1. "The Doctor and the Master
argue their respective cases
before the Draconian Emperor.Copy !req
2. "The Doctor seems to be winning
- but the Master's treachery
turns the tables." (Radio Times)Copy !req
3. This episode was first shown
on 24 March, 1973, to
an audience of 7.7 million people.Copy !req
4. Turbulence is conveyed by rocking
the camera head from side to side...Copy !req
5. and also by Roger Delgado rocking
his own head from side to side.Copy !req
6. To be precise, he's quoting
Alfred Tennyson's 'Sir Galahad' (1842).Copy !req
7. Paul Bernard briefed John Woodnutt
to play the Emperor as a large lizard.Copy !req
8. The actor interpreted
the instruction in terms of
physical and vocal characterisation.Copy !req
9. He gave the Emperor a reptilian
stillness, combined with sudden, darting
movements such as you can see here.Copy !req
10. He also took the Draconian actors'
hissing voice-work to
a new level of sibilance.Copy !req
11. Woodnutt (1924-2006) had
worked with Barry Letts in many
a BBC serial in the days when
the producer was still an actor:Copy !req
12. Sara Crewe and The Silver Sword
(both 1957), Queen's Champion
(1958; also with Roger Delgado),
Long Way Home (1960),Copy !req
13. and a 1966 edition of Softly, Softly
which was one of Letts's last acting
jobs before he became a director,
and then a producer.Copy !req
14. In similar vein, Woodnutt
appeared in one of Paul Bernard's
last productions as a designer,
a 1963 Dr Finlay's Casebook.Copy !req
15. Soon after 'Frontier in Space',
Bernard cast him as another,
more villainous alien, the Spidron
in The Tomorrow People.Copy !req
16. The script describes
the Emperor's court as "a setting of
simple but barbaric splendour".Copy !req
17. John Woodnutt and Peter Birrel
(the Prince) developed an
angular way of sittingCopy !req
18. which suggested that the Draconians'
legs were jointed like lizards'.Copy !req
19. Malcolm Hulke had a penchant
for reptilian monsters
like dinosaurs and giant lizards.Copy !req
20. He originally imagined
the Draconians as beings with
heads and faces like dragons.Copy !req
21. What he really wanted was an articulated
snout that was both nose and mouth
in one facial feature,Copy !req
22. but there was no way he was getting
that on a television budget!Copy !req
23. In rehearsals, some exposition
was removed from the Doctor's
lines here and transferred
to the Emperor's last speech.Copy !req
24. This reduced the pressure
on Jon Pertwee, who never
enjoyed learning his lines.Copy !req
25. The Draconians' masks were made
by effects sculptor John Friedlander,
working to a design by Paul Bernard.Copy !req
26. Bernard's concept sketch was very
similar to the final version, but with
rills at the back of the head and neck.Copy !req
27. The masks worked on a principle that had
been developed for the Ogrons when they
first appeared in 'Day of the Daleks'.Copy !req
28. Each mask, cast in latex,
fitted snugly over the actor's head,
leaving his eyes and chin exposed.Copy !req
29. Jon Pertwee was especially impressed
by the way this enhanced
his fellow actors' performancesCopy !req
30. by leaving the key elements
of their own faces free
to convey life and emotion.Copy !req
31. The many warts created air pockets on
the underside which meant that the latex
did not stick to the actors' faces.Copy !req
32. This made them comfortable to wear,
with a consequent gain in efficiency:Copy !req
33. The actors could keep them on
for longer periods, so there was
less disruption to shooting and
less need to reapply make-up.Copy !req
34. Some of the masks were moulded
using individual face-casts of
the actors who were to wear them.Copy !req
35. Not this one, though: It's not
a perfect fit, so the eye sockets
move along with the actor's mouth.Copy !req
36. In the storyline, it is unclear how
the Doctor persuades the Emperor
to believe his story.Copy !req
37. Hulke solved that problem
by minor restructuring here.Copy !req
38. In the original version, the Ogrons
attack the spaceship carrying the Doctor
back to Earth on the Emperor's mission.Copy !req
39. The boarding party appear
to be Earthmen, but the
Doctor discovers otherwiseCopy !req
40. when he engages one of them in
hand-to-hand combat in an open airlock.Copy !req
41. In the struggle, he tears a "human" mask
from the attacker's face,
revealing the Ogron beneath.Copy !req
42. The startled Ogron plummets back into
space, leaving the Doctor with only
the mask as evidence.Copy !req
43. By moving the Ogron attack earlier,
Hulke gave the Emperor
something more than blind faith
as the basis for his decision.Copy !req
44. A debt of personal obligation
was also mooted.Copy !req
45. In the script, the Doctor's
intervention saves the Emperor
from being shot by an Ogron.Copy !req
46. As Hulke first conceived the story,
then, the Master uses low-tech
rubber face masks to change
the Ogrons' appearance.Copy !req
47. The use of a fear-inducing device to
cause hallucinations was drawn
from an earlier Master serial,Copy !req
48. 'The Mind of Evil' (1971), in which
the Master also tries to provoke a war.Copy !req
49. It's probably just a coincidence,
however, that in both serials,
some victims of
the fear device see "dragons".Copy !req
50. It was worse in the script: Three Ogrons
were left behind, not just one.Copy !req
51. The BBC's Head of Drama Serials,
Ronald Marsh, enjoyed this episode.Copy !req
52. He praised it at that week's programme
review meeting and noted the whole
serial's good production values.Copy !req
53. In the script, the Ogron answers
all the questions,
but only has one thing to say:Copy !req
54. "We obey the Master."Copy !req
55. Malcolm Hulke later said he found
the Ogrons easy to write for,
because they didn't require complex
or varied dialogue.Copy !req
56. He also rather enjoyed
the comic opportunities afforded
by their low intellect.Copy !req
57. Sadly, a few British journalists are so
desperate for copy that, on
occasion, they resort to inventing it.Copy !req
58. For a long time, it was widely believed
that the Draconians' masks were
sculpted around a plaster bust ofCopy !req
59. the popular Irish comedian Dave Allen.Copy !req
60. The story was published in
the tabloid newspaper, The Sun,Copy !req
61. but you can't believe everything
you read in the papers:
There's no truth in it whatsoever!Copy !req
62. In the script, the Doctor supports
the Prince: "I think you'd better
pipe down, Jo. Women's Lib hasn't
got very far on Draconia."Copy !req
63. In the script, the Ogron becomes less
placid when he sees Jo and tries
to bend the bars to get to her.Copy !req
64. The Draconian's pistol is a prop made
for 'Day of the Daleks', when,
ironically, it was used by the Ogrons.Copy !req
65. "Honestly," she was scripted to say,
"I can't imagine how they
treat their poor wives."Copy !req
66. In the early 1970s,
Doctor Who was usually recorded two
episodes at a time, with one studio day
devoted to each episode.Copy !req
67. This determined some aspects of
how a serial would be structured.Copy !req
68. Apart from location filming, a writer
always had to confine his action
to a limited number of sets.Copy !req
69. In a serial like 'Frontier in Space',
where the setting moves around a lot,Copy !req
70. the changes tend to coincide
with episode pairings.Copy !req
71. For example, the cargo ship only appears
in the first two episodes, and
the Moon prison only in the middle pair.Copy !req
72. This meant that the sets could be used
for a single two-episode recording
session and then disposed of.Copy !req
73. Sets which recur throughout
the serial, such as the President's
office, were put into store for
the fortnight between studio sessions.Copy !req
74. Designers preferred to minimise
the number of sets which had to
be stored, partly because of the cost,Copy !req
75. and partly because there was
always the risk that a set
might be damaged in transit.Copy !req
76. This was always weighed against
the alternative economy of
redressing one spaceship set to
do double duty as another.Copy !req
77. An experienced writer would structure
his serial to accommodate
these practical considerations.Copy !req
78. Another limiting factor
was the size of the studio.Copy !req
79. All the sets required to make any pair
of episodes had to fit into whichever
studio was allocated to the recording.Copy !req
80. 'Frontier in Space' was made
in two medium-sized studios
at Television Centre:Copy !req
81. Studio 4 for the first four episodes,
and Studio 3 for the final pair.Copy !req
82. They were of almost identical size,
roughly 90 feet by 70,Copy !req
83. and they contained
adequate room for the six to ten sets
per episode that Hulke had written.Copy !req
84. However, Hulke planned an entirely new
setting for the final episode:
The Master's base in the Ogron citadel.Copy !req
85. His reasoning was that most of the sets
for Part 5 could be taken down overnight
and the citadel built in their place.Copy !req
86. Things did not go
quite according to plan.Copy !req
87. You may remember that about two minutes'
worth of material was moved up
from this episode into Part 4.Copy !req
88. The upshot was that this episode in turn
had to borrow two minutes of Ogron
citadel scenes written for Part 6.Copy !req
89. This led to an unusual
pattern of recording for this episode,
split across the two days.Copy !req
90. Paul Bernard opted to record
the Ogron citadel scenes on
the first studio day, 31 October.Copy !req
91. He wanted to be sure of getting
everything in the can before
the citadel sets were taken down.Copy !req
92. The remainder of the Part 5 scenes
were then recorded on
the final studio day, 1 November.Copy !req
93. "He's not really
a very good pilot, you know,"
gloats the Doctor in the script.Copy !req
94. In the script, the Doctor sent Jo to the
hold, a safe place where she would be
out of the way of the fighting Ogron.Copy !req
95. In the 1971 series of Doctor Who,
the Master was a regular character
who appeared almost every week.Copy !req
96. For the 1972 series,
the production team decided to make
less use of the character: He featured
in only two of the five serials.Copy !req
97. One person who was inconvenienced
by this was Roger Delgado.Copy !req
98. Casting directors assumed that
he was fully committed
to Doctor Who and didn't bother
approaching him with other roles.Copy !req
99. In consequence, he was spending more
time unemployed than he was used to.Copy !req
100. He discussed the problem
with Barry Letts during
the making of 'Frontier in Space'.Copy !req
101. Letts decided to give the Master
one last Doctor Who serial,
to be entitled 'The Final Game'.Copy !req
102. The adventure, to be made for
the 1974 series, would culminate in
the Master dying a spectacular death.Copy !req
103. This would leave nobody in any doubt
that the character was gone for good -
and that Roger Delgado
was available for other work!Copy !req
104. A wind machine was deployed on set
to simulate the rush of escaping air.Copy !req
105. A storyline for 'The Final Game' was
commissioned on 15 February, 1973,
and delivered in early June.Copy !req
106. The serial proceeded no further.Copy !req
107. That June, Roger Delgado was in
a mountainous region of central Turkey.Copy !req
108. He was making a film
for a French production company.Copy !req
109. He didn't turn up for work
on the morning of Monday 18 June.Copy !req
110. His body was later found in
the wreckage of the hire car
which was driving him to the location.Copy !req
111. His last acting performance
was screened posthumously in 1974.Copy !req
112. So 'Frontier in Space' turned out to be
his final appearance as the Master.Copy !req
113. Delgado pauses, realising
he's got the line slightly wrong.
(He was supposed to say
"the toils of bureaucracy".)Copy !req
114. The next scene was scripted to open
on General Williams saying,Copy !req
115. "Surely we cannot be expected
to believe this story."Copy !req
116. Paul Bernard hoped to work
with Mike Catherwood, who had been his
vision mixer on 'Day of the Daleks'.Copy !req
117. A request was put in during
pre-production but, in the event,
Catherwood proved to be unavailable.Copy !req
118. Michael Hawkins (born 1928), who plays
General Williams had worked with Paul
Bernard before in the series R3 (1965).Copy !req
119. Bernard directed, and Hawkins
played the head of a team
of scientific troubleshooters.Copy !req
120. After a few cinema bit-parts
in 1959-61, he mainly concentrated
on television work.Copy !req
121. A certain masculine precision of manner
ensured that he was often cast
as policemen and detectives,Copy !req
122. notably in Man in a Suitcase (1968)
And The Duchess of Duke Street (1976-7).Copy !req
123. He took another militaristic role,
a colonel, in the third series
of Survivors (1977).Copy !req
124. The Devil's Crown (1978) saw him
playing a medieval nobleman.Copy !req
125. This was the very last scene
that Roger Delgado recorded
in the role of the Master.Copy !req
126. The Master's quotation (from John Howard
Payne's 1823 song, 'Home, Sweet Home')
Was Roger Delgado's unscripted input.Copy !req
127. You'll remember that this episode
was restructured to include
material planned for Part 6.Copy !req
128. The scripted episode ended here.Copy !req
129. A line cut from the next episode says
that, "According to the Galactic Survey,
this planet is uninhabited,Copy !req
130. "contains a dense,
unpleasant atmosphere, has no valuable
minerals whatsoever, minimal vegetation.Copy !req
131. "There is one dominant life-form
- a large and savage reptile.Copy !req
132. "The planet is in a neutral sector of
the galaxy. Neither Earth nor Draconia
has shown any interest in claiming it."Copy !req
133. This is the first scene written
for Part 6 and recorded on 31 October.Copy !req
134. The Master's prison accommodation
in 'The Sea Devils' was indeed
a lot plusher than this.Copy !req
135. Malcolm Hulke imagined an even more
primitive setting: A cave.Copy !req
136. There are no fitted electric lights:
The Master has a torch,Copy !req
137. which he swings round here
to illuminate the TARDIS
in a gloomy corner of the cave.Copy !req
138. Hulke's script here plays to
one of Roger Delgado's strengths.Copy !req
139. The actor liked to bring out an ironic
sense of cliché in his performance,Copy !req
140. as if the Master is
the only character who half-suspects
that he might be starring in
a Saturday-evening melodrama.Copy !req
141. The TARDIS may have made an unplanned
detour during the week
after this episode was shown.Copy !req
142. In the 27 March edition of Whatever
Happened to the Likely Lads? the title
characters woke up in police custody.Copy !req
143. "What are we doing here?"
Panicked Bob. "I mean,
why are we in a cell? What happened?"Copy !req
144. "Do you remember the police box
and the strange Doctor?"
Replied the sardonic Terry.Copy !req
145. The Master hypnotised Jo
the first time they met,
in 'Terror of the Autons' (1971).Copy !req
146. The non-speaking Draconians were:Copy !req
147. Leslie Bates,
Rodney Cardiff, Andy DevineCopy !req
148. Richard King, Bill Matthews,
Stewart MyersCopy !req
149. Steve Tierney, Lawrence HeldCopy !req
150. Uncredited production
contributors included:Copy !req
151. Ron Bristow (Technical Manager)Copy !req
152. Shirley Coward (Vision Mixer)Copy !req
153. That's better. That's about it. Right.Copy !req
154. Fire!Copy !req
155. They're still after us.Copy !req
156. Fire!Copy !req
157. Can we not fire back?Copy !req
158. No. No, I'm afraid we're outgunned.Copy !req
159. This isn't a battle cruiser, you know.Copy !req
160. Hang on.
I think we're shaking them off.Copy !req
161. Doctor!Copy !req
162. He's broken out! Get out, Jo!Copy !req
163. We must have hit them.
They're losing speed.Copy !req
164. Shall I fire again?Copy !req
165. No, no, it might be possible
to take the Doctor alive after all.Copy !req
166. Muster a boarding party.Copy !req
167. Yes, Master.Copy !req
168. Right, there you are, my friend.Copy !req
169. Are you all right?Copy !req
170. JO: Oh, no, you don't!Copy !req
171. No, no!Copy !req
172. - No, let go of me!
- This way!Copy !req
173. JO: Let me go!Copy !req
174. We've been boarded!
We need the blasters, come on!Copy !req
175. - The prisoner?
- Don't worry about him.Copy !req
176. He's no use to us at the moment.Copy !req
177. JO: Let me go! No! Doctor!Copy !req
178. Get down!
The enemy!Copy !req
179. Fool, go!Copy !req
180. What is happening?
They should have taken that ship by now!Copy !req
181. (EXCLAIMING)
Must I do everything myself?Copy !req
182. Look!Copy !req
183. An Earth battle cruiser.Copy !req
184. You'd better recall the boarding party.
I'll take over here.Copy !req
185. As soon as they're back on board,
we'll unlock.Copy !req
186. Fools!Copy !req
187. JO: Help! Doctor!
You come!Copy !req
188. - You must come!
- No!Copy !req
189. Look out! We must take the girl!Copy !req
190. No!Copy !req
191. JO: No!Copy !req
192. Bring the girl!
JO: Doctor!Copy !req
193. In here!Copy !req
194. Right. Unlock!Copy !req
195. We should be all right in a minute.Copy !req
196. The ship'll pump in more oxygen.Copy !req
197. This is Earth battle cruiser X29.Copy !req
198. Do you read me? Identify yourself.Copy !req
199. This is Earth battle cruiser X29.Copy !req
200. Do you read me? Identify yourself.Copy !req
201. Hello, this is Earth
police spaceship 2390,Copy !req
202. on a special mission
to the President of Earth. Over.Copy !req
203. Identify the ship
that has just unlocked from you.Copy !req
204. They refuse to answer our signals.Copy !req
205. Look, it's of vital importanceCopy !req
206. that you pursue and capture
that ship immediately. Over.Copy !req
207. You are in possession
of a stolen police spaceship.Copy !req
208. You are under arrest.
Stand by to be boarded.Copy !req
209. Look, you don't understand.Copy !req
210. The man who stole this ship
is escaping in that vessel.Copy !req
211. You are under arrest.Copy !req
212. You'll be given the opportunity
of making a full statement.Copy !req
213. Do not offer any resistance.
Stand by to be boarded.Copy !req
214. Oh, very well.
We're standing by.Copy !req
215. Poor Doctor.
Enmeshed in the throes of bureaucracy.Copy !req
216. It'll take him a long time
to talk himself out of that one.Copy !req
217. But he'll get to see the President,
eventually.Copy !req
218. She won't believe him.Copy !req
219. Oh, yes, she will,
when she sees the Ogron prisoner.Copy !req
220. He's our evidence.Copy !req
221. Your evidence is standing
right behind you.Copy !req
222. The Draconian Prince knows
the truth and he's with the Doctor.Copy !req
223. My dear, Miss Grant, in the climate
of opinion that I have created,Copy !req
224. do you think that any EarthmanCopy !req
225. is going to believe the word
of a Draconian?Copy !req
226. Your Highness,
we've heard the Doctor's theory before.Copy !req
227. And, with respect,
there is still no concrete evidence.Copy !req
228. I myself would like to believe you
but, as you can see,Copy !req
229. I need proof to convince my people.Copy !req
230. Then we must mount an expedition
to the planet of the Ogrons.Copy !req
231. The proof we need is there, madam.Copy !req
232. With Earth on the brink of war,
how can we divert our forcesCopy !req
233. into such a pointless expedition?Copy !req
234. Suppose this is yet another
Draconian trick to divide our strength?Copy !req
235. My dear chap,
I'm not asking for a battle fleet.Copy !req
236. All I require is one small spaceship.Copy !req
237. Your request is granted.Copy !req
238. On the contrary, your request is denied.Copy !req
239. My authority...Copy !req
240. In a purely military
matter of this kind, madam,Copy !req
241. your authority is limited.Copy !req
242. I can overrule you.Copy !req
243. Only with the backing
of the full Earth senate.Copy !req
244. And do you think they will give it?Copy !req
245. How can we expect help
from a man such as this?Copy !req
246. This is the man who deliberately
caused war between our people!Copy !req
247. That is untrue!Copy !req
248. Twenty years ago,
you destroyed a Draconian shipCopy !req
249. that had come in a mission of peace.Copy !req
250. A ship that was about to open fire on us
when we were damaged and helpless.Copy !req
251. They came in peace,
as had been arranged.Copy !req
252. Then why didn't they answer my signals?Copy !req
253. Their communications equipment
had been destroyed in a neutron storm.Copy !req
254. The same neutron storm
that damaged your ship!Copy !req
255. Is this true?Copy !req
256. I have read the records
of my father's court.Copy !req
257. It is the truth.Copy !req
258. But why a battle cruiser?Copy !req
259. The agreement was that both ships
were to be unarmed.Copy !req
260. Naturally, we sent a cruiser.Copy !req
261. How else should a nobleman
of Draconia travel?Copy !req
262. But its missile banks were empty,
the ship was unarmed.Copy !req
263. Well, very soon we shall be landing.Copy !req
264. I think, Miss Grant, you had better
prepare yourself for a long stay.Copy !req
265. I'm afraid it's not
a very comfortable place,Copy !req
266. but as the old song says,Copy !req
267. "Be it ever so humble,
there's no place like home."Copy !req
268. Your Highness,Copy !req
269. please accept my deepest regrets
for the wrong I have done your people.Copy !req
270. Then, can I take it, sir, that you will
now authorise the expedition?Copy !req
271. I intend to lead it.Copy !req
272. If the planet of the Ogrons exists,
we shall find it.Copy !req
273. Be careful down here.Copy !req
274. This way.Copy !req
275. Right, in there.Copy !req
276. Well, Miss Grant,
welcome to my humble abode.Copy !req
277. I think you were better off in prison.Copy !req
278. Oh, temporary quarters, my dear.Copy !req
279. I shall soon be changing them
for something better.Copy !req
280. Oh, you'll soon be back in jail.Copy !req
281. When the truth gets out,Copy !req
282. Earth and Draconia will combine
their forces to attack you.Copy !req
283. I don't think so.
There's too much distrust between them.Copy !req
284. The Doctor will find you, eventually.Copy !req
285. Ah, there I agree with you.
He must find me.Copy !req
286. Not only to rescue you,Copy !req
287. but also to be reunited
with his beloved TARDIS.Copy !req
288. You know, Miss Grant,
I'm going to set a trap for the Doctor.Copy !req
289. And you are going to help me.Copy !req
290. What?Copy !req
291. No noble speeches to the effect that
you'd rather die than betray the Doctor?Copy !req
292. You know I'm not going to help you.Copy !req
293. I know that you are.Copy !req
294. I know that you will obey me.Copy !req
295. You will obey me! I am the Master...Copy !req
296. "Mary had a little lamb,
his fleece was white as snow,Copy !req
297. "and everywhere that Mary went,Copy !req
298. - "the lamb was sure to go."
- You will obey me...Copy !req
299. "Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall..."Copy !req
300. Stop that, Miss Grant!Copy !req
301. It's a form of self-conditioning.Copy !req
302. You fill your mind with nonsense
and then you can't be hypnotised.Copy !req
303. - "See-saw, Margery Daw...
- You will obey me.Copy !req
304. "Johnny shall have a new master.Copy !req
305. - "He shall have but a penny a day...
- You will...Copy !req
306. - "Because he can't work any faster..."
- Obey me!Copy !req
307. All right, all right,
all right, all right!Copy !req
308. I was never very fond
of nursery rhymes anyhow!Copy !req
309. Then you'll just have to give up
all hope of hypnotising me, won't you?Copy !req
310. Once was quite enough, thank you.Copy !req
311. Hmm.Copy !req
312. In that case,
I shall have to try something else.Copy !req
313. You may have heard this
noise before, Miss Grant.Copy !req
314. It works directly on the fear centres
deep in your mind!Copy !req