CELEBRATING FORTY YEARS OF SEASON TWENTY: 'ARC OF INFINITY'
The nostalgia factor begins for the Twentieth Anniversary season with Arc of Infinity. Lovely Target cover reprint art by Alister Pearson.
A mysterious foe emergent from an equally mysterious and powerful region of space linked to anti-matter, followed by the attempted temporal bonding of said foe with our unwilling Time Lord hero, resulting in the Doctor's own race desperately ready to eliminate him so as to stop the building threat from possibly destroying the known matter universe. This is the intriguing start to the Twentieth Anniversary Season's opening tale, Arc of Infinity. Yet how does all this ominous danger link in to the beautiful city of Amsterdam of Earth, concurrent with the return of the Doctor's former companion and 'mouth on legs', Tegan Jovanka?
Lots of mystery, threat and intrigue for the Fifth Doctor, though Johnny Byrne's script is another variation of sorts on his acclaimed prior work on The Keeper of Traken, albeit with a different Time Lord enemy and the setting relocated to the citadel corridors and chambers of Gallifrey. Still, it's nonetheless great to see the return of the Time Lords with their worried high council (including a lovely series return from Michael Gough), unseen for five years, as well as the surprise revenge/continuing pathos of the renegade Omega, in completely different visual form and manner compared to his first appearance in 1973, with a fine performance from Ian Collier that's less shouty than the previous 1973 performance by Stephen Thorne but still effectively balancing genius with bitter anger.
A radical new look for Tegan and one of several new costumes (finally!) for Nyssa during the start to Season Twenty, as captured in this lovely location press image taken on location in Amsterdam.
A Daily Express article promoting the then upcoming Amsterdam-set story.
Original Radio Times listings page for Part One. Image: via Graeme Wood Collection.
Images: Radio Times.
Beyond the nostalgia of Gallifrey, there's fun locales and chasing around in picturesque Amsterdam, backed up by sprightly direction from an improving Ron Jones; Tegan is back to her normal self by the end of the story, once more reunited with Nyssa and The Doctor (though the latter two actually did make a fine pairing without her at the story's start), and Colin Baker is all lovably snarly and superior as Commander Maxil of the Gallifreyan Guard. Though Baker proved a fine casting choice (still well known for his villainous role in The Brothers), the recent behind the scenes revelation that the Maxil role had been prior offered, but turned down, by one Mister Pierce (pre-007) Brosnan was interesting - he would surely have made an intriguing dark-haired, handsome young adversary counterpoint to/against the equally dashing, fair-haired younger Doctor...
'The Renegade' revealed - the return of the former Gallifreyan stellar engineer, Omega, as realised in this great commercial art piece from 1983 by Andrew Skilleter.
Omega's servant, the chicken-esque Ergon, protects the underground crypt in Amsterdam now housing Omega's TARDIS.
Welcome back to Gallifrey!
The Doctor surrounded by an 'Incident' (?) of Time Lords with his shock return to Gallifrey.
Gallifreyan security- Commander Maxil (Colin Baker) and The Castellan (Paul Jerricho).
The traitor revealed!
The Doctor discovers the conspiratorial truth about his old friend Councillor Hedin (Michael Gough).
In his own TARDIS, Omega's transference procedure begins...
"The bond is not complete..."
A new but recognisable face for Omega, and a fine showcase for Peter Davison to do some 'evil' acting.
The In-Vision issue for the story. Art by Phil Bevan.
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