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The Caves of Androzani was the sixth story in Season 21 of Doctor Who. It marked Peter Davison's final apperance as the Doctor and Colin Baker's first apperance at the end of the story.

Synopsis

The Doctor and Peri are caught in the midst of a power struggle between gun runners, a fiendish masked madman called Sharaz Jek, government troops and crooked politicians over the precious mineral Spectrox.

Spectrox has been known as the most valuable and dangerous substance in the universe and the deadlist as well. The Doctor and Peri both know that time is running out, but will the Doctor die for himself to save Peri?

Plot

Part One

The Doctor and Peri before they get shot

The TARDIS lands on Androzani Minor, one of a pair of twin planets in the Sirius star system. The Doctor and Peri step out and decide to explore a set of tracks that lead into a nearby cave. Peri asks why the Doctor wears a stick of celery; it is a safety recaution. He is allergic to certain gases in the praxis range of the spectrum. The core of Androzani Minor is heated mud. The Doctor discovers a strange spaceship has arrived. As he and Peri explore, they enter some caves. They are briefly caught in a ball of an unknown sticky substance, but they easily break free. Further into the caves, a soldier is killed by a fierce monster. The Doctor and Peri both discover a hoard of weapons, but they are then captured by General Chellak's forces, believing the two to be working for gunrunners Stotz and Krepler. Trau Morgus orders their assassination after seeing that Chellak's "gunrunners" are not his own men over holographic communication.

The dangerous, desert planet of Androzani Minor is the only source for a powerful drug called Spectrox created by bats that inhabits the planet's caves. Spectrox is highly-valued by the population of nearby Androzani Major due to its capacity to extend one's life. The spectrox mining interests are controlled by Morgus, who is a business conglomerate leader on Androzani Major, but the operation has been threatened by the masked Sharaz Jek and his army of androids, causing public tension on Androzani Major due to limited supplies. Morgus has publicly funded a military operation by the Androzani Major's government against Jek's androids, but at the same time has secretly backed a gunrunning group to deliver weapons to Jek to profit from the war. The Doctor and Peri are brought to the execution squad, dressed in a red cloth. General Chellak asks them if they have any last words, and the Doctor tells him the whole thing is a mockery of justice. Chellak steps back and the soldiers step foward and take aim. He gives the order to fire, and they pump bullets into the Doctor and Peri...

Part Two

Chellak asks the soldiers to check their weapons and as the bodies are cut free of the execution posts, Morgus switches the screen off. He explains to the President that all the people without valid work permits have been sent to Eastern labour camps to be cut down on crime. The President suddenly realises that Morgus has been closing plants in the West and opening them again in the East. If he accepted Morgus' suggestion, the same people would be working for him again, only this time without pay. The Doctor and Peri are rescued by Sharaz Jek, who had been watching them enter the caves and was able to prepare duplicate androids with help of his personal android Salateen. They are taken to his base to become his companions in exile. Chellak and Salateen go over to look at the bodies, but they are found to be two androids. Chellak realises his career will be finished if the word spreads. He decides to cover the incident and not let anyone know about it. Jek asks the Doctor and Peri to stay with him so he can look after them...

Meanwhile, Krepler confronts Stotz. He demands that Stotz pays him and the other gun runners. Stotz tells him he will be payed back on Major, according to contract. Stotz grabs Krepler, pushes him to the edge of a cliff, puts a pill in his mouth and threatens to kill him. He tells Krepler that next time, he will die for real. At Jek's base, the Doctor and Peri complain about rashes and cramps in their bodies where they touched the sticky substances in the caves. Jek tells them that Major Salateen will be bringing them some food. Jek will not be seriously threatened for years, the people of Androzani Major will rise up. They can have all the Spectrox they want, when Jek has the head of Morgus at his feet. Meanwhile at Morgus' headquarters, Morgus is surprised to hear from Timmin that the Northcawl copper mine has exploded. This solves the problem of overproduction and causing the market price of copper to increase. Morgus tells her he wants every solder to leave his place and stand in silence. Back at Jek's base, the Doctor meets Salateen. He has been a prisoner here, too. Jek captured him months ago and replaced him with an android that looked like him. The real Salateen realises that Jek will kill him now he has them for company. He laughs at the fact that the two are dying. He discovers that they had been subjected to the first stages of spectrox toxemia from exposure to unrefined spectrox, and that while there is an anti-toxin, it requires the milk of the queen bat. Unfortunately, due to the mining activity, all the bats have migrated to deeper levels of the caves where there is no oxygen. Menawhile, Stotz contacts Jek and tells him his ship is in good faith and it wasn't his fault that the androids didn't show up.

Before Jek is leaving to meet with Stotz and the gunrunners, Peri accidently asks why he wears a mask. Jek flies into rage and explains that when one of Minor's mud bursts erupted, he had no warning and Morgus left him to die in the mudburst. Jek survived, but he was horribly scalded. He leaves the two under his androids' guard, leaves, and meets Stotz. Jek eventually agrres to pay half the price for the shipment of Spectrox. In Jek's HQ, the Doctor goes outside, and reprograms the android outside the door, allowing him, Peri and Salateen to escape. The Doctor heads off into the lower levels of the caves to find the queen bat. The three friends try to find the way to the TARDIS. Suddenly, an android fires at them, one of the shots hitting the Doctor. Salateen fires back at the android and destroys it. The Doctor wakes up, and discovers Peri has vanished, so he goes off to find her. Jek returns to his base, but flies into rage, only to find Peri has gone. The Doctor enters the lower levels of the caves, but takes cover behind a rock as Stotz and his band of gun runners enter. Suddenly, one of the gun runners is attacked by a fierce magma beast. As the soldiers open fire on the beast, it ignores them, and approaches the rock where the Doctor is crouching...

Part Three

The beast is distracted by the gun runners, so it turns on them again. The Doctor escapes as the gun runners retreat. Meanwhile, Peri is taken with Salateen to General Chellak. She tells Chellak the truth. Stotz and the gun runners meet Jek. They have now reached the price of betrayal. The Doctor meets Jek again. He tortures the Doctor and he finally tells him that Peri has been taken to General Chelllak. Stotz arrives, and Jek tells him to take the Doctor to Androzani Major for questioning. Stotz thinks the Doctor is a goverment spy. The Doctor is now entering the third stage of Spectrox, but Stotz doesn't care, the Doctor will live long to be questioned. In the army base, Peri isn't feeling well, but General Chellak doesn't care, she and the Doctor have been working with Jek. Chellak orders the first assault on Jek's base and for more belt buckles. Salateen agrees to tell Morgus about the assault and to throw Jek off guard when he broadcasts a message.

Jek discovers the real Salateen is free to walk around the planet, leaving Peri unguarded. Meanwhile, Stotz chains the Doctor inside his spaceship and calls Morgus. As Stotz discusses the situation with Morgus via holographic communication en route, Morgus sees the Doctor still alive, and tells Stotz that Chellak faked the attack on Jek's base. Morgus is worried that the president will see his double dealings. Morgus tells Stotz to remain in orbit and Stotz leaves the Doctor on his own. When Stotz is gone, the Doctor tries to escape.

Meanwhile, Morgus, fearing deception, invites the President into his HQ, and opens a lift. He pushes the President into it and the President falls to his death. He then informs Timmin to have the lift maintenance engineer shot and makes his own plans to travel to Androzani Minor to put the situation right himself. Meanwhile, Jek has kidnapped Peri and taken her back to his HQ. He discovers the Doctor has gone. He is now very insane and needs Peri's beauty to forget all about the trouble that Morgus has put him in. Peri tells him the army will attack soon, but Jek already knows that - he has changed the recongnation code for the belt buckle. General Chellak and his men are in for a shock...

The Doctor painfully manages to break free from the wall. He is still very weary from the Spectrox but manages to programe the spaceship to land or "crash" on Androzani Major. Stotz regains access to the bridge by burning through the door, but he can't reach the control panel. Instead, he points his gun at the Doctor and orders him to return the ship to orbit. The Doctor refuses to give up unti he rescues Peri. The planet looms large on the ship's view screen and the Doctor tells Stotz: "I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU STOP ME NOW!" Stotz gets ready to fire and the Doctor closes his eyes as the ship prepares for a crash landing...

Part Four

The Doctor regenerates into his sixth incarnation

The ship's retro rockets fire at the last moment, throwing Stotz's aim off, and causing the Doctor to land the ship back on the surface of Androzani Minor. Still very weary from the Spectrox poisoning, the Doctor escapes from the spaceship. Krepler and another gun runner chase after him. Meanwhile, General Chellak plans the real assault on Jek's base, luring him to believe an attack lies elsewhere. As the gun runners prepare for battle, they discover their belt buckles are not working. An android guns down Salateen. The battle kills nearly all of the gunrunners. Meanwhile, Krepler and his friend are still chasing the Doctor. He eventually approaches a cliff and falls. But as Krepler and his friend are about to kill the Doctor, a mudburst begins and they run back to the ship. The Doctor gets to his feet and makes his way into the caves to save Peri. Chellak and the gun runners have no choice but to push against the mudburst Jek is able to rescue the unconscious Peri from the military base and return her to his base amid the chaos. Chellak, however, sees Jek and chases him to his base. Once there, he struggles with Jek until he pulls his mask off. He is so horrified at the sight of Jek's scalded face, that Jek is able to push him outside into the path of the mudburst. Jek then goes over to Peri. She screams at the sight of Jek's face, and Jek himself lets out a cry of agony. The Doctor arrives, struggling to hold off his body's attempt to regenerate to rid itself of the spectrox. Jek provides him with an oxygen mask and directions to the lower parts of the caves, so he can find and milk the queen bat. As the Doctor departs to get the milk, Morgus arrives on the planet, finding that his shrewd secretary has deposed him from power.

Morgus quickly deals with Stotz to kill all the remaining gunrunners, including Krepler, and then plot to secure Jek's private stash of spectrox so they may disappear quietly to another planet. The two make their way to Jek's base, lured by extractor fans that Jek is using to try to keep the base temperature cool for Peri. The noise causes them to track Jek down. Morgus orders Jek to give him the Spectrox. Jek realises who is speaking and he refuses and then pulls the front of his mask off, showing Morgus his scalded face. A brief fight breaks out between the three men, and Jek, Morgus, and Stotz are killed. Jek's extractor fans short circuit and burst into flames and Jek dies in the arms of the Salateen android, giving it his last orders to hold him. The Doctor arrives just after the battle, and escapes. But the Salateen android stays where it is as the fire destroys Jek's base... The Doctor takes the recovering Peri back to the surface and to the TARDIS, but a main mud burst is on it's way. The Doctor manages to get the key, but spills half of the bat's milk in the sand. He manages to open the door, get inside the TARDIS and dematerialize as the planet's surface is covered in boiling mud. Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor feeds Peri all of the bat's milk. She recovers to find the Doctor lying in pain on the floor. The Doctor quickly explains he only got enough bat's milk to cure Peri, but his body will shortly regenerate, though it feels different from his previous regenerations. The Doctor begins to hallucinate images of his past companions urging him to continue to fight for his life, followed by the Master laughing at his state. The regeneration completes, with the Doctor suddenly alert and active though with a new face. Peri replies: "Doctor?" He says: "You were expecting someone else?" Peri asks him what has happened and the Doctor replies, "Change, my dear, and it seems not a moment too soon."

Cast

Crew

Assistant Floor Manager - Sue Hedden
Costumes - Andrew Rose
Designer - John Hurst
Film Cameraman - John Walker
Film Editor - Roger Guertin
Incidental Music - Roger Limb
Make-Up - John Nethercot, Shirley Stallard
Producer - John Nathan-Turner
Production Assistant - Juley Harding
Production Associate - June Collins
Script Editor - Eric Saward
Special Sounds - Dick Mills
Studio Lighting - Don Babbage
Studio Sound - Scott Talbott
Theme Arrangement - Peter Howell
Title Music - Ron Grainer
Visual Effects - Jim Francis, Stuart Brisdon

References

Peri asks why the Doctor wears a stick of celery; it is a safety precaution. He is allergic to certain gases in the praxis range of the spectrum. "If the gas is present, the celery turns purple."
Spectrox toxaemia causes rash, cramp, spasms, slow paralysis of the thoracic spinal nerve and finally thermal death.
Morgus is (or was, before being deposed by Timmin) "the richest man in the Five Planets", chairman of the Sirius Conglomerate and a descendant of the first colonists.
During the regeneration sequence; Adric, Tegan Jovanka, Nyssa, Turlough, Kamelion and The Master are seen and heard. This is similar to the regeneration of the Fourth Doctor, who also saw images (in that case, flashbacks) of the previous companions and several enemies of that incarnation.

Story notes

Despite the title, the Doctor notes that the caves are in fact blowholes.
The maps of the caves shown on screen bear an uncanny resemblance to the video game Dig Dug.
This story had the working title of Chain Reaction.
This is Peter Davison's final TV story, however he reprised the role on screen in Dimensions in Time and Time Crash.
The regeneration sequence features specially recorded cameos by Matthew Waterhouse, Janet Fielding, Sarah Sutton, Mark Strickson, Gerald Flood and Anthony Ainley.
The closing credits to Part Four feature the face of new Doctor Colin Baker, and list him before Peter Davison.
Christopher Gable was not the first choice to play Sharaz Jek; among the actors offered the role were Tim Curry and David Bowie.
Colin Baker previously appeared (as Commander Maxil) in Arc of Infinity.
The Doctor has been "this way before" and says that Androzani Minor "hasn't changed".
If the pre-companion appearance of Nyssa in The Keeper of Traken is discounted, this story marks the first occasion since 1977's Horror of Fang Rock that the Doctor has spent a complete adventure with only a single companion.
In DWM , The Caves of Androzani was voted the readers favourite episode.
The only characters who do not die during this story are Peri and Timmin, both female. Every male character dies apart from the Sixth Doctor (the Fifth Doctor, however, does).

Influences

Frank Herbert's Dune (people being killed over a drug that extends life; the unstable "tripod of power" between the rulers of Androzani; the "mud blows" and Androzani Minor's generally arid climate)
The Phantom of the Opera (mentally unbalanced but brilliant recluse wears a mask to conceal facial disfigurement; develops obsessive fascination with an attractive young woman and eventually abducts her)

Ratings

Part 1 - 6.9 million viewers
Part 2 - 6.6 million viewers
Part 3 - 7.8 million viewers
Part 4 - 7.8 million viewers

Myths

to be added

Filming locations

Masters Pit, Hansons Aggregates, Stokeford Heath, Dorset
BBC Television Centre (TC6), Shepherd's Bush, London

Production errors

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.

Nicola Bryant, or her stunt double, bounces after slipping down the cliff-face in episode one, obviously hitting a safety cushion of some kind.

Continuity

This leads straight into DW: The Twin Dilemma.
The Doctors last word is: "Adric?"
Part of BFA: Circular Time takes place during/in the lead up to the Doctor's regeneration.
Following this story, the Sixth Doctor goes through a brief period where he subconsciously blames Peri for his previous self's death, and tries to distance himself from her while telling himself he's working towards a greater good, until he finally realizes this in MA: Burning Heart.
In NA: Timewyrm: Revelation it is revealed that after the Fifth Doctor dies he becomes the Doctor's conscience, but is buried by the Seventh Doctor following his regeneration.

Timeline

This story occurs after PDA: Warmonger
This story occurs before DW: The Twin Dilemma
BFA: Circular Time occurs during episode 4 of this story

Home video and audio releases

DVD releases

File:6r-dvd2.jpg

Released as Doctor Who: The Caves of Androzani, this release was the third of 2001.

Released:

Region 2 18th June 2001

PAL - BBC DVD BBCDVD1042

Region 4 7th January 2002
Region 1 2nd April 2002

NTSC - Warner Video E1606

Contents:

Behind the Scenes: The Regeneration - Footage of final studio session, with commentary.
Behind the Scenes: Creating Sharaz Jek - Interview with Christopher Gable.
BBC News - Report of Peter Davison's departure (28th July 1983).
South East at Six News - Peter Davison and John Nathan-Turner talk about the future of the series.
Extended Scene
Music-only Option
Trailer
Photo Gallery
Production Subtitles
Commentary: Peter Davison, Nicola Bryant and Graeme Harper

Rear Credits:

Starring Peter Davison
By Robert Holmes
Produced by John Nathan-Turner
Directed by Graeme Harper
Incidental Music by Roger Limb

Notes:

Editing for DVD release completed by Doctor Who Restoration Team.

2|entertain has announced that a new edition of the DVD, with additional special features and restoration, will be included in a box set entitled Revisitations scheduled for release in 2010.^[1] Confirmed extras include a chat show appearance from Peter Davison and Colin Baker from 1984, along with Directing Who feature on Graeme Harper and it will be a 2 disc set ^[2]

VHS releases