Shada (TV story)

Shada
Doctor:	[[doctor::Fourth Doctor]]
Companion(s):	Romana II, K9 Mk2
Main enemy:	Skagra The Krargs
Main setting:	Earth, Cambridge, St. Cedd's College, circa 1979 Shada
Key crew
Writer:	Douglas Adams
Director:	Pennant Roberts
Producer:	Graham Williams
Release details
Release number:	109
Premiere broadcast:	Not Broadcast
Format:	6 25-minute episodes
Production code:	5M

Synopsis

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Plot

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Cast

• The Doctor - Tom Baker
• Romana - Lalla Ward
• Voice of K-9 - David Brierley
• Caldera - Derek Pollitt
• Chris Parsons - Daniel Hill
• Claire Keightley - Victoria Burgoyne
• Krarg - Harry Fielder
• Krarg - Lionel Sansby
• Krarg - James Muir
• Krarg - Reg Woods
• Krarg- Derek Suthern
• Passenger - David Strong
• Police Constable - John Hallett
• Professor Chronotis - Denis Carey
• Voice of Ship - Shirley Dixon
• Skagra - Christopher Neame
• Voice of the Krargs - James Coombes
• Wilkin - Gerald Campion

Crew

• Director - Pennant Roberts
• Assistant Floor Manager - Val McCrimmon
• Costumes - Rupert Jarvis
• Designer - Vic Meredith
• Film Cameraman - Fintan Sheehan
• Film Editor - Tariq Anwar
• Make-Up - Kim Burns
• Producer - Graham Williams
• Production Assistant - Olivia Bazalgette
• Production Assistant - Ralph Wilton
• Production Unit Manager - John Nathan-Turner
• Script Editor - Douglas Adams
• Special Sounds - Dick Mills
• Title Music - Ron Grainer and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, arranged by Delia Derbyshire
• Writer - Douglas Adams

References

Time Lords

• Chronotis
• Regeneration
• The Worshipful and Ancient Law of Gallifrey

TARDISes

• TARDIS
• Dematerialisation

Theories and Concepts

• Psychoactive extraction

Planets

• Dronid is the location of Skagra's homeworld.

Scientists

• A. St. John D. Caldera
• A. S. T. Thira
• G. V. Santori
• L. D. Ia
• R. F. Akrotiri

Story Notes

• Shada was never completed due to strikes at the BBC, the footage that was shot was released on BBC Video in 1992 and was also broadcast by the BBC website as a webcast in 2003.
• Had it been broadcast, it would have marked the final use of the 1967 arrangement of the Doctor Who Theme by Delia Derbyshire, the tunnel opening sequence by Bernard Lodge and the diamond series logo introduced in The Time Warrior.
• The story takes place in October 1979; coincidentally that is the same month Douglas Adams published his first The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy novel.

Ratings

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Myths

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Location Filming

• England, Cambridge

Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors

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Continuity

• A section of Shada is seen in The Five Doctors (two sections in the 'original' version, one section in the 'Special Edition')

• The Worshipful and Ancient Law of Gallifrey appears in The Dimension Riders.

• Professor Chronotis reappears in Unnatural History as Professor Daniel Joyce.
• Rassilon mentions in Zagreus that he is Conqueror of Dronid, here mentioned as Skagra's homeworld.

DVD, Video and Other Releases

• BBC Video released a version compiling existing footage with linking narration by Tom Baker. The UK release of the video included a booklet containing the full script of the original production; the North American release did not include the booklet.

• The BBC commissioned Big Finish to write and record a new version as part of the 40th anniversary, it was animated with a limited Flash animation and released on the BBC's website.

• It was later released with extended scenes on CD by Big Finish.

Novelisations

• Douglas Adams reused some of the elements of Shada in Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, notably the character of Professor Chronotis, his time-traveling apartment, and St. Cedd's college.
• A fan novelised version (by the New Zealand Fan Club) is available online Doctor Who and Shada by Paul Scoones.

See Also

• Shada (audio release)
• Shada (webcast)

External Links

• BBC Episode Guide Page for Shada
• Story synopsis for Shada at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
• A Brief History of Time Travel - Shada