Image of the Fendahl (TV story): Difference between revisions

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{{Infobox ClassicTV|
{{title dab away}}
story name= Image of the Fendahl|
{{real world}}
image= [[Image:Image_title.jpg|250px]] |
{{ImageLinkTV}}
series=[[Doctor Who]] - [[TV stories|TV Stories]] |
{{Infobox Story SMW
number= [[Season 15]]|
|image           = Image title.jpg  
story number=94|
|season number  = Season 15 (Doctor Who 1963)|
doctor= [[Fourth Doctor]] |
|season serial number = 3
companions= [[Leela]] <br/> [[K-9]]|
|story number   = 94
enemy= [[Fendahl|The Fendahl]] | Maxamillion Stael
|novelisation    = Doctor Who and the Image of the Fendahl (novelisation)
year= [[Earth]], circa [[1977]] |
|doctor         = Fourth Doctor  
writer= [[Chris Boucher]] |
|companions     = [[Leela]]  
director= [[George Spenton-Foster]] |
|featuring      = [[K9 Mark I|K9]]  
producer= [[Graham Williams]] |
|enemy           = [[Eustace (Image of the Fendahl)|"Eustace"]]
broadcast date= [[29th October]] - [[19th November]] [[1977]] |
|setting        = [[Fetch Priory]], [[Fetchborough]], [[1 August]]{{note|According to the audio drama ''[[Island of the Fendahl (audio story)|Island of the Fendahl]]''.}} [[1977]]
format= 4 25-minute Episodes |
|writer         = Chris Boucher
production code= [[List of production codes|4X]] |
|director       = [[George Spenton-Foster]]  
previous story = [[The Invisible Enemy]] |
|producer       = [[Graham Williams]]  
next story = [[The Sun Makers]] }}
|epcount        = 4
|broadcast date = 29 October 1977
|network        = BBC1
|format         = 4x25-minute episodes
|serial production code = [[List of production codes|4X]]  
|series          = [[Doctor Who television stories|''Doctor Who'' television stories]]
|prev            = The Invisible Enemy (TV story)
|next            = The Sun Makers (TV story)
|made prev      = The Sun Makers (TV story)
|made next       = Underworld (TV story)
}}{{you may|Image of the Fendahl (reference book)|n1=the reference book of the same name}}
'''''Image of the Fendahl''''' was the third serial of [[season 15 (Doctor Who 1963)|season fifteen]] of ''[[Doctor Who (TV series)|Doctor Who]]''.


==Synopsis==
== Synopsis ==
An anachronistic twelve-million-year-old human skull has been discovered by archaeologists and is now being used by Professor Fendelman in his time scanner experiments at [[Fetch Priory]] in contemporary England. The skull is actually an artifact of the Fendahl, an ancient creature that feeds on the life force of others.
The present day: just as the [[Fourth Doctor]] and [[Leela]] arrive in [[Fetchborough]], [[England]], Professor [[Fendelman]] prepares to experiment on [[Eustace|a fossilized skull]] which science says should not exist. The skull is actually an artefact of the [[Fendahl]], a [[god]]-like being who feeds on the life force of others. It has begun to awaken and kill. Worse yet, others seek to exploit the Fendahl's dreadful power.


Drawn by the operation of the scanner, the Doctor and Leela arrive as the experiments reach a peak. The skull is exerting an influence over the mind of Thea Ransome, one of the scientists in Fendelman's team, and glowing with power each time the scanner is activated. Thea is eventually transformed into the Fendahl core, and a group of acolytes assembled by Maximillian Stael - another of Fendelman's team, who is trying to harness the creature's power for his own ends - are converted into snake-like Fendahleen.
== Plot ==
=== Part one ===
[[File:Image of the Fendahl.jpg|thumb|left|The skull takes control of [[Thea Ransome]].]]
In [[Fetch Priory]], scientists [[Thea Ransome]] and [[Adam Colby]] are examining a skull they have nicknamed "[[Eustace (Image of the Fendahl)|Eustace]]". The skull is twelve million years old, and they are incredulous at the evolutionary implications. Meanwhile, lead scientist Dr. Fendelman and his collaborator, [[Maximillian Stael]], begin their night-time experiments with a time scanner. Its power seems to affect the skull, of which they seem unaware. The skull in turn has some sort of effect on Thea. In the woods outside of the Priory, a hiker walking by is attacked and killed by an unseen creature.


The Doctor shows the remaining scientist, Adam Colby, and two locals, Martha Tyler and her son Jack, how to defend themselves against the Fendahleen using rock salt. By activating the scanner once more, he triggers an implosion that destroys both the Priory and the Fendahl core.
Meanwhile, the [[Fourth Doctor]] and [[Leela]] are in [[The Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]], worrying over the damaged [[K9 Mark I|K9]]. The Doctor insists on referring to K9 as an "it", to Leela's chagrin. As the Doctor tries to repair K9, the TARDIS is affected by a [[Relative Continuum Displacement Zone]] — a hole in time. The Doctor traces it to Earth, and the TARDIS lands near the Priory the next day. The Doctor and Leela find a man called [[Ted Moss]]. He says there are strange things going on in the Priory.


==Plot==
Adam finds the corpse of the hiker while out walking his dog, [[Leakey]]. Fendelman suggests covering this up, loathe to media and police interrupting their potentially groundbreaking work. Fendelman tells Stael to do a post-mortem on the body and to call [[London]] and tell [[John Hartman|Hartman]] to send armed guards. Thea and Adam learn of the lockdown though the security team leader, [[David Mitchell]], after a loud argument between him and an old local woman, [[Martha Tyler]], who is a white witch and the cook at the priory. Stael reports to Fendelman his inability to discover the cause of the hiker's death; although the outward signs are that the man died very recently, the body is decomposing rapidly. Fendelman orders Stael to dispose of the hiker's body.


=== Part 1 ===
The Doctor and Leela decide they must investigate the priory just as Thea switches on the [[time scanner]]. A compulsion draws her to the machine and she and the skull seem to merge. Leela splits up from the Doctor and investigates a nearby cottage, where she is fired upon with a shotgun. Meanwhile, the Doctor feels the presence of the same unseen creature who killed the hiker. He finds himself paralysed, unable to run as the creature is about to consume him.
[[The Fourth Doctor|The Doctor]] and [[Leela]] are in the Tardis and arguing whether they can call K9 a man seeing as he is a robot. Meanwhile a Skull has been found and is in a lab that two palaeontologists Thea Ransome and Adam Colby are examing it. As Colby walks out she suddenly becomes engrossed by the skull. Dr. Fendelman the man in charge of the project says that the skull is over twelve millions years old which Adam thinks is wrong as humans where supposed to have evolved 4 million years before that.
In the forest there is a man walking and an unseen creature follows him and begins to consume him. All of a sudden the Tardis is affected by a Time Hole. The Doctor traces it to Earth and the Tardis lands at the Priory. Thea is still being controlled by the power of the skull then faints. The next morning she wakes up to find that Adam has gone to walk the dog.
Meanwhile the Doctor and Leela find a man called Ted Moss who says there are strange things going on in the Priory.
Adam finds the body of the Hitchhiker dead which and tells all the people at the Priory. This leads to Dr Fendelman saying he must cover it all up as he does not want to attract media and police. Dr Fendelman gets his co worker Maximillian Stael to do a post mortem on the body. Dr. Fendalmen organises an secruirity team to cover the base. And a guard called David Mitchel gets into a disagrement with an old local woman [[Martha Tyler]] who is a white witch and the cook at the priory.
The Doctor and Leela decide they must investigate the priory just as Thea switches on the time scanner she then begings to Merge with the skull agian. Leela and the Doctor have split up there search as Leela goes into a country cottage a gun goes of. The Doctor meanwhile is walking in the woods presumibly towards the Priory when he looses the power in his legs and begins to stop moving.  
=== Part 2 ===


==Cast==
=== Part two ===
*[[Fourth Doctor|The Doctor]] - [[Tom Baker]]
The Doctor regains control of his legs and runs from the creature. Ted Moss reloads his shotgun and moves to the door of the Tyler cottage, where Leela overpowers him. Jack Tyler gets rid of Ted Moss and talks with Leela.
*[[Leela]] - [[Louise Jameson]]
*[[Adam Colby]] - [[Edward Arthur]]
*[[David Mitchell]] - [[Derek Martin]]
*Dr. [[Fendelman]] - [[Denis Lill]]
*Hiker - [[Graham Simpson]]
*[[Jack Tyler]] - [[Geoffrey Hinsliff]]
*[[Martha Tyler]] - [[Daphne Heard]]
*[[Maximillian Stael]] - [[Scott Fredericks]]
*[[Ted Moss]] - [[Edward Evans]]
*[[Thea Ransome]] - [[Wanda Ventham]]
*K-9-John Leeson


==Crew==
Thea is being gradually taken over by the skull, the [[Fendahl]]. The Fendahl kills Mitchell, the security guard. Embryo [[Fendahleen]] briefly appear on the unconscious Thea as the Doctor and Adam watch. Fendelman has the Doctor locked up in a storage room on suspicion of Mitchell's murder. Jack Tyler talks to Leela about his "gran" and the old religion, and being involved with "something nasty".
*[[Assistant Floor Manager]] - [[Karilyn Collier]]
*[[Costumes]] - [[Amy Roberts]]
*[[Designer]] - [[Anna Ridley]]
*[[Film Cameraman]] - [[Elmer Cossey]]
*[[Incidental Music]] - [[Dudley Simpson]]
*[[Make-Up]] - [[Pauline Cox]]
*[[Producer]] - [[Graham Williams]]
*[[Production Assistant]] - [[Prue Saenger]]
*[[Production Unit Manager]] - [[John Nathan-Turner]]
*[[Script Editor]] - [[Robert Holmes]]
*[[Special Sounds]] - [[Dick Mills]]
*[[Studio Lighting]] - [[Jim Purdie]]
*[[Studio Sound]] - [[Alan Fogg]]
*[[Theme Arrangement]] - [[Delia Derbyshire]]
*[[Title Music]] - [[Ron Grainer]]
*[[Visual Effects]] - [[Colin Mapson]]


==References==
Adam goes to talk to Dr. Fendelman about the disconnected [[telephone]]. Fendelman tells him that he thinks the skull is extraterrestrial. He shows Adam a skull [[x-ray]]; a [[pentagram]] is part of the bone structure, and he believes it is a neural circuit that stores energy and then, eventually, signals to others that there intelligent life on the planet.
*The [[the Doctor's TARDIS|TARDIS]] generates a low intensity [[telepathic field]].
*The Fendahl skull was found in [[Africa|Kenya]] in volcanic sediment.  
*The [[Time Lord]]s destroyed the Fifth Planet [forming the asteroid belt] and then hid its existence in a [[time loop]] to prevent any knowledge of the [[Fendahl]] leaking out. The Doctor knows the story as a myth from childhood and is terrified by it.
*The [[Fendahl]] requires twelve [[Fendahleen]] and a core to form its gestalt.
*The Doctor discovers that ''"[[sodium chloride]] obviously affects conductivity... and prevents control of localised disruption of osmotic pressures."'' ''"You mean, [[salt]] kills them?"'' asks Leela.
*After causing the priory's implosion, the Doctor intends to cast the skull into a [[supernova]] in the constellation of [[Canthares]].


==Story Notes==
Meanwhile, Mrs. Tyler returns to the cottage, terrified. She says that something was after her, "hungry" for her soul.
*This story marks the first appearance of a new version of Leela's famous leather outfit, which is lighter in colour than the last. The new version was created because the original was wearing out, and had caused Louise Jameson some problems due to it being a leotard (the new version was a dress to rectify the problem). Producer Graham Williams had also instructed the designer, Amy Roberts, to make Louise look sexier in the new outfit. The original leotard would return in the next story, 'The Sun Makers', before the new edition came back for Leela's final two outings.
*K9 appears only briefly, in the opening and closing TARDIS scenes. '''Image of the Fendahl''' had been written before it was known that K9 would be joining the series on a regular basis.
Tom Baker hated K9.  He often argued with producers that he felt the K9 storyline was a stupid idea.


===Ratings===
Thea is again drawn to the room where the time scanner is kept and sees the x-ray of the skull. Stael appears and, revealed as the leader of the local coven, proclaims she is the key to his power, the chosen one. Thea tries to leave, but Stael grabs her and uses chloroform to render her unconscious.
*Part 1 - 6.7 million viewers
*Part 2 - 7.5 million viewers
*Part 3 - 7.9 million viewers
*Part 4 - 9.1 million viewers


===Myths===
[[File:Image_of...3.jpg|thumb|The Doctor grabs hold of the skull.]]
*This story had a working title of '''The Island of Fandor'''. ''(It didn't. This myth originated when Gordon Blows, then editor of the Doctor Who Appreciation Society magazine TARDIS, misheard the title of the story over the phone and reported it incorrectly.)''
The Doctor enters the room where the skull is kept and witnesses the skull glowing brightly as it "powers up". He is compelled to touch it, and, when he does, he yells in pain as the skull glow ever brighter.


===Filming Locations===
=== Part three ===
*Stargrove Manor, East End, Hampshire
Leela arrives and pries the Doctor away from the skull. The Doctor tells her it's a Fendahl's, a species he believed a myth. He rouses Mrs. Tyler from her shock and asks her about the being which attacked her. She has [[precognition]] as a result of growing up near a time fissure. She later tells Jack that the figure she saw in her mind was a woman.
*[[BBC Television Centre]] (TC6), Shepherd's Bush, [[London]]


===Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors===
[[File:Sacrifice_of_the_image.jpg|thumb|left|The ritual begins.]]
*In episode four the Doctor says that the Fendahl killed the hiker and Mitchell, but he cannot possibly know their occupations or names.
Meanwhile, Stael pulls a gun on Dr. Fendelman and Adam. He shackles them to pillars in the cottage's [[basement]]. The Doctor and Leela use the TARDIS to follow the [[time fissure]] and find the Fendahl's home planet. However, they discover the planet has been placed in a [[time loop]], making it and all its records permanently invisible — and according to the Doctor, only the [[Time Lord]]s could do that. Stael assembles his cult, preparing their ceremony. Fendelman realises what is happening; the Fendahl has used his ancestors and him to regain life. He pleads desperately with Stael and his followers to stop, but Stael shoots him.
*How does the Doctor get out of the locked cupboard in episode two?{He has learnt many skills from historical charectors, like perhaps escapology.]
*Why did the Time Lords take such an extreme measure of time-looping the 'fifth planet' in order to contain the Fendahl but did not take similar precautions with the Sutekh (See [[Pyramids of Mars]]), who was surely no less of a potential threat to the cosmos? ''By the time the Time Lords did time-loop the fifth planet the Fendahl had already destroyed all life there, so there was no harm in doing it, whereas there were millions of people living on Earth at the time of Sutekh's imprisonment and it would have meant condemning the entire human race to eternal imprisonment.''


==Continuity==
When they return, the Doctor, Leela and the Tylers head back to the priory. Suddenly they find their legs cannot move. The group are all stuck as a full-grown Fendahleen bears down on them.
*The origins of Planet 5 and its role are explored further in [[EDA]]: ''[[The Taking of Planet 5]]''.


==DVD, Video and Other Releases==
=== Part four ===
*Image of Fendahl is due for release on DVD in April 2009.
The Doctor uses Jack's gun, loaded with [[rock salt]], to kill the Fendahleen. The group concentrate and escape its telepathic influence. Meanwhile, the cult uses Thea's body as a host for the Fendahl Core to manifest. The Fendahl Core turns the cult members into Fendahleen and paralyses Stael when he catches its gaze. The Doctor and Leela sneak into the cult's room and free Adam. The Doctor tells Leela to get Adam to safety and tries to help Stael, but there is nothing he can do. Stael begs the Doctor to bring him his gun, but the Doctor says bullets will have no effect on the Fendahl Core. Stael says the gun is not for the Fendahl Core, but for him. The Doctor brings the gun, saying he's sorry it's all he can do, and Stael thanks him. As the Doctor leaves, Stael takes his own life by shooting himself.


==Novelisation==
[[File:Boom!_Boom!.jpg|thumb|The building explodes.]]
[[Image:Image of The Fendahl novel.jpg|right|75px]]
The Doctor confers with the others. He realises the Fendahl requires thirteen Fendahleen to become an incredibly powerful [[gestalt]] entity, but with Stael and a Fendahleen dead, the creature is incomplete. While the Doctor works on the time scanner, he theorises the Fendahl may have guided human [[evolution]]. This may explain mankind's darker nature. Leela and Jack are attacked by the Fendahl's forces and kill one of the Fendahleen. The Doctor rigs the scanner to destroy the entire priory. He and Leela enter the basement and take the skull. The Fendahl Core tries to stop them, but in its weakened state, they avoid its paralytic effects. Without the skull, the core is rendered powerless and is destroyed in the [[explosion]].
: ''Main article: [[Doctor Who and the Image of the Fendahl]]''


*Novelised as ''[[Doctor Who and the Image of the Fendahl]]'' by [[Terrance Dicks]] in [[1979]].
The Doctor and Leela leave in the TARDIS to find [[Canthares|a star]] about to go [[supernova]] and drop the Fendahl skull into it. The Doctor calls K9 a "him", saying that he can if he wants — after all, K9 is his dog. K9 nods in agreement.


==See Also==
== Cast ==
*[[DW]]: ''[[The Claws of Axos]]'' - Includes an explanation of a time loop
* [[Fourth Doctor|Doctor Who]] - [[Tom Baker]]
* [[Leela]] - [[Louise Jameson]]
* [[Adam Colby]] - [[Edward Arthur]]
* [[Thea Ransome]] - [[Wanda Ventham]]
* [[Fendelman|Dr. Fendelman]] - [[Denis Lill]]
* [[Maximillian Stael]] - [[Scott Fredericks]]
* [[Hiker (Image of the Fendahl)|Hiker]] - [[Graham Simpson]]
* [[Ted Moss]] - [[Edward Evans]]
* [[David Mitchell]] - [[Derek Martin]]
* [[Martha Tyler]] - [[Daphne Heard]]
* [[Jack Tyler]] - [[Geoffrey Hinsliff]]


==External Links==
=== Uncredited cast ===
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/imageoffendahl/ BBC Episode Guide to '''Image of the Fendahl''']
* [[Fendahleen]] Operator - [[Peter Wragg]] ([[DWM 197]])
* [http://www.gallifreyone.com/episode.php?id=4x Outpost Gallifrey Episode Guide: '''Image of the Fendahl''']
* Security Guards - John Emms, [[Geoffrey Witherick]], David Elliott, [[Roy Pearce]] ([[DWM 197]])
* [http://www.drwhoguide.com/who_4x.htm Doctor Who Reference Guide: Detailed Synopsis - '''Image of the Fendahl''']
* Coven Members - [[Douglas Stark]], [[Jay McGrath]], [[Ray Knight]] ([[DWM 197]])
* [http://www.shannonsullivan.com/drwho/serials/4x.html A Brief History of Time (Travel) Guide: '''Image of the Fendahl''']
*[http://www.doctorwholocations.net/stories/imageofthefendahl The Locations Guide to Doctor Who - '''Image of the Fendahl''']


{{season 15}}
== Crew ==
{{TV stub}}
* [[Assistant Floor Manager]] - [[Karilyn Collier]]
[[Category:Fourth Doctor episodes]]
* [[Costumes]] - [[Amy Roberts]]
* [[Designer (crew)|Designer]] - [[Anna Ridley]]
* [[Film Cameraman]] - [[Elmer Cossey]]
* [[Film sound|Film Sound]] - [[Bill Meekums]]
* [[Incidental Music]] - [[Dudley Simpson]]
* [[Make-Up]] - [[Pauline Cox]]
* [[Producer]] - [[Graham Williams]]
* [[Production Assistant]] - [[Prue Saenger]]
* [[Production Unit Manager]] - [[John Nathan-Turner]]
* [[Script Editor]] - [[Robert Holmes]], [[Anthony Read]] (uncredited)
* [[Special Sounds]] - [[Dick Mills]]
* [[Studio Lighting]] - [[Jim Purdie]]
* [[Studio Sound]] - [[Alan Fogg]]
* [[Theme Arrangement]] - [[Delia Derbyshire]]
* [[Doctor Who theme|Title Music]] - [[Ron Grainer]]
* [[Visual Effects]] - [[Colin Mapson]]
 
== Worldbuilding ==
=== Individuals ===
* The Doctor declares a love of [[fruitcake]].
* Fendelman is said to be one of the richest men in the world, having made his money in [[electronics]].
* Leela doesn't know what "[[whopper]]" means.
 
=== Objects ===
* The Doctor discovers "[[salt|sodium chloride]] affects conductivity... and prevents control of localised disruption of osmotic pressures". "[[Salt]] kills it," clarifies Leela.
* [[The Doctor's TARDIS|The TARDIS]] generates a low intensity [[telepathic field]].
* [[The Doctor's sonic screwdriver|The sonic screwdriver]] does not seem to be able to open the [[wood]]en door, at least initially.
* Ten years ago, while working on a [[missile]] guidance system, Fendelman noticed what he calls a "sonic shadow".
 
=== Locations ===
* According to the Doctor, every haunted place depends on a time fissure which causes a [[time distortion]].
* The Fendahl skull was found in [[Africa|Kenya]] in [[volcano|volcanic]] sediment.
* The Doctor intends to cast the skull into a [[supernova]] in the [[Canthares constellation|constellation of Canthares]].
* [[Planet 5|The fifth planet]] was 107 million miles from [[Earth]], situated between [[Mars]] and [[Jupiter]].
 
=== Fendahl ===
* [[Potassium-argon test]]s indicate the [[Eustace|Fendahl skull]] is 12 million years old.
* A [[Fendahleen]] is psycho-[[Telekinesis|telekinetic]], giving it the ability to control the muscles of its prey [[telepathy|telepathically]].
 
=== Cultural references to real world ===
* The hiker whistles, "[[The Entertainer]]" by [[Scott Joplin]].
* Dr. Fendelman suggests that Adam Colby could win a [[Nobel Prize]] for his work in [[palaeontology]].
* Martha Tyler mentions [[Lammas Eve]].
* The Doctor mentions a "[[wild-goose chase]]".
 
== Notes ==
* This story was the last to be commissioned by script editor [[Robert Holmes]].<ref name="kaldor">[http://www.kaldorcity.com/features/antecedents/fendahl.html ''Image of The Fendahl'' by Alan Stevens on kaldorcity.com]</ref>
* Writer [[Chris Boucher]] was unable to complete rewrites to the script due to his appointment as script editor on the [[BBC]] television series ''[[Blake's 7 (series)|Blake's 7]]'' so incoming script editor [[Anthony Read]] took over. This fact explains why, for a Boucher script, the story is unusually full of info-dumps, whereas they tend to crop up in Read's work, such as ''[[The Horns of Nimon (TV story)|The Horns of Nimon]]''.<ref name="kaldor"/>
* The god-like entity of the [[Fendahl]] does not speak. Chris Boucher had been similarly resistant to writing lines for the messianic computer [[Xoanon]] in ''[[The Face of Evil (TV story)|The Face of Evil]]'' on the grounds that one could not write dialogue for [[God]].<ref name="kaldor"/>
* This story introduced a new version of Leela's famous leather outfit. It was noticeably lighter in colour than the last. The new version was created because the original was wearing out. Furthermore, it had caused [[Louise Jameson]] some problems because it was a leotard. The new version, by contrast, was actually a dress. Producer [[Graham Williams]] had also instructed the designer, [[Amy Roberts]], to make Louise look sexier in the new outfit. The original leotard appears briefly at the end of part four (mainly to facilitate the punchline to a joke in part one) and returned in the following story, ''[[The Sun Makers (TV story)|The Sun Makers]]'', before the new version came back for Leela's final two appearances.
* [[K9]] appears only briefly, in the opening and closing TARDIS scenes; he is suffering from circuitry corrosion and stays in the TARDIS. ''Image of the Fendahl'' had been written before it was known K9 would be joining the series on a regular basis. [[John Leeson]] was not recruited to voice the character, who had no dialogue.
* According to the [[2009]] [[DVD]] release documentary ''[[After Image (documentary)|After Image]]'', [[Anthony Read]] was brought on as script editor to help in the transition during [[Robert Holmes]]' departure from the role. Only Holmes received the on-screen credit.
* [[Louise Jameson]] claims the reason her hair worn up in this story is because a BBC hairstylist had mistakenly cut six inches off her hair just before filming. Her final scene in the story was filmed some five weeks after this incident, by which time her hair had grown long enough to allow her to wear it down for a single scene. ([[DCOM]]: ''Image of the Fendahl'')
* There is no clear on-screen indication in the story as to how the Doctor got out of the store room in part two. In [[Terrance Dicks]]'s [[Doctor Who and the Image of the Fendahl (novelisation)|novelisation]] of the story, the Doctor opens the door with "a hearty kick", but he does no such thing on-screen. Before his exit, the Doctor is shown using the [[the Doctor's sonic screwdriver|sonic screwdriver]], but it does not appear to be having any effect at that time.
* No year is given on-screen for the story, but in a trailer broadcast after part four of the previous adventure, ''[[The Invisible Enemy (TV story)|The Invisible Enemy]]'', the setting was given as "1977".
* [[Tom Baker]] was credited as "The Doctor" in ''Radio Times'', as opposed to the usual "Dr. Who".
* In the DVD commentary, [[Wanda Ventham]] states that her appearance in this story marked her first major acting job since giving birth to her son, future ''[[Sherlock (series)|Sherlock]]'' star (and [[Big Finish Productions]] contributor) [[Benedict Cumberbatch]].
* Unusually, for a [[Dudley Simpson]]-scored story, part one contains less than thirty seconds of his music.
* A potential [[fourth wall]] break is observed in part four. After Adam Colby leaves to help Mrs. Tyler with the salt as ordered by the Doctor, the Doctor turns to stare directly into the camera and, as if addressing the audience, says "Time's running out!" This is not the first instance in the programme, for example, [[William Hartnell]] as the [[First Doctor]] wishes viewers a "Happy [[Christmas]]" in the seventh episode of [[TV]]: ''[[The Daleks' Master Plan (TV story)|The Daleks' Master Plan]]'', "[[The Feast of Steven]]".
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Bate Anthony Bate], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Franklyn-Robbins John Franklin-Robbins], [[Michael Gough]], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Hardy Robert Hardy] and [[William Lucas]] were considered for the role of Dr. Fendahlman.
* Leela kissing Adam Colby on the cheek was an unscripted visual ad-lib by [[Louise Jameson]]. The surprised look on [[Edward Arthur]]'s face is genuine.
* Max Stael was originally supposed to shoot himself on-camera, but this was rejected as being too dark for a series aimed at a family audience.
* [[Chris Boucher]] took inspiration from the work of archaeologist Louis Leakey, who had been excavating human remains for many years until his death in 1972. Boucher named Colby's dog Leakey as a tribute to him, although he later realised that people would miss the reference and assume the name came because "he p***ed all over everything". Terrance Dicks's subsequent novelisation of the serial in fact gives both reasons for the name.
* [[Louise Jameson]] regards this as one of her best stories due to it being written by [[Chris Boucher]]. It was however during the making of this serial that she decided to leave at the end of the series.
* [[George Spenton-Foster]] took the cast out to lunch before the read-through and afterwards, [[Tom Baker]] made numerous jokes about the script, picking out all the double entendres and sending it up. This caused [[Chris Boucher]] great upset at the time, but had the knock-on effect of him combing through his scripts from thereon for any signs of double entendres.
* Two days after filming was completed [[Tom Baker]] and [[Louise Jameson]] attended the world's first ever ''Doctor Who'' convention in [[London]].
* [[George Spenton-Foster]] would later cast [[Scott Fredericks]] and [[Graham Simpson]] in [[Chris Boucher]]'s January 1979 ''[[Blake's 7 (series)|Blake's 7]]'' episode ''"''[https://blakes7.fandom.com/wiki/Weapon_(episode) Weapon]".
* [[Graham Williams]] had worked with [[George Spenton-Foster]] previously on ''[[Z-Cars]]'' and ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutherland%27s_Law Sutherland's Law].'' He chose him to direct this serial due to his experience with night filming.
* [[Chris Boucher]] drew upon the fetch, a creature from Irish mythology which manifested as the phantom double of a living person. The word “fetch” was incorporated into many of the place names, and presaged Thea Ransome's transformation into the sinister Fendahl Core.
* Costume designer [[Amy Roberts]] deemed [[Louise Jameson]]'s costume to be in need of replacement, having now been in use for almost a year. Initially, [[Graham Williams]] was inclined to simply have a replica constructed, but he eventually decided to proceed with a new, more form-hugging design.
* Filming at Stargrove Manor ground to a halt when the generator which powered the lighting equipment caught fire, and a replacement had to be summoned from [[London]] in the wee hours of the morning. The noise of the arriving vehicles prompted an angry complaint from one of Stargroves' neighbours, and [[George Spenton-Foster]] responded with an apology the following week.
* Concerns arose that the Fendahleen costumes were too phallic in appearance, and so ribbing was added to mute this impression.
* [[Denis Lill]] and [[Wanda Ventham]] would later appear in ''[[Only Fools and Horses]]'' as [https://only-fools-horses-tribute.fandom.com/wiki/Cassandra_Trotter Cassandra]'s parents.
* In the lab scene at the end of Part Two, the Doctor offers the Fendahl skull a jelly baby but is clearly seen proferring a pink licourice allsort.
 
=== Influences ===
* ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quatermass_and_the_Pit_(film) Quatermass and the Pit]''
* ''[[Chariots of the Gods]]''
* ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sirens_of_Titan The Sirens of Titan]''
 
=== Ratings ===
* Part one - 6.7 million viewers
* Part two - 7.5 million viewers
* Part three - 7.9 million viewers
* Part four - 9.1 million viewers
 
=== Myths ===
* This story had a working title of ''The Island of Fandor''. ''(It didn't. This myth originated when Gordon Blows, then editor of the Doctor Who Appreciation Society magazine TARDIS, misheard the title of the story over the phone and reported it incorrectly. The Big Finish story [[Island of the Fendahl (audio story)|Island of the Fendahl]] was set on [[Fandor]] as a nod to this.)''
 
=== Filming locations ===
* Stargrove Manor, East End, Hampshire
* [[BBC Television Centre]] (TC6), Shepherd's Bush, [[London]]
 
=== Production errors ===
{{discontinuity}}
* In the scene when Thea merges with the skull, just before she merges, the side of her nose takes on the texture of the skull for a few seconds.
* In several scenes when the skull illuminates, there is sometimes a green speck inside the eye, which is the green screen for the CSO.
* During her final transformation into the Fendahl Core, Wanda Ventham blinks just as the top of her face is transformed
 
== Continuity ==
* In [[1983]], Colby was still suffering from night terrors and paralysing nightmares as a result of this experience. ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|Return of the Living Dad (novel)|Return of the Living Dad}})
* The [[Eighth Doctor]] later prevented the [[Time Lord]]s from releasing the [[Fendahl]] in around [[Distant past|12,000,000 BC]]. ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|The Taking of Planet 5 (novel)|The Taking of Planet 5}})
* The Fendahl survived being dropped into the heart of a supernova by the [[Fourth Doctor]]. This action, intended to destroy it, instead caused it to grow stronger. ([[AUDIO]]: {{cs|Checkmate (audio story)|Checkmate}})
* Leela says, "Professor [[Frederick Marius|Marius]] would not be very pleased" about the damages of [[K9 Mark I|K9]]. Marius appeared in the previous story, [[TV]]: {{cs|The Invisible Enemy (TV story)|The Invisible Enemy}}.
* The Eighth Doctor later released the [[Fendahl]] without knowing, and encountered it again in [[2007]]. ([[AUDIO]]: {{cs|Island of the Fendahl (audio story)|Island of the Fendahl}})
 
== Home video and audio releases ==
=== DVD releases ===
''Image of the Fendahl'' was released to DVD in the UK in [[April (releases)|April]] [[2009 (releases)|2009]] and in North America in [[September (releases)|September]] 2009.
 
==== Special Features ====
* Commentary by [[Tom Baker]] ([[Fourth Doctor|The Doctor]]), [[Louise Jameson]] ([[Leela]]), [[Wanda Ventham]] ([[Thea Ransome]]) and [[Edward Arthur]] ([[Adam Colby]])
* ''[[After Image (documentary)|After Image]]'' - Cast and crew look back on the making of this story, featuring Louise Jameson, Edward Arthur, Wanda Ventham, [[Anthony Read]] (uncredited Script Editor) and [[Colin Mapson]] (Visual Effects Designer)
* Deleted and Extended Scenes - Material originally cut from ''Image of the Fendahl'' is presented here courtesy of a low-quality monochrome video recording
* Trailer - The original [[BBC One|BBC1]] trailer from 1977
* ''[[Radio Times]]'' Billings - Listings for this story presented in a PDF file (DVD-ROM - PC/Mac)
* Photo Gallery
* Coming Soon Trailer - ''[[The Deadly Assassin (TV story)|The Deadly Assassin]]''
* Production Information Subtitles
* [[Easter Egg]]: Louise Jameson bonus interview discussing the 12-inch Leela doll manufactured by [[Denys Fisher Toys]]. To access this hidden feature, press left at Trailer on the Special Features menu to reveal a hidden ''[[Doctor Who]]'' logo.
 
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true">
File:Image of the Fendahl DVD UK cover.jpg|DVD UK cover
File:Image of the Fendahl DVD Australian cover.jpg|DVD Australian cover
File:Image of the Fendahl DVD US cover.jpg|DVD US cover
</gallery>
 
* Remastering for the DVD release was completed by the [[Doctor Who Restoration Team]].
 
=== Video releases ===
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true">
File:Image of the Fendahl VHS UK cover.jpg|VHS UK cover
File:Image of the Fendahl VHS US cover.jpg|VHS US cover
</gallery>
 
== External links ==
* {{bbcepguideclassic|imageoffendahl/|Image of the Fendahl}}
* {{radiotimes|2010-10-20/image-of-the-fendahl}}
{{dwcast}}
{{dwrefguide|who_4x.htm|Image of the Fendahl}}
* {{briefhistory|serials/4x.html|Image of the Fendahl}}
* {{locguide|imageofthefendahl|Image of the Fendahl}}
 
== Footnotes ==
=== Notes ===
{{Notelist}}
 
=== Sources ===
{{reflist}}
{{DWTV}}
{{TitleSort}}
[[es:Image of the Fendahl]]
[[ru:Образ Фендала]]
 
[[Category:Doctor Who (1963) television stories]]
[[Category:Stories set in England]]
[[Category:Stories set in England]]
[[Category:K-9 episodes]]
[[Category:K9 television stories]]
[[Category:1977 television stories]]
[[Category:1977 television stories]]
[[Category:Season 15 stories]]
[[Category:Stories set in 1977]]
[[Category:Four part serials]]
[[Category:Fendahl stories]]

Latest revision as of 20:07, 3 November 2024

RealWorld.png

You may be looking for the reference book of the same name.

Image of the Fendahl was the third serial of season fifteen of Doctor Who.

Synopsis[[edit] | [edit source]]

The present day: just as the Fourth Doctor and Leela arrive in Fetchborough, England, Professor Fendelman prepares to experiment on a fossilized skull which science says should not exist. The skull is actually an artefact of the Fendahl, a god-like being who feeds on the life force of others. It has begun to awaken and kill. Worse yet, others seek to exploit the Fendahl's dreadful power.

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

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

The skull takes control of Thea Ransome.

In Fetch Priory, scientists Thea Ransome and Adam Colby are examining a skull they have nicknamed "Eustace". The skull is twelve million years old, and they are incredulous at the evolutionary implications. Meanwhile, lead scientist Dr. Fendelman and his collaborator, Maximillian Stael, begin their night-time experiments with a time scanner. Its power seems to affect the skull, of which they seem unaware. The skull in turn has some sort of effect on Thea. In the woods outside of the Priory, a hiker walking by is attacked and killed by an unseen creature.

Meanwhile, the Fourth Doctor and Leela are in the TARDIS, worrying over the damaged K9. The Doctor insists on referring to K9 as an "it", to Leela's chagrin. As the Doctor tries to repair K9, the TARDIS is affected by a Relative Continuum Displacement Zone — a hole in time. The Doctor traces it to Earth, and the TARDIS lands near the Priory the next day. The Doctor and Leela find a man called Ted Moss. He says there are strange things going on in the Priory.

Adam finds the corpse of the hiker while out walking his dog, Leakey. Fendelman suggests covering this up, loathe to media and police interrupting their potentially groundbreaking work. Fendelman tells Stael to do a post-mortem on the body and to call London and tell Hartman to send armed guards. Thea and Adam learn of the lockdown though the security team leader, David Mitchell, after a loud argument between him and an old local woman, Martha Tyler, who is a white witch and the cook at the priory. Stael reports to Fendelman his inability to discover the cause of the hiker's death; although the outward signs are that the man died very recently, the body is decomposing rapidly. Fendelman orders Stael to dispose of the hiker's body.

The Doctor and Leela decide they must investigate the priory just as Thea switches on the time scanner. A compulsion draws her to the machine and she and the skull seem to merge. Leela splits up from the Doctor and investigates a nearby cottage, where she is fired upon with a shotgun. Meanwhile, the Doctor feels the presence of the same unseen creature who killed the hiker. He finds himself paralysed, unable to run as the creature is about to consume him.

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

The Doctor regains control of his legs and runs from the creature. Ted Moss reloads his shotgun and moves to the door of the Tyler cottage, where Leela overpowers him. Jack Tyler gets rid of Ted Moss and talks with Leela.

Thea is being gradually taken over by the skull, the Fendahl. The Fendahl kills Mitchell, the security guard. Embryo Fendahleen briefly appear on the unconscious Thea as the Doctor and Adam watch. Fendelman has the Doctor locked up in a storage room on suspicion of Mitchell's murder. Jack Tyler talks to Leela about his "gran" and the old religion, and being involved with "something nasty".

Adam goes to talk to Dr. Fendelman about the disconnected telephone. Fendelman tells him that he thinks the skull is extraterrestrial. He shows Adam a skull x-ray; a pentagram is part of the bone structure, and he believes it is a neural circuit that stores energy and then, eventually, signals to others that there intelligent life on the planet.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Tyler returns to the cottage, terrified. She says that something was after her, "hungry" for her soul.

Thea is again drawn to the room where the time scanner is kept and sees the x-ray of the skull. Stael appears and, revealed as the leader of the local coven, proclaims she is the key to his power, the chosen one. Thea tries to leave, but Stael grabs her and uses chloroform to render her unconscious.

The Doctor grabs hold of the skull.

The Doctor enters the room where the skull is kept and witnesses the skull glowing brightly as it "powers up". He is compelled to touch it, and, when he does, he yells in pain as the skull glow ever brighter.

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

Leela arrives and pries the Doctor away from the skull. The Doctor tells her it's a Fendahl's, a species he believed a myth. He rouses Mrs. Tyler from her shock and asks her about the being which attacked her. She has precognition as a result of growing up near a time fissure. She later tells Jack that the figure she saw in her mind was a woman.

The ritual begins.

Meanwhile, Stael pulls a gun on Dr. Fendelman and Adam. He shackles them to pillars in the cottage's basement. The Doctor and Leela use the TARDIS to follow the time fissure and find the Fendahl's home planet. However, they discover the planet has been placed in a time loop, making it and all its records permanently invisible — and according to the Doctor, only the Time Lords could do that. Stael assembles his cult, preparing their ceremony. Fendelman realises what is happening; the Fendahl has used his ancestors and him to regain life. He pleads desperately with Stael and his followers to stop, but Stael shoots him.

When they return, the Doctor, Leela and the Tylers head back to the priory. Suddenly they find their legs cannot move. The group are all stuck as a full-grown Fendahleen bears down on them.

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

The Doctor uses Jack's gun, loaded with rock salt, to kill the Fendahleen. The group concentrate and escape its telepathic influence. Meanwhile, the cult uses Thea's body as a host for the Fendahl Core to manifest. The Fendahl Core turns the cult members into Fendahleen and paralyses Stael when he catches its gaze. The Doctor and Leela sneak into the cult's room and free Adam. The Doctor tells Leela to get Adam to safety and tries to help Stael, but there is nothing he can do. Stael begs the Doctor to bring him his gun, but the Doctor says bullets will have no effect on the Fendahl Core. Stael says the gun is not for the Fendahl Core, but for him. The Doctor brings the gun, saying he's sorry it's all he can do, and Stael thanks him. As the Doctor leaves, Stael takes his own life by shooting himself.

The building explodes.

The Doctor confers with the others. He realises the Fendahl requires thirteen Fendahleen to become an incredibly powerful gestalt entity, but with Stael and a Fendahleen dead, the creature is incomplete. While the Doctor works on the time scanner, he theorises the Fendahl may have guided human evolution. This may explain mankind's darker nature. Leela and Jack are attacked by the Fendahl's forces and kill one of the Fendahleen. The Doctor rigs the scanner to destroy the entire priory. He and Leela enter the basement and take the skull. The Fendahl Core tries to stop them, but in its weakened state, they avoid its paralytic effects. Without the skull, the core is rendered powerless and is destroyed in the explosion.

The Doctor and Leela leave in the TARDIS to find a star about to go supernova and drop the Fendahl skull into it. The Doctor calls K9 a "him", saying that he can if he wants — after all, K9 is his dog. K9 nods in agreement.

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Uncredited cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Crew[[edit] | [edit source]]

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

Individuals[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • The Doctor declares a love of fruitcake.
  • Fendelman is said to be one of the richest men in the world, having made his money in electronics.
  • Leela doesn't know what "whopper" means.

Objects[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • The Doctor discovers "sodium chloride affects conductivity... and prevents control of localised disruption of osmotic pressures". "Salt kills it," clarifies Leela.
  • The TARDIS generates a low intensity telepathic field.
  • The sonic screwdriver does not seem to be able to open the wooden door, at least initially.
  • Ten years ago, while working on a missile guidance system, Fendelman noticed what he calls a "sonic shadow".

Locations[[edit] | [edit source]]

Fendahl[[edit] | [edit source]]

Cultural references to real world[[edit] | [edit source]]

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • This story was the last to be commissioned by script editor Robert Holmes.[1]
  • Writer Chris Boucher was unable to complete rewrites to the script due to his appointment as script editor on the BBC television series Blake's 7 so incoming script editor Anthony Read took over. This fact explains why, for a Boucher script, the story is unusually full of info-dumps, whereas they tend to crop up in Read's work, such as The Horns of Nimon.[1]
  • The god-like entity of the Fendahl does not speak. Chris Boucher had been similarly resistant to writing lines for the messianic computer Xoanon in The Face of Evil on the grounds that one could not write dialogue for God.[1]
  • This story introduced a new version of Leela's famous leather outfit. It was noticeably lighter in colour than the last. The new version was created because the original was wearing out. Furthermore, it had caused Louise Jameson some problems because it was a leotard. The new version, by contrast, was actually a dress. Producer Graham Williams had also instructed the designer, Amy Roberts, to make Louise look sexier in the new outfit. The original leotard appears briefly at the end of part four (mainly to facilitate the punchline to a joke in part one) and returned in the following story, The Sun Makers, before the new version came back for Leela's final two appearances.
  • K9 appears only briefly, in the opening and closing TARDIS scenes; he is suffering from circuitry corrosion and stays in the TARDIS. Image of the Fendahl had been written before it was known K9 would be joining the series on a regular basis. John Leeson was not recruited to voice the character, who had no dialogue.
  • According to the 2009 DVD release documentary After Image, Anthony Read was brought on as script editor to help in the transition during Robert Holmes' departure from the role. Only Holmes received the on-screen credit.
  • Louise Jameson claims the reason her hair worn up in this story is because a BBC hairstylist had mistakenly cut six inches off her hair just before filming. Her final scene in the story was filmed some five weeks after this incident, by which time her hair had grown long enough to allow her to wear it down for a single scene. (DCOM: Image of the Fendahl)
  • There is no clear on-screen indication in the story as to how the Doctor got out of the store room in part two. In Terrance Dicks's novelisation of the story, the Doctor opens the door with "a hearty kick", but he does no such thing on-screen. Before his exit, the Doctor is shown using the sonic screwdriver, but it does not appear to be having any effect at that time.
  • No year is given on-screen for the story, but in a trailer broadcast after part four of the previous adventure, The Invisible Enemy, the setting was given as "1977".
  • Tom Baker was credited as "The Doctor" in Radio Times, as opposed to the usual "Dr. Who".
  • In the DVD commentary, Wanda Ventham states that her appearance in this story marked her first major acting job since giving birth to her son, future Sherlock star (and Big Finish Productions contributor) Benedict Cumberbatch.
  • Unusually, for a Dudley Simpson-scored story, part one contains less than thirty seconds of his music.
  • A potential fourth wall break is observed in part four. After Adam Colby leaves to help Mrs. Tyler with the salt as ordered by the Doctor, the Doctor turns to stare directly into the camera and, as if addressing the audience, says "Time's running out!" This is not the first instance in the programme, for example, William Hartnell as the First Doctor wishes viewers a "Happy Christmas" in the seventh episode of TV: The Daleks' Master Plan, "The Feast of Steven".
  • Anthony Bate, John Franklin-Robbins, Michael Gough, Robert Hardy and William Lucas were considered for the role of Dr. Fendahlman.
  • Leela kissing Adam Colby on the cheek was an unscripted visual ad-lib by Louise Jameson. The surprised look on Edward Arthur's face is genuine.
  • Max Stael was originally supposed to shoot himself on-camera, but this was rejected as being too dark for a series aimed at a family audience.
  • Chris Boucher took inspiration from the work of archaeologist Louis Leakey, who had been excavating human remains for many years until his death in 1972. Boucher named Colby's dog Leakey as a tribute to him, although he later realised that people would miss the reference and assume the name came because "he p***ed all over everything". Terrance Dicks's subsequent novelisation of the serial in fact gives both reasons for the name.
  • Louise Jameson regards this as one of her best stories due to it being written by Chris Boucher. It was however during the making of this serial that she decided to leave at the end of the series.
  • George Spenton-Foster took the cast out to lunch before the read-through and afterwards, Tom Baker made numerous jokes about the script, picking out all the double entendres and sending it up. This caused Chris Boucher great upset at the time, but had the knock-on effect of him combing through his scripts from thereon for any signs of double entendres.
  • Two days after filming was completed Tom Baker and Louise Jameson attended the world's first ever Doctor Who convention in London.
  • George Spenton-Foster would later cast Scott Fredericks and Graham Simpson in Chris Boucher's January 1979 Blake's 7 episode "Weapon".
  • Graham Williams had worked with George Spenton-Foster previously on Z-Cars and Sutherland's Law. He chose him to direct this serial due to his experience with night filming.
  • Chris Boucher drew upon the fetch, a creature from Irish mythology which manifested as the phantom double of a living person. The word “fetch” was incorporated into many of the place names, and presaged Thea Ransome's transformation into the sinister Fendahl Core.
  • Costume designer Amy Roberts deemed Louise Jameson's costume to be in need of replacement, having now been in use for almost a year. Initially, Graham Williams was inclined to simply have a replica constructed, but he eventually decided to proceed with a new, more form-hugging design.
  • Filming at Stargrove Manor ground to a halt when the generator which powered the lighting equipment caught fire, and a replacement had to be summoned from London in the wee hours of the morning. The noise of the arriving vehicles prompted an angry complaint from one of Stargroves' neighbours, and George Spenton-Foster responded with an apology the following week.
  • Concerns arose that the Fendahleen costumes were too phallic in appearance, and so ribbing was added to mute this impression.
  • Denis Lill and Wanda Ventham would later appear in Only Fools and Horses as Cassandra's parents.
  • In the lab scene at the end of Part Two, the Doctor offers the Fendahl skull a jelly baby but is clearly seen proferring a pink licourice allsort.

Influences[[edit] | [edit source]]

Ratings[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Part one - 6.7 million viewers
  • Part two - 7.5 million viewers
  • Part three - 7.9 million viewers
  • Part four - 9.1 million viewers

Myths[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • This story had a working title of The Island of Fandor. (It didn't. This myth originated when Gordon Blows, then editor of the Doctor Who Appreciation Society magazine TARDIS, misheard the title of the story over the phone and reported it incorrectly. The Big Finish story Island of the Fendahl was set on Fandor as a nod to this.)

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

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 the scene when Thea merges with the skull, just before she merges, the side of her nose takes on the texture of the skull for a few seconds.
  • In several scenes when the skull illuminates, there is sometimes a green speck inside the eye, which is the green screen for the CSO.
  • During her final transformation into the Fendahl Core, Wanda Ventham blinks just as the top of her face is transformed

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • In 1983, Colby was still suffering from night terrors and paralysing nightmares as a result of this experience. (PROSE: Return of the Living Dad [+]Loading...["Return of the Living Dad (novel)","Return of the Living Dad"])
  • The Eighth Doctor later prevented the Time Lords from releasing the Fendahl in around 12,000,000 BC. (PROSE: The Taking of Planet 5 [+]Loading...["The Taking of Planet 5 (novel)","The Taking of Planet 5"])
  • The Fendahl survived being dropped into the heart of a supernova by the Fourth Doctor. This action, intended to destroy it, instead caused it to grow stronger. (AUDIO: Checkmate [+]Loading...["Checkmate (audio story)","Checkmate"])
  • Leela says, "Professor Marius would not be very pleased" about the damages of K9. Marius appeared in the previous story, TV: The Invisible Enemy [+]Loading...["The Invisible Enemy (TV story)","The Invisible Enemy"].
  • The Eighth Doctor later released the Fendahl without knowing, and encountered it again in 2007. (AUDIO: Island of the Fendahl [+]Loading...["Island of the Fendahl (audio story)","Island of the Fendahl"])

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

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

Image of the Fendahl was released to DVD in the UK in April 2009 and in North America in September 2009.

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

  • DVD UK cover

    DVD UK cover

  • DVD Australian cover

    DVD Australian cover

  • DVD US cover

    DVD US cover

Video releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • VHS UK cover

    VHS UK cover

  • VHS US cover

    VHS US cover

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

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. ↑ According to the audio drama Island of the Fendahl.

Sources[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Image of The Fendahl by Alan Stevens on kaldorcity.com
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