the Daleks]]''.
 
== Home video and audio releases ==
=== DVD releases ===
This story was released as ''Doctor Who: The Hand of Fear''.


Released:
Released:
*Region 2 - [[24th July]] [[2006]]
* Region 2 - [[24 July (releases)|24 July]] [[2006 (releases)|2006]]
*Region 4 - [[7th September]] [[2006]]
* Region 4 - [[7 September (releases)|7 September]] 2006
*Region 1 - [[7th November]] [[2006]]
* Region 1 - [[7 November (releases)|7 November]] 2006
 
==== Special Features ====
* Commentary by [[Tom Baker]] ([[Fourth Doctor|The Doctor]]), [[Elisabeth Sladen]] ([[Sarah Jane Smith]]), [[Judith Paris]] ([[Eldrad]]), [[Bob Baker]] (co-writer) and [[Philip Hinchcliffe]] (producer)
* ''[[Changing Time: Living and Leaving Doctor Who (documentary)|Changing Time]]'' - A 50-minute documentary, looking at the making of the story and the special relationship between the Doctor and Sarah
* ''[[Swap Shop]]'' - Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen are interviewed by [[Noel Edmonds]] and callers on the Saturday morning children's show
* Continuities - Rare surviving continuity announcements relating to the story
* Photo Gallery
* ''[[Doctor Who Annual 1977|The Doctor Who Annual 1977]]'' (PDF DVD-ROM)
* ''[[Radio Times]]'' billings (PDF DVD-ROM)
* Production Information Subtitles
* [[Easter Egg]]: Clip of a ''[[Nationwide]]'' interview with Elisabeth Sladen. To access this hidden feature, press left twice at Play All on the Main Menu to illuminate the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' logo.
 
Notes:
* Editing for the DVD release was completed by the [[Doctor Who Restoration Team]].
* Mistakenly, the artwork of the Region 4 release states that the Tom Baker era lasted from 1974 to 1979
 
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true">
File:Handoffear_region2.jpg|DVD Region 2 UK cover
File:Hand of fear oring uk dvd.jpg|DVD Region 2 UK slip-case cover
File:The Hand of Fear DVD Australian cover.jpg|DVD Region 4 Australian cover
File:The hand of fear.jpg|DVD Region 1 US cover
</gallery>It was also released as [[DWDVDF 43|issue 43]] of ''[[Doctor Who DVD Files]]''.


Contents:
=== VHS releases ===
*Commentary by [[Tom Baker]], [[Elisabeth Sladen]], [[Judith Paris]], [[Bob Baker]] and [[Philip Hinchcliffe]].
This story was released on VHS in February 1996, and was the final videocassette to include the diamond logo on the cover artwork in the United Kingdom and the US. It was available for only two weeks, being deleted along with much of the rest of the ''Doctor Who'' video range shortly after. The original videocassette therefore became something of a collector's item.
*[[Changing Time]] - A 50-minute documentary, looking at the making of the story and the special relationship between the Doctor and Sarah.
*Swap Shop - Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen are interviewed by Noel Edmonds and callers on the Saturday morning children's show.
*Continuities - Rare surviving continuity announcements relating to the story.
*Photo Gallery
*[[Doctor Who Annual]] [[1977]] (PDF DVD-ROM)
*Radio Times billings (PDF DVD-ROM)
*Production Information Subtitles


'''VHS Releases'''
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true">
*This serial was released on VHS in [[February]] of [[1996]]. It was the final video tape to include the diamond logo on the cover artwork, and was deleted along with much of the rest of the ''Doctor Who'' video range only a few weeks after its initial release, making the original tape something of a collectors' item.  
File:The Hand of Fear VHS UK cover.jpg|VHS UK cover
File:The Hand of Fear VHS Australian cover.png|VHS Australian cover
File:The Hand of Fear VHS US cover.jpg|VHS US cover
</gallery>


==Target Novelisations==
=== Digital releases ===
''to be added''
''The Hand of Fear'' is available through both iTunes and, in the UK, Amazon Instant Video. On iTunes, it is included in the ''Best of Tom Baker'' bundle, alongside ''[[Genesis of the Daleks (TV story)|Genesis of the Daleks]]'', ''[[The Deadly Assassin (TV story)|The Deadly Assassin]] '' and ''[[The Talons of Weng-Chiang (TV story)|The Talons of Weng-Chiang]]''.


==External Links==
== External links ==
* [http://www.gallifreyone.com/episode.php?id=4n Outpost Gallifrey '''The Hand of Fear''' page]
* {{bbcepguideclassic|handoffear/|The Hand of Fear}}
* [http://www.drwhoguide.com/who_4n.htm The Doctor Who Reference Guide detailed synopsis of '''The Hand of Fear''']
* {{radiotimes|2010-08-20/the-hand-of-fear|The Hand of Fear}}
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/handoffear/ BBC '''The Hand of Fear''' page]
{{dwcast}}
* [http://www.shannonsullivan.com/drwho/serials/4n.html A Brief History of Time (Travel) Guide to '''The Hand of Fear''']
{{dwrefguide|who_4n.htm|The Hand of Fear}}
* {{briefhistory|serials/4n.html|The Hand of Fear}}
* {{locguide|handoffear|The Hand of Fear}}


{{season 14}}
== Footnotes ==
{{Wikipedia|The_Hand_of_Fear}}
{{reflist}}
{{DWTV}}
{{TitleSort}}
[[es:The Hand of Fear]]
[[ru:Рука страха]]


[[Category:Fourth Doctor episodes|Hand of Fear, The]]
[[Category:Articles that were originally Wikipedia forks]]
[[Category:Sarah Jane Smith episodes|Hand of Fear, The]]
[[Category:Doctor Who (1963) television stories]]
[[Category:Stories set during the UNIT era|Hand of Fear, The]]
[[Category:Sarah Jane Smith television stories]]
[[Category:Stories set in England|Hand of Fear, The]]
[[Category:Stories set in England]]
[[Category:1976 television stories|Hand of Fear, The]]
[[Category:1976 television stories]]
[[Category:Season 14 stories]]
[[Category:Stories set in Scotland]]
[[Category:Stories set in the distant past]]
[[Category:Stories set in the 20th century]]
[[Category:Four part serials]]
[[Category:Regeneration television stories]]

Latest revision as of 20:06, 3 November 2024

RealWorld.png

The Hand of Fear was the second serial of season 14 of Doctor Who. Significantly, it was the final regular appearance of Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith, though she would return to the role in a semi-regular capacity in School Reunion in 2006, and the main cast member of The Sarah Jane Adventures in 2007.

The Hand of Fear was originally intended for the 1976 six-part slot that was taken by The Seeds of Doom.[1] It was inspired by the 1946 film The Beast with Five Fingers. (DCOM: The Hand of Fear) There were several versions of the script. One saw the hand as an advance guard preparing the way for an alien army. Another fixed upon two "Omegans" — representing the "hawk" and "dove" — working against humanity. There were plans for the Brigadier and Harry Sullivan to appear, with the former, much like in early drafts of Pyramids of Mars, bowing out from Who in a blaze of glory.

However, script editor Robert Holmes took issue with its complexity and commissioned another script to be the final story of season 13, should this remain unresolved. Finally, in October 1975, The Hand of Fear was officially delayed and The Seeds of Doom was produced in its place.

After Elizabeth Sladen told the production team she wanted to leave early in the next season, Douglas Camfield was commissioned to write The Lost Legion, which would see Sarah killed at its conclusion. However, Holmes was unhappy with the script and, in a turn of fate, decided that The Hand of Fear might have to be used as a replacement. With UNIT and degenerating-humans removed from the plot, Bob Baker and Dave Martin produced a more linear story. Camfield fell behind on his own script and was discounted. Baker and Martin left the writing of Sarah's farewell scene to Holmes.

Director Lennie Mayne made his final contribution to Doctor Who with The Hand of Fear. After finishing production on the serial and an episode of Softly, Softly: Taskforce, he was drowned after a wave swept him overboard in the English Channel in May 1977.[1]

Permission to film at Oldbury Nuclear Power Station was obtained before the script was completed, so central was it to the story. Bob Baker found the staff very accommodating on his initial visit, such was their enthusiasm for the project. The radiation provided health and safety concerns, with geiger counter checks being performed on the cast and crew and Radiological Clearance Certificates having to be issued before any object could leave the premises. (DCOM/INFO: The Hand of Fear)

Synopsis[[edit] | [edit source]]

When the TARDIS lands in a quarry on Earth, the Doctor and Sarah are caught in a quarrying explosion. Sarah is found clutching what appears to be a fossilised hand, buried in one-hundred-fifty-million-year-old strata. Analysis shows the hand to be silicon-based and inert, but when Sarah begins to act as if possessed, the Doctor suspects that it may still be alive...

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

Part one[[edit] | [edit source]]

One hundred and fifty million years ago on the planet Kastria, a traitor named Eldrad is sentenced to death for crimes including the destruction of the barriers that kept the solar winds at bay.

Placed into a capsule and shot into space, Eldrad awaits obliteration. The capsule is detonated prematurely, despite the risk of particle survival. Conditions are deteriorating rapidly on Kastria. The remaining Kastrians await their fate on the desolate planet.

The Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith arrive in the TARDIS in a modern-day quarry on Earth and are caught immediately in a quarrying explosion. The Doctor is slightly injured. Sarah is found unconscious in the rubble, clutching a fossilised hand. She is taken to a local hospital.

The hand is examined. Based on the strata of the rock in which it was found, it is one hundred fifty million years old. Pathologist Dr Carter dismisses these findings as ridiculous. Examining a sliver of the hand under an electron microscope, the Doctor observes a helix similar to DNA. The minuscule radiation of the microscope causes the sample to grow. The Doctor realises that this fossil might actually contain vestiges of life.

Sarah awakens in her hospital bed, holding a crystalline ring that slipped from the hand. The ring begins to pulse with energy. Sarah hears a voice in her head: "Eldrad must live." She steals the hand and flees the hospital, knocking out Carter with a flash from the ring. She heads for the nearest nuclear reactor, the Nunton Complex. With the aid of the ring, Sarah overpowers guards and workmen and enters the reactor room, sending the complex into red alert. She watches as the hand absorbs radiation, regenerates its missing finger and begins to move...

Part two[[edit] | [edit source]]

The head of the complex, Professor Watson, stays at his post when the reactor goes critical. He offers the Doctor aid and advice in trying to get to Sarah. She sits serenely amidst the chaos and klaxons. The Doctor resolves to enter the chamber through a cooling duct in Cooling systems control. His progress is interrupted by Dr Carter, now also under the hypnotic control of the ring. He tries to strike the Doctor while on a stairwell, but his own momentum carries him over the railing, and he falls to his death.

The Doctor enters the chamber and finds there is no radiation whatsoever; the hand is absorbing the entire output of the reactor. Sarah is removed, and the hand placed in a sealed cabinet. The Doctor breaks through Sarah's hypnosis.

The ring, however, is left behind in the chamber. It is found by a technician named Driscoll, who falls under its control. He takes the hand and makes his way to the reactor core. He uses the ring against the security personnel who attempt to stop him. The Doctor pursues him, closely followed by Sarah, and narrowly avoids becoming a victim of the ring. They catch up with Driscoll just as he is about to enter the core and set off a chain reaction. The Doctor pulls Sarah to the ground to await the explosion.

Inside the control room, the panels explode, knocking Professor Watson to the floor...

Part three[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Doctor persuades Eldrad to let Watson live.

It seems they are waiting in vain, as nothing happens. The Doctor enters the reactor chamber where the level of radiation is, surprisingly, still normal. He explains that sort of "unexplosion" happened. They close the reactor core and hurry out as Watson has ordered an RAF strike to destroy the hand and the reactor. The missiles' impact, however, have no effect because the hand absorbed all the energy. The nuclear missiles and the full power of the reactor are enough to complete the regeneration of Eldrad.

Crystalline, silicon-based and female, she tells the story of how she created the spatial barriers that let Kastria thrive, but in an interstellar war the barriers were destroyed, and she was disgraced and condemned. Eldrad persuades the Doctor to return her to Kastria so she can save her people; he agrees on the condition that they travel to Kastria in the present, a hundred fifty million years after she left.

Immediately afterwards, Watson arrives and attempts to attack Eldrad, firing a gun at her with no effect. She immediately retaliates and means to kill him, but she is persuaded otherwise by the Doctor. Leaving Watson to work on getting Nunton back to normal, the Doctor, Sarah and Eldrad return to the quarry where the TARDIS landed, and depart for Kastria.

The planet is barren and ruined, but her ring reactivates some instruments. The Kastrian opens the door to the underground thermal caves looking for survivors and triggers a trap. A syringe-like dart hits her in the chest.

Part four[[edit] | [edit source]]

Sarah, Eldrad and the Doctor look upon the thermal chambers.

After she explains that the dart contained an acid of her own design, the Doctor and Sarah take the dying Eldrad to a regenerator chamber deep below the surface of Kastria, in the thermal chambers. Booby traps have been set along, targeting silicon-based beings. The regenerator chamber is rigged to destroy Eldrad, but a malfunction allows a full regeneration. The new form of Eldrad emerges and reveals he had based his earlier form on Sarah, the first human he encountered. Eldrad is now much taller and male. He boasts that he destroyed the solar barriers in a rivalry with King Rokon. They find Eldrad's ultimate goal, to rule Kastria. He enters the Kastrian race bank, where he intends to revive the dormant Kastrian people. The bank, however, is empty.

An image of the long dead Rokon appears on a large video screen, informing Eldrad that without the barriers, facing perpetual subterranean existence and a small possibility of his return, the Kastrian race elected to destroy themselves and the race bank. It was Rokon who long time ago set the booby traps. Rokon mockingly salutes Eldrad from the grave as "King of Nothing". A bitter Eldrad now decides to rule Earth instead and demands the Doctor return him there. The Doctor refuses, stating that his obligation to Eldrad is now finished. Eldrad pursues the Doctor and Sarah, but they stretch out the Doctor's scarf across the passageway. Tripping over it, Eldrad falls into an abyss to his apparent doom. The Doctor drops Eldrad's ring into the depths as well. He notes that Eldrad's fate is uncertain, as silicon-based lifeforms are difficult to kill.

The Doctor and Sarah depart in the TARDIS, and the Doctor sets about making repairs. Sarah bemoans her life in the TARDIS — bouncing around the universe, fleeing from bug-eyed monsters and needing a bath. The Doctor is focused on his work on the TARDIS console, which infuriates her. She demands to be returned home and storms off to her room to pack.

While she is gone, the Doctor receives a telepathic summons to return to Gallifrey and notes to himself that he cannot take Sarah with him. Sarah returns with her packed belongings (which include a stuffed toy owl), and the Doctor informs her that he must return her to Earth, as he cannot take her to Gallifrey. With her idle threat suddenly becoming reality, Sarah is taken aback, especially at missing the chance to see Gallifrey.

Sarah walks away from the TARDIS.

The Doctor steers the TARDIS to bring her to Hillview Road, South Croydon — Sarah's home. She asks him not to forget her; he replies likewise. Once the TARDIS materialises, Sarah makes her exit, noting that travel does indeed broaden the mind, and the Doctor promises her that they will meet again. After watching the TARDIS dematerialise to return the Doctor home, Sarah realises that she is not on Hillview Road and guesses that she is probably not even in South Croydon. She playfully remarks to a nearby dog, "He blew it!" Whistling, she walks off toward her new life.

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Crew[[edit] | [edit source]]

Uncredited crew[[edit] | [edit source]]

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

Cultural references from the real world[[edit] | [edit source]]

Individuals[[edit] | [edit source]]

Species[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Eldrad has heard of the Time Lords.
  • Eldrad says he built barriers to keep out the winds and machines to replenish the soil and atmosphere.

Science and technology[[edit] | [edit source]]

TARDIS[[edit] | [edit source]]

Time travel[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • According to the Doctor, bringing Eldrad back to their home time would contravene the first Law of Time.

Influences[[edit] | [edit source]]

Story notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • When Elisabeth Sladen expressed her intention to leave the series, Sarah was originally supposed to be killed off in a pseudo-historical story involving aliens and the Foreign Legion. However Douglas Camfield, who was supposed to write the scripts, was unable to do so. This was much to Sladen's relief, as she did not want Sarah to be killed or married off. Sladen also asked that Sarah's departure not be the main focus of the story, as she felt the programme was about the Doctor, not the companion. Bob Baker and Dave Martin intentionally did not write Sarah's departure scene. The script for that scene was rewritten by Sladen and Tom Baker from Robert Holmes's original version.
  • In terms of "seasons", Elisabeth Sladen was the longest serving companion with any Doctor, appearing for over three seasons and surpassing Katy Manning's record as Jo Grant. In terms of "years", Janet Fielding holds the record for playing Tegan Jovanka for just under three years. Frazer Hines as companion Jamie McCrimmon holds the record for the longest serving companion in terms of the number of "episodes" in which he appeared. These records do not take non-televised adventures into account, nor later "guest" reappearances.
  • The original script for The Hand of Fear had many differences from the finished version. The nuclear power station was supposed to be the Nuton Power Complex of The Claws of Axos but was renamed the Nunton Experimental Complex instead. The real-life location was the Oldbury Nuclear Power Station in Gloucestershire. Miss Jackson was a nameless man. Director Lennie Mayne built up the part, changed the gender and cast his wife, Frances Pidgeon. Eldrad's home was originally supposed to be the black hole of Omega 4.6. When Robert Holmes pointed out to Bob Baker and Dave Martin that the name Omega had already appeared in Doctor Who (in The Three Doctors; ironically this story was also written by Baker and Martin), they changed the name to Kastria. The story was to feature an ageing Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, who had been transferred from UNIT to the Extraterrestrial Xenological Intelligence Taskforce — EXIT for short — to study UFO activities. He was to sacrifice his life when he steered a commandeered experimental rocket into an Omegan kamikaze ship to prevent that ship from crashing into Earth. This plan did not go through as Nicholas Courtney was unavailable for filming.
  • In a later version, a key character, Lieutenant Hawker, was later replaced by Harry Sullivan. Along with the calcified hand, an Omegan spaceship (referred to as “the Monolith”) was now discovered at the start of episode one, and became central to the storyline, serving as the location of the adventure's climax. The separate factions of Omegans were excised. Baker and Martin also introduced a new supporting character, in the form of a Time Lord named Drax. An untrustworthy Gallifreyan mechanic who wants to steal the TARDIS, Drax was conceived as a possible recurring character. He later appeared in The Armageddon Factor.
  • Elisabeth Sladen is credited as "Sarah Jane" in Radio Times. Frances Pidgeon (Miss Jackson) and Roy Boyd (Driscoll) are uncredited on-screen for part three, but are credited in Radio Times. Boyd appears only in the reprise of part three.
  • The fly that can be seen walking across Glyn Houston's brow in one scene — where Professor Watson is on the telephone — was swallowed by Elisabeth Sladen in an outtake. The insect proved to be a disruption by interfering with the sound recording.
  • This story was originally written for the finale of season 13, but there were problems with the scripts.
  • This serial was repeated in May 2011 on BBC Four across two days as a tribute to Elisabeth Sladen after her death from cancer a month previously.
  • Anthony Ainley, Dinsdale Landen, Glyn Owen, Patrick Stewart and Stephen Yardley were considered for Professor Watson.
  • Sarah Jane, after being released from Eldrad's influence, says "ELDRAD MUST LIVE — just testing!" This was a prank by Elisabeth Sladen meant to "corpse" Tom Baker, but it seemed so in-character that Lennie Mayne kept it in.
  • Philip Hinchcliffe felt that the first two episodes were lacking in incident and failed to give Sarah Jane enough of a role to befit her final adventure.
  • The dog in the final scene was handled by Lennie Mayne's wife, Frances Pidgeon, whom he had also cast as Miss Jackson (a character originally intended to be male).
  • Bob Baker and Dave Martin had assisted in securing Oldbury Court Power Station as a filming location, as it was very near to where they lived.
  • The freeze-frame shot of Sarah Jane at the very end was added at the request of Elisabeth Sladen. She considered it her leaving present and Lennie Mayne was happy to give it to her.
  • In the same way that Eldrad's humanoid form was patterned after Sarah, the alien's speaking voice was originally intended to be based on Dr Carter's.

Ratings[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Part one - 10.5 million viewers
  • Part two - 10.2 million viewers
  • Part three - 11.1 million viewers
  • Part four - 12 million viewers

Myths[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Supposedly, the working titles for this story were The Hand of Death and The Hand of Time.[1] However, the production notes on the DVD release state that there were no working titles.
  • One myth posited that a real quarry explosion was filmed for the episode and the crew badly underestimated the power of the explosion A rumour persisted for many years that a camera was totally destroyed in the blast. In the DVD commentary, it is made clear that this is just a fan myth. The camera was placed in a blast-proof box and although it was buried in the explosion, it was undamaged.
  • Another contention is that The Hand of Fear establishes the rule that only Time Lords are allowed on Gallifrey. In fact, the Doctor only says to himself, "I can't take Sarah to Gallifrey", and tells her as much.

Filming locations[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Cromhall Quarry, Cromhall, Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire (Quarry where the TARDIS arrives at the start of the story)
  • Oldbury Nuclear Power Station, Oldbury Naite, Thornbury, Gloucestershire (Location of the 'Nunton Experimental Complex')
  • Stokefield Close, Thornbury, Gloucestershire (Where Sarah is dropped off by the Doctor)
  • Rickmansworth Road (A412), Croxley Green, Hertfordshire (This was reused stock footage of an ambulance)

Production errors[[edit] | [edit source]]

If you'd like to talk about narrative problems with this story — like plot holes and things that seem to contradict other stories — please go to this episode's discontinuity discussion.
  • In part two, when the Doctor and Dr Carter enter the Nunton complex's Control Centre, Glyn Houston (Professor Watson) accidentally fluffs his scripted line, "We have a full-scale emergency here" — delivering it instead as, "We have a full emergency scale here".
  • In part four, when Eldrad is ranting and raving following King Rokon's message, a camera can be seen in the dark doorway behind Sarah.
  • When Eldrad is telling the Doctor about the race banks, the shadow of a boom mike moves over the wall behind Sarah (and its reflection can be seen in the wall to her left).
  • When the Doctor and Sarah are setting the trap for Eldrad, the Doctor bumps a large rock to his left, causing it to wobble noticeably.

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

Home video and audio releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

DVD releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

This story was released as Doctor Who: The Hand of Fear.

Released:

Special Features[[edit] | [edit source]]

Notes:

  • Editing for the DVD release was completed by the Doctor Who Restoration Team.
  • Mistakenly, the artwork of the Region 4 release states that the Tom Baker era lasted from 1974 to 1979
  • DVD Region 2 UK cover

    DVD Region 2 UK cover

  • DVD Region 2 UK slip-case cover

    DVD Region 2 UK slip-case cover

  • DVD Region 4 Australian cover

    DVD Region 4 Australian cover

  • DVD Region 1 US cover

    DVD Region 1 US cover

It was also released as issue 43 of Doctor Who DVD Files.

VHS releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

This story was released on VHS in February 1996, and was the final videocassette to include the diamond logo on the cover artwork in the United Kingdom and the US. It was available for only two weeks, being deleted along with much of the rest of the Doctor Who video range shortly after. The original videocassette therefore became something of a collector's item.

  • VHS UK cover

    VHS UK cover

  • VHS Australian cover

    VHS Australian cover

  • VHS US cover

    VHS US cover

Digital releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Hand of Fear is available through both iTunes and, in the UK, Amazon Instant Video. On iTunes, it is included in the Best of Tom Baker bundle, alongside Genesis of the Daleks, The Deadly Assassin and The Talons of Weng-Chiang.

External links[[edit] | [edit source]]

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 http://www.shannonsullivan.com/drwho/serials/4n.html
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