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Synopsis
The Doctor and Ace visit England in 1988, where three rival factions - the Cybermen, a group of Nazis and a 17th Century sorceress named Lady Peinforte - are attempting to gain control of a statue made of a living metal, validium, that was created by Rassilon as the ultimate defence for Gallifrey.
The statue has three components - a bow, an arrow and the figure itself - that must be brought together in order for it to be activated. They have been separated since 1638 when, in order to foil the first attempt by Peinforte to seize it, the Doctor launched the figure into orbit in a powered asteroid.
This asteroid has been approaching the Earth at twenty-five yearly intervals ever since, leaving a succession of disasters in its wake, and has now crash-landed near Windsor Castle.
The Doctor plays the three factions off against one other and eventually appears to concede defeat to the Cyber Leader. However, this is just part of a carefully-laid trap, and the Cybermen's fleet is totally wiped out by the statue.
Plot
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Cast
- The Doctor - Sylvester McCoy
- Ace - Sophie Aldred
- De Flores - Anton Diffring
- Karl - Metin Yenal
- Lady Peinforte - Fiona Walker
- Richard - Gerard Murphy
- Mathematician - Leslie French
- Secruity Guard - Martyn Read
- Mrs Remington - Dolores Gray
- Cyber-Leader - David Banks
- Cyber-Lieutenant - Mark Hardy
- Cyberman - Brian Orrell
- Skinheads - Chris Chering, Symond Lawes
- Jazz Quartet - Courtney Pine, Adrian Read, Ernest Mothle, Frank Tontoh
Crew
- Assistant Floor Managers - Lynn Grant, Jeremy Fry
- Costumes - Richard Croft
- Designer - John Asbridge
- Incidental Music - Keff McCulloch
- Make-Up - Dorka Nieradzik
- OB Cameramen - Barry Chaston, Alan Jessop
- Producer - John Nathan-Turner
- Production Assistant - Jane Wellesley
- Production Associate - June Collins
- Script Editor - Andrew Cartmel
- Special Sounds - Dick Mills
- Stunt Arrangers - Paul Heasman, Nick Gillard
- Theme Arrangement - Keff McCulloch
- Title Music - Ron Grainer
- Visual Effects - Perry Brahan
References
- The Doctor plays chess against an unknown opponent, thought to be Fenric.
- Lady Peinforte shows her servant, Richard Maynard, his grave.
- Lady Peinforte time travels from 1638 to 1988.
- Neo-Nazis
- The Cybermen (in particular the Cyber-Leader) recognise the Doctor.
- Ace states that her stereo was destroyed by the Daleks and that the Doctor built her another to replace it.
Gallifrey
- Peinforte calls the validium her Nemesis.
Minerals
- Ace uses gold to fight the Cybermen, and Lady Peinforte's arrows are made of gold.
Story Notes
- This story had working titles of; The Harbinger, Nemesis.
- Nicholas Courtney is present in the large crown scene in the palace.
- This story marked the 25th anniversary of Doctor Who.
- Courtney Pine guest stars as himself in Part One.
- The Doctor's new stereo (for Ace) was to have Zygon like speakers, but these were replaced with more conventional technological ones.
- The gasworks site (the site of the warehouse and main battle sequence) takes place on the site which would become the site for the Millennium Dome.
Ratings
- Part 1 - 6.1 million viewers
- Part 2 - 5.2 million viewers
- Part 3 - 5.2 million viewers
Myths
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Location Filming
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Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors
- The Cybermen know of Lady Peinforte but they have never encountered her before. How they know of her is unclear.
- Lady Peinforte's arrows are made of gold, so apart from fighting Cybermen, they're the most useless arrows ever created. (All though they may have been intended to kill with there poisoned tips rather than impact alone)
Continuity
- Ace compares the events she encounters here with Remembrance of the Daleks, Ace also mentions that her stereo was destroyed by the Daleks (which occurred in the same story).
- This is the last episode to feature Cybermen before Doctor Who's cancellation.
- In the new 2005 series a Cyberman head appeared in Dalek (TV story)Dalek.
- Alternate universe Cybus Cybermen appear in Rise of the Cybermen.
- Lady Peinforte shows her servant, Richard Maynard, his grave. In Revelation of the Daleks, the Doctor explains to Peri that if he took her to Earth after she had died, she could see her own gravestone.
- The Doctor plays chess against an unknown opponent, thought to be Fenric. The Doctor battles Fenric later on in The Curse of Fenric, but before this, in the story Battlefield, Morgaine speaks of how she always beat the Doctor at chess, Morgaine and Fenric both powerful beings from another dimension.
- Battlefield also deals with Time as a major factor. Lady Peinforte's tomb does not contain her bones because she is destroyed in space when the Nemesis explodes. In 'Battlefield', the events occur because of what the Doctor will do in the future, leading to the Doctor writing himself a note and claiming that he should have given himself more warning.
- In EDA: Interference: Book Two there is another Validium based weapon featured.
- At the end of Part Two the Doctor dematerialises the TARDIS as an arrow hits it, the same thing happens at the end of The Shakespeare Code.
DVD and Video Releases
to be added
Target Novelisations
- Novelised as Silver Nemesis in 1989 by Kevin Clarke.
See also
to be added
External Links
- BBC Episode Guide for Silver Nemesis
- Outpost Gallifrey Episode Guide: Silver Nemesis
- Doctor Who Reference Guide: Detailed Synopsis - Silver Nemesis
- A Brief History of Time (Travel) entry for Silver Nemesis
Television
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