The Underwater Menace (TV story)

The Underwater Menace was the fifth story of Season 4 of Doctor Who. The third episode of this story is currently the earliest surviving Second Doctor episode.

Synopsis

The TARDIS arrives on a extinct volcanic island. Before long, the travellers are captured and taken into the depths of the Earth, where they find a hidden civilisation - the lost city of Atlantis.

The Atlanteans worship a goddess named Amdo and use Fish People - men and women operated upon so that they can breathe under the sea - to farm the plankton-based food on which they survive. A deranged scientist, Professor Zaroff, has convinced them that he can raise their city from the sea, but actually he plans to drain the ocean into the Earth's molten core, so that the resultant superheated steam will cause the planet to explode.

The travellers meet up with two shipwreck survivors, Sean and Jacko, who manage to persuade the Fish People to rebel and stop work. The Doctor eventually manages to foil Zaroff's plan, but only by breaking down the sea walls and flooding the city. Zaroff drowns, but everyone else escapes.

Plot

to be added

Cast

Crew

References

As they land, Polly hopes it is 1966 Chelsea, Ben wants to avoid the Daleks, and the Doctor wishes to see prehistoric monsters.

Story notes

This story had the working titles of; The Fish People, Doctor Who Under the Sea, Under the Sea, Atlanta.
Professor Zaroff utters the timeless line "Nothing in ze world can stop me now!". Davros would say a similar line in Journey's End.
In the opening TARDIS scene, Polly, Ben and the Doctor are each heard 'thinking' about where they would like to land next. (Polly hopes for Chelsea in 1966, Ben wants not to meet the Daleks and the Doctor relishes the idea of encountering prehistoric monsters.) This was achieved by pre-recording the actors' voices and playing them back during the making of the episode.
The name of the mad scientist, Zaroff, is similar to that of Dr. Zarkoff, a scientist featured in the classic Flash Gordon adventures.
While DW: The War Machines still remains the only time in the history of the series where the Doctor is referred to as "Doctor Who," the Doctor's note to Zaroff in the first episode is signed "Dr. W," making this the closest the Doctor has ever come to referring to himself as "Doctor Who."

Ratings

Episode 1 - 8.3 million viewers
Episode 2 - 7.5 million viewers
Episode 3 - 7.1 million viewers
Episode 4 - 7.0 million viewers

Myths

Joseph Furst adopted an outrageous East European accent in his portrayal of Zaroff. (Furst spoke in his own normal accent.)

Filming locations

Winspit Quarry, Worth Matravers, Dorset
Winspit Beach, Worth Matravers, Dorset
Ealing Television Film Studios, Ealing Green, Ealing
Riverside Studios, Hammersmith, 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.

At the start of episode three the director can be heard.
During the underwater scenes in episode 3, the Kirby wires holding up the fish people are clearly visible
Polly hits Zaroff with an enormous boulder and he goes 'Ooh!'.
When Zaroff fires his pistol (a contemporary 9mm) at the end of episode three, he quite clearly does not: there is a sound effect, but no smoke, recoil, or discharged cartridge.

Continuity

It is mentioned in DW: The Dæmons that Azal destroyed Atlantis, and in The Time Monster Kronos also destroyed Atlantis.
In Doctor Who Annual 1966: The Lost Ones the Doctor encounters giants from the World-City of Atlantis

Timeline

This story occurs after DW: The Highlanders
This story occurs before DW: The Moonbase

Home video and audio releases

The surviving episode (episode 3) was released on the Lost in Time DVD
- Editing of surviving episodes DVD release completed by Doctor Who Restoration Team.