The Underwater Menace (TV story): Difference between revisions
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|clip = Doctor Who The Underwater Menace (TV Soundtrack) | |clip = Doctor Who The Underwater Menace (TV Soundtrack) | ||
|bts = BFI screen long missing Doctor Who episodes | |bts = BFI screen long missing Doctor Who episodes | ||
}}'''''The Underwater Menace''''' was the fifth story of [[season 4]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]''. {{as of|2014|12}}, its second episode is the earliest surviving [[Second Doctor]] [[telerecording]]. Currently, only episodes two and three survive in full. | }}'''''The Underwater Menace''''' was the fifth story of [[season 4]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]''. {{as of|2014|12}}, its second episode is the earliest surviving [[Second Doctor]] [[telerecording]]. Currently, only episodes two and three survive in full. | ||
The history of this script is particularly troubled. After its commission, it was dropped from the production schedule, partly because of concerns that it would require a higher budget than was available. A new script by [[William Emms]], [[The Imps|''The Imps'']], was commissioned to replace it; Emms, however, subsequently fell ill. When it was realized that it was unlikely that Emms would be able to complete changes to the script, which was due to begin shooting in a month, the original script, now titled "The Underwater Menace", was brought back into the schedule. A further complication arose because [[Frazer Hines]] was brought on as a regular member of the cast barely a month before the serial was due to start production, and his character, Jamie, had to be worked into the script. Because of all of these problems, the individual episodes were recorded just a week before they were due to be broadcast. | |||
== Synopsis == | == Synopsis == | ||
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* Only episodes two and three of this four-part story exist in the [[BBC Archives]] as [[telerecording|16mm black & white film telerecordings]]. | * Only episodes two and three of this four-part story exist in the [[BBC Archives]] as [[telerecording|16mm black & white film telerecordings]]. | ||
* Since [[Jamie McCrimmon|Jamie]] isn't actually shown inside [[the TARDIS]] in ''[[The Highlanders (TV story)|The Highlanders]]'', part one of this story has his "bigger on the inside" moment. | * Since [[Jamie McCrimmon|Jamie]] isn't actually shown inside [[the TARDIS]] in ''[[The Highlanders (TV story)|The Highlanders]]'', part one of this story has his "bigger on the inside" moment. | ||
* This story continues an early [[Second Doctor]] trait of assuming different disguises, a relic of the production team's original idea of having him take on different identities in every story as a means for differentiating him from William Hartnell's portrayal.{{Fact}} In this adventure, he briefly dresses up as a local merchant. | * This story continues an early [[Second Doctor]] trait of assuming different disguises, a relic of the production team's original idea of having him take on different identities in every story as a means for differentiating him from [[William Hartnell]]'s portrayal.{{Fact}} In this adventure, he briefly dresses up as a local merchant. | ||
* At the end of episode three, Professor Zaroff utters the timeless line, "Nothing in the world can stop me now!" [[Davros]] and the [[Fifth Doctor]] would say similar lines in ''[[Journey's End]]'' and ''[[The Caves of Androzani (TV story)|The Caves of Androzani]]'' respectively. | * At the end of episode three, Professor Zaroff utters the timeless line, "Nothing in the world can stop me now!" [[Davros]] and the [[Fifth Doctor]] would say similar lines in ''[[Journey's End]]'' and ''[[The Caves of Androzani (TV story)|The Caves of Androzani]]'' respectively. | ||
* In the opening TARDIS scene, Polly, Ben and the Doctor are each heard "thinking" about where they would like to land next in a rare example of internal monologue. This was achieved by pre-recording the actors' voices and playing them back during the making of the episode. | * In the opening TARDIS scene, Polly, Ben and the Doctor are each heard "thinking" about where they would like to land next in a rare example of internal monologue. This was achieved by pre-recording the actors' voices and playing them back during the making of the episode. | ||
* While ''[[The War Machines (TV story)|The War Machines]]'' still remains the only time in the history of the series where the Doctor is referred to explicitly as "Doctor Who" (although the term also features in 'An Unearthly Child' and 'The Gunfighters'), 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". | * While ''[[The War Machines (TV story)|The War Machines]]'' still remains the only time in the history of the series where the Doctor is referred to explicitly as "Doctor Who" (although the term also features in [[An Unearthly Child|''An Unearthly Child'']] and ''[[The Gunfighters]]''), 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". | ||
* [[Patrick Troughton]] was reputedly particularly unhappy about the production. He is reported to have described the show as having "ridiculous costumes and make-up of the fish people". | |||
* [[Innes Lloyd]] was unhappy with this story, admitting that admitting "it did look like something from a '50s American 'B' movie". | |||
* [[Anneke Wills]] was unhappy that Polly was made a damsel in distress in this story. | |||
* The broadcast of the first episode on January 14th sparked an angry letter the following Monday from Mrs N Safford of the National Society for the Welfare of Children in Hospitals. Safford was concerned that the sight of Polly undergoing an operation to turn her into a Fish Person would scare children with upcoming surgeries, who might think that they also risked waking up to find themselves transformed into monsters. [[Innes Lloyd]] refuted this argument, noting that the fantastical nature of the story made it clear to viewers that the story's events were not realistic. | |||
* Episode two was recovered on 19 September 2011. | * Episode two was recovered on 19 September 2011. | ||
* This was the first story about the lost city [[Atlantis]]. | * This was the first story about the lost city [[Atlantis]]. | ||
