The Sun Makers (TV story)

The Sun Makers was the fourth story of Season 15 of Doctor Who. It was written by Robert Holmes to reflect his hatred of the Inland Revenue's taxation.

Synopsis

The TARDIS, along with the Fourth Doctor, Leela and K9 Mark I, arrives on Pluto in the far future. They discover that the planet has a breathable atmosphere and enjoys the heat from six suns. The humans who live there are taxed and exploited heavily. When Leela is captured, the Doctor must save her and stop the Company, before it is too late...

Plot

Part one

Cordo visits Gatherer Hade, having saved up the money to pay for the Golden Death his father received. However, he finds the fee has been increased to 117 talmars, an amount he is unable to pay. Hade tells him he will have to increase his workload despite already working 23 hours a day.

The Doctor is playing chess with K9 while Leela moves the robot's pieces for him. They land on Pluto and the Doctor exits with Leela, telling K9 to stay put. He is amazed to find that the planet has a breathable atmosphere and huge cities. They spot Cordo preparing to jump from the roof and the Doctor distracts him long enough for Leela to pull him away from the edge.

In his office, Hade is informed by Marn of an illegal airspace invasion and landing. Overjoyed that this will incur heavy fines upon the perpetrator, Hade heads out with Marn to catch the criminals. On the roof, Cordo tells the Doctor and Leela about the taxes all citizens are subject to. Hearing the warning that Hade is coming, the three escape down a ladder.

Hade finds the Doctor's TARDIS and tells Marn the tale of Kalmar, an Executive Grade from Megropolis Four who stole millions from the Company.

Meanwhile, Cordo announces he is headed for the undercity, a place where he has heard tax evaders and outlaws dwell. Leela and the Doctor opt to accompany him. As they walk, Cordo tells the Doctor that the planet has six suns and the latter judges them to be in-station fusion satellites. Soon they found themselves surrounded by a band of humans and Leela pulls her knife. However, the Doctor warns her not to take any aggressive action.

On a screen, Hade and Marn watch as K9 heads out of the TARDIS and ponder as to what he is. The Doctor and Leela are taken deeper into the undercity. Cordo tells Mandrel of his failure to meet Hade's demands and requests to join his group. Mandrel tells him he must earn his keep through theft from the upper levels as well as killing. After Leela inadvertently demonstrates her skills with a knife, Mandrel notes that both she and the Doctor may be of use. Hade and Marn are still watching K9 as he makes his way through the city.

Leela shows off her knife skills.

The Doctor is instructed by Mandrel to take a Consumcard to the Consum Bank on subway 37 with Cordo acting as his guide. Madrel warns him that he must return soon or Leela will be killed.

Exiting the undercity, K9 meets up with the Doctor. Hade asks Marn to move the tracker onto the Doctor, taking him to be an Ajack, a miner from Megropolis Three and his intended disguise. However, the tracker is keyed onto K9 and unable to follow. Hade deduces that the Doctor must be orchestrating arms smuggling and he decides to go to the palace to warn the Collector.

At the bank, the Doctor inserts the Consumcard and the process seems to have worked. Suddenly, the cubicle he is in shuts and begins to fill with gas.

Cast

Crew

References

Books

Usarians are listed in Professor Thripsted's Flora and Fauna of the Universe as "parasitic fungi".

The Doctor

Droge of Gabrielides once offered a star system for the Doctor's head.

Elements

Three types of gas are mentioned:
- Dianane, a deadly poison (to which Usurians are immune)
- Balarium, a muscle neutraliser, which also effects speech
- Pentocyleinicmethylhydrane (PCM), an anxiety inducing agent (which also purpourtedly eliminates air-borne infection).

Races and species

The Usurians have a file on Gallifrey.

Story notes

Michael Keating (here playing Goudry) would later be cast as Vila in Blake's 7 based partially on this performance.
Most of the corridors were named after UK tax forms, as the story was intended as a satire of contemporary British taxes.
This story marks the last appearance of Leela's darker outfit. For the next two serials - her last - she would continue to wear the lighter (and more revealing) one.
Some textures of the walls are enlarged photographs of a die of an AMD microprocessor. The logo of AMD is large and visible.
Unusually, Paddy Kingsland did the special sounds on this episode, who was also responsible for special sounds on The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Hence, as Louise Jameson pointed out in the DVD commentary, there was some crossover of sounds. Most notably, the sound of the Doctor fiddling with the combination lock in part 4 is the same as the sound of the Guide being consulted in the original Hitchhiker's radio drama.

Ratings

Part 1 - 8.5 million viewers
Part 2 - 9.5 million viewers
Part 3 - 8.9 million viewers
Part 4 - 8.4 million viewers

Myths

to be added

Filming locations

WD and HO Wills Tobacco Factory (now known as Imperial Park), Hartcliffe Way, Hartcliffe, Bristol
Camden Town Deep Tube Shelters, Stanmore Place, Camden Town, London
BBC Television Centre (TC3 and 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.

At the start of Episode 2, the shadows of the extras playing the security guards are visible awaiting their cue to enter.
When the Gatherer is to be thrown off the roof by an angry mob it's quite obvious that it is a dummy.
A car park insignia is visible on the roof top.
A microphone enters the screen for a few seconds in upper left corner at minute 18 of the 3rd episode.
Near to the end of part three after K9 has exited the steamer, the Doctor praises K9 with his scarf rolled out and lengthend down his body yet less than a second after when he is given a communicator it is roled up over his shoulders.

Continuity

Professor Thripsted's works also appear in NA: Christmas on a Rational Planet, Lungbarrow, EDA: Alien Bodies, Placebo Effect, Unnatural History, and Interference - Book Two.
The Collector ends his first conversation with the Gatherer with 'this interview is terminated'. Max Capricorn, a character not unlike the Collector ends a conversation with the Doctor with the same phrase in Voyage of the Damned.

Timeline

This story takes place after DW: Image of the Fendahl
This story takes place before DW: Underworld

Home video and audio releases

Video releases

Released as Doctor Who: The Sun Makers.

Released:

VHS UK cover
VHS US cover
VHS AUS cover

DVD releases

Originally planned for release in a boxset with The Ambassadors of Death, The Sun Makers will now be released on DVD on its own on 1st August in the UK. Extras include a transmitted trailer from 1977, a making of documentary (called Running from the Tax Men) and another installment in the Doctor's Composer series focusing on Dudley Simpson.