The Creature from the Pit (TV story): Difference between revisions

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{{Infobox Story SMW
story name= The Creature from the Pit|
|novelisation    = Doctor Who and the Creature from the Pit (novelisation)
image=[[file:Star behind.jpg|250px]] |
|image           = Star behind.jpg  
series=[[Doctor Who]] -<br/>[[List of Doctor Who television stories|TV Stories]] |
|series         = [[Doctor Who television stories|''Doctor Who'' television stories]]
number= [[Season 17]] |
|season number   = Season 17 (Doctor Who 1963)|
story number= 106|
|season serial number = 3
doctor=[[Fourth Doctor]] |
|story number   = 106
companions= [[Romana II]]<br/>[[K9 Mark II]]|
|doctor         = Fourth Doctor  
enemy= [[Adrasta|Lady Adrasta]] |
|companions     = [[K9 Mark II]], [[Romana II]]
year= [[Chloris]]|
|enemy           = [[Lady]] [[Adrasta]]  
writer= [[David Fisher]] |
|setting        = [[Chloris]]
director= [[Christopher Barry]] |
|writer         = David Fisher (writer)
producer= [[Graham Williams]] |
|director       = [[Christopher Barry]]  
broadcast date= [[27th October|27]] [[October]] [[1979]] -<br/> [[17th November|17]] [[November]] [[1979]] |
|producer       = [[Graham Williams]]  
format= 4 25-minute Episodes |
|epcount        = 4
production code= [[List of production codes|5G]]|
|broadcast date = 27 October - 17 November 1979  
previous story=[[City of Death]]|
|network        = BBC1
next story=[[Nightmare of Eden]]
|format         = 4x25-minute episodes
}}{{TV stub}}
|serial production code = [[List of production codes|5G]]
'''''The Creature from the Pit''''' was the third story in [[Season 17|season seventeen]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]''.
|prev            = City of Death (TV story)
|next           = Nightmare of Eden (TV story)
|made prev      = The Armageddon Factor (TV story)
|made next      = City of Death (TV story)
|thwr = 2
}}
'''''The Creature from the Pit''''' was the third serial in [[Season 17 (Doctor Who 1963)|season 17]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]''. This was the last story [[Director (crew)|directed]] by [[Christopher Barry]], who had first worked on the show since [[1963 (production)|1963]]. It was the first story produced, though not the first broadcast, to feature [[Lalla Ward]] as [[Romana II|the Doctor's companion]].


This story was one of season seventeen's many "downsized" stories. This meant that the Doctor would be working on a smaller scale rather than saving the universe as he had been throughout [[Season 16|the past season]].  
This story was one of the season's "downsized" stories. This meant that the Doctor would be working on a smaller scale rather than saving the universe as he had been throughout [[Season 16 (Doctor Who 1963)|the past season]].


The serial made use of complicated model work to achieve the [[space]] scenes with the original scene having to be filmed again. The [[Erato]] prop was also a major problem. A puppet version was unable for rehearsals and there wasn't time for a rethinking.
The serial made use of complicated model work to achieve the [[space]] scenes; the original scene had to be filmed again. The [[Erato]] prop was also a major problem. A puppet version was unavailable for rehearsals and there wasn't time for a redesign.
==Synopsis==
[[Fourth Doctor|The Doctor]] and Romana receive a distress signal and arrive on Chloris, a lush and verdant world that has only small quantities of metals, all of which are controlled by its ruler, Lady Adrasta. Adrasta keeps order with the aid of her Huntsman and his wolfweeds - mobile balls of vegetation - while a band of scruffy thieves, led by Torvin, organize raids on her palace to steal whatever metal they can.


The Doctor identifies the distress signal's source as a large eggshell-like structure in the forest. He is taken prisoner by Adrasta's guards and, in order to escape, leaps into the Pit - the entrance to a cave system into which all those who incur Adrasta's wrath are consigned to be devoured by an immense green globular creature living within. The Doctor, with the aid of the elderly soothsayer Organon, discovers that the creature is not an unthinking killer but an ambassador from the planet Tythonus, which has a lack of chlorophyll but an abundance of metal.
== Synopsis ==
The [[Fourth Doctor]] and [[Romana II]] receive a [[distress signal]] and arrive on [[Chloris]]. It is a lush and verdant world with only small quantities of [[metal]]s, all of which are controlled by its ruler, [[Adrasta|Lady Adrasta]]. Adrasta keeps order with the aid of her [[Huntsman (The Creature from the Pit)|Huntsman]] and his [[Wolfweed]]s - mobile balls of [[vegetation]]. A band of [[thief|thieves]], led by [[Torvin]], organise raids on her palace to steal whatever metal they can. But in the [[mine]]s of Chloris is something huge, a creature thrown into the pit to be forgotten... and the Doctor is about to join him.


The Tythonians had hoped to trade with Chloris, but the first person their ambassador [[Erato]] encountered on arriving in his eggshell-like ship was Adrasta, who took his communicator device and trapped him in the Pit so as to preserve her monopoly on metal. Erato retrieves his communicator and kills Adrasta.
== Plot ==
=== Part one ===
An [[MK3 Emergency transceiver]] on [[the Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]] identifies a distress signal and brings the craft to the lush jungle world of [[Chloris]], where metal in all forms is a rare and prized commodity. [[Fourth Doctor|The Doctor]], [[Romana II|Romana]] and [[K9 Mark II|K9]] venture out to discover the remains of an enormous egg in the jungle. The Doctor is immediately beset by [[Wolfweed]]s under the control of the [[Huntsman (The Creature from the Pit)|Huntsman]], who then releases the Doctor and orders his death. [[Karela]] countermands him and has the Doctor and Romana taken prisoner instead.


He then warns the Doctor that the Tythonians have set a neutron star on a collision course with Chloris in retaliation for his imprisonment. With the Doctor's help he is freed from the Pit and, out in space, spins an aluminium shell around the star, allowing for it to be pulled off course by the TARDIS's gravitational tractor beam and thus saving Chloris.
[[File:Doc in stocks.jpg|left|thumb|[[Fourth Doctor|The Doctor]] is paraded in [[stocks]].]]
As they travel through the jungle, bandits attack them and Romana is taken prisoner by them. The Doctor is taken to the palace of the Lady [[Adrasta]], who rules the planet by controlling all the metal. He examines the throne room and takes particular interest in a [[Tythonian communicator|plate]] upon the wall.


==Plot==
Elsewhere, Romana uses a [[dog whistle]] to summon K9. With his help, she escapes the bandits.
===Part one===
The use of an [[MK3 Emergency transceiver]] on the [[the Doctor's TARDIS|TARDIS]] identifies a distress signal and brings the craft to the lush jungle world of [[Chloris]], where metal in all forms is a rare and prized commodity. [[Fourth Doctor|The Doctor]], [[Romana II|Romana]] and [[K9 Mark II|K9]] venture out to discover the remains of an enormous egg in the jungle. The Doctor is immediately beset by [[Wolfweed]]s under the control of the [[Huntsman]]. He releases the Doctor and then orders his death. [[Karela]] countermands him and has the Doctor and Romana taken prisoner.


[[File:Doc in stocks.jpg|left|thumb|150px|[[Fourth Doctor|The Doctor]] is paraded in stocks.]]
Adrasta takes the Doctor to a pit to witness the execution an engineer called [[Doran]] who failed to make some of the observations the Doctor made about the egg. He is thrown to a creature that lives within the vast caverns below. Romana arrives and tries to help the Doctor escape as K9 attacks the guards. However, the Wolfweeds quickly surround and disable K9. The Doctor then jumps into the pit.
As they travel through the jungle, bandits attack them and Romana is taken prisoner. The Doctor is taken to the palace of the Lady [[Adrasta]] who rules the planet by controlling all the metal. The Doctor examines the throne room and takes particular interest in a [[Tythonian Communicator|plate]] upon the wall. Romana uses a [[dog whistle]] to summon K9. With his help, she escapes the bandits.  


The Doctor is taken to a pit to witness the execution of one of Adrasta's men. He is thrown to a creature that lives within the vast caverns beneath the pit. Romana arrives and tries to help the Doctor escape with K9 attacking the guards. However, the Wolfweeds quickly surround and disable K9. The Doctor jumps into the pit.
=== Part two ===
Romana notices that the Doctor is still alive, clinging to the side of the pit. He signals to keep silent as to his survival. Adrasta decides that Romana may be of use, as will the metal K9. The Doctor loses his grip and falls into the pit.


===Part two===
Meanwhile, Lady Adrasta tries to get information out of Romana as her guards slowly hammer away at K9. Eventually Romana tells her that only K9 has the answers what Adrasta is looking for.
Romana notices that the Doctor is alive, clinging to the side of the pit. He beckons her to keep silent as to his survival. Adrasta decides that Romana may be of use as will K9 as he is made of metal. The Doctor loses his grip and falls into the pit.


Meanwhile, Lady Adrasta began trying to get information out of Romana. To do this, she had her guards slowly hammer away at K9. Eventually Romana told her that only K9 new what Adrasta wanted. In the woods, the bandits decide to attack the palace, believing that the guards will be searching for them.
In the woods, the bandits decide to attack the palace, believing that the guards will be searching for them.


[[File:K9 and Adrasta.jpg|right|thumb|150px|[[Adrasta]] threatens [[K9 Mark II|K9]].]]
[[File:K9 and Adrasta.jpg|right|thumb|[[Adrasta]] threatens [[K9 Mark II|K9]].]]
Within the Pit, the Doctor encounters [[Organon]], an astrologer thrown there by Adrasta some time earlier. They escape from the creatures tentacle and then burn it to deter it from attacking again. Together they begin exploring the caverns.
Within the Pit, the Doctor finds the corpses of Doran and one of Adrasta's men who fell into the pit after being stunned by K9 and then encounters [[Organon]], an astrologer thrown down there by Adrasta. The creature attacks but they manage to escape from its tentacle and then burn it to deter it from attacking again. They then begin exploring the caverns.


K9 tells Adrasta about the TARDIS. With such a machine, Adrasta no longer sees a need for the creature. She decides that K9 will kill it for her. They venture through a passage into the caverns of the pit.
K9 tells Adrasta about the TARDIS. Realising that, with such a machine, she no longer needs the creature, she decides that K9 will kill it for her. They venture through a passage and into the caverns of the pit.


The Doctor, Organon and a number of Adrasta's guards come across the creature. The guards attack it, to no effect and the creature squashes the Doctor.
The Doctor, Organon and a number of Adrasta's guards come across the creature. The guards attack it, to no effect, and the creature squashes the Doctor.


===Part three===
=== Part three ===
The guards and Organon retreat and the creature forms a barrier to prevent them returning to it. Within the cavern, the Doctor awakes, seemingly unharmed. Outside the palace, the bandits make their attack and quickly gain access to the throne room. In the pit, Adrasta decides that K9 will destroy the barrier.  
The guards and Organon retreat and the creature forms a barrier to prevent their return. Within the cavern, the Doctor awakes, seemingly unharmed. Outside the palace, the bandits make their attack and quickly gain access to the throne room. In the pit, Adrasta decides that K9 will destroy the barrier.
[[File:Plate bandits.jpg|left|thumb|[[Torvin]] and [[Edu]] fall under [[Tythonian communicator|the plate's]] [[hypnosis]].]]
The Doctor tries to befriend the creature but it has no way to communicate with him. The creature draws a picture of the plate that the Doctor noticed in Adrasta's throne room. At that moment, the bandits are stealing the plate. They are interrupted by the guards and retreat into the cavern. The plate activates and [[Torvin]] and [[Edu]] fall under its [[Hypnosis|hypnotic]] effect.


The Doctor tries to befriend the creature but realises that it has no way to communicate with him. In response, the creature draws a picture of the plate that the Doctor noticed in Adrasta's throne room. At that moment, the bandits are stealing the plate. They are disturbed by the guards and so they retreat into the caverns of the pit. The plate activates and [[Torvin]] and [[Edu]] fall under its [[Hypnosis|hypnotic]] effect.
K9 is unable to break down the barrier, as it gets stronger with each blow. From the other side, the Doctor bursts through. Adrasta questions how the Doctor did this and he replies that he "asked very nicely". Adrasta admits she knows more about the creature than she has previously let on. It is a [[Tythonian]]. The Doctor uses a mirror to reflect K9's attacks, killing Adrasta's guards and scaring off [[Karela]]. The Doctor holds Adrasta despite her pleas. She orders Romana to have K9 kill the creature. The hypnotised Torvin and Edu approach, still carrying the plate, which they place on the creature.


[[File:Plate bandits.jpg|left|thumb|150px|[[Torvin]] and [[Edu]] fall under [[Tythonian Communicator|the plate's]] [[hypnosis]].]]
=== Part four ===
K9 is unable to break down the barrier. It simply gets stronger with each hit he gives it. From the other side, the Doctor bursts through. Adrasta questions how the Doctor did this he replies that he asked very nicely. Adrasta lets out that she knows more about the creature than she lets off, revealing it to be a [[Tythonian]]. They continue forwards at Adrasta's wish to kill the creature.
With the plate, the creature is able to speak through the person touching it. The Doctor uses the plate and discovers that the creature's name is [[Erato]] and is the Tythonian [[ambassador]] to Chloris. It came fifteen years earlier to negotiate a treaty exchanging metal for [[chlorophyll]]. Its craft was the vast egg in the jungle. However, Adrasta, knowing her power depended on control of the planet's metal supply, imprisoned Erato. Knowing the truth, Adrasta's people turn on her and Erato takes his revenge by crushing Adrasta to death.


The Doctor uses a mirror to reflect K9's attacks, killing Adrasta's guards and scaring [[Karela]] away. The Doctor hold Adrasta despite her pleas that the creature must not near her. She orders Romana to have K9 kill the creature. The hypnotised Torvin and Edu approach still carrying the plate, which the place on the creature.
In the woods, Karela meets the bandits and kills Torvin. She tries to convince the others to join her in taking the metal. The Doctor arrives and has K9 destroy the metal the bandits stole. With nothing to lose, the bandits and Karela give up.


===Part four===
[[File:Get weaving.jpg|right|thumb|The TARDIS holds the [[neutron star]] as [[Erato]] weaves a web around it.]]
Through the plate, the creature is able to talk as the person touching it has their larynx used by the creature. The Doctor uses the plate, and the creature reveals its name to be [[Erato]], the [[Tythonian]] ambassador to Chloris and came to negotiate a treaty exchanging metal for [[chlorophyll]] fifteen years earlier. Its craft was the vast egg found in the jungle. However, Adrasta realised her power was dependent on the control of the planet’s metal supply and so imprisoned Erato to maintain her status.  
The Doctor has rescued the Tythonian just in time. [[Tythonus]] has declared war on Chloris over the missing ambassador and has dispatched a [[neutron star]] to collide with Chloris' star and destroy the system. It will collide within the next twenty-four hours. Working desperately, the Doctor uses the TARDIS to stabilise the star while Erato weaves an [[aluminium]] shell around it. The danger is neutralised. The Doctor's last act on Chloris is to push Organon, now one of the de facto rulers, toward a mutually beneficial trade agreement with Erato and the Tythonians.


At the revelation of this truth, her people turn against her. The creature exacts its revenge by crushing Adrasta to death. In the woods, [[Karela]] meets up with the bandits and kills Torvin. She tries to convince the bandits to join her in taking the metal. The Doctor arrives and has K9 destroy the metal the bandits stole. With nothing left to lose, the bandits and Karela give up.
== Cast ==
* [[Fourth Doctor|Doctor Who]] - [[Tom Baker]]
* [[Romana II|Romana]] - [[Lalla Ward]]
* Voice of [[K9]] - [[David Brierley]]
* [[Adrasta]] - [[Myra Frances]]
* [[Organon]] - [[Geoffrey Bayldon]]
* [[Karela]] - [[Eileen Way]]
* [[Huntsman (The Creature from the Pit)|Huntsman]] - [[David Telfer]]
* [[Tollund]] - [[Morris Barry]]
* [[Torvin]] - [[John Bryans]]
* [[Edu]] - [[Edward Kelsey]]
* [[Ainu (The Creature from the Pit)|Ainu]] - [[Tim Munro]]
* [[Guard 1 (The Creature from the Pit)|Guard]] - [[Philip Denyer]]
* [[Doran]] - [[Terry Walsh]]
* [[Guardmaster]] - [[Tommy Wright]]
* [[Guard 2 (The Creature from the Pit)|Guard]] - [[Dave Redgrave]]


[[File:Get weaving.jpg|right|thumb|150px|The TARDIS holds the [[neutron star]] as [[Erato]] weaves a web around it.]]
=== Uncredited Cast ===
The Doctor has rescued the Tythonian just in time as [[Tythonus]] has declared war on Chloris over the missing ambassador, and has despatched a [[neutron star]] to collide with Chloris’ star and destroy the system. It is due to collide within the next twenty-four hours. Working against the odds, the Doctor uses the TARDIS to stabilise the star while Erato weaves a metal covering around it and the danger is neutralised. The Doctor’s last act on Chloris is to push Organon, now one of the de facto rulers, toward a mutually beneficial trade agreement with Erato and the Tythonians.


==Cast==
* Engineer - [[Bobby James]]
*[[Fourth Doctor|The Doctor]] - [[Tom Baker]]
* Guards - [[Ian Munro]], [[Reg Turner]], Ron Nunnery, [[Barry Summerford]], [[Robert Smythe]], [[Roy Brent]], [[Max Faulkner]], [[Derek Suthern]], [[John Cannon]] ([[DWM 304]])
*[[Romana II|Romana]] - [[Lalla Ward]]
* Bandits - Billy Gray, Douglas Bather, [[Nick Joseph]], George Miller, [[Laurie Goode]] ([[DWM 304]])
*Voice of [[K9]] - [[David Brierley]]
* Bearers - Mike Handley, [[Ridgewell Hawkes]], [[Jerry Judge]], [[Reg Woods]] ([[DWM 304]])
*[[Adrasta]] - [[Myra Frances]]
*[[Organon]] - [[Geoffrey Bayldon]]
*[[Karela]] - [[Eileen Way]]
*[[Huntsman]] - [[David Telfer]]
*[[Tollund]] - [[Morris Barry]]
*[[Torvin]] - [[John Bryans]]
*[[Edu]] - [[Edward Kelsey]]
*[[Ainu]] - [[Tim Munro]]
*Guard - [[Philip Denyer]]
*Guard - [[Dave Redgrave]]
*[[Doran]] - [[Terry Walsh]]
*Guardmaster - [[Tommy Wright]]


==Crew==
== Crew ==
*[[Film Editor]] - [[M A C Adams]]
* [[Assistant Floor Manager]]s - [[Kate Osborne]], [[David Tilley]]
*[[Production Assistant]] - [[Romey Allison]]
* [[Costumes]] - [[June Hudson]]
*[[Film Cameraman]] - [[David Feig]]
* [[Director (crew)|Director]] - [[Christopher Barry]]
*[[Studio Lighting]] - [[Warwick Fielding]]
* [[Director's assistant|Director's Assistant]] - [[Carol Snook]]
*[[Doctor Who theme|Title Music]] - [[Ron Grainer]] and the [[BBC Radiophonic Workshop]]
* [[Designer (crew)|Designer]] - [[Valerie Warrender]]
*[[Theme arrangement]] - [[Delia Derbyshire]]
* [[Electronic effects|Electronic Effects]] - [[Dave Chapman]]
*[[Costumes]] - [[June Hudson]]
* [[Film Cameraman]] - [[David Feig]]
*[[Visual Effects]] - [[Mat Irvine]]
* [[Film Editor]] - [[M A C Adams]]
*[[Special Sounds]] - [[Dick Mills]]
* [[Film sound|Film Sound]] - [[Doug Mawson]]
*[[Studio Sound]] - [[Anthony Philpott]]
* [[Incidental Music]] - [[Dudley Simpson]]
*[[Incidental Music]] - [[Dudley Simpson]]
* [[Make-Up]] - [[Gillian Thomas]]
*[[Make-Up]] - [[Gillian Thomas]]
* [[Producer]] - [[Graham Williams]]
*[[Assistant Floor Manager]] - [[Kate Osborne]], [[David Tilley]]
* [[Production Assistant]] - [[Romey Allison]]
*[[Designer]] - [[Valerie Warrender]]
* [[Production Unit Manager]] - [[John Nathan-Turner]]
*[[Production Unit Manager]] - [[John Nathan-Turner]]
* [[Script Editor]] - [[Douglas Adams]]
*[[Script Editor]] - [[Douglas Adams]]
* [[Senior cameraman|Senior Cameraman]] - [[Rodney Taylor]]
*[[Writer]] - [[David Fisher]]
* [[Special Sounds]] - [[Dick Mills]]
*[[Director]] - [[Christopher Barry]]
* [[Studio Lighting]] - [[Warwick Fielding]]
*[[Producer]] - [[Graham Williams]]
* [[Studio Sound]] - [[Anthony Philpott]]
* [[Doctor Who theme|Title Music]] - [[Ron Grainer]] and the [[BBC Radiophonic Workshop]]
* [[Theme arrangement]] - [[Delia Derbyshire]]
* [[Vision Mixer]] - [[James Gould]]
* [[Visual Effects|Visual Effects Designer]] - [[Mat Irvine]]
* [[Videotape editor|VT Editor]] - [[Rod Waldron]]
* [[Writer]] - [[David Fisher (writer)|David Fisher]]


==References==
=== Uncredited crew ===
* [[Film camera assistant|Film Camera Assistant]] - [[Tony Bragg]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Creature from the Pit'')
* [[Make-up assistant|Make-Up Assistants]] - [[Tina Baker]], [[Sally Milligan]], [[Lisa Pickering]], [[Sandra Powell]], [[Janice Sewell]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Creature from the Pit'')
* [[Design assistant|Design Assistant]] - [[David Laskey]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Creature from the Pit'')
* [[Film sound assistant|Film Sound Assistant]] - [[Stuart Moser]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Creature from the Pit'')
* [[Technical manager|Technical Manager]] - [[Mike Chislet]]t ([[INFO]]: ''The Creature from the Pit'')
* [[Props buyer|Props Buyer]] - [[Eric Baker]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Creature from the Pit'')
* [[Grip]]s - [[George Rose]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Creature from the Pit'')
* [[Assistant Floor Manager]] - [[Kate Osborne]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Creature from the Pit'')
* [[Floor assistant|Floor Assistant]] - [[Edward Bye]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Creature from the Pit'')
* [[Film operations manager|Film Operations Manager]] - [[Ian Brindle]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Creature from the Pit'')
* [[Film lighting gaffer|Film Lighting Gaffer]] - [[Des O'Brien]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Creature from the Pit'')
* [[Show working supervisor|Show Working Supervisor]] - [[Chick Hetherington]] ([[INFO]]: ''The Creature from the Pit'')


===[[:Category:The Doctor|The Doctor]]===
== Worldbuilding ==
*The Doctor says that his lucky number is 74,384,338.
=== The Doctor ===
 
* The Doctor jokingly claims that [[Time Lord]]s have ninety lives (and that he has used one hundred and thirty of his).
===[[:Category:Culture|Culture]]===
* When asked which ([[Astrology|astrological]]) sign he was born under, the Doctor answers ([[Sign|literally]]) [[Crossed Computers]], which is was the signage used by the maternity service on [[Gallifrey]].
*The Doctor and K9 are reading ''[[Peter Rabbit]]''.
*The Doctor claims a ball of string Romana finds in the TARDIS helped [[Theseus]] and [[Ariadne]] out of the [[Minotaur]]'s maze. This may have been foreshadowing ''[[The Horns of Nimon]]''.
*The thieves operate as a [[democracy]].
 
===[[:Category:Races and species|Races and species]]===
*[[Erato]] is an ambassador from the planet [[Tythonus]]: a world rich in metal, but rapidly depleting its vegetation.
*[[Tythonian]]s consume [[chlorophyll]] and mineral [[salt]]s.
*Tythonians' life span is anything up to 40,000 years.
*Tythonians can only communicate via a pentagonal device which allows them to utilise another being's [[larynx]].
 
===[[:Category:Spacecraft|Spacecraft]]===
*Erato travelled to Chloris in [[Tythonian ship|a spaceship]] that was an egg woven of living metal.
 
===[[:Category:TARDIS|TARDIS]]===
*The TARDIS has a [[tractor beam]].
*[[Mark Three Emergency transceiver]] can be plugged into the TARDIS console.
 
===[[:Category:Weapons|Weapons]]===
*A [[neutron star]] is propelled towards Chloris by the Tythonians after the treatment of their ambassador.


==Story notes==
=== Culture ===
*This story guest stars [[Geoffrey Bayldon]]. Bayldon had been a candidate on previous occasions for the role of the Doctor, and later voiced an alternate version of the Doctor for the ''[[Auld Mortality]]'' and ''[[A Storm of Angels]]'' in the [[Doctor Who Unbound]] audio series. Bayldon was also a close personal friend of [[Jon Pertwee]].
* The Doctor and K9 are reading ''[[Peter Rabbit]]''. Romana has read a few of the series herself.
* The Doctor claims a ball of [[string]] Romana finds in the TARDIS helped [[Theseus]] and [[Ariadne]] out of the [[Minotaur]]'s maze.
* The thieves operate as a [[democracy]].


*This was the first story for [[Season 17]] to be produced, though it was the third to be broadcast. This technically makes it the first story to feature [[Lalla Ward]] as [[Romana II]], replacing [[Mary Tamm]], and to have [[David Brierley]] providing the voice for [[K9]], replacing [[John Leeson]].
=== Species ===
* [[Erato]] is an [[ambassador]] from the planet [[Tythonus]], a world rich in metal, but rapidly depleting its vegetation.
* [[Tythonian]]s consume [[chlorophyll]] and mineral [[salt]]s.
* Tythonians can only communicate via a [[Tythonian communicator|pentagonal device]] which allows them to utilise another being's [[larynx]].
* Tythonians live for [[40000 (number)|40,000]] years.


*In [[David Fisher]]'s original script, Lady [[Adrasta]] was Queen Adastra, whose name meant "to the stars" in Latin. This was changed by [[Douglas Adams]].
=== Spacecraft ===
* Erato travelled to Chloris in [[Tythonian ship|a spaceship]] that was an egg woven from living metal.
* Erato's spaceship is powered by [[photon drive]].


* [[Christopher Barry]] is said to have had differences of opinion with both [[Tom Baker]] and [[Lalla Ward]] regarding their characters and dialogue during filming of this story. These plus frequent technical problems led to his departure from directing on [[Doctor Who]].
=== The TARDIS ===
* The TARDIS has a [[tractor beam]].
* A [[MK3 Emergency transceiver]] can be plugged into the TARDIS console.


*[[Morris Barry]], who played [[Tollund]], had directed ''Doctor Who'' stories in the [[1960s]].
=== Weapons ===
* A [[neutron star]] is propelled towards Chloris by the Tythonians after the treatment of their ambassador.


*[[Lalla Ward]] disliked how her dress echoed [[Mary Tamm]]s (from ''[[The Ribos Operation]]'') and felt that the story tailored more for [[Romana I|that incarnation]].
=== Influences ===


* A clip of this story was used in the documentary [http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00n93c4 "Synth Britannia"], first broadcast on [http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc4 BBC 4] on Friday 16th October 2009. (The clip seems to be from episode 2 or 3.)
* Torvin was inspired by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fagin Fagin] from ''[[Oliver Twist]].''


* The Doctor jokingly claims that [[Time Lord]]s have ninety lives (and that he has used one hundred and thirty of his).
== Story notes ==
* This was the first story for [[Season 17 (Doctor Who 1963)|Season 17]] to be produced, though it was the third to be broadcast. This makes it the first story produced with [[Lalla Ward]] as [[Romana II]], replacing [[Mary Tamm]], and with [[David Brierley]] providing the voice for [[K9]], replacing [[John Leeson]].
* In [[David Fisher (writer)|David Fisher]]'s original script, Lady [[Adrasta]] was Queen Adastra, whose name meant "to the stars" in Latin. This was changed by [[Douglas Adams]].
* [[Christopher Barry]] is said to have had differences of opinion with both [[Tom Baker]] and Lalla Ward regarding their characters and dialogue during filming of this story. This plus frequent technical problems led to his departure from directing on ''[[Doctor Who]]''.
* [[Lalla Ward]] was unhappy with this story. It was the first one she filmed and she was still working out how to play Romana. The fact that the script was written for [[Mary Tamm]]'s version didn't help. She even wears a white dress like hers. She loathed both her costume and her hair.
* A clip of this story was used in the documentary [http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00n93c4 "Synth Britannia"], first broadcast on [http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc4 BBC 4] on Friday 16 October 2009. (The clip seems to be from part two or three.)
* A working title for this story was ''The Creature in the Pit''.<ref>http://www.shannonsullivan.com/doctorwho/serials/5g.html</ref>
* [[Christopher Barry]] described the shoot as the nadir of his career.
* [[David Fisher]]'s original outline was concerned with Adrasta's attempts to claim the TARDIS for herself. K-9 eventually takes Adrasta away in the TARDIS, returning her — cowed and defeated — at the story's conclusion. Upon initially being thrown into the Pit, the Doctor is attacked by Hellyn, a former member of Adrasta's team of engineers. In the final episode, a battle fleet from Tithonus (later spelt “Tythonus”) arrives, threatening to destroy Chloris with a photon missile. Erato and the Doctor travel into space in Erato's ship, and the Tithonian weaves a spacesuit for the Doctor, enabling him to reach the missile and disarm it.
* Although the Doctor's solution to the problem of the neutron star, weaving a shell of aluminium around it, has been criticised as silly, the idea was in fact proposed to [[David Fisher (writer)|David Fisher]] by members of the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge.
* [[Christopher Barry]] and visual effects designer [[Mat Irvine]] were called on the carpet by the BBC management for the appearance of the creature Erato. The phallic appearance of the proboscis in the first episode resulted in uncontrolled laughter in the studio and prompted an overnight change to add a pair of pincers to the creature.
* This was [[Terry Walsh]]'s final appearance in the series having appeared in various roles since 1966 as well as acting as fight arranger and the stunt double for both [[Jon Pertwee]] and [[Tom Baker]].
* [[Graham Williams]] ordered a model shot of the TARDIS to be reshot because the wires were visible.
* Erato proved to be logistical nightmare. [[Christopher Barry]] claimed it was impossible to realise. While he blamed the special effects initially, in hindsight he realised that the producer and the writer were to blame.
* [[Graham Williams]] called Erato a giant syphilitic phallus and the whole crew burst into laughter upon seeing it, prompting Williams to reprimand them. [[Geoffrey Bayldon]] claimed that there's an outtake of him going, "Oh my, that's a big one". Arms were added to distract from its phallic appearance.
* [[Siân Phillips]] was offered the role of Lady Adastra.
* Many of the names chosen for the storyline were derived from [[Greek mythology]]. Lady Adrasta was inspired by the legend of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andromeda_(mythology) Andromeda], whose homeland was plagued by a gargantuan sea monster. Erato was named after a member of the group of goddesses called the Muses. This choice was intentionally ironic: the mythological Erato was the Muse of erotic poetry, and her name meant “lovely”. The creature's homeworld of Tythonus was originally spelt “Tithonus”, from a prince of Troy who was granted immortality but without the benefit of eternal youth. Chloris, meanwhile, was a minor flower goddess -- cognate with the Roman deity Flora -- and was etymologically linked to the word “chlorophyll”, the green pigment found in most vegetation.
* [[Douglas Adams]] suggested that the scarcity of metal on Chloris would have driven some former miners to banditry. [[David Fisher (writer)|David Fisher]] initially feared that this element would become too silly, but he soon began to emulate Adams' comedic style. Ironically, Adams wound up having to rein in the jokiness of Fisher's scripts; nonetheless, they were criticised by BBC Head of Serials [[Graeme MacDonald]] who, in recent years, had regularly argued against overt humour in the show.
* [[Mat Irvine]] suggested realising Erato using a combination of puppets and model sets. However, [[Christopher Barry]] did not feel that this was the right approach. Work on the prop took so long that it wasn't available for rehearsals, so Barry proposed resurrecting the original idea. However, he was now told that insufficient time remained to accomplish this. Barry then argued that Erato should be completely reimagined, but [[Graham Williams]] rejected such a significant change at so late a date.
* [[Morris Barry]] was a distant relative of [[Christopher Barry]].
* Filming at BBC Television Centre was delayed by a day due to union activity over an accusation of wrongful dismissal.
* [[Christopher Barry]] found that [[Tom Baker]] had become a much more dominating presence since they'd last collborated on ''[[The Brain of Morbius (TV story)|The Brain of Morbius]]''. As a result, [[Douglas Adams]] was a moderating presence.
* Footage of the TARDIS had to be remounted a considerable expense when it was discovered that the strings were visible.
*


===Ratings===
=== Ratings ===
*Part 1 - 9.3 million viewers
* Part one - 9.3 million viewers
*Part 2 - 10.8 million viewers
* Part two - 10.8 million viewers
*Part 3 - 10.2 million viewers
* Part three - 10.2 million viewers
*Part 4 - 9.6 million viewers
* Part four - 9.6 million viewers


===Myths===
=== Filming locations ===
''to be added''
* [[Ealing Studios]], Ealing Green, Ealing
* [[BBC Television Centre]] (TC6), Shepherd's Bush, [[London]]


===Filming locations===
=== Production errors ===
*[[BBC Television Centre]] (TC6), Shepherd's Bush, [[London]]
 
===Production errors===
{{discontinuity}}
{{discontinuity}}
''to be added''
''to be added''


==Continuity==
== Continuity ==
*[[EDA]]: ''[[The Taking of Planet 5]]'' features a vague reference to this story, in the form of the TARDIS' [[tractor beam]].
* A number of the Doctor's old costumes appear on the TARDIS [[hatstand]]. His coats from ''[[The Seeds of Doom (TV story)|The Seeds of Doom]]'' and ''[[The Talons of Weng-Chiang (TV story)|The Talons of Weng-Chiang]]'' are two of these.
*The Doctor uses a [[stethoscope]] to listen to the metal egg. The Tenth Doctor also used one. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Stolen Earth]]'')
* Part of the machine the Doctor and Romana used to enter hyperspace is in the box Romana brings into the console room. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Stones of Blood (TV story)|The Stones of Blood]]'')
*A number of the Doctor's old costumes appear on the TARDIS hatstand. His coats from ''[[The Seeds of Doom]]'' and ''[[The Talons of Weng-Chiang]]'' are two of these.
 
==Timeline==
*This story occurs after [[ST]]: ''[[The End of Now]]''
*This story occurs before [[MA]]: ''[[The Romance of Crime]]''
 
==Home video and audio releases==
===DVD releases===
*This story was first released on DVD in the [[UK]] on [[3rd May]] [[2010]]. The one 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 Lalla Ward (Romana), Myra Frances (Lady Adrasta), Christopher Barry (Director) and Mat Irvine (Visual Effects Designer).
:*[[Christopher Barry: Director]]
:*[[Team Erato]]
:*[[Animal Magic]]
:*Extended Scene
:*Coming Soon Trailer
:*Radio Times Billings
:*Production Subtitles
:*Photo Gallery


* Editing for DVD release completed by [[Doctor Who Restoration Team]].
== Home video and audio releases ==
=== DVD releases ===
This story was first released on DVD in the [[UK]] on [[3 May (releases)|3 May]] [[2010 (releases)|2010]]. The one 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 [[Lalla Ward]] ([[Romana II|Romana]]), [[Myra Frances]] ([[Adrasta|Lady Adrasta]]), [[Christopher Barry]] (Director) and [[Mat Irvine]] (Visual Effects Designer)
* ''[[Christopher Barry: Director (documentary)|Christopher Barry: Director]]'' - Veteran ''[[Doctor Who]]'' director Christopher Barry, on location in the Wiltshire village of Aldbourne, talks about his career
* ''[[Team Erato (documentary)|Team Erato]]'' - The BBC Visual Effects crew talk about the problems they faced building and operating [[Erato]], with Mat Irvine, [[Steve Bowman]], [[Steve Lucas]] and Morag McLean
* ''[[Animal Magic special (TV story)|Animal Magic]]'' - The [[Fourth Doctor]] tells viewers about the creatures he has met on his travels
* ''[[Radio Times]]'' Billings (PDF DVD-ROM - PC/Mac)
* Production Information Subtitles
* Photo Gallery
* Extended Scene
* Coming Soon Trailer - ''[[Kamelion Tales]]''
Editing for the DVD release was completed by the [[Doctor Who Restoration Team]].<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true">
The creature from the pit.jpg|US DVD 2010 cover
The Creature from the Pitdvd.jpg|AUS DVD 2010 cover
Bbcdvd-thecreaturefromthepit.jpg|Region 2 UK cover
</gallery>It was released as [[DWDVDF 149|issue 149]] of ''[[Doctor Who DVD Files]]''.


<gallery>
=== Video releases ===
file:Bbcdvd-thecreaturefromthepit.jpg|UK DVD 2010 Cover
This story was released on VHS in the UK in [[2002 (releases)|2002]].<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true">
File:The Creature from the Pit VHS UK cover.jpg|VHS UK cover
File:The Creature from the Pit VHS Australian cover.jpg|VHS Australian cover
File:The Creature from the Pit VHS US cover.jpg|VHS US cover
</gallery>
</gallery>


===Video releases===
=== Digital releases ===
<gallery>
The story is available for streaming in Canada and the US through [[BritBox]] or Amazon Instant Video in the UK.
file:The Creature from the Pit VHS UK cover.jpg|VHS UK cover
file:The Creature from the Pit VHS Australian cover.jpg|VHS Australian cover
file:The Creature from the Pit VHS US cover.jpg|VHS US cover
</gallery>


==Novelisation and its audiobook==
== External links ==
[[file:Creature from The Pit novel.jpg|right|75px]]
* {{bbcepguideclassic|creaturefrompit/|The Creature From the Pit}}
: ''Main article: [[Doctor Who and the Creature from the Pit]]''
* {{radiotimes|2011-02-20/the-creature-from-the-pit}}
{{dwcast}}
{{dwrefguide|who_5g.htm|The Creature from the Pit}}
* {{briefhistory|serials/5g.html|The Creature from the Pit}}
* [http://www.shillpages.com/dw/story/d4/st--5g-c.jpg Contact sheet of '''The Creature from the Pit''' story images at the Doctor Who Image Archive]


*Novelised as ''[[Doctor Who and the Creature from the Pit]]'' by [[David Fisher]].
== Footnotes ==
{{reflist}}


==See also==
{{DWTV}}
''to be added''
{{TitleSort}}


== External links ==
[[de:The Creature from the Pit]]
*{{bbcepguideclassic|creaturefrompit/|The Creature From the Pit}}
[[es:The Creature from the Pit]]
*{{dwrefguide|who_5g.htm|The Creature from the Pit}}
[[ru:Существо из Ямы]]
*{{briefhistory|serials/5g.html|The Creature from the Pit}}
*[http://www.shillpages.com/dw/story/d4/st--5g-c.jpg Contact sheet of '''The Creature from the Pit''' story images at the Doctor Who Image Archive]


{{season 17}}
[[Category:Doctor Who (1963) television stories]]
{{TV stub}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Creature from the Pit}}
[[Category:Fourth Doctor television stories|Creature from the Pit, The]]
[[Category:Romana television stories|Creature from the Pit, The]]
[[Category:Stories with unknown or disputed dates|Creature from the Pit, The]]
[[Category:1979 television stories|Creatures from the Pit, The]]
[[Category:K9 television stories]]
[[Category:K9 television stories]]
[[Category:Season 17 stories]]
[[Category:Season 17 stories]]
[[Category:Four part serials]]
[[Category:Fourth Doctor television stories]]
[[Category:Romana II television stories]]

Latest revision as of 20:07, 3 November 2024

RealWorld.png

The Creature from the Pit was the third serial in season 17 of Doctor Who. This was the last story directed by Christopher Barry, who had first worked on the show since 1963. It was the first story produced, though not the first broadcast, to feature Lalla Ward as the Doctor's companion.

This story was one of the season's "downsized" stories. This meant that the Doctor would be working on a smaller scale rather than saving the universe as he had been throughout the past season.

The serial made use of complicated model work to achieve the space scenes; the original scene had to be filmed again. The Erato prop was also a major problem. A puppet version was unavailable for rehearsals and there wasn't time for a redesign.

Synopsis[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Fourth Doctor and Romana II receive a distress signal and arrive on Chloris. It is a lush and verdant world with only small quantities of metals, all of which are controlled by its ruler, Lady Adrasta. Adrasta keeps order with the aid of her Huntsman and his Wolfweeds - mobile balls of vegetation. A band of thieves, led by Torvin, organise raids on her palace to steal whatever metal they can. But in the mines of Chloris is something huge, a creature thrown into the pit to be forgotten... and the Doctor is about to join him.

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

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

An MK3 Emergency transceiver on the TARDIS identifies a distress signal and brings the craft to the lush jungle world of Chloris, where metal in all forms is a rare and prized commodity. The Doctor, Romana and K9 venture out to discover the remains of an enormous egg in the jungle. The Doctor is immediately beset by Wolfweeds under the control of the Huntsman, who then releases the Doctor and orders his death. Karela countermands him and has the Doctor and Romana taken prisoner instead.

The Doctor is paraded in stocks.

As they travel through the jungle, bandits attack them and Romana is taken prisoner by them. The Doctor is taken to the palace of the Lady Adrasta, who rules the planet by controlling all the metal. He examines the throne room and takes particular interest in a plate upon the wall.

Elsewhere, Romana uses a dog whistle to summon K9. With his help, she escapes the bandits.

Adrasta takes the Doctor to a pit to witness the execution an engineer called Doran who failed to make some of the observations the Doctor made about the egg. He is thrown to a creature that lives within the vast caverns below. Romana arrives and tries to help the Doctor escape as K9 attacks the guards. However, the Wolfweeds quickly surround and disable K9. The Doctor then jumps into the pit.

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

Romana notices that the Doctor is still alive, clinging to the side of the pit. He signals to keep silent as to his survival. Adrasta decides that Romana may be of use, as will the metal K9. The Doctor loses his grip and falls into the pit.

Meanwhile, Lady Adrasta tries to get information out of Romana as her guards slowly hammer away at K9. Eventually Romana tells her that only K9 has the answers what Adrasta is looking for.

In the woods, the bandits decide to attack the palace, believing that the guards will be searching for them.

Adrasta threatens K9.

Within the Pit, the Doctor finds the corpses of Doran and one of Adrasta's men who fell into the pit after being stunned by K9 and then encounters Organon, an astrologer thrown down there by Adrasta. The creature attacks but they manage to escape from its tentacle and then burn it to deter it from attacking again. They then begin exploring the caverns.

K9 tells Adrasta about the TARDIS. Realising that, with such a machine, she no longer needs the creature, she decides that K9 will kill it for her. They venture through a passage and into the caverns of the pit.

The Doctor, Organon and a number of Adrasta's guards come across the creature. The guards attack it, to no effect, and the creature squashes the Doctor.

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

The guards and Organon retreat and the creature forms a barrier to prevent their return. Within the cavern, the Doctor awakes, seemingly unharmed. Outside the palace, the bandits make their attack and quickly gain access to the throne room. In the pit, Adrasta decides that K9 will destroy the barrier.

Torvin and Edu fall under the plate's hypnosis.

The Doctor tries to befriend the creature but it has no way to communicate with him. The creature draws a picture of the plate that the Doctor noticed in Adrasta's throne room. At that moment, the bandits are stealing the plate. They are interrupted by the guards and retreat into the cavern. The plate activates and Torvin and Edu fall under its hypnotic effect.

K9 is unable to break down the barrier, as it gets stronger with each blow. From the other side, the Doctor bursts through. Adrasta questions how the Doctor did this and he replies that he "asked very nicely". Adrasta admits she knows more about the creature than she has previously let on. It is a Tythonian. The Doctor uses a mirror to reflect K9's attacks, killing Adrasta's guards and scaring off Karela. The Doctor holds Adrasta despite her pleas. She orders Romana to have K9 kill the creature. The hypnotised Torvin and Edu approach, still carrying the plate, which they place on the creature.

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

With the plate, the creature is able to speak through the person touching it. The Doctor uses the plate and discovers that the creature's name is Erato and is the Tythonian ambassador to Chloris. It came fifteen years earlier to negotiate a treaty exchanging metal for chlorophyll. Its craft was the vast egg in the jungle. However, Adrasta, knowing her power depended on control of the planet's metal supply, imprisoned Erato. Knowing the truth, Adrasta's people turn on her and Erato takes his revenge by crushing Adrasta to death.

In the woods, Karela meets the bandits and kills Torvin. She tries to convince the others to join her in taking the metal. The Doctor arrives and has K9 destroy the metal the bandits stole. With nothing to lose, the bandits and Karela give up.

The TARDIS holds the neutron star as Erato weaves a web around it.

The Doctor has rescued the Tythonian just in time. Tythonus has declared war on Chloris over the missing ambassador and has dispatched a neutron star to collide with Chloris' star and destroy the system. It will collide within the next twenty-four hours. Working desperately, the Doctor uses the TARDIS to stabilise the star while Erato weaves an aluminium shell around it. The danger is neutralised. The Doctor's last act on Chloris is to push Organon, now one of the de facto rulers, toward a mutually beneficial trade agreement with Erato and the Tythonians.

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Uncredited Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Crew[[edit] | [edit source]]

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

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

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

  • The Doctor jokingly claims that Time Lords have ninety lives (and that he has used one hundred and thirty of his).
  • When asked which (astrological) sign he was born under, the Doctor answers (literally) Crossed Computers, which is was the signage used by the maternity service on Gallifrey.

Culture[[edit] | [edit source]]

Species[[edit] | [edit source]]

Spacecraft[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Erato travelled to Chloris in a spaceship that was an egg woven from living metal.
  • Erato's spaceship is powered by photon drive.

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

Weapons[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • A neutron star is propelled towards Chloris by the Tythonians after the treatment of their ambassador.

Influences[[edit] | [edit source]]

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

  • This was the first story for Season 17 to be produced, though it was the third to be broadcast. This makes it the first story produced with Lalla Ward as Romana II, replacing Mary Tamm, and with David Brierley providing the voice for K9, replacing John Leeson.
  • In David Fisher's original script, Lady Adrasta was Queen Adastra, whose name meant "to the stars" in Latin. This was changed by Douglas Adams.
  • Christopher Barry is said to have had differences of opinion with both Tom Baker and Lalla Ward regarding their characters and dialogue during filming of this story. This plus frequent technical problems led to his departure from directing on Doctor Who.
  • Lalla Ward was unhappy with this story. It was the first one she filmed and she was still working out how to play Romana. The fact that the script was written for Mary Tamm's version didn't help. She even wears a white dress like hers. She loathed both her costume and her hair.
  • A clip of this story was used in the documentary "Synth Britannia", first broadcast on BBC 4 on Friday 16 October 2009. (The clip seems to be from part two or three.)
  • A working title for this story was The Creature in the Pit.[1]
  • Christopher Barry described the shoot as the nadir of his career.
  • David Fisher's original outline was concerned with Adrasta's attempts to claim the TARDIS for herself. K-9 eventually takes Adrasta away in the TARDIS, returning her — cowed and defeated — at the story's conclusion. Upon initially being thrown into the Pit, the Doctor is attacked by Hellyn, a former member of Adrasta's team of engineers. In the final episode, a battle fleet from Tithonus (later spelt “Tythonus”) arrives, threatening to destroy Chloris with a photon missile. Erato and the Doctor travel into space in Erato's ship, and the Tithonian weaves a spacesuit for the Doctor, enabling him to reach the missile and disarm it.
  • Although the Doctor's solution to the problem of the neutron star, weaving a shell of aluminium around it, has been criticised as silly, the idea was in fact proposed to David Fisher by members of the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge.
  • Christopher Barry and visual effects designer Mat Irvine were called on the carpet by the BBC management for the appearance of the creature Erato. The phallic appearance of the proboscis in the first episode resulted in uncontrolled laughter in the studio and prompted an overnight change to add a pair of pincers to the creature.
  • This was Terry Walsh's final appearance in the series having appeared in various roles since 1966 as well as acting as fight arranger and the stunt double for both Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker.
  • Graham Williams ordered a model shot of the TARDIS to be reshot because the wires were visible.
  • Erato proved to be logistical nightmare. Christopher Barry claimed it was impossible to realise. While he blamed the special effects initially, in hindsight he realised that the producer and the writer were to blame.
  • Graham Williams called Erato a giant syphilitic phallus and the whole crew burst into laughter upon seeing it, prompting Williams to reprimand them. Geoffrey Bayldon claimed that there's an outtake of him going, "Oh my, that's a big one". Arms were added to distract from its phallic appearance.
  • Siân Phillips was offered the role of Lady Adastra.
  • Many of the names chosen for the storyline were derived from Greek mythology. Lady Adrasta was inspired by the legend of Andromeda, whose homeland was plagued by a gargantuan sea monster. Erato was named after a member of the group of goddesses called the Muses. This choice was intentionally ironic: the mythological Erato was the Muse of erotic poetry, and her name meant “lovely”. The creature's homeworld of Tythonus was originally spelt “Tithonus”, from a prince of Troy who was granted immortality but without the benefit of eternal youth. Chloris, meanwhile, was a minor flower goddess -- cognate with the Roman deity Flora -- and was etymologically linked to the word “chlorophyll”, the green pigment found in most vegetation.
  • Douglas Adams suggested that the scarcity of metal on Chloris would have driven some former miners to banditry. David Fisher initially feared that this element would become too silly, but he soon began to emulate Adams' comedic style. Ironically, Adams wound up having to rein in the jokiness of Fisher's scripts; nonetheless, they were criticised by BBC Head of Serials Graeme MacDonald who, in recent years, had regularly argued against overt humour in the show.
  • Mat Irvine suggested realising Erato using a combination of puppets and model sets. However, Christopher Barry did not feel that this was the right approach. Work on the prop took so long that it wasn't available for rehearsals, so Barry proposed resurrecting the original idea. However, he was now told that insufficient time remained to accomplish this. Barry then argued that Erato should be completely reimagined, but Graham Williams rejected such a significant change at so late a date.
  • Morris Barry was a distant relative of Christopher Barry.
  • Filming at BBC Television Centre was delayed by a day due to union activity over an accusation of wrongful dismissal.
  • Christopher Barry found that Tom Baker had become a much more dominating presence since they'd last collborated on The Brain of Morbius. As a result, Douglas Adams was a moderating presence.
  • Footage of the TARDIS had to be remounted a considerable expense when it was discovered that the strings were visible.

Ratings[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Part one - 9.3 million viewers
  • Part two - 10.8 million viewers
  • Part three - 10.2 million viewers
  • Part four - 9.6 million viewers

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

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

If you'd like to talk about narrative problems with this story — like plot holes and things that seem to contradict other stories — please go to this episode's discontinuity discussion.

to be added

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 3 May 2010. The one disc set includes a restored version of the story, as well as the following special features:

Editing for the DVD release was completed by the Doctor Who Restoration Team.

  • US DVD 2010 cover

    US DVD 2010 cover

  • AUS DVD 2010 cover

    AUS DVD 2010 cover

  • Region 2 UK cover

    Region 2 UK cover

It was released as issue 149 of Doctor Who DVD Files.

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

This story was released on VHS in the UK in 2002.

  • VHS UK cover

    VHS UK cover

  • VHS Australian cover

    VHS Australian cover

  • VHS US cover

    VHS US 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/doctorwho/serials/5g.html
v • e
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