Frontios (TV story)

This article needs a big cleanup.

It's unclear what's wrong with the article, because the editor who placed this tag here didn't enumerate the page's problems.

These problems might be so great that the article's factual accuracy has been compromised. Talk about it here or check the revision history or Manual of Style for more information.

...Frontios buries its own dead...

In the far reaches of the future, the TARDIS crash-lands on the planet Frontios in the Veruna system, where the last remnants of humanity have fled the collision of Earth with the sun. Gruesome tales of a hungry earth stalk the struggling settlement, and a bombardment of meteors from an unseen enemy hold the future of mankind in a precarious balance.

At a crucial point in history, with the future still unknown, the Doctor is unable to intervene for fear of violating the laws of Time itself.

But when the TARDIS is destroyed in an attack on the colony, he may have no choice.

Cast

The Doctor - Peter Davison

Tegan Jovanka - Janet Fielding

Vislor Turlough - Mark Strickson

Brazen - Peter Gilmore

Norna - Lesley Dunlop

Range - William Lucas

Plantagenet - Jeff Rawle

Cockerill - Maurice O'Connell

Orderly - Richard Ashley (Episode 1)

Gravis - John Gillett (Episodes 2-4)

Deputy - Alison Skilbeck (Episode 3)

Retrograde - Raymond Murtagh (Episodes 3-4)

Captain Revere - John Beardmore

Crew

Bad Guys

Tractators

Story Notes

For the first time, we see a solid reference to Turlough's home planet, which was attacked millenia ago by the Tractators.

Myths

This story was originally intended to feature Richard Hurndall in a black and white flashback remembered by Peter Davison's Doctor after hitting his head on the TARDIS control console. (False)

Statistics

Broadcast Dates

Part 1 - 26th January, 1984 - 6:40pm - 7:05pm

Part 2 - 27th January, 1984 - 6:40pm - 7:05pm

Part 3 - 2nd February, 1984 - 6:40pm - 7:05pm

Part 4 - 3rd February, 1984 - 6:40pm - 7:05pm

Duration

Ratings

Continuity

Turlough makes reference to the Arar Jecks of Heiradi, who had hollowed a huge subterranean city beneath the surface of their planet during the Twenty Aeon War.

Turlough's home planet was attacked millenia ago by Tractators - an event that was locked into their ancestral memory. The sight of the Tractators triggers a memory resurgence which causes Turlough to go into catatonic shock. Gradually he recalls more and more of these memories, which allow him to 'remember' who the Tractators were, what their goals were - and more importantly, how to defeat them.

The Gravis is aware of the capabilities of a TARDIS, presumably by reputation.

Cultural References

Influences

Location Filming

Quotes

Turlough: "Fleeing from the imminence of a catastrophic collision with the sun, a group of refugees from the DOOMED planet Earth..."
The Doctor: "Oh, marvellous. You're going to kill me. What a finely tuned response to the situation."
The Doctor: [Regarding the TARDIS] "As an invasion weapon, you'd have to agree that it's about as offensive as a chicken vol-au-vent."