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The Tenth Planet (TV story): Difference between revisions
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'''''The Tenth Planet''''' was the second story broadcast in [[season 4]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]''. Due to the fact that ''[[The Smugglers (TV story)|The Smugglers]]'' was the final story in [[season 3]]'s [[production block]], however, ''Planet'' was actually the first story produced in this season; from a ''production'' standpoint, this was [[William Hartnell]]'s only contribution to season 4. It also introduced the [[Cyberman (Mondas)|Cybermen]], who would become a longstanding enemy of the Doctor. | '''''The Tenth Planet''''' was the second story broadcast in [[season 4]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]''. Due to the fact that ''[[The Smugglers (TV story)|The Smugglers]]'' was the final story in [[season 3]]'s [[production block]], however, ''The Tenth Planet'' was actually the first story produced in this season; from a ''production'' standpoint, this was [[William Hartnell]]'s only contribution to season 4. It also introduced the [[Cyberman (Mondas)|Cybermen]], who would become a longstanding enemy of the Doctor. | ||
''The Tenth Planet'' was a major historical turning point for the ''Doctor Who'' series by employing a new concept that would come to be known as [[regeneration]]. This plot mechanic has contributed to its long run on television. Likewise, it introduced the idea the Doctor has multiple incarnations and can regenerate to coincide with the departure of an actor playing an incarnation to avoid cold transition from one actor to the next. | ''The Tenth Planet'' was a major historical turning point for the ''Doctor Who'' series by employing a new concept that would come to be known as [[regeneration]]. This plot mechanic has contributed to its long run on television. Likewise, it introduced the idea the Doctor has multiple incarnations and can regenerate to coincide with the departure of an actor playing an incarnation to avoid cold transition from one actor to the next. | ||
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[[The Doctor's TARDIS]] lands at the [[Snowcap]] space tracking station in [[Antarctica]] in [[December]] [[1986]]. A routine space mission starts going wrong. When the base personnel's suspicions are roused, the Doctor informs them that the space capsule is being affected by the gravitational pull of another planet - a tenth planet in the [[Solar system]]. | [[The Doctor's TARDIS]] lands at the [[Snowcap]] space tracking station in [[Antarctica]] in [[December]] [[1986]]. A routine space mission starts going wrong. When the base personnel's suspicions are roused, the Doctor informs them that the space capsule is being affected by the gravitational pull of another planet - a tenth planet in the [[Solar system]]. | ||
The loss of a routine space mission and the appearance of that [[planet]] in the sky herald the arrival of the Cybermen, who are intent on the destruction of the Earth and the conversion of all [[human]]s into Cybermen. [[Ben Jackson|Ben]] and [[Polly Wright|Polly]] fight to save the world, but it is a battle that may | The loss of a routine space mission and the appearance of that [[planet]] in the sky herald the arrival of the Cybermen, who are intent on the destruction of the Earth and the conversion of all [[human]]s into Cybermen. [[Ben Jackson|Ben]] and [[Polly Wright|Polly]] fight to save the world, but it is a battle that may be the Doctor's very last... | ||
== Plot == | == Plot == | ||
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=== Vehicles === | === Vehicles === | ||
* [[Zeus IV]] and [[Zeus V]] are rocket-shaped spacecraft. | * ''[[Zeus IV]]'' and ''[[Zeus V]]'' are rocket-shaped spacecraft. | ||
== Story notes == | == Story notes == | ||
* This is the first time the [[regeneration]] process is seen, from William Hartnell's Doctor into [[Patrick Troughton]]'s Doctor. The process is not given a name until 1974 in ''[[Planet of the Spiders]]''. | * This is the first time the [[regeneration]] process is seen, from William Hartnell's Doctor into [[Patrick Troughton]]'s Doctor. The process is not given a name until 1974 in ''[[Planet of the Spiders]]''. | ||
* Episode | * Episode four is missing from the BBC archives. Only short clips of footage exist, among which are the regeneration sequence itself; the sequence exists thanks to it having been included in an early 1970s edition of ''[[Blue Peter]]'' that discussed the transition to the new Doctor. The regeneration is one of several sequences from lost episodes ([[Katarina]]'s death in [[TV]]: ''[[The Daleks' Master Plan (TV story)|The Daleks' Master Plan]]'' being another) that were inadvertently preserved through their use on ''Blue Peter'' episodes that were not wiped. | ||
* William Hartnell left ''Doctor Who'' due to bad health, but upon leaving had said, "If there is one man in England who can replace me as the Doctor, it's Patrick Troughton!" Troughton took over the role of the Doctor when Hartnell regenerated into Troughton. Hartnell returned in ''[[The Three Doctors]]'' in [[1972]] to celebrate the show's tenth anniversary. He died three years later. | * William Hartnell left ''Doctor Who'' due to bad health, but upon leaving had said, "If there is one man in England who can replace me as the Doctor, it's Patrick Troughton!" Troughton took over the role of the Doctor when Hartnell regenerated into Troughton. Hartnell returned in ''[[The Three Doctors]]'' in [[1972]] to celebrate the show's tenth anniversary. He died three years later. | ||
* The Doctor does not appear in | * The Doctor does not appear in episode three, as William Hartnell was unwell during the week when it was recorded. | ||
* Special "computer tape"-style opening and closing title graphics were created for this story by graphic designer [[Bernard Lodge]]. | * Special "computer tape"-style opening and closing title graphics were created for this story by graphic designer [[Bernard Lodge]]. | ||
* This is the only story to give Cybermen characters individual names (Krang, Jarl | * This is the only story to give Cybermen characters individual names (Krang, Jarl etc). After this, Cybermen were only ever named by rank (Cyberleader, Cybercontroller etc). This might reflect the Mondans' further descent into cyber-conversion and removal of emotion by phasing out individuality. | ||
* At the time of the serial's original broadcast, as well as the timeframe of the serial (1986), [[Pluto]] was still considered a planet and therefore the story title and dialogue referring to Mondas as the solar system's tenth planet was correct. In 2006, Pluto lost its planetary status, which would make Mondas officially the ninth planet, not the tenth. ''Note: By the newly-adopted criteria which excludes Pluto, Mondas would technically not be considered a planet either. Also, the later serial [[TV]]: ''[[The Sun Makers]]'', set in the far future, describes Pluto as a planet and also identifies another tenth planet named [[Cassius]], suggesting that in the Whoniverse another realignment of the solar system's makeup occurs in the future.'' | * At the time of the serial's original broadcast, as well as the timeframe of the serial (1986), [[Pluto]] was still considered a planet and therefore the story title and dialogue referring to Mondas as the solar system's tenth planet was correct. In 2006, Pluto lost its planetary status, which would make Mondas officially the ninth planet, not the tenth. ''Note: By the newly-adopted criteria which excludes Pluto, Mondas would technically not be considered a planet either. Also, the later serial [[TV]]: ''[[The Sun Makers]]'', set in the far future, describes Pluto as a planet and also identifies another tenth planet named [[Cassius]], suggesting that in the Whoniverse another realignment of the solar system's makeup occurs in the future.'' | ||
* Some fans don't fully accept the fact that the Doctor regenerated due to old age. They speculate that Mondas plundered not only Earth's energy but the Doctor's as well, shrinking his lifespan. Growing weaker with each passing moment, the Doctor eventually regenerated. | * Some fans don't fully accept the fact that the Doctor regenerated due to old age. They speculate that Mondas plundered not only Earth's energy but the Doctor's as well, shrinking his lifespan. Growing weaker with each passing moment, the Doctor eventually regenerated. | ||
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=== Myths === | === Myths === | ||
* An attempt was once made to colourise parts of this story. ''(This was an [[April Fools' Day|April Fools' joke]] in [[Doctor Who Magazine]].)'' | * An attempt was once made to colourise parts of this story. ''(This was an [[April Fools' Day|April Fools' joke]] in [[Doctor Who Magazine]].)'' | ||
* A test regeneration was filmed during production of | * A test regeneration was filmed during production of ''[[The Smugglers (TV story)|The Smugglers]]''. ''(This too was an [[April Fools' Day|April Fools' joke]] in ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]''.)'' | ||
* The master copy of | * The master copy of episode four was lost in 1973 after being lent to the BBC's children's magazine programme ''Blue Peter'' for a feature they were compiling about the series. ''(It is unknown how this episode came to be lost; the episode that was lost after being lent out to ''Blue Peter'' was ''"[[The Traitors]]"'', the fourth episode of ''[[The Daleks' Master Plan (TV story)|The Daleks' Master Plan]]''.)'' | ||
=== Filming locations === | === Filming locations === | ||
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=== Production errors === | === Production errors === | ||
{{discontinuity}} | {{discontinuity}} | ||
* The writing credit for | * The writing credit for episode one has Kit Pedler as "Kitt Pedler" and title music is credited to "ByRon Grainer" (and due to all letters being capitalised it appears to be "Byron Grainer", as in the first name "Byron"), when it should read, "By [[Ron Grainer]]"; for episode three, Gerry Davis becomes "Gerry Davies". | ||
* In BBC Video's reconstruction of | * In BBC Video's reconstruction of episode four, William Hartnell is credited as "Doctor Who" instead of the usual "Dr. Who". | ||
* Sometimes the Cybermen start to talk before their mouths open. | * Sometimes the Cybermen start to talk before their mouths open. | ||
* The script requires the Cybermen to pass for human in their parkas, an effect ruined by the lamps on their heads. | * The script requires the Cybermen to pass for human in their parkas, an effect ruined by the lamps on their heads. | ||
* The Cyberman helmets were held together with Gaffatape, which can clearly be seen in this episode. | * The Cyberman helmets were held together with Gaffatape, which can clearly be seen in this episode. | ||
* When the Cybermen are ambushed outside, one of them has part of his headpiece (one of the "jug handles") come loose. | * When the Cybermen are ambushed outside, one of them has part of his headpiece (one of the "jug handles") come loose. | ||
* The | * The reprise at the start of episode three is a remount of episode two's cliffhanger, not a telerecording of the final moments of episode two, and the dialogue between Cutler and the technician at the beginning of episode three is slightly different from that which closed episode two. | ||
* In episode | * In episode four, Michael Craze commits a Spoonerism, accidentally saying "plonet Mandos" instead of "planet Mondas." | ||
* In | * In episode two, while Krail is proposing his plan to take the humans to Mondas (and after the Doctor has shouted his objections), his head-mounted lamp / "third eye" starts reflecting studio lights. | ||
*Occasionally, the Cybermen's mouths do not look like they open at all when talking. | *Occasionally, the Cybermen's mouths do not look like they open at all when talking. | ||
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== Home video and audio releases == | == Home video and audio releases == | ||
* This was released on VHS video, with a reconstruction of the missing | * This was released on VHS video, with a reconstruction of the missing episode four. | ||
* Editing and reconstruction for release was completed by the [[Doctor Who Restoration Team]]. | * Editing and reconstruction for release was completed by the [[Doctor Who Restoration Team]]. | ||
* The soundtrack to this story, with linking narration by [[Anneke Wills]], was first released on [[1 November (releases)|1 November]] [[2004]], as part of a metal box set titled ''[[Doctor Who: Cybermen (CD collection)|Doctor Who: Cybermen]]''. It was re-released as a single CD on [[9 January (releases)|9 January]] [[2006]], and again as part of the box set ''[[Doctor Who: The Lost TV Episodes - Collection Three]]'' on [[4 August (releases)|4 August]] [[2011]]. | * The soundtrack to this story, with linking narration by [[Anneke Wills]], was first released on [[1 November (releases)|1 November]] [[2004]], as part of a metal box set titled ''[[Doctor Who: Cybermen (CD collection)|Doctor Who: Cybermen]]''. It was re-released as a single CD on [[9 January (releases)|9 January]] [[2006]], and again as part of the box set ''[[Doctor Who: The Lost TV Episodes - Collection Three]]'' on [[4 August (releases)|4 August]] [[2011]]. | ||
