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{{Infobox Spinoffs
{{title dab away}}
|spinoff name=Auton
{{real world}}
|image=[[Image:Auton_1_VHS_cover.png|250px]]
{{Infobox Story SMW
|main character=[[UNIT]]
|image          = Dr Sal Janice energy unit BBV Auton.jpg
|featuring=
|novelisation  = Auton (novelisation)
|enemy=[[Auton]]s
|main character = [[Sally Arnold|Sally]], [[Lockwood]]
|setting=UNIT storage facility, [[Earth]]
|featuring      = [[Graham Winslet|Winslet]], [[James Ramsay|Ramsay]]
|writer=[[Nicholas Briggs]]
|enemy         = [[Auton]] [[Graham Winslet (Auton)|Winslet]]
|director=[[Nicholas Briggs]]
|setting       = [[The Warehouse|UNIT storage facility]], [[Earth]], [[1996]]
|producer=[[Bill Baggs]]
|writer         = Nicholas Briggs
|publisher=[[BBV Productions]]
|director       = [[Nicholas Briggs]]
|release date=[[1997]]
|producer       = [[Bill Baggs]]
|format=57 minute, VHS
|publisher     = BBV Productions
|previous release=
|release date   = 1997
|next release=[[Auton 2: Sentinel]]
|format         = 57 minute, VHS
|trailer        = Auton (1997) Original Trailer - bbvproductions.co.uk
|bts            = BBV Nicholas Briggs on Auton
|series        = [[Auton Trilogy]]
|next          = Auton 2: Sentinel (home video)
}}
}}
'''''{{StoryTitle}}''''' was the first story in the [[Auton Trilogy]] of video dramas produced by [[BBV Productions]] in the late 90s. It was a sequel to the first [[Auton]] story ''[[Spearhead from Space (TV story)|Spearhead from Space]]''.


Like most video dramas of this era, the story featured characters and concepts from ''[[Doctor Who]]'', but did not include any main characters from the series, though [[Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart|Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart]] was planned to make an appearance until [[Nicholas Courtney]] was forced to withdraw from the project due to health concerns.


==Synopsis==
== Synopsis ==
The United Nations Intelligence Taskforce was set up to tackle human contact with the extraterrestrial and paranormal - especially when that contact proved dangerous. But when the battles were over, when the top-secret 'clean ups' had been completed, where was all the alien technology taken?
The United Nations Intelligence Taskforce was set up to tackle human contact with the extraterrestrial and paranormal — especially when that contact proved dangerous. But when the battles were over, when the top-secret "clean ups" were completed, where was all the alien technology taken?


The Warehouse... UNIT's highly classified storage and research establishment. Here lie the dead, forgotten relics of past battles and encounters.
The Warehouse... UNIT's highly classified storage and research establishment. Here lie the dead, forgotten relics of past battles and encounters.
Line 26: Line 32:
UNIT has only one way of dealing with its mistakes. The Containment Team has been summoned... and the outcome is far from certain...
UNIT has only one way of dealing with its mistakes. The Containment Team has been summoned... and the outcome is far from certain...


==Plot==
== Plot ==
''to be added''
Dr. Sally Arnold is a research scientist working in one of UNIT's forgotten storage facilities. She has put together a communications device to communicate with an unknown artefact part of AAA/RH/2961. She subjects it to UNIT's most powerful deep space satellite. The object, the energy unit receives something from deep space and begins to communicate with it.
 
Dr. Arnold, realising what she has done; allowing the energy unit to communicate with deep space ends its satellite uplink. The energy unit explodes as the communication link is ended, killing Arnold's assistant in the process.
 
A UNIT Containment Team is called in to clear up Dr. Arnold's experiment. However, as UNIT's expert Lockwood begins to investigate they discover that the energy unit did not explode, it absorbed energy and changed its state. Shifting between an ooze and a solid state, killing and communicating with other [[Auton]]s and a duplicate of one of the UNIT archivists [[Graham Winslet]].
 
Whilst interviewing Dr. Arnold, Lockwood and the UNIT Containment team discover other crates relating to the AAA/RH/2961 and a sectioned-off portion of the UNIT Warehouse that contains items relating to the Nestenes' first invasion attempt.
 
As Lockwood and Dr. Arnold make their way to the sectioned-off location, Autons are being activated throughout the Warehouse to fight the remaining UNIT personnel.
 
The sectioned-off area is protected by a retina scan and code, the latter of which Lockwood, at least initially does not know. He is however able to grant them access after a moment's "thought", inside they find several items including a UHF transmitter used against the Autons in their first attempted invasion and another energy unit.
 
[[File:Pair of Autons firing BBV Auton.jpg|thumb|Autons attacking.]]
The duplicate Winslet forces Lockwood to allow it access to the sectioned off part of the facility in order to gain access to the remnant of the Nestene body it attempted to create during its first invasion attempt.
 
Whilst Lockwood is engaged with Winslet, Dr. Arnold utilises [[Third Doctor|Dr John Smith]]'s UHF transmitter created to combat the Autons during their first invasion attempt to fight back against the Autons active inside the warehouse.
 
Having gained the remnant the energy unit changed shape once more, shifting to a gel-like ooze, escaping through the ventilation systems.
 
== Cast ==
* [[Lockwood]] - [[Michael Wade]]
* [[Sally Arnold|Dr. Sally Arnold]] - [[Bryonie Pritchard]]
* [[Graham Winslet]] - [[George Telfer]]
* [[Daniel Matthews|Dr. Daniel Matthews]] - [[Reece Shearsmith]]
* [[James Ramsay|Sergeant Ramsay]] - [[Andrew Fettes]]
* [[Janice (Auton)|Janice]] - [[Verona Chard]]
* UNIT Soldiers - [[Roy Hughes]], [[Gabriel Mykaj]], [[Mike Parry]], [[David Ringwood]], [[Richard Smith]]
* [[Auton]]s - [[John Ainsworth]], [[Gareth Baggs]], [[Blaine Coughlan]], [[David Ringwood]]
 
== Crew ==
* [[1st assistant director|First Assistant Director]] - [[Ben Hicklin]]
* [[Production manager|Production Manager]] - [[Annalesa Hunt]]
* Second Assistants - [[Blaine Coughlan]], [[Samantha Hardman]]
* [[Technical engineer|Technical Engineer]] - [[Rob Belton]]
* [[Military advisor|Military Advisor]] and [[Visual effects supervisor|Visual Effects Supervisor]] - [[Gabriel Mykaj]]
** Assistants - [[Roy Hughes]], [[Mike Perry]]
* [[Military advisor|Military Advisor]] for Costume Design - [[Elisabeth Mykaj]]
* [[Special props|Special Props]] designed and constructed by - [[David Brian]]
* [[Make-up designer|Make-up Designer]] - [[Zoë Randall]]
** [[Assistant make-up designer|Assistant]] - [[Cath Rayner]]


==Cast==
* [[Sound recordist|Sound Recordist]] - [[Ray Turner]]
*[[Lockwood]] - [[Michael Wade]]
** [[Assistant sound recordist|Assistant]] - [[Darko Mocilnikar]]
*Dr. [[Sally Arnold]] - [[Bryonie Pritchard]]
*[[Graham Winslet]] - [[George Telfer]]
*Dr. [[Daniel Matthews]] - [[Reece Shearsmith]]
*Sergeant [[Ramsay]] - [[Andrew Fettes]]
*[[Janice]] - [[Verona Chard]]
*UNIT Soldiers - [[Roy Hughes]], [[Gabriel Mykaj]], [[Mike Parry]], [[David Ringwood]], [[Richard Smith]]
*[[Auton]]s - [[John Ainsworth]], [[Gareth Baggs]], [[Blaine Coughlan]], [[David Ringwood]]


==Production crew==
* [[Lighting cameraman|Lighting Cameraman]] - [[Andy Bell]]
''to be added''
** [[Assistant lighting cameraman|Assistant]] - [[Simon Alderdice]]


==References==
* [[Scenic design|Scenic Design]] - [[David Rowston]]
*UNIT headquarters is in [[Geneva]], and UNIT owns several deep space [[satellite]]s, one of which is the most powerful such satellite yet developed.
** [[Assistant scenic design|Assistant]] - [[Gareth Baggs]]
*Lockwood is the head of a [[UNIT containment team]].
*UNIT's containment teams are for dealing with (extra-terrestrial) contamination risks. A risk of contamination is afforded a [[Code 7]] categorisation - UNIT automatically prepares the death certificates of any personnel involved in advance, as a precaution.
*Ramsay uses the call sign ''[[Greyhound One]]'' when requesting back up.


==Story notes==
* [[Music]] and [[Sound design|Sound Design]] - [[Alistair Lock]]
*Nicholas Briggs originally planned for this story to feature [[Nicholas Courtney]] as [[The Brigadier|Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart]], but Courtney had to drop out at the last minute do to health reasons. So the character of Lockwood was created to replace the Brigadier.
* [[Editor]] - [[Bill Baggs]]
*The crates containing the other energy unit and the Autons are coded AAA/RH/2961 (AAA is the story code for ''[[Spearhead from Space]]'' and RH is of course the initials of [[Robert Holmes]], the creator of the Autons).
* [[Producer]] - [[Bill Baggs]]
* [[Director (crew)|Director]] - [[Nicholas Briggs]]


===Myths===
== Worldbuilding ==
''to be added''
* [[UNIT]] headquarters is in [[Geneva]]. UNIT also owns several deep space [[satellite]]s, one of which is the most powerful such satellite yet developed.
* Lockwood is the head of a [[UNIT containment team]].
* Lockwood uses the call sign [[Greyhound Leader]], which is usually used by [[The Brigadier|Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart]].
* A risk of contamination is afforded a [[Code 7]] categorisation, with those at risk of contamination having their [[death certificate]]s made in preparation.
* Ramsay uses the call sign [[Greyhound One]] when requesting back-up.


===Filming Locations===
== Story notes ==
''to be added''
* The story was originally commissioned for [[Reeltime Pictures]] as a follow-up to ''[[Downtime (home video)|Downtime]]'', and featured [[Nicholas Courtney]] as [[Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart|Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart]], [[Beverley Cressman]] as [[Kate Stewart|Kate Lethbridge-Stewart]] and [[Miles Richardson]] as [[Douglas Cavendish]]. When Reeltime couldn't produce it, they had Nicholas Briggs take the project over to BBV. The project almost collapsed when Courtney had to drop out at the last minute due to a bout of cyclical depression, but Bill Baggs encouraged Briggs to find a way out and so he created the character of Lockwood as a replacement. With the Brigadier out, Kate and Cavendish were written out as well. This caused a brief falling out between Richardson, Cressman and Briggs; years later, Briggs was relieved to learn from interviewer [[Dylan Rees]] that Cressman no longer remembered it.<ref>Downtime: The Lost Years of Doctor Who by Dylan Rees, chapter 16</ref>
* The crates containing the other energy unit and the Autons are coded AAA/RH/2961; AAA is the story code for ''[[Spearhead from Space (TV story)|Spearhead from Space]]'' and RH is the initials of [[Robert Holmes]], the creator of the Autons.
* "Dr. John Smith" was the name the Third Doctor gave to the Brigadier at the end of ''Spearhead from Space'', and was used here as, like [[Reeltime Pictures]], BBV Productions were not allowed to refer to the Doctor directly.
* In the credits it states:
::"We gratefully acknowledge the co-operation of Dr M K Thompson and Shirley Thompson"
::"Thanks to Vetrepharm Ltd for their help in this production"


===Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors===
=== Filming locations ===
''to be added''
''to be added''


==Continuity==
== Continuity ==
*The Doctor's UHF transmitter from [[DW]]: ''[[Spearhead from Space]]'' makes an appearance, additionally this story is very much a sequel to ''[[Spearhead from Space]]''.
* Sally and Lockwood make use of the UHF transmitter the [[Third Doctor]] created during UNIT's first battle with the Autons. ([[TV]]: ''[[Spearhead from Space (TV story)|Spearhead from Space]]'')
*The Autons first appeared in [[DW]]: ''[[Spearhead from Space]]'', this story is set thirty years after [[DW]]: ''[[Terror of the Autons]]'', the Autons appear again in [[BBV]]: ''[[Auton 2: Sentinel]]'' and ''[[Auton 3: Awakening]]''. Following this their next on-screen appearance is in [[DW]]: ''[[Rose (TV story)|Rose]]''.


==DVD and Video releases==
== DVD and video releases ==
*Released on Video in [[1997]] by [[BBV Productions]].
* This story was released on video in 1997 by [[BBV Productions]].
* It was released on DVD as a double sided DVD for PAL and NTSC formats. DVD authoring was by Merv Station. The DVD release included:
** The Making of AUTON, produced by [[Keith Barnfather]]
** Music Soundtrack by [[Alistair Lock]]
** Picture Gallery
** US Trailer
** ''Cyberhunt'', a BBV audio starring Nicholas Briggs
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true">
Auton 1 VHS cover.png|1997 VHS
Auton1 dvd.jpg|DVD
</gallery>


==See also==
== External links ==
'''Auton and the Nestene Consciousness stories'''
{{chakoteya|Extras/Autons1.html|Auton}}
*[[DW]]: ''[[Spearhead from Space]]''
{{dwrefguide|auton1.htm|Auton}}
*[[DW]]: ''[[Terror of the Autons]]''
* {{whoniverse|bbv05|Auton}}
*[[BBV]]: ''[[Auton 2: Sentinel]]''
*[[BBV]]: ''[[Auton 3: Awakening]]''
*[[PDA]]: ''[[Synthespians™]]''


==External links==
{{BBVHV}}
*[http://www.drwhoguide.com/auton1.htm Doctor Who Reference Guide: Detailed Synopsis - '''Auton''']
{{Nestene stories}}
*[http://www.whoniverse.org/discontinuity/AUTON.php The Whoniverse Discontinuity Guide to '''Auton''']
{{Auton stories}}
{{TitleSort}}


{{stub}}
[[Category:Auton Trilogy stories]]
[[Category:Auton Trilogy]]
[[Category:1997 home videos]]
[[Category:Nestene/Auton home videos]]
[[Category:UNIT home videos]]
[[Category:Home videos set on Earth]]
[[Category:Stories set in 1996]]

Latest revision as of 20:46, 12 February 2024

RealWorld.png

Auton was the first story in the Auton Trilogy of video dramas produced by BBV Productions in the late 90s. It was a sequel to the first Auton story Spearhead from Space.

Like most video dramas of this era, the story featured characters and concepts from Doctor Who, but did not include any main characters from the series, though Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart was planned to make an appearance until Nicholas Courtney was forced to withdraw from the project due to health concerns.

Synopsis[[edit] | [edit source]]

The United Nations Intelligence Taskforce was set up to tackle human contact with the extraterrestrial and paranormal — especially when that contact proved dangerous. But when the battles were over, when the top-secret "clean ups" were completed, where was all the alien technology taken?

The Warehouse... UNIT's highly classified storage and research establishment. Here lie the dead, forgotten relics of past battles and encounters.

But what happens when one of these relics is reactivated?

UNIT has only one way of dealing with its mistakes. The Containment Team has been summoned... and the outcome is far from certain...

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

Dr. Sally Arnold is a research scientist working in one of UNIT's forgotten storage facilities. She has put together a communications device to communicate with an unknown artefact part of AAA/RH/2961. She subjects it to UNIT's most powerful deep space satellite. The object, the energy unit receives something from deep space and begins to communicate with it.

Dr. Arnold, realising what she has done; allowing the energy unit to communicate with deep space ends its satellite uplink. The energy unit explodes as the communication link is ended, killing Arnold's assistant in the process.

A UNIT Containment Team is called in to clear up Dr. Arnold's experiment. However, as UNIT's expert Lockwood begins to investigate they discover that the energy unit did not explode, it absorbed energy and changed its state. Shifting between an ooze and a solid state, killing and communicating with other Autons and a duplicate of one of the UNIT archivists Graham Winslet.

Whilst interviewing Dr. Arnold, Lockwood and the UNIT Containment team discover other crates relating to the AAA/RH/2961 and a sectioned-off portion of the UNIT Warehouse that contains items relating to the Nestenes' first invasion attempt.

As Lockwood and Dr. Arnold make their way to the sectioned-off location, Autons are being activated throughout the Warehouse to fight the remaining UNIT personnel.

The sectioned-off area is protected by a retina scan and code, the latter of which Lockwood, at least initially does not know. He is however able to grant them access after a moment's "thought", inside they find several items including a UHF transmitter used against the Autons in their first attempted invasion and another energy unit.

Autons attacking.

The duplicate Winslet forces Lockwood to allow it access to the sectioned off part of the facility in order to gain access to the remnant of the Nestene body it attempted to create during its first invasion attempt.

Whilst Lockwood is engaged with Winslet, Dr. Arnold utilises Dr John Smith's UHF transmitter created to combat the Autons during their first invasion attempt to fight back against the Autons active inside the warehouse.

Having gained the remnant the energy unit changed shape once more, shifting to a gel-like ooze, escaping through the ventilation systems.

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Crew[[edit] | [edit source]]

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

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

  • The story was originally commissioned for Reeltime Pictures as a follow-up to Downtime, and featured Nicholas Courtney as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Beverley Cressman as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart and Miles Richardson as Douglas Cavendish. When Reeltime couldn't produce it, they had Nicholas Briggs take the project over to BBV. The project almost collapsed when Courtney had to drop out at the last minute due to a bout of cyclical depression, but Bill Baggs encouraged Briggs to find a way out and so he created the character of Lockwood as a replacement. With the Brigadier out, Kate and Cavendish were written out as well. This caused a brief falling out between Richardson, Cressman and Briggs; years later, Briggs was relieved to learn from interviewer Dylan Rees that Cressman no longer remembered it.[1]
  • The crates containing the other energy unit and the Autons are coded AAA/RH/2961; AAA is the story code for Spearhead from Space and RH is the initials of Robert Holmes, the creator of the Autons.
  • "Dr. John Smith" was the name the Third Doctor gave to the Brigadier at the end of Spearhead from Space, and was used here as, like Reeltime Pictures, BBV Productions were not allowed to refer to the Doctor directly.
  • In the credits it states:
"We gratefully acknowledge the co-operation of Dr M K Thompson and Shirley Thompson"
"Thanks to Vetrepharm Ltd for their help in this production"

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

to be added

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

DVD and video releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • This story was released on video in 1997 by BBV Productions.
  • It was released on DVD as a double sided DVD for PAL and NTSC formats. DVD authoring was by Merv Station. The DVD release included:
    • The Making of AUTON, produced by Keith Barnfather
    • Music Soundtrack by Alistair Lock
    • Picture Gallery
    • US Trailer
    • Cyberhunt, a BBV audio starring Nicholas Briggs
  • 1997 VHS

    1997 VHS

  • DVD

    DVD

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

v • e
BBV Productions home videos
Auton Trilogy
P.R.O.B.E.
Standalone
Documentaries
This template only includes stories which are covered on Tardis Wiki. A complete list of BBV releases exists here.
v • e
Nestene Consciousness stories
Television
Broadcast
Home video
Audio
Prose
Comics
Complete list of appearances
v • e
Auton stories
For the purposes of this list, an "Auton story" is one in which one living, authentic Auton plays a part within the confines of the story, outside of flashbacks to previous stories and cliffhangers that lead into the following story. For this reason, stories such as Love & Monsters are absent due to the Autons' only contribution being references to past Auton stories.
Television
Broadcast
Home video
Webcast
Audio
Prose
Comics
Video games
Complete list of appearances
  1. ↑ Downtime: The Lost Years of Doctor Who by Dylan Rees, chapter 16
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