The Brigadier has recaptured Stangmoor but the Master still has control of the Thunderbolt and the Doctor must find a way to stop him and destroy the Keller Machine.The Brigadier has recaptured Stangmoor but the Master still has control of the Thunderbolt and the Doctor must find a way to stop him and destroy the Keller Machine.The Brigadier has recaptured Stangmoor but the Master still has control of the Thunderbolt and the Doctor must find a way to stop him and destroy the Keller Machine.
Timothy Combe
- Prisoner
- (uncredited)
William Marlowe
- Harry Mailer
- (uncredited)
Francis Williams
- The Master's Chauffeur
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- Don Houghton
- Sydney Newman(uncredited)
- Donald Wilson(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe colour master videotape was wiped by the BBC in the 1970s and although colour versions were sold overseas, only 16mm black-and-white film prints were retained by BBC enterprises. Some short poor quality colour clips existed from this episode thanks to a domestic recording made in the United States. However, this episode was restored to colour for the DVD release in 2013 using the chroma dots discovered in the film prints.
- GoofsDuring the climactic scene, after the Doctor has exited the van, the Master approaches him, holding a pistol which he keeps aimed downwards. He comments on the Doctor's "odd mode of transport", then the view cuts to a close-up of him from the front. Suddenly, he is aiming his pistol straight.
- Quotes
The Doctor: [after the Brigadier has saved his life] Thank you, Brigadier.But do you think for once in your life you could manage to arrive before the nick of time?
- ConnectionsFeatured in Doctor Who Confidential: Lords and Masters (2009)
Featured review
The Mind Bending Plot of Evil
Review of all 6 episodes:
This story starts really well with an intriguing and gritty opening episode and although it fades a little bit by the end it is still overall very good.
The story involves The Master having a mind controlling machine which extracts evil from criminals. It also features a prison take-over, a world peace conference and an attempt to steal a powerful missile. Some of these elements are slightly muddled padding to fill out the 6 parts. Following on from a tight four-parter it is probable that if this one was similarly pared down it would be nearer to top Doctor Who standards rather than just a good medium quality one. Instead, in order to pad things out there is a rather complex and not fully credible plot. The plan hatched by The Master is a bit too convoluted and too reliant on everything going exactly to plan and schedule. As a result it is seen by some as too unlikely as a plot. However, the good qualities of acting, characterisation, action, scary 'monster' (the Keller Machine) and political intrigue all go towards glossing over the relatively small concerns over the plot.
The Master (Roger Delgado) makes for a superb adversary again despite his occasional indecisive ways and Mailer (William Marlowe) is a well acted and convincing henchman. Jo Grant (Katy Manning) is a stronger character in this than in Terror of the Autons (her first story) and this establishes her much better. The Brigadier (Nicholas Courtney) and UNIT are good additional support as ever and there is a gritty prison setting plus exciting military and political elements. I am not a fan of the music and sounds created by Dudley Sutton but accept that at the time they were fresh and innovative and while the incessant noise of the prison riot is very annoying it is more realistic than a quiet riot!
This is a very enjoyable serial; action packed, interesting and well produced. It could have been better but is still a solid adventure.
Episode ratings: Episode 1 - 9, Episodes 2 & 4 - 8.5/10, Episodes 3, 5 & 6 - 8/10 = 50/60
Overall: 8.33/10
This story starts really well with an intriguing and gritty opening episode and although it fades a little bit by the end it is still overall very good.
The story involves The Master having a mind controlling machine which extracts evil from criminals. It also features a prison take-over, a world peace conference and an attempt to steal a powerful missile. Some of these elements are slightly muddled padding to fill out the 6 parts. Following on from a tight four-parter it is probable that if this one was similarly pared down it would be nearer to top Doctor Who standards rather than just a good medium quality one. Instead, in order to pad things out there is a rather complex and not fully credible plot. The plan hatched by The Master is a bit too convoluted and too reliant on everything going exactly to plan and schedule. As a result it is seen by some as too unlikely as a plot. However, the good qualities of acting, characterisation, action, scary 'monster' (the Keller Machine) and political intrigue all go towards glossing over the relatively small concerns over the plot.
The Master (Roger Delgado) makes for a superb adversary again despite his occasional indecisive ways and Mailer (William Marlowe) is a well acted and convincing henchman. Jo Grant (Katy Manning) is a stronger character in this than in Terror of the Autons (her first story) and this establishes her much better. The Brigadier (Nicholas Courtney) and UNIT are good additional support as ever and there is a gritty prison setting plus exciting military and political elements. I am not a fan of the music and sounds created by Dudley Sutton but accept that at the time they were fresh and innovative and while the incessant noise of the prison riot is very annoying it is more realistic than a quiet riot!
This is a very enjoyable serial; action packed, interesting and well produced. It could have been better but is still a solid adventure.
Episode ratings: Episode 1 - 9, Episodes 2 & 4 - 8.5/10, Episodes 3, 5 & 6 - 8/10 = 50/60
Overall: 8.33/10
- A_Kind_Of_CineMagic
- Sep 24, 2014
- Permalink
Details
- Runtime25 minutes
- Color
- Black and White
- Color(original broadcast)
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content