The Leisure Hive (TV story)

The Leisure Hive was the first serial produced by John Nathan-Turner. It immediately instituted a number of radical new changes to the series.

The title sequence was redone with a 'star-field' motif. Delia Derbyshire's arrangement of the Doctor Who theme was likewise abandoned in favour of an electronic version of the signature music. These wholesale alterations to the programme's opening sequence would, with relatively minor adjustments, remain in place until season 24. At the same time, Nathan-Turner decided to end composer Dudley Simpson's long association with the programme. He opted to allow the BBC Radiophonic Workshop to handle the incidental music for Hive.

Hive also brought a new look for the fourth Doctor. His coat and trademark multi-coloured scarf were replaced with burgundy versions of the clothing. The new question mark motif - premiered here on the Doctor's shirt collar - would persist throughout Nathan-Turner's era.

Narratively, Hive was an unusual story in that it was commissioned directly by the producer rather than the script editor, because Christopher H. Bidmead was not yet hired. New executive producer Barry Letts also had a significant hand in shaping the story's outline.^[1]

Synopsis

The Fourth Doctor and Romana arrive on Argolis in search of a peaceful holiday at the famed Leisure Hive, but instead become embroiled in both a takeover scheme by the Argolins' historic enemy the Foamasi and the machinations of Pangol, the child of the Generator.

Plot

The Fourth Doctor, having failed to pilot the TARDIS to Brighton Pavilion (yet again), snores loudly on a deck chair as Romana and K9 discuss alternate holiday options. K9 is badly damaged when he runs into the sea attempting to fetch Romana's beach ball.

Romana convinces the Doctor to go to Argolis, home of the famed Leisure Hive. Argolis had been nearly annihilated by a brief but devastating war with the Foamasi, but the surviving Argolins have built the domed holiday palace, offering anti-gravity racquetball among other delights.

However, the Hive has run into financial dire straits. The chief executive, Morix, aging and near death, is pondering a buy-out offer from Earth businessmen Brock and Klout, but his hotheaded son Pangol will hear nothing of it. Morix dies and is succeeded by Mena, who herself is aging. Meanwhile, an alien presence has infiltrated the Hive.

The Doctor and Romana arrive and watch a demonstration of the Hive's newest offering, the Tachyon Recreation Generator, but the demonstration goes horribly awry when a volunteer from the crowd is torn apart inside the machine.

When Mena learns of the newcomers' experience with time technology, she asks Romana to assist her staff scientist Hardin with tachyonics experiments. They are attempting to use the questionable science to stop and reverse the flow of time. The Argolin race is sterile in the wake of the war with the Foamasi, and rejuvenating themselves is the only way to survive. Romana and Hardin appear to have some success, but the experiment is tampered with. The Doctor explores the Tachyon Recreation Generator, suspecting sabotage. At one point, he appears to be torn limb from limb, but the image onscreen is merely an illusion. When entering later, however, he is aged several hundred years. He and Romana are implicated in the murder of Hardin's assistant Stimson.

Their investigation reveals Brock and Klout (the murderer) to be disguised Foamasi, members of a dissident group called the West Lodge. They do not act in the interest of the Foamasi at large, however, the two planets now at peace. A Foamasi investigator takes them away, but their ship is destroyed by Pangol shortly after takeoff.

Pangol, who is revealed to be a clone created in the Tachyon Recreation Generator, is eager to seize control of the Hive and duplicate himself into a new Argolin army. His efforts are thwarted by the Doctor, who uses the Tachyon field to restore himself to his current age, Mena to a younger age, and Pangol to a baby. The Doctor, however, has to use elements of the randomizer to stabilize the Tachyon Recreation Generator, and so has more control over his travels.

Cast

Crew

References

Conflicts

In 2250 Argolis (led by Theron) was all but destroyed by 2000 nuclear warheads (in 20 minutes) during a war with the reptilian Foamasi.
The Argolin survivors, made sterile by the radiation, invented the science of tachyonics (this happened '40 years ago') and built the Leisure Hive with its Experiential Grid offering 'variable environments'.

Planets

K9 lists all known recreational planets for Romana, ending with "Yegros Alpha: speciality, atavistic therapy of primitive asteroids. Zaakros: galaxy's largest flora collection... Zeen 4: historical re-enactments.".
Argolis is the first of the leisure planets.

Races and species

There are 'lodges' of Formasi, the West Lodge is one such group.

Technology

Theron's helmet
The randomiser is left on Argolis.

Story notes

This story is the debut of the new opening and closing title sequences, complete with 'neon tube' logo, designed by the BBC's Sid Sutton, accompanied by a new Peter Howell-arranged version of Ron Grainer's theme music.
This is John Nathan-Turner's first story as producer.
The story had a working title of The Argolins.
A new TARDIS exterior prop makes its debut, this time made of fibreglass rather than of wood and, with its stacked roof arrangement, somewhat truer to the design of a genuine police box than the previous version (first seen in The Masque of Mandragora).
The Doctor's new outfit (the burgundy colour) also debuts in this story.
Beginning with this story and continuing for the next several seasons, until The Five Doctors, each serial will be linked in some way, either through some reference, or directly linked.
John Leeson returns portraying the voice of K9 having been persuaded by John Nathan-Turner to reprise the role for this season.
This story features the first use in Doctor Who of the digital Quantel image processing system. Amongst the effects created by the use of this system was a moving shot of the TARDIS materialising on Argolis (whereas the 'roll back and mix' technique by which the materialisation was achieved normally necessitated a completely static shot).
The contemporary audience failed to redeem the behind-the-scenes difficulties. Not only did small audiences attend the first episode, but figures dropped each week. By week three, Doctor Who did something it hadn't done in 18 years: it fell out of the top 100 programmes for the week in which it was transmitted.
Production of the serial was extremely challenging. Tom Baker and Lalla Ward's tumultuous off-screen relationship was at a nadir, causing the mood on set to be distinctly chilly. Director Lovett Bickford's management of the shoot was highly incompetent, causing it to go so badly overbudget that John Nathan-Turner was severely reprimanded by his superiors. Bickford would thus never work on Doctor Who again.^[1]

Ratings

Part One - 5.9 million viewers
Part Two - 5.0 million viewers
Part Three - 5.0 million viewers
Part Four - 4.5 million viewers

Myths

to be added

Filming locations

Brighton Beach, Brighton, East Sussex
BBC Television Centre (TC1 & TC3), 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.

The wires pulling K9 along the beach are particularly visible in part one.
In episode two the top of the sonic screwdriver is nearly bent off.
The shiny silver belts of the zero gravity squash players were a poor choice of costume accessory for the CSO effect: as they reflect the colour of the special effects backdrop, they have a tendency to become completely invisible.

Continuity

The Fomasi reappear in EDA: Placebo Effect.
This is not the only time a story is resolved by de-aging the Doctor's antagonist, as happens to Pangol. In DW: Boom Town, the Slitheen Margaret Blaine is regressed back into an egg by the Doctor's TARDIS.
The Doctor is also rapidly aged in DW: The Sound of Drums.
The planet Midnight (DW: Midnight) is also a Leisure Planet, and its environment is also uninhabitable because of extreme radiation.
Cellular regeneration (or "de-aging") is performed by Professor Lazarus in DW: The Lazarus Experiment.

Timeline

This story takes place after DWM: Party Animals
This story takes place before ST: I Was a Monster!!!

Home video and audio releases

DVD releases

Released as Doctor Who: The Leisure Hive.

Released:

Region 2 5th July 2004

PAL - BBC DVD BBCDVD1351

Region 4 7th October 2004
Region 1 7th June 2005

NTSC - Warner Video E2217

Contents:

A New Beginning Documentary - A look at the radical changes made to Doctor Who by incoming Producer John Nathan-Turner.
From Avalon to Argolis - David Fisher and Christopher H. Bidmead recall the writing of the story.
Leisure Wear - June Hudson talks about the costumes for the story.
Synthesizing Starfields - Peter Howell and Sid Sutton recall the creation of the new titles sequence and theme arrangement.
Blue Peter - A look at the exhibition at Longleat.
5.1 Mix
Music-only Option
Photo Gallery
Production Subtitles
Easter Egg
Commentary: Lalla Ward, Lovett Bickford, and Christopher H. Bidmead