Doctor Who 10x4

1. "The 'original' Doctor joins his fellows in Omega's world.

2. "All three Doctors take a desperate gamble to defeat Omega,

3. "with cosmic annihilation as the price of failure." (Radio Times)

4. Stephen Thorne's schedule was as busy as Patrick Troughton's, with roles up to the week of recording.

5. Even so, his usual work was in radio, where he was a familiar storyteller and narrator.

6. Prior to this recording session, he taped four radio programmes on 27-29 November, while the first two episodes were in the studio.

7. "I cannot help you alone," adds Doctor Troughton in the rehearsal script. "Remember your reason for bringing us here!"

8. The contrast in heights between the two Doctors is most evident here.

9. Jon Pertwee stood at almost 6'3" while Patrick Troughton was 5'5".

10. "They too will fail - just as you have!" He adds, in cut dialogue.

11. Here's why the Doctor left the keys in Bessie back in Episode 2 and the handbrake off!

12. The start of this scene was dropped very close to recording: Omega suspects that the Doctors realise why they are there.

13. They are aware, he explains, of how he uses singularity to bring his thoughts into life.

14. But it takes a great effort of his will to do so.

15. Dropped here was Pertwee's Doctor pleading with Omega for a moment to talk to his other self,

16. to make him realise the folly of his actions.

17. Tinkling rather quietly in the background is the sound of wind chimes.

18. Another cut: "Maybe not his only weakness," says the Doctor on the left. "Why do you think he always wears that mask?"

19. Look at the wall behind Omega.

20. Can you spot the joins between the jablite blocks?

21. It was another problem arising from having to use the unfinished sets.

22. This complicated episode again overran the scheduled 10 p.m. Recording stop point.

23. This time the overrun amounted to 28 minutes.

24. The script notes that here "We and the Doctors begin to feel sympathy for Omega."

25. Bob Baker and Dave Martin had been writing together since the late 1960s.

26. Their big break was five weekly sketches for the BBC sketch show Whatever Next in mid-1970.

27. They were commissioned to write this story on 27 June 1972, and delivered the scripts on 31 July, 21, 24 and 25 August.

28. Jamie was added to the story alongside Troughton's Doctor,

29. and, after the three versions of OHM were dropped, the sole adversary was renamed Omega.

30. Omega is not referring to a book of maps, but to the Greek myth of the giant Atlas,

31. who was condemned to spend all time holding up the world on his shoulders.

32. Baker and Martin often alluded to classical legends, and later based an entire Doctor Who story on them: 'Underworld' (1978).

33. The scripts were rewritten in October to reduce William Hartnell's role, and to write out Jamie altogether.

34. Filmed but dropped for time was a sequence where Bessie is surrounded by Gellguards.

35. How do they escape the jelly menace?

36. Jo shows how to turn on Bessie's "Superspeed" switch, and the car speeds away from the creatures.

37. Cut before recording was dialogue for the two Doctors:

38. Troughton likens their situation to freeing a genie from a bottle.

39. But they have to swap places with the genie...

40. Omega gloats that if the two Doctors refuse to accept their fate,

41. the light stream will absorb the rest of the energy from the universe of matter.

42. The camera angle was chosen to avoid showing the actor underneath.

43. "With a look of pity and horror, the Doctors replace the mask."

44. Doctor Pertwee was scripted to tell Omega that he can destroy them, for what he wants cannot happen: He can never escape.

45. To achieve this CSO effect, the actor's head was encased in yellow cloth.

46. There were recording breaks for Omega to move to a yellow CSO area and back again.

47. That was take 2 - following a problem with the CSO line-up.

48. Dropped was Pertwee's Doctor consoling Omega that in his world his will makes everything possible.

49. Doctor Troughton adds that Omega has built his own prison and cannot leave it.

50. Omega was scripted to roar with maniacal laughter as the thunder and lightning sounds:

51. "So savage that even the Gellguards fall back in disarray."

52. After the production, Patrick Troughton went straight on to read The Three Toymakers for Jackanory.

53. His Jackanory run was shown in the week between Episodes 3 and 4, 15-19 January 1973.

54. This location shot

55. was originally to have appeared after Jo and the others entered UNIT HQ.

56. The original start of this sequence was filmed but cut.

57. It showed the UNIT building sitting in a dune, using a photo cut- out model shot.

58. Then Jo explains that Bessie is fitted with invisible inertial safety belts, so they couldn't have fallen out at the "superdrive" speed.

59. After filming, Bessie went away for a refit: Its temperamental engine was replaced with a larger one.

60. Bessie will return in 'The Green Death', with a noticeably longer bonnet.

61. The upcoming sequence had to be reworked during recording for safety reasons.

62. In the original version, the Gellguards enter the lab and Ollis shoots one of them in close-up.

63. The bullet-proof protective skirt given to Cy Town's Gellguard worked well on the first two takes.

64. On take 3, Town was alarmed to feel flames coming through...

65. As written, Ollis is initially wary of entering the Tardis,

66. but the Gellguards advance, firing, which makes his mind up.

67. The sound of the firing outside is then heard inside the Tardis.

68. Doctor Troughton mops his brow in relief that they are now safe.

69. The red hue indicates Omega's anger at these developments.

70. As scripted, the seated Time Lord adds that a full transference of the "Third Doctor" (i.e. Hartnell) Was not completed.

71. It is hoped that there will be enough time for him to contact the others before the power levels are exhausted.

72. Dropped for time was Jo suggesting that they can now all leave in the Tardis. But they can't, the Doctors tell her.

73. Omega is blocking the power, so they must wait to see what he will do - and after thousands of years, Omega is used to waiting!

74. This is take 2, after another fluffed line.

75. The top of the central column looks a little dusty.

76. Just who does he believe it might be?

77. The rapid changing between shots was already difficult for the vision mixer.

78. The shot now cuts between Camera 1 (Troughton), Camera 2 (Pertwee), and Camera 4 (Hartnell).

79. Keep an eye on Troughton's hand.

80. In this retake, it moves to a different position.

81. The story was trailed on the front cover of the Radio Times, the BBC's listings "Which Doctor is Who?" Read the caption.

82. The assistant art editor, Madeleine Kingsley, organised a photo shoot for 18 October 1972, three weeks before production.

83. The Doctors foregathered at 10.20 a.m. At the Ray Rathbourne photo studio in London's SW11.

84. After the indoor shoot, the three Doctors posed for publicity stills in the garden outside.

85. This was the only time that Pertwee, Troughton, and Hartnell ever appeared together in person.

86. There was concern that the cover might instead be given to Cilla Black for the start of her show.

87. Luckily Cilla's cover, shared with Cliff Richard, was delayed by two issues.

88. The end of that last scene was dropped. The Doctors busy themselves removing wiring from the console.

89. Tyler tells the confused Brigadier that he suspects the flute might now become a bomb.

90. This was scripted as "a transparent plastic casket with glowing machinery in the base.

91. "Clearly visible on a sort of special upper tray lies the Doctor's flute."

92. Dudley Simpson had been busy since the end of the 1972 series of Doctor Who.

93. On 4 May 1972, he had conducted the theme tune to the documentary series The Ascent of Man.

94. He also composed the music for the children's serials The Long Chase and A Little Princess.

95. On 1 October, he was commissioned to score three Doctor Who stories: This one, 'Peepshow', and 'Frontiers in Space'.

96. ('Peepshow' was the working title for 'Carnival of Monsters',

97. and 'Frontiers in Space' was a simple error for a story title which had always been in the singular.)

98. The lines at the top of the scanner screen are the tuning test colour bars.

99. Dropped was the Brigadier suggesting they can now get away.

100. The Doctor says they can only travel as far as Omega will let them.

101. Meanwhile, in the Singularity Chamber, Omega says that the Doctors will see how he deals with treachery.

102. And so we bid a last farewell to the Gellguards.

103. A recorded scene was deleted here: Omega crosses from the "TV screen" into the Singularity Camber.

104. Here's an example of a large group of people coming out of a small box thanks to the second set of doors at the back.

105. In the script, Omega points to the screen, which shows an image of the Earth.

106. He threatens that if there is any treachery, the planet will be destroyed.

107. After completion of this episode, the sets were dismantled from Studio 6,

108. though they wouldn't have looked too out on place in the next production to be recorded there:

109. That week's edition of Top of the Pops, featuring the noted glam- rockers Roy Wood, T Rex, and Slade.

110. Pertwee, Manning and Courtney missed rehearsals on 6 December, for another photocall, in costume.

111. They were promoting a BBC visual effects exhibition at the Science Museum in London.

112. As scripted, the column of flame changes into a pillar of smoke.

113. At this point, they made a two-minute pre-recording of the rising column of smoke.

114. This was to be played into the remainder of the scene.

115. Omega and the Gellguards stayed in the public's mind long after this story was shown.

116. They both appeared in Weetabix's 1977 card collection and the 1978 Doctor Who Trump Card game,

117. where the Gellguards were described as "Grotesque - blobby - almost shapeless servants of the wicked Omega".

118. Some ten years later, Omega returned to television, as the Doctor's antagonist in the Peter Davison story, 'Arc of Infinity'.

119. As scripted, Tyler and Ollis go into the smoke together.

120. Now we find out why they wanted those two minutes of smoke footage.

121. As Tyler reaches the top, the image of the pre-recorded smoke is faded up, making him vanish.

122. The original plan was to use the "Gruyere cheese" transportation effect.

123. Unfortunately, the studio microphones still pick up the sound of the actors walking off set down the rear steps.

124. The Gellguards were scripted to be present in this scene.

125. This is the first time that the Brigadier ever calls Jo by her first name.

126. As scripted, the Brigadier leads Jo by the hand into the column of smoke.

127. In the script, the Brigadier tells the two Doctors that he salutes them both for their courage.

128. It was Nicholas Courtney's idea to have him actually do it instead.

129. A short film sequence was planned here, showing all the humans and UNIT objects returning through the black hole.

130. It was dropped before filming.

131. On 10 January, Troughton and Pertwee appeared on the lunchtime chat show, Pebble Mill at One.

132. Bored with interviewer Donny MacLeod's questions, Troughton put his coat over his head

133. and stuck out a sleeve to show the audience his impression of a Dalek.

134. This is the second take.

135. A black gauze had now been fitted behind the eye and mouth holes of Omega's mask.

136. The next scene was revised before recording.

137. No contact from the Doctors means they must have failed.

138. But then Doctor Hartnell appears, telling the Time Lords to look at the exploding black hole:

139. This was written as the Doctor's line.

140. There was a recording break during this shot, to set in all the furniture and actors.

141. Their jump into the air was removed in editing.

142. In the script, Jo and Tyler both doubt that the Doctors will have survived.

143. The Brigadier eulogises the Doctor: "Difficult sometimes... had his little ways of course...

144. "very much regret hasty words... heat of moments. Privilege to know him..."

145. This is the last scene recorded at the reservoir, at around 2 p.m. On 7 November 1972.

146. As scripted, Doctor Troughton plays a mouth organ to replace his lost recorder.

147. The musical instrument was specified on the props list, but not used.

148. Trailers promoting both Episode 1 and the Radio Times were run between 27 and 29 December.

149. They featured a new version of the theme tune, which was dropped before transmission of the episode.

150. In the interim, they'd had second thoughts about the arrangement.

151. This is William Hartnell's last ever appearance as the Doctor.

152. After a long illness he passed away on 23 April 1975, aged 67.

153. Movement from the studio floor reflected in the scanner screen was Camera 3, moving in for Troughton's close-up.

154. Patrick Troughton next returned as the Doctor ten years later in 'The Five Doctors' alongside Jon Pertwee.

155. It was hoped that Frazer Hines might at least find time for a cameo appearance as Jamie here,

156. but Emmerdale Farm needed his services on the studio date in question.

157. The plan was for Jamie to appear and tell "his" Doctor to hurry up,

158. whereupon they both vanish...

159. Hines did attend a Radio Times photo shoot with Katy Manning and Carole Ann Ford, who had played the Doctor's granddaughter Susan.

160. The resulting photo appeared in the magazine to promote the broadcast of Episode 1 on 30 December 1972.

161. After this shot, there was a recording break, so that a shot of the central column could be recorded.

162. Katy Manning is wearing her lucky charm under the collar of her dress.

163. It was a question mark brooch.

164. Dropped from here was the Doctor commenting that Omega probably wanted his imprisonment to end:

165. It was his only way out.

166. The pre-recorded shot cross-fades into another with the new circuit in place.

167. As part of his exile to Earth, the Time Lords blocked the Doctor's memories of the Tardis dematerialisation codes.

168. Joe is about to recall the Doctor's attempt to flee Earth alone in 'The Claws of Axos'.

169. But in the scene's cut ending, he offers her a little trip to Metebelis Four (yes, Four)

170. The famous blue planet of the Acteon A beautiful place inhabited by the most peaceful people in the galaxy.

171. And despite a lot of rain falling,

172. they all lived happily ever after...

173. This episode was first broadcast on 20 January 1973 and was watched by 11.9 million viewers.

174. It was the 17th most watched programme of the week.

175. All four episodes were shown again on BBC-2 between 23 and 27 November 1981,

176. as part of The Five Faces of Doctor Who repeat season.

177. With thanks to Richard Bignell, Kelley Costigan, Andrew Pixley, Julie Rogers, David Tilley, and all in Crew 9

178. Production subtitles written by David Brunt the Doctor.

179. - Jo, please. - Come on, Jo.

180. Trust me.

181. You'll be all right.

182. Goodbye, Doctor.

183. Doctors.

184. So, brother Time Lords,

185. I have played your game.

186. Now it is your turn to play mine,

187. and there can be no escape for any of us!

188. You are wrong, Omega.

189. You can have your freedom.

190. It is here.

191. What is this childish contraption?

192. The only freedom you can ever have.

193. Take it.

194. Take it, Omega.

195. Take it!

196. Commands? You command me?

197. This is my world!

198. I command!

199. And you pester me with trinkets!

200. - Run! - Come on, quick!

201. Another source of energy.

202. Once again, Omega.

203. We're back!

204. Well, we certainly seem to be.

205. But we're really back.

206. But the Doctors...

207. Oh, I dare say they'll turn up as usual.

208. Wonderful chap.

209. Both of him.

210. JO: The Tardis!

211. I told you he had no self-control, didn't I?

212. - How did you manage it? - By the skin of our teeth.

213. - Splendid. - Where's Mr Ollis?

214. - What? - Where's Mr Ollis?

215. Oh, he's back where he came from, I imagine.

216. So, there you are.

217. Omega's will was like the tension in the elastic.

218. Once that will was broken, all the bits of Earth, UNIT, etcetera

219. just snapped back right into their proper place.

220. But how come you turned up in the Tardis?

221. Well, that was the proper place for us.

222. What was all that business about the flute?

223. Well, as you know, it accidentally fell into the force field of the Tardis,

224. so that when we were all transformed into antimatter,

225. that was the only thing that wasn't processed.

226. And so when Omega knocked it out of our hands

227. and it fell out of the force field,

228. all the atoms and the anti-atoms annihilated one another.

229. So, big bang and the black hole becomes a supernova!

230. Exactly. - Pity, though.

231. I think it had a lovely tone.

232. Everything okay? - Oh!

233. - Well, here we are, back safe and sound. - Quite a party.

234. Yes, well, the party's over now.

235. You young men and I go back to our time zones.

236. Though considering the way things have been going,

237. well, I shudder to think what you will do without me.

238. Goodbye. Well, goodbye, everybody.

239. Goodbye. It's been so nice to meet me.

240. Yes, I see what you mean.

241. - I hope I don't meet me again. - Ah. (CHUCKLING)

242. Now I've seen it all.

243. Pity. He was so sweet.

244. Yes, wasn't I?

245. Yes, well, as far as I'm concerned, Doctor, one of you is enough.

246. More than enough.

247. - Sergeant Benton! - Sir?

248. You and I had better make a full inventory of the HQ,

249. make sure everything's back in place.

250. It's all got to be accounted for, you know.

251. - Sir? - Yes?

252. Well, excuse me, sir, but, well, if anything is missing,

253. where do we say it's gone?

254. Come along, Benton.

255. Well, I think I'd better be on my way, too.

256. Thank you for a fascinating trip, Doctor.

257. - Goodbye. - Goodbye.

258. - Goodbye, Jo. - Goodbye.

259. I don't think I'll write it up in the university journal,

260. not if I want to keep my job.

261. What's the matter, Doctor?

262. Everything worked out all right, didn't it?

263. Yes, for us.

264. I know what it is. It's because you had to trick Omega.

265. I didn't exactly trick him.

266. I promised him his freedom and I gave it to him.

267. The only freedom he could ever have.

268. What else could you do?

269. It was either him or everything.

270. The Time Lords!

271. Look, they've sent me a new dematerialisation circuit.

272. And my knowledge of time travel law

273. and all the dematerialisation codes, they've all come back.

274. They've forgiven me.

275. They've given me back my freedom.

276. I suppose you'll be rushing off, then?

277. No, not straight away, Jo. Of course not.

278. I've got to build a new force field generator first.

279. And where do you think you've been, Arthur Ollis?

280. I've been worried sick about you, I have.

281. Everybody's been searching. Where have you been?

282. Soldiers looking for you. You didn't come home for your dinner.

283. Well?

284. You'd never believe me, woman. Supper ready?