Doctor Who 18x11

Directed by Peter Grimwade

Matthew Waterhouse as Adric • June Page as Keara • James Bree as Nefred • Andrew Forbes as Omril • George Baker as Login

Infection from a spider bite causes Romana's personality to change. Meanwhile the Doctor, after discovering that the spaceship society is in a perpetual state of repair and upgrade, has morality issues with the ship's leading scientist who readies himself to perform gruesome experiments on the live marshchild while it's fully conscious.

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1. "What is the secret of the Starliner? How does Dexeter get his deserts? Why is chaos closing in on the Deciders?" (Radio Times)

2. This episode was first shown on 8 November, 1980.

3. It was seen by 5.9 million people.

4. That's nearly two million more than had watched the previous episode.

5. Following the completion of the location and studio work for 'Full Circle',

6. a "Gallery Only" day was scheduled on Wednesday 27 August in Studio 6.

7. On these occasions, the director and his team would use the vision, sound and effects equipment in the studio gallery,

8. rather than using the actual studio floor itself.

9. However, the gallery session did not run smoothly.

10. Due to equipment breakdowns and communication problems, a total of 2 hours 25 minutes were lost.

11. One of the big problems faced during the gallery session concerned the use of the video disc machine.

12. The close-up of the spider landing on Romana's face was made in reverse.

13. The spider was placed on Lalla Ward's face and then pulled away using a thin nylon line.

14. Back in 1980, Doctor Who was still being recorded on two-inch wide Quad videotape.

15. Due to the limitations of the technology at that time,

16. speeding up or slowing down the videotape was not possible.

17. To achieve such effects, the BBC would use an Ampex HS100 video disc machine,

18. which could record up to 36 seconds of broadcast video onto a 16-inch metal disc.

19. The video disc machine had been designed primarily with sports use in mind,

20. allowing for speedy action replays and slomo for programmes such as Grandstand and Match of the Day.

21. For 'Full Circle', the video disc machine was booked for two hours by production unit manager, Anji Smith.

22. Unfortunately, the request never made it as far as the Planning Department,

23. so the only available video disc machine was commandeered by the Sports Department.

24. Some swift negotiations on the part of the Technical Manager, Jeff Jeffrey,

25. ensured that the facility could be obtained back from Sports for the afternoon session.

26. The scientist Dexeter was originally named Lexeter.

27. However, it was felt that this sounded too close to Lexa,

28. a character who appeared in the previous transmitted story, 'Meglos'.

29. The script indicates that the spiders should be "crawling all over her",

30. with only the spider that bit Romana lying dead by her side.

31. The day before Part 1 of 'Full Circle' was transmitted,

32. the news finally broke that Tom Baker had decided to leave the series.

33. As well as being mentioned on the BBC news,

34. Tom Baker's decision to leave was also covered by the magazine programme, Nationwide.

35. Sue Lawley announced that it was "good news for Daleks everywhere" that the Doctor was finally "laying down his sonic screwdriver."

36. Standing by the TARDIS and dressed in his pin-striped suit,

37. a melancholy Tom Baker was interviewed by Sue Cook with only limited success.

38. Baker said that the series would continue to go "on and on and on",

39. and even tried to imply that the next Doctor might not be a man.

40. Between the transmission of Parts 2 and 3,

41. the announcement was made that Peter Davison would be taking over the role of the Doctor.

42. On 5th November, Nationwide carried another interview, this time with Davison.

43. Interviewer Sue Lawley said that she thought Davison's Doctor should be

44. "very public-school and shiny-faced in a striped blazer jumping about the place."

45. This part of the scene was originally scripted to come before the TARDIS console room sequence.

46. One of the three walking spiders was later reused the following year

47. in the Blake's 7 episode, Assassin.

48. Tony Calvin (Dexeter) had enjoyed a full career in television for many years before 'Full Circle',

49. appearing in Z- Cars (1962), A Family at War (1971), Public Eye (1975) And Return of the Saint (1978).

50. Tony Calvin died in 1999.

51. In the next scene in the TARDIS, look at the lower right of the console.

52. You can just see the central column mechanism moving in through the open panel.

53. A psychochemical is a substance that acts primarily on the central nervous system,

54. altering the function of the brain, resulting in temporary changes in perception, mood and behaviour.

55. On 12 June, 1980, Christopher Bidmead formalised some of his thoughts on the season's linking theme

56. in a two-page document entitled, The Doctor's Adventures in E-Space.

57. "Mathematically," he wrote, "perhaps E-Space is inside the CVE,

58. "but for our purposes we had better think of them as the mouth of the bottle and the bottle itself."

59. On the nature of the CVE, Bidmead remarked:

60. "Experimental observation shows that matter and anti-matter

61. "can be created inside a vacuum subjected to a strong electromagnetic field.

62. "Twenty-first-century physics has also discovered that in some extremely rare circumstances

63. "the same conditions can create a charged vacuum within a charged vacuum,

64. "and that theoretically at least an almost infinite (and almost infinitely improbable)

65. "Regression of charged vacuums can be nested inside each other like Chinese boxes.

66. "The 'emboitement' leads through to an independent universe (E-Space) That is in all respects completely isolated from the one we know;

67. "and the TARDIS has accidentally verified this theoretical finding by falling right into it!

68. "Such Charged Vacuum Emboitements (CVEs) Differ from Black Holes in being considerably rarer as space-time events,

69. "and also in having absolutely no effect on space in the immediate vicinity.

70. "Because they exert no gravitational force it is possible (unlike Black Holes)

71. "To pass right by them without even being aware of them.

72. "The TARDIS and its crew have been very unlucky indeed!"

73. If your brain hasn't melted by now, Bidmead continues on The Nature of the Other Universe. ;

74. "The Doctor and Co are in E-Space (or more fully, the exo-Space/Time continuum),

75. "which lies outside the finite but boundless Space/Time of Einstein (N-Space).

76. "The TARDIS has undergone a negation isometry,

77. "that is to say the space in which it now finds itself has negative co-ordinates with respect to our familiar universe.

78. "The mathematics of the CVE suggest that this new world

79. "has an equal probability of being composed of matter or anti-matter,

80. "but its nature in this respect is not really an issue:

81. "Anti-matter itself may be fairly familiar to Twenty-first century physicists."

82. Bidmead then highlighted the major problems in inverse order of importance.

83. "(1) Because of the relative smallness of E-Space (there are only two galaxies)

84. "The TARDIS behaves with unpredictable reliability,

85. "especially on short temporal and spatial hops.

86. "(2) The Laws of Physics in this universe tend to operate in familiar ways,

87. "but may not be one hundred per cent trustworthy.

88. "(3) Romana and the Doctor are trapped, unless they can find another CVE."

89. As implied in the title 'Full Circle',

90. the story deals with the never-ending procedures happening on board the Starliner.

91. This seemingly infinite cycle was subtly reflected in the spaceship sets by production designer, Janet Budden.

92. If you look at the various symbols and designs that adorn the Starliner,

93. you'll notice that almost all of them loop back on themselves.

94. As scripted, the Doctor says, "Adric, go to the TARDIS, stay with Romana, let me know the moment you notice any change."

95. It is then Garif who calls for the bodies to be taken away.

96. When the Doctor says that they should be left alone, Garif responds, "We can't, Doctor. There are procedures."

97. "So I'm beginning to realise," the Doctor retorts,

98. "Endless procedures, does anything ever actually get done?"

99. The scene then continues as transmitted.

100. On 9 June, 1980, Graeme McDonald, the Head of Series & Serials, wrote to John Nathan-Turner and Barry Letts, saying:

101. "Enjoyed the scripts. Would you please be careful however that the Marshmen, as described at the end of episode one, are not too frightening.

102. "Even in my imagination they terrify me!"

103. At this point, the Doctor was to have continued by saying,

104. "You're afraid to let go of the old power structure, perhaps."

105. It was felt that Andrew Smith's original script featured too many characters.

106. At one point, they seriously considered reducing the number of Deciders down to just two,

107. but Smith had developed the three characters so well that Bidmead chose to leave them as they were.

108. One other problem meant some alterations had to be made to Smith's original script:

109. 'The Planet that Slept' bore "one or two similarities" to 'State of Decay', which had already been recorded.

110. Bidmead informed Smith, "We had to watch this carefully because, as you know, your story immediately precedes this."

111. The spider's internal organs are nothing more than a piece of coloured foam sponge.

112. Leucine, Isoleucine and Methionine are three of the twenty most common essential amino acids.

113. None of these amino acids are naturally synthesised in the body and need to be ingested as part of our diet.

114. The incidental music for 'Full Circle' was composed by Paddy Kingsland.

115. He had written the music for 'State of Decay' and the first episode of 'Meglos' earlier in the season.

116. Director Peter Grimwade suggested the use of recurrent themes throughout the story,

117. so as part of the 47 minutes of completed score written for the story,

118. Kingsland reused the nine-note theme that he had written for Adric in 'State of Decay'.

119. He was pleased to use multiple specific themes throughout his score,

120. even though it made writing the music potentially more complicated,

121. as they needed to fit many different lengths and moods over the four episodes.

122. As scripted, Romana has to exert rather more effort in opening the escape hatch than she does on screen:

123. We're supposed to see her "struggling" with the wheel lock,

124. and pulling the hatch open "with an effort".

125. Uncredited production contributors

126. Steve Keates, Charles Jeanes, Simon Tayler (Visual Effects Assistants)

127. James Cadman (Grams Operator)

128. Graham Richmond (Film Operations Manager)

129. Joe Bates, Leslie Thomas, lan Gosling (Film Ops)

130. Roy Russell (Grips)

131. Dexeter, please stop! You've no right. Please!

132. No, no, no. Don't! Don't!

133. Take away the bodies.

134. Adric, go back to the Tardis and wait with Romana.

135. You Deciders allowed this to happen.

136. The Marsh creatures are mindless brutes. Animals!

137. Yes. Easy enough to destroy. Have you ever tried creating one?

138. We were within our rights.

139. One might argue that Dexeter was overzealous.

140. Not an alibi, Deciders!

141. You three are supposed to be leaders.

142. Certainly we are. Though, of course,

143. Nefred is, uh, is now our First Decider.

144. Then Nefred is responsible.

145. - For the community, yes. - No! No!

146. Perhaps they haven't let you in on the secret, Login.

147. - Shall I tell him, gentlemen? - Secret?

148. Yes! And the fraud of perpetual movement.

149. The endless task going round and round.

150. The same old components being removed and replaced.

151. No, Doctor, that's too harsh. The preparations are necessary.

152. Preparations? For what?

153. This Starliner isn't going anywhere.

154. Well, the manuals promise us a journey to Terradon.

155. Yes, but it must be made ready first.

156. Ready?

157. It's been made ready for centuries.

158. This ship could take off in half an hour if you had a mind to it.

159. What?

160. Is that true?

161. You accuse us of wilful procrastination?

162. Yes!

163. The wilful procrastination of endless procedure.

164. You want to hold on to the old order.

165. - You understand a great deal, Doctor. - True.

166. But not everything.

167. That's certainly true.

168. You're standing in the Great Book Room.

169. These galleries contain manuals on the repair and maintenance

170. of every single item on this ship.

171. Everything is listed, down to the smallest rivet.

172. Thanks to the manuals that have been passed down,

173. we can take the Starliner apart and put it together again perfectly.

174. Though there is one thing we can't do, Doctor.

175. One secret our ancestors kept for themselves.

176. What's that?

177. Nobody knows how to pilot this ship.

178. What?

179. Unit leader Dyvo to the auxiliary power section immediately.

180. Unit leader Dyvo to the auxiliary power section immediately.

181. Additional maintenance units required by air purification control.

182. Additional maintenance units required by air purification control.

183. The spiders only appear at Mistfall.

184. - No one's ever analysed one before. - Well...

185. Oh, yes.

186. Leucine, isoleucine, methionine. Hmm. Usual complement of amino acids.

187. That's odd. I've seen that cell shape somewhere before.

188. What about Mistfall itself? Has anyone ever analysed that?

189. Yes, but the secret is only known to the Deciders.

190. What? Well, so now you know.

191. I do, but the information is privileged.

192. Oh. Oh.

193. Uh, Doctor, every 50 years or so,

194. another planet takes Alzarius away from its sun.

195. The cooling process, it's inevitable.

196. Yes. The mists.

197. And then the high nitrogen content in the spider cells.

198. So?

199. So it's difficult to judge not knowing the norm on this planet.

200. We need some tissue samples from Dexeter and the marshchild...

201. Well, of course.

202. Now, what did Dexeter do with that slide?

203. - Doctor! - Not now, Adric, not now!

204. - Doctor, it's Romana. - What about Romana?

205. - She's gone! - What? What?

206. Marshmen.

207. Marshmen. In my Tardis?

208. Come on, let's find Romana.

209. Come on!

210. What's that?

211. It's the other half of my waistcoat. What's that?

212. - Image translator. - What?

213. It's broken.

214. Right. No more pictures of Gallifrey, then. Come on.