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Synopsis
The Doctor, Romana, K9 and Adric - an Outler from Alzarius who has stowed away aboard the TARDIS - arrive on a planet where the native villagers live in fear of 'the Wasting' and of three Lords named Zargo, Camilla and Aukon who rule from an imposing Tower. The Lords are soon revealed to be vampire servants of the last of the Great Vampires, a race referred to in Time Lord mythology.
The Great Vampire is about to be revived from its resting place beneath the Tower - in fact the spaceship in which the Lords, in their original human forms, came to E-Space - but the Doctor launches one of the ship's three shuttle craft and it pierces the heart of the creature, killing it. The Lords, deprived of their master, crumble to dust.
Plot
to be added
Cast
- Fourth Doctor - Tom Baker
- Romana II - Lalla Ward
- K-9 - John Leeson
- Adric - Matthew Waterhouse
- Aukon - Emrys James
- Camilla - Rachel Davies
- Zargo - William Lindsay
- Ivo - Clinton Greyn
- Marta - Rhoda Lewis
- Tarak - Thane Bettany
- Habris - Iain Rattray
- Kalmar - Arthur Hewlett
- Veros - Stacy Davies
- Karl - Dean Allen
- Roga - Stuart Fell
- Zoldaz - Stuart Blake
Crew
- Assistant Floor Manager - Lynn Richards
- Costumes - Amy Roberts
- Designer - Christine Ruscoe
- Executive Producer - Barry Letts
- Fight Arranger - Stuart Fell
- Film Cameraman - Fintan Sheehan
- Film Editor - John Lee
- Incidental Music - Paddy Kingsland
- Make-Up - Norma Hill
- Producer - John Nathan-Turner
- Production Assistant - Rosalind Wolfes
- Production Unit Manager - Angela Smith
- Script Editor - Christopher H. Bidmead
- Special Sounds - Dick Mills
- Studio Lighting - Bert Postlethwaite
- Studio Sound - John Howell
- Theme Arrangement - Peter Howell
- Title Music - Ron Grainer
- Visual Effects - Tony Harding
References
The Doctor
- The Doctor tells Romana "There was once an old hermit from the mountains of South Gallifrey..." who used to tell him ghost stories, one of which was about the Great Vampire.
Gallifrey
- Romana used to work in the Bureau of Ancient Records and once saw a reference to the Record of Rassilon.
- The Record of Rassilon is held on magnetic card in Type 40 TARDISes.
- It speaks of bowships.
Individuals
- The Great Vampire use the science officer Anthony O'Connor as a conduit to draw the Hydrax through to E-Space.
Spacecraft
- The Earth ship Hydrax was en route to Beta Two in the Perugellis sector when it was drawn through the CVE into E-space by the Great Vampire.
- Rassilon created bow ships which fired bolts of steel to kill the vampires.
Vampires
- K-9's memory contains vampire legends from 17 inhabited planets.
- A directive (of Rassilon) states that the vampires are "the enemy of our people, and of all living things".
- Vampire cardiovascular systems are very complex and can only be killed by a direct blow to the heart.
- During Rassilon's war against the vampires all by one was destroyed (the Great Vampire).
Story Notes
- The story was originally entitled The Witch Lords and was written by Dicks to open Season 15. At that time (mid-1977) the BBC was preparing to mount a major production of Dracula and so cancelled the story. Dicks' replacement script was Horror of Fang Rock. The script was kept and then put into production. Dicks struggled however to add Adric into it.
- This is the second story in the 'E-Space Trilogy'.
- Working titles for this story included; The Wasting, The Vampire Mutations and The Witch Lords.
- For the only time during his era as the Doctor, Tom Baker had to have his hair permed before filming commenced. It had lost its natural curl due to the actor being in ill health.
Ratings
- Part 1 - 5.8 million viewers
- Part 2 - 5.3 million viewers
- Part 3 - 4.4 million viewers
- Part 4 - 5.4 million viewers
Myths
- This story's location scenes were shot at Black Park near Iver Heath in Buckinghamshire. (They were shot at Burnham Beeches near Amersham, also in Buckinghamshire - it was Full Circle's location scenes that were shot at Black Park.)
Filming Locations
- Burnham Beeches, Burnham, Buckinghamshire
- Lucas CAV, Acton, London
- KJP Trading, 250 Western Avenue, Acton, London
- BBC Television Centre (TC3 & 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.
- In part three, Tarak bursts into the Doctor's cell, catching him across the nose with the door (Tom Baker appears slightly stunned, and misses his next cue because he was really struck by the door).
Continuity
- EDA: The Eight Doctors features a scene set just after the end of this story.
- NA: Blood Harvest is set on the same planet as this story several years following events of this story, MA: Goth Opera continues themes and events seen in both Blood Harvest and this story.
- EDA: Vampire Science also includes some mention and thematic link to this story.
DVD and Video Releases
DVD releases
- State of Decay has been released as a box set alongside Full Circle and Warriors' Gate. The box set in titled The E-Space Trilogy.
Notes:
- Editing for DVD release completed by Doctor Who Restoration Team.
DVD UK box set cover
DVD Australian box set cover
DVD US box set cover
Video releases
- State of Decay was released by BBC Worldwide on video as part of a boxed set featuring; Full Circle, State of Decay and Warriors' Gate.
VHS UK box set cover
VHS Australian box set cover
VHS US box set cover
Novelisation
- Main article: Doctor Who and the State of Decay
- Novelised by Terrance Dicks in 1982 as Doctor Who and the State of Decay.
See also
Vampire stories
External Links
- State of Decay at the BBC's official site
- State of Decay at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
- State of Decay at Shannon Sullivan's A Brief History of Time (Travel)
- State of Decay at The Locations Guide
