The Leisure Hive (TV story)

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The Leisure Hive was the first story of the longer-than-usual Season 18. The story marked the introduction of a new theme arrangement, as well as a modified costume for the Fourth Doctor.

Synopsis

The Doctor and Romana arrive on Argolis in search of a peaceful holiday at the famed Leisure Hive, but instead become embroiled in both a takeover scheme by the Argolins' historic enemy the Foamasi and the machinations of Pangol, the child of the Generator.

Plot

The Doctor, having failed to pilot the TARDIS to the opening of the Brighton Pavilion yet again, snores loudly on a deck chair while Romana and K9 discuss alternate holiday options. K9 is badly damaged when he runs into the sea attempting to fetch Romana's beach ball.

Romana convinces the Doctor to go to Argolis, home of the famed Leisure Hive. Argolis had been nearly annihilated by a brief but devastating war with the Foamasi, but the surviving Argolins have built the domed holiday palace, offering anti-gravity racquetball among other delights.

However, the Hive has run into financial dire straits. The chief executive, Morix, aging and near death, is pondering a buy-out offer from Earth businessmen Brock and Klout, but his hotheaded son Pangol will hear nothing of it. Morix dies and is succeeded by Mena, who herself is aging. Meanwhile, an alien presence has infiltrated the Hive.

The Doctor and Romana arrive and watch a demonstration of the Hive's newest offering, the Tachyon Recreation Generator, but the demonstration goes horribly awry when a volunteer from the crowd is torn apart inside the machine.

When Mena learns of the newcomers' experience with time technology, she asks Romana to assist her staff scientist Hardin with tachyonics experiments. They are attempting to use the questionable science to stop and reverse the flow of time. The Argolin race is sterile in the wake of the war with the Foamasi, and rejuvenating themselves is the only way to survive. Romana and Hardin appear to have some success, but the experiment is tampered with. The Doctor explores the Tachyon Recreation Generator, suspecting sabotage. At one point, he appears to be torn limb from limb, but the image onscreen is merely an illusion. When entering later, however, he is aged several hundred years. He and Romana are implicated in the murder of Hardin's assistant Stimson.

Their investigation reveals Brock and Klout (the murderer) to be disguised Foamasi, members of a dissident group called the West Lodge. They do not act in the interest of the Foamasi at large, however, the two planets now at peace. A Foamasi investigator takes them away, but their ship is destroyed by Pangol shortly after takeoff.

Pangol, who is revealed to be a clone created in the Tachyon Recreation Generator, is eager to seize control of the Hive and duplicate himself into a new Argolin army. His efforts are thwarted by the Doctor, who uses the Tachyon field to restore himself to his current age, Mena to a younger age, and Pangol to a baby. The Doctor, however, has to use elements of the randomizer to stabilize the Tachyon Recreation Generator, and so has more control over his travels.

Cast

Crew

References

Conflicts

  • In 2250 Argolis (led by Theron) was all but destroyed by 2000 nuclear warheads (in 20 minutes) during a war with the reptilian Foamasi.
  • The Argolin survivors, made sterile by the radiation, invented the science of tachyonics (this happened '40 years ago') and built the Leisure Hive with its Experiential Grid offering 'variable environments'.

Planets

  • K9 lists all known recreational planets for Romana, ending with "Yegros Alpha: speciality, atavistic therapy of primitive asteroids. Zaakros: galaxy's largest flora collection... Zeen 4: historical re-enactments.".
  • Argolis is the first of the leisure planets.

Races and species

  • There are 'lodges' of Formasi, the West Lodge is one such group.

Technology

Story notes

  • This story is the debut of the new opening and closing title sequences, complete with 'neon tube' logo, designed by the BBC's Sid Sutton, accompanied by a new Peter Howell-arranged version of Ron Grainer's theme music.
  • This is John Nathan-Turner's first story as producer.
  • The story had a working title of The Argolins.
  • A new TARDIS exterior prop makes its debut, this time made of fibreglass rather than of wood and, with its stacked roof arrangement, somewhat truer to the design of a genuine police box than the previous version (first seen in The Masque of Mandragora).
  • The Doctor's new outfit (the burgundy colour) also debuts in this story.
  • Beginning with this story and continuing for the next several seasons, until The Five Doctors, each serial will be linked in some way, either through some reference, or directly linked.
  • John Leeson returns portraying the voice of K9 having been persuaded by John Nathan-Turner to reprise the role for this season.
  • This story features the first use in Doctor Who of the digital Quantel image processing system. Amongst the effects created by the use of this system was a moving shot of the TARDIS materialising on Argolis (whereas the 'roll back and mix' technique by which the materialisation was achieved normally necessitated a completely static shot).

Ratings

  • Part One - 5.9 million viewers
  • Part Two - 5.0 million viewers
  • Part Three - 5.0 million viewers
  • Part Four - 4.5 million viewers

Myths

to be added

Filming locations

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.
  • The wires pulling K9 along the beach are particularly visible in part one.
  • In episode two the top of the sonic screwdriver is nearly bent off.

Continuity

Home video and audio releases

DVD releases

Released as Doctor Who: The Leisure Hive.

Released:

PAL - BBC DVD BBCDVD1351
NTSC - Warner Video E2217

Contents:

Notes:

  • DVD UK cover

    DVD UK cover

  • DVD Australian cover

    DVD Australian cover

  • DVD US cover

    DVD US cover

VHS releases

Released as Doctor Who: The Leisure Hive.

Released:

PAL - BBC Video BBCV5821
NTSC - Warner Video E1135
  • VHS UK cover

    VHS UK cover

  • The Leisure Hive VHS US cover.jpg

Novelisation and its audiobook

Leisure Hive novel.jpg
Main article: Doctor Who and the Leisure Hive

See also

to be added

External links

Template:Season 18

TVStub.png
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