The Enemy of the World (TV story)
The Enemy of the World was the fourth story of Season 5 of Doctor Who. It saw Patrick Troughton play both the lead protagonist and antagonist. It was the only story of that season which did not follow the "base under siege" monster format.
Before 2013, all but episode three of the serial were missing from the BBC archives. However, in October of that year, it was announced that episodes one, two, four, five and six (together with four previously lost instalments and a higher quality copy of the only existing episode from The Web of Fear) had been located in a relay station in Jos, Nigeria, and it therefore became complete. As of October 2013[update], the story is available for download on iTunes and was released on DVD in Region 2 on 25 November 2013.
Synopsis
On Earth in 2018, the Doctor and his companions are enmeshed in a deadly web of intrigue thanks to his uncanny resemblance to the scientist/politician Salamander. He is hailed as the "shopkeeper of the world" for his efforts to relieve global famine, but why do his rivals keep disappearing? How can he predict so many natural disasters? The Doctor must expose Salamander's schemes before he takes over the world.
Plot
Episode 1
The TARDIS arrives on an Australian beach where the Second Doctor, Jamie and Victoria's seaside frolicking is observed by three men in a hovercraft. They are incredulous at the Doctor's presence; could it be "him?" They call their boss, Astrid Ferrier, who urges them to wait while she contacts the main base. Nonetheless the trio resolves that they'll have no better opportunity and ready their guns. Astrid contacts her commander, Giles Kent, and reports the men's observation. It can't be him, Kent exclaims, it's impossible.
The Doctor, Jamie and Victoria watch as the hovercraft approaches, see the armed men and realise they're in danger. A deadly cat and mouse game ensues through the dunes before Astrid arrives in her mini-helicopter. She beckons them inside and pilots them to safety, though she is wounded and the helicopter damaged by gunfire.
At Astrid's private residence, the Doctor tends her wounds. She explains her men have mistaken him for their sworn enemy, Salamander, a man she claims is bent on becoming global dictator. She wants to take advantage of the Doctor's apparently serendipitous arrival and urges them to go with her to meet Giles Kent, who will explain everything. The Doctor, dubious at becoming a pawn in some political machination, declines. The three armed men close in. Astrid tangles with one to allow the Doctor, Jamie and Victoria to escape. The attacker is accidentally shot dead by his fellows. When they attempt to pursue in the damaged helicopter, it explodes in a fireball.
At his office, Giles Kent looks at the Doctor in fascination – his resemblance to Salamander is uncanny. The Doctor explains they've been out of touch with world events lately. Kent plays a video-wire of Salamander's latest address to the United Zone General Assembly meeting. Salamander, despite a Mexican accent and swarthy complexion, is indeed a doppelganger for the Doctor. He announces highly satisfactory results from sun conservation tests in the Australasian Zone with sun-catching orbital satellites, resulting in a restoration of the Ukraine's corn and flour production which had been devastated by natural disasters two years earlier.
Having helped ease global famine in the wake of numerous natural disasters, Salamander is hailed as "Shopkeeper of the World." Yet underneath his guise as a public benefactor, Kent cautions, he has been working ruthlessly to solidify his power base. Several high-ranking political figures have died under mysterious circumstances and replaced by Salamander loyalists. Kent himself was Deputy Security Leader for North Africa and Europe before being discredited and forced into seclusion, his place taken by a man named Donald Bruce who has since risen to World Security Chief. With Bruce in place, Salamander is virtually untouchable. Kent's only remaining high-ranking ally is Alexander Denes, Controller of the Central Europe Zone.
Kent and Astrid urge the Doctor to pose as Salamander and infiltrate his research station at Kanowa to find proof of Salamander's ambitions. The Doctor is dubious, but once Donald Bruce and his men arrive and close in, he has little choice. The Doctor correctly surmises that Kent tipped Bruce off to test the similarity. Bruce enters, a heavy-set, imperious and intimidating man. His armed men are investigating the dead man in Astrid's house, as well as the wrecked helicopter. "Salamander" emerges from an inner room, demanding that a dumbfounded Kent explain his presence.
Episode 2
Bruce is at a loss at Salamander's presence in Australia. He is supposed to be in a closed-door conference at the Central European Zone, and certainly not with Kent, a man he had denounced. As security chief, he ought to have been told. "Salamander" refuses to explain his presence, saying he will deal with Kent his own way. He accepts Kent's explanation that the dead man in Astrid's house was trying to protect her from his treasonous colleagues. Bruce is not satisfied, but leaves.
The Doctor still is not fully convinced that one side or the other is good or evil, but agrees to pose as Salamander at Kanowa. Astrid, Jamie and Victoria, using travel passes provided by Denes, travel to Salamander's headquarters in the Central European Zone via rocket.
Bruce checks in with Benik, Salamander's deputy, to confirm he left for the Central European Zone. As far as Benik knows, he did and left strict orders not to be disturbed. His attempt to contact Salamander there goes unanswered.
The real Salamander is meeting with Denes, trying to persuade him his scientific study confirms that a range of dormant Hungarian volcanoes will erupt soon with cataclysmic results. Denes is dubious at Salamander's suspiciously precise predictions; his own scientists have made no such forecasts.
Jamie and Astrid concoct a fake attempt on Salamander's life to win his trust. Jamie is hired on the spot as a member of his personal guard and convinces him to hire his "girlfriend" Victoria as assistant to Salamander's personal chef.
Salamander meets with Denes' weak-willed deputy, Fedorin, whom he easily blackmails into a plot to assassinate Denes. The ground shakes as the volcanoes erupt in the distance, just as Salamander predicted; Hungary will be devastated. Denes bursts in, horrified at the destruction. Salamander accuses him of ignoring his warnings and letting thousands die. Denes is certain that somehow Salamander engineered this disaster. Salamander coolly denounces Denes as a traitor and has him arrested, stating that Fedorin will be chief witness against him. Fedorin cannot bring himself to look at Denes.
Episode 3
Denes is unperturbed at his arrest. He looks forward to facing Salamander in open trial. After Denes is led away, Salamander congratulates Fedorin on his "promotion" to European Controller and puts his dossier of blackmail documents into a safe. He gives Fedorin a vial of poison to deal with Denes.
Bruce is surprised to encounter Jamie, now in Salamander's personal guard. Jamie refuses to divulge any details of what Salamander was doing in Australia with his supposed enemy Kent.
Victoria meanwhile fails to impress Griffin, Salamander's chief cook, with her culinary skills. Fariah, Salamander's assistant and food taster, urges her to escape at the earliest opportunity.
In Kent's caravan near the Kenowa research station, the Doctor and he watch footage of the European volcanoes. Kent strongly suspects that Salamander is somehow engineering these disasters and it was his investigation into how the research station was involved which led to his downfall. The Doctor hides when Benik arrives at the trailer to taunt Kent and smash his possessions.
Astrid, Jamie and Victoria try to rescue Denes with Fariah's help. Fedorin intercepts Victoria as she delivers his food. He cannot, however, bring himself to poison the food. He confesses his failure to Salamander, who offers comforting words and a glass of wine to help him relax. Fedorin drinks and slumps over dead; Salamander had poured the poison into the wine.
The rescue attempt is a failure: although Astrid escapes, Denes is shot down, and Jamie and Victoria are captured.
The light dawns on Bruce when Salamander denies being in Australia with Kent earlier. Someone is impersonating Salamander...
Episode 4
Salamander returns to the Research Centre. Benik is on the lookout for Astrid. Astrid returns to Australia safely, where she meets Fariah, who claims to have information to expose Salamander – the information he was using to blackmail Fedorin. Kent and the Doctor look over the evidence, but the Doctor claims it's not enough to prove Salamander is evil. However, knowing Jamie and Victoria are prisoners, the Doctor's impersonating Salamander is their only hope. Fariah's presence, they hope, will help convince people of his identity. The Doctor, however, resolutely refuses Kent's demand that he kill Salamander.
Benik and his men close in on Kent's office. In the chaos, Kent, Astrid and the Doctor escape but Fariah is shot down and the files she took are recovered. Meanwhile, Bruce is growing increasingly disturbed at Salamander's methods.
Salamander locks himself into the Records Room. Once he's sure he's alone, he opens a secret panel in the wall, revealing a small elevator capsule. He descends to a vast underground complex where he meets with a team of researchers who have been living there for nearly five years. He has convinced them a nuclear war has devastated the surface, and their efforts to create natural disasters are helping them turn the tide against, in Salamander's words, "the enemies of truth and freedom". They cannot return until the radiation levels on the surface fall to safe levels. They hail Salamander as their hero, risking life and limb to bring them food.
Back at the caravan, Kent and Astrid prepare the Doctor to infiltrate the station while awaiting the return of Fariah. The door opens: it's Bruce, with an armed security guard.
Episode 5
Bruce demands to know why the Doctor is posing as Salamander. Astrid overpowers and disarms Bruce's guard, but Bruce calmly notes there are more outside. The Doctor refuses to resort to violence, handing the guard's gun back to Bruce as a sign of good faith. Bruce agrees to escort the Doctor into the station, provided Kent and Astrid stay behind.
In the underground complex, Salamander unloads the supplies from the surface. One scientist, Colin, is desperate to get to the surface to see for himself what is happening. Meanwhile Swann, their leader, finds a scrap of newspaper inside a crate bearing the headline HOLIDAY LINER SINKS: MANY FEARED LOST. This appears to indicate that surface life is normal, and Swann angrily demands an explanation. Salamander claims that yes, the war is over, but the survivors are deformed in mind and body and deserve to die. Their efforts to destroy these mutants are necessary for a new start. Swann insists on seeing for himself. Eventually Salamander agrees to take him to the surface. Colin is distraught at the thought of not going.
Jamie and Victoria, drugged for their trip back to Kenowa, wake, much to Benik's delight. He anticipates sadistically interrogating them. However, Salamander enters with Bruce and orders him out. Victoria and Jamie confront Salamander with his crimes, particularly the murder of Fedorin and Denes, which apalls Bruce. Victoria lashes out at Salamander, who reveals he's actually the Doctor, come to rescue them. Bruce is still not convinced to turn against Salamander, but enough doubt is planted that he agrees to investigate.
Astrid and Kent resolve to sneak into the base to take matters into their own hands. They overpower the guard and escape. As Astrid hides in a field near a cave entrance, she finds Swann, brutally assaulted and left for dead by Salamander.
Episode 6
Swann tells Astrid of the people underground. He begs her to help free them, then succumbs to his injuries. Astrid reaches the band of scientists and convinces them they've been fooled by Salamander for all these years and that he killed their leader Swann. Colin is the first to believe her and accompanies Mary and Astrid in the small lift for its journey to the surface.
When they reach the Records Room, they meet the Doctor and Kent – the latter is denounced as the person who took them all below ground in the first place. It seems Kent and Salamander were allies all along, and the Doctor reveals he had been slow to support Kent all this time, suspecting — correctly — that he merely wanted Salamander's power for himself. Kent flees into the caves.
Bruce asserts his authority and takes over the Research Centre, arresting Benik. The Doctor contacts Bruce and tells him of the situation, then goes into the tunnels to find Kent and Salamander. The two felons meet and grapple; Kent is mortally wounded, but before he dies he sets off hidden explosives in an attempt to destroy the caves. Astrid successfully rescues the scientists to Colin and Mary's delight, but the Doctor and Salamander's fates are unknown.
Jamie and Victoria wait nervously near the TARDIS. When the Doctor finally arrives, his behavior is puzzling; he orders Jamie to pilot the TARDIS for him — something which neither he nor Victoria were ever allowed to do. Then the real Doctor enters, mocking Salamander's impersonation of him. Salamander grabs the controls, but dematerialises the ship while the doors are still open. He is sucked out into the space-time vortex while the Doctor, Jamie and Victoria hang on for dear life.
Cast
- Dr. Who/Ramón Salamander - Patrick Troughton
- Jamie McCrimmon - Frazer Hines
- Victoria Waterfield - Deborah Watling
- Giles Kent - Bill Kerr
- Astrid - Mary Peach
- Denes - George Pravda
- Donald Bruce - Colin Douglas
- Fedorin - David Nettheim
- Benik - Milton Johns
- Anton - Henry Stamper
- Curly - Simon Cain
- Rod - Rhys McConnochie
- Fariah - Carmen Munroe
- Griffin - Reg Lye
- Swann - Christopher Burgess
- Colin - Adam Verney
- Mary - Margaret Hickey
- Sergeant to Benik - Andrew Staines
- Fighting Guard - Bob Anderson
- Guard Captains - Gordon Faith, Elliott Cairnes
- Guard in Caravan - Dibbs Mather
- Guard in Corridor - William McGuirk
- Guard on Denes - Bill Lyons
Crew
- Assistant Floor Manager - Edwina Verner
- Costumes - Martin Baugh
- Designer - Christopher Pemsel
- Film Cameraman - Fred Hamilton
- Film Editor - Philip Barnikel
- Make-Up - Sylvia James
- Producer - Innes Lloyd
- Production Assistant - Martin Lisemore
- Script Editor - Peter Bryant
- Special Sounds - Brian Hodgson
- Studio Lighting - Howard King
- Studio Sound - Tony Millier
- Theme Arrangement - Delia Derbyshire
- Title Music - Ron Grainer
References
- The World Zones Organisation runs the world, divided into large zones, including Central Asian, Arctic, European and Central European.
- The Doctor mis-hears Kent's report of Astrid's locale for her secret meeting with Denes in Hungary: Kent says "disused jetty," but the Doctor hears "disused Yeti."
- Swann shows Salamander a newspaper from the previous year dated 2017.
- Salamander increased farming along the Dnieper River.
Story notes
- The end of this story leads into the beginning of The Web of Fear.
- Patrick Troughton is credited as 'Dr. Who/Salamander' for episodes two to six. He also appears as Salamander in a 35mm black & white film sequence in episode one, but is credited only as 'Dr. Who'. Radio Times credits 'Patrick Troughton as Dr. Who and Salamander' for episodes two to six, while the actual cast lists – which credit the characters in order of appearance – bill Patrick Troughton only as 'Dr. Who' for episodes one and six, and as both 'Dr. Who' and 'Salamander' (separate billings) for episodes two to five.
- This marks the second time that a doppelganger of the Doctor has been featured (giving the lead actor a dual role), following William Hartnell's double performance as the First Doctor and the Abbot of Amboise in The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve.
- Patrick Troughton's son David appears as an extra in episodes five and six.
- Neither Deborah Watling nor Frazer Hines appear in episode four, as they were on holiday the week it was recorded.
- This is the final story overseen by producer Innes Lloyd.
- This story marked the first use of 625 line PAL videotape in Doctor Who, as opposed to the old 405-line standard. For many years, incorrect production paperwork led to the belief that this began with episode three, until analysis of the recovered episodes from Nigeria found otherwise.
- A black and white shot of Mary Peach (Astrid) standing next to Astrid's helicopter accompanied the Radio Times programme listing for episode one, along with a synopsis, bearing the title Who's Who, which read as follows: "TONIGHT'S new adventure of Dr. Who finds the crew of the Tardis landing on a beach and coming under fire from a hovercraft — only to be rescued by a helicopter piloted by a girl, Astrid (Mary Peach). She takes them to her leader, who explains that the Doctor is the exact double of a would-be World Dictator. Into the fray goes the Doctor, or is it Salamander, or is it the Doctor pretending to be Salamander...?"
- Radio Times in certain regions for the week of transmission of episode two featured a small article entitled Who Sets the Fashion?, which looked at future fashion as seen in Doctor Who and focused on the costumes worn by Mary Peach (Astrid) and Bill Kerr (Giles Kent), which gave the year in which the story was set as 2017.
- The Radio Times programme listing for episode three was accompanied by a black and white head-and-shoulders shot of Frazer Hines, with the accompanying caption "Frazer Hines plays Jamie in The Enemy of the World. The third part of this Dr. Who adventure is at 5.25".
- For the week of transmission of episode five, Doctor Who featured — in full colour for the first time — on the front cover of Radio Times (cover dated: 20-26 January 1968): a head-and-shoulders shot of Patrick Troughton as the Doctor examining a control panel, which was taken from the previous story, The Ice Warriors. This was used to introduce a two-page colour behind-the-scenes article in the centre pages entitled The Monstrous World of Doctor Who, written by Gay Search, which opened with the following introductory paragraph: "Daleks, Cybermen, Yetis, Ice Warriors — familiar monsters guaranteed to chill the blood of anyone over the age of ten. But where do they come from? Who dreams them up? How are they made? How do they work? We sent Gay Search to find out..." In addition to the origins of the aforementioned monsters, the article not only looked at the creation of the seaweed monster from the forthcoming story Fury from the Deep but also looked at the roles of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop and the BBC's Visual Effects Department in bringing the Doctor's enemies to life — as well as featuring a brief interview with the Head of the BBC's Visual Effects Department, Jack Kine.
- On its original broadcast, episode six of The Enemy of the World ended with a trailer promoting the next story, The Web of Fear. The trailer featured specially shot footage of the Doctor in the London Underground talking to the audience about the impending return of the Yeti in the next story, before fleeing at the sound of distant shooting. Although episode six has now been returned to the BBC Archives, this unique trailer remains lost; although it survives on audio, so the trailer is included on the BBC Audio release of the story.
- Images of Troughton as Salamander have often been used to illustrate the Second Doctor in books and magazines, even though technically the images are not actually of the Doctor (although the fact the Doctor impersonates Salamander complicates matters). These images are easy to spot due to the fact Salamander (or Doctor-as-Salamander) wears his hair parted and has a ruddier complexion than the Doctor.
- Episode 6 is notable for its sudden ending, which omits any resolution with regards to whether the people trapped underground are ever rescued.
- The novelisation of this story, published in 1981, is set in 2030, not 2018.
- Episodes one, two and four to six were revealed to have been returned to the BBC in October 2013.[1]
- Both this story and the previous, The Ice Warriors (TV story), have as their premise food shortages caused by overpopulation; in this case, Salamander is exploiting the need for farms to produce multiple crops in a season to amass power.
Ratings
- Episode 1 - 6.8 million viewers
- Episode 2 - 7.6 million viewers
- Episode 3 - 7.1 million viewers
- Episode 4 - 7.8 million viewers
- Episode 5 - 6.9 million viewers
- Episode 6 - 8.3 million viewers
Myths
- The reason Patrick Troughton was cast as Salamander was because they could not afford another actor. (Untrue; it was scripted he play both roles.)
Filming locations
- Climping Beach in Littlehampton, West Sussex
- Villiers House and Walpole Park, Ealing
- Ealing Television Film Studios, Ealing Green, Ealing
- Lime Grove Studios (Studio D), Lime Grove, London
Production errors
- The inspection plate in the cockpit of Astrid's helicopter has the first word on its heading AUSTRALASION ZONE misspelt. The correct spelling is "Australasian".
- The "Pull to Open" sign that normally appears on the left-hand side of the TARDIS doors has been placed on the right-hand side by mistake.
Continuity
- Jamie equates the Sun Store with the Ioniser. (TV: The Ice Warriors)
- Salamander survived in the vortex. (PROSE: Christmas on a Rational Planet)
Home video and audio releases
- Until October 2013, only episode 3 of the story existed in the BBC Archives. It was released on the Troughton Years video. Episode 3 was also released in digitally re-mastered form on the Lost in Time DVD.
- Editing of the surviving episode's DVD release was completed by the Doctor Who Restoration Team.
- A DVD was released on 25 November 2013 in the UK. Unlike previous Doctor Who DVDs, this release contained no commentaries, information text or other special features, merely the restored episodes and a "Coming Next" trailer for The Web of Fear. It was also released in a limited edition slipcase that came with a t-shirt which was available from the BBC.Shop UK. A Region 1 DVD version is set to be released on May 20th, 2014.
Lost in Time Region 2
Lost in Time Region 4
Lost in Time Region 1
Lost in Time Region 1 (Disc 3)
Lost in Time Region 4 Re release
CD Release
The Troughton Years VHS UK
External links
- The Enemy of the World at the BBC's official site
- The Enemy of the World at BroaDWcast
- The Enemy of the World at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
- The Enemy of the World at Shannon Sullivan's A Brief History of Time (Travel)
- BBC The Enemy of the World photonovel
- The Enemy of the World at The Locations Guide
References
