Synopsis:
Steven and Dodo are assisting the weakened Doctor when they are trapped in a corridor by Captain Edal and scientist Senta, who begin to release a paralysing gas into the area.
Watching on a monitor from the laboratory, Jano hesitates momentarily then, almost unconsciously, operates the control to open the outer door - allowing them to escape.
Edal is furious, suspecting his leader of treachery. He points out that he rules here, and orders that the strangers be recaptured. When Edal states that he will lead the search party, Jano then insists that he will do this personally.
The suspicious captain follows him out into the wasteland with some guards.
The Doctor is being taken by Chal and his companions to the Valley of Caves - which is where Jano has predicted they will go.
Finding they are being followed, Steven elects to hold back and cause a diversion to give the others time to get to safety.
In the caves, Nanina continues to protect the captive Exorse from Tor.
Jano has the opportunity to capture Steven, but allows him to escape.
Later, the leader of the Elders brings his men to the Valley. This time Steven has the chance to shoot him - but the Doctor prevents him from doing so. He orders that Jano not be harmed.
The Doctor is rapidly recovering thanks to the pills which they had earlier given to Wylda. He tells Chal and Tor that he intends to end the power which the Elders hold over their people - but won't do so alone. Sensing what has happened, he tells everyone that they may be helped from within the city.
Jano sends Edal and the guards back to the city, stating that he will remain here on guard by himself.
The captain later informs Senta of what has happened, and of Jano's odd behaviour. He warns the rest of the council that they are about to be betrayed.
Jano goes into the caves and is met by the Doctor and his friends. Wanting to know what is happening to him, the Doctor explains that he absorbed his conscience, moral outlook and personality along with his vitality.
As they talk, Exorse breaks free and escapes. He encounters Nanina, who convinces him not to return to the city to betray her, now that he has spent some time with her people.
On returning to the city, he declines to tell Edal and Senta of the meeting between Jano and the Doctor.
Jano leads the strangers back to the city, along with Chal, Tor and Nanina - claiming to have captured them all. Edal has attempted to take over, but finds himself arrested instead.
Left alone in the laboratory with Senta, the Doctor then leads everyone in smashing up the transference machinery.
Edal frees himself when the guards realise what is happening, but they remain locked out of the chamber until it is too late. The power of the Elders is broken.
Chal and Jano agree that their two peoples should integrate and live together in peace - and need someone neutral to lead them through this transition. Both state that they wish Steven to take on this role.
The Doctor reassures his companion that he can shoulder such responsibility.
He and a tearful Dodo bid their friend farewell before heading back to the TARDIS...
Next week: The War Machines
Written by Ian Stuart Black
Recorded: Friday 3rd June 1966 - Riverside Studio 1
First broadcast: 5:35pm, Saturday 18th June 1966
Ratings: 4.5 million / AI 48
Designer: Stuart Walker
Director: Christopher Barry
Critique:
As mentioned last week, Christopher Barry elected to record the first eight scenes of this episode at the end of the third studio session, on Friday 27th May. This was due to the extensive use of dry ice in the corridor scenes, which would take time to clear and might delay the rest of the evening's recording.
The main set piece of the episode was the destruction of the laboratory, which could only be achieved in one take. A recording break was therefore scheduled so that all the cameras could be positioned correctly to capture all the action. Small flash charges were detonated to add to the effect.
The cast reported that they thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
For the TARDIS dematerialisation, Barry once again used still photos, taken on location - one with the prop and one without, then mixing between the two.
One brief out of order shot was recorded at the end of the evening - a point of view shot of the cave entrance as seen by Dodo and Chal. This would be edited into the completed programme later.
With the end of recording, Peter Purves departed as a regular from Doctor Who.
By this stage he was quite relieved to go, having grown dissatisfied with the way in which producers, story editors and writers had developed the character of Steven. He particularly missed Dennis Spooner's involvement in the series.
Purves was also aware that, whilst he got on well with Gerry Davis, current producer Innes Lloyd did not regard him highly as an actor.
He may well have had some doubts about his abilities as he was already discussing the possibility of presenting rather than acting in TV programmes with Barry whilst making this story. He did hope that he would move onto more varied acting roles - only to find himself unemployed for some time.
He had retained the Trilogic Game prop after completing The Celestial Toymaker, and came to regard this as bad luck. Soon after throwing it away, he was given a role in a BBC2 thriller and a couple of episodes of Z-Cars then followed. His career really got back on track in 1967, when his desire to present was granted with a new role co-fronting the children's magazine show Blue Peter. He would remain with the show until 1978.
He returned to the role of Steven for audio adventures, and in 2023 was seen as Steven once more - opposite Maureen O'Brien's Vicki - in a Tales of the TARDIS piece bookending The Time Meddler.
His own story idea did not appear to have been taken up - that on becoming joint ruler of the Elders and Savages, Steven had turned out to be a tyrant.
One thing Purves did regret on his departure from Doctor Who was the end of his working relationship with William Hartnell. He had always got on well with the star, who came to rely heavily on his support. Purves continues to champion Hartnell.
With the loss of his loyal co-star, Hartnell was quite depressed. He had met his new co-stars during location filming on The War Machines, but had failed to bond with them for a variety of reasons - age, political and social outlook, and lifestyle.
More on this next week...
It may not have monsters - other than human ones - and the sets and costumes might look a trifle mundane from the photographic evidence we have, but I suspect that The Savages is one of those often overlooked stories which could well be due a reappraisal. It has interesting things to say about important themes - of race, colonialism, the role of science, and exploitation. It gives us a very good late Hartnell performance - even if he is pretty much absent from the third instalment. The Doctor is very much the moral crusader in this story, and Hartnell is given some wonderful dialogue.
Hopefully a missing episode or two might one day be found - or The Savages will be selected for animation treatment. Some reconstructions exist online (including a new AI enhanced one which looks very exciting...). At the very least, we will eventually get a telesnap / soundtrack version when Season 3 finally appears as a Blu-ray box-set.
- The ratings see a dip of half a million, whilst the appreciation figure remains stable. However, the programme placing in the weekly charts was poor - dropping to 93rd place (previous episodes being 62nd, 50th and 66th).
- The BBC Audience Research Report for this closing episode opened with the words: "At least this particular adventure wasn't one of those boring historical ones...".
- Whilst adults were not impressed, it was noted that children still found the series exciting. Ewen Solon (Chal), Frederick Jaeger (Jano) and Peter Thomas (Edal) were singled out for acting praise.
- Amongst the extras on this story we have Keith Ashley. He will go on to become a regular background performer on Doctor Who, including playing some iconic monsters such as a Zygon and the Krynoid.
- Steven's farewell to the Doctor and Dodo is one of the few surviving clips from this story. It is in the form of 8mm cinefilm footage taken directly from a TV screen by a fan. Brief footage of the lab destruction also exists.
- Whilst 16mm film copies are known to have still been in circulation in 1972, when the New Zealand copy went to Singapore, the original video tapes were wiped back in 1967.
- The Savages ends a run of five consecutive stories which have led, one into the other, through their closing sequences.
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