1,682
edits
The Time Monster (TV story): Difference between revisions
From Tardis Wiki, the free Doctor Who reference
no edit summary
No edit summary Tag: Undo |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 210: | Line 210: | ||
* The historical setting was suggested by the Official ''Doctor Who'' Fan Club, an organisation which had recently been reinvigorated when it was put in the hands of a teenage fan named [[Keith Miller]]. | * The historical setting was suggested by the Official ''Doctor Who'' Fan Club, an organisation which had recently been reinvigorated when it was put in the hands of a teenage fan named [[Keith Miller]]. | ||
* This was the first time the series had visited Earth's past since ''[[The Abominable Snowmen (TV story)|The Abominable Snowmen]]''. | * This was the first time the series had visited Earth's past since ''[[The Abominable Snowmen (TV story)|The Abominable Snowmen]]''. | ||
* Inspiration came to [[Robert Sloman]] during a walk outdoors, when he heard an aeroplane flying overhead and was reminded of the sound of German bombers during the Second World War. From this experience came the idea of “time slippages”, and Sloman envisaged a fleet of [[World War I]] biplanes descending on a modern-day aircraft. As Sloman developed his narrative, it was realised that budgetary considerations would prevent the First World War element from featuring prominently. Instead, it was decided to emphasise the Atlantis strand of the plot. | * Inspiration came to [[Robert Sloman]] during a walk outdoors, when he heard an aeroplane flying overhead and was reminded of the sound of [[Germany|German]] bombers during the [[World War II|Second World War]]. From this experience came the idea of “time slippages”, and Sloman envisaged a fleet of [[World War I]] biplanes descending on a modern-day aircraft. As Sloman developed his narrative, it was realised that budgetary considerations would prevent the First World War element from featuring prominently. Instead, it was decided to emphasise the Atlantis strand of the plot. | ||
* Influenced by Buddhist philosophies, [[Barry Letts]] wanted to portray the Doctor as being merely “semi-enlightened”: able to see the universe more clearly than most, but still possessing personal flaws. Letts' ideas were most prominently reflected in the Doctor's Episode Six tale about [[the Hermit]] on his home planet. | * Influenced by [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] philosophies, [[Barry Letts]] wanted to portray the Doctor as being merely “semi-enlightened”: able to see the universe more clearly than most, but still possessing personal flaws. Letts' ideas were most prominently reflected in the Doctor's Episode Six tale about [[the Hermit]] on his home planet. | ||
* At Stratfield Saye, stuntman [[Greg Powell]], playing the knight who attacked the convoy in Episode Three, was thrown from his horse when his mount did not follow the planned route and collided with one of the UNIT vehicles. Accounts vary as to the extent of the injuries to both Powell and the horse. [[Equity]], the actors' union, condemned the incident because budgetary limitations had prevented [[Paul Bernard]] from hiring more than a single stunt driver. | * At Stratfield Saye, stuntman [[Greg Powell]], playing the knight who attacked the convoy in Episode Three, was thrown from his horse when his mount did not follow the planned route and collided with one of the UNIT vehicles. Accounts vary as to the extent of the injuries to both Powell and the horse. [[Equity]], the actors' union, condemned the incident because budgetary limitations had prevented [[Paul Bernard]] from hiring more than a single stunt driver. | ||
* While filming scenes in [[Bessie]] using a side-mounted camera, [[Jon Pertwee]] and [[Katy Manning]] realised that they had gotten lost. By the time the two actors were finally able to find their way back to [[Paul Bernard]], the director was already in the process of assembling search parties to track them down. | * While filming scenes in [[Bessie]] using a side-mounted camera, [[Jon Pertwee]] and [[Katy Manning]] realised that they had gotten lost. By the time the two actors were finally able to find their way back to [[Paul Bernard]], the director was already in the process of assembling search parties to track them down. | ||
| Line 219: | Line 219: | ||
* While filming the ending scene, [[John Levene]] was terrified that his nappy would fall off. | * While filming the ending scene, [[John Levene]] was terrified that his nappy would fall off. | ||
* This story has the dubious distinction of being ranked as ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' readers' least favourite [[Third Doctor]] story in all four of their major polls, in [[1998]], [[2009]], [[2014]], and [[2023]]. ([[DWM 590]]) | * This story has the dubious distinction of being ranked as ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' readers' least favourite [[Third Doctor]] story in all four of their major polls, in [[1998]], [[2009]], [[2014]], and [[2023]]. ([[DWM 590]]) | ||
* The name Kronos was a variant of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cronus Cronus], chief of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titans Titans] in Greek Mythology. | * The name Kronos was a variant of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cronus Cronus], chief of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titans Titans] in [[Greek mythology|Greek Mythology]]. | ||
* This was the last time that [[Roger Delgado]] worked with the UNIT regulars before his tragic death a year later. | * This was the last time that [[Roger Delgado]] worked with the UNIT regulars before his tragic death a year later. | ||
* Episode four was found to be underlength, while episode five was expected to be too long. As such, episode four was extended beyond the original cliffhanger of Kronos devouring the Doctor, to the Master jettisoning the Doctor's TARDIS in the time vortex. | * Episode four was found to be underlength, while episode five was expected to be too long. As such, episode four was extended beyond the original cliffhanger of Kronos devouring the Doctor, to the Master jettisoning the Doctor's TARDIS in the time vortex. | ||
* Originally, it was thought that the Kronos costume could be made from reflective white material which would flare against the camera by using peaking light levels. [[Barry Letts]] suggested using [[CSO]], with a flame forming the body. | |||
* A test session was held before production where [[Ian Collier]] donned layers of make-up made out of latex for Stuart Hyde's aging scene. The results were unsatisfactory, as freelance make-up artist Alan Boyle was called in to devise an alternative. He did so by using tissue and honey. | |||
* To create the effect of Kronos flapping its wings, the production team shot various close-ups of birds' wings which would be inserted as a [[CSO]] shot. The production team had access to a dove, a cockatoo, a [[chicken]] and an [[owl]], but only the shots of the dove's wings made the final edit. | |||
* [[Dave Prowse]] was expected to perform all of the minotaur's scenes. Since he wasn't trained as a stuntman, he refused to complete certain scenes, so [[Terry Walsh]] doubled for him for the scene where the Minotaur crashes through a stone wall. | |||
* | |||
=== Ratings === | === Ratings === | ||
