Doctor Who 14x12

Directed by David Maloney

Bernard Horsfall as Chancellor Goth • George Pravda as Castellan Spandrell • Angus MacKay as Cardinal Borusa • Peter Pratt as The Master • Erik Chitty as Co-Ordinator Engin

The Doctor has won his fight in the Matrix and revealed the assassin. But the Master is not defeated and sets a plan in motion that could destroy the Time Lords.

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1. This episode was broadcast on 20th November, 1976 at 6.05 p.m.

2. The Radio Times listing read: "The mystery is solved.

3. "But it seems there is no way now of stopping the Master from destroying the Time Lords."

4. Robert Holmes denied that the title was a tautology.

5. There were plenty of incompetent assassins, he said.

6. The controversial close-up of Tom Baker underwater was filmed on the morning of July 30th, 1976.

7. A swimming pool near to Gatton Park Gardens was used.

8. "Poltroon" is another word for "coward".

9. This story's portrayal of an insular, ineffective Time Lord society was criticised by some contemporary fans.

10. However, many aspects of the story - and of this episode in particular - had a huge influence on Doctor Who lore.

11. The script makes it clear that Goth's world is disintegrating.

12. The Doctor emerges from smoke on an empty plain.

13. He is described as "sound in limb but not in wind".

14. The story returns to Gallifrey for its climax, but Holmes's original idea was very different.

15. In the earliest planning stages, he considered setting the final showdown in Victorian London.

16. This was before he decided to use the film allocation for the Episode 3 mindscape sequence.

17. As it turned out, the incoming ingénue would be the warrior Leela rather than a Victorian girl.

18. Victorian London eventually became the backdrop for Holmes's season closer, 'The Talons of Weng Chiang' (1977),

19. when the winter production dates made it sensible to do most of the filming, atmospherically, at night.

20. The Master's mask was made by Allister Bowtell.

21. He had previously provided costumes and props for the 1974 Doctor Who stage show.

22. He also worked on 'Revenge of the Cybermen' (1975).

23. It was planned that coloured fluid would run through the Master's facial veins.

24. In practice, the fluid wasn't visible under the studio lights and the effect was abandoned.

25. Peter Pratt found the mask hot and uncomfortable.

26. Technicians listening into his radio mike during camera rehearsals could have heard him complaining.

27. Holmes' script describes the dying Goth's breath as "stertorous".

28. "Stertorous" means the kind of snoring noise Goth makes on inhalation here.

29. The first part of this line was written for Spandrell.

30. Borusa's cover-up of Goth's activities provides another echo of the JFK assassination.

31. Renewed interest in a potential cover-up was stimulated by the 1975 broadcast of amateur footage of the killing.

32. This led to the setting up of the United States House Select Committee on Assassinations in 1976.

33. Borusa's reply to Engin paraphrases Voltaire:

34. "If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him."

35. Borusa's use of his phrase to justify a political cover-up is, therefore, deeply ironic.

36. The re-writing of history via faked archive records may be another nod to Orwell's Nineteen Eighty Four.

37. The original line was "Only in mathematics will you find truth."

38. The wrist communicators were made from curtain rings.

39. This effect was achieved with the green-screen process Colour Separation Overlay (CSO),

40. though, for this serial, the "keyed-out" colour was yellow, not green.

41. That's why there's nothing yellow on screen during the CSO shots - but often quite a lot of green!

42. This was the first time the exact number of a Time Lord's regenerations was made explicit.

43. The device of a Time Lord needing a new body had been used before in 'The Brain of Morbius' (1976).

44. It would also drive the plots of 'The Keeper of Traken' (1981) And the 1996 TV Movie.

45. This is the first story to feature Rassilon, founder of the Time Lords' society.

46. The character has captured the imagination of numerous Doctor Who writers.

47. An adytum is an inner sanctum, the most secret part of a temple.

48. This scene originally opened with an extract from another transgram:

49. "Then people rejoiced and were grateful and loud was their praise for Rassilon."

50. The actress Helen Blatch recorded this account of Time Lord history on 12th August, 1976.

51. The text is reminiscent of the opening verses of the biblical book of Genesis.

52. "And the Earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep."

53. Holmes' reinvention of the Time Lord mythos wouldn't have happened if he hadn't bent the rules a little.

54. He wouldn't have been allowed to write this story under normal circumstances.

55. It wasn't accepted practice with the Writers' Guild for a programme's script editor to write his own scripts.

56. Philip Hinchcliffe made it possible by stating that it was the pilot for a "new direction" for the series.

57. The script: "The President, livid and unrecognisable from the effects of the staser, lies dead on a trestle.

58. "We pan from him to Goth on a similar trestle... and finally from him to the Master...

59. "The Master's eyes flicker open."

60. Those flickering eyes mean that we know the Master is still alive.

61. And now Hilred finds out too:

62. "The Master's eyes fly open. Hilred gasps. The Master pins him with a blaze of hypnotic power."

63. The Master's return to Doctor Who arose from the production team's desire to bring back a regular villain.

64. Hinchcliffe wanted to avoid "rubber monsters". The Master was, therefore, the obvious candidate.

65. The Master stayed away until Williams was replaced by John Nathan-Turner for the 1980-81 season.

66. The script contains a continuity error here - Spandrell tries to jump the Master and is blasted down twice!

67. The original direction was for both Spandrell and the Doctor to attack the Master at this point.

68. The Doctor would be stunned by throwing himself in front of the blast aimed at Spandrell.

69. Black holes have been a regular feature of Doctor Who over the years.

70. They were first described by Albert Einstein's 1915 general theory of relativity.

71. "Panopticon" was originally the name of a prison designed in 1785 by the philosopher Jeremy Bentham.

72. The Greek root of the word literally means "all-seeing".

73. It is, therefore, appropriate that the Eye of Harmony rests underneath the Gallifreyan Panopticon.

74. The script: "A black monolith rises through the gap and comes to rest.

75. "Thick connection hoses of flexible metal - six in all - run from its base and coil away underground.

76. "The Master gazes at it. Even he displays some sense of awe."

77. The destruction of the Panopticon was recorded on the last day of studio work, 2nd September, 1976.

78. The scenes of the Doctor in the ventilation shaft were shot in the first recording block on the 15th-17th August.

79. The script describes the Master revitalised by the Eye of Harmony's power.

80. "He grows stronger. His voice deepens, his stoop disappears."

81. Holmes re-uses material here from an earlier story of his, 'The Ark in Space' (1975),

82. which features a similar exchange between the Doctor and Rogin, as the latter undoes the shuttle locks.

83. Terry Walsh returned to his usual role as Tom Baker's double for this final fight scene.

84. The script: "The Master slips from the edge of the dais and rolls back into the chasm.

85. Borusa brushes "dust and masonry" from the table in the script.

86. Borusa's reply to the Doctor's quip echoes a remark attributed to one of Einstein's teachers:

87. "You will never amount to anything, Einstein!"

88. This was the last new episode of Doctor Who shown before the 1976 Christmas break.

89. Compilation repeats of 'Pyramids of Mars' and 'The Brain of Morbius' were shown in the following weeks,

90. but a planned omnibus edition of 'The Seeds of Doom' fell through

91. when the channel controller decided to premiere Gerry Anderson's Into Infinity instead.

92. The Doctor would return on 1 st January, 1977 to meet his new companion, Leela.

93. The final shot of the Master's TARDIS dematerialising cemented the character's return.

94. This CSO-generated shot shows him in the process of regeneration.

95. Ratings for this episode stood at 11.8 million.

96. An unused caption slide proposed for the final episode read:

97. But, in his own time, he was regarded mainly as an engineer and an architect.

98. And, of course, it was long before we turned aside

99. from the barren road of technology.

100. Yes, that's all very interesting.

101. - Could we hear the transgram? - Ah, yes.

102. Early history is something of a pet subject.

103. And Rassilon journeyed into the black void with a great fleet.

104. Within the void, no light would shine

105. and nothing of that outer nature continue in being,

106. except that which existed within the Sash of Rassilon.

107. - Must be a black hole. - What?

108. Now, Rassilon found the Eye of Harmony

109. which balances all things,

110. that they may neither flux, nor wither, nor change their state in any measure.

111. And he caused the eye to be brought to the world of Gallifrey

112. wherein he sealed this beneficence with the Great ey.

113. - What's the Great Key? - Then the people rejoiced...

114. It's an ebonite rod carried by the President on ceremonial occasions.

115. But its actual function, if it ever had one,

116. is a complete mystery.

117. - Where's it kept? - In the Panopticon.

118. - There's a display case of relics... - And the Sash of Rassilon, where's that?

119. Oh, that's held by the President. That stays in his possession.

120. Of course.

121. - What a stupendous egotist. - Who?

122. The Master.

123. He'd have destroyed Gallifrey, the Time Lords, everything,

124. just for the sake of his own survival.

125. It seems that the Master didn't die from natural causes.

126. What? - He killed himself.

127. Careful, it's poison.

128. - Tricophenylaldehyde. - Deadly, no doubt.

129. No. It's a neural inhibitor.

130. - Spandrell, we've been fooled. - What?

131. The Master, he's still alive.

132. I've just sent Hilred to staser him.

133. The ward's this way.

134. Hilred.

135. The Master, he's gone.

136. Look. Amazing.

137. The Master's consumed with hatred. It's his one great weakness.

138. Weakness, Doctor?

139. - Hate is strength. - Not in your case.

140. You'd delay an execution to pull the wings off a fly.

141. This time, Doctor, the execution will not be delayed.

142. Castellan,

143. I assure you I am not nearly so infirm as I look.

144. Now you, bring me the Sash of Rassilon.

145. Oh, yes, Doctor, why else do you think I feigned death?

146. When Goth failed me,

147. it was necessary to use more direct means.

148. But the sash is wasted on our dead friend, don't you think so?

149. - Bring it to me. - Don't do it, Engin.

150. A stupid remark, Doctor. Resistance is futile now.

151. Don't give him the sash, Engin.

152. I have suffered long enough

153. from your stupid, stubborn interference in my designs.

154. Now we are coming to the end of our conflict, Doctor.

155. Why have you brought me here?

156. As a scapegoat for the killing of the President.

157. Who else but you, Doctor? So despicably good.

158. So insufferably compassionate.

159. I wanted you to die in ignominious shame and disgrace.

160. Now, do as I say, Coordinator, or you'll get the same.

161. They're not dead.

162. Stunned.

163. They'll live long enough to see the end of this accursed planet.

164. And for the Doctor

165. to taste the full bitterness of his defeat.

166. - The sash, where's the sash? - It's gone.

167. - What? - Well, what could I do?

168. It's only of symbolic value anyway.

169. Engin, that sash is a technological masterpiece.

170. It protects its wearer from being sucked into a parallel universe.

171. All he needs now is the Great Key

172. and he can regenerate himself and release a force

173. that will obliterate this entire stellar system.

174. - You really mean it? - Well, of course, I mean it.

175. Don't you realise what Rassilon did? What the Eye of Harmony is?

176. Remember? "That which balances all things."

177. It can only be the nucleus of a black hole.

178. But the Eye of Harmony is a myth. It no longer exists.

179. A myth?

180. Spandrell, all the power of the Time Lords devolves from it.

181. "Neither flux, nor wither, nor change their state."

182. Rassilon stabilised all the elements of a black hole

183. and set them in an eternally dynamic equation against the mass of the planet.

184. If the Master interferes, it'll be the end, not only of this world,

185. but of a hundred other worlds, too.

186. Rassilon's star, the Eye of Harmony.

187. No good. We can never move it.

188. You're right, but we've got to get out of this place.

189. There's a light up there. Where does that lead, Spandrell?

190. The Panopticon, an old service shaft.

191. - Right. - It's a hundred feet, Doctor, at least.

192. Oh, come on. Come on. Give us a bunk up.

193. What's that?

194. If the Doctor's right, the end of the world is approaching.

195. Rassilon's discovery, all mine.

196. I shall have supreme power over the universe.

197. Master of all matter!

198. Doctor, my congratulations, you're just in time for the end.

199. You're insane. You're insane, do you hear me?

200. You're releasing a force that nothing can stop.

201. Take the rod. You could take it with you to your grave,

202. except that none of you will need a grave.

203. If you undo that, you'll die as surely as any of us.

204. You can do better than that, Doctor.

205. Even in extremis, I wear the Sash of Rassilon.

206. Yes, and the President was wearing it when he was shot down.

207. The sash won't protect you. It's damaged.

208. You lie.

209. Half the city in ruins, untold damage, countless lives lost.

210. But for the Doctor, it could have been much worse.

211. Yes, indeed, I am conscious of the debt we owe the Doctor.

212. But Gallifrey has never known such a catastrophe,

213. such devastation. What will we say?

214. Well, you just have to adjust the truth again, Cardinal.

215. What about subsidence owing to a plague of mice?

216. As I believe I told you long ago, Doctor,

217. you will never amount to anything

218. in the galaxy while you retain your propensity for vulgar facetiousness.

219. Yes, sir.

220. You've said that many times, sir. May I go, sir?

221. Certainly you may, preferably with the utmost expedition.

222. Perhaps you'll see that the transduction barriers

223. - are raised, Castellan. - Yes, sir.

224. - Oh, Doctor. - Sir?

225. Nine out of ten.

226. Oh! Thank you, sir.

227. You know, Doctor, if you wanted to stay

228. I'm sure any past difficulties could be overlooked.

229. But I like it out there, thank you very much.

230. - The barriers are raised, Doctor. - Thank you, Spandrell.

231. It's we who should thank you, Doctor, for destroying the Master.

232. Well, I didn't actually see him fall. I was quite busy.

233. Oh, but if, by some miracle, he survived the fall into that chasm,

234. he was dying anyway.

235. There was a good deal of power coming out of that monolith

236. and the sash would have helped him to convert it.

237. - Are you suggesting he survived? - No, no. I hope not, Spandrell.

238. And there's no one in all the galaxies I'd say that about.

239. The quintessence of evil.

240. - Goodbye, Spandrell. - Goodbye, Doctor.

241. - Goodbye, Doctor! - Oh, goodbye, Engin! Goodbye.

242. Look, the Master.

243. - Where do you think they're heading? - Out into the universe.

244. But, you know, I have a feeling it isn't big enough for the two of them.