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{{Infobox ClassicTV|
{{title dab away}}
story name= The Sun Makers|
{{real world}}
image= [[Image:Sunmakers_title.jpg|250px]] |
{{ImageLinkTV}}
series=[[Doctor Who]] - [[TV stories|TV Stories]] |
{{Infobox Story SMW
number= [[Season 15]] |
|image= GathererAndCollector.jpg  
story number= 95|
|series=[[Doctor Who television stories|''Doctor Who'' television stories]]
doctor= [[Fourth Doctor]] |
|season number= Season 15 (Doctor Who 1963)|
companions= [[Leela]] <br/> [[K-9 Mark I]]|
|season serial number = 4
enemy= <ul><li>[[The Collector]]</li><li>Gatherer [[Hade]]</li></ul> |
|story number= 95
year= [[Pluto]] |
|doctor= Fourth Doctor  
writer= [[Robert Holmes]] |
|companions= [[Leela]], [[K9 Mark I]]
director= [[Pennant Roberts]] |
|enemy= [[The Collector]]
producer= [[Graham Williams]] |
|setting= [[Megropolis One]], [[Pluto]], [[far future]]
broadcast date= [[26th November]] - [[17th December]] [[1977]] |
|writer= Robert Holmes
format= 4 25-minute Episodes |
|director= [[Pennant Roberts]]  
production code= [[List of production codes|4W]] |
|producer= [[Graham Williams]]  
previous story = [[Image of the Fendahl]] |
|epcount = 4
next story = [[Underworld]] }}
|broadcast date= 26 November - 17 December 1977
|network = BBC1
|format= 4x25-minute episodes
|serial production code= [[List of production codes|4W]]  
|prev = Image of the Fendahl (TV story)
|next = Underworld (TV story)
|made prev = Horror of Fang Rock (TV story)
|made next=Image of the Fendahl (TV story)
|novelisation = Doctor Who and the Sunmakers (novelisation)
|clip=Frazzled! - Doctor Who The Sun Makers - BBC
|clip2 = Angry Mandrel - Doctor Who The Sun Makers - BBC
|clip3=Mister evil - Doctor Who The Sun Makers - BBC
|bts = DVD Special Feature Trouble with props! - The Sun Makers - BBC
|bts2=DVD Special Feature Outtakes from the Sun Makers - BBC
|thwr = 7
|thwr10 = |thwr2=19|thwr3=90|thwr4=155|thwr5=158
}}
'''''The Sun Makers''''' was the fourth serial of [[Season 15 (Doctor Who 1963)|season 15]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]''. It took on a political note with the [[writer]] [[Robert Holmes]] outing his dislike of the [[Inland Revenue]]'s [[tax]]ation. For this reason, much of its plot involved subtle jokes in reference to this.


==Synopsis==
It was usually against [[BBC]] policy to allow [[script editor]]s to write for their own show, but Holmes had received special permission to script a limited number of serials per year. ''The Sun Makers'' was the fifth story Holmes wrote during his tenure, however this was the last story he wrote while he was script editor, as Holmes had decided to step down from the position by this point. He was succeeded by [[Anthony Read]].
The TARDIS arrives in the future on the planet Pluto where there are now six suns, a breathable atmosphere and a large industrial community. The Company controls the planet and exploits the workers, pays them a pittance and then taxes them on everything imaginable. The Doctor and Leela join forces with an underground band of rebels led by a man named Mandrel.


They learn that the head of the Company's operations on Pluto, represented by the human official Gatherer Hade, is an Usurian known as the Collector. The Usurians enslave planets through economic means and then fleece the inhabitants with exorbitant taxes. The Company keeps the citizens in line by diffusing a calming gas, PCM, through the air conditioning system.
Holmes was inspired by {{w|Adrian Berry, 4th Viscount Camrose|Adrian Berry}}'s novel, ''The Iron Sun: Crossing The Universe Through Black Holes'', that proposed the idea of man-made [[sun|stars]]. Holmes also wanted to couple the idea with [[Britain]]'s former colonial ruling. After [[Graham Williams]] decided to keep [[K9 Mark I|K9]] on as a series regular, Holmes, as script editor, was one of the first to know and was easily able to integrate the character into the story.


The Doctor manages to stop this, and the workers then rise up against the Company and hurl Gatherer Hade to his death from the roof of a tall building. The Doctor meanwhile gains access to the Company computer and programs it to apply a two per cent growth tax. The Collector, unable to cope with the loss of his profits, reverts to his natural form - a type of poisonous fungus - and is rendered harmless.
Throughout production of ''The Sun Makers'', [[Louise Jameson]] continued to be dissatisfied with the direction of her character.<ref>http://www.shannonsullivan.com/drwho/serials/4w.html</ref> At one point, [[Leela]] was to be killed off at the serial's climax. Despite this, Jameson has noted on multiple occasions that this story is her favourite. ([[DCOM]]: ''The Sun Makers'', ''[[The Face of Evil (TV story)|The Face of Evil]], and others'')


==Plot==
== Synopsis ==
===Part One===
Far in the distant future, [[Earth]] has become uninhabitable, forcing [[mankind]] to colonise first [[Mars]] and then [[Pluto]]. No longer the coldest planet in the [[solar system]], Pluto is now warmed by artificial [[sun]]s. The Doctor, Leela and K9 arrive to discover the exploitation of the Megropolis people by the ruling elite, led by [[the Collector]].
A downcast young man pace nervously through a quiet corridor. A tone rings out. A woman opens a portal and addresses Citizen Cordo. She congratulates him that his father had died and relief floods him. She tells him Gatherer Hade is waiting to collect the death taxes -- he is to report to the Gatherer's office at once.  


Cordo is brought into an opulent office and greeted by a fat pompous overdressed official -- the Gatherer. Cordo is impressed that the Gatherer's desk is made of mahogany -- he's never seen wood or a tree. The gatherer dismisses trees as a primitive way of recycling air -- something they no longer need thanks to the Company. Cordo responds instinctively with, "Praise the Company!"
Deep in the [[Undercity, Megropolis One|Undercity]], a small group of revolutionaries plot to overthrow the company and the Doctor is forced to fight the oppression of the people using [[fire]] against fire...


Cordo has selected the Golden Death for his father -- he long promised him a spectacular funeral. He's told the bill will be 117 talmars, which shocks the nervous little man. He was told it would be 80 but the taxes have been raised. He didn't know because he's been so busy working a double shift to raise the money for his father's funeral. The complex funeral bill is 31 talmars more than he has saved.  
== Plot ==
=== Part one ===
[[Cordo]], a [[D-Grade]] foundry worker from [[Megropolis One]] on [[Pluto]], is informed by a [[Nurse (The Sun Makers)|nurse]] via an oval-shaped hatch in a corridor that his father has died. The nurse tells Cordo to report to [[Gatherer]] [[Hade]]'s office to pay the money for the [[Golden Death]] his father received, then slams the hatch shut. Cordo does as instructed, but he finds the fee has been increased from 80 to 117 [[talmar]]s, which he cannot pay. Hade tells Cordo that he will have to increase his workload, despite the fact Cordo is already working twenty-one hours a day.
{{video|Don't Let Cordo Jump! - Doctor Who The Sun Makers - BBC|thumb|The Doctor and Leela stop Cordo from committing [[suicide]].}}
The Doctor is playing [[chess]] with K9. They land on Pluto, and the Doctor exits with Leela. He is amazed the planet has a breathable atmosphere and huge cities. They spot Cordo preparing to [[Suicide|jump from the roof]]. The Doctor distracts him long enough for Leela to pull him away from the edge.


The Gatherer condescendingly tells him that taxes are the primary consideration of every citizen. He relents and says he will let Cordo's supervisor assign extra work. Cordo protests that he only has three hours a night to sleep but the Gatherer responds he will have to go without sleep. He should be grateful that he is warm and fed. Cordo disheartedly praises the Company before leaving.  
In his office, Hade is informed by [[Marn]] of an illegal airspace invasion and landing. Overjoyed that this will incur heavy fines upon the perpetrator, Hade heads out with Marn to catch the criminals. On the roof, Cordo tells the Doctor and Leela about the [[tax]]es to which all citizens are subject. Hearing the warning that Hade is coming, the three escape down a ladder.


[[The Doctor]] is playing [[chess]] with the metal dog [[K-9]] in the [[TARDIS]], watched attentively by [[Leela]]. He boasts that [[chess]] shows the limitations of the machine mind. [[K-9]] promptly announces that [[the Doctor]] is in check, with mate in six moves.  
Hade finds the Doctor's TARDIS and tells Marn the tale of [[Kandor]], an [[Executive Grade]] from [[Megropolis Four]] who stole millions from the Company.


The central column stops moving as they play - the [[TARDIS]] has materialized. The Doctor checks the instruments and tells Leela they have landed on [[Pluto]]. [[K-9]] starts talking about the planet and the Doctor tells Leela to make him shut up about it. The [[TARDIS]] detects a breathable atmosphere and the scanner shows buildings. But the planet should be a lifeless ball of ice and rock. The Doctor decides to take a walk, leaving K-9 to guard the [[TARDIS]].  
Meanwhile, Cordo announces he is headed for the [[Undercity, Megropolis One|undercity]], where he has heard tax evaders and outlaws dwell. Leela and the Doctor accompany him. As they walk, Cordo tells the Doctor that the planet has six suns, who judges them to be [[in-station fusion satellite]]s. Soon they find themselves surrounded by a band of humans, and Leela pulls her [[knife]]. The Doctor warns her not to take any aggressive action.


They have landed atop a bulding. [[Leela]] notices the air is like that of [[Earth]] -- except for a strange smell. She brings [[the Doctor]] to the edge and they gaze down a frightful plunge off the edge. They are atop a massive skyscraper in an enormous city.  
On a screen, Hade and Marn watch as K9 heads out of the TARDIS, pondering as to what he is. The Doctor and Leela are taken deeper into the undercity. Cordo tells [[Mandrel (The Sun Makers)|Mandrel]] of his failure to meet Hade's demands and requests to join his group. Mandrel tells him he must earn his keep through theft from the upper levels and killing. After Leela inadvertently demonstrates her skills with a knife, Mandrel notes that both she and the Doctor may be of use to them. Hade and Marn are still watching K9 as he makes his way through the city.


As [[the Doctor]] gazes at the city, Cordo emerges onto the roof and walks to the edge of the building. He steps over a railing and builds his courage to jump. But Leela spots him and tries to stop his suicide. Cordo tells them he is ready to jump the thousand meters to his death. It's the taxes - he just can't pay them. The Doctor assures him he just needs a good accountant. He offers Cordo a jelly baby and Leela uses the distraction to knock him back over the railing. The Doctor quickly introduces himself and asks for an explanation.  
[[File:I'll fillet you.jpg|left|thumb|[[Leela]] shows off her knife skills.]]
The Doctor is instructed by Mandrel to take a [[Consumcard]] to the [[Consum Bank]] on [[subway 37]] with Cordo acting as his guide. Madrel warns him that he must return before his [[candle]] burns to a set level, or Leela will be killed.


The Gatherer is poring over the accounts when his pretty assistant Marn informs him of an airspace violation and an illegal landing on top of the building. The Gatherer is overjoyed -- both crimes bring a fine of 500 talmars! Cordo explains the complex tax system he lives under. It is literally impossible for him to pay off the debt since overtime work is taxed, sleep-replacing Q capsules are taxed and the Company charges outrageous interest on debt. Leela suggests the people rise up and slaughter their oppressors.  
Exiting the undercity, K9 meets up with the Doctor. Hade asks Marn to move the tracker onto the Doctor, taking him to be an [[Ajack]], a miner from [[Megropolis Three]] and his intended disguise. However, the tracker is keyed onto K9 and unable to follow. Hade [[deduce]]s that the Doctor must be orchestrating arms smuggling and he decides to go to the palace to warn [[the Collector]].


Sirens rings out and Cordo runs -- the Gatherer is coming. Leela and the Doctor follow. He explains that if he is found there he will be fined and sent to the punishment cells.  
At the bank, the Doctor inserts the Consumcard and the process seems to have worked. Suddenly, the cubicle he is in shuts and begins to fill with gas...


The Gatherer and Marn inspect the TARDIS. The Gatherer pretends that he recognizes it.  
=== Part two ===
Cordo moves to escape and watches as a stretcher party take the Doctor away. In the rebel hideout, Veet asks Mandrel to kill Leela swiftly, as she wants her leathers for her herself undamaged. In his office, the Collector is visited by Hade, who reports that he believes dissident Ajacks are plotting to overthrow the Company through armed rebellion. The Doctor wakes up in a straight jacket and a man, also in a straight jacket, warns him not to speak as the [[balerium gas]] affects the throat. The man, [[Bisham]], tells the Doctor that he is in the [[Induction Therapy Section]] of the [[Correction Centre]] and has been for about an hour.


Cordo calls out for the Doctor and Leela to follow him down into the city before they are caught -- death is nothing compared to the Correction Center. They board a lift and head downward into the depths.  
In the undercity hideout, the candle burns to the set level, and Mandrel orders his men to seize Leela. She outmanoeuvres the first aggressor and warns the others that the next one will die. Realising his men will not face her, Mandrel rises to the challenge himself. As they start to fight, Cordo returns and informs them of the Doctor's capture.


The Gatherer tells Marn they are on the brink of something big. Perhaps this is like the Kandor conspiracy, when a man defrauded the Company of millions. He went on to survive three years in the punishment cells.  
[[File:Battle commences.jpg|right|thumb|K9 leads the attack on the [[Correction Centre]].]]
Back in the Correction Centre, the Doctor hops around the room and begins inspecting the walls. He questions Bisham, who tells him he was arrested for becoming curious about other products outside his section. He was formerly an Executive Grade but found some pills for use by Gatherers and other Company staff. Inquisitive, he took them and felt like he was truly alive for the first time. Bisham then kept on taking them, and eventually the change was noticed and [[Megro Guard]]s arrested him in his sleep. His job was manufacturing [[PentoCyleinicMethyldrane]], or PCM.


The Doctor and Leela wonder why they ran in such a panic. Perhaps everyone runs from the taxman, Leela speculates. Cordo nods in agreement.  
Meanwhile, Hade and the Collector discuss how to deal with the supposed uprising. Hade proposes more staff should be employed to search the undercity and claims a 5% increase in [[protection tax]] would offset the cost. The Collector pledges half of his [[Inner Retinue]] guard to assist Hade. In the undercity, Leela tries to convince the rebels to free the Doctor. Mandrel warns her that the Correction Centre is under the palace itself. Only Cordo offers to come with Leela.


Marn wants to look up the records of the roof landing but the Gatherer speculates this isn't a legitimate landing -- it is a smuggling operation. Marn can't believe that someone could be so defiant. He explains that deviance was common before the Company supressed it. But there is always one rotten acorn in every barrel. They must find the conspiracy and crush it.  
A man enters the Doctor's cell and fits a helmet-like device to both him and Bisham. As the man moves to activate the devices, the controls electrocute him and explode, having been tampered with by the Doctor. Leela and Cordo find K9, and she invites the robot along with them. Marn enters the Correction Centre as workers are repairing the controls. She orders the Doctor to be released, telling him Hade wants to talk with him. As he walks out, he leaves a bag of [[Jelly baby|Jelly babies]] beside Bisham.


Cordo has decided to leave the city and join the Others -- outlaws who live in the undercity. Perhaps they will help him. His father told him how to get to the undercity. The Doctor and Leela are eager to investigate which astonishes the meek D-grade worker. It's dark in the undercity -- a prospect which fill Cordo with terror. The Doctor realizes there is no night on the planet and Cordo confirms there are six suns around Pluto - one for each Megropolis city.  
As they traverse the tunnels, Leela begins to feel fear and queries this. K9 tells her that there is a [[chemical inhibitor]] in the air, causing her to feel fear as it affects the [[nervous system]] and debilitates the will. The Doctor arrives in Hade's office, and Marn hands over the 1000 talmars to the Doctor per the value of his Consumcard. Hade tells the Doctor he is forgiven, all part of his and Marn's plot to give the Doctor — or more precisely, his supposed rebellion — a sense of security. After a chat, the Doctor departs, telling Hade that he will be exploring Megropolis One for a bit.
[[File:Sneaky.jpg|left|thumb|[[Leela]], [[Cordo]] and [[Bisham]] find the way blocked.]]
K9 blasts open the door to the Doctor's cell in the Correction Centre and Leela shoots the worker within. They free Bisham, who tells them Marn took the Doctor. They all leave together.


They plunge into the dark tunnels beneath the city. Cordo leads them but grows steadily more anxious out of fear of the dark. Just as he decides to turn back, they are surrounded by a group of dirty men. Leela draws her knife but the Doctor has her sheath it.  
As the Doctor moves into the undercity, the tracker placed by Hade can no longer track him. Unfazed, Hade tells Marn his plan to force the rebels into the open with the Inner Retinue guard and then pick them off. He calls the manoeuvre [[Morton's fork]]. A guard K9 stunned outside the Correction Centre wakes and sounds the alarm.


K-9 emerges from the TARDIS to look for the Doctor. Marn notices the tracker has switched on. It shows K-9 leaving. The Gatherer pretends to recognize the metal dog.  
The Doctor returns Mandrel his money, but this makes the group suspect and Mandrel takes him to be a spy.


Goudry brings the three captives to the Others' lair. Mandrel, their grubby leader, and Veet, a menacing young woman, are skeptical when the Doctor claims to be from another planet. The Doctor is sarcastic and they thrown him down, demanding courtesy.  
Leela, Cordo and Bisham find their way blocked by a barricade. Turning around to go another route, they see an armed guard vehicle speeding towards them. Cordo tells Leela it's no good, they've been seen...


K-9 finds the elevator and follows his Master into the depths.  
=== Part three ===
Leela instructs K9 to hide and he does so. As the guards get out of the vehicle, Leela has K9 shoot them down, and their guns are taken by Bisham and Cordo. The three get aboard the vehicle and Leela takes the wheel, but when she inadvertently puts the vehicle into reverse, Bisham tells her perhaps he'd better drive! With Bisham driving, the vehicle charges at the barricade where, believing Leela, Cordo and Bisham to be dead, the guards have already begun taking it down, and the three pass through with ease, taking the guards by surprise. However, a gunfight ensues, during which Leela is hit by a shot to the head and falls from the vehicle. Unable to help her with the guards still firing, Cordo and Bisham have no choice but to drive on.


Mandrel thinks the Doctor looks like an "ajack". Leela wants to kill the dirty outsider but the Doctor restrains her. Mandrel continues to ask questions, mocking Cordo as a D-graade worker. Leela tells him Cordo wishes to join their tribe but the young man is too frightened of the dark to speak up. Goudry wants to make the nervous worker into candles and Cordo nervously blurts out his identity. He praised the Company and Mandrel tells him to stuff the Company. Cordo begins reciting his tale of woe and Mandrel mocks him - the taxes are always more than they tell you. Cordo will have to earn his keep with them - not by working but by stealing.  
In the undercity, a hot iron is being prepared by [[Goudry]] with which to torture the Doctor so that he reveals what happened between him and Hade. Mandrel believes some form of deal was brokered between the two, and he takes the iron and readies himself to burn the Doctor. Bisham appears on the balcony above and threatens Mandrel into halting the process. The Doctor then asks them where Leela is, realising that she is not with them.


Veet enviously inspects Leela's skins and the girl pulls a knife on her. Mandrel is impressed and thinks the the time travellers could be of some us to him. The Doctor replies they are just visiting but changes his tone when the group closes in around him.  
[[File:In yellow.jpg|right|thumb|Leela is brought before [[the Collector]].]]
In the Correction Centre, Leela is lying on one of the surfaces, alive but unconscious. The Collector sits in his chair nearby and is puzzled to find that Leela has not been numbered like all the work units on Pluto. As he leaves, the Collector tells his entourage to maximise her [[medi-care]] and bring her to him as soon as she is "on her feet".


The tracker follows K-9 as he finally comes to the service subway. He can not follow the ladder to the lower levels.  
Back in the undercity, Mandrel reveals that he used to be a [[B-Grade]] working in [[Main Control]] and tells the Doctor that they could take over Main Control and cool the PCM to a point below its critical temperature, thus stopping it altering the minds of the citizens. The Doctor instructs Cordo to fetch him two of the [[oculoid electronic monitor]]s that are being used to spy on him.


Veet enscribes a complicated plastic block - a credit chit for 1000 talmars. They tell thh Doctor to cash it because he looks like an Ajack - a miner - and they don't. Cordo will take him to a cash dispenser and he will bring the money back. Mandrel marks a candle and explains if the Doctor does not return by the time it burns down, he will kill Leela.  
Leela is brought before the Collector and tells him her name and origin in the [[Sevateem]]. She goes on to tell him that she arrived on Pluto with the Doctor in his TARDIS. Leela is then taken away. In the undercity, the Doctor questions the rebels as to what the Company actually does. They don't know where the money they pay actually ends up. The Doctor tells them to spread the word to the other humans that they should fight for their freedom.


The Doctor climbs back up and notices the air is unscented in the depths. He sees K-9 and remonstrates the dog for leaving the TARDIS.  
Hade is summoned before the Collector and is told that the Doctor is not a conspirator, just a traveller who landed on Pluto by mistake. The Collector puts out a [[bounty|reward]] for information leading to the capture or death of the Doctor — specifically 5000 talmars, to be paid from Hade's own purse. Secondly, the Collector decides that Leela is to be publicly executed. Meanwhile, the Doctor uses the monitors that Cordo fetched to create a loop of himself walking the same path, thus tricking the scanner. The [[Commander (The Sun Makers)|Commander]] of the Inner Retinue visits Leela in the Correction Centre and tells her that she is to be executed. As he prepares to leave, he mentions the [[steaming]], the process used in execution and the name of which scares Leela.


Marn spots the Doctor on the tracker and also thinks him an Ajack. Hade recognized Cordo from earlier. They wonder what an Ajack would be doing in the undercity. He wants the tracker to follow the Doctor but Marn can't reprogram it. It's focused on K-9. She suggests making direct contact with the Doctor but the Gatherer demurs. THe Doctor might be smuggling weapons. The air conditioning doesn't affect the miners and he has long suspected thaqt any rebellion would start with them. He will warn the Collector - the Inner Retinue are needed to deal with this.  
In his office, Hade is informed by Marn that the Doctor has been detected. They watch the footage of him walking up and down, unaware that it is duplicated. With the risk of 5000 of his own talmars present, Hade decides that he will arrest the Doctor himself and sets out with Marn. In Main Control, a guard is watching a [[public bulletin]] that announces the bounty on the Doctor. As he looks away he finds the Doctor next to him along with Bisham, Mandrel and Cordo, who threaten the two guards present into surrendering. Mandrel shuts down the [[vapour tower]]s as Cordo asks [[Guard (The Sun Makers)|the guard]] and his friend, [[Hackett]], if they are with the revolution. They join the uprising.


Cordo brings the Doctor to a small transparent cubicle -- a cash dispenser. The Doctor climbs in, inserts the card and asks for the cash. The cubicle slams shot and begins filling with gas. The Doctor collapses to the ground.  
[[File:The victor returns.jpg|left|thumb|[[K9 Mark I|K9]] returns, having stopped the flow of [[water]].]]
Arriving at the supposed location of the Doctor, Hade is surprised to find him absent. He has Marn check the scanners, but they still show that he is walking up and down beside them. In Main Control, the Doctor views a second public bulletin announcing the execution of Leela. Mandrel is maintaining the PCM at 70 centigrade. Bisham explains the steaming, telling the Doctor that it involves putting the victim into a [[condensation chamber]], and the [[heat exchanger]], regulated by water pump, turns the water into high-pressure steam that then goes into the condensation chamber. In order to access the condensation chamber, the Doctor is told that he would have to pass through a high-pressure vent. As he would not survive, K9 opts to go instead. On the screen, Cordo watches as Leela is bundled into the chamber.
===Part Two===


As Cordo watches, guard strap the Doctor to a gurney and wheel him away.  
At the execution, the Collector is disappointed by the turnout and the news of the faulty scanners. Back in Main Control, K9 has stopped the water supply and returns through the vent. Mandrel hands the Doctor a two-way communicator as he enters the vent. They struggle to hold back the water as Leela enters the [[steamer]]...


In the Others' lair, the candle runs down. Veet hopes that Mandrel won't damage Leela's skin when he kills her. The warrior assures them that she will see "this rathole ankle-deep in blood" before she goes. Goudry says he won't be the first to attack her.  
=== Part four ===
The Doctor enters the steamer and helps Leela from the chamber. As he does so, Mandrel contacts him on his communicator, and noise is audible to the Collector and the others assembled. Aware that something has gone wrong with the process, the Collector orders an investigation. Leela and the Doctor make it back through the vent and are greeted with the news that the PCM is clearing fast. Watching the execution, the Doctor considers the advantages for the rebellion if they could take control of the [[public video system]] and decides that he should head for the palace to do just that. Two guards enter and are taken captive almost immediately. The Doctor and Leela set off for the palace, leaving K9 and the others to defend Main Control.


In the center of the city, a small grotesque bald man - the Collector - huddles over a computer. Gatherer Hade grovels to the Collector but the latter is dismissive, telling him to get to the point. The Gatherer informs him that the Ajacks are rebelling. The Collector is intrigued by this news.  
[[File:Rebellion begins.jpg|right|thumb|[[Veet]] and [[Goudry]] inspire rebellion.]]
In the execution room, the Collector is brought news that some of the workers are refusing to leave their rooms. This infuriates him as it damages "company profitability". Elsewhere, Goudry and Veet coerce some workers into attacking the guards and refusing to work. The Doctor and Leela enter the palace and disable a guard there. The Doctor stops Leela killing him and [[Hypnosis|hypnotises]] him into sleeping, only to be awoken by the phrase "wake up". Hade reports to the Collector that the situation is worsening but is refused more men as his superior needs them for his own protection.


The Doctor wakes in a straight-jacket. Another prisoner - a young man named Bisham - lies on an adjacent bench. He tells the Doctor they are in a punishment area, being sensitized for torture. The Doctor realizes he has been unconscious for over an hour - this must mean Leela has been killed.  
In the palace, the Doctor is fiddling with the Collector's computer. Leela finds a safe, and the Doctor tries to open it by listening at the door. Failing that, he opens it with [[The Doctor's sonic screwdriver|his sonic screwdriver]]. Leela runs in and hits a barrier, knocking her unconscious. The Doctor follows her, deactivating the barrier as he does so. In Main Control, Bisham and Mandrel are happy to discover that the public video system is in rebel hands. It broadcasts a message stating that all government officials are to be arrested on sight and that guards should engage in peaceful co-operation. A group of rebels spring upon Marn, but she surrenders and tells them she wishes to join the revolution.


Mandrel tells the Others to seize Leela. She throws the first attacker down and pulls her knife. The rest refuse to attack, despite Mandrel's urging. He decides to do it himself but Veet and Goundry plead for more time.  
On the roof top, Hade is enraged to find citizens lounging around. He orders them to return into the city but, led by Vanna, they attack him and throw him from the roof to his death. In the palace, the Collector returns to his computer, and the Doctor joins him. The two converse, and the Doctor asks him about the Company. He asks where the head office is, and the Collector tells him it is on [[Usurius]], to which the Doctor identifies him as an [[Usurian]]. The Collector explains that his species made a deal with the humans. They built a colony for them on [[Mars]], subjected them to extreme taxation and moved them to Pluto when the resources there ran out. He goes on to tell the Doctor that, once the resources of Pluto have depleted, the Company will move on, leaving the humans to die.


Their fighting is interrupted by the return of Cordo, who tells them what happened. The Others tells Leela the Doctor will get "maximum correction" in the punishment center. He won't survive long.  
[[File:Reverting.jpg|left|thumb|[[The Collector]] reverts to his natural form.]]
The Doctor accidentally uses the phrase "wake up" and the guard he previously hypnotised pulls a gun on him. The Collector decides it is time to activate "[[Contingency Plan A]]"; he reveals to the Doctor a switch that operates the sprinkler system. However, they used [[dianene]], a deadly poison. Leela arrives and throws a knife, wounding the guard. She then stops the Collector flicking the switch. Cordo, Mandrel and the Commander burst in, but the Collector is too distracted to care. Stressed by the collapse of his rule, he reverts to his natural form, shrinking until he is contained within the chair he could not leave. The Doctor explains that, naturally, Usurians look like [[seaweed]], and no one would take orders from seaweed.


The Doctor manages to get off of the sensitization couch. Bisham relates that he's being punished for curiosity. He manufactured PCM and took some of the pills meant for executives. When he did, he felt very different - as though he were alive for the first time. He was arrested shortly after. He explains that PCM is a chemical put into the air to eliminate infection. But the Doctor realizes that it also induces anxiety in the workers. He begins to tinker with the torture computers.  
On the roof, Leela and K9 return to the TARDIS. The Doctor tells Bisham that he has faith that the humans will be able to colonise Earth again, then enters the ship. Inside, Leela asks the Doctor why the Collector gave in so easily, and he explains that he fed a 2% growth tax into the computer that blew the economy. Unable to take it, the Collector collapsed. The Doctor takes the controls of the TARDIS, tossing the vessel to one side and flipping the chessboard which he and K9 had left at the start of the adventure. With mock sincerity, the Doctor deeply apologises and promises K9 a rematch.


The Collector wants to wipe out the Others but the Gatherer says he doesn't have enough men for such an operation. The Collector refuses to expend any additional resources but Hade points out they will gain financially from the move. This piques the Collector's interest - the Company needs to boost output this year. He agrees to loan half a division of his Inner Retinue and instructs the Gatherer to increase the PCM dosage.
== Cast ==
* [[Fourth Doctor|Doctor Who]] - [[Tom Baker]]
* [[Leela]] - [[Louise Jameson]]
* Voice of [[K9 Mark I|K9]] - [[John Leeson]]
* [[Hade]] - [[Richard Leech]]
* [[Marn]] - [[Jonina Scott]]
* [[Cordo]] - [[Roy Macready]]
* [[Mandrel (The Sun Makers)|Mandrel]] - [[William Simons]]
* [[Goudry]] - [[Michael Keating]]
* [[Veet]] - [[Adrienne Burgess]]
* [[Nurse (The Sun Makers)|Nurse]] - [[Carole Hopkin]]
* [[The Collector]] - [[Henry Woolf]]
* [[Bisham]] - [[David Rowlands]]
* [[Synge]] - [[Derek Crewe]]
* [[Commander (The Sun Makers)|Commander]] - [[Colin McCormack]]
* [[Guard (The Sun Makers)|Guard]] - [[Tom Kelly]]


Leels tries to persuade the Others to Rescue the Doctor. But they refuse - the Correction Center is under the Collector's Palace and is guarded by his armed Inner Retinue. Leela taunts Mandrel that he has nothing - not even his pride or manhood. She asks if anyone will join her and only Cordo consents. She tells the timid frightened D-grade that he is the bravest man there.
=== Uncredited cast ===
* Computer Voice - [[John Leeson]] ([[DWM 306]])
* Megro Guards - [[Kelly Varney]], [[Alan Crisp]], [[Barry Summerford]], [[Jeff Wayne]], [[Andrew Lord]], [[John Dryden]], [[Peter Roy]], [[David Wolliscroft|David Cleeve]], [[Harry Van Engel]], [[Robert Lee]], [[David Honeyball]], [[Keith Norrish]] ([[DWM 306]])
* Gate Guard - [[Cy Town]] ([[DWM 306]])
* Marn's Assistant - [[Paul Barton]] ([[DWM 306]])
* Death Attendant - [[James Muir]] ([[DWM 306]])
* Stuntman/Megro Guard in Collector's Office - [[Stuart Fell]] ([[DWM 306]])
* Stuntman/Rebel - [[Max Faulkner]] ([[DWM 306]])


Bisham tells the Doctor that PCM is fed into the Megropolis through the air conditioners. His explanations are cut off by the arrival of a guard who begins work on punishing the prisoners. They Doctor tries to speak to the thug but is ignored as helmets are fitted to the prisoners. The guard goes to the machine the Doctor sabotaged, ignoring the Time Lord's warning. An electric shock knocks the guard out.
== Crew ==
* [[Assistant Floor Manager]] - [[Linda Graeme]]
* [[Costumes]] - [[Christine Rawlins]]
* [[Designer (crew)|Designer]] - [[Tony Snoaden]]
* [[Film Cameraman]] - [[John Tiley]]
* [[Film Editor]] - [[Tariq Anwar]]
* [[Film sound|Film Sound]] - [[David Brinicombe]]
* [[Incidental Music]] - [[Dudley Simpson]]
* [[Make-Up]] - [[Janis Gould]]
* [[Producer]] - [[Graham Williams]]
* [[Production Assistant]] - [[Leon Arnold]]
* [[Production Unit Manager]] - [[John Nathan-Turner]]
* [[Script Editor]] - [[Anthony Read]]
* [[Special Sounds]] - [[Paddy Kingsland]]
* [[Studio Lighting]] - [[Derek Slee]]
* [[Studio Sound]] - [[Michael McCarthy]]
* [[Theme Arrangement]] - [[Delia Derbyshire]]
* [[Doctor Who theme|Title Music]] - [[Ron Grainer]]
* [[Visual Effects]] - [[Peter Day]]
* [[Visual Effects]] - [[Peter Logan]]


Marn informs the Gatherer that the Doctor has been detained and taken for correction. Hade worries that it is too soon -- it will scare off the conspirators. He needs to let the Doctor go to lull his suspicions. Leela emerges from the undercity and joins forces with K-9.
=== Uncredited crew ===
* [[Grams operator|Grams]] - [[Andrew Hunter]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Sun Makers'')
* [[Vision Mixer]] - [[James Gould]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Sun Makers'')
* [[Director's assistant|Director's Assistant]] - [[Gwen Foyle]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Sun Makers'')
* [[Floor assistant|Floor Assistant]] - [[Barbara Simonin]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Sun Makers'')
* [[Senior cameraman|Senior Cameraman]] - [[Peter Hider]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Sun Makers'')
* [[Technical manager|Technical Manager]] - [[Lance Wood]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Sun Makers'')
* [[Electronic effects|Electronic Effects]] - [[A. J. Mitchell]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Sun Makers'')
* Film Lighting Supervisor - [[Archie Dawson]] ([[DWM 564]])


Technicians work on the machines as [[the Doctor]] and Bisham await their punishment. Marn arrives and orders the Doctor released, telling him the Gatherer wishes to meet him. They won't let Bisham go but the Doctor leaves the prisoner a bag of sweets. Leela, Cordo and K-9 close in on the Correction Center. Leels finds that she is afraid and K-9 explains that there is a chemical in the air affecting her. Reassured, she advances on the Center.  
== Worldbuilding ==
=== Planets ===
* [[Gallifrey]] is mentioned as being a Class 3 [[planet]] with its "potential for commercial development being correspondingly low".
* K-9 refers to [[Pluto]] as "the ninth planet." It was regarded as such at the time the programme was written and broadcast; in [[2006]], Pluto lost that distinction when it was redefined as dwarf planet. The fact it is once again the ninth planet in the timeframe of this story suggests it somehow regains this status in the future (perhaps related to the physical changes made to it).


[[The Doctor]] is brought to Hade, who greets him warmly as "Citizen Doctor". He is gracious, allowing the Doctor to sit in his chair, giving him a bag of a thousand talmars and apologizing for the mix-up. He tells him that to err is computer, and [[the Doctor]] replies that to forgive is fine. [[K-9]] stuns a guard outside the Correction Center and [[Leela]] leads the way inside.  
=== Ranks ===
* [[Gatherer]], [[A-Grade]], [[B-Grade]] and [[D-Grade]] are ranks and classifications on [[Pluto]].


Marn gives the Doctor a raspberry leaf, explaining that it is a luxury on Pluto. The Gatherer explains that most people aren't even aware that they came from Earth. Hade himself isn't quite sure why they left the planet. The Doctor departs, giving the Gatherer a [[jelly baby]].  
=== Books ===
* Usurians are listed in [[Gustous R Thripsted|Professor Thripsted's]] ''[[Flora and Fauna of the Universe]]'' as "poisonous fungi".


Marn reports that the tracker is now keyed to the Doctor. They believe him totally fooled by their act.  
=== Individuals ===
* One of Hade's predecessors was called [[Morton (The Sun Makers)|Morton]].


K-9 searches the Correction Center, following the Doctor's trail. Bisham is patiently awaiting his torture when Leela breaks in and shoots the technician. She frees Bisham and asks about the Doctor. He tells her of the Doctor's release and doesn't know where he's gone. Cordo's nerve is finally breaking and they decide to leave the Center.  
=== The Doctor ===
* [[Droge]] of [[Gabrielides]] once offered a star system for the Doctor's head.


The Doctor returns to the undercity, where the tracker can't follow. Marn worries he might be organizing resistance there and the Gatherer decides to have a section of the Inner Retinue go through the heating ducts and wipe them out. But he will attack only after they have identified all the conspirators.  
=== Substances ===
* Three types of gas are mentioned: [[dianene]], [[balarium]] and [[PentoCyleinicMethyldrane]].


The guard outside the Correction Center awakes and sounds the alarm.  
=== Foods and beverages ===
* Gatherer Hade offers the Doctor [[raspberry]] leaves.
* The Doctor offers Gatherer Hade a [[humbug (sweet)|humbug]] and eats a [[liquorice allsort]].


The Others are eating revolting food when the Doctor returns. He tells them what happened and throws the thousand talmars down. Mandrell is deeply suspicious. The Doctor ask about Leela and Goudry tells him where the girl has gone. The Doctor confronts Mandrell who fires back that the Gatherer never gives anyone money -- the Doctor must be a spy.  
=== Worldbuilding ===
* The Doctor refers to [[Galileo Galilei]] in passing, saying, "Galileo would have been impressed."
* The exchange between Mandrel and the Doctor, "What have we got to lose?" "Only your claims," riffs on a common paraphrase of the final lines of {{wi|The Communist Manifesto}} by [[Karl Marx]] and {{w|Friedrich Engels}}, "What have you got to lose? Only your chains." The official English translation of the line is "The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains."


K-9 and Leela find the guard has gone. They go down a long corridor and see that the guards have blocked off the end of it. They must take an other route. But they turn to see another group of guards driving toward them.
=== Influences ===
===Part Three===


Leela makes K-9 hide as the guard approaches. The robot then shoots both the guards when they are close enough. She takes the cart and has Bisham drive through the barrier. But as she turns back, a shot hits her head, knocking her from the cart. Bisham has no choice but to continue driving as the guards close in on Leela's prone body.  
* [[Robert Holmes]] was inspired by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrian_Berry,_4th_Viscount_Camrose Adrian Berry]'s non-fiction book ''The Iron Sun: Crossing The Universe Through Black Holes'', which postulated the idea of man-made suns.
* [[Richard Leech]] saw his character, Gatherer Hade, as a version of Pooh-Bah from the [[Gilbert and Sullivan]] operetta {{wi|The Mikado}}. ([[INFO]]: ''The Sun Makers'') Hade's remark that giving the Doctor a thousand talmars "added a touch of verisimilitude" echoes Pooh-Bah's famous line describing an element he has added to a cover story as "merely corroborative detail, intended to give artistic verisimilitude to an otherwise bald and unconvincing narrative."
* On the DVD commentary, [[Pennant Roberts]] says that the positions in the chess match between the Doctor and K9 were based on the endgame of a match between [[Bobby Fischer]] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garry_Kasparov Garry Kasparov]. However, Kasparov never played Fischer.


Mandrel asks the Doctor why the Gatherer gave him the money. The Doctor replies sarcastically and is struck. Mandrell accuses him of making a deal with the Gatherer. He has Goudry hold a hot iron over the Doctor's face and gives him one last chance. The Doctor finally tells him he has no idea why the Gatherer gave him the money. Mandrell doesn't believe him and counts down to torturing him. The Doctor doesn't believe he'll do it and help him count down.  
== Story notes ==
* The story originated from recent problems [[Robert Holmes]] was experiencing with UK tax authorities, and contains many references to the British tax system. These include the [[Inner Retinue]] (cf. [[Inland Revenue]]) and "the P45 return route" (cf. the {{w|P45 (tax)|P45}} form). ([[INFO]]: ''The Sun Makers'')
* The name of the Collector's home planet, [[Usurius]], is a pun on the term "usury", which describes unusually high or unfair interest rates.
* Hade's epithets for the Collector gradually go from flattering ("Your Highest", "Your Sublimity", "Your Eminence" and so on) to insulting ("Your Corpulence" and "Your Grossness").
* This story marks the last appearance of Leela's darker outfit. For the next two serials — her last — she would continue to wear the lighter (and more revealing) one.
* The ''[[Radio Times]]'' programme listing for part one was accompanied by a black-and-white photograph of the Doctor in one of the tunnels of the Megropolis underworld, with the accompanying caption "A new adventure for ''Dr. Who'' when he lands on a distant planet: 6.5 p.m." ''(original published text)''
* Some textures of the walls are enlarged photographs of a die of an {{w|Advanced Micro Devices|AMD}} microprocessor. The logo of AMD is large and visible.
[[File:FourAndLeelaCrackSafe.jpg|thumb|right|Safe tumblers or ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy|Hitchhiker's Guide]]''?]]
* Unusually, [[Paddy Kingsland]] did the [[special sounds]] on this episode. He was also responsible for special sounds on the radio adaptation of ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]''. Hence, as [[Louise Jameson]] pointed out in the DVD commentary, there was some crossover of sounds. Most notably, the sound of the Doctor fiddling with the combination lock in part four is the same as the sound of the ''Guide'' being consulted in the original ''Hitchhiker's'' radio drama.
* At one point in scripting, the scene in which Leela is stunned when entering the large safe was to have been her death scene. However, the production team decided against killing Leela, in part because to have [[Tom Baker]]'s Doctor shown grieving midway through a story would have been inappropriate both for the story and Baker's version of the character. ([[INFO]]: ''The Sun Makers'') This suggests the story might have also been originally intended to air later in the season; Leela would return in the next two serials broadcast before leaving (alive) in ''[[The Invasion of Time (TV story)|The Invasion of Time]]''.
* The joke involving the Doctor accidentally [[Hypnotise|hypnotising]] Leela was devised on the set by [[Tom Baker]] and [[Louise Jameson]]. ([[INFO]]: ''The Sun Makers'')
* When the story was first screened by the ABC in [[Australia]] in 1979, a small edit was made to part one by the Australian Film Censorship Board (now the Australian Classification Board) to remove the "Stuff the Company!" insult delivered by Mandrel in response to Cordo's rather nervous "Praise the Company!" Strangely, a repeat transmission of the story in 1979 was in uncut form — i.e. with Mandrel's line intact — as well as subsequent screenings in 1982 and the late 1980s.
* [[Michael Keating]] makes his only on-screen appearance in ''Doctor Who'' in this serial. He would become perhaps best known for his regular role in another British sci-fi series, [[Terry Nation]]'s ''[[Blake's 7 (series)|Blake's 7]]''. In fact, it was [[Pennant Roberts]] who recommended him for the series. Also, the episode "[https://blakes7.fandom.com/wiki/Ultraworld_(episode) Ultraworld]''"'' saw Keating return to this story's filming location in Bristol.
* The initialism PCM may be a play on ''Per Calendar Month'' ([[DWM 503]])
* [[Douglas Adams]] suspected that [[Robert Holmes]] may have borrowed the idea for PCM from a script they were working on at the time, involving an aggression-reducing machine.
* The Collector was originally conceived as a large, corpulent figure, which is why Hade calls him things like "Your Immensity".
* [[Pennant Roberts]] had originally intended that the giant credit card — referred to as a consumcard — should resemble the current Barclaycard design, and so used the same coloured horizontal stripes of blue, white and orange. This was vetoed by [[Graham Williams]], who said the BBC would be giving Barclaycard free publicity, and so green bands were added to disguise the prop.
* Marn was originally a man.
* [[Pennant Roberts]] encouraged the inclusion of more female characters. He decided to make Marn a woman, and excised a male member of the Others named Rashif, giving his dialogue to Veet.
* Leela and the Doctor are identified as "terrorists." In real life, Leela's character was partially based on Palestinian revolutionary Leila Khaled.
* [[Robert Holmes]] was aware of [[Tom Baker]] and [[Louise Jameson]]'s difficult relationship, so he structured the script to keep them apart for most of the story.
* Pluto was chosen as the story's setting because the Greek prefix “pluto-” referred to wealth and riches.
* [[Graham Williams]] was reluctant to present such a barbed commentary in the context of a family programme, and was wary that the story might be accused of leftist indoctrination. He particularly disliked the reference to the Collector's race as the Userers, which simply adopted an old-fashioned term for a moneylender. A reluctant [[Robert Holmes]] briefly changed their name to the Saurians, before a compromise was reached with Usurians.
* The production time had difficulty finding a building to portray Megropolis One. After they couldn't find anywhere suitable in [[London]], production assistant [[Leon Arnold]] recommended the WD & HO Wills Tobacco Factory in Hartcliffe, Bristol.
* [[Graham Williams]] was under pressure from his superiors to control the show's budget and wasn't keen on travelling to [[Bristol]] for just a handful of scenes, and suggested that they should instead be performed in the studio, via [[CSO|chroma key]]. However, [[Pennant Roberts]] discovered that the Wills Tobacco Factory offered other locations which could replace studio sets, such as a very long tunnel, for scenes in the P45 return route, and this enabled him to justify the cost of the trip.
* Filming in [[Bristol]] was hit by mist, forcing [[Pennant Roberts]] to delay filming on the roof of the Tobacco Factory and focus on other scenes.
* An extra playing one of the Megro guards was taken ill during location filming and Ron Rogers, who was an employee of the Tobacco Factory, agreed to take his place. However, Rogers' scene was ultimately cut at the editing stage.
* [[Robert Holmes]] evisioned the Collector as an expansive figure in the mould of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Greenstreet Sydney Greenstreet]. The five-feet tall [[Henry Woolf]] was cast instead.
* Already uneasy with Leela's confinement in a straitjacket, [[Louise Jameson]] was aghast when she was left in her restraints while the rest of the team went on break.
* Visual effects designer AJ “Mitch” Mitchell was so disappointed with the rushed effect of the Collector's liquidation that he was driven to quit the BBC to work as a freelancer.


They are interrupted by the return of Bisham and Cordo, the latter holding a gun on the leader of the Others. The Doctor asks where Leela is.  
=== Ratings ===
* Part one - 8.5 million viewers
* Part two - 9.5 million viewers
* Part three - 8.9 million viewers
* Part four - 8.4 million viewers


Leela is taken to the Correction Center. The interrogators inform the Collector that she's not numbered -- all work units are numbered at birth and she shows no signs of having it removed. The Collector wants her treated and brought to him.
=== Myths ===
* The Collector was originally intended to have dark, slicked hair, but was changed to being bald due to the production team thinking this did not make him look sufficiently alien. ''(He was always intended to have the bald appearance he has in the finished episode. This myth is likely the result of publicity photos of Tom Baker and Henry Woolf being taken before Woolf's bald cap was ready to be fitted)''


The Doctor talks to the Others, trying to persuade them to rebel. The first step is to stop the PCM from entering the air system. There are eight circulators. But Mandrel - who admits to having been a B-grade controller - tells them they are all controlled from one point. The Doctor is right -- it could work. They would need to take over Main Control but it is only guarded by two men. Goudry is opposed but the Doctor asks them what they have to lose? Only their claims.
=== Filming locations ===
* WD and HO Wills Tobacco Factory (now known as Imperial Park), Hartcliffe Way, Hartcliffe, [[Bristol]]
* Camden Town Deep Tube Shelters, Stanmore Place, Camden Town, London
* [[BBC Television Centre]] (TC3 and TC6), Shepherd's Bush, [[London]]


The Doctor thinks they can easily beat the Company if they stand up for themselves. The first step is to disable the camera system, which is fixated on him. He sends Cordo to retrieve two of the cameras. Bisham tells him that he thinks Leela is alive, but a prisoner of the Collector.  
=== Production errors ===
{{discontinuity}}
* At the start of part two, the shadows of the extras playing the security guards are visible awaiting their cue to enter.
* A car park insignia is visible on the rooftop.
* In part two, the Doctor offers Hade a [[Humbug (sweet)|humbug]], but he actually takes a green [[Jelly baby]].
* A microphone enters the screen for a few seconds in upper left corner at minute 18 of part three.
* Near to the end of part three after K9 has exited the steamer, the Doctor praises K9 with his [[The Doctor's scarf|scarf]] rolled out and lengthened down his body, yet less than a second after when he is given a communicator, it is rolled up over his shoulders.


Leela is dragged into the Collector's office, bound and struggling. He asks her name and place of birth and becomes convinced she is from a distant colony. She tells him she arrived with the Doctor -- a Time lord -- and broke into the Correction Center to rescue him. The Collector, having enough information, has her taken away. He then asks the computer about Time Lords and it tells him they rule Gallifrey and have a low commercial potential.  
== Continuity ==
* When [[Mandrel (The Sun Makers)|Mandrel]] says that the Doctor had better have a good story, the Doctor begins, "Once upon a time, there were three sisters..." This is a paraphrase of a story begun by the Dormouse in ''[[Alice in Wonderland|Alice's Adventures in Wonderland]]''. The Doctor previously began this story upon being revived in the Kraal Disorientation Centre, though on that occasion he combined it with the title characters from the play ''[[Three Sisters (play)|Three Sisters]]'' by [[Anton Chekhov]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Android Invasion (TV story)|The Android Invasion]]'')


Encouraged by Cordo, the Others have agreed to help a rebellion against the Company. The Doctor asks where the Company came from and they don't know. All they know is that it makes a profit. He tells them to go through the city and encourage resistance.  
== Home video and audio releases ==
=== Video releases ===
This story was released as ''Doctor Who: The Sun Makers''.


The Gatherer visit the Collector, who wants to know why he released the Doctor. The Gatherer happily explains his conspiracy theory but the Collector dismisses it -- the Doctor is an alien who landed on Pluto by mistake. He tells the deflated Gatherer that the Doctor has a long history of violence and economic subversion.
Released:
 
* [[UK]] July 2001
He tells the Gatherer to offer a 5000 talmar reward for the Doctor -- paid of of Hade's own account. He also instructs him to send out a notice of a public execution of the girl, with a 5 talmar charge for attendance and a two hour unpaid public holiday. The computer indicates the Doctor will try to rescue her. With any luck, they will be able to roll both of them into the steamer.
* [[US]] February 2002
 
* [[Australia]] September 2001
Cordo replaces the cameras and the Doctor walks up and down between them while K-9 monitors. He then sets off for the Correction Center.
 
Leela is tied to a wall. A guard gloats that she is to be executed by steaming. When she admits she doesn't know what that is, he laugh uproariously.
 
Marn tells the Gatherer they've found the Doctor. The camera shows him walking back and forth between the two cameras. Hade grabs a gun and goes to arrest the Doctor himself to make sure no one collects the reward.
 
A pair of technicians is working in Main Control when a mugshot of the Doctor is posted along with the reward. As they watch, the Doctor appears and scoffs that the reward is an insult -- someone once offered an entire star system for his head. Bisham, Cordo and Mandrell arrive next, holding weapons. They tell the technicians to join or die. The techs agree and Mandrell shuts down the PCM system.
 
Marn and the Gatherer pop into the hallway but is is empty. Marn checks the scanners, which insist that the Doctor is walking back and forth.
 
A mugshot of Leela is broadcast along with the announcement of her execution. The Doctor asks Mandrell to cut the water supply to the steam pumps but Mandrell tells him the heat exchanger would blow and take half the city with it. The Doctor says he just needs a few minutes to crawl through the main pipe and free her. Mandrell counters that the pressure inside the pipe would kill him and can only be released from the inside. K-9 volunteers as he is sturdy and could blast the valve open. Leela is placed in the steam chamber. The Collector and Gatherer eagerly await her screams of agony.
 
The pressure drops as K-9 blasts the valve. The vent is opened and Mandrell reverse the pumps. The Doctor has two minutes to get to Leela before the exchanger explodes. The Collector is giddy with satisfaction, awaiting Leela's screams of pain. As the Doctor scrambles through the pipe, the pressure builds.
===Part Four===
Vibrations begin to sound through the city as the pressure builds in the heat exchanger. The Collector is annoyed with the noise -- he won't be able to hear Leela's cries. The Doctor finally breaks in and releases Leela. Mandrell caves in and calls to the Doctor over the microphone, telling him the chamber will blow soon. The Doctor destroys the microphone but it is too late -- the audience has heard. The Collector orders his guards to investigate.
 
Mandrell finally releases the pressure, unsure of whether the Doctor made it out or not. Sounds from the vent let them now he is alive and they let him and Leela out. The Doctor is angry that he used the radio link. Bisham tells the Doctor the PCM is already clearing from the air. The Doctor asks where the public video is run from and is told it is in the Collector's office. The Doctor proposes that if they announced a successful rebellion, the people would believe it. The Collector's Palace is usually guarded by his Inner Retinue but most of them are with him in the execution chamber.
 
A couple of guards wander in and are caught. The Doctor expect a full attack and tells them to hold out as long as they can. He leaves with Leela, telling K-9 to help the rebels.
 
The Collector is upset that he received no satisfaction from the execution -- and they gave the workers a holiday for it. They will have to make it up with unpaid overtime.
 
A guard reports there have been minor disturbances -- workers refusing to leave their dormitories. A division of the Inner Retinue will be needed to settle the matter and more taxes raised to pay for it. The Collector is convinced that the Doctor is behind this. He tells Hade to investigate Main Control.
 
The rebels in Main Control are giddy now that they are freed of the PCM. Mandrel tries to keep them focused on the rebellion.
 
A group of guards tells some lounging workers to get back to their jobs. But Goudry and Veet encourage the workers to strike. They tell the guards they can join or leave. The guards try to arrest them and are grabbed by the mob.
 
Leela knocks out the guard in the Collector's office. She wants to kill him but the Doctor stops her. She reminds him that the last one she spared raised the alarm but he hypnotizes the guard to sleep. Unfortunately, he puts Leela to sleep too. He covers the guards ears and tells her to wake up. Leela shows him the Collector's desk.
 
Hade reports that the situation is getting bad. There is laxity an weakness everywhere, which the Collector believes is the result of too much kindness. The guards are outnumbered, reports Hade, and he will need two divisions of the Inner Retinue to quell the rebellion. Marn then reports that workers are on the roof gazing at the Sun. Hade is outraged -- the sun too good for them!
 
The Collector decides to return to his Palace and implement his contingency plan. He has his Inner Retinue guard his return.
 
As the Doctor tinkers with the Collector's computer, Leela finds a safe. The Doctor uses the sonic screwdriver to break into the vault but hesitates going through the door. Leela rushes in and is knocked out by a bolt of electricity. The Doctor deactivates it and makes sure she's all right.
 
The PCM levels continue to drop. An announcement on the PA claims that the Megropolis is under the control of the revolution. Guards are ordered to lay down their arms and join the citizens. Marn is corned by a group of citizens and elects to join.
 
Cordo comes into the Main Control and fires his gun into the roof in celebration. Bisham reminds him that they haven't really won -- it's just the Doctor trying to encourage people. They decide to take the fight into the streets, leaving K-9 to defend Main Control.
 
The Gatherer reaches the roof and demands that the workers leave. Veet spurs them on and they grab Hade and toss him over the railing to his death. They boast they'll do the same to the Collector when they find him.
 
The Collector returns as the Doctor investigates the safe. The little man is hardly surprised to see the Doctor there. The Doctor sits next to him and explains that he's not going to kill him, just shut him down. The Collector craftily offers him the Company prospectus, hoping to pique the Time Lord's interest.
 
The Collector hits the alarm but the the button just pops out humorously -- the Doctor disabled it so they wouldn't be disturbed. The Collector asks for terms and the Doctor asks about the Company. The Collector happily explains that Company is based out of Usarious. The Doctor recognizes the planet and remembers that it is inhabited by poisonous fungi.
 
The Collector tells him that the Company was looking for property and Earth was running out of resources. So they made a deal. They moved all the people to Mars, terraformed the planet and then taxed the life out of them. Pluto was the next step. But once Pluto runs out of resources, they will simply let humanity die out. They aren't that profitable anyway. The Doctor, outraged, calls him a blood-sucking leech. The Collector retorts that economics are far more profitable than war.


They hear shots approaching but the Collector is certain the revolution will be quelled. The Doctor tells him to wake up, accidently reviving the guard. The Collector tells him that if they can't quell the rebellion, all the people will die. As the guard holds his gun on the Doctor, the Collector explains that his contingency plan will release a deadly poison in the Megropolis killing everyone within 10 seconds -- except for the Collector, of course, who doesn't breath.
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true">
 
File:The Sun Makers VHS UK cover.jpg|VHS UK cover
The guard, hearing this, hesitates and Leela, having revived, knocks him out with her knife. The Collector reaches for the death switch but Leela slams the door on his hand. The Collector begins to sputter and stammer. He turns green as the computer reports the planet is no longer profitable. Cordo arrives with the mob and tells the Collector, in the name of the works units -- people, reminds Leela -- to surrender.
File:The Sun Makers VHS US cover.jpg|VHS US cover
 
The Sun Makersvhs.jpg|VHS AUS cover
But the Collector, facing a negative profit spiral, shrinks down, turns green and reverts to a small fungus that trickles through a hole in the chair. The Doctor explains that this is the Collector's natural state and the image was needed because no one would take orders from a lump of seaweed. He corks the hole, trapping the Collector in his chair. The Doctor, back on the roof, bids farewell to the rebels. He promises to visit once they've resettled Earth -- which should be replenished by now.
</gallery>
 
Back in the TARDIS, he promises to continue his chess game with K-9, who reminds him it is mate in six. The Doctor explains that he put a negative tax into the Collector's computer that caused him to project negative profits. This upset the little creature so much that he lost control. The Doctor takes off and the TARDIS lurches violently, throwing the chess game to the floor. The Doctor apologizes to the irritated robot.
 
 
==Cast==
*[[Fourth Doctor|The Doctor]] - [[Tom Baker]]
*[[Leela]] - [[Louise Jameson]]
*Voice of [[K-9 Mark I|K-9]] - [[John Leeson]]
*[[Bisham]] - [[David Rowlands]]
*[[The Collector]] - [[Henry Woolf]]
*[[Commander (The Sun Makers)| Commander]] - [[Colin McCormack]]
*[[Cordo]] - [[Roy Macready]]
*[[Goudry]] - [[Michael Keating]]
*[[Guard (The Sun Makers)| Guard]] - [[Tom Kelly]]
*[[Hade]] - [[Richard Leech]]
*[[Mandrel (The Sun Makers)|Mandrel]] - [[William Simons]]
*[[Marn]] - [[Jonina Scott]]
*[[Nurse (The Sun Makers)| Nurse]] - [[Carole Hopkin]]
*[[Synge]] - [[Derek Crewe]]
*[[Veet]] - [[Adrienne Burgess]]
 
==Crew==
*[[Assistant Floor Manager]] - [[Linda Graeme]]
*[[Costumes]] - [[Christine Rawlins]]
*[[Designer]] - [[Tony Snoaden]]
*[[Film Cameraman]] - [[John Tiley]]
*[[Film Editor]] - [[Tariq Anwar]]
*[[Incidental Music]] - [[Dudley Simpson]]
*[[Make-Up]] - [[Janis Gould]]
*[[Producer]] - [[Graham Williams]]
*[[Production Assistant]] - [[Leon Arnold]]
*[[Production Unit Manager]] - [[John Nathan-Turner]]
*[[Script Editor]] - [[Anthony Read]]
*[[Special Sounds]] - [[Paddy Kingsland]]
*[[Studio Lighting]] - [[Derek Slee]]
*[[Studio Sound]] - [[Michael McCarthy]]
*[[Theme Arrangement]] - [[Delia Derbyshire]]
*[[Title Music]] - [[Ron Grainer]]
*[[Visual Effects]] - [[Peter Day]]
*[[Visual Effects]] - [[Peter Logan]]
 
==References==
*[[Droge of Gabrielides]] once offered a star system for the Doctor's head.
*The [[Usurian]]s have a file on [[Gallifrey]].
*Usarians are listed in [[Gustous R Thripsted|Professor Thripsted's]] ''[[Flora and Fauna of the Universe]]'' as "parasitic fungi".
*Three types of gas are mentioned: [[Dianane]], a deadly poison (to which Usurians are immune), [[Balarium]], a muscle neutraliser, which also effects speech, and Pentocyleinicmethylhydrane (PCM), an anxiety inducing agent.
 
==Story Notes==
*Michael Keating (here playing Goudry) would later be cast as Vila in [[Blake's 7]] based partially on this performance.
*Most of the corridors were named after UK tax forms, as the story was intended as a satire of contemporary British taxes.
*This story marks the last appearance of Leela's darker outfit. For the next two serials - her last - she would continue to wear the lighter (and more revealing) one.
 
===Ratings===
*Part 1 - 8.5 million viewers
*Part 2 - 9.5 million viewers
*Part 3 - 8.9 million viewers
*Part 4 - 8.4 million viewers
 
===Myths===
''to be added''
 
===Filming Locations===
*WD and HO Wills Tobacco Factory (now known as Imperial Park), Hartcliffe Way, Hartcliffe, Bristol
*Camden Town Deep Tube Shelters, Stanmore Place, Camden Town, London
*[[BBC Television Centre]] (TC3 and TC6), Shepherd's Bush, [[London]]
 
===Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors===
*When the Gatherer is to be thrown off the roof by an angry mob it's quite obvious that it is a dummy.
*A car park insignia is visible on the roof top.
*How will the liberated humans prevent the artificial suns from burning-out now that the Usurian controlling them has been dispatched? ''The Doctor could have shown them how before leaving.  It's also possible the Usurian was lying, to make the people believe they needed him.''
 
==Continuity==
*Professor Thripsted's works also appear in [[DW]]: ''[[Destiny of the Daleks]]'' and [[EDA]]: ''[[Alien Bodies]]''.
*The Collector ends his first conversation with the Gatherer with 'this interview is terminated'. [[Max Capricorn]], a character not unlike the Collector ends a conversation with the Doctor with the same phrase in [[Voyage of the Damned]].
 
==Video Releases==
 
Released as ''Doctor Who: The Sun Makers''.
 
Released:


*[[UK]] [[July]] [[2001]]
=== DVD releases ===
*[[US]] [[February]] [[2002]]
Originally planned for release in a boxset with ''[[The Ambassadors of Death (TV story)|The Ambassadors of Death]]'', ''The Sun Makers'' was released on DVD on its own in Region 2 on [[1 August (releases)|1 August]] [[2011 (releases)|2011]], followed by a Region 1 release on [[9 August (releases)|9 August]]. The DVD's special features were:
*[[Australia]] [[September]] [[2001]]
* Commentary by actors [[Tom Baker]] ([[Fourth Doctor|the Doctor]]), [[Louise Jameson]] ([[Leela]]) and [[Michael Keating]] ([[Goudry]]), and director [[Pennant Roberts]]
* ''[[Running from the Tax Man (documentary)|Running from the Tax Man]]'' - A retrospective look at the making of the story and the science behind it. With Louise Jameson, Michael Keating, Pennant Roberts, writer and historian [[Dominic Sandbrook]] and astronomer [[Marek Kukula]]
* Outtakes
* ''[[The Doctor's Composer (documentary)|The Doctor's Composer - Part Two]]'' - The concluding part of our look at the career of prolific composer [[Dudley Simpson]], covering his work on the show in the 1970s
* BBC Trailer
* Production Information Subtitles
* Photo Gallery - Includes unreleased incidental music by Dudley Simpson and Special Sound by [[Paddy Kingsland]]
* Coming Soon Trailer - ''[[Day of the Daleks (TV story)|Day of the Daleks]]
* ''[[Radio Times]]'' Listings (DVD-ROM - PC/Mac)


==Novelisation==
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true" widths="186">
[[Image:Sunmakers novel.jpg|right|75px]]
Dvd-sunmakers.jpg|Region 2 cover
: ''Main article: [[Doctor Who and the Sunmakers]]''
The sun makers.jpg|Region 1 cover
TheSunMakersR4.png|Region 4 cover
</gallery>


Novelised as ''[[Doctor Who and the Sunmakers]]'' by [[Terrance Dicks]] in [[1982]].
=== Digital releases ===
* The story is available for streaming in Canada and the US through BritBox or Amazon Instant Video in the UK.


==See also==
== External links ==
*[[Fourth Doctor]]
* {{bbcepguideclassic|sunmakers/|The Sun Makers}}
* {{radiotimes|2010-11-06/the-sun-makers}}
{{dwcast}}
{{dwrefguide|who_4w.htm|The Sun Makers}}
* {{briefhistory|serials/4w.html|The Sun Makers}}
* {{locguide|sunmakers|The Sun Makers}}
* [http://www.timelash.com/tardis/display.asp?882 The Tardis Library: Video release information for The Sun Makers]


==External Links==
== Footnotes ==
*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/sunmakers/ BBC Episode Guide to '''The Sun Makers''']
{{reflist}}
*[http://www.shannonsullivan.com/drwho/serials/4w.html A Brief History of Time (Travel): Guide to '''The Sun Makers''']
{{DWTV}}
*[http://www.doctorwholocations.net/stories/sunmakers The Locations Guide to Doctor Who - '''The Sun Makers''']
{{TitleSort}}
*[http://www.timelash.com/tardis/display.asp?882 The Tardis Library: Video release information for The Sun Makers]
[[es:The Sun Makers]]
[[ru:Создатели солнц]]


{{season 15}}
[[Category:Doctor Who (1963) television stories]]
[[Category:Fourth Doctor episodes|Sun Makers, The]]
[[Category:1977 television stories]]
[[Category:Stories set in the Sol System|Sun Makers, The]]
[[Category:Stories set in the far future]]
[[Category:1977 television stories|Sun Makers, The]]
[[Category:K9 television stories]]
[[Category:Season 15 stories]]
[[Category:Stories set on Pluto]]
[[Category:Four part serials]]

Latest revision as of 20:07, 3 November 2024

RealWorld.png

The Sun Makers was the fourth serial of season 15 of Doctor Who. It took on a political note with the writer Robert Holmes outing his dislike of the Inland Revenue's taxation. For this reason, much of its plot involved subtle jokes in reference to this.

It was usually against BBC policy to allow script editors to write for their own show, but Holmes had received special permission to script a limited number of serials per year. The Sun Makers was the fifth story Holmes wrote during his tenure, however this was the last story he wrote while he was script editor, as Holmes had decided to step down from the position by this point. He was succeeded by Anthony Read.

Holmes was inspired by Adrian Berry's novel, The Iron Sun: Crossing The Universe Through Black Holes, that proposed the idea of man-made stars. Holmes also wanted to couple the idea with Britain's former colonial ruling. After Graham Williams decided to keep K9 on as a series regular, Holmes, as script editor, was one of the first to know and was easily able to integrate the character into the story.

Throughout production of The Sun Makers, Louise Jameson continued to be dissatisfied with the direction of her character.[1] At one point, Leela was to be killed off at the serial's climax. Despite this, Jameson has noted on multiple occasions that this story is her favourite. (DCOM: The Sun Makers, The Face of Evil, and others)

Synopsis[[edit] | [edit source]]

Far in the distant future, Earth has become uninhabitable, forcing mankind to colonise first Mars and then Pluto. No longer the coldest planet in the solar system, Pluto is now warmed by artificial suns. The Doctor, Leela and K9 arrive to discover the exploitation of the Megropolis people by the ruling elite, led by the Collector.

Deep in the Undercity, a small group of revolutionaries plot to overthrow the company and the Doctor is forced to fight the oppression of the people using fire against fire...

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

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

Cordo, a D-Grade foundry worker from Megropolis One on Pluto, is informed by a nurse via an oval-shaped hatch in a corridor that his father has died. The nurse tells Cordo to report to Gatherer Hade's office to pay the money for the Golden Death his father received, then slams the hatch shut. Cordo does as instructed, but he finds the fee has been increased from 80 to 117 talmars, which he cannot pay. Hade tells Cordo that he will have to increase his workload, despite the fact Cordo is already working twenty-one hours a day.

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The Doctor and Leela stop Cordo from committing suicide.

The Doctor is playing chess with K9. They land on Pluto, and the Doctor exits with Leela. He is amazed the planet has a breathable atmosphere and huge cities. They spot Cordo preparing to jump from the roof. The Doctor distracts him long enough for Leela to pull him away from the edge.

In his office, Hade is informed by Marn of an illegal airspace invasion and landing. Overjoyed that this will incur heavy fines upon the perpetrator, Hade heads out with Marn to catch the criminals. On the roof, Cordo tells the Doctor and Leela about the taxes to which all citizens are subject. Hearing the warning that Hade is coming, the three escape down a ladder.

Hade finds the Doctor's TARDIS and tells Marn the tale of Kandor, an Executive Grade from Megropolis Four who stole millions from the Company.

Meanwhile, Cordo announces he is headed for the undercity, where he has heard tax evaders and outlaws dwell. Leela and the Doctor accompany him. As they walk, Cordo tells the Doctor that the planet has six suns, who judges them to be in-station fusion satellites. Soon they find themselves surrounded by a band of humans, and Leela pulls her knife. The Doctor warns her not to take any aggressive action.

On a screen, Hade and Marn watch as K9 heads out of the TARDIS, pondering as to what he is. The Doctor and Leela are taken deeper into the undercity. Cordo tells Mandrel of his failure to meet Hade's demands and requests to join his group. Mandrel tells him he must earn his keep through theft from the upper levels and killing. After Leela inadvertently demonstrates her skills with a knife, Mandrel notes that both she and the Doctor may be of use to them. Hade and Marn are still watching K9 as he makes his way through the city.

Leela shows off her knife skills.

The Doctor is instructed by Mandrel to take a Consumcard to the Consum Bank on subway 37 with Cordo acting as his guide. Madrel warns him that he must return before his candle burns to a set level, or Leela will be killed.

Exiting the undercity, K9 meets up with the Doctor. Hade asks Marn to move the tracker onto the Doctor, taking him to be an Ajack, a miner from Megropolis Three and his intended disguise. However, the tracker is keyed onto K9 and unable to follow. Hade deduces that the Doctor must be orchestrating arms smuggling and he decides to go to the palace to warn the Collector.

At the bank, the Doctor inserts the Consumcard and the process seems to have worked. Suddenly, the cubicle he is in shuts and begins to fill with gas...

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

Cordo moves to escape and watches as a stretcher party take the Doctor away. In the rebel hideout, Veet asks Mandrel to kill Leela swiftly, as she wants her leathers for her herself undamaged. In his office, the Collector is visited by Hade, who reports that he believes dissident Ajacks are plotting to overthrow the Company through armed rebellion. The Doctor wakes up in a straight jacket and a man, also in a straight jacket, warns him not to speak as the balerium gas affects the throat. The man, Bisham, tells the Doctor that he is in the Induction Therapy Section of the Correction Centre and has been for about an hour.

In the undercity hideout, the candle burns to the set level, and Mandrel orders his men to seize Leela. She outmanoeuvres the first aggressor and warns the others that the next one will die. Realising his men will not face her, Mandrel rises to the challenge himself. As they start to fight, Cordo returns and informs them of the Doctor's capture.

K9 leads the attack on the Correction Centre.

Back in the Correction Centre, the Doctor hops around the room and begins inspecting the walls. He questions Bisham, who tells him he was arrested for becoming curious about other products outside his section. He was formerly an Executive Grade but found some pills for use by Gatherers and other Company staff. Inquisitive, he took them and felt like he was truly alive for the first time. Bisham then kept on taking them, and eventually the change was noticed and Megro Guards arrested him in his sleep. His job was manufacturing PentoCyleinicMethyldrane, or PCM.

Meanwhile, Hade and the Collector discuss how to deal with the supposed uprising. Hade proposes more staff should be employed to search the undercity and claims a 5% increase in protection tax would offset the cost. The Collector pledges half of his Inner Retinue guard to assist Hade. In the undercity, Leela tries to convince the rebels to free the Doctor. Mandrel warns her that the Correction Centre is under the palace itself. Only Cordo offers to come with Leela.

A man enters the Doctor's cell and fits a helmet-like device to both him and Bisham. As the man moves to activate the devices, the controls electrocute him and explode, having been tampered with by the Doctor. Leela and Cordo find K9, and she invites the robot along with them. Marn enters the Correction Centre as workers are repairing the controls. She orders the Doctor to be released, telling him Hade wants to talk with him. As he walks out, he leaves a bag of Jelly babies beside Bisham.

As they traverse the tunnels, Leela begins to feel fear and queries this. K9 tells her that there is a chemical inhibitor in the air, causing her to feel fear as it affects the nervous system and debilitates the will. The Doctor arrives in Hade's office, and Marn hands over the 1000 talmars to the Doctor per the value of his Consumcard. Hade tells the Doctor he is forgiven, all part of his and Marn's plot to give the Doctor — or more precisely, his supposed rebellion — a sense of security. After a chat, the Doctor departs, telling Hade that he will be exploring Megropolis One for a bit.

Leela, Cordo and Bisham find the way blocked.

K9 blasts open the door to the Doctor's cell in the Correction Centre and Leela shoots the worker within. They free Bisham, who tells them Marn took the Doctor. They all leave together.

As the Doctor moves into the undercity, the tracker placed by Hade can no longer track him. Unfazed, Hade tells Marn his plan to force the rebels into the open with the Inner Retinue guard and then pick them off. He calls the manoeuvre Morton's fork. A guard K9 stunned outside the Correction Centre wakes and sounds the alarm.

The Doctor returns Mandrel his money, but this makes the group suspect and Mandrel takes him to be a spy.

Leela, Cordo and Bisham find their way blocked by a barricade. Turning around to go another route, they see an armed guard vehicle speeding towards them. Cordo tells Leela it's no good, they've been seen...

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

Leela instructs K9 to hide and he does so. As the guards get out of the vehicle, Leela has K9 shoot them down, and their guns are taken by Bisham and Cordo. The three get aboard the vehicle and Leela takes the wheel, but when she inadvertently puts the vehicle into reverse, Bisham tells her perhaps he'd better drive! With Bisham driving, the vehicle charges at the barricade where, believing Leela, Cordo and Bisham to be dead, the guards have already begun taking it down, and the three pass through with ease, taking the guards by surprise. However, a gunfight ensues, during which Leela is hit by a shot to the head and falls from the vehicle. Unable to help her with the guards still firing, Cordo and Bisham have no choice but to drive on.

In the undercity, a hot iron is being prepared by Goudry with which to torture the Doctor so that he reveals what happened between him and Hade. Mandrel believes some form of deal was brokered between the two, and he takes the iron and readies himself to burn the Doctor. Bisham appears on the balcony above and threatens Mandrel into halting the process. The Doctor then asks them where Leela is, realising that she is not with them.

Leela is brought before the Collector.

In the Correction Centre, Leela is lying on one of the surfaces, alive but unconscious. The Collector sits in his chair nearby and is puzzled to find that Leela has not been numbered like all the work units on Pluto. As he leaves, the Collector tells his entourage to maximise her medi-care and bring her to him as soon as she is "on her feet".

Back in the undercity, Mandrel reveals that he used to be a B-Grade working in Main Control and tells the Doctor that they could take over Main Control and cool the PCM to a point below its critical temperature, thus stopping it altering the minds of the citizens. The Doctor instructs Cordo to fetch him two of the oculoid electronic monitors that are being used to spy on him.

Leela is brought before the Collector and tells him her name and origin in the Sevateem. She goes on to tell him that she arrived on Pluto with the Doctor in his TARDIS. Leela is then taken away. In the undercity, the Doctor questions the rebels as to what the Company actually does. They don't know where the money they pay actually ends up. The Doctor tells them to spread the word to the other humans that they should fight for their freedom.

Hade is summoned before the Collector and is told that the Doctor is not a conspirator, just a traveller who landed on Pluto by mistake. The Collector puts out a reward for information leading to the capture or death of the Doctor — specifically 5000 talmars, to be paid from Hade's own purse. Secondly, the Collector decides that Leela is to be publicly executed. Meanwhile, the Doctor uses the monitors that Cordo fetched to create a loop of himself walking the same path, thus tricking the scanner. The Commander of the Inner Retinue visits Leela in the Correction Centre and tells her that she is to be executed. As he prepares to leave, he mentions the steaming, the process used in execution and the name of which scares Leela.

In his office, Hade is informed by Marn that the Doctor has been detected. They watch the footage of him walking up and down, unaware that it is duplicated. With the risk of 5000 of his own talmars present, Hade decides that he will arrest the Doctor himself and sets out with Marn. In Main Control, a guard is watching a public bulletin that announces the bounty on the Doctor. As he looks away he finds the Doctor next to him along with Bisham, Mandrel and Cordo, who threaten the two guards present into surrendering. Mandrel shuts down the vapour towers as Cordo asks the guard and his friend, Hackett, if they are with the revolution. They join the uprising.

K9 returns, having stopped the flow of water.

Arriving at the supposed location of the Doctor, Hade is surprised to find him absent. He has Marn check the scanners, but they still show that he is walking up and down beside them. In Main Control, the Doctor views a second public bulletin announcing the execution of Leela. Mandrel is maintaining the PCM at 70 centigrade. Bisham explains the steaming, telling the Doctor that it involves putting the victim into a condensation chamber, and the heat exchanger, regulated by water pump, turns the water into high-pressure steam that then goes into the condensation chamber. In order to access the condensation chamber, the Doctor is told that he would have to pass through a high-pressure vent. As he would not survive, K9 opts to go instead. On the screen, Cordo watches as Leela is bundled into the chamber.

At the execution, the Collector is disappointed by the turnout and the news of the faulty scanners. Back in Main Control, K9 has stopped the water supply and returns through the vent. Mandrel hands the Doctor a two-way communicator as he enters the vent. They struggle to hold back the water as Leela enters the steamer...

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

The Doctor enters the steamer and helps Leela from the chamber. As he does so, Mandrel contacts him on his communicator, and noise is audible to the Collector and the others assembled. Aware that something has gone wrong with the process, the Collector orders an investigation. Leela and the Doctor make it back through the vent and are greeted with the news that the PCM is clearing fast. Watching the execution, the Doctor considers the advantages for the rebellion if they could take control of the public video system and decides that he should head for the palace to do just that. Two guards enter and are taken captive almost immediately. The Doctor and Leela set off for the palace, leaving K9 and the others to defend Main Control.

Veet and Goudry inspire rebellion.

In the execution room, the Collector is brought news that some of the workers are refusing to leave their rooms. This infuriates him as it damages "company profitability". Elsewhere, Goudry and Veet coerce some workers into attacking the guards and refusing to work. The Doctor and Leela enter the palace and disable a guard there. The Doctor stops Leela killing him and hypnotises him into sleeping, only to be awoken by the phrase "wake up". Hade reports to the Collector that the situation is worsening but is refused more men as his superior needs them for his own protection.

In the palace, the Doctor is fiddling with the Collector's computer. Leela finds a safe, and the Doctor tries to open it by listening at the door. Failing that, he opens it with his sonic screwdriver. Leela runs in and hits a barrier, knocking her unconscious. The Doctor follows her, deactivating the barrier as he does so. In Main Control, Bisham and Mandrel are happy to discover that the public video system is in rebel hands. It broadcasts a message stating that all government officials are to be arrested on sight and that guards should engage in peaceful co-operation. A group of rebels spring upon Marn, but she surrenders and tells them she wishes to join the revolution.

On the roof top, Hade is enraged to find citizens lounging around. He orders them to return into the city but, led by Vanna, they attack him and throw him from the roof to his death. In the palace, the Collector returns to his computer, and the Doctor joins him. The two converse, and the Doctor asks him about the Company. He asks where the head office is, and the Collector tells him it is on Usurius, to which the Doctor identifies him as an Usurian. The Collector explains that his species made a deal with the humans. They built a colony for them on Mars, subjected them to extreme taxation and moved them to Pluto when the resources there ran out. He goes on to tell the Doctor that, once the resources of Pluto have depleted, the Company will move on, leaving the humans to die.

The Collector reverts to his natural form.

The Doctor accidentally uses the phrase "wake up" and the guard he previously hypnotised pulls a gun on him. The Collector decides it is time to activate "Contingency Plan A"; he reveals to the Doctor a switch that operates the sprinkler system. However, they used dianene, a deadly poison. Leela arrives and throws a knife, wounding the guard. She then stops the Collector flicking the switch. Cordo, Mandrel and the Commander burst in, but the Collector is too distracted to care. Stressed by the collapse of his rule, he reverts to his natural form, shrinking until he is contained within the chair he could not leave. The Doctor explains that, naturally, Usurians look like seaweed, and no one would take orders from seaweed.

On the roof, Leela and K9 return to the TARDIS. The Doctor tells Bisham that he has faith that the humans will be able to colonise Earth again, then enters the ship. Inside, Leela asks the Doctor why the Collector gave in so easily, and he explains that he fed a 2% growth tax into the computer that blew the economy. Unable to take it, the Collector collapsed. The Doctor takes the controls of the TARDIS, tossing the vessel to one side and flipping the chessboard which he and K9 had left at the start of the adventure. With mock sincerity, the Doctor deeply apologises and promises K9 a rematch.

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

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

Crew[[edit] | [edit source]]

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

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

Planets[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Gallifrey is mentioned as being a Class 3 planet with its "potential for commercial development being correspondingly low".
  • K-9 refers to Pluto as "the ninth planet." It was regarded as such at the time the programme was written and broadcast; in 2006, Pluto lost that distinction when it was redefined as dwarf planet. The fact it is once again the ninth planet in the timeframe of this story suggests it somehow regains this status in the future (perhaps related to the physical changes made to it).

Ranks[[edit] | [edit source]]

Books[[edit] | [edit source]]

Individuals[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • One of Hade's predecessors was called Morton.

The Doctor[[edit] | [edit source]]

Substances[[edit] | [edit source]]

Foods and beverages[[edit] | [edit source]]

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • The Doctor refers to Galileo Galilei in passing, saying, "Galileo would have been impressed."
  • The exchange between Mandrel and the Doctor, "What have we got to lose?" "Only your claims," riffs on a common paraphrase of the final lines of The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, "What have you got to lose? Only your chains." The official English translation of the line is "The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains."

Influences[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Robert Holmes was inspired by Adrian Berry's non-fiction book The Iron Sun: Crossing The Universe Through Black Holes, which postulated the idea of man-made suns.
  • Richard Leech saw his character, Gatherer Hade, as a version of Pooh-Bah from the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta The Mikado. (INFO: The Sun Makers) Hade's remark that giving the Doctor a thousand talmars "added a touch of verisimilitude" echoes Pooh-Bah's famous line describing an element he has added to a cover story as "merely corroborative detail, intended to give artistic verisimilitude to an otherwise bald and unconvincing narrative."
  • On the DVD commentary, Pennant Roberts says that the positions in the chess match between the Doctor and K9 were based on the endgame of a match between Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov. However, Kasparov never played Fischer.

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

  • The story originated from recent problems Robert Holmes was experiencing with UK tax authorities, and contains many references to the British tax system. These include the Inner Retinue (cf. Inland Revenue) and "the P45 return route" (cf. the P45 form). (INFO: The Sun Makers)
  • The name of the Collector's home planet, Usurius, is a pun on the term "usury", which describes unusually high or unfair interest rates.
  • Hade's epithets for the Collector gradually go from flattering ("Your Highest", "Your Sublimity", "Your Eminence" and so on) to insulting ("Your Corpulence" and "Your Grossness").
  • This story marks the last appearance of Leela's darker outfit. For the next two serials — her last — she would continue to wear the lighter (and more revealing) one.
  • The Radio Times programme listing for part one was accompanied by a black-and-white photograph of the Doctor in one of the tunnels of the Megropolis underworld, with the accompanying caption "A new adventure for Dr. Who when he lands on a distant planet: 6.5 p.m." (original published text)
  • Some textures of the walls are enlarged photographs of a die of an AMD microprocessor. The logo of AMD is large and visible.
Safe tumblers or Hitchhiker's Guide?
  • Unusually, Paddy Kingsland did the special sounds on this episode. He was also responsible for special sounds on the radio adaptation of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Hence, as Louise Jameson pointed out in the DVD commentary, there was some crossover of sounds. Most notably, the sound of the Doctor fiddling with the combination lock in part four is the same as the sound of the Guide being consulted in the original Hitchhiker's radio drama.
  • At one point in scripting, the scene in which Leela is stunned when entering the large safe was to have been her death scene. However, the production team decided against killing Leela, in part because to have Tom Baker's Doctor shown grieving midway through a story would have been inappropriate both for the story and Baker's version of the character. (INFO: The Sun Makers) This suggests the story might have also been originally intended to air later in the season; Leela would return in the next two serials broadcast before leaving (alive) in The Invasion of Time.
  • The joke involving the Doctor accidentally hypnotising Leela was devised on the set by Tom Baker and Louise Jameson. (INFO: The Sun Makers)
  • When the story was first screened by the ABC in Australia in 1979, a small edit was made to part one by the Australian Film Censorship Board (now the Australian Classification Board) to remove the "Stuff the Company!" insult delivered by Mandrel in response to Cordo's rather nervous "Praise the Company!" Strangely, a repeat transmission of the story in 1979 was in uncut form — i.e. with Mandrel's line intact — as well as subsequent screenings in 1982 and the late 1980s.
  • Michael Keating makes his only on-screen appearance in Doctor Who in this serial. He would become perhaps best known for his regular role in another British sci-fi series, Terry Nation's Blake's 7. In fact, it was Pennant Roberts who recommended him for the series. Also, the episode "Ultraworld" saw Keating return to this story's filming location in Bristol.
  • The initialism PCM may be a play on Per Calendar Month (DWM 503)
  • Douglas Adams suspected that Robert Holmes may have borrowed the idea for PCM from a script they were working on at the time, involving an aggression-reducing machine.
  • The Collector was originally conceived as a large, corpulent figure, which is why Hade calls him things like "Your Immensity".
  • Pennant Roberts had originally intended that the giant credit card — referred to as a consumcard — should resemble the current Barclaycard design, and so used the same coloured horizontal stripes of blue, white and orange. This was vetoed by Graham Williams, who said the BBC would be giving Barclaycard free publicity, and so green bands were added to disguise the prop.
  • Marn was originally a man.
  • Pennant Roberts encouraged the inclusion of more female characters. He decided to make Marn a woman, and excised a male member of the Others named Rashif, giving his dialogue to Veet.
  • Leela and the Doctor are identified as "terrorists." In real life, Leela's character was partially based on Palestinian revolutionary Leila Khaled.
  • Robert Holmes was aware of Tom Baker and Louise Jameson's difficult relationship, so he structured the script to keep them apart for most of the story.
  • Pluto was chosen as the story's setting because the Greek prefix “pluto-” referred to wealth and riches.
  • Graham Williams was reluctant to present such a barbed commentary in the context of a family programme, and was wary that the story might be accused of leftist indoctrination. He particularly disliked the reference to the Collector's race as the Userers, which simply adopted an old-fashioned term for a moneylender. A reluctant Robert Holmes briefly changed their name to the Saurians, before a compromise was reached with Usurians.
  • The production time had difficulty finding a building to portray Megropolis One. After they couldn't find anywhere suitable in London, production assistant Leon Arnold recommended the WD & HO Wills Tobacco Factory in Hartcliffe, Bristol.
  • Graham Williams was under pressure from his superiors to control the show's budget and wasn't keen on travelling to Bristol for just a handful of scenes, and suggested that they should instead be performed in the studio, via chroma key. However, Pennant Roberts discovered that the Wills Tobacco Factory offered other locations which could replace studio sets, such as a very long tunnel, for scenes in the P45 return route, and this enabled him to justify the cost of the trip.
  • Filming in Bristol was hit by mist, forcing Pennant Roberts to delay filming on the roof of the Tobacco Factory and focus on other scenes.
  • An extra playing one of the Megro guards was taken ill during location filming and Ron Rogers, who was an employee of the Tobacco Factory, agreed to take his place. However, Rogers' scene was ultimately cut at the editing stage.
  • Robert Holmes evisioned the Collector as an expansive figure in the mould of Sydney Greenstreet. The five-feet tall Henry Woolf was cast instead.
  • Already uneasy with Leela's confinement in a straitjacket, Louise Jameson was aghast when she was left in her restraints while the rest of the team went on break.
  • Visual effects designer AJ “Mitch” Mitchell was so disappointed with the rushed effect of the Collector's liquidation that he was driven to quit the BBC to work as a freelancer.

Ratings[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Part one - 8.5 million viewers
  • Part two - 9.5 million viewers
  • Part three - 8.9 million viewers
  • Part four - 8.4 million viewers

Myths[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • The Collector was originally intended to have dark, slicked hair, but was changed to being bald due to the production team thinking this did not make him look sufficiently alien. (He was always intended to have the bald appearance he has in the finished episode. This myth is likely the result of publicity photos of Tom Baker and Henry Woolf being taken before Woolf's bald cap was ready to be fitted)

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

  • WD and HO Wills Tobacco Factory (now known as Imperial Park), Hartcliffe Way, Hartcliffe, Bristol
  • Camden Town Deep Tube Shelters, Stanmore Place, Camden Town, London
  • BBC Television Centre (TC3 and TC6), Shepherd's Bush, London

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.
  • At the start of part two, the shadows of the extras playing the security guards are visible awaiting their cue to enter.
  • A car park insignia is visible on the rooftop.
  • In part two, the Doctor offers Hade a humbug, but he actually takes a green Jelly baby.
  • A microphone enters the screen for a few seconds in upper left corner at minute 18 of part three.
  • Near to the end of part three after K9 has exited the steamer, the Doctor praises K9 with his scarf rolled out and lengthened down his body, yet less than a second after when he is given a communicator, it is rolled up over his shoulders.

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • When Mandrel says that the Doctor had better have a good story, the Doctor begins, "Once upon a time, there were three sisters..." This is a paraphrase of a story begun by the Dormouse in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The Doctor previously began this story upon being revived in the Kraal Disorientation Centre, though on that occasion he combined it with the title characters from the play Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov. (TV: The Android Invasion)

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

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

This story was released as Doctor Who: The Sun Makers.

Released:

  • VHS UK cover

    VHS UK cover

  • VHS US cover

    VHS US cover

  • VHS AUS cover

    VHS AUS cover

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

Originally planned for release in a boxset with The Ambassadors of Death, The Sun Makers was released on DVD on its own in Region 2 on 1 August 2011, followed by a Region 1 release on 9 August. The DVD's special features were:

  • Region 2 cover

    Region 2 cover

  • Region 1 cover

    Region 1 cover

  • Region 4 cover

    Region 4 cover

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

  • The story is available for streaming in Canada and the US through BritBox or Amazon Instant Video in the UK.

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

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. ↑ http://www.shannonsullivan.com/drwho/serials/4w.html
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