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Battlefield (TV story)

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Synopsis

The TARDIS materialises in the English countryside near the village of Carbury, where a nuclear missile convoy under the command of UNIT Brigadier Winifred Bambera has run into difficulties. Lying on the bed of nearby Lake Vortigern is a spaceship from another dimension containing the body of King Arthur, supposedly held in suspended animation, and his sword Excalibur.

Ancelyn, a knight from the other dimension, arrives on Earth to aid the King but is followed by his rival Mordred and the latter's mother, a powerful sorceress named Morgaine. They all recognise the Doctor as Merlin, which the Time Lord attributes to events in his own future.

A battle breaks out between UNIT and Morgaine's men. Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart has come out of retirement to assist in the crisis and ends up using silver bullets to kill the Destroyer - an awesomely powerful creature unshackled by Morgaine to devour the world - although he himself is almost killed in the process.

Morgaine tries to fire the nuclear missile but is overcome by shock when the Doctor tells her that Arthur is in fact dead. She and her son are then taken prisoner by UNIT.

Plot

Part 1

Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, now retired from teaching (DW: Mawdryn Undead) as well as UNIT, is enjoying retirement with his wife Doris. UNIT may still need the gallant old soldier, though; new Brigadier Winifred Bambera and her soldiers, in a nuclear missile convoy near rural Carbury, are faced with inexplicable equipment failure and peculiar sightings of armour-clad knights. In the excitement, the UNIT convoy ignores a pair of hitchhikers nearby: the Doctor and Ace, lured to Carbury by a distress signal so powerful that it even crosses universes.

The Doctor and Ace eventually hitch a ride with archaeologist Peter Warmsly, who is excavating an old battlefield near Carbury--though even he is surprised to find his dig site taken over by tight-lipped UNIT soldiers. While he attempts to get an explanation, the Doctor unearths old UNIT identification (his own and Liz Shaw's) to get himself and Ace into the UNIT camp. Bambera, nonplussed, confiscates the passes and ejects the two travellers from the convoy. But one UNIT soldier, who had previously served under Lethbridge-Stewart, recalls UNIT's former scientific advisor: his eccentricity, his ability to change appearance, and his tendency to attract trouble.

Intrigued, Bambera gives the Doctor and Ace a lift to the nearby Gore Crow Hotel... and asks UNIT headquarters to recall Lethbridge-Stewart to duty.

At the hotel, Ace meets a kindred spirit in Shou Yuing, while the Doctor talks to innkeeper Elizabeth Rowlinson. She is blind but psychic, and knows that the ancient scabbard over the inn's fireplace--an artifact found by Warmsly--is an object of tremendous and mysterious power.

Ace and Shou are chatting outside the hotel when they and the Doctor witness an oddly human-shaped missile crash into innkeeper Pat Rowlinson's microbrewery. It is revealed to be a knight in full armour--not an android, as Ace initially thinks--and, when his helmet is removed, he warmly greets the Doctor as "Merlin".

Part 2

The Doctor, Ace, and Shou chat with the knight, Ancelyn, who refers to the distress signal intercepted by the TARDIS as "Excalibur's call" and claims that it heralds the start of a final war and King Arthur's restoration to the throne. The Doctor surmises that the coming battle isn't properly part of this dimension at all, and belongs to a parallel universe--but before he can test the theory, an exasperated Brigadier Bambera storms into the microbrewery and declares everyone under arrest. She is interrupted by the unexpected arrival of more extradimensional knights, including Ancelyn's sworn enemy Mordred, who also recognizes the Doctor as Merlin. After Mordred retreats, unwilling to face the Doctor, Ancelyn and Bambera vie for dominance and the rest of the party retreats to the Gore Crow's lounge.

Mordred, with the help of a sword he calls "brother to Excalibur", begins a strange ritual intended to link his home dimension to present-day Carbury and allow his mother Morgaine to cross over. As he roars in triumph at the ritual's success, the scabbard on the wall of the Gore Crow's lounge breaks free and sails across the room--towards the lake--before implanting itself in a wall, distressingly close to Warmsly. The Doctor realises what is happening, but cannot stop it... Morgaine crosses over, and the hotel is plunged into darkness.

Morgaine and Mordred discuss their plans for battle; the sorceress, seeing a helicopter approach, demonstrates her power by bringing it down. The helicopter, which is bringing Lethbridge-Stewart to Carbury, manages to land, and Lethbridge-Stewart sets off in search of the Doctor.

Warmsly shows the Doctor and Ace the Carbury dig, and points out a mysterious inscription. The Doctor recognizes his own handwriting instructing him to dig a hole, which he asks Ace to do with some well-placed explosives. At the bottom is an 8th century tunnel... made of cement. The Doctor and Ace investigate, having left Warmsly to guard them.

At the end of the tunnel is a strange room. Ace and the Doctor look in vain for some way out, until the Doctor simply commands the door to open, and it obeys. As they proceed to the next rooms, the Doctor explains that Merlin must have built the rooms--spaceship, it now appears--that they are in... and he is Merlin, or will be.

In the topmost level of the spaceship is King Arthur, apparently in suspended animation, and Excalibur. Ace accidentally draws Excalibur, which triggers an automated defence system that traps Ace in an airtight chamber rapidly filling with water, and renders the Doctor helpless as she watches...

Part 3

As the two wander near Lake Vortigern, Warmsly quotes Malory's "Morte d'Arthur" to Ancelyn... when, to his astonishment, a hand appears from the lake brandishing Excalibur. It proves to be Ace, whom the Doctor managed to free from the spaceship below the lake. She emerges wet but none the worse for the wear, and is joined by Warmsly, Ancelyn, Bambera, and--arriving with Shou in her car, which he has commandeered, Lethbridge-Stewart.

The Doctor continues to fight the spaceship's defence system, but it is only stopped when Lethbridge-Stewart, who has entered through the tunnel, intervenes. Reunited, the friends leave by the tunnel and rejoin the others at the dig.

Meanwhile, Morgaine has sent Mordred and his knights after the Doctor and the others, with orders to take Excalibur and kill any who resist. The Rowlinsons are terrified by Morgaine's cavalier killing of a UNIT soldier, but grateful--if bewildered--when she restores Elizabeth's sight.

The party splits up for the ride back to the hotel: Bambera and Ancelyn in Shou's car; the Doctor, Ace, Shou, and Warmsly in his. Mordred's knights set up an ambush in the woods between the hotel and the dig, but ultimately attack the wrong car; the others make it back to the hotel safely, with Excalibur. There they find that all locals are being evacuated--Shou and Ace slip away unnoticed, while Warmsly and the Rowlinsons protest but ultimately agree to evacuate.

A UNIT patrol sent to find Bambera and Ancelyn reports that the two soldiers escaped the knights and are at large in the woods. The news, though welcome, does not entirely cheer the Doctor, who points out that Mordred and his knights are also at large... and that nothing stands between them and the now-unguarded missile convoy by the lake. They must return to the convoy immediately. Fortunately, Lethbridge-Stewart thought to bring along transportation: Bessie, the Doctor's car from his UNIT days. He and the Doctor depart, leaving Ace and Shou behind with Excalibur and instructions on avoiding Morgaine's sorcery.

Morgaine leaps at her chance to snatch Excalibur from the hands of its young guardians, summoning the Destroyer to help her, but Ace remembers the Doctor's warning and draws a protective circle of chalk. Much to her surprise, it seems to work... until Morgaine tries a more subtle psychological attack, and sets Ace and Shou fighting, trying to draw one or both out of the circle.

At the dig, the ancient battlefield has become a modern one, as UNIT troops face off against Mordred and his knights, and Mordred himself is confronted by Ancelyn--but as they prepare to fight, the Doctor intervenes and declares that there will be no more bloodshed. But Mordred smugly announces that the battle was only a diversion for his mother Morgaine's attempt at Excalibur... and that Ace and Shou stand no chance against Morgaine and the Destroyer.

Part 4

Mordred offers the Doctor a trade--the girls' lives for Excalibur--but the Doctor, outraged, threatens to decapitate him unless Morgaine surrenders herself. But Mordred calls the Doctor's bluff; he knows, he says, of Merlin's distaste for taking life. He is proved right, but Lethbridge-Stewart appears out of the woods, gun ready, and declares that he has no such compunctions. The two old friends force Mordred into their car and head back to the Gore Crow Hotel.

They arrive just as the Destroyer, under Morgaine's command, has nearly brought the hotel down on Ace and Shou. The Doctor finds his friends under a pile of rubble, relieved that they were able to stay alive, even at the cost of surrendering Excalibur to Morgaine.

She, meanwhile, has returned, with Excalibur and Mordred, to her castle in her reality. The Doctor and Brigadier follows her across the Void; he himself is followed by Ace, who brings along Excalibur's sheath and the Brigadier's silver bullets.

Morgaine frees the Destroyer, to the Doctor's dismay. While she and Mordred teleport away, out of the Destroyer's immediate path, the Doctor and his two friends are left to flee on foot. The Doctor deduces that, since the Destroyer was bound in silver chains, it will be vulnerable to the Brigadier's silver bullets. Lethbridge-Stewart knocks the Doctor out and takes the gun--loaded with the silver bullets--to spare the Doctor the duty of killing the Destroyer. When the Doctor revives, he and Ace find that Lethbridge-Stewart has done so, nearly paying for the opportunity with his life.

Even without the Destroyer, Morgain and Mordred still pose a threat, as they prove when they cross back into our world and take Bambera hostage. They force her to divulge the launch codes for the nuclear missile, and prepare it for launch.

Ancelyn, the Doctor, Lethbridge-Stewart, and Ace return Excalibur to the spaceship under the lake. There they find that the sword activates the spaceship--but does not resurrect Arthur. According to a note left by the Doctor for himself, Arthur was killed in the Battle of Camlann, not placed in suspended animation. The note also warns them that Morgaine has control of the nuclear missile, and the four friends rush back to the surface.

While Ace and the Brigadier destroy the spaceship, the Doctor tries to stop the missile launch. Morgaine is obstinate... but the Doctor explains the full horror of nuclear warfare, and she relents with seconds to spare. She demands of the Doctor that King Arthur face her for a final confrontation, but the Doctor reveals that Arthur died in his last battle. Grief-stricken, she does not notice the Doctor leave.

The Doctor intervenes in a sword fight between Ancelyn and Mordred, and renders Mordred unconscious. Ancelyn is freed, and Mordred and Morgaine surrendered to UNIT.

Back at the Lethbridge-Stewart house, the Doctor, Brigadier, and Ancelyn are left to relax in the garden... while Doris, Shou, Ace, and Bambera commandeer Bessie for a girls' trip out on the town!

Cast

Crew

References

 
McCoy becomes only the third Doctor to use Bessie on screen
  • The Brigadier is married to Doris Lethbridge-Stewart and has been replaced by Winifred Bambera.
  • The Doctor uses Bessie again, and the license plate now reads "WHO 7".
  • The Doctor from Morgaine's reality was called Merlin; there is some implication that the Doctor is Merlin (or will be).

The Doctor's items

  • The Doctor carries Liz Shaw's UNIT pass, his own, a catapult, and a variety of alien coinage.

Food and Beverages

  • The Doctor discourages Ace from drinking alcohol; she ends up drinking lemonade.
  • Mordred drinks at least four pints of Pat Rowlinson's home-brewed beer without apparent effect.

United Nations Intelligence Taskforce

  • The Brigadier talks of how UNIT now has a variety of anti-alien weaponry: silver bullets, teflon anti-Dalek bullets, high explosives for Yetis, armour piercing rounds for robots, and gold-tipped bullets for "you know what" (Cybermen).
  • The Doctor and Ace use passes that he thought he would never need again. Her pass belonged to Liz Shaw.
  • The Doctor cries out "Yeti, Autons, Daleks, Cybermen, Silurians" when trying to show Bambera that he was indeed a member of UNIT.

Story Notes

  • This story had the working title Storm Over Avallion.
  • Jean Marsh previously played Joanna in The Crusade and Sara Kingdom in The Daleks' Master Plan.
  • This is the last appearance of the Brigadier and of UNIT in the classic series.
  • After the remembrance ceremony in Part 2 Morgaine (played by Jean Marsh) says that she will kill the Brigadier next time they meet. 2000 years later, during "The Daleks' Master Plan", Sara Kingdom, played by Jean Marsh, kills Bret Vyon, played by Nicholas Courtney.
  • During the water-tank scene at the end of Part 2, the tank's glass cracked, sending broken glass and water across the studio towards the electrical equipment. By chance, Sylvester McCoy noticed in time to alert the crew; Sophie Aldred was pulled out in time and the studio was hurriedly evacuated. It is commonly believed by cast and crew that Sophie may have died if Sylvester hadn't noticed in time; Gary Downie has said she was in no danger and it was only the floor crew at risk (Doctor Who Magazine #338), but this conflicts with every other cast/crew statement.
    • On the Battlefield DVD, camera image of part of the incident can be seen.
  • Although he would reprise the role in audio productions (The Paradise of Death, etc.), and the independent film Downtime, Courtney's next official television appearance as the Brigadier would not occur until 2008 when he appeared in Enemy of the Bane, an episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures. As of 2009 he has yet to return to Doctor Who proper, although the character is referenced by name in the 2008 episode The Poison Sky.
  • Marc Warren, who appears in a bit part in this story, later played Elton Pope in DW: Love & Monsters.

Ratings

  • Part 1 - 3.1 million viewers
  • Part 2 - 3.9 million viewers
  • Part 3 - 3.6 million viewers
  • Part 4 - 4.0 million viewers

This story recieved Doctor Who's lowest ratings for a story with 3.1 million people watching Episode One.

Myths

  • The incidental music for this story was originally to have been provided by the rock group Hawkwind. (It wasn't.)

Filming Locations

  • Fulmer Plant Park, Cherry Tree Lane, Fulmer, Buckinghamshire (The Brigadier and Doris at the garden centre)
  • Black Park, Black Park Road, Fulmer, Buckinghamshire (Helicopter flight and crash scenes)
  • Barnsdale, Rutland, Leicestershire (Where the UNIT convoy is stuck)
  • Hambleton, Rutland, Leicestershire (A Carbury road)
  • Castle Cement Quarry, Ketton, Lincolnshire (CRash site of one of the knights)
  • Little Paston, Fulmer Common Road, Fulmer, Buckinghamshire (The Brigadier and Doris' house)
  • Wothorpe Towers, St Martin's Without, Stamford, Lincolnshire (Morgaine's house/castle whilst on Earth)
  • Hambleton Woods, Rutland, Leicestershire (The excavation site)
  • Twyford Wood, Colsterworth, Lincolnshire (Location where the TARDIS materialises)
  • BBC Television Centre (TC3), Shepherd's Bush, London

Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors

  • When Morgaine strikes Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart's helicopter, the smoke box used for this effect can clearly be seen attached to the back of the left landing skid.
  • Although this takes place some time after 1989 when it was broadcast, it would appear to take place prior to 2009 (The Brigadier has been knighted by the time of DW:The Poison Sky, in which he is referred to as "Sir Alistair") or 2010 (the approximate timeframe of a scheduled appearance by a much older Brigadier in The Sarah Jane Adventures). Later books and audios confirm this story's year as early 1997. This causes a continuity issues as Battlefield makes reference to there being a king on the throne, suggesting that Queen Elizabeth II has either died or abdicated by this time. Yet she is still on the throne in the timeframe of the Doctor Who revival and The Sarah Jane Adventures (per Voyage of the Damned). An attempt to reconcile the aging of the Brigadier was attempted years prior to the revival when the Virgin New Adventures series established that at some point the Brigadier has his youth restored to him. It remains to be seen, however, if televised continuity will follow suit. As for the issue of who is on the throne, it's possible this story takes place in a timeline that was somehow negated (a la Turn Left) in which the Queen died prior to 1997, or for a reason as yet unrevealed she had temporarily vacated the throne, only to return at a later date.
  • Why would Bessie's licence plate read WHO7 if they dont know if the Doctor regenerated? Obviously intended as an in-joke, as far as in-universe it's possible it was simply a coincidence that the update licence coincided with the then-present incarnation. Since the Virgin New Adventures establishes that the Brigadier actually met the Seventh Doctor prior to Battlefield but had his memory erased, it's possible some spark of recollection remained and he might have unconsciously chosen the licence number.

Continuity

  • Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart last appeared on screen in DW: The Five Doctors. He would not appear onscreen again for ninteen years: in the 2008 The Sarah Jane Adventures serial Enemy of the Bane.
    • In the expanded universe, Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart reappears multiple times, starting with Happy Endings (where his memory is restored). The audio drama Minuet in Hell would establish that the United Nations would "dust off" Lethbridge-Stewart as an agent several years after Battlefield. The Brigadier also appears in the independent film production Downtime.
  • Doris was first mentioned in DW: Planet of the Spiders.
  • The Seventh Doctor meets Lethrbidge-Stewart for the 'first time' (from the Brigadier's perspective) in NA: No Future (and then wipes his memory of the event so he could meet him for the first time in this story).
  • Bambera reappears in NA: Head Games.
  • As well as featuring foreign UNIT troops (from France, Hungary and Poland), Battlefield does a soft retcon by stating (via Zbrigniev's service under Lethbridge-Stewart) that there had been foreign troops "off-screen" in the Pertwee era. This was an intentional act by Aaronovitch to emphasise UNIT was an international group, confirmed on the Battlefield DVD's behind-the-scenes features.
  • Just as companion Rose Tyler did not appreciate the implication that she was "the latest" companion (in DW: School Reunion), Ace bristles when Lethbridge-Stewart refers to her as such.
  • This is the last time UNIT appears on a broadcast episode of Doctor Who until the 2005 series. They appear on screen (on Video) in RP: Downtime, BBV: Auton, Auton 2: Sentinel and Auton 3: Awakening. UNIT resumed broadcast appearances in Doctor Who beginning with DW: Aliens of London.
  • The Doctor appears to be aware of the circumstances of the Brigadier's eventual death, stating that he is "supposed to die in bed". (It's possible, however, that he was speaking metaphorically and was actually referring to his hopes that the Brigadier would die peacefully, instead of in battle; later novels suggest the Brigadier is destined to have his youth restored (presumably some time after his appearance in the 2008 episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures, Enemy of the Bane) and live as late as the 2050s.)

Timeline

For the Doctor:

For the Brigadier

DVD and Video Releases

  • Released on VHS in movie format.
  • Region 2 DVD release 29th December includes 2 disc set featuring the original broadcast version and a movie version featuring new effects and revised soundtrack.
  • Editing for both VHS and DVD releases completed by Doctor Who Restoration Team.

Novelisation

 
Main article: Battlefield (novelisation)

External Links

Template:Season 26

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