Image of the Fendahl (TV story)

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Synopsis

An anachronistic twelve-million-year-old human skull has been discovered by archaeologists and is now being used by Professor Fendelman in his time scanner experiments at Fetch Priory in contemporary England. The skull is actually an artifact of the Fendahl, an ancient creature that feeds on the life force of others.

Drawn by the operation of the scanner, the Doctor and Leela arrive as the experiments reach a peak. The skull is exerting an influence over the mind of Thea Ransome, one of the scientists in Fendelman's team, and glowing with power each time the scanner is activated. Thea is eventually transformed into the Fendahl core, and a group of acolytes assembled by Maximillian Stael - another of Fendelman's team, who is trying to harness the creature's power for his own ends - are converted into snake-like Fendahleen.

The Doctor shows the remaining scientist, Adam Colby, and two locals, Martha Tyler and her son Jack, how to defend themselves against the Fendahleen using rock salt. By activating the scanner once more, he triggers an implosion that destroys both the Priory and the Fendahl core.

Plot

to be added

Cast

Crew

References

  • The TARDIS generates a low intensity telepathic field.
  • The Fendahl skull was found in Kenyan in volcanic sediment.
  • The Time Lords destroyed the Fifth Planet [forming the asteroid belt] and then hid its existence in a time loop to prevent any knowledge of the Fendahl leaking out. The Doctor knows the story as a myth from childhood and is terrified by it.
  • The Fendahl requires twelve Fendahleen and a core to form its gestalt.
  • The Doctor discovers that "sodium chloride obviously affects conductivity... and prevents control of localised disruption of osmotic pressures." "You mean, salt kills them?" asks Leela.
  • After causing the priory's implosion, the Doctor intends to cast the skull into a supernova in the constellation of Canthares.

Story Notes

  • This story marks the first appearance of a new version of Leela's famous leather outfit, which is lighter in colour than the last. The new version was created because the original was wearing out, and had caused Louise Jameson some problems due to it being a leotard (the new version was a dress to rectify the problem). Producer Graham Williams had also instructed the designer, Amy Roberts, to make Louise look sexier in the new outfit. The original leotard would return in the next story, 'The Sun Makers', before the new edition came back for Leela's final two outings.
  • K9 appears only briefly, in the opening and closing TARDIS scenes. Image of the Fendahl had been written before it was known that K9 would be joining the series on a regular basis.

Tom Baker hated K9. He often argued with producers that he felt the K9 storyline was a stupid idea.

Ratings

  • Part 1 - 6.7 million viewers
  • Part 2 - 7.5 million viewers
  • Part 3 - 7.9 million viewers
  • Part 4 - 9.1 million viewers

Myths

  • This story had a working title of The Island of Fandor. (It didn't. This myth originated when Gordon Blows, then editor of the Doctor Who Appreciation Society magazine TARDIS, misheard the title of the story over the phone and reported it incorrectly.)

Filming Locations

Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors

  • In episode four the Doctor says that the Fendahl killed the hiker and Mitchell, but he cannot possibly know their occupations or names.
  • How does the Doctor get out of the locked cupboard in episode two?

Continuity

DVD, Video and Other Releases

  • Image of Fendahl is due for release on DVD in April 2009.

Novelisation

Image of The Fendahl novel.jpg
Main article: Doctor Who and the Image of the Fendahl

See Also

External Links

Template:Season 15

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