Inspirations: The Woman Who Lived

The Woman Who Lived is not so much the second part of The Girl Who Died, despite the title structure, as a sequel - showing what happened to Ashildr after the Viking episode.

In order to save her life alien medical technology has been used, which has rendered her immortal. The Doctor had at least left her a second Mire device, if she wished to provide herself with a fellow immortal to act as a partner.

After a scene-setting sequence in the 17th Century, where the Doctor seeks an alien artefact in England only to find it being stolen by a highwayman, we get to see how Ashildr lived her life up to this point - for the Highwayman is a highwaywoman. Ashildr is now local aristocracy - Lady Me - but has turned to crime for a bit of excitement.

One of the things which the production team wanted from this episode was to show someone travelling through time by the "slow road", comparing it with the Doctor's jackdaw meanderings through history.

This was also designed to be a companion-lite episode as it's about the relationship between the Doctor and Me, so Clara only features at the start and at the end.

We see her in medieval times as she fights at the Battle of Agincourt with Henry V (25th October 1415). She did settle down with a husband and had children at one point, but they all died of the plague. As this episode is set in 1651 it can't be the Great Plague of London, so is probably the Black Death, which arrived in England in June 1348. By December when it abated it had killed between 40 - 60% of the population.

We also see her being accused of witchcraft, presumably because she has taken on the role of wise woman in a small rural community. The ducking stool was in use in England over a very long period, going back to Saxon times. This episode can't relate to the notorious campaign in eastern counties by Matthew Hopkins as that was in the mid 1640's, and she is already an aristocrat by 1651. There was a peak of witchcraft trials after 1562 when new legislation came in, so presumably this event can be placed in that period.

It was writer Catherine Tregenna (the first female writer on the series since 2008's The Poison Sky) who decided on the main historical setting.

1651 saw the climax of the Third Civil War, with the Royalist defeat at hands of the Roundheads at the Battle of Worcester that September, following which Oliver Cromwell established the Protectorate in place of the Monarchy. It was a lawless time and highway robbery and other property crimes flourished.

Lady Me's home is said to be at Hounslow, to the west of London, and Hounslow Heath was notorious for highwaymen as two major roads to the south west of England crossed it.

The most famous fictional female highway robber (apart from Barbara Windsor in Carry On Dick, of course) is also a thrill-seeking aristocrat - Lady Skelton in The Wicked Lady (1945), as played by Margaret Lockwood. This was remade in 1983 with Faye Dunaway in the lead role. It is reputedly based on the life of Katherine Ferrers (1634 - 1660), who terrorised Hertfordshire and was shot dead during one of her robberies.

One female highway robber who is said to exist was Susan Higges, who is mentioned in a ballad from 1640 and is reputed to have had a criminal career spanning two decades. She dressed as a man to commit her robberies in Buckinghamshire. She was the inspiration for Renegade Nell  - the character depicted in the recent Disney+ series. Her career of crime came to end when she murdered a woman who was able to identify her before dying, and she ended her life on the gallows.

Talking of which, Sam Swift is due to meet his end at Tyburn. This was the site of a famous place of execution, close to where Marble Arch stands today at the bottom of the Edgeware Road. Public executions took place here from the 12th to the 18th Centuries, until they moved to the vicinity of prisons such as Newgate. It was from Newgate that many of the condemned would travel to Tyburn, stopping off for the odd flagon of ale as they progressed along Oxford Street. At one point the gallows - the "Tyburn Tree" - comprised a large tripod affair that could accommodate a dozen or so people at a time.

The alien of the episode is Leandro - a leonine being who just happens to come from the planet Delta Leonis. The Latin name for the lion is Panthera Leo. The constellation of Leo derives its name from the Nemean Lion - a mythical beast slain by Hercules as one of his 12 labours. And of course we have the zodiac sign of Leo the Lion (July 23rd - August 22nd). Leos are said to be natural born leaders, but can also be arrogant and stubborn.

The Doctor calls Leandro "Lenny the Lion", referring to the ventriloquist dummy used by British entertainer Terry Hall from 1954 through to the 1980's.

Next time: Clara is beside herself as UNIT and the Zygons play Truth or Dare, in a sequel to the 50th Anniversary story...

Chronicles: 1966

Just when you think they've discontinued the Chronicles, DWM announce there will be another one. It's not due until May 2026 and it covers the pivotal year of 1966, when the first change of Doctor took place and the Cybermen made their first appearance.

Sara Kingdom and Steven Taylor departed, whilst Dodo Chaplet both came and went. Ben and Polly arrived, as did Jamie right at year's end.

Stories covered will be The Daleks' Master Plan through to Power of the Daleks (The Highlanders having been covered in the 1967 Chronicles).

The usual other articles will include biographies of the regular cast members, the VFX, location filming, studio recording, that year's Annual and any other merchandise, plus a look at what else people were watching that year.

It may be that these are going to continue as a once a year thing. Hopefully they will go forward chronologically rather than random fashion as before. 

I notice Panini are still selling the 2007 one, so these seem a lot more popular with fans of the classic era.

Episode 189: The Enemy of the World (4)

Synopsis:

Salamander is alarmed at the thought that Bruce may have seen someone who looks just like him with his enemy Giles Kent...

Outside the Kanowa facility, Kent anxiously awaits word from Astrid regarding the attempt to free Alexander Denes. She has managed to get to his office and contacts him from there.

Benik is listening in, but this is anticipated and the call is scrambled. He knows that her call comes from the Australasian Zone and orders it traced.

Astrid has to inform her boss of Denes' death. Kent orders her to remain where she is and he and the Doctor will come to her.

As soon as the call ends, there is a knock at the door. It is Fariah. 

Astrid at first suspects she has been sent by Salamander but she reveals that she has come of her own volition to see Kent - as she has information he may find useful about her hated employer.

Benik is informed that Astrid was seen entering the building containing Kent's office as it has been under surveillance, and a security guard further reports that Fariah has just followed her inside.

He orders the building surrounded, then prepares to go there himself.

The Doctor and Kent soon arrive at the office and the former is alarmed to learn of the capture of Jamie and Victoria. He is told that they will have been sent to Kanowa for questioning.

Fariah reveals that she was blackmailed into working for Salamander, but now wants to see him toppled. Kent is suspicious that she did not act sooner, but she reveals that she has only just obtained the evidence she needed. Salamander hides his crimes too well, but she has managed to get hold of the late Fedorin's dossier.

The Doctor begins to look through it - unaware that Benik's men are taking up positions all around the building. Benik arrives and orders them to converge on the office, situated on the second floor. They are to shoot on sight.

The Doctor still doesn't believe there to be enough evidence against Salamander and is suspicious as to Kent's motives in getting him to impersonate the would-be tyrant. He thinks that he may actually wish him to kill him, rather than simply find proof of guilt.

Kent states that if the Doctor will not help him then he will refuse to help free Jamie and Victoria.

Fariah is watching the street from the window and alerts them that security guards are approaching.

The only possible escape route is through a ventilation shaft. They rush from the room, but Fariah delays to go back for the dossier. One she has gone, Astrid remains behind to give the others time to escape before fleeing herself.

Fariah becomes separated from the others and a guard shoots her as she tries to run. Benik tries to get her to talk - especially about the unknown man seen with Kent and Astrid. She dies cursing him but without telling him anything. He is at least able to retrieve the dossier from her, though the others have flown.

Back at the research facility, Salamander is angry that Benik has failed, whilst Bruce is unhappy that his actions have led to Fariah's death. Salamander accuses Kent of organising a rebel group, though Bruce points out that he hasn't done anything which would warrant his arrest.

As they are about to leave him, Salamander orders that he is to be left undisturbed in the records room, which he often spends time in. He locks himself in.

Operating a control, a secret panel slides open to reveal a deep shaft - and a capsule big enough to contain a man. After getting inside he operates more controls and the capsule hurtles down the shaft.

Bruce is unhappy that Salamander is incommunicado whilst in the records room, worried about how to contact him in an emergency.

Deep below the research facility is a bunker complex, occupied by a dozen or so men and women. Salamander emerges from the capsule into a small office, where he changes into a dusty boiler suit. The people in the main chamber of the bunker hear an alarm and know that he has arrived. When he emerges from the office he insists on passing through a decontamination chamber, as a Geiger-counter registers a dangerous amount of radiation.

He is then met by a man named Swann, as well as a young couple named Colin and Mary. Swann is in charge here. Colin has been growing increasingly frustrated by their subterranean existence - they have been here for almost five years - and wants to see what life is like on the surface, despite the dangers Salamander describes.

It transpires that Salamander has been tricking these people into believing that the surface has been destroyed by nuclear war. They must stay here, safe, whilst he forages for supplies for them - returning every few weeks. As the war continues, these people have been tasked with creating natural disasters as a way of fighting back against their enemies.

Salamander talks Colin out of wanting to return to the surface with him on this occasion. 

The Doctor and Kent have returned to the trailer next to the facility, along with Astrid. They are unaware of Fariah's fate. Assisted by Astrid, the Doctor is getting ready to disguise himself as Salamander when they hear someone approach, and think it may be her.

The trailer door opens, but in walks Bruce...

Data: 

Written by David Whitaker

Recorded: Saturday 23rd December 1967 - Lime Grove Studio D

First broadcast: 5.25pm, Saturday 13th January 1968

Ratings:7.8 million / AI 49

Designer: Christopher Pemsel

Director: Barry Letts

Additional cast: Christopher Burgess (Swann), Adam Verney (Colin), Margaret Hickey (Mary), Andrew Staines (Benik's Sergeant), Elliot Cairnes (Guard Captain)

Critique:

In an early version of this episode, it was revealed that Salamander had caused the deaths of Fariah's brothers. No explanation for her hatred of him, and what he did to blackmail her, appears on screen. The fact that it remains unsaid has led some fans to believe that it may have been of a sexual nature.

As previously mentioned, there was no further part to play for Astrid after this episode, which prompted Mary Peach to consider pulling out of the production. Barry Letts had to rewrite sections of the final two instalments to include the character in order to appease her.

Filming for this episode centred around the location for Kent's office building. This was a BBC property - Villiers House - which was then home to BBC Enterprises. This took place over the course of Thursday 9th and Friday 10th November, and included the overhead shots of the security guards moving in on the back of the building - plus a passing woman with pram. The shots of Jamie walking in the park from Episode Two were also filmed on the Thursday as the crew were in the West London area.

The other filming for this instalment took place at Ealing on Monday 13th November, for the sequence in which Salamander reveals the travel capsule and climbs aboard.

The model work of the capsule descending the shaft had been filmed two days before.

Joining the cast this week were Christopher Burgess as Swann, who would go on to appear on two further occasions in the series - all directed by Letts (see below). Also in the cast as a security man was Andrew Staines, who would also reappear in Letts-directed stories. He was the director's nephew, and we'll have something to say about nepotism in this production next time.

Frazer Hines and Deborah Watling were absent from this week's recording as they were on holiday, whilst Troughton was unhappy at the little time he was going to have off over the festive season. After their initial disagreements he and Letts had renewed their old friendship and the actor confided in the director this unhappiness with the production schedule. Letts made some suggestions which might alleviate his concerns, thought they would not be introduced until Troughton was ready to relinquish the role, and it would be Letts himself who would benefit most from their discussions when he later became producer on the show.

Letts had been requesting more studio time due to the technically complex nature of the programme of the programme and this was finally granted. Recording for this and the next episode would run from 8.15 to 10pm.

This evening they had to fit in the short Episode Two sequence where the Doctor and Kent listened to Astrid's report on her meeting with Denes, as it required the office set (pictured above) and Troughton in Doctor costume and make-up. Troughton would play all of his scenes as the Doctor in the first half of the evening's studio.

Only 20 seconds of the reprise from Episode Three was used to open this week's instalment.

The records room set contained a life-size capsule designed to replicate the model version. This could be pivoted to stand horizontally or vertically and allow Troughton to climb inside.

Both this set and the office had small monitors for the characters to communicate with - Kent with Astrid and Benik with his Guard Captain.

The first recording break of the evening allowed Troughton and Kerr to move from the trailer set to the office one.

Stunt performer Bob Anderson played the security guard involved in the fight with Astrid after he had climbed in through a window.

The second recording break allowed Milton Johns, Andrew Staines and Elliot Cairnes to move to a small exterior wall set, for the sequence with the fatally wounded Fariah.

Once all the office sequences had been recorded, a further break allowed Troughton to change into his Salamander costume / make-up.

As with Episode Three, Christopher Pemsel designed a single corridor which could be used for multiple set-ups at the research facility. This again necessitated frequent pauses to allow actors to be seen standing or walking along it from different directions.

Other than the records room, the main new sets were the principal underground shelter area and the small side-office. Sound effects provided the Geiger-counter readings.

As he was playing the Doctor in disguise, the final scene in the trailer meant Troughton could retain his Salamander outfit. A portrait shot of the character had been prepared earlier, for the Doctor and Astrid to be copying.

One of the things about missing episodes, even when we have the soundtrack and telesnaps, is that there is always a lot we can never see. John Cura took photographs roughly every 20 - 30 seconds, which meant about 50 - 60 images per programme (producers could pay more to get more), so some short scenes could easily be missed altogether. 

When this story was recovered in 2013 there was one little sequence, inconsequential to the plot, which caught people's attention. It was just as Benik's men close in on the building hosting Kent's office. We see a lady pushing a pram, almost getting caught up in dangerous events. It's hardly Battleship Potemkin, but it stands out for its ordinariness - taking us back to what Whitaker was trying to do in the previous episode with Griffin.

Like I said, absolutely nothing to do with the story and not even in the script, but it's there for all to see now. Barry Letts was often overlooked as a director, but he could sometimes surprise.

This week we get a more action-orientated episode, and it's the one where the spy-fi trappings are first introduced. Salamander has a secret base under his research facility, and it is from here that the natural disasters plaguing the globe are orchestrated. He's not just bumping off the odd person and blackmailing others, he's committing mass murder on a global scale - so shaping up to be more of a Bond-style villain.

Unfortunately, we never do get to learn just how this small band of people can trigger volcanic eruptions in Hungary when they are based in Australia. The "Mark VII Sun-Catcher" satellite was mentioned back in Episode One, though never again, and the implication (or simply fan-theory) has always been that this might in some way be responsible - but we just never find out.

The Doctor has been quite a frustrating figure in this story up to now. Whilst we get to see first-hand Salamander's villainy, he is obviously oblivious to this - but in the past he has jumped in, with very little encouragement to do so ever needed. This is certainly a different Doctor to the one who would gleefully sabotage a colony's power supply then do a runner, or who would allow a bunch of bungling archaeologists to reanimate the Cybermen just to see what happened next.

He finally makes the decision to get involved here - but only because Jamie and Victoria are now under threat - not because it is the right thing to do. If he really was reluctant to take action against Salamander without evidence, why did he not impersonate him a lot sooner and find out for himself?

Trivia:

• The ratings are see-sawing for this story, with a 0.7 million rise on the previous week. There is also a slight improvement in the appreciation figure.
• News of Innes Lloyd's departure from the series came on Thursday 11th January. It was announced that he would be taking over BBC 2's Thirty Minute Theatre.
• Christopher Burgess' two other appearances are as Professor Philips in Terror of the Autons, and as Barnes in Planet of the Spiders.
• Andrew Staines also features in the latter story as a fellow member of Lupton's group, as well as appearing as the Captain of the SS Bernice in Carnival of Monsters, and as Goodge in the Auton sequel.
• Staines had been a late substitute for another actor, future Australian soap star Terence Donovan - Jason's dad.
• Colin was given the surname Redmayne in the script, though it was never mentioned on screen. Fariah had the surname Neguib or Neguid - again never stated.
• Adam Verney's career seems to have been mostly in theatre as he has very little TV work listed after the early 1970's. He does give a rather mannered, theatrical performance here as young Colin.

The Art of... The Enemy of the World

The Enemy of the World was in the process of being novelised by its original writer, David Whitaker, when he sadly passed away in February 1980. Artwork had been prepared by Steve Kyte for this release. The book was then put on hold for a few months before being picked up by Ian Marter, and it finally arrived in April 1981. The Kyte artwork (below, from The Target Book, by David J Howe) was dropped and a new (inferior) cover commissioned by Bill Donohoe.

This features Astrid and Giles Kent, taken from BBC publicity images. Kent is given a militaristic uniform, and Astrid some decolletage. A volcanic landscape forms the background. 

The fact that Salamander doesn't feature - despite the doppelganger aspect of the story being its biggest selling point - is probably down to the policy of the time that only the image of the current Doctor could be used on cover art.

Overall, it doesn't really fit the broadcast episodes at all. A bit too Gerry Anderson.

This was the last time that the Bernard Lodge logo was used on a new Target Doctor Who novelisation.

Kyte also used Astrid - this time with helicopter - and the volcanic backdrop, but there were a couple of rough sketches using a blue logo which he made prior to this, one of which centred purely on the TARDIS.

Whitaker placed the story in 2030, and gave many of the characters first names not used on screen. Salamander was Ramon, Fedorin was Nicholas, and Benik was Theodore. Young Colin, meanwhile, was given the surname Redmayne - but friend Mary was only a Smith.

Most of the scenes with Griffin the chef were omitted. Whitaker also chose to amend the ending to make Salamander's expulsion into the Vortex a deliberate act by the Doctor, whilst it is more accidental on screen - and the would-be dictator is most definitely destroyed by this (whereas the Doctor suggests he might have survived at the opening of the following episode). Another version had the Doctor strand Salamander on Earth to face justice from its people for his crimes.

Marter's adaptation was criticised for the use of the word "bastard", uttered by Benik, as swearing hadn't featured in the range at all before then. The writer was asked to cut his manuscript down to the fixed Target page count and was subsequently unhappy at how disjointed it then became. He cited it as the least favourite of his adaptations.

The novelisation was reissued in 1993, with a new cover by Alister Pearson, this time depicting Salamander backed by a world map. The cover states that the story was first broadcast in 1968, though it began transmission in 1967.

The orphan Episode 3 was released onto VHS on The Troughton Years tape (June 1991), and then on DVD as part of the Lost in Time set (November 2004).

The full story could be enjoyed on audio as part of the BBC Radio Collection, released in August 2002. It manages to cram a number of incidental characters onto its mostly photomontage cover - Denes, Fedorin and Fariah - plus a volcano and helicopter, along with Astrid and Salamander. The map design also features, similar to the one on the reissue of the novelisation (Mercator Projection). I like the little salamander wrapped round the centre of the "O" in "WHO".

Linking narration was by Frazer Hines.

Then, in October 2013, it was announced that the missing five instalments had been rediscovered, along with a new copy of the third episode. A DVD release was swiftly arranged for 25th November, after the episodes had first appeared on iTunes. The cover design - Salamander, Doctor, volcano - was the work of Lee Binding.

A limited edition, utilising the same three visual elements, was also available. The Troughton portrait is clearly one of his earlier ones, from the Power of the Daleks photoshoot.

To mark the return of the episodes, Radio Times commissioned a movie-style poster, designed by Stuart Manning.

The original DVD release had been such a rushed job that there were no extras, so a Special Edition was packaged for release in March 2018. The main making-of documentary was a sort of treasure hunt conducted by Toby Hadoke, and the set also included a touching tribute to Debbie Watling.

The artwork was once again by Lee Binding. As well as the Doctor at the controls of the TARDIS, we see poor Salamander being ejected from the ship in the background. Jamie and Victoria also get to appear this time.

The Target novelisation of the story was released as an audiobook in July 2019, read by David Troughton. He had made his television debut in the story, playing a guard in the penultimate episode whilst on his school holidays. Artwork is as the original novelisation, from Donohoe, but the colours have been dialled down and aren't so garish. A pity they didn't use the reissue cover.

And a Happy Christmas to all of you at home!

 

I'll be back with the art of The Enemy of the World on Friday, but in the meantime let me wish you all a very, very Merry Christmas.

TWBTLATS (5): The End of the War

And so the war comes to an end, though to be honest it has never really felt as if it started. Just threats from both sides. Some actual fighting between Homo Aqua and UNIT or the regular army might have been nice, if you know what I mean.

There have been mentions of "Severance" since episode 3, which we rightly guessed referred to some kind of virus. 

To have had Homo Aqua cohabit the Earth after this was never going to happen, as it would have clashed with everything we've seen of near future Earth since the days of Patrick Troughton's Doctor. At the same time we know that there will be Sea Devils around in 2084, as seen in Warriors of the Deep, and the mentions of Severance can't help but remind us of how crudely Hexachromite gas was set up in that story.

We were also told that this series would be as much a romance as an epic, sci-fi adventure spinning off from Doctor Who. As I said last time, I don't think the relationship between Barclay and Salt was all that convincing (and that between Kate and Ibrahim underdeveloped).

So, going into the finale we can already predict a lot of what's coming. What's left to us is how it happens.

The episode begins with Homo Aqua capturing Britain's dogs and apparently eating them. Kate, speaking to a psychologist, at least admits that we are on the brink of a potential war - and not actually in the middle of one. The world has turned against Barclay, so we can work out that life isn't simply going to back to normal for him.

Then we discover that the talks have been a diversion and Homo Aqua are busy melting the icecaps in Antarctica. If a genocide is being set up, then it will be okay for us to wipe them out first - so the episode is setting up a moral justification for what humanity is sure to do.

Everything is being signposted.

Barclay is managing to sneak out of his confinement every night in search of Salt. His guard is allied with Gunberg, Dussolier and the PM, so they are able to drug and infect him - the plan being that he will find her and so pass on the virus. Sure enough they are reunited, but she sends him back to his friends to arrange an accord - or Capital A "Accord" - with Homo Aqua - and he goes to Kate and UNIT, and they decide to act unilaterally. 

There's no response, however, and we quickly find out why. Homo Aqua begin turning up dead.

Severance.

It's suggested that about 90% have perished - which leaves the door open for Warriors of the Deep of course.

Salt returns, declaring the war ended and revenge is vowed against the three human villains of the piece. We see them perish, but it's unclear if this is just what they fear or if it's a glimpse into the future and actually happens. A more definitive comeuppance would have been more satisfying.

Barclay and Salt get their happy ending. The virus - or Salt, it's very unclear - has made him amphibious and they swim off, not into the sunset but into the deep.

There's an odd little coda, where Kate sees a man drop a bottle on a beach. She asks him to pick it up and when he refuses and gets argumentative she goes ballistic and pulls a gun on him... A bit extreme and totally against what the Doctor advocates. Whatever happened to "science leads"? Trying to reinforce in blunt fashion that everyone has a responsibility to keep the oceans clean, in no matter how small a way - or is Kate being set up as a much darker, more unpredictable, figure for future Doctor Who appearances? When this series was made they had no idea that the parent programme would be shelved for a while.

Overall, this series has been okay - but far from great. Not epic enough, not enough action, and a little derivative and predictable. It was trying so hard to be another Children of Earth but couldn't come close to the event television that became. 

I'm really not sure it's something I would ever feel the need to rewatch - though I'm glad I did see it. A big concern going into it was that it would be overly preachy and, whilst there was an element of that in the second episode, it wasn't too hectoring.

Interestingly, despite the odd mention of the Doctor and the fact that Homo Aqua are supposed to be Sea Devils, it never really felt like it had anything to do with Doctor Who to me - which might stand it in good stead in the long run.

Episode 188: The Enemy of the World (3)

Synopsis:

Alexander Denes, Controller of the Central European Zone, is denounced as a traitor by Salamander - accused of failing to protect his people from a volcanic eruption which the Leader had predicted. He is placed under arrest. He tells Donald Bruce that he looks forward to challenging Salamander in court and has no intentions to flee.

Salamander takes Fedorin away for talks. He is blackmailing the deputy, intent on setting him up to replace Denes whilst having control over him. Fedorin once again denies the accusations against him.

Salamander then hands him a small box - claiming the contents will determine his future. It contains poison...

Bruce is shocked to see Jamie on the palace terrace, now in the uniform of a security guard. He tries to get him to explain what was going on between Salamander and Kent in the latter's office, but Jamie is able to deflect his questions.

Denes is being held in a corridor as there is nowhere else to guard him securely. Bruce insists he be well looked after and a meal is ordered.

Victoria is in the kitchens, which are presided over by the curmudgeonly Chef Griffin. He is not impressed by her cooking skills, and frets that tonight's meal will be a disaster.

Fariah is present, and she tries to warn Victoria into leaving.

Jamie then arrives and reports that Astrid is working on a plan to free Denes. He asks Victoria to get close to Fariah as she may hold valuable information about her employer, who she clearly dislikes.

Victoria agrees that there is something evil about Salamander, just from the reactions of people around him.

At Kanowa, Kent has a mobile home parked just beyond the perimeter of Salamander's research facility. They have watched footage of the Hungarian volcanic eruptions, and Kent tells the Doctor that he believes Salamander to be behind such recent natural disasters - and the answer lies here. He has been suspicious about the facility for some time due to the amount of money and resources that have been diverted into it, despite it only having a small number of staff. It was whilst investigating this that he was removed from office, and all his evidence then disappeared.

They spot Benik and a guard approaching, so the Doctor hides in a box seat.

He has come to warn Kent off, suspicious of his presence so close to the facility. He orders the guard to begin smashing crockery by way of threat then withdraws.

The Doctor has seen first-hand the sort of people Salamander surrounds himself with - but this is not enough to make him accept Kent's suspicions about him. He must have concrete proof.

Astrid arrives at the Palace in the uniform of a messenger. She is stopped by Janos, Denes' guard, who tries to charm her. She brushes him off as the Guard Captain arrives and tells him she has a message for the Leader which must be delivered in person.

The Captain is about to recall seeing her before, but Denes causes a diversion and Astrid hurries away. She makes her way to the kitchen and is able to tell Jamie and Victoria of her plan. He is to create a diversion in the grounds, under cover of which she will spirit Denes away to safety.

Victoria meanwhile tries to learn more about Fariah, and it is clear that Salamander has some hold over her.

Salamander is speaking to Bruce about the arrest and who should replace Denes - making it sound like promoting Fedorin was Bruce's idea.

Victoria is taking a tray of food to Denes when she is intercepted by Fedorin in the corridor. He palms the salt cellar and sends her to fetch another, then opens the box given to him by Salamander.

The Captain informs Salamander of Astrid's presence, having now recalled seeing her with Jamie and Victoria in the park. No message has been delivered to him, so he orders the guards to frighten her away then follow her and see where she goes and who she contacts.

Victoria arranges to sit with Denes as he eats, in readiness for the rescue attempt.

The food has not been poisoned, however. Fedorin could not bring himself to use it. Salamander feigns indifference - then poisons Fedorin's wine, killing him. He claims that the deputy has committed suicide.

In the kitchens, Jamie claims to have seen intruders in the gardens and opens fire. As the guards rush to respond, Astrid overpowers Janos. However, the rescue goes wrong as the Captain shoots and kills Denes. Astrid escapes, but Victoria is captured.

Jamie has also been apprehended and the pair are brought before Salamander, who orders them taken away for questioning.

Bruce finally gets the opportunity to ask Salamander about his recent visit to Kent's office when the young pair were also present. The Leader states he hasn't seen Kent in months. Bruce insists that he saw him there the previous day - or someone very much like him...

Data:

Written by David Whitaker

Recorded: Saturday 16th December 1967 - Lime Grove Studio D

First broadcast: 5.25pm, Saturday 6th January 1968

Ratings: 7.1 million / AI 48

Designer: Christopher Pemsel

Director: Barry Letts

Additional cast: Reg Lye (Griffin), Bill Lyons (Janos)

Critique:

Of all the episodes, Derrick Sherwin claimed that this was the one he did least work on, so it is very much as David Whitaker intended it - or is the one with the greatest contribution from Barry Letts. That Fariah was not originally intended to be a food-taster, and Victoria was to be another security guard and not a kitchen assistant, may suggest the latter.

Patrick Troughton made his appearance on Blue Peter on Thursday 14th December, alongside the winning entrants of their design-a-monster competition, and the next day he, Hines and Watling were taken out of rehearsals to carry out location work on the forthcoming Yeti sequel. This overlapping of productions was becoming a constant irritation for the star, who often had to sacrifice days off for filming.

Designer Pemsel devised a corridor set which could be filmed from different angles to represent different parts of the Palace, using various props to try to disguise this. It is supposed to be the entrance way into the palace, the area where Denes is being held, and the route to and from the kitchens. Unfortunately this does not come across on screen and it looks like all the action is taking place in the same small stretch of corridor.

The episode has Troughton appear both as Salamander and as the Doctor. All of his scenes as the dictator were recorded first, with the scene set in Kent's trailer recorded at the end of the evening. Kitchen scenes were recorded which allowed him time to change costumes and make-up.

Hines and Mary Peach were seen wearing security guard uniforms this week.

Recording breaks were mainly arranged to work around the corridor, with actors walking left to right, then right to left to suggest the different locations - or to place George Pravda in and out of the set.

Bill Kerr had a portrait photo taken at TV Centre on Thursday 14th, to be used as set dressing for Kent's trailer. 

The Doctor and Kent watch more stock footage of volcanic eruptions on a small monitor in the trailer.

Troughton enjoyed working with the Australian actor as he made him laugh a lot.

When hiding in the box seat, Troughton made farting sounds to put Kerr off.

Scripted, but not recorded, was a final scene involving Astrid and Denes. In this she was seen to try to help the dying man towards the exit but he knew he was finished and urged her to leave him and save herself. Its removal does make the scene as broadcast look rushed.

Hines and Watling were now granted a week's holiday as neither Jamie nor Victoria would appear in the fourth episode - but both would still have to join Troughton at Ealing on Monday 18th for filming on The Web of Fear.

This episode was fairly notorious for many years, thanks to it being the sole surviving instalment of the story (until the rest turned up in October 2013). Letts was always annoyed that his earliest contribution to the series was this episode. We now now that it is atypical of the story as a whole and doesn't really represent it well at all. It doesn't have any of the action-orientated location filming seen in the opening episode, or any of the spy-fi trappings of the second half of the story. It looks cheap, and some of the performances are a little broad. However, it did have its fans - even before 2013 and the opportunity to enjoy it in context.

As previously mentioned, it was always thought that the reason for the episode's survival was due to it being the first recorded for broadcast on the new 625 line definition transmission system. This was actually the opening episode, but the paperwork was in error. We would certainly have had a much higher opinion of the story had it been that first instalment which had been the orphan episode - what with helicopters, hovercraft, and the Doctor in his underwear.

What some people seem to like about this episode is the thing that others hate the most - the kitchen sequences. Griffin appears only in this episode, and doesn't have any role to play beyond these comedic scenes - so his presence is entirely superfluous to the plot. He's only there for light relief.

What fans like about these scenes, however, is the very fact that Whitaker takes the time to include them. They're little snapshots into the lives of peripheral characters getting on with life on the edge of the bigger political machinations which are playing out on a global scale.

Contemporaries of the writer, such as Dennis Spooner, claimed that Whitaker over-wrote and a lot of material not necessarily vital to the plot had to be cut - "food machine scenes" - but these little pauses do provide a break from the otherwise breathless pursuit of the main narrative.

However, this episode is rather short on incident, so such scenes might not be of much value here.

One criticism of the episode which really can't be defended from the audience point of view is the apparent cheapness of it. The setting is the Presidential Palace remember, so the idea that there isn't a single room available in the entire building in which to lock up Denes is a preposterous one. A man accused of treason, responsible for the deaths of thousands, is left to sit in a corridor with one guard - who isn't even there all the time... And it's such a boring corridor, with far too much garish wallpaper on show. Having George Pravda seated whilst others stand and talk beside him leads to too may scenes in wide shot, so the background takes up a sizeable proportion of the picture.

I say it's indefensible from the audience point of view - but a work of genius if you're a designer with very little money to play with, or a relatively inexperienced director limited for time on the night of recording.

Trivia:

• The ratings see a dip of half a million this week, with the appreciation index remaining below the 50 mark.
• Australian actor Reg Lye (1912 - 1987) came to England in the early 1960's after a successful career back home. He was only in the UK for a short time, but still managed to become the go-to actor if an Australian character was needed. When the Australian film industry picked up in the early 1970's - the New Wave - he returned home to continue his career there, which included a Best Supporting award from the AFI for Sunday Too Far Away.
• Bill Lyons would go on to become a successful writer, particularly for television. He has written a record number of scripts (over 460) for Emmerdale, having started in 1984 when it was still Emmerdale Farm. He has also contributed 60 scripts for EastEnders.
• Gordon Faith, here portraying the Guard Captain, became better known as a speech and voice coach, including work with the BBC radio drama repertory company.
• Radio Times published a small photograph of Frazer Hines as Jamie to accompany the listings this week - one taken during the location filming for The Abominable Snowmen:

What's Wrong With... Paradise Towers

A lot of the blame for problems this story might have can be laid at the door of one man - guest star Richard Briers. We know he was a very good actor, though much of his career was based in situation comedy. In later life he was "adopted" by Kenneth Branagh and appeared in several of his cinematic Shakespeare productions.

In Paradise Towers his performance as the Chief Caretaker is just too broad, as though he is hamming it up for the kids. Things get worse once he is possessed by Kroagnon. He's a caricature, in a story very much built along comic book lines (Andrew Cartmel being a huge fan of 2000 AD etc) where what it really needed was some verisimilitude. We can never believe that the Towers is a real place, inhabited by real people. Being studio-bound, with little or no budget for extras, doesn't help. 

Apparently the producer encouraged the performance by Briers, so he has to take some of the blame.

Most of the background to the story collapses under scrutiny. 

Kroagnon was turned against by the occupants of the Towers and confined as a bodiless entity in the basement. Why not just kill him?

If he's just a brain (or a lifeforce - it's never made clear which) how could he create the technology to hijack the Cleaners? They kill people and bring the bodies to the basement, but for what purpose? He's not using them to build a body for himself as he has the technology to transfer himself into another person and possess them. Again, how can a disembodied being achieve any of this?

Did the residents provide any of this and, if so, why?

Remember that the Time Lords were prepared to resort to assassination to prevent mind transference technology in Mindwarp, so why not intervene here as well?

The Chief Caretaker believes the Doctor to be the Great Architect - yet he's in constant communication with Kroagnon and is actively aiding and abetting his schemes.

The timescale is all wrong. There are young male Caretakers and we have the Kangs, so the war during which all the young men left can't have been all that long ago - unless these are very long-lived humanoid aliens. People ought to remember what happened. 

What sort of conflict was it that every single male failed to return, but no-one seems bothered about why?

If there are teenage female Kangs, then where are all the teenage boys who were too young to go off to war? Where are the men who were too old to fight?

There ought to be a wider age spread for both males and, especially, females here.

The Kangs would have worked far better had they been feral children, but they're obviously in their 20's, and there appears to be a drama school somewhere in the Towers.

Tabby and Tilda resort to eating animals (and people if they get the chance), but how does everyone else survive here?

The Caretakers have a rule book which numbers thousands of rules, most with sub-sections big enough to need paragraphs - yet it's the size of a pocket notebook.

The Towers are clearly dilapidated, yet Tabby and Tilda get a new front door in no time at all.

If they are somehow getting preferential treatment from the Chief Caretaker, why doesn't this include food?

The script had to be changed to avoid showing Mel being threatened by a knife, due to then current rules around violence. But showing her being threatened with a huge toasting fork is more acceptable?

The plan to get rid of Kroagnon is overly complicated. The Kangs have crossbows - so why not simply shoot him? And what sort of "pests" does the Towers have that requires the Caretakers to keep a supply of dynamite?

Mel tells the Kangs that she doesn't have a colour - said whilst wearing a bright blue top...

TWBTLATS (4): The Witch of the Waterfall

This episode I actually enjoyed a lot more. It mainly concerns the emotional aftermath of the previous episode's climactic events, but we also see the conspiracy take an unexpected turn, a potential escalation of the conflict, and there's a dramatic stand-off to round it off.

It's confirmed that Ibrahim did die, and only Barclay has survived the bomb detonation - saved by Salt who enveloped him in an air pocket and rushed him to the surface.

There she is imprisoned by UNIT as a video has been released, purporting to be from her, claiming responsibility for the bomb deaths. Barclay has formed a strange attachment to her, and she to him, and so he goes rogue and breaks her out of containment, and the pair go on the run.

Kate meanwhile struggles to hold it together emotionally following the loss of Ibrahim. 

The twist in the conspiracy is that the events of last week had nothing to do with them at all - or at least not all of them. Some organisation linked to Sir Keith hired both the assassin and the guy with the bomb - and the US General, Gunsberg, has Sir Keith assassinated, with the murder made to look like it was committed by some extreme environmental group. 

Gunsberg and General Dussolier have their own plan - codenamed "Severance" - which the PM is now part of. This appears to be some sort of virus they plan to unleash which will target Homo Aqua - hence the theft by them of some DNA in the second episode.

It needs to be tested first, and Gunsberg wants Salt for this.

Also after her are her own people. A new ambassador arrives at the conference centre - a male named Tide. He explains that because Salt saved Barclay, but not any of her own kind, it means that she's now a wanted criminal - so Kate has a deadline to produce her before he escalates the war. This will involve utilising rust as a weapon.

A large part of the episode is then spent watching the relationship between Salt and Barclay develop into romance and beyond... 

It's another relationship I can't quite believe. We're told constantly of Homo Aqua's disdain for the human race, and Salt is their ambassador who's just implemented the dropping of millions of tons of plastic waste on the world's cities, yet she's quick to get it on with a member of this destructive, inferior species - and he's happy to reciprocate. Doesn't sit right.

Barclay thinks that he might be able to negotiate with Kate but they need to get out of London first, and so he arranges to collect his ex-wife's car. UNIT find out about this, and the suggestion is that his daughter informed on him.

And this is where the stand-off comes in, as UNIT close in from one side of Lambeth Bridge and the British Army from the other, for Gunsberg has talked the PM into giving him control over them. 

Barclay is captured but Salt dives into the Thames after disabling all the pursuers with a shrill cry...

And that's where we are at, with only a single - slightly longer - instalment to go. It's written by RTD, and recent experience shows that he knows how to blow an ending...

Still no explanation for Salt's gender change. There was an image of the male Homo Aqua in the pre-publicity and I thought that this might have been her in male form - but Tide is very much a different character. She and he are the only ones of this sub-species we've seen, but I don't know if that's significant or not.

If you're wondering what any of the above have to do with witches or waterfalls, then the answer is they don't. The title simply comes from a line by Salt.

TWBTLATS (3): The Deep

Before we move on to the third episode of the new spin-off, a couple more things to mention about the opening instalments, now that I've had a chance to think about them.

First of all there's that character from the Albion Party - Doctor Who's version of Reform UK, first introduced in Series 14's 73 Yards. He's just too much of a caricature - a ranting racist. I suspect that this is what the producers intend, rather than just cliched writing - or so I hope.

Then there's UNIT, and this series has very much been spun as a UNIT spin-off. But they've mostly been simply watching events from the background so far. Barclay works for them, granted, and Kate is in overall charge of the conference, but for the most part we see her, Shirley and Colonel Ibrahim simply watching and commenting on what is going on in the hall from a back room somewhere.

Thoughts have also turned to just who or what Salt is. In Plastic Apocalypse we saw her lose her temper briefly and change to masculine appearance. Would this be explained?

Not yet, though The Deep does let us see a lot more of UNIT. For the most part, however, the episode is simply set up for the dramatic closing moments. In some ways you could simply start watching the last five minutes and you wouldn't have missed a lot. It's mainly Barclay and his team preparing for their descent in a bathysphere to a mid Atlantic trench to begin round two of the talks - and the long journey they then undertake. There is a scene set in a COBRA meeting, in which Kate suspects that UNIT are being side-lined, and we have the unholy trio of conspirators bending the will of the weak British PM.

One of Barclay's party is carrying a gift which conceals a bomb, and just as he produces it we see Colonel Ibrahim, back in London at Kate's flat, get shot by a sniper - taking a bullet meant for her. As he lies dying on the floor, the sniper sets their laser sight on Kate.

We naturally assume this is all part of Sir Keith's conspiracy...

I must confess I was more upset at the loss of General Pearce than I was at that of Ibrahim, as he had come across as a much more sympathetic character after his initial appearance on Torchwood.

We got a couple of scenes between Kate and Ibrahim earlier in the episode, but frankly their relationship has never been set up well. It was hinted at only in Doctor Who, but he just hasn't been around long enough to establish himself - and I'm not at all convinced by them entering into a romantic relationship in the first place. She certainly comes across as far too professional and committed to her father's legacy to endanger it with a workplace romance.

They are obviously trying to replicate the structure of TW: Children of Earth, with a shock death in the middle episode - but Ibrahim is no Ianto Jones.

The descent in the bathysphere reminds us of the Third Doctor's descent in a diving bell to establish contact with the Sea Devils - and we do finally get to see some of the classic design in the scene where Barclay and his group emerge into a vast chamber in which thousands of Homo Aqua are gathered for the talks.

Episode 187: The Enemy of the World (2)

Synopsis:

Donald Bruce is in the office of Giles Kent, demanding to know the identity of the man seen earlier with Astrid Ferrier. An inner door suddenly opens and his boss, Salamander, enters...

Kent has deliberately brought Bruce here in order that the Doctor should be forced to impersonate the would-be dictator. The deception is working as Bruce is shocked to see Salamander here, as he and Kent are the bitterest of enemies. He was also under the impression that Salamander was currently in Hungary.

The Doctor bluffs his way through the encounter, explaining that Bruce will find out why he is here when he wants him to know. After he has gone the Doctor accuses Kent of bringing him here deliberately to force him into impersonating Salamander - but Kent is pleased with his experiment. The Doctor can successfully pass for his enemy, and can get him the evidence he needs to destroy him.

The Doctor will remain in Australia with Kent to work on his impersonation and to check out Salamander's research facility at Kanowa, whilst Jamie and Victoria will travel to Hungary with Astrid to make contact with Alexander Denes, Controller of the Central European Zone and an ally of Kent.

At Kanowa, Bruce consults with his underling Benik, who confirms that Salamander got on a rocket transport to the Zone controlled by Denes, to attend a conference. Bruce tells him that he has just left their leader with Kent. Benik thinks him mistaken and explains that they will not be able to contact Salamander until after the conference is over. Bruce is concerned that Kent may have some hold over his boss.

At the Presidential Palace where he is staying, Salamander is warning Denes that the entire region is at imminent risk of volcanic disturbance. Denes insists that the Eperjes-Tokaj range has been dormant since the 16th Century. Their argument is being observed by Fedorin, Denes' deputy. Also present is a young woman named Fariah, and Fedorin is appalled to learn that she acts as Salamander's food-taster - especially after he has consumed some wine which she hadn't yet tested.

Denes leaves, but Salamander wants Fedorin to remain.

Astrid has a rendezvous with Jamie and Victoria at a park near the Palace. There is a plan to get Jamie onto Salamander's staff.

Astrid then contacts Kent and the Doctor to update them on progress, and to inform them that she has arranged a covert meeting with Denes.

Salamander has rejoined Fedorin and they are talking when Jamie suddenly appears on the terrace, armed with a pistol. He urges Salamander not to touch the radio-telephone sitting on the table. He picks it up and throws it into the bushes where it apparently explodes - really a small blast set off remotely by Astrid. Jamie then surrenders his weapon and explains that he only acted as he did to save Salamander. Impressed with his actions, the would-be dictator offers Jamie a role with his security team. The young man asks if there might be a job for his girlfriend Victoria as well.

Jamie returns to the park to update Victoria and Astrid, who slips away when they see Fariah and the Guard Captain approach. They have come to take them to the Palace to commence their new roles. Victoria will assist in the kitchens.

Astrid goes to a disused jetty to meet with Denes and tell him about the scheme to infiltrate Salamander's retinue. Astrid questions Fedorin's loyalty towards Denes. He hopes he can trust him.

At the Palace, Fedorin has been told of a number of secrets about himself which Salamander has obtained - instances of financial embezzlement. He protests his innocence, but Salamander tells him that he is going to replace Denes as Controller of this Zone. He again claims that a disaster is about to befall the region, and then states that Denes will be killed by an unknown assassin soon after.

Bruce arrives from Australia in response to the earlier assassination attempt, but his efforts to speak to Salamander are interrupted by earth tremors and the sight of volcanic eruptions on the horizon. Nearby communities are being destroyed, with many dead.

Denes rushes in, demanding to know how Salamander could have known this was going to happen with such accuracy.

As the volcanic eruptions continue, Salamander angrily accuses Denes of being a traitor and of failing in his duty to protect his region...

Data:

Written by David Whitaker

Recorded: Saturday 9th December 1967 - Lime Grove Studio D

First broadcast: 5.25pm, Saturday 30th December 1967

Ratings: 7.6 million / AI 49

Designer: Christopher Pemsel

Director: Barry Letts

Additional cast: George Pravda (Denes), David Nettheim (Fedorin), Milton Johns (Benik), Carmen Munroe (Fariah), Gordon Faith (Guard Captain)

Critique:

Fedorin was originally going to be the Chief of Police for the Central European Zone, rather than Denes' deputy. Fariah was a female security guard, and it was in a similar role that Victoria was to be recruited, suggesting that the whole kitchen sequence in the following episode, and Fariah's position as Salamander's personal food-taster, came later as the story developed. As mentioned last time, everything after the opening instalment existed only in draft form when Barry Letts joined the production, and he had to work closely with Derrick Sherwin on all subsequent episodes.

Filming for this instalment was confined purely to back projection sequences. These included the park near the Palace, the backdrop to the disused jetty, and the bomb explosion. Letts was inspired to make full use of back projection after seeing Shaun Sutton employ the technique on Z-Cars.

The park location was Walpole Park in Ealing, close to the BBC's Villiers House, which would later feature as the exterior of Kent's office building. The filming took place on Thursday 9th November. Jamie was seen to approach in long shot as his double, Richard Halifax was once again used.

Life was made easier for Patrick Troughton in studio as he only had to dress as Salamander for this episode - first as the Doctor impersonating him, and then as the real character for the rest of the running time. 

However, there is one scene in which we see him as the Doctor - when Astrid radios Giles Kent to provide an update, and the Doctor humorously mishears "disused jetty" as "disused Yeti".

This scene was simply filmed during a later recording session - presumably Episode 4 as Kent's office set is used in this, and Troughton would be dividing his time more evenly between the Doctor and Salamander - and edited into this episode.

Joining the cast this week, playing one of the guards in the Presidential Palace, was Ian Hines - Frazer's cousin. 

As with most of these episodes, Letts decided against lengthy reprises - or cut them altogether. Here only Troughton's closing line from Episode One is repeated.

Some scenes were recorded out of order this week.

One of the recording breaks was followed by the scene in which Bruce confers with Benik at Kanowa - allowing Troughton to change into the full Salamander costume and make-up.

The establishing shot of the research centre was a photo-caption of Dungeness Power Station, with a sign superimposed in front.

Most of the terrace scenes were recorded before another break, and then the scenes at the jetty were recorded - a split-level set allowing for guards to stand above the heads of Astrid and Denes. 

The remaining terrace scenes were then recorded following another break.

Sound effects of birdsong were used to help establish the park setting, as the location film was silent, and the lapping of water for the jetty scene.

Stock footage of the Vesuvius eruption of 1944 was used for the climactic scene.

It was during the camera rehearsals for this episode that all of the photographs of Troughton as Salamander were taken, as well as portraits of Nettheim and Pravda. (I'm assuming the one below was colourised by Clayton Hickman).

Having only appeared on a screen giving a speech last week, this is our first proper look at Salamander - and we get to see the nature of his villainy. He blackmails Fedorin and plots the assassination of Denes, and seems to be very well informed about the imminence of a volcanic eruption - claiming that his scientists are more competent than those Denes employs. He clearly gets rid of people who might challenge him and replaces them with weaker figures over whom he has some hold. The fact that he employs someone to taste his food and drink for poison shows that he knows his own popularity is on shaky ground, but he is arrogant enough to believe he will come to dominate this world.

Tellingly, he finds the sight of the volcanic eruption "beautiful", even though he's just been told there are many fatalities.

Apart from the staged bomb attack, this is obviously more of a character-driven episode after the action-orientated opener. We do get some globe-trotting, with another foreign locale - but unfortunately this isn't set up very well. We get some Mittel European accents, but some establishing shots of the Presidential Palace or its environs might have helped.

Trivia:

• The ratings see a sizeable upswing, no doubt due to it being that quiet period between Christmas and New Year, before the January sales commence. The appreciation figure drops below 50, however.
• ITV opposition remained repeats of Sir Francis Drake in most regions, though Southern began showing Gerry Anderson's latest series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons.
• The Hungarian mountains mentioned in this episode are a chain of hills which run between the cities of Eperjes in the south, and Tokaj in the north. They form the inner volcanic part of the Carpathians and are a popular hiking trail, as well as a noted wine growing region.
• George Pravda would return to the series on two further occasions - as corrupt scientist Jaeger in The Mutants, and as Castellan Spandrell in The Deadly Assassin.
• Milton Johns would also return to the series - also playing a Castellan (Kelner in The Invasion of Time). His next role after Benik would be playing Guy Crayford in The Android Invasion. He is one of a small number of Doctor Who regular guest artists who have played Imperial officers in the original Star Wars trilogy, appearing with Michael Sheard and Julian Glover in The Empire Strikes Back.
• The Daily Mail Boys & Girls Exhibition opened at Olympia on 27th December, and featured a number of Doctor Who costumes as well as the winning entrants in the recent Blue Peter competition. Monsters on view from the series included a Dalek, Cybermen, a Yeti, an Ice Warrior, Fungoids and the Mire Beast from The Chase, a Varga Plant (Mission to the Unknown) and a Rill (Galaxy 4). The exhibition ran to January 7th. A short Movietone film titled The Young Idea was produced, which features the Cybermen and Yeti at 0:57, which you can view on YouTube here - THE YOUNG IDEA Hopefully this will feature on a Troughton Blu-ray box set when they finally get round to giving us one.