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{{Infobox ClassicTV |
{{title dab away}}
story name= Planet of Fire |
{{real world}}
image=[[Image:Planet of Fire.jpg|250px]] |
{{ImageLinkTV}}
series=[[Doctor Who]] -<br/>[[TV stories|TV Stories]] |
{{Infobox Story SMW
number= [[Season 21]]|
|image                  = Planet of fire main.jpg
story number=135|
|novelisation          = Planet of Fire (novelisation)
doctor=[[Fifth Doctor]] |
|adapted into          = Planet of Fire The Movie (home video)
companions= <ul><li>[[Turlough]] (departure)</li><li>[[Kamelion]] (death)</li><li>[[Perpugilliam Brown | Peri]] (introduction; joins)</li></ul>|
|series                 = [[Doctor Who television stories|''Doctor Who'' television stories]]
enemy= [[The Master]] |
|season number         = Season 21 (Doctor Who 1963)|
year= <ul><li>[[Lanzarote]]; circa [[1984]]</li><li>[[Sarn]]; circa [[1984]]</li></ul>|
|season serial number  = 5
writer= [[Peter Grimwade]] |
|story number           = 134
director= [[Fiona Cumming]] |
|doctor                 = Fifth Doctor
producer= [[John Nathan-Turner]] |
|companions             = [[Vislor Turlough|Turlough]], [[Kamelion]], [[Peri Brown|Peri]]
broadcast date= [[23rd February]] - [[2nd March]] [[1984]] |
|enemy                 = The [[Tremas Master]]
format= 4 25-minute Episodes |
|setting                = {{il|[[Lanzarote]], [[9 May]] [[1984]]|[[Sarn (planet)|Sarn]], circa [[1984]]}}
production code= [[List of production codes|6Q]] |
|writer                 = Peter Grimwade
previous story= [[Resurrection of the Daleks]] |
|director               = [[Fiona Cumming]]
next story= [[The Caves of Androzani]] }}
|producer               = [[John Nathan-Turner]]
|epcount                = 4
|broadcast date         = 23 February - 2 March 1984
|network                = BBC1
|format                 = 4x25-minute episodes
|serial production code = [[List of production codes|6Q]]
|prev                  = Resurrection of the Daleks (TV story)
|next                  = The Caves of Androzani (TV story)
|clip                  = Peri saved from drowning - Doctor Who - Planet of Fire - BBC
}}
'''''Planet of Fire''''' was the fifth serial in [[Season 21 (Doctor Who 1963)|season 21]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]''. In addition to being the penultimate adventure to regularly feature [[Peter Davison]] as the [[Fifth Doctor]], the story featured the final regular appearance of [[Mark Strickson]] as [[Vislor Turlough]], the destruction of [[Kamelion]] and the introduction of [[Peri Brown]]. It was [[Peter Grimwade]]'s final script and [[Fiona Cumming]]'s last [[Director (crew)|director]]ial turn for the programme. For Turlough's last story, it was decided that his mysterious past, outlined in ''[[Mawdryn Undead (TV story)|Mawdryn Undead]]'', should be explored.


==Synopsis==
Exteriors were shot on location in [[Lanzarote]] in the [[Canary Islands]]. The location was chosen after Cumming promoted it with photos from her holiday. Grimwade decided to use the island for multiple settings and the island's volcanic landscape also doubled for the [[planet]] [[Sarn (planet)|Sarn]]. Grimwade had trouble writing for the setting, having never been there. [[John Nathan-Turner]] denied Grimwade's request to accompany the select members of the crew to the island, as he felt writers were not needed. ([[INFO]]: ''Planet of Fire'')
On holiday in Lanzarote, a young American girl named Peri narrowly escapes drowning when she is rescued from the sea by Turlough and taken into the TARDIS to recover. The Doctor is on the island because the TARDIS has detected a mysterious signal being transmitted from an unknown artifact retrieved from the sea bed by Peri's stepfather, Howard Foster.


The Master reasserts his control over Kamelion and gets it to bring the TARDIS, along with the Doctor, Turlough and Peri, to the planet Sarn, where he is hoping to use that world's supply of revitalising numismaton gas to restore his body - accidentally shrunken in an experiment with his tissue compression eliminator weapon - to its correct size.
''Planet of Fire'' also had a notable guest cast: [[Peter Wyngarde]] had starred as flamboyant amateur detective Jason King in ''Department S'' and ''Jason King'', while [[Barbara Shelley]] had appeared in various Hammer horror films.


It transpires that amongst the Sarn natives, who worship a fire god named Logar, are political prisoners from Trion - Turlough's home world. Turlough too is revealed to be a political refugee. He meets his brother and later, when a spaceship arrives from his home world, discovers that Trion has granted an amnesty to all political prisoners.
== Synopsis ==
A strange signal from [[Earth]] draws [[The Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]] to the island of [[Lanzarote]], where [[Vislor Turlough|Turlough]] rescues a young [[United States of America|American]] girl, [[Peri Brown|Peri]], from [[drowning]]. Among her possessions is an artefact bearing an [[Misos Triangle|alien symbol]] - the same triangular mark that Turlough has branded into his arm.


The Master is apparently killed when a stream of numismaton gas in which he is bathing turns to a normal hot flame. The Doctor destroys Kamelion at the robot's own bidding as it has become completely unstable. Turlough leaves to return to Trion, while Peri goes with the Doctor.
The mystery deepens when [[Kamelion]] falls under the control of a powerful mind, and the TARDIS travels to the volcanic world of [[Sarn (planet)|Sarn]]. As Turlough is forced to face his past, the [[Fifth Doctor]] must stop his {{Ainley|n=oldest enemy}} from harnessing the revitalising powers of [[Numismaton Gas|Numismaton gas]]...


==Plot==
== Plot ==
=== Part one ===
On the desolate volcanic planet [[Sarn (planet)|Sarn]], chief elder [[Timanov]] counsels the young Chosen One [[Malkon]] on how to act in the wake of increased seismic activity, heralding the imminent volcanic catastrophe known as the Time of Fire. Their god [[Logar]], the devout Timanov warns, is greatly displeased at the number of unbelievers. As the Chosen One – so chosen due to the triangular "Mark of Logar" on his arm – Malkon has sole authority to assign heretics to burn in the Cave of Fire and thereby appease their god. Malkon doubts his resolve to condemn unbelievers to death. Meanwhile, two such unbelievers, [[Amyand]] and [[Roskal]], scale the forbidden Mountain of Fire – believed to be Logar's dwelling place – and find the crater at the top empty. Now fully convinced that Logar is a myth, they return to the village to spread the news.


=== Part One ===
As the [[Fifth Doctor]] muses bitterly about [[Dalek]]s and the departure of [[Tegan]], [[Kamelion]]'s agonised cries are heard from an adjoining room. He has linked himself to [[The Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]] data core. The TARDIS then picks up a distress signal; Turlough recognises the pattern and is sufficiently dismayed that he disables the communicator to stop the signal. The TARDIS coordinates have been changed, apparently by Kamelion, and they are en route to the source of the signal, the island of [[Lanzarote]].
On the desert world of Sarn, robed natives worship the fire god Logar and follow the Chief Elder, Timanov, who demands obedience. Those who dissent are known as Unbelievers, and two of them, Amyand and Roskal, cause unrest when they claim to have ventured to the top of the sacred fire mountain but not found Logar. One of the Sarns, Malkon, is known as the Chosen One because of the unusual double triangle symbol burnt into his skin: he is also unusual for having been found as a baby on the slopes of the fire mountain.


The same triangle symbol is found on a metal artefact uncovered in an archaeological dig in [[Lanzarote]] overseen by Professor Howard Foster. His stepdaughter Perpugilliam (usually called "Peri") Brown is bored with the dig and wants to go travelling in Morocco and when he seeks to prevent this she steals the strange artefact and tries to swim for freedom. Fortunately for her the [[TARDIS]] has landed nearby – responding to a distress call sent by the strange artefact - and Turlough sees her drowning and rescues her. Going through her possessions as she recovers he finds the artefact and acknowledges the same triangle symbol is burnt into his own flesh.
American archaeologist [[Howard Foster]] and his team are trolling the nearby seabed for ancient relics. Among the artefacts they pull up is a strange, anachronistic metal object also bearing the Mark of Logar. Howard's restless stepdaughter [[Perpugilliam Brown|Peri Brown]], accompanying the expedition while on holiday from university, is bored and wants to travel with her friends to Morocco. Howard appears to relent but strands her on the boat to make her miss her flight. Peri is furious at Howard but finds his wallet full of money and the alien object he fished out of the lake. She thinks it may be worth some money. Peri strips to her [[bikini]] and stuffs the artefact, Howard's money and her clothes into a plastic bag. She then jumps in the sea and begins swimming to shore.


=== Part Two ===
[[File:GallifreyanCurrency.jpg|thumb|left|The Doctor's currency of unknown origin.]]
[[Fifth Doctor|The Doctor]] returns to the TARDIS after attempting to triangulate the source of the signal being emitted by the artefact, and the ship dematerialises, seemingly on its own. It soon arrives on Sarn and the Doctor and Turlough set off to explore.
While the Doctor explores the island trying to find the source of the signal, Turlough has returned to the TARDIS, where he finds Kamelion at the console trying to establish contact with an unknown entity. Turlough overloads the console to disable him, thinking the signal may be from [[Trion (planet)|Trion]]. On the monitor, he sees Peri struggling in the water and beginning to drown. He runs out of the TARDIS, strips to his bathing suit, jumps into the water and swims out to her. He pulls her ashore and takes her to Tegan's old room to recuperate. He finds the alien artefact in the bag, pulling up his sleeve to show that he too bears the Mark of Logar on his arm. While Peri tosses and turns, muttering incoherent apologies, Kamelion seizes on her psychic impulses and transforms into Howard. The Doctor has traced the signal back to the artefact now in the TARDIS. The doors close and the TARDIS takes off automatically, apparently returning the object to its planet of origin, Sarn. Kamelion enters as Howard, but his mannerisms are like someone else's. After putting her clothes back on over her swimsuit, Peri enters the control room, confused as to where she is.


The Doctor's other companion, the android Kamelion, has meanwhile made mental contact with its old controller, [[the Master (Tremas)|the Master]], who attempts to assert his control and change Kamelion's appearance from that of Howard. Kamelion tries to warn Peri of the Master but the [[Time Lord]] succeeds in gaining control. She flees the TARDIS with the creature in pursuit as the rumblings of the volcanoes of Sarn gather ferocity.
In the great hall on Sarn, Timanov and Malkon attempt to quell the citizens' unrest due to the impending Time of Fire. The arrival of Amyand and Roskal with the news of their findings causes even more disruption. A desperate Timanov calls for a sign from Logar, and a burst of flame from the Cave of Fire is the apparent answer. Timanov says this is a call from Logar to burn the unbelievers. Just then, a lookout announces the arrival of the TARDIS, describing it in a way that corresponds with their legend of the Outsider, a representative of Logar. Timanov urges Malkon to condemn the heretics, but he hesitates.


In the Sarn colony Timanov has damned the Unbelievers to be sacrificed to appease Logar and stop the tremors. They flee to a secret base in the mountains which is filled with seismological apparatus and which the Doctor and Turlough stumble across. The Doctor informs the Unbelievers that the tunnels, which have been their refuge are volcanic vents which will soon fill with molten lava. It is also established that Turlough is of the same race as those who colonised the planet, and when the indigenous people see his Misos Triangle, they greet him as a second Chosen One. Turlough realises Malkon may be his brother and becomes even more worried when Peri turns up and mentions the Master.
Once the Doctor and Turlough leave to explore, "Howard" announces that contact has been established and that he now has control of the TARDIS. As he laughs maniacally, his features change into those of the Master before Peri's horrified eyes.


=== Part Three ===
=== Part two ===
Another important figure in Sarn mythology is the Outsider, a promised prophet, and the Master/Kamelion fulfils this role admirably. He convinces Timanov of the appropriateness of harsh action and when the Doctor arrives with the Unbelievers they are all seized for burning. However, Malkon and Peri arrive shortly afterward and end this assault, though not before Malkon has been injured. Turlough is aghast when he finds his relative has been shot and the Doctor presses him for as much information as he has on the strange circumstances of Sarn. It seems it is a long abandoned Trion colony planet, and that Turlough, a Trion, suspects some of his family were sent here after a revolution against the hereditary leading clans of his homeworld. He supposes his father died in a crash but that Malkon survived, while he himself was sent in exile to Brendan School In England, overseen by a Trion agent masquerading as a solicitor in Chancery Lane.
The Doctor and Turlough explore the apparently deserted village square finding the triangular pattern, which Turlough identifies as the [[Misos Triangle]], etched on a column. The Misos Triangle is an emblem of Turlough's home planet, Trion, but he is not forthcoming with further details. They do not notice another TARDIS materialising nearby.


The Master/Kamelion has meanwhile seized Peri and uses her to transport a black box into the control room of his TARDIS. It contains a miniature Master – the real thing – who has been shrunken and transformed by a disastrous experiment with his Tissue Compression Eliminator...
The Master's control of Kamelion is tenuous, and the shape-shifting robot momentarily regains self-control. He removes the TARDIS's comparator and urges Peri to give it to the Doctor, but then loses his self-will and his form shifts back to the Master. He pulls her out into the village square towards [[the Master's TARDIS]], but a sudden tremor knocks it over, door-side down and a large rock falls, hitting Kamelion and causing him to fall over, allowing Peri to escape into the desolate wilderness. The Master, trapped inside his TARDIS, orders Kamelion to pilot the Doctor's TARDIS inside his own, but without the comparator it won't function.


=== Part Four ===
[[File:Turlough misos triangle.jpg|thumb|left|Turlough reveals his Misos Triangle to Malkon.]]
The Master thus re-established the psychic link with Kamelion to gain the power of movement and has manoeuvred the robot to Sarn so that he can take advantage of the restorative powers of the Numismaton gas within the fire mountain.
The unbelievers storm the great hall, having found and befriended the Doctor and Turlough, displaying the travellers as the Outsiders. Turlough discovers the Misos Triangle on Malkon's arm, showing his own. He is convinced that the relics in the hall are from his father's ship and that Malkon might be his younger brother. Malkon describes how he was found in the Place of Fire as an infant, and Turlough convinces him to take him there, where they find the wreckage of a crashed spaceship. They encounter Peri, who had been wandering lost since eluding "the Master". When Turlough learns that the Master is involved, they dash back to the village to warn the Doctor.


Turlough realises the imminent volcano bursts will destroy the Sarn colony so nobly uses a functioning communication unit to get in touch with Trion and plead for a rescue ship to evacuate Sarn. In doing so he abandons his own freedom. When the ship later arrives, the Sarns all depart, along with Turlough and Malkon. They have both been pardoned in an amnesty issued by the new Sarn government. The only one to remain on the planet and face the erupting volcanoes is Timanov, now sure to die, his faith in tatters.
The Doctor, however, finds himself at the mercy of Timanov and his own Outsider, Kamelion/the Master. Under the "Master's" sway, Timanov orders the sacrifice of the unbelievers to the flame. "The Master" demands the return of the comparator, which the Doctor doesn't have, as his new allies are pushed toward the mouth of the Cave of Fire.


The Doctor meanwhile succeeds in weakening the Master's hold of Kamelion, and interrupts the numismaton experiment. He adds calorific gas to the numismaton surge and seemingly burns the Master alive. The Doctor also puts the terminally wounded Kamelion out of its misery. He returns to the TARDIS with a heavy heart, but with a new companion, Peri, for company.
=== Part three ===
Malkon demands that the execution cease, but is shot down in the ensuing struggle. Timanov has the unbelievers and the Doctor locked into the cave with the flame. Turlough uses a Trion relic to remotely disable the sacrificial flame, which Timanov shows as a sign of displeasure from Logar at Malkon's apparent assassination. Still fooled by the "Master", Timanov leads a team in helping to shift the Master's TARDIS, but once upright, "the Master" pulls Peri inside and dematerialises. Turlough arrives and releases the Doctor and the unbelievers from the cave.


==Cast==
The Doctor struggles to figure out why the Master is on Sarn, and how to rescue the citizens from the impending doom of the volcanic eruption. He also reasons that the Trions had a more productive use for the Cave of Fire than mere sacrifice. Timanov speaks of a time when he was young, and he encountered Logar who took him to a bath of blue flame that rejuvenated him.
*[[Fifth Doctor|The Doctor]] - [[Peter Davison]]
*[[Turlough]] - [[Mark Strickson]]
*[[Peri]] - [[Nicola Bryant]]
*[[Timanov]] - [[Peter Wyngarde]]
*[[The Master]] - [[Anthony Ainley]]
*[[Sorasta]] - [[Barbara Shelley]]
*[[Amyand]] - [[James Bate]]
*Professor [[Howard Foster]] - [[Dallas Adams]]
*Voice of [[Kamelion]] - [[Gerald Flood]]
*[[Malkon]] - [[Edward Highmore]]
*[[Roskal]] - [[Jonathon Caplan]]
*[[Curt (Planet of Fire)|Curt]] - [[Michael Bangerter]]
*[[Lookout (Planet of Fire)|Lookout]] - [[Simon Sutton]]
*[[Zuko]] - [[Max Arthur]]
*[[Lomand]] - [[John Alkin]]


==Crew==
The Master's TARDIS materialises in a control room deep below the volcano. "The Master" enlists Peri's assistance, on pain of death from his Tissue Compression Eliminator weapon, in controlling the machinery there to harness the power of [[Numismaton Gas]], which is indeed a bright blue flame renowned for its healing properties. The Doctor takes advantage of the presence of the Numismaton flame to heal the ailing Malkon in the Cave of Fire. Eluding the Kamelion/Master and ducking into the Master's TARDIS, Peri locates what she reasons must be Kamelion's control box. Lifting the lid, she finds the Master lurking within, reduced to mere inches in height.
*[[Assistant Floor Manager]] - [[Robert Evans]]
*[[Costumes]] - [[John Peacock]]
*[[Designer]] - [[Malcolm Thornton]]
*[[Film Cameraman]] - [[John Walker]]
*[[Film Editor]] - [[Alastair Mitchell]]
*[[Incidental Music]] - [[Peter Howell]]
*[[Make-Up]] - [[Elizabeth Rowell]]
*[[Producer]] - [[John Nathan-Turner]]
*[[Production Assistant]] - [[Claire Hughes Smith]]
*[[Production Associate]] - [[June Collins]]
*[[Script Editor]] - [[Eric Saward]]
*[[Special Sounds]] - [[Dick Mills]]
*[[Studio Lighting]] - [[John Summers]]
*[[Studio Sound]] - [[Scott Talbott]]
*[[Theme Arrangement]] - [[Peter Howell]]
*[[Title Music]] - [[Ron Grainer]]
*[[Visual Effects]] - [[Chris Lawson]]


==References==
=== Part four ===
*Peri (Perpugilliam) Brown is a young [[America|American]] student, holidaying with her mother and [[archaeologist]] step father, [[Howard Foster|Professor Howard Foster]], on [[Lanzarote]].  
The Master, having accidentally shrunk himself while attempting to upgrade his TCE weapon, seeks the power of the Numismaton Gas to restore himself. He constructed the control box to re-establish contact with his slave Kamelion to help him reach Sarn.
*Peri's summer studying includes an ecology project. She has exams coming up, and her return flight is to [[New York]].
*According to Peri's passport she is from Pasadena, [[California]] and her birthdate is [[15th November]].


*Vislor Turlough - his rank is Junior Ensign Commander he is from [[Trion]], and was on the losing side in the planet's civil war.  
Peri accidentally knocks the Master's control box over which allows the Master to escape into his TARDIS. Peri tries to track him down and swat him with her shoe, but he escapes and hides in the TARDIS console. There, he taunts Peri and shorts the controls to open the TARDIS door. Peri runs out and into the wilderness.
*Turlough's father and brother [[Malkon]] were exiled to [[Sarn]], where the Trions sent occasional prisoners. Such prisoners were branded with the [[Misos Triangle]], and the indigenous population heralded them as leaders chosen by [[Logar]], their [[fire]] god. Turlough's father died when the spacecraft crashed. The volcanic forces of Sarn were for a while kept in check by Trion scientists.
*The volcanic activity on Sarn which will soon destroy the planet also produces [[numismaton gas]], ''"an immensely rare catalytic reagent"'' with great healing properties.
*[[The Master]] controls [[Kamelion]] forcing him to control the TARDIS.
*The Master accidentally shrunk himself while adjusting his [[Tissue Compression Eliminator]].
*Peri compares the statue of [[Eros]] to [[Elton John]].
*The Master removes the [[temporal stabiliser]] from [[the Doctor's TARDIS]], rendering it inoperable, Kamelion also removes the [[comparator]], another vital circuit.


==Story Notes==
The Doctor and Amyand, with Peri's help, have reached the Numismaton gas control room. They find protective metallic suits which correspond with the traditional image of Logar. The Doctor realises that the Trions have used the control room to regulate the seismic activity, but the impending eruption will be too big to control. The Doctor sends Amyand back to the ruins wearing the only remaining suit.
*This story had the working title of: '''The Planet of Fear'''
*[[Kamelion]] appears for the first time since ''[[The King's Demons]]'' the previous season; complications involving the robot model prevented him from appearing in other episodes, although a scene was filmed for ''[[The Awakening]]'' but cut before transmission. Kamelion "death" makes him the fourth known companion to die while travelling with the Doctor, following [[Katarina]], [[Sara Kingdom]], and [[Adric]].
*It was during production of this serial that Peter Davison and Nicola Bryant participated in their infamous "[[James Bond]]" photo shoot, in which Davison donned a tuxedo and prop gun and Bryant a bikini.
*The [[Wikipedia:H. Rider Haggard|H. Rider Haggard]] novel, ''[[Wikipedia:She (novel)|She]]'', whose title character renews herself periodically by bathing in a magic flame.
*This is the only Fifth Doctor serial in which [[Janet Fielding]] does not appear.


===Ratings===
Kamelion pilots the Master's TARDIS into the blue flame and brings out the control box, bearing the Master within. As Kamelion advances menacingly on the Doctor with the TCE, he overloads the gas control circuitry to give Kamelion a near-fatal "heart attack". Kamelion, now freed from the Master's control, begs for destruction, and the Doctor complies with the TCE.
*Part 1 - 7.4 million viewers
*Part 2 - 6.1 million viewers
*Part 3 - 7.4 million viewers
*Part 4 - 7.0 million viewers


===Myths===
The Master is restored to full height by the Numismaton gas and gleefully describes the tortures that await the Doctor at his hands. But the Doctor's fiddling with the controls cuts off the gas, leaving the Master to burn in the full power of the naked flames. The Master's pleas for mercy go unheeded and the Doctor watches as his enemy is apparently consumed by fire.
* The Master's ambiguous statement (''"Would you show (no) mercy to one of your own...?"'') prior to his "demise" has led to ongoing speculation as to whether the Master might be the Doctor's brother or another relative. ''(The more likely explanation is he referring to their shared biology as Gallifreyans or status as Time Lords.)''


===Filming Locations===
[[File:Turlough doctor goodbye.jpg|thumb|Turlough bids the Doctor goodbye.]]
*[[Lanzarote]] in the [[Canary Islands]]. This was the first ''Doctor Who'' story to include filming away from the European continent. To date only three other stories have included filming outside of Europe: ''[[Doctor Who: The TV Movie]]'' (filmed entirely in Canada) and ''[[Daleks in Manhattan]]'' (which included second-unit photography done in [[New York City]]), and ''[[Planet of the Dead (TV story)|Planet of the Dead]]'', which was partially filmed in Dubai. At the time this serial was made, the producers were planning to film part of ''[[The Two Doctors]]'' in the United States, but the location was later changed to [[Spain]].
Turlough, despite his status as a Trion political prisoner, swallows his pride and manages to re-activate the communication system in the wreckage of his father's ship, summoning a Trion rescue ship to pick up the Sarn survivors. Timanov, humbled by his easy manipulation by the Master in the name of his god, declines rescue and opts to perish in the ensuing volcano. Acting on instructions from the Doctor, Turlough programs the TARDIS to rescue the Doctor and Peri from the gas control room before it is destroyed. The Trion [[captain]] [[Lomand]] informs Turlough that due to a [[pardon|general amnesty]], his exile has been lifted and he is free to return home. Turlough thanks the Doctor for everything, and the two warmly bid each other farewell. Peri, on the other hand, asks to travel with the Doctor for the remaining three months of her vacation. The Doctor agrees, and he welcomes her aboard the TARDIS as it takes flight.
*Papagayo Beach, Lanzarote
*Orzola Jetty, Orzola, Lanzarote
*Mirador del Rio, Lanzarote
*Montañas del Fuego, Timanfaya National Park, Lanzarote
*[[BBC Television Centre]] ([[List of stories recorded at BBC Television Centre|TC6 & TC8]]), Shepherd's Bush, [[London]]


===Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors===
== Cast ==
*Peri is dry by the time Turlough brings her into the TARDIS.
* [[Fifth Doctor|The Doctor]] - [[Peter Davison]]
*The Doctor asks Amyand and Sorasta about Logar, despite having never heard the name before. ''This is incorrect. Logar is mentioned, albeit briefly, in the section of the scene directly proceeding the Doctor asking about him.''
* [[Turlough]] - [[Mark Strickson]]
*Peri can override the Master's control of Kamelion, but the Doctor can't. ''The Master's mental powers have been greatly diminished as a result of his accident. It is also suggested that the numismaton residue shields Kamelion from the Doctor's brainwaves.''
* [[Peri Brown]] - [[Nicola Bryant]]
*Why is there a hollow turtle shell on the wall of the Master's miniaturised control room?
* [[Timanov]] - [[Peter Wyngarde]]
*Where did the Master get the miniaturised equipment for his control room.
* [[Tremas Master|The Master]] - [[Anthony Ainley]]
*If the Master's gun is a ''Tissue'' Compression Eliminator, why does it compress Kamelion and the radiation suits? ''This was the very advancement the Master was trying to achieve when he had his accident - i.e. a TCE that works on inanimate matter as well.'' (Peri seems to be able to out-run its blast in episode three. ''The TCE was only ever meant as a short-range weapon.'')
* [[Sorasta]] - [[Barbara Shelley]]
*Why doesn't the TCE kill the Master, as it does his victims? ''Because what happened was the result with him experimenting with the power of the TCE, not merely shooting himself with it.''
* [[Amyand]] - [[James Bate]]
* [[Professor]] [[Howard Foster]] - [[Dallas Adams]]
* Voice of [[Kamelion]] - [[Gerald Flood]]
* [[Malkon]] - [[Edward Highmore]]
* [[Roskal]] - [[Jonathan Caplan]]
* [[Curt (Planet of Fire)|Curt]] - [[Michael Bangerter]]
* [[Lookout (Planet of Fire)|Lookout]] - [[Simon Sutton]]
* [[Zuko]] - [[Max Arthur]]
* [[Lomand]] - [[John Alkin]]


==Continuity==
=== Uncredited cast ===
*Kamelion first appeared in [[DW]]: ''[[The King's Demons]]''.
* Elder - [[Colin Thomas]] ([[DWM 206]])
*Turlough first appeared in [[DW]]: ''[[Mawdryn Undead]]''.
* Guard - [[Derek Hunt]] (DWM 206)
*The Doctor and Peri re-meet the Master following his burning in [[ST]]: ''[[A Town Called Eternity]]''.
* Citizens - [[Ian Marshall-Fisher]], [[Ray Knight]], [[Paul Barton]], [[Stuart Myers]], [[Brychan Powell]] (DWM 206)
*The Master returns on-screen in [[DW]]: ''[[The Mark of the Rani]]''.
*In [[TN]]: ''[[Shell Shock]]'' it's strongly implied that Howard sexually abused Peri when she was younger; this supports dialogue spoken by Peri (while half asleep) imploring Howard not to turn off the lights.
*With the departure of Turlough, the next occasion in which the Doctor travels with a male companion is in [[NA]]: ''[[Original Sin]]'' with [[Chris Cwej]] joining the TARDIS and again in [[BFA]]: ''[[The Harvest]]'' both with the Seventh Doctor. Again the Doctor travels with a male companion in the novels beginning with [[Fitz Kreiner]] in [[EDA]]: ''[[The Taint]]'' and again with [[C'rizz]] in [[BFA]]: ''[[The Creed of the Kromon]]''. On screen however the Doctor would not be seen travelling with a male companion until the brief tenure of [[Adam Mitchell]] beginning in the 2005's [[DW]]: ''[[Dalek (TV story)|Dalek]]'', followed by the arrival of [[Jack Harkness]] in the later [[DW]]: ''[[The Empty Child]]'' for a more substantial tenure in the TARDIS.


==Timeline==
== Crew ==
*This story occurs after [[ST]]: ''[[Comforts of Home]]''
* [[Assistant Floor Manager]] - [[Robert Evans]]
*This story occurs before [[ST]]: ''[[One Step Forward, Two Steps Back]]''
* [[Camera supervisor|Camera Supervisors]] - [[Alec Wheal]], [[Geoff Clark]]
* [[Costumes]] - [[John Peacock]]
* [[Designer (crew)|Designer]] - [[Malcolm Thornton]]
* [[Film Cameraman]] - [[John Walker]]
* [[Film Editor]] - [[Alastair Mitchell]]
* [[Film sound|Film Sound]] - [[John Tellick]]
* [[Incidental Music]] - [[Peter Howell]]
* [[Make-Up]] - [[Elizabeth Rowell]]
* [[Producer]] - [[John Nathan-Turner]]
* [[Production Assistant]] - [[Claire Hughes Smith]]
* [[Production Associate]] - [[June Collins]]
* [[Production Manager]] - [[Corinne Hollingworth]]
* [[Script Editor]] - [[Eric Saward]]
* [[Special Sounds]] - [[Dick Mills]]
* [[Studio Lighting]] - [[John Summers]]
* [[Studio Sound]] - [[Scott Talbott]]
* [[Technical co-ordinator|Technical Co-ordinator]] - [[Alan Arbuthnott]]
* [[Theme Arrangement]] - [[Peter Howell]]
* [[Doctor Who theme|Title Music]] - [[Ron Grainer]]
* [[Title Sequence]] - [[Sid Sutton]]
* [[Video effects|Video Effects]] - [[Dave Chapman]]
* [[Videotape editor|Videotape Editor]] - [[Hugh Parson]]
* [[Vision Mixer]] - [[Dinah Long]]
* [[Visual Effects Designer]] - [[Chris Lawson]]


==DVD and Video Releases==
=== Uncredited crew ===
*Released on video in UK and Australia / NZ in [[1998]] and the US in [[1999]].
* [[Film lighting|Film Lighting]] - [[John Barrott]] ([[INFO]]: ''Planet of Fire'')
*It has been annonuced that this story and The King's Demons will be released in&nbsp;a Kamelion boxset in early 2010.
* [[Prop buyer|Props Buyer]] - [[Paul Woods]] ([[INFO]]: ''Planet of Fire'')
* [[Location liason|Location Liason]] - [[Judy Grimshaw]] ([[INFO]]: ''Planet of Fire'')
* [[Production manager|Production Manager]] - [[Christina McMillan]] ([[INFO]]: ''Planet of Fire'')
* [[Film operations manager|Film Operations Manager]] - [[Graham Richmond]] ([[INFO]]: ''Planet of Fire'')
* [[Film operative|Film Ops]] - [[Laurence Miller]], [[John McEroy|John McElroy]] ([[INFO]]: ''Planet of Fire'')
* [[Costume dresser|Dressers]] - [[Frances Miles]], [[Ron Simpson]] ([[INFO]]: ''Planet of Fire'')
* [[Film camera assistant|Film Camera Assistant]] - [[Tony Bragg]] ([[INFO]]: ''Planet of Fire'')
* [[Film sound assistant|Film Sound Assistant]] - [[Don Lee]] ([[INFO]]: ''Planet of Fire'')
* [[Grip]]s - [[John Phillips (grips)|John Phillips]] ([[INFO]]: ''Planet of Fire'')
* [[Show working supervisor|Show Working Supervisor]] - [[Ted Coates]] ([[INFO]]: ''Planet of Fire'')
* [[Floor assistant|Floor Assistant]] - [[Anna Campbell (crew)|Anna Campbell]] ([[INFO]]: ''Planet of Fire'')
* [[Lighting chargehand|Lighting Chargehands]] - [[Dennis Leach]], [[John Morin]] ([[INFO]]: ''Planet of Fire'')
* [[Make-up assistant|Make-Up Assistant]] - [[Elizabeth Hardiment]] ([[INFO]]: ''Planet of Fire'')
* [[Visual effects assistant|Visual Effects Assistant]] - [[Roger Turner]] ([[INFO]]: ''Planet of Fire'')
* [[Design assistant|Design Assistant]] - [[Dinah Walker]] ([[INFO]]: ''Planet of Fire'')
* [[Production secretary|Production Secretary]] - [[Sarah Lee]] ([[INFO]]: ''Planet of Fire'')
* [[Contracts assistant|Contracts Assistant]] - [[Sarah Bird]] ([[INFO]]: ''Planet of Fire'')
* [[Studio engineer|Senior Studio Engineers]] - [[Bill Waugh]], [[Jim Kernick]], [[Ron Frith]], [[John Billett]] ([[INFO]]: ''Planet of Fire'')


==Novelisation==
== Worldbuilding ==
[[Image:Planet of Fire novel.jpg|right|75px]]
=== Cultural references to real-world ===
: ''Main article: [[Planet of Fire (novelisation)]]''
* Peri mentions the deities [[Poseidon]] and [[Hephaestus]].
* The Doctor guesses that a ''kouros'' is dated late Classical period and a work by a pupil of [[Praxiteles]].
* Peri hints that her mother is busy exploring a [[Cro-Magnon]] cave.


*Novelised as ''[[Planet of Fire (novelisation)|Planet of Fire]]'' by [[Peter Grimwade]] in [[1985]].
=== Individuals ===
* [[Peri Brown]] is a young [[America]]n student. She is holidaying with her mother and [[archaeologist]] stepfather, [[Howard Foster|Professor Howard Foster]], on Lanzarote.
* Turlough's rank is [[Junior Ensign Commander]]. He was on the losing side in the [[Trion (planet)|Trion]]'s [[civil war]].
* Turlough's [[Vislor Turlough's father|father]] and his brother [[Malkon]] were exiled to Sarn, where the Trions sent occasional prisoners. Such prisoners were branded with the [[Misos Triangle]] and the indigenous population heralded them as leaders chosen by [[Logar]], their [[fire]] god. Turlough's father died when the spacecraft crashed. The volcanic forces of Sarn were kept in check for a while by Trion scientists.
* {{Ainley|c}} controls [[Kamelion]], forcing him to control the TARDIS. The Master tries to use [[hypnosis]] through Kamelion, on Peri, in vain, partly because she has a "strong" will.
* Peri mentions [[Albert Einstein]].
* Peri compares the statue of [[Eros (god)|Eros]] to [[Elton John]].


==External Links==
=== Locations ===
*{{bbcepguideclassic|planetoffire/|Planet of Fire}}
* [[Sarn (planet)|Sarn]] is a [[prison planet]] for political prisoners from [[Trion (planet)|Trion]].
*{{dwrefguide|who_6q.htm|Planet of Fire}}
* According to Turlough, the Trions have undercover agents on every civilised planet, and cites as examples an agrarian commissioner on [[Verdon]], a tax inspector on [[Darvey]], and [[Solicitor (Mawdryn Undead)|a very eccentric solicitor]] in [[Chancery Lane]].
*{{briefhistory|serials/6q.html|Planet of Fire}}
* Turlough defines the [[Brendon Public School]] as the "worst place in the universe".
*{{locguide|planetoffire|Planet of Fire}}
* Peri meant to move to [[Morocco]] for a while.
* At the bar, the Doctor pays with an unknown kind of coin, not accepted in [[Lanzarote]].
* Peri's return flight is to [[New York City|New York]].


{{season 21}}
=== Science ===
{{Master stories}}
* Peri's summer studying includes an [[ecology]] project.
{{TV stub}}
* The volcanic activity on Sarn produces [[Numismaton Gas]], "an immensely rare catalytic reagent" with great healing properties.
[[Category:Fifth Doctor episodes]]
 
[[Category:The Master episodes]]
=== The TARDIS ===
* Kamelion is endangered when he is connected to the [[TARDIS databank]].
* The Master removes the [[temporal stabiliser]] from [[the Doctor's TARDIS]], rendering it inoperable. Kamelion removes the [[comparator]], another vital circuit.
* The TARDIS is provided with a [[seismic scanner]].
* Turlough sets the TARDIS on a time-delayed takeoff.
* Peri compares [[the Master's TARDIS]] to the Doctor's own TARDIS. The Master claims his TARDIS is "infinitely superior".
 
=== Technology ===
* The Master accidentally [[shrink|shrank]] himself while adjusting his [[Tissue Compression Eliminator]].
* Peri finds and uses a [[telescope]] on the slope of the volcano.
 
=== Influences ===
 
* There are parallels with the [[Henry Rider Haggard|H. Rider Haggard]] novel ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/She:_A_History_of_Adventure She]'', whose title character renews herself periodically by bathing in a magic flame. Haggard's great-great-great-niece [[Daisy Haggard]] would later play [[Sophie (The Lodger)|Sophie]] in ''[[The Lodger (TV story)|The Lodger]]'' and ''[[Closing Time (TV story)|Closing Time]]''.
 
== Story notes ==
* This story had the working title of ''Planet of Fear''.<ref>According to ''Planet of Fire'' at Shannon Sullivan's A Brief History of Time (Travel).</ref>
* [[Kamelion]] appears for the first time since ''[[The King's Demons (TV story)|The King's Demons]]'' the previous season; complications involving the robot model prevented him from appearing in other episodes, although a scene was filmed for ''[[The Awakening (TV story)|The Awakening]]'' but edited out before transmission. Kamelion's "death" makes him the fourth known companion to die while travelling with the Doctor, following [[Katarina]], [[Sara Kingdom]], and [[Adric]].
* It was during the production of this serial that [[Peter Davison]] and [[Nicola Bryant]] participated in their infamous "[[James Bond]]" photo shoot, in which Davison donned a [[tuxedo]] and prop gun and Bryant a [[bikini]].
* This is the only televised Fifth Doctor story not to visually contain [[Tegan Jovanka]]. The Doctor's reference to Tegan at the beginning of part one means that she was technically a part of every single one of his television stories in some way. This also occurred with [[Peri Brown]], who appeared (or, if you discount ''[[Season 23 (Doctor Who 1963)|The Trial of a Time Lord]]'' as as a single story, either appeared or was mentioned) in every [[Sixth Doctor]] story, [[Rose Tyler]], who appeared in every episode during the [[Ninth Doctor]] era, and [[Yasmin Khan|Yas]] with the [[Thirteenth Doctor]].
* This was the final serial to feature a male companion until the series revival in 2005. Turlough was the last regular male companion seen on screen — barring the guest returns of [[Jamie McCrimmon]] in ''[[The Two Doctors (TV story)]]'' and [[Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart]] in ''[[Battlefield (TV story)|Battlefield]]'' in 1989 — until [[Adam Mitchell]] appeared in the two stories [[TV]]: ''[[Dalek (TV story)|Dalek]]'' and [[TV]]: ''[[The Long Game (TV story)|The Long Game]]'' in 2005. However, there were several non-televised male companions to have travelled with the Doctor in other media between Turlough and Adam, including [[Frobisher]], [[Thomas Brewster]], [[Hex]] and [[C'rizz]].
* The departure of Turlough and the destruction of [[Kamelion]] mark the end of an almost seven-year span of stories featuring at least one non-human companion. It began with the introduction of the robot dog [[K9 Mark I]] in [[TV]]: ''[[The Invisible Enemy (TV story)|The Invisible Enemy]]'' in 1977. The other non-human companions who travelled with the Doctor in the interim were [[K9 Mark II]], the [[Romana I|first]] and [[Romana II|second incarnations]] of the [[Time Lord|Time Lady]] [[Romana]], the [[Alzarian]] [[Adric]] and the [[Trakenite]] [[Nyssa]]. Turlough and Kamelion would be the final non-human companions to appear in a televised ''Doctor Who'' story, until the guest reappearance of [[K9 Mark III]] in [[TV]]: ''[[School Reunion (TV story)|School Reunion]]'' in 2006. Turlough would also be the last non-human companion and last male companion to travel alone with the Doctor until [[Nardole]] became a companion in [[TV]]: ''[[The Return of Doctor Mysterio (TV story)|The Return of Doctor Mysterio]].''
* The combined ''[[Radio Times]]'' cast for parts one/two incorrectly credits Nicola Bryant as "Perpugillian Brown" and Gerald Flood as "Voice of Kamelior".
* The Master's final line before apparently being killed is directed squarely at the Doctor: "Won't you show mercy to your own ..." According to the DVD commentary, [[Fiona Cumming]] asked [[John Nathan-Turner]] how the line was to end, to which he replied, "brother". However, Anthony Ainley never said the word in any take captured on video. Therefore fans were free to speculate about how the line was to have ended. In [[TV]]: ''[[The Sound of Drums (TV story)|The Sound of Drums]]'', the [[Tenth Doctor]] strongly implies that the Master was not his brother.
* In [[PROSE]]: ''[[Shell Shock (novel)|Shell Shock]]'', it is strongly implied that Howard sexually abused Peri when she was younger. Some read this as supporting Peri's dream-state behaviour in this story where she shouts out Howard's name after saying, "Don't turn out the light." However, by concentrating on just these two lines, the two ''previous'' lines —"No, Howard. Please don't leave me alone." — are conveniently ignored. It's somewhat unlikely that a person plagued by parental abuse would be begging for the abuser to ''stay'' with her. Indeed, the DVD commentary makes it very clear the production team were aiming for a positive, friendly relationship between the two characters and there's not much more than ''Shell Shock'' which suggests anything improper between Howard and Peri. In fact, [[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Reaping (audio story)|The Reaping]]'' details the reasons for the divorce of Howard and Peri's mother [[Janine Foster]] and completely fails to mention any sort of sexual abuse. ''Shell Shock'' is thus one view of the relationship between Peri and Howard, which has never been supported clearly by any performed ''[[Doctor Who]]''.
* The story was the second of three consecutive serials, along with ''[[Resurrection of the Daleks (TV story)|Resurrection of the Daleks]]'' and ''[[The Caves of Androzani (TV story)|The Caves of Androzani]]'', that saw the departure of one of the season's regular cast members. In this serial, [[Mark Strickson]] departs as [[Turlough]].
* [[Peter Grimwade]] was furious at the casting of [[Dallas Adams]] as Prof. Foster. He had written the part for an elderly man who evoked the spirit of archaeologist [[Howard Carter]]. This casting caused Grimwade to cut his links with the series.
* The Master was originally supposed to be killed off for good, as [[Anthony Ainley]]'s contract had expired.
* [[Graeme Harper]] was attached to direct at one time. He ended up directing the following story instead.
* The script originally contained commentary on issues of religious zealotry, something that was toned down by [[Eric Saward]].
* In the script, Peri forged a bond with the Doctor partly because he reminds her of her late father, who died at the same age as the Doctor now appears.
* The Elder leader Timanov was written originally by [[Peter Grimwade]] as a parody of [[Iran]]'s [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruhollah_Khomeini Ayatollah Khomeini] but this element was greatly reduced in rewrites by [[Eric Saward]].
* It was decided that because of the climate of Lanzarote, where the serial was filmed, the cast would have to alter their usual costumes.
** [[Mark Strickson]] shed his usual school uniform in favour of a blue pin-stripe shirt and tan shorts with a pair of swim briefs underneath.
** [[Nicola Bryant]] also wore a pink bikini beneath her clothes to which she stripped down for a couple of scenes.
** Although [[Peter Davison]] started the story wearing his cricketer outfit, for the rest of the story, he wore a different pair of trousers with question mark braces and a beige floral cardigan-style waistcoat. He sheds the waistcoat and hat at one point and spends the latter part of the story in his shirt, trousers, and braces.
* [[Peter Davison]] later said that his look of sorrow and remorse at having to kill Kamellion was pure acting, as he was genuinely glad to be rid of the troublesome prop.
* Filming the scene where Turlough rescues Peri was bizarrely disrupted by a [[Germany|German]] naturist, who believed that [[Nicola Bryant]] was actually drowning when she filmed the scene of Peri struggling in the water. The man was very unhappy to learn that Bryant was just acting, and later ruined a take for a scene on the beach when he ran naked through the background of the shot.
* On the last night in Lanzarote, [[Dallas Adams]] and [[Peter Wyngarde]] liberated some turtles kept in the hotel pool and released them into the sea, causing the police to be summoned.
* [[John Nathan-Turner]] agreed to use Lanzarote as a setting after [[Fiona Cumming]] went there on holiday and sent him a postcard recommending it as a location. He still wasn't convinced. Cumming later went on another holiday there especially to convince him. She shot an entire roll of photos without any of her family in them, and then presented those photos to Nathan-Turner, saying that she meant it. He then agreed to have a story filmed on that location.
* [[Peter Grimwade]] was chosen to write the script to compensate him losing the job directing ''[[Resurrection of the Daleks (TV story)|Resurrection of the Daleks]]'''.''' ''[[Eric Saward|E]]'''<nowiki/>'''[[Eric Saward|ric]] [[Eric Saward|Saward]] felt he'd paid his dues to Grimwade, but felt that the script didn't work and it wasn't worth it in the end.
* Kamelion morphs into the Master and Howard in order to avoid having to bring the cumbersome robot prop on location.
* [[Peter Grimwade]] decided that Lanzarote would feature as two different locations in the story — the Greek island of Aeschyllos and the alien planet Sarn — to take advantage of the variety offered by the landscape. Grimwade was subsequently informed that the deal worked out between the production office and the Lanzarote Tourist Board meant that the Earthbound sections would actually have to be set in Lanzarote itself, forcing him to abandon some of the historical detail he had worked out. Grimwade found that writing for the Lanzarote locale was very difficult because of his unfamiliarity with the island. He had hoped to join the production team on a recce to Lanzarote in September, but was disappointed when [[John Nathan-Turner]] denied his request.
* [[Peter Grimwade]] later said that the commission "was just an excuse for the producer to take his team on a gang-bang and a nice holiday. It didn't work at all. You don't just commission a story and set it in Lanzarote because you want a bloody holiday".
* [[Stephen Garlick]] and [[Michael Troughton]] were interviewed for guest roles.
* [[Eleanor Bron]] was originally considered for the role of Sorasta.
* [[Mark Strickson]] and [[Nicola Bryant]] have both appeared in adaptations of ''[[A Christmas Carol]]. ''Strickson played the young [[Scrooge]] in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol_(1984_film) the 1984 film] and Bryant appeared in ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackadder%27s_Christmas_Carol Blackadder's Christmas Carol].''
* [[Fiona Cumming]] was delighted when [[Peter Wyngarde]] accepted her invitation to play Timonov. However, he then seized upon the script's implication that the numismaton gases had greatly prolonged Timonov's life, and made worrisome suggestions about the character speaking and moving very slowly. Fortunately, he later changed his mind and decided to interpret Timonov as being in the mould of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._E._Lawrence T.E. Lawrence].
* [[Dallas Adams]] played [[Nicola Bryant]]'s stepfather despite being thirteen years older than her.
* This is the final story of the Classic Series to be a multi-companion story that isn't a [[Multi-Doctor story]]; ''[[Dragonfire (TV story)|Dragonfire]]'' doesn't count as [[Ace]] wasn't officially a companion until the ending.
* [[Peter Wyngarde]] later recalled - "''Planet of Fire'' was my first TV work since ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_King_(TV_series) Jason King,]'' and it nearly killed me on location in Lanzerote. The place is full of volcanoes, which is ideal for scenes of an alien planet, but it played hell with a trapped nerve in my back. I was in so much pain that I couldn’t walk properly, We came up with the perfect answer – give the priest a staff. Doctor Who fans will think it’s a prop, but I really needed it!"
 
=== Ratings ===
* Part one - 7.4 million viewers
* Part two - 6.1 million viewers
* Part three - 7.4 million viewers
* Part four - 7.0 million viewers
 
=== Filming locations ===
* [[Lanzarote]] in the [[Canary Islands]]. This was the first ''Doctor Who'' story to include filming away from the European continent.
* Papagayo Beach, Lanzarote
* Orzola Jetty, Orzola, Lanzarote
* Mirador del Rio, Lanzarote
* Montañas del Fuego, Timanfaya National Park, Lanzarote
* [[BBC Television Centre]] ([[List of stories recorded at BBC Television Centre|TC6 &amp; TC8]]), Shepherd's Bush, [[London]]
 
=== Production errors ===
{{discontinuity}}
* The studio and [[location filming|location]] shots of Turlough rescuing Peri don't quite match up. She's still wet from her near-drowning when Turlough gets her to the exterior of the TARDIS doors, but is dry when they cut to the interior, studio shot.
[[File:NotPeriPassport.jpg|thumb|right|This really isn't Peri's passport at all, but one belonging to a man named Sydney who was born in New York in 1940]]
* According to [[Director (crew)|director]] [[Fiona Cumming]] in the DVD commentary, Peri's [[passport]] was not specifically made for this production, but was, rather, the reuse of a passport that actor [[Dallas Adams]] had used in another production. Therefore, any details gleaned from freeze-framing the close-ups on the prop — such as her birthdate and location — were not specific to Peri, but to the character Adams had played in the other production. Thus, they are technically production errors. Oddly, the production subtitles on the DVD champion the information contained within the passport, despite Cumming's revelations about the true origin of the prop.
 
== Continuity ==
* The Doctor speaks of the [[Dalek]]s and the departure of Tegan. ([[TV]]: ''[[Resurrection of the Daleks (TV story)|Resurrection of the Daleks]]'')
* Kamelion reappears. ([[TV]]: ''[[The King's Demons (TV story)|The King's Demons]]'')
* Turlough's origins are explained. ([[TV]]: ''[[Mawdryn Undead (TV story)|Mawdryn Undead]]'')
* The Doctor and Peri encounter the Master following his burning in [[PROSE]]: ''[[A Town Called Eternity (short story)|A Town Called Eternity]]''.
 
== Home video and audio releases ==
=== DVD releases ===
This story was first released on DVD in the [[UK]] on [[14 June (releases)|14 June]] [[2010 (releases)|2010]] as part of the ''[[Kamelion Tales]]'' box set, alongside ''[[The King's Demons (TV story)|The King's Demons]]''. The two-disc set includes a [http://www.purpleville.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/rtwebsite.htm restored version] of the story, as well as the following special features:
 
* Commentary by [[Peter Davison]] ([[Fifth Doctor|The Doctor]]), [[Nicola Bryant]] ([[Peri Brown|Peri]]), [[Mark Strickson]] ([[Vislor Turlough|Turlough]]) and director [[Fiona Cumming]]
* ''[[The Flames of Sarn (documentary)|The Flames of Sarn]]'' - Cast and crew look back on ''Planet of Fire'' (Region 2 only; omitted from Region 1/North American release of the DVD due to rights issues)
* ''[[Return to the Planet of Fire (documentary)|Return to the Planet of Fire]]'' - Fiona Cumming and designer [[Malcolm Thornton]] revisit the locations
* ''[[Designs on Sarn (documentary)|Designs of Sarn]]'' - Malcolm Thornton on production design
* Deleted and Extended Scenes
* [[BBC One|BBC1]] Continuity
* Isolated Score
* ''[[Radio Times]]'' Billings (PDF DVD-ROM - PC/Mac)
* Production Information Subtitles
* Photo Gallery
* Coming Soon Trailer - ''[[The Dominators (TV story)|The Dominators]]''
* [[Planet of Fire The Movie (home video)|Feature Length Version]] - A totally new edit of the story in 16:9 widescreen format featuring 5.1 Surround Sound, new CGI effects and extra footage, overseen and with an introduction by original director Fiona Cumming
* ''[[Remembering Anthony Ainley (documentary)|Remembering Anthony Ainley]]'' - A tribute to the late actor
* ''[[Calling the Shots (documentary)|Calling the Shots]]'' - A look at the story's production
* [[Easter Egg]]s:
** VT countdown clock for all four parts. To access this hidden feature, press left at ''The Flames of Sarn'' on Disc One's Special Features menu to reveal a hidden ''[[Doctor Who]]'' logo.
** ''[[Planet of Fire Factoids (documentary)|Planet of Fire Factoids]]'': Trivia from the serial. To access this hidden feature, select Isolated Score on the Audio Options section of Disc One's Special Features menu, then press right at Isolated Score to illuminate the ''Doctor Who'' logo.
 
* Editing for the DVD release was completed by the [[Doctor Who Restoration Team]].
 
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true">
File:Bbcdvd-planetoffire.jpg|UK DVD 2010 Cover
File:Bbcdvd-kameliontales.jpg|UK DVD 2010 Box set
Planet of fire.jpg|Region 1 cover
Planet-of-fire-1.jpg|Region 4 cover
Kamelion Tales.jpg|Region 4 box set cover
</gallery>
 
=== VHS releases ===
* This story was released on video in UK and Australia / NZ in [[1998 (releases)|1998]] and the US in [[1999 (releases)|1999]].
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true">
File:Planet of Fire VHS UK cover.jpg|UK VHS cover
File:Planet of Fire VHS US cover.jpg|US VHS cover
File:Planet of Fire VHS Australian cover.jpg|Australian VHS Cover
</gallery>
 
== Footnotes ==
{{Reflist}}
 
== External links ==
* {{bbcepguideclassic|planetoffire/|Planet of Fire}}
* {{radiotimes|2012-03-28/planet-of-fire}}
{{dwcast}}
{{dwrefguide|who_6q.htm|Planet of Fire}}
* {{briefhistory|serials/6q.html|Planet of Fire}}
* {{locguide|planetoffire|Planet of Fire}}
 
{{DWTV}}
{{Tremas Master stories}}
{{TitleSort}}
 
[[Category:Doctor Who (1963) television stories]]
[[Category:Fifth Doctor television stories]]
[[Category:Tremas Master television stories]]
[[Category:Stories set in 1984]]
[[Category:Stories set in 1984]]
[[Category:Stories set on Lanzarote]]
[[Category:Stories set on Lanzarote]]
[[Category:1984 television stories]]
[[Category:Season 21 stories]]
[[Category:Four part serials]]
 
[[de:Planet of Fire]]
[[es:Planet of Fire]]

Latest revision as of 11:25, 3 August 2024

RealWorld.png

Planet of Fire was the fifth serial in season 21 of Doctor Who. In addition to being the penultimate adventure to regularly feature Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor, the story featured the final regular appearance of Mark Strickson as Vislor Turlough, the destruction of Kamelion and the introduction of Peri Brown. It was Peter Grimwade's final script and Fiona Cumming's last directorial turn for the programme. For Turlough's last story, it was decided that his mysterious past, outlined in Mawdryn Undead, should be explored.

Exteriors were shot on location in Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. The location was chosen after Cumming promoted it with photos from her holiday. Grimwade decided to use the island for multiple settings and the island's volcanic landscape also doubled for the planet Sarn. Grimwade had trouble writing for the setting, having never been there. John Nathan-Turner denied Grimwade's request to accompany the select members of the crew to the island, as he felt writers were not needed. (INFO: Planet of Fire)

Planet of Fire also had a notable guest cast: Peter Wyngarde had starred as flamboyant amateur detective Jason King in Department S and Jason King, while Barbara Shelley had appeared in various Hammer horror films.

Synopsis[[edit] | [edit source]]

A strange signal from Earth draws the TARDIS to the island of Lanzarote, where Turlough rescues a young American girl, Peri, from drowning. Among her possessions is an artefact bearing an alien symbol - the same triangular mark that Turlough has branded into his arm.

The mystery deepens when Kamelion falls under the control of a powerful mind, and the TARDIS travels to the volcanic world of Sarn. As Turlough is forced to face his past, the Fifth Doctor must stop his oldest enemy from harnessing the revitalising powers of Numismaton gas...

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

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

On the desolate volcanic planet Sarn, chief elder Timanov counsels the young Chosen One Malkon on how to act in the wake of increased seismic activity, heralding the imminent volcanic catastrophe known as the Time of Fire. Their god Logar, the devout Timanov warns, is greatly displeased at the number of unbelievers. As the Chosen One – so chosen due to the triangular "Mark of Logar" on his arm – Malkon has sole authority to assign heretics to burn in the Cave of Fire and thereby appease their god. Malkon doubts his resolve to condemn unbelievers to death. Meanwhile, two such unbelievers, Amyand and Roskal, scale the forbidden Mountain of Fire – believed to be Logar's dwelling place – and find the crater at the top empty. Now fully convinced that Logar is a myth, they return to the village to spread the news.

As the Fifth Doctor muses bitterly about Daleks and the departure of Tegan, Kamelion's agonised cries are heard from an adjoining room. He has linked himself to the TARDIS data core. The TARDIS then picks up a distress signal; Turlough recognises the pattern and is sufficiently dismayed that he disables the communicator to stop the signal. The TARDIS coordinates have been changed, apparently by Kamelion, and they are en route to the source of the signal, the island of Lanzarote.

American archaeologist Howard Foster and his team are trolling the nearby seabed for ancient relics. Among the artefacts they pull up is a strange, anachronistic metal object also bearing the Mark of Logar. Howard's restless stepdaughter Peri Brown, accompanying the expedition while on holiday from university, is bored and wants to travel with her friends to Morocco. Howard appears to relent but strands her on the boat to make her miss her flight. Peri is furious at Howard but finds his wallet full of money and the alien object he fished out of the lake. She thinks it may be worth some money. Peri strips to her bikini and stuffs the artefact, Howard's money and her clothes into a plastic bag. She then jumps in the sea and begins swimming to shore.

The Doctor's currency of unknown origin.

While the Doctor explores the island trying to find the source of the signal, Turlough has returned to the TARDIS, where he finds Kamelion at the console trying to establish contact with an unknown entity. Turlough overloads the console to disable him, thinking the signal may be from Trion. On the monitor, he sees Peri struggling in the water and beginning to drown. He runs out of the TARDIS, strips to his bathing suit, jumps into the water and swims out to her. He pulls her ashore and takes her to Tegan's old room to recuperate. He finds the alien artefact in the bag, pulling up his sleeve to show that he too bears the Mark of Logar on his arm. While Peri tosses and turns, muttering incoherent apologies, Kamelion seizes on her psychic impulses and transforms into Howard. The Doctor has traced the signal back to the artefact now in the TARDIS. The doors close and the TARDIS takes off automatically, apparently returning the object to its planet of origin, Sarn. Kamelion enters as Howard, but his mannerisms are like someone else's. After putting her clothes back on over her swimsuit, Peri enters the control room, confused as to where she is.

In the great hall on Sarn, Timanov and Malkon attempt to quell the citizens' unrest due to the impending Time of Fire. The arrival of Amyand and Roskal with the news of their findings causes even more disruption. A desperate Timanov calls for a sign from Logar, and a burst of flame from the Cave of Fire is the apparent answer. Timanov says this is a call from Logar to burn the unbelievers. Just then, a lookout announces the arrival of the TARDIS, describing it in a way that corresponds with their legend of the Outsider, a representative of Logar. Timanov urges Malkon to condemn the heretics, but he hesitates.

Once the Doctor and Turlough leave to explore, "Howard" announces that contact has been established and that he now has control of the TARDIS. As he laughs maniacally, his features change into those of the Master before Peri's horrified eyes.

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

The Doctor and Turlough explore the apparently deserted village square finding the triangular pattern, which Turlough identifies as the Misos Triangle, etched on a column. The Misos Triangle is an emblem of Turlough's home planet, Trion, but he is not forthcoming with further details. They do not notice another TARDIS materialising nearby.

The Master's control of Kamelion is tenuous, and the shape-shifting robot momentarily regains self-control. He removes the TARDIS's comparator and urges Peri to give it to the Doctor, but then loses his self-will and his form shifts back to the Master. He pulls her out into the village square towards the Master's TARDIS, but a sudden tremor knocks it over, door-side down and a large rock falls, hitting Kamelion and causing him to fall over, allowing Peri to escape into the desolate wilderness. The Master, trapped inside his TARDIS, orders Kamelion to pilot the Doctor's TARDIS inside his own, but without the comparator it won't function.

Turlough reveals his Misos Triangle to Malkon.

The unbelievers storm the great hall, having found and befriended the Doctor and Turlough, displaying the travellers as the Outsiders. Turlough discovers the Misos Triangle on Malkon's arm, showing his own. He is convinced that the relics in the hall are from his father's ship and that Malkon might be his younger brother. Malkon describes how he was found in the Place of Fire as an infant, and Turlough convinces him to take him there, where they find the wreckage of a crashed spaceship. They encounter Peri, who had been wandering lost since eluding "the Master". When Turlough learns that the Master is involved, they dash back to the village to warn the Doctor.

The Doctor, however, finds himself at the mercy of Timanov and his own Outsider, Kamelion/the Master. Under the "Master's" sway, Timanov orders the sacrifice of the unbelievers to the flame. "The Master" demands the return of the comparator, which the Doctor doesn't have, as his new allies are pushed toward the mouth of the Cave of Fire.

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

Malkon demands that the execution cease, but is shot down in the ensuing struggle. Timanov has the unbelievers and the Doctor locked into the cave with the flame. Turlough uses a Trion relic to remotely disable the sacrificial flame, which Timanov shows as a sign of displeasure from Logar at Malkon's apparent assassination. Still fooled by the "Master", Timanov leads a team in helping to shift the Master's TARDIS, but once upright, "the Master" pulls Peri inside and dematerialises. Turlough arrives and releases the Doctor and the unbelievers from the cave.

The Doctor struggles to figure out why the Master is on Sarn, and how to rescue the citizens from the impending doom of the volcanic eruption. He also reasons that the Trions had a more productive use for the Cave of Fire than mere sacrifice. Timanov speaks of a time when he was young, and he encountered Logar who took him to a bath of blue flame that rejuvenated him.

The Master's TARDIS materialises in a control room deep below the volcano. "The Master" enlists Peri's assistance, on pain of death from his Tissue Compression Eliminator weapon, in controlling the machinery there to harness the power of Numismaton Gas, which is indeed a bright blue flame renowned for its healing properties. The Doctor takes advantage of the presence of the Numismaton flame to heal the ailing Malkon in the Cave of Fire. Eluding the Kamelion/Master and ducking into the Master's TARDIS, Peri locates what she reasons must be Kamelion's control box. Lifting the lid, she finds the Master lurking within, reduced to mere inches in height.

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

The Master, having accidentally shrunk himself while attempting to upgrade his TCE weapon, seeks the power of the Numismaton Gas to restore himself. He constructed the control box to re-establish contact with his slave Kamelion to help him reach Sarn.

Peri accidentally knocks the Master's control box over which allows the Master to escape into his TARDIS. Peri tries to track him down and swat him with her shoe, but he escapes and hides in the TARDIS console. There, he taunts Peri and shorts the controls to open the TARDIS door. Peri runs out and into the wilderness.

The Doctor and Amyand, with Peri's help, have reached the Numismaton gas control room. They find protective metallic suits which correspond with the traditional image of Logar. The Doctor realises that the Trions have used the control room to regulate the seismic activity, but the impending eruption will be too big to control. The Doctor sends Amyand back to the ruins wearing the only remaining suit.

Kamelion pilots the Master's TARDIS into the blue flame and brings out the control box, bearing the Master within. As Kamelion advances menacingly on the Doctor with the TCE, he overloads the gas control circuitry to give Kamelion a near-fatal "heart attack". Kamelion, now freed from the Master's control, begs for destruction, and the Doctor complies with the TCE.

The Master is restored to full height by the Numismaton gas and gleefully describes the tortures that await the Doctor at his hands. But the Doctor's fiddling with the controls cuts off the gas, leaving the Master to burn in the full power of the naked flames. The Master's pleas for mercy go unheeded and the Doctor watches as his enemy is apparently consumed by fire.

Turlough bids the Doctor goodbye.

Turlough, despite his status as a Trion political prisoner, swallows his pride and manages to re-activate the communication system in the wreckage of his father's ship, summoning a Trion rescue ship to pick up the Sarn survivors. Timanov, humbled by his easy manipulation by the Master in the name of his god, declines rescue and opts to perish in the ensuing volcano. Acting on instructions from the Doctor, Turlough programs the TARDIS to rescue the Doctor and Peri from the gas control room before it is destroyed. The Trion captain Lomand informs Turlough that due to a general amnesty, his exile has been lifted and he is free to return home. Turlough thanks the Doctor for everything, and the two warmly bid each other farewell. Peri, on the other hand, asks to travel with the Doctor for the remaining three months of her vacation. The Doctor agrees, and he welcomes her aboard the TARDIS as it takes flight.

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

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

Crew[[edit] | [edit source]]

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

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

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

  • Peri mentions the deities Poseidon and Hephaestus.
  • The Doctor guesses that a kouros is dated late Classical period and a work by a pupil of Praxiteles.
  • Peri hints that her mother is busy exploring a Cro-Magnon cave.

Individuals[[edit] | [edit source]]

Locations[[edit] | [edit source]]

Science[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Peri's summer studying includes an ecology project.
  • The volcanic activity on Sarn produces Numismaton Gas, "an immensely rare catalytic reagent" with great healing properties.

The TARDIS[[edit] | [edit source]]

Technology[[edit] | [edit source]]

Influences[[edit] | [edit source]]

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

  • This story had the working title of Planet of Fear.[1]
  • Kamelion appears for the first time since The King's Demons the previous season; complications involving the robot model prevented him from appearing in other episodes, although a scene was filmed for The Awakening but edited out before transmission. Kamelion's "death" makes him the fourth known companion to die while travelling with the Doctor, following Katarina, Sara Kingdom, and Adric.
  • It was during the production of this serial that Peter Davison and Nicola Bryant participated in their infamous "James Bond" photo shoot, in which Davison donned a tuxedo and prop gun and Bryant a bikini.
  • This is the only televised Fifth Doctor story not to visually contain Tegan Jovanka. The Doctor's reference to Tegan at the beginning of part one means that she was technically a part of every single one of his television stories in some way. This also occurred with Peri Brown, who appeared (or, if you discount The Trial of a Time Lord as as a single story, either appeared or was mentioned) in every Sixth Doctor story, Rose Tyler, who appeared in every episode during the Ninth Doctor era, and Yas with the Thirteenth Doctor.
  • This was the final serial to feature a male companion until the series revival in 2005. Turlough was the last regular male companion seen on screen — barring the guest returns of Jamie McCrimmon in The Two Doctors (TV story) and Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart in Battlefield in 1989 — until Adam Mitchell appeared in the two stories TV: Dalek and TV: The Long Game in 2005. However, there were several non-televised male companions to have travelled with the Doctor in other media between Turlough and Adam, including Frobisher, Thomas Brewster, Hex and C'rizz.
  • The departure of Turlough and the destruction of Kamelion mark the end of an almost seven-year span of stories featuring at least one non-human companion. It began with the introduction of the robot dog K9 Mark I in TV: The Invisible Enemy in 1977. The other non-human companions who travelled with the Doctor in the interim were K9 Mark II, the first and second incarnations of the Time Lady Romana, the Alzarian Adric and the Trakenite Nyssa. Turlough and Kamelion would be the final non-human companions to appear in a televised Doctor Who story, until the guest reappearance of K9 Mark III in TV: School Reunion in 2006. Turlough would also be the last non-human companion and last male companion to travel alone with the Doctor until Nardole became a companion in TV: The Return of Doctor Mysterio.
  • The combined Radio Times cast for parts one/two incorrectly credits Nicola Bryant as "Perpugillian Brown" and Gerald Flood as "Voice of Kamelior".
  • The Master's final line before apparently being killed is directed squarely at the Doctor: "Won't you show mercy to your own ..." According to the DVD commentary, Fiona Cumming asked John Nathan-Turner how the line was to end, to which he replied, "brother". However, Anthony Ainley never said the word in any take captured on video. Therefore fans were free to speculate about how the line was to have ended. In TV: The Sound of Drums, the Tenth Doctor strongly implies that the Master was not his brother.
  • In PROSE: Shell Shock, it is strongly implied that Howard sexually abused Peri when she was younger. Some read this as supporting Peri's dream-state behaviour in this story where she shouts out Howard's name after saying, "Don't turn out the light." However, by concentrating on just these two lines, the two previous lines —"No, Howard. Please don't leave me alone." — are conveniently ignored. It's somewhat unlikely that a person plagued by parental abuse would be begging for the abuser to stay with her. Indeed, the DVD commentary makes it very clear the production team were aiming for a positive, friendly relationship between the two characters and there's not much more than Shell Shock which suggests anything improper between Howard and Peri. In fact, AUDIO: The Reaping details the reasons for the divorce of Howard and Peri's mother Janine Foster and completely fails to mention any sort of sexual abuse. Shell Shock is thus one view of the relationship between Peri and Howard, which has never been supported clearly by any performed Doctor Who.
  • The story was the second of three consecutive serials, along with Resurrection of the Daleks and The Caves of Androzani, that saw the departure of one of the season's regular cast members. In this serial, Mark Strickson departs as Turlough.
  • Peter Grimwade was furious at the casting of Dallas Adams as Prof. Foster. He had written the part for an elderly man who evoked the spirit of archaeologist Howard Carter. This casting caused Grimwade to cut his links with the series.
  • The Master was originally supposed to be killed off for good, as Anthony Ainley's contract had expired.
  • Graeme Harper was attached to direct at one time. He ended up directing the following story instead.
  • The script originally contained commentary on issues of religious zealotry, something that was toned down by Eric Saward.
  • In the script, Peri forged a bond with the Doctor partly because he reminds her of her late father, who died at the same age as the Doctor now appears.
  • The Elder leader Timanov was written originally by Peter Grimwade as a parody of Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini but this element was greatly reduced in rewrites by Eric Saward.
  • It was decided that because of the climate of Lanzarote, where the serial was filmed, the cast would have to alter their usual costumes.
    • Mark Strickson shed his usual school uniform in favour of a blue pin-stripe shirt and tan shorts with a pair of swim briefs underneath.
    • Nicola Bryant also wore a pink bikini beneath her clothes to which she stripped down for a couple of scenes.
    • Although Peter Davison started the story wearing his cricketer outfit, for the rest of the story, he wore a different pair of trousers with question mark braces and a beige floral cardigan-style waistcoat. He sheds the waistcoat and hat at one point and spends the latter part of the story in his shirt, trousers, and braces.
  • Peter Davison later said that his look of sorrow and remorse at having to kill Kamellion was pure acting, as he was genuinely glad to be rid of the troublesome prop.
  • Filming the scene where Turlough rescues Peri was bizarrely disrupted by a German naturist, who believed that Nicola Bryant was actually drowning when she filmed the scene of Peri struggling in the water. The man was very unhappy to learn that Bryant was just acting, and later ruined a take for a scene on the beach when he ran naked through the background of the shot.
  • On the last night in Lanzarote, Dallas Adams and Peter Wyngarde liberated some turtles kept in the hotel pool and released them into the sea, causing the police to be summoned.
  • John Nathan-Turner agreed to use Lanzarote as a setting after Fiona Cumming went there on holiday and sent him a postcard recommending it as a location. He still wasn't convinced. Cumming later went on another holiday there especially to convince him. She shot an entire roll of photos without any of her family in them, and then presented those photos to Nathan-Turner, saying that she meant it. He then agreed to have a story filmed on that location.
  • Peter Grimwade was chosen to write the script to compensate him losing the job directing Resurrection of the Daleks. Eric Saward felt he'd paid his dues to Grimwade, but felt that the script didn't work and it wasn't worth it in the end.
  • Kamelion morphs into the Master and Howard in order to avoid having to bring the cumbersome robot prop on location.
  • Peter Grimwade decided that Lanzarote would feature as two different locations in the story — the Greek island of Aeschyllos and the alien planet Sarn — to take advantage of the variety offered by the landscape. Grimwade was subsequently informed that the deal worked out between the production office and the Lanzarote Tourist Board meant that the Earthbound sections would actually have to be set in Lanzarote itself, forcing him to abandon some of the historical detail he had worked out. Grimwade found that writing for the Lanzarote locale was very difficult because of his unfamiliarity with the island. He had hoped to join the production team on a recce to Lanzarote in September, but was disappointed when John Nathan-Turner denied his request.
  • Peter Grimwade later said that the commission "was just an excuse for the producer to take his team on a gang-bang and a nice holiday. It didn't work at all. You don't just commission a story and set it in Lanzarote because you want a bloody holiday".
  • Stephen Garlick and Michael Troughton were interviewed for guest roles.
  • Eleanor Bron was originally considered for the role of Sorasta.
  • Mark Strickson and Nicola Bryant have both appeared in adaptations of A Christmas Carol. Strickson played the young Scrooge in the 1984 film and Bryant appeared in Blackadder's Christmas Carol.
  • Fiona Cumming was delighted when Peter Wyngarde accepted her invitation to play Timonov. However, he then seized upon the script's implication that the numismaton gases had greatly prolonged Timonov's life, and made worrisome suggestions about the character speaking and moving very slowly. Fortunately, he later changed his mind and decided to interpret Timonov as being in the mould of T.E. Lawrence.
  • Dallas Adams played Nicola Bryant's stepfather despite being thirteen years older than her.
  • This is the final story of the Classic Series to be a multi-companion story that isn't a Multi-Doctor story; Dragonfire doesn't count as Ace wasn't officially a companion until the ending.
  • Peter Wyngarde later recalled - "Planet of Fire was my first TV work since Jason King, and it nearly killed me on location in Lanzerote. The place is full of volcanoes, which is ideal for scenes of an alien planet, but it played hell with a trapped nerve in my back. I was in so much pain that I couldn’t walk properly, We came up with the perfect answer – give the priest a staff. Doctor Who fans will think it’s a prop, but I really needed it!"

Ratings[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Part one - 7.4 million viewers
  • Part two - 6.1 million viewers
  • Part three - 7.4 million viewers
  • Part four - 7.0 million viewers

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

  • Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. This was the first Doctor Who story to include filming away from the European continent.
  • Papagayo Beach, Lanzarote
  • Orzola Jetty, Orzola, Lanzarote
  • Mirador del Rio, Lanzarote
  • Montañas del Fuego, Timanfaya National Park, Lanzarote
  • BBC Television Centre (TC6 & TC8), 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.
  • The studio and location shots of Turlough rescuing Peri don't quite match up. She's still wet from her near-drowning when Turlough gets her to the exterior of the TARDIS doors, but is dry when they cut to the interior, studio shot.
This really isn't Peri's passport at all, but one belonging to a man named Sydney who was born in New York in 1940
  • According to director Fiona Cumming in the DVD commentary, Peri's passport was not specifically made for this production, but was, rather, the reuse of a passport that actor Dallas Adams had used in another production. Therefore, any details gleaned from freeze-framing the close-ups on the prop — such as her birthdate and location — were not specific to Peri, but to the character Adams had played in the other production. Thus, they are technically production errors. Oddly, the production subtitles on the DVD champion the information contained within the passport, despite Cumming's revelations about the true origin of the prop.

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

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

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

This story was first released on DVD in the UK on 14 June 2010 as part of the Kamelion Tales box set, alongside The King's Demons. The two-disc set includes a restored version of the story, as well as the following special features:

  • UK DVD 2010 Cover

    UK DVD 2010 Cover

  • UK DVD 2010 Box set

    UK DVD 2010 Box set

  • Region 1 cover

    Region 1 cover

  • Region 4 cover

    Region 4 cover

  • Region 4 box set cover

    Region 4 box set cover

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

  • This story was released on video in UK and Australia / NZ in 1998 and the US in 1999.
  • UK VHS cover

    UK VHS cover

  • US VHS cover

    US VHS cover

  • Australian VHS Cover

    Australian VHS Cover

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. ↑ According to Planet of Fire at Shannon Sullivan's A Brief History of Time (Travel).

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

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