Underworld (TV story)

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Revision as of 21:16, 9 August 2010 by Spreee (talk | contribs) (Removed refernce to admittedly unscientific fan poll.)

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Underworld was the penultimate story of Season 15, and the first over which script editor Anthony Read had complete creative control. Read had requested that writers Bob Baker and Dave Martin make the script explicitly allegorical of the ancient myth of Jason and the Quest for the Golden Fleece.

Beyond this, though, Underworld was unusual in number of regards. Perhaps most obviously, it was the serial that used by far the most colour separation overlay (CSO) in the programme's history. Rampant inflation had eaten away at the budget for the back half of the season, and using CSO to recreate virtually every shot of the alien world featured in the story was the only feasible way to preserve production of The Invasion of Time. It also advanced the mythos of the Time Lords, by explaining the origin of their non-interference policy.

Synopsis

The TARDIS arrives on a Minyan space craft, the R1C, commanded by a man named Jackson. Jackson and his crew are on a long quest to recover the Minyan race banks from a ship called the P7E which left their planet centuries ago. The Doctor helps to free the R1C after it becomes buried in a meteorite storm, but it then crashes into another newly-formed planet.

Inside the planet is a system of caves at the heart of which is the P7E. The P7E's computer, the Oracle, was programmed to protect the race banks but subsequently went insane and - with the aid of its servants, the Seers - imposed its rule upon the Minyan survivors and their descendants. It allows Jackson to take what appear to be the race banks, but they are actually imitations containing fission grenades.

The Doctor realises the deception and obtains the genuine race banks. He then tricks the Oracle's guards into taking the grenades back to their leader. The resulting explosion destroys the planet and the P7E and boosts the R1C off on a voyage to Minyos II, carrying with it the Minyan survivors.

Plot

to be added

Cast

Crew

References

The Doctor

Races and species

  • The Minyans, when living on Minyos, accepted Time Lord technology, then kicked them out by force, went to war and destroyed their world, 100,000 years previously.
  • Minyans can regenerate thousands of times, with mechanical help, but retain the same persona each time.

Story notes

  • The Minyan spacecraft set turned out to be more expensive than anticipated thus almost all other scenes were created using CSO.
  • The story is a very obvious play on the story of Jason and the Argonauts as the names of various characters are quite similar: Jackson/Jason, Herrick/Heracles, Tala/Atalanta, Orfe/Orpheus, Minyos/Minos, R1C/Argossey, P7E/Persephone.
  • This story had a working title of Underground.
  • The DVD production notes point out that all 4 episodes ran short of their allotted running time, forcing the use of extended shots and repeated shots for padding. Part 2 and 3, in particular, were so much in need of padding that reprises much longer than usual were used in both.
  • Also according to the production notes, the recently released Star Wars influenced certain aspects of the production, especially when it was learned that the film would be released in the UK 10 days before Underworld was scheduled to air.
  • Episode 1 was broadcast only a few days after the Terry Nation-created series Blake's 7 debuted. Composer Dudley Simpson worked on both shows and, according to the DVD production notes, snuck a reference to the Blake's 7 theme music into the score for the Underworld episode.
  • The DVD featurette Into the Unknown reveals that budget restrictions were so tight on Underworld that the idea of cancelling it altogether and allotting its budget to The Invasion of Time was suggested, but was ultimately rejected as an option by Graham Williams.
  • The scenes of the Doctor shepherding the Trogs through the caves and onto the P7E were devised and organized by Tom Baker himself.
  • The cliffhanger resolution in Episode 3 includes a moment where Tom Baker directly addresses the camera, one of the few occasions in series history that the fourth wall was broken.

Ratings

  • Part 1 - 8.9 million viewers
  • Part 2 - 9.1 million viewers
  • Part 3 - 8.9 million viewers
  • Part 4 - 11.7 million viewers

Myths

  • Imogen Bickford-Smith was going to replace Louise Jameson as the Doctor's companion. Though an actual news story at the time, it was a complete fabrication of the actor's agent, who had gotten wind of Jameson's impending departure. Producer Graham Williams never considered retaining Bickford-Smith beyond Underworld.

Filming locations

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.
  • The green screen back projection used to create scenes within the caves works surprisingly well, except for a few occasions in which characters can be seen moving through supposedly solid rock, and during episode 2 there are a couple of moments where people's heads can be seen to "vanish".
  • In episode 1, Leela uses a ray gun to blast away a door. Tom Baker wasn't in the correct position when the camera started rolling again when the door was removed, so his body placement is seen to change instantly.
  • Due to incorrect placement of the CSO, K-9 appears to float in midair in a few cave scenes.

Continuity

  • Further information is revealed of Minyos in BFG: The Inquiry.
  • In DW: Mawdryn Undead there is seen another example of Time Lord technology allowing for perpetual regeneration.
  • This was the first story to show regeneration being applied by non-Time Lords. A key difference is that the Minyans' regeneration process does not result in complete physical change and new personalities, just a reversal of the aging process.
  • The Doctor mentions that he's gone through regeneration "two or three times" and remarks it's "not pleasant".
  • The Doctor refers to the Oracle as "another machine with megalomania; another insane object; another self-aggrandizing artefact." He has encountered several similary insane machines before, namely WOTAN (DW: The War Machines), BOSS (DW: The Green Death) and Xoanon (DW: The Face of Evil).

Timeline

Home video and audio releases

DVD releases

  • This story was first released on DVD in the UK on 29th March 2010 as part of the Myths And Legends Boxset. The one disc set includes a restored version of the story, as well as the following special features:
  • Commentary by Tom Baker (The Doctor), Louise Jameson (Leela) and Bob Baker (Co-Writer).
  • Into The Unknown
  • Underworld – In Studio
  • Coming Soon Trailer (The Creature From The Pit)
  • Radio Times Billings
  • Production Subtitles
  • Photo Gallery

A North American/Region 1 release of the story occurred in July 2010, however in that region the story was released on its own and not as part of a box set.

  • UK DVD 2010 Cover

    UK DVD 2010 Cover

  • UK DVD 2010 Boxset

    UK DVD 2010 Boxset

Video releases

  • VHS UK cover

    VHS UK cover

  • VHS Australian cover

    VHS Australian cover

  • VHS US cover

    VHS US cover

Novelisation and its audiobook

Underworld novel.jpg
Main article: Doctor Who and the Underworld

Novelised as Doctor Who and the Underworld by Terrance Dicks in 1980.

External links

References

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For the purposes of this list, a "regeneration story" is one in which a regeneration is actually and initially depicted. For this reason The War Games is not included below, even though it is commonly thought of as a "regeneration story". It doesn't actually include a clear scene of regeneration, and the preponderance of stories in other media confirms that the Second Doctor did not regenerate at the end of it.
Additionally, immediate post-regeneration stories, like the 2005 Children in Need Special Born Again — and ones like Castrovalva, where the regeneration sequence was replayed — are not included.
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