The Savages (TV story)

The Savages was the ninth story of Season 3 of Doctor Who. This story marks the final appearance of Peter Purves as companion Steven Taylor. It was the first story to use an overall title rather than the previous practice of giving each episode an individual title.

Synopsis

The TARDIS has arrived on a far-distant and seemingly idyllic world, but the Doctor, Steven and Dodo discover that it hides a terrible secret: the apparently civilized Elders maintain their advanced society by draining off and transferring to themselves the life-force of a group of defenseless Savages.

Outraged at this exploitation, the Doctor is seemingly helpless to prevent it when some of his own life-force is tapped by the Elders' leader, Jano. In the process, however, Jano also acquires some of the Doctor's attitudes and conscience. Turning against his own people, he enlists the help of the Savages to destroy the Elders' transference laboratory - a task with which the time travelers gladly assist.

Steven agrees to remain behind on the planet to become leader of the newly united Elders and Savages.

Plot

Episode 1

The Doctor announces to Steven and Dodo that the TARDIS has arrived far in the future, in an age of peace and prosperity. He promptly sets off through the bleak scrubland found outside the ship. Steven is concerned at the length of the Doctor's absence, but Dodo dismisses his worries. But the Doctor is being watched, as he tells himself his friends will be in for a surprise. He hears Steven calling for him, but ignores it tetchily.

Steven goes to look around, and Dodo remains at the TARDIS. Dodo spots a man with an axe, in animal skins, on a ridge above her. She screams, bringing Steven back. Steven surmises that they must be well in the past, and the Doctor must be mistaken.

Meanwhile, the Doctor is certain where he is. As he continues to walk, two hiding savages, Chal and Tor, discuss this new creature: he is not of their people, but he doesn't carry a light-gun. The Doctor calls out to whoever is hiding, saying he means no harm. But he is met by two soldiers, Captain Edal, and Exorse. They welcome The Traveller From Beyond Time (as they call the Doctor). The two are somewhat disturbed to find him carrying a weapon (the Doctor corrects them, showing them his Reacting Vibrator, a scientific instrument), and that he has companions with him. They insist that the Doctor accompany Edal to the Elders of their city, while Exorse is instructed to find and bring the Doctor's friends.

A spear is thrown at Steven and Dodo, and as more savages appear and attack, they make a dash back to the TARDIS. They are met by Exorse, who accompanies them to the city to be reunited with the Doctor.

The Doctor is met by the Elders' leader, Jano, and his councillors, who greet him like an old friend. Jano shows how they have charted the Doctor's voyages, and tells him how they wish to be bestow upon him the office of a High Elder. He is offered robes of office, and they exchange compliments. Steven and Dodo arrive, and are welcomed and presented with gifts: Steven, an ornate dagger, and Dodo, a jewel-studded mirror. As Steven and Dodo are led off on a tour, Jano has many questions for their honoured guest.

Edal, suspicious of these new arrivals, and Exorse, begin patrol. Chal sends a young girl, Nanina, back to the caves to warn their people that the hunt has begun. Steven and Dodo are accompanied by Avon and Flower, who are guiding them through the city. They explain to the travellers that, though they never go outside and have no concept of "real" things, they are allowed to develop and become what is best for each person.

Nanina is being hunted by Exorse, and finally catches her. He fires his light-gun, which seems to imprison and control her. He directs her out and leads her away. Chal appears and offers himself in her place, but is ignored.

The Doctor questions the Elders about how they have become such an advanced society. Jano explains how they have learned to tap life's vital force, and transfer the energy directly into themselves. Dodo sees Nanina being led into a diamond-shaped entrance, and tells Steven. She wants to go off on her own, but Steven keeps her with the tour.

Senta, a scientist, is in charge of the energy transfer process, and is just finishing one when Exorse arrives. He releases a savage from the lab, and the half-conscious man is led down an exit corridor. Dodo slips away from the tour, through a door that she sees Exorse exiting. She comes across a savage, wide-eyed and stumbling, and his arms reach out towards her.

Episode 2

As the savage drags himself past her, a door at the end of the corridor opens, but he collapses. Dodo helps the savage outside, and the savage protects her from Chal as he threatens her with a spear; Dodo goes back inside as the door closes. Nanina is being connected by Senta and his assistants for energy transfer, ignoring her cries and pleas. Dodo listens from outside. Steven, Avon and Flower continue to search for Dodo. Steven runs to find the Doctor, but the Doctor and Jano assure him that nothing could happen to her inside the city.

Dodo is detained by the scientists, who believe she must be there for transference. Edal is leading the search, and suggests that she could have used the guards' door. Edal prevents Steven from going down the corridor, going himself. Dodo fights back, surprising the scientists. They realize that she is one of the travellers, and Edal escorts her out of there. Meanwhile, the scientists have forgotten about Nanina, almost killing her.

Steven and Dodo are taken back to the Elders, whilst Avon and Flower are told to wait for the guards, as they will have to answer to the Elders for their negligence in allowing Dodo to wander off. Upon his arrival, the guard uses his light-gun on them to take them away. Nanina is released from the laboratory and led away.

The Doctor offers to show Jano files about his time travels, and all three travellers return to the TARDIS. Edal reports to Jano, and Jano orders him to follow the Doctor. The three of them come across the man Dodo met in the lab, and The Doctor realizes that the savages are the source of the Elders' power. Steven and Dodo return to the TARDIS, the Doctor remaining to care for the weakened savage. Edal roughly orders the savage away, revealing his contempt for them, but the Doctor angrily insists that he leave the dazed man alone. Edal forces the Doctor at light-gunpoint to return to the city.

Steven returns with a small metal container the Doctor asked for, but he is nowhere to be found. The capsules contained within the container are given to the savage, and he begins to recover. A group of savages watches and approaches, spears ready. Tor wants to attack, but Chal warns against that. Wylda, the injured savage, stops the party from harming Steven and Dodo, and tells that the Doctor was taken.

The Doctor confronts the Elders and condemns them as a threat to common humanity. Jano says the Doctor is standing in the way of human progress, and all progress is based on exploitation; the Doctor calls it protracted murder. The Doctor is given over to Senta. Chal warns Steven and Dodo not to return to the city or they, like the Doctor, will become like the savages, once they are used as source for the life-energy of the Elders.

Jano decides to try to drain the Doctor's life-energy, though Senta warns it has never been tried on a higher form of life. The Doctor is captured by Edal's light-gun, strapped to a gurney, and wheeled into a cubicle. The experiment begins and seems successful.

Episode 3

Jano is highly pleased at the success of the experiment, and realizes that the other time-travellers will make excellent sources as well. Edal is ordered to find and bring back Steven and Dodo. Chal and the savages decide to protect the two strangers, as they have heard the guards are hunting them. They will take them to their caves, where even the guards hesitate to go.

Jano orders the intransference of the Doctor's energy into himself. Inside the caves, Nanina is recovering. Steven and Dodo marvel at the beauty of the carving and painting on the cave walls, and Chal laments that most of their talents have been taken from them. Exorse arrives at the caves and orders the strangers outside. Chal takes Steven and Dodo to hide inside the many passages of the cave; though there is no other way out, Exorse will have to find them.

Exorse forces one of the savages to tell him which way the strangers have gone. Steven provokes and draws Exorse on, trapping him by using Dodo's mirror to reflect the light-gun's beam back, imprisoning him. The strangers are hailed as gods.

The Doctor is led to the guest apartments to recover. In secret, Senta performs the intransference on Jano. Steven plans to use his light-gun to get into the city, and asks Chal to show them a way in. Tor and Nanina stay to guard Exorse; Tor wants to kill him but Nanina prevents it. Exorse is grateful.

Steven captures and disables the guard, and Chal shows him how to open the door. Steven and Dodo go inside. Jano emerges from the intransference a rather different man— he has taken on some of the personality of the Doctor! Jano alternates sounding like himself, and the Doctor; he has to stop himself from damaging the equipment. Edal and Senta have spotted Steven and Dodo, and they set a trap for them. They leave the Doctor in one of the corridors for them to find. As they try to help the Doctor, a door slams shut on them. Trapped, a gas is released that chokes them.

Episode 4

Edal commands Steven and Dodo to give up their light-guns. Dodo does so but Steven resists. Jano witnesses the troubles of his friends, and opens the doors while Steven still has his light-gun. They escape with the Doctor. Jano denies having released the strangers, and orders that he will lead the patrol to find them.

Chal finds the strangers and helps Dodo carry the Doctor to the caves; Steven remains behind to hold off the patrol. Jano splits up the patrol, intending to go on alone to the Valley of Caves, but a suspicious Edal goes with him. Steven is outnumbered, so he retreats.

In the caves, Nanina fights to protect Exorse from Tor, realizing that killing him is not the answer. Steven escapes into the caves, pursued by Jano and Edal. The Doctor is given the same capsules he gave to Wylda. Recovering, the Doctor orders that Jano is not to be harmed. He decides they must destroy the source of the Elders' power, the transfer laboratory, and hopes they already have a friend on the inside who will help them.

Jano orders Edal and his guards to return to the city; he will bring back The Doctor and his companions. Edal agrees, but under protest. As night falls, those in the caves wait for someone the Doctor believes is still outside. Edal reports to Senta and the Elders that he believes Jano has changed, and that they are betrayed.

Jano meets The Doctor in the caves and the savages are terrified at his presence. The Doctor knows it is safe, and Chal tells his people to trust the Doctor. The Doctor tells Jano that he knew Jano would take the intransference himself, and now he has been given a sense of right and wrong he never had.

Exorse frees himself and escapes. Nanina follows and tries to reason with him, saying he owes her his life, but he leaves her. Senta tells the Elders about the secret intransference, and Edal takes command. Exorse reports back that he did not see Jano.

The Doctor, Steven, and Dodo leads a party of savages, with Jano at the back covering them with a light-gun. He triumphantly enters the laboratory with his prisoners, and has Edal removed. Sealing the doors, he tells all present that he wants all this equipment, the source of their power on this planet, destroyed. Senta protests, arguing that the savages are not capable of the development that their people have achieved. Jano says the savages are their equals, and that he must right the wrong inflicted upon them. With Edal and the guards locked outside, Senta is powerless as Jano, The Doctor, Steven, Dodo, Chal, Tor, Nanina, and even Exorse, destroys the laboratory equipment with their bare hands. Edal finally breaks in, but Steven disables him with a light-gun.

Jano and Chal are ready to work together, and ask The Doctor to be a mediator, to help during the early days of this new community when mistrust will still be present. The Doctor refuses, but Chal knows the leader he wants: Steven. Jano agrees, but Steven is very reluctant to leave the Doctor and Dodo. With both sides asking for his guidance, and The Doctor beaming with pride, Steven accepts. Dodo runs over crying to hug him. They give each other their heartfelt good-byes.

Cast

Crew

References

The Elders know of the Doctor, calling him 'the Traveler from Beyond Time'. They say they have watched his progress through Time and Space and awaited his arrival.

Story notes

This story had a working title of; The White Savages.

Ratings

Episode 1 - 4.8m viewers
Episode 2 - 5.6m viewers
Episode 3 - 5.0m viewers
Episode 4 - 4.5m viewers

Broadcast Dates

Episode 1 - 28th May 1966, 5.35pm
Episode 2 - 4th June 1966, 5.35pm
Episode 3 - 11th June 1966, 5.35pm
Episode 4 - 18th June 1966, 5.35pm

Duration

Episode 1 - 23'41"

Episode 2 - 23'57"

Episode 3 - 24'59"

Episode 4 - 24'41"

Myths

The Elders' 'light guns' were realized on screen simply by means of a powerful light positioned at the end of the prop. (Although they did incorporate a light, the guns also emitted 'dry ice' smoke.)

Filming locations

Shire Lane Quarry, Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire
Callow Hill Sandpit, Virginia Water, Surrey
Ealing Television Film Studios
Riverside Studio 1, Hammersmith, 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.

to be added

Continuity

The life force drain the Doctor experiences here could explain his subsequent regeneration in The Tenth Planet.

Timeline

This story occurs after PDA: Bunker Soldiers
This story occurs before VD: Tarnished Image

Home video and audio releases