The Keys of Marinus (TV story)
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Summary
The planet Marinus is under threat from the evil Voord. The only hope of stopping them is to recover the keys to a machine known as the Conscience of Marinus, which have been hidden around the planet.
The First Doctor, Susan, Ian and Barbara are forced to search for the keys, transported round the planet by the elderly Arbitan, keeper of the Conscience. On their travels they face numerous dangers, eventually recovering all the keys. However, Arbitan has been killed by the evil Yartek, leader of the Voords. Ian fools him by giving him a fake key, and the machine explodes, killing Yartek and putting an end to the Voord threat.
Cast & Characters
- Dr. Who - William Hartnell
- Ian Chesterton - William Russell
- Barbara Wright - Jacqueline Hill
- Susan Foreman - Carole Ann Ford
- Arbitan - George Coulouris
- Voord - Martin Cort
- Voord - Peter Stenson
- Voord - Gordon Wales
- Altos - Robin Phillips
- Sabetha - Katherina Schofield
- Voice of Morpho - Heron Carvic
- Warrior - Martin Cort
- Darrius - Edmund Warwick
- Vasor - Francis de Wolff
- Ice Soldier - Michael Allaby
- Ice Soldier - Alan James
- Ice Soldier - Peter Stenson
- Ice Soldier - Anthony Verner
- Tarron - Henley Thomas
- Larn - Michael Allaby
- Senior Judge - Raf de la Torre
- First Judge - Alan James
- Second Judge - Peter Stenson
- Kala - Fiona Walker
- Aydan - Martin Cort
- Eyesen - Donald Pickering
- Guard - Alan James
- Yartek - Stephen Dartnell
Crew
- Writer - Terry Nation
- Director - John Gorrie
- Producer - Verity Lambert
- Script Editor - David Whitaker
- Designer - Raymond Cusick
- Assistant Floor Manager - Timothy Combe
- Associate Producer - Mervyn Pinfield
- Costumes - Daphne Dare
- Incidental Music - Norman Kay
- Make-Up - Jill Summers
- Production Assistant - David Conroy
- Production Assistant - Penny Joy
- Special Sound - Brian Hodgson
- Studio Lighting - Peter Murray
- Studio Sound - Jack Brummitt
- Studio Sound - Tony Milton
- Theme Arrangement - Delia Derbyshire
- Title Music - Ron Grainer
Notes
- All episodes exist in 16mm telerecordings
- Negative film prints of all epsisodes where recovered from BBC Enterprises in 1978
- An Arabic print of The Sea of Death is held by the BBC
- Terry Nation wrote this story as a replacement to The Red Fort, a story that was to be set during the Indian Mutiny
- William Hartnell does not appear in The Screaming Jungle or The Snows of Terror as the actor was on holiday during the filming of these episodes.
- This story contains a controversial scene in which Vasor attempts to rape Barbara
- Darrius is never referred to by name but his name appears in the shows credits
- Stephen Dartnell was cast as Yartek, the Voord leader. A few weeks later, he appeared in The Sensorites as the troubled astronaut John.
Influences
Ratings
- The Sea of Death - 9.9m viewers
- The Velvet Web - 9.4m viewers
- The Screaming Jungle - 9.9m viewers
- The Snows of Terror - 10.4m viewers
- Sentence of Death - 7.9m viewers
- The Keys of Marinus - 6.9m viewers
Myths
- Yartek's race are known as the Voord. (Although they are referred to as the Voord in some of the dialogue, the term most often used is Voords and this is the name that appears in the closing credits)
Location Filming
This story was filmed at both Lime Grove Studio D, Ealing Television Film Studios
Continuity
- While in the screaming jungle Susan comments that she has heard the noise before. This was most likely during her visit to the planet Esto which is inhabited by telepathic plants that screech when anyone stands between them and disrupts their communication - The Sensorites
- The Doctor claims to have met Pyrrho the founder of scepticism
