The Seeds of Doom (TV story)

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Synopsis

For a detailed synopsis, see The Seeds of Doom Synopsis.

Plot

When scientists in the Antarctic uncover two mysterious seed pods, the Doctor is called in to investigate. He soon realizes they are both extraterrestrial and extremely dangerous. At the same time, however, ruthless plant-lover Harrison Chase has learned of the find and decides he must have the pods for his collection of rare and beautiful flora. And the pods themselves harbor intelligent life with sinister plans of its own…

Cast

The Doctor - Tom Baker

Sarah Jane Smith - Elisabeth Sladen

Harrison Chase - Tony Beckley

Richard Dunbar - Kenneth Gilbert

Sir Colin Thackeray - Michael Barrington

Amelia Ducat - Sylvia Coleridge

Scorby - John Challis

Arnold Keeler / Krynoid Voice - Mark Jones

Hargreaves - Seymour Green

Derek Moberley - Michael McStay

John Stevenson - Hubert Rees

Charles Winlett - John Gleeson

Doctor Chester - Ian Fairbairn

Major Beresford - John Acheson

Sergeant Henderson - Ray Barron

Chauffeur - Alan Chuntz

Guard Leader - David Masterman

Guard - Harry Fielder

Crew

Film Editor - M A C Adams

Designer - Jeremy Bear

Make-Up - Ann Briggs

Incidental Music - Geoffrey Burgon

Director - Douglas Camfield

Visual Effects - Richard Conway

Studio Lighting - John Dixon

Production Unit Manager - George Gallacio

Title Music - Ron Grainer and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, arranged by Delia Derbyshire

Production Assistant - Graeme Harper

Producer - Philip Hinchcliffe

Script Editor - Robert Holmes

Studio Sound - John Holmes

Film Cameraman - Keith Hopper

Costumes - Barbara Lane

Special Sounds - Dick Mills

Designer - Roger Murray-Leach

Production Unit Manager - Janet Radenkovic

Assistant Floor Manager - Sue Shearman

Writer - Robert Banks Stewart

Fight Arranger - Terry Walsh

References

to be added

Story Notes

  • Episodes 1 and 2 are heavily influenced by Howard Hawks' 1951 film The Thing From Another World: An artifact found frozen in the Antarctic ice is revealed to be a deadly plant-like alien. The film was itself based on the short story, "Who Goes There?," written by John W. Campbell, Jr. Others have noticed a strong similarity between this story and "Man-Eater of Surrey Green," an installment of The Avengers television series of the 1960s, and also the 1953 BBC production The Quatermass Experiment.
  • The serial also marked the final appearance of UNIT in the series until 1989's Battlefield (although it would be referenced in the Fifth Doctor story Time-Flight, and Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart appeared in the 1983 story Mawdryn Undead as a retired civilian). None of the established UNIT characters are seen in UNIT's brief appearance in this story, as it was felt that there was too little material to warrant bringing back the Brigadier and Sergeant John Benton. It was also director Douglas Camfield's last involvement with Doctor Who. Camfield went on to direct other television programs and died in his sleep in 1984.
  • A few weeks before the serial was due to begin its original transmission, the master tape for the first episode was found to be missing. A brief panic ensued and producer Philip Hinchcliffe began planning a re-edit of the second episode allowing the story to begin at this point, but fortunately the tape of the opening episode was eventually located, having been misplaced in the tape storage system (apparently due to having been wrongly numbered).
  • A novelisation of this serial, written by Philip Hinchcliffe, was published by Target Books in February 1977.
  • The costume for the humanoid stage of the Krynoid was created by taking one of the surviving Axon costumes from The Claws of Axos and spraying it green.
  • The TARDIS returns to Antarctica at the end of the story, the Doctor having not re-set the coordinates - but the TARDIS never went there in the first place (he and Sarah travelled by helicopter).

Ratings

to be added

Myths

  • This story was originally written as a four-parter and the opening two episodes were added by script editor Robert Holmes and/or director Douglas Camfield. (It was commissioned and written as a six-parter by Robert Banks Stewart from the outset.)
  • The location scenes for this story were shot at a house owned by rock star Mick Jagger. (Jagger's house, Stargroves near Newbury in Hampshire, was used as a location for Pyramids of Mars; the house seen in The Seeds of Doom is Athelhampton House in Athelhampton, Dorset.)

Location Filming

to be added

Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors

to be added

Continuity

to be added

DVD and Video Releases

to be added

Target Novelisations

to be added

External Links


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