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Shada (TV story)

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Shada was the unaired story of Season 17 of Doctor Who. It was later remade as a webcast for BBCi and also released as a full audio story by Big Finish Productions in 2003.

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Synopsis

The story revolves around the lost planet Shada, on which the Time Lords built a prison for defeated would-be conquerors of the universe. Skagra, an up-and-coming would-be conqueror of the universe, needs the assistance of one of the prison's inmates, but finds that nobody knows where Shada is anymore except one aged Time Lord who has retired to Earth, where he is masquerading as a professor at St. Cedd's College, Cambridge. Luckily for the fate of the universe, Skagra's attempt to force the information out of Professor Chronotis coincides with a visit by the professor's old friend, the Fourth Doctor.

Plot

Part One

On the Think Tank Space station Doctor Skagra uses a sphere like device to drain the minds of his colleagues and leaves in his spaceship for Earth, leaving an automated quarantine message running. In Cambridge 1979, Professor Chronotis has a visit from one of his students, Chris Parsons, who accidentally leaves with the wrong book. The Doctor & Romana, after enjoying a spot of punting during which they're observed by Skagra & distracted by voices from the sphere he's carrying, visit the professor. Chris discovers that the book is written in a completely alien script. Chronotis reveals to Romana that he is an elderly Time Lord who has retired to Earth and has been living in the same Cambridge rooms for 300 years. The Doctor asks him why he was summoned by him to Cambridge but the Professor can't initially remember, later recalling he needs the Doctor's help finding the book. Chris analyses the book using various instruments which make it smoke and glow. Skagra steals a car and the driver's ability to drive. The Professor reveals the missing book is one he brought back from Gallifrey. Skagra drives out to a field where his spaceship is concealed, invisible from the human eye. The Professor confesses the book he took was The Worshipful and Ancient Law of Gallifrey, which dates back to the time of Rassilon, and is known to have incredible power. Skagra receives word that all is ready from his carrier ship, commanded by a massive Krarg.

Part Two

While the Doctor & Romana search the Professor's rooms for the book, they discuss Time Lord law which brings to their mind the Time Lord criminal Salyavin, a boyhood hero of the Doctor. The Professor, when questioned on his contempary Salyavin, recalls Chris Parsons' visit and wonders if he has borrowed it by accident. Chris and his friend Clare Keightley continue to analyse the book as the Doctor cycles across Cambridge to the lab. Skagra, now disguised in contempary clothes, comes to the Professor's college seeking him. While Romana searches in the Tardis for milk so they can have some tea, Skagra arrives seeking the book and sets the sphere on the Professor stealing part of his mind. The Doctor meets Clare at the lab, and examines the book. Romana & K-9 find the collapsed Professor as Chris Parsons arrives. Using the Tardis medical kit Romana attempts to stabilise the Professor's condition. The Doctor & Clare discover that the book carbon dates to -20,000 years old. Skagra scans his copy of Professor Chronotis'mind for a trace of the book but finds nothing. The professor beats out a message to Romana on his hearts in Gallifreyan morse code telling her to beware of the sphere, Skagra and Shada but dies before he can reveal where the secret is. Skagra encounters the Doctor trying to return the book to the Professor and has a sphere pursue him, on a bike, through Cambridge. During the chase the book is dislodged from his basket and retrieved by Skagra. Forced to resort to running away on foot the Doctor is cornered by the sphere and attempts to escape under a gate, but the sphere aproaches and begins to steal his mind......

Part Three

Romana arrives in the Tardis, rescuing the Doctor. They return to Chronotis' rooms where Chris reports the professor's body just disapeared. The Doctor decides he needs to speak with Skagra. K-9 tracks the sphere to Skagra's ship. Clare, worried about the dnager the book may represent, comes to Chronotis's rooms to find them empty. The Tardis materialises in an apparently empty field where Skagra's invisible ship is. They are allowed to enter the ship where Skagra takes them prisoner. Skagra tells them he was only interested in Chronotis' mind. He tries to force the Doctor to decode the book and sets the sphere on him to take his mind. K-9 is unable to blast his way out of the cell he, Romana and Chris find themselves in. K-9 picks up the sphere's signals and is able to detect the Doctor amongst it's voices. Romana is transported from the cell and taken to the Tardis by Skagra who forces her to take it. While searching the Professor's rooms for the missing book Clare finds a number of concealed control panels and she accidentally triggers an explosion. The Doctor awakens on the ship and explains to it's computer how he survived, with the sphere merely taking a copy of his mind. The College Porter comes to the Professor's rooms, but when opening the door doesn't find the roomn there but instead the swirling time vortex. The Doctor attempts to persuade the ship to release him and his companions but instead it decides the sphere must haves suceeded in it's task and killed the Doctor so to conserve resources it turns off the Oxygen supply......

Part Four

Chris & K-9 are transported out their cell and detecting them the ship reactivates it's oxygen supply. The Tardis arrives at the Krarg carrier ship and Romana sees the Krargs being grown. Another Krarg starts to form on Skagra's ship. The Doctor boposts the ships power to enabling it to cross the distances of space quickly. In Professor Chronotis' rooms Clare awakes and is startled by the appearance of the Professor, dressed in a night shirt. Skagra finds himself unable to translate the book using the Doctor's mind in the sphere. The Professor explains to Clare that his rooms are his Tardis and it interfered to save his life. The Professor decides they must find Skagra to save the book, which is the key to Shada, the Time Lord prison which has been forgotten about. The Doctor & Chris are attacked by a Krarg, but it is held off by K-9 allowing them to explore the Think Tank complex at which they have arrived. They find the ages bodies of Skagra's former colleagues. Skagra notices that turning the pages of the book influence the Tardis and realises turning the last page of the book will take him to Shada. He prepares to journey to Shada to find the Time Lord criminal Salyavin, who is crucial to his plans. The Doctor uses Chris' brain power to revive one of the scientists, the neurologist Caldera. He explains how Skagra set up Think Tank to pool the resources of the mind electronically but when they had completed the sphere he used it to steal their minds. Skagra now intends to use his mind to dominate the whole of humanity but need Salyavin to complete his plan. K-9 looses his fight against the Krarg and is driven into the Think Tank by the massive creature which now advances on the Doctor.....

Part Five

The Krarg strikes the machinery in the think tank, creating a vast amount of smoke which enables the Doctor, K-9 & Crhis to escape back to Skagra's ship, leaving just as the Think Tank station explodes. The Ship is persuaded to take the Doctor to Skagra's home. While trying to repair the Professor's ship Clare asks about who Salyavin is. The Professor places the knowledge that Clare needs to repair the Tardis in her head telepathically. Skagra's ship takes the Doctor's ship to the Krarg carrier ship. They are captured and Skagra reveals his plan to take over the universe telepathically, merging them into one mind: his. The Doctor stages an escape with Chris & K-9 but Romana is dragged back to the Tardis by Skagra. Fleeing down the corridors of the ship the Doctor & co find an out of place old wooden door and go through it, discovering themselves to be in Professor Chronotis' rooms/Tardis. The Professor knows that with the book & Tardis that Skagra can travel to Shada, which is exactly what he does. Skagra searches Shada's records for the location of Salyavin, the Time Lord criminal with huge mental powers. The Professor's Tardis arrives and he, K-9 & The Doctor follow Shada with the Professor guiding them. Skagra starts reviving the prisoners as the Doctor arrives but when they open Salyavin's cell they find it empty. The Professor admits he is Salyavin: he escaped centuries ago and used his powers to make the Time Lords forget about Shada. The Sphere attacks the Professor but is destroyed by K-9. However it reforms into several smaller spheres, one of which attaches itself to the Professor and he sinks to the floor. The spheres attach themselves to the revived prisoners, bringing them under Skagra's control. Chris & Clare arrive, but Chris too is taken under the control of a sphere. He and the prisoners advance on the Doctor.

Part Six

K-9 fires at the Prisoners, driving them back but he is thrown aside by a Krarg. The Doctor, Romana & Clare grab K-9 and flee to the Professor's Tardis. Romana reminds the Doctor that his mind is inside Skagra's machine too. Skagra returns to the Tardis and tells the former prisoners that they will return to the carrier ship and be distributed through the universe to further his revoloution. The Doctor follows his Tardis in the Professors, capturing it in a force field, and has himself placed into the Time vortex. The Doctor begins crossing to his Tardis, but his journey appears in vain when an accident occurs in the Professor's Tardis deactivating the forcefield, throwing the Doctor into the vortex. The Doctor finds himself in a room in his Tardis and starts building a helmet shaped device. The Professor's Tardis arrives on the carrier ship, as the Doctor reveals himself and struggles for control of the joint mind. Romana deactivates the Krarg generatijng equipment, tiping the gas contained within out and using it to destroy the Krargs. Skagra flees to his ship, but is taken prisoner by his ship's computer who has now decided to serve the Doctor. The Doctor promises to return the prisoners to Shada and summon the Time Lords. The Doctor returns both his and the Professor's Tardis to Earth, confusing the college Porter who returns with a policeman to find the room now back in it's usual place and the Professor taking tea with his guests.

Cast

Crew

References

The Doctor

  • The Doctor received an honourary degree from St. Cedd's College, Cambridge, in 1960. He visited Professor Chronotis in 1955, 1960 and 1964 in his fourth incarnation, and also in 1958 in a different incarnation.

Planets

  • Dronid is the location of Skagra's homeworld.

Scientists

TARDISes

  • Chronotis recognises the Doctor's TARDIS as a Type 40 commenting "Came out when I was a boy: that shows you how old I am.".
  • The TARDIS medical kit is on the top shelf of a white cupboard opposite a door. From the control room, Romana gives the directions as first door on the left, down the corridor, second door on the right, down the corridor, third door on the left, down the corridor, fourth door on the right.
  • Chronotis and Claire find themselves 'jammed between two irrational time interfaces'. His TARDIS has a conceptor geometry relay, with magranomic trigger, as well as a defunct field separator, but this won't be needed if they can fix the interfacial resonator.
  • The Doctor goes vortex walking between Chronotis' and his own TARDIS.

Theories and Concepts

Time Lords

  • All of the artefacts have 'stupendous power'. Although many of the meanings are lost, the power and the Gallifreyan rituals remain.

Story notes

  • Shada was never completed due to "labour action" at the BBC. The footage that was shot was released on BBC Video in 1992. It used linking material featuring Tom Baker to complete the story.
  • According to "A Matter of Time", a documentary on the Graham Williams era of Doctor Who included in the 2007 and 2009 DVD box sets of The Key to Time, the industrial action occurred due to conflict over which union had jurisdiction over the operation of an elaborate clock that was featured on the BBC children's programme Play School.
  • Had it been broadcast, it would have marked the final use of the 1967 arrangement of the Doctor Who theme by Delia Derbyshire, the tunnel opening sequence by Bernard Lodge and the diamond series logo introduced in DW: The Time Warrior.
  • The story would eventually be remade in 2003 and released as WC: Shada and BFA: Shada, explaining that the meddling in the Fourth Doctor's timeline seen in DW: The Five Doctors caused the events following his and Romana's arrival in Cambridge to not take place until the Eighth Doctor and Romana came back to complete them.
  • The story takes place in October 1979. Coincidentally, that is the same month Douglas Adams published his first The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy novel.
  • Aliens expected to appear in the Shada prison cells would perhaps have been a Dalek, a Cyberman and even a Zygon.
  • Douglas Adams later used elements from this story in his novel, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency.

Ratings

This story was not completed, therefore no ratings exist for the story. The later VHS restoration has never been broadcast.

Filming locations

  • The Backs, River Cam, Cambridge
  • Clare Bridge, River Cam, Cambridge
  • Silver Street, Cambridge
  • Trumpington Street, Cambridge
  • Grantchester Meadows, Grantchester, Cambridgshire
  • Free School Lane, Cambridge
  • Bridge Street, Cambridge
  • Portugal Place, Cambridge
  • Trinity Lane, Cambridge
  • Botolph Lane, Cambridge
  • King's Parade, Cambridge
  • St Edward's Passage, Cambridge
  • High Street, Grantchester
  • Emmanuel College, St Andrew's Street, Cambridge
  • Blackmoor Head Yard, Cambridge
  • Garret Hostel Lane, Cambridge
  • Portugal Street, Cambridge
  • All of the above location filming in Cambridge took place over a period of four days: 15th to 19th October 1979
  • Ealing Television Film Studios (Stage 2), Ealing Green, Ealing
  • BBC Television Centre (Studio 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.
  • When Professor Chronotis is attacked by Skagra's sphere in Part Two, his spectacles appear and disappear depending on the camera angle.
  • When Romana recues The Doctor with the TARDIS, at the begining of Part Three, the end of the scarf gets caught in the door. Moments later the TARDIS materialises in the Professor's rooms, but the end of the scarf is no longer hanging out the door.

Continuity

Timeline

For the Doctor and Romana

For Chronotis

Home video and audio releases

VHS releases

BBC Video released a version compiling existing footage broken down into the planned six episodes, with linking narration by Tom Baker. The UK release of the video included a booklet containing the full script of the original production; the North American release did not include the booklet. To date, this release has only occurred in the VHS format.

  • 1992 VHS UK cover

  • Script book included with the UK VHS

  • 1992 VHS US cover

  • 1993 VHS Australian cover

DVD releases

It is on 2 entertain's cards to release Shada on this format.

Webcast version

Main article: Shada (webcast) The BBC commissioned Big Finish to write and record a new version as part of the 40th anniversary, it was animated with a limited Flash animation and released on the BBC's website. This version was revised to feature Paul McGann's Eighth Doctor, along with Lalla Ward and John Leeson voicing their original characters.

An extended audio version of the webcast was later released on CD by Big Finish Productions.

Novelisations

  • No official novelisation of Shada was ever published by Target Books as they were unable to come to an agreement with Douglas Adams that would have allowed him, or another author, to adapt the story. The short scene used in The Five Doctors was novelised for it's [[The Five Doctors (novelisation)|adaptation.
  • Douglas Adams reused some of the elements of Shada in Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, notably the character of Professor Chronotis, his time-travelling apartment, and St. Cedd's college.
  • A fan novelised version (by the New Zealand Fan Club) is available online Doctor Who and Shada by Paul Scoones.
  • In early 2011, BBC Books announced that Gareth Roberts had been commissioned to write an official novelisation of Shada, for release in March 2012. It will be a hardback book. Its publication follows an the agreement with the estate of Douglas Adams and is the first novelisation of a regular TV Doctor Who story since 1994.[1]

    • Fan Novelisation: Doctor Who and Shada (1989)

    • Shada Novelisation (2012)

    See also

    External links

    References

    1. ↑ http://news.drwho-online.co.uk/BBC-Books-to-release-Shada-in-2012.aspx
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