Doctor Who 8x5

Directed by Timothy Combe

Roger Delgado as The Master • Richard Franklin as Mike Yates • John Levene as Sergeant Benton • Pik-Sen Lim as Captain Chin Lee • Raymond Westwell as Prison Governor

The Doctor and Jo head to Stangmoor Prison to investigate the Keller Machine, which drains the evil impulses from prisoners' minds, while UNIT are handling security at the first world peace conference.

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1. "The Brigadier meanwhile grapples with a mysterious death at a vital Peace Conference."

2. This episode was first shown on 30 January 1971, and was seen by 9.2 million viewers.

3. How did 'The Mind of Evil' develop from its initial idea into the final version you're watching now?

4. There are three documents, all written in mid-1970, which reveal its progressive evolution.

5. It began with a scene-by-scene breakdown of the action, commissioned from scriptwriter Don Houghton on 29 June.

6. On 6 August, he was commissioned to write the scripts, five of which he delivered to deadline on 1 September.

7. Episode 6 came in three days later on 4 September.

8. The drafts were then revised before the serial went into production at the end of October.

9. Not only the embryonic concepts that grew into something different but also the ideas that were ultimately dropped.

10. The Doctor quotes the inscription on the gates of Hell in Dante's Inferno (1300).

11. Don Houghton referenced the same classic of Italian poetry in his previous Doctor Who serial: 'Inferno'.

12. This is what used to happen in British prisons when someone was being hanged.

13. The analogy with the process of carrying out a capital sentence is made even more explicit in the earlier versions.

14. In the script, Professor Kettering Doesn't even enter the cell:

15. He stays in the doorway, "measuring up" the prisoner like a hangman calculating the precise mechanics of death.

16. In a cut line, the Governor refers to the fact that a series of appeals against sentence have failed.

17. But if Barnham were really being taken up to the gallows,

18. New producer Barry Letts was modifying the format instituted by his predecessor Derrick Sherwin for the previous series.

19. The idea of the Doctor's exile on Earth was retained for the time being,

20. but he would soon be permitted to make occasional forays to other planets again.

21. 'The Mind of Evil' is arguably the last serial to conform more to Sherwin's vision for Doctor Who,

22. with its starkly realistic prison setting, adult themes, and high level of violence.

23. Letts wanted it to be a "showpiece" in the mould of the previous year's 'The Ambassadors of Death',

24. with plentiful location filming and action set-pieces.

25. In the first draft, the Doctor says that the process was used two thousand years ago on the planet Larpis Major.

26. Soon afterwards it was abandoned, he says - on his recommendation.

27. "I don't like people messing about with other people's personalities," he says, "be they good or evil!"

28. Kettering further explains that "the negative impulses are transformed into a tangible chemical".

29. The idea was that you could actually see the "evil" draining out of the man as he is processed:

30. It manifests itself as a greenish fluid inside clear plastic tubes.

31. "The process is completely painless and the subject will feel nothing," says Kettering in the draft.

32. Don Houghton envisaged the condemned man strapped down on a table, not seated in a chair.

33. "The lights in the chamber dim, as they might during an execution by electric chair."

34. as dealt with in Anthony Burgess's A Clockwork Orange (1962).

35. so the issue was a topical one in late 1970.

36. Houghton also chose the prison setting because institutions make for good drama.

37. He agreed with Terrance Dicks to have a prison under siege, with the Machine inside.

38. Timothy Combe was the director chosen for 'The Mind of Evil'.

39. as assistant floor manager on 'The Keys of Marinus' (1964)

40. And production assistant on 'The Reign of Terror' (1964) And 'The Evil of the Daleks' (1967).

41. in which the Enterprise visits a penal colony where criminals are treated as psychiatric cases:

42. Linwood examines the apparatus, and the box begins to throb faintly.

43. He seems to find the atmosphere growing oppressive and hot, and runs a finger inside his collar.

44. and for make-up to be applied to the actor playing the now-deceased Linwood, Clive Scott.

45. Unusually, the non-speaking role of Linwood is listed in the episode's closing credits.

46. This is probably because the actor was cast before the death scene, complete with scream, was cut.

47. Dr Summers is played by Michael Sheard (1938-2005), who had other Doctor Who roles in 'The Ark' (1966),

48. He is then found dead after the rest of the audience has left the room.

49. The script asks for an impressive central London building like Mansion House or the Guildhall.

50. Originally, Don Houghton envisaged this scene playing out in the conference room itself,

51. "almost as though her presence was having some sort of psychological effect on them".

52. In that version, it is Yates who takes offence while the Brigadier is more diplomatic.

53. Actress Pik-Sen Lim was Don Houghton's wife. He wrote the part of Chin Lee with her in mind.

54. This scene was shot in Cornwall Gardens, South Kensington, on 2 November.

55. This action was scripted for the conference centre car park.

56. It was Combe's idea to have children playing nearby, to give a sense of "innocence mixed with evil".

57. The young woman assigned to chaperone the children unfortunately suffered an epileptic fit,

58. and had to be taken to hospital in an ambulance.

59. In the draft version of the script, we hear a voice-over giving Chin Lee directions.

60. The stolen papers are not destroyed, but thrown intact into the waste bin,

61. and as the scene ends, a mysterious hand comes into shot and retrieves them.

62. In the first version, we get to see Barnham too.

63. Kettering tries to prove how effective the process has been by giving him a loaded revolver.

64. Barnham grins and starts amusing himself... by playing Russian roulette.

65. In that version, Keller - then named Dalbiac - made structural modifications to the machine when he installed it.

66. which had been similarly criticised for scenes of rats attacking people.

67. The first part of Jo's line was, in substance, originally written for the Governor.

68. The pin is placed near Folkestone on England's south-east coast.

69. Captain Yates Made his debut in the previous serial, 'Terror of the Autons'.

70. Bell did not feature in Don Houghton's draft script, but was added in the final version.

71. In the draft, the whole peace conference is erupting into discord, as the Brigadier explains:

72. "The American delegate has been picking a quarrel with the British representative.

73. "And, of course, the Russians had to poke their noses in, just for good measure.

74. "I feel more like a wet nurse than a soldier!"

75. The Doctor is still furious: "They can play with their stupid little toys to their hearts' content -

76. "and take the consequences for all I care."

77. His mood is not helped by the fact that Jo can't see what the problem is.

78. He reminds her of the Greek legend of Pandora's Box, which contained all the evil in the world -

79. and one day, she remembers, the Box was opened. But she still doesn't understand...

80. As the conversation ends, they reach the prison gates, but are not allowed to leave:

81. The prison has been locked down during the disturbances.

82. (In the earliest version, they were staying overnight in the prison anyway,

83. and are stopped at the gates the following morning with news of Kettering's accident.)

84. "a keen, almost impatient, professional man" -

85. although in the draft the Doctor refers to him at one point as a "fathead".

86. In the draft version, the Doctor is generally written as more authoritarian, repeatedly calling Jo "young woman".

87. The Brigadier has to threaten him to gain his co-operation, and describes him as "the bane of my life".

88. All this was more in line with the style of characterisation in the 1970 series, which was now being softened.

89. He has a "military bearing" and is "a bit 'old school' and set in his ways".

90. He owes his Scottish accent to the actor playing the part, Raymond Westwell (1919-82), who hailed from Dundee.

91. Francis Batsoni appeared as Cheng Teik's corpse.

92. He was also one of ten extras who earlier on had been both noisy prisoners and observers of the Keller process.

93. In the draft, Special Branch are already here.

94. A "D-Notice" requests the press not to publish stories about specified subjects

95. on the grounds that doing so might jeopardise national security.

96. In the draft, her appointment was at 11 a.m. And she was one minute early.

97. The odd thing is that the cigar burnt all the way down to the butt and hurt his hand...

98. And speaking of hands, Cheng Teik's is clasping an American military identity tag:

99. A clue to the murderer's nationality... or a red herring?

100. This preliminary version features much more overt government involvement in the affair:

101. In the draft, the Doctor takes a phone call from the Brigadier during this scene.

102. The Brigadier wants to send a helicopter to fetch his scientific advisor back,

103. but the Doctor won't leave the prison.

104. "Insufferable, insubordinate...," fumes the Brigadier -

105. and sends Captain Yates to strong-arm him back to London.

106. The next scene was cut.

107. The Doctor is checking over the machine, and contrives to get rid of Jo.

108. In the draft, Barnham is now astonishingly polite and articulate, with an "angelic smile" on his face.

109. The Governor says this vindicates the Keller process, "thank goodness",

110. and Barnham reacts positively to the word "goodness".

111. This was consequently an issue of concern within the BBC at the time 'The Mind of Evil' was transmitted.

112. Ronnie Marsh, Head of Serials , reported a satisfactory start:

113. Only two viewers had phoned to complain.

114. Head of Children's Programmes Monica Sims commented that no individual parts had been very horrific,

115. but it was "a very adult story on a not very pleasant theme", more like an episode of Doomwatch.

116. In the earliest version, Kettering's fear of water is explained:

117. Three years earlier his sailing dinghy capsized at Cowes and he nearly drowned,

118. and since then he hasn't been near the water.

119. In the draft, the Doctor is muttering about the Keller process as "legal robbery - stealing a man's mind".

120. He'd like to dispose of the machine, but Earth "is one of the few planets that doesn't boast of bottomless pits".

121. In the draft, it morphs itself into "an angry, white-hot, gaping furnace hole", dragging him towards it.

122. The other nine uncredited male extras in the prison scenes were:

123. Desmond Verini, Dennis Balcombe, Phillip Webb,

124. George Ballantine, Leonard Kingston, Ned Hood,

125. Cy Town, Alistair McFarlane and Paul Blomley.

126. The female student at the prison was Maureen Race.

127. Uncredited walk-on parts were played by:

128. Charles Pickess and Charles Finch as medical officers;

129. Charles Marriott as a UNIT soldier/photographer;

130. Stuart Fell and Nick Hobbs as UNIT soldiers.

131. Tony Jenkins was the officer checking passes at the prison gate.

132. Tell me, how long has this machine been installed?

133. Nearly a year.

134. Emil Keller came over from Switzerland to supervise the installation.

135. I see. Did he have an assistant?

136. Mmm-hmm. A rather attractive Chinese girl.

137. Yes. Mmm.

138. Yes, right. Thank you.

139. Thank you.

140. You telephoned me immediately?

141. Yes.

142. No, Captain, you didn't. You telephoned me at exactly 12:24.

143. You... You must be mistaken.

144. You called me on a security line. All security calls are logged.

145. Now, Captain, why did you wait

146. for nearly half an hour before reporting the crime?

147. How do you feel?

148. Fine.

149. Fine. Have I been ill?

150. Yes, but you're all right now.

151. Are you a doctor?

152. Mmm-hmm.

153. Don't you remember? I'm Dr Summers.

154. Just try and rest. You'll be all right.

155. Anything you say, Doctor.

156. Well, he seems fully recovered, physically.

157. And mentally?

158. Well, his memory's a bit hazy but it's only to be expected.

159. And has the process harmed him?

160. I... I don't know, Miss Grant.

161. The Doctor was wondering about Mr Kettering's medical history.

162. Hmm? Oh, yes, I've got the post-mortem report through there.

163. What's the verdict?

164. Kettering's lungs were full of water.

165. He drowned in the middle of a perfectly dry room.

166. All right, all right! All right!

167. They're going off just like before!