The premiere of the twelfth season of the classic series of the British science fiction series Doctor Who took place on December 28, 1974, with the release of the first episode of the Robot series, in which Tom Baker first appeared as the Fourth Doctor . The season ended on May 10, 1975 with the last episode of the Revenge of the Cybermen series.
| Classic Doctor Who 12th season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cast | Tom baker Elizabeth Sladen Ian Marter Nicholas Courtney John Levin | ||||
| A country |  United Kingdom | ||||
| TV channel | Bbc one | ||||
| First impression | December 28, 1974 - May 10, 1975 | ||||
| Number of episodes | 20 (5 episodes) | ||||
| Timeline of the seasons | |||||
| |||||
This season was the first for Tom Baker, the actor who played the fourth incarnation of the Doctor, Time Lord, who travels in space and time with the TARDIS , a time machine that is indistinguishable from the blue police booth of the 1960s. This season, Sarah Jane Smith ( Elizabeth Slayden ), a companion of the previous incarnation of the character , and Harry Sullivan (Yen Marter), who joined the TARDIS team this season, are traveling with him.
Content
- 1 Cast
- 1.1 Main
- 1.2 Minor
- 1.3 Invited
- 2 Series
- 3 Production
- 4 show
- 5 DVD releases
- 6 Books
- 7 Notes
- 7.1 Literature
- 8 References
Cast
Main
- Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor
- Elizabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith
- Ian Marter as Harry Sullivan
During the production of the twelfth season, it became known that John Pertwy , who played the role of the Third Doctor , left the project, and therefore the film crew urgently needed to find a replacement for him [1] . Tom Baker at that time could not get at least some role, so the main source of his income was construction [2] [3] . At that time, his most significant works were his participation in the films The Crypt of Horror and The Golden Journey of Sinbad (both came out in 1973). Therefore, he turned to Bill Slater, who at the time was the head of the series on TV production [3] , and he contacted Barry Letts and proposed Baker as the new Doctor [2] [3] . Letts, who was the producer of Doctor Who for almost all the seasons featuring Victim, was familiar with Baker’s work on Sinbad’s Golden Journey and immediately accepted the offer [4] . As a result, Tom Baker became the fourth actor to play the protagonist of the series, starring in seven seasons, which still remains the longest participation of the performer of the role of the Doctor in the history of the show [5] .
Ellisabeth Slayden returned to her role as Sarah Jane Smith, Ian Marter joined the project as the new companion, Harry Sullivan.
Minor
- Nicholas Courtney as Team Leader of Lethbridge Stewart
- John Leven as Sergeant Benton
Nicholas Courtney and John Leven returned to their roles as Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart and Sergeant Benton, respectively, appearing in the Robot series [6] . Lethbridge-Stewart first appeared in the Web of Fear series (then he was promoted to Colonel), and Benton in the Invasion series, both episodes tell of the adventures of the Second Doctor . Both are members of the UNIT paramilitary organization and, like Sarah Jane Smith, will be among those associated with both the Third and Fourth Doctors, despite the fact that the Robot series is the only one in the season in which UNIT soldiers appear .
Invited
- Michael Wisher as Davros
In the Origin of the Daleks series, Davros, the mad scientist from the planet Skaro and the creator of the Dalek race, first appears. His role was played by Michael Visher. This is the only appearance of the actor as Davros, in the series “ The Fate of the Daleks ” he was replaced by David Guderson.
Series
All series of this season, except the first, came out one after another and were connected by one common storyline, despite which the series are considered autonomous stories.
Season 12 consists of 20 episodes, but initially it was supposed to be divided into 26 episodes according to the same scheme as the previous one - three episodes of 6 parts and two of 4. Based on this, the four-part plots called “ Robot ” were to be broadcast first. and “Space Station”, and after them - six-part (“The Origin of Terror” (later renamed the “ Origin of the Daleks ”), “Loch Ness” and the nameless series at that time). Nevertheless, the script editor Robert Holmes raised the question of the possible division of the nonexistent six-part series into two (of 4 parts and 2 parts, respectively). Thus, the structure of the season began to look like this: initially there were the Robot and Space Station series (replaced by the Ark in Space ), consisting of four parts, followed by the two-part series “Destructors” (renamed “ Sontaran’s experiment ”), then the six-part“ Origin of Terror ”and at the end -“ Loch Ness ”in four parts (almost immediately renamed to“ Zygon Terror ”and postponed until the 13th season, replaced by“ Revenge of the Cybermen ”) [7] . As a result of this, the Sontaranza Experiment was the first series:
- consisting of two parts, for the first time since the release of the series of the second season, “ Salvation ”
- completely shot outside the studio, for the first time since the release of the series of the seventh season " Point from space "
- completely shot on video, despite the fact that for shooting outside the studio a 16 mm film was usually used [8]
In order to save money when shooting the series “ The Ark in Space ” and “ Revenge of the Cybermen ”, the same scenery was used.
| No. | # | Title | Parts (episodes) | Producer | Screenwriter | Viewers (million) [9] | Rating Index [9] | release date aired | The code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| one | 75 | Robot " Robot " | 4 episodes | Christopher Barry | Terrance Dicks | 10.8 10.7 10.1 9.0 | 53 53 - 51 | December 28, 1974 January 4, 1975 January 11, 1975 January 18, 1975 | 4A |
| After regeneration, the Doctor faces a new danger - a giant robot created by a group of scientists to seize power over the world. Having defeated the robot, Doctor, Sarah Jane and UNIT's military doctor Harry Sullivan leave Earth on the TARDIS. | |||||||||
| 2 | 76 | " The Ark in Space " " The Ark in Space " | 4 episodes | Rodney Benett | Robert Holmes John Lucarotti | 9.4 13.6 11.2 10.2 | - | January 25, 1975 February 1, 1975 February 8, 1975 February 15, 1975 | 4C |
| The TARDIS gets to the Nerva space station, where the remains of humanity in cryogenic chambers were waiting for a cataclysm that destroyed earthly life. However, the station was attacked by the Varrins, intelligent parasites that lay their eggs in living flesh. | |||||||||
| 3 | 77 | The Sontaran experiment " The Sontaran Experiment " | 2 episodes | Rodney Benett | Bob baker Dave Martin | 11.0 10.5 | - 55 | February 22, 1975 March 1, 1975 | 4B |
| After defeating the Warrins, the Doctor, Sarah Jane and Harry teleport to Earth to find out if it is suitable for life. However, on Earth they find not only a group of people, but also a Sontaran scout preparing to take over the planet. | |||||||||
| four | 78 | “ The origin of the far ” " Genesis of the Daleks " | 6 episodes | David maloney | Terry Nation | 10.7 10.5 8.5 8.8 9.8 9.1 | - 57 - 58 57 56 | March 8, 1975 March 15, 1975 March 22, 1975 March 29, 1975 April 5, 1975 April 12, 1975 | 4E |
| The Time Lords cast the Doctor and his companions on the planet Scaro, the ancestral home of the far, at the height of the war between Tali and Kaledi. The task of the Doctor is either to prevent the emergence of far away at all, or at least to find out the vulnerabilities of a race that threatens all life in the universe. | |||||||||
| 5 | 79 | “ Revenge of the Cybermen ” " Revenge of the Cybermen " | 4 episodes | Michael Bryant | Jerry Davis | 9.5 8.3 8.9 9.4 | 57 - - 58 | April 19, 1975 April 26, 1975 May 3, 1975 May 10, 1975 | 4D |
| Instead of the "Nerves", the Doctor and his companions find themselves on the eponymous lighthouse installed at Woga - the new satellite of Jupiter. As it soon turns out, a terrible epidemic is raging aboard this lighthouse. | |||||||||
Production
Barry Letts remained in the post of producer only until the release of the premiere series of the season , after which he was replaced by Philip Hinchcliffe. At the same time, Robert Holmes became a script editor instead of Terrence Dix.
Terrence Dix wrote the script for the Robot series and, as the scriptwriter claims, during the course of his work he was greatly influenced by the 1933 movie King Kong [10] . He also borrowed some elements from the “ Point from Space ” series, the first episode from Perbi’s, to facilitate the target audience’s adoption of the new Doctor [11] [12] . The script for the series “ The Ark in Space ” was originally written by John Lucarotti, but his story was considered inappropriate, as a result, Robert Holmes rewrote it [13] [11] . Letts and Dicks also suggested Terry Neyshnu return to the project for a while and write another story about distant ones, he agreed and sent them a script that the film crew did not like too much, since it was too reminiscent of previous adventures with the participation of distant ones. Instead of approving the script, Letts and Dix were asked to write the history of the origin of this alien species, and Nation wrote " The Origin of the Far Away " [14] . In general, Doctor Who, under the leadership of Hinchcliffe, began to acquire a darker atmosphere [14] .
The series " Ark in Space " and " Revenge of the Cybermen " involved the same scenery [15] . Despite the fact that the series “ The Origin of the Far Away ” was shown before the series “ Revenge of the Cybermen ”, its filming was the last [16] , in January-February 1975 [17] .
Show
The show of the season series lasted from December 28, 1974 to May 10, 1975.
All episodes of the season had the same credits as in the previous season, with the only difference being that Victim’s face was replaced by Baker’s. Nevertheless, the credits of the first episode of the series “ The Ark in Space ” as an experiment were colored green, but not blue, however, in subsequent episodes such changes were not observed [18] .
DVD Releases
All episodes of the 12th season, as well as the episodes of most of the previous seasons, were released on DVD independently from each other - either in separate editions or as part of thematic collections.
| Series | Quantity and Duration episodes | Region 2 | Region 4 | Region 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robot | 4 × 25 m. | June 4, 2007 | July 4, 2007 | August 14, 2007 |
| Ark in space | 4 × 25 m. | April 8, 2002 | June 3, 2002 | August 6, 2002 |
| The Ark in Space - Special Edition | 4 × 25 m. | February 25, 2013 | February 27, 2013 | March 12, 2013 |
| Sontaranza experiment In Regions 2 and 4 as part of the Bred for War compilation In Region 1, it was published only as a separate publication | 2 × 25 m. | October 9, 2006 | October 7, 2006 | March 6, 2007 |
| The origin of the far In Regions 2 and 4 as part of The Complete Davros Collection In Region 1, it was published only as a separate publication | 6 × 25 m. | April 10, 2006 | May 4, 2006 | June 6, 2006 |
| Revenge of the Cybermen In Regions 2 and 4 as part of the Cybermen Digest In Region 1, it was published only as a separate publication | 4 × 25 m. | August 9, 2010 | October 7, 2010 | November 2, 2010 |
Books
| Series | Adaptation | Author | First published |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robot | "Doctor Who and the Giant Robot" | Terrence Dicks | |
| " The Ark in Space " | "Doctor Who and the Ark in Space" | Ian Marter | |
| The Sontaran experiment | "Doctor Who and the Sontaranz Experiment" | Ian Marter | |
| “ The origin of the far ” | "Doctor Who and the Origin of the Daleks" | Terrence Dicks | |
| “ Revenge of the Cybermen ” | "Doctor Who and Revenge of the Cybermen" | Terrence Dicks |
Notes
- ↑ Doctor Who Stories: Elizabeth Sladen Part 1 [DVD]. London, England, UK: BBC Video . (2012). ISBN 9780780684416. OCLC {{{OCLC}}} .
- ↑ 1 2 Who could've been Who? An alternate history of Doctor Who . Den of Geek . London, England, UK: Dennis Publishing (April 24, 2008). - "Eventually a suggestion by the wife of BBC drama head Bill Slater was followed up and the production team found the wild-eyed and naturally eccentric Tom Baker mixing cement on a building site." Date of treatment January 18, 2013.
- ↑ 1 2 3 Top 10 Doctor Who producers: Part Two . Den of Geek . London, England, UK: Dennis Publishing (April 1, 2010). - “Letts found casting a new Doctor more difficult, however, until a tip-off from his boss Bill Slater. An unemployed actor, then working on a building site, called Tom Baker had written to Slater asking for work. In, arguably, one of the best decisions ever made on Doctor Who, Letts cast Tom Baker as the fourth Doctor. ” Date of treatment January 18, 2013.
- ↑ Rawson-Jones, Ben A tribute to 'Doctor Who' legend Barry Letts . Digital Spy . New York City, New York, USA: Hearst Magazines UK (October 14, 2009). - "Having seen unknown hod-carrier Baker in The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad, Letts took the goggle-eyed aspiring actor away from the building site and into the Tardis in 1974." Date of treatment January 18, 2013.
- ↑ AudioFile staff. AudioFile audiobook review: DOCTOR WHO By Terrance Dicks, Read by Tom Baker (English) // AudioFile : magazine / Whitten, Robin F. .. - Portland, Maine, USA: AudioFile Publications, 2009. - July. - ISSN 1063-0244 .
- ↑ Braxton, Mark. Doctor Who: Robot - Radio Times (Eng.) // Radio Times : magazine / Preston, Ben. - London, England, UK: Immediate Media Company 2010 .-- 7 May. - ISSN 0033-8060 .
- ↑ Doctor Who: The Scripts - Tom Baker 1974/5. - London: BBC Worldwide Limited, 2001. - P. 22-23. - ISBN 0563538155 .
- ↑ The Sontaran Experiment . Doctor Who Restoration Team (August 12, 2006). Date of treatment April 15, 2013. Archived June 1, 2012.
- ↑ 1 2 Ratings Guide . Doctor Who News . Date of treatment December 27, 2014.
- ↑ Muir, John Kenneth. A critical history of Doctor Who on television . - illustrated. - Jefferson, North Carolina, USA: McFarland & Company , 1999 .-- ISBN 9780786404421 .
- ↑ 1 2 Cornell, Day and Topping (2004) p. 168
- ↑ Howe and Walker (2004)
- ↑ Howe, Stammers & Walker, 1992 , p. 57
- ↑ 1 2 Tom Baker , Terrance Dicks , , , , Elisabeth Sladen , . Genesis of a Classic [DVD]. Genesis of the Daleks DVD: BBC Worldwide .
- ↑ Howe, Stammers & Walker, 1992 , pp. 58, 63, 64
- ↑ Richard Molesworth (compiler). Genesis of the Daleks with Information Text [DVD]. Genesis of the Daleks DVD: BBC Worldwide .
- ↑ Braxton, Mark Doctor Who: Genesis of the Daleks . Radio Times (June 14, 2010). Date of treatment October 14, 2012.
- ↑ Richards, Justin. Doctor Who: The Legend Continues - 5 decades of time travel. - revised. - London: BBC Books , 2005. - P. 199. - ISBN 0-563-48640-6 .
Literature
- Cornell, Paul. The Discontinuity Guide: The Unofficial Doctor Who Companion / Paul Cornell, Martin Day, Keith Topping. - 2nd. - Austin, Texas, USA: MonkeyBrain Books , October 1, 2004 .-- ISBN 9781932265095 .
- Howe, David J .; Walker, Stephen James. The Television Companion: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to Doctor Who . - Tolworth, Surrey, England, UK: Telos Publishing , October 30, 2004 .-- ISBN 9781903889527 .
- Howe, David J .; Stammers, Mark; Walker, Stephen James. The Fourth Doctor Handbook: The Tom Baker Years 1974-1981 . - London, England, UK: Doctor Who Books , 1992. - ISBN 9780426203698 .
Links
- bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/season12.shtml - the official website of the classic Doctor Who