The Krynoid menace awakens to threaten extinction. Artist by Sean Longmore.
"... the size of St. Paul's Cathedral. After that it will multiply itself a thousand fold until it takes over your entire planet."
20th Century Earth. A research team based in the Antarctic unwittingly digs up two mysterious pods which have laid buried in the snow for twenty thousand years.
Yet the identity of the pods is no mystery to the Doctor. That they are Krynoid - a hostile, alien species of plant life, there can be no doubt. And his fears are confirmed when one of the pods opens and attacks a scientist.
Unfortunately, the Doctor is not the only one interested in the seeds - an insane millionaire, Harrison Chase, is desperate to get his hands on a pod at any costs- even murder. But why?
Events spiral out of control as the remaining pod reaches England, splitting open to reveal a ferocious Krynoid carnivore. Can the Doctor arrest its development? For, as its strength grows every moment, it threatens to turn Earth's vegetation hostile too. It's germination could jeopardise the security of mankind itself..."
Official BBC VHS synopsis - 1994
It's the end of an era in many ways for Classic Who as its finest director Douglas Camfield and writer Robert Banks Stewart bow out with this All-Time Classic adventure, which featured heavy contributions for the story's opening episodes by Robert Holmes, We even might have lost Elisabeth Sladen with this story too, what with the end of her contract. Thankfully the production team, who didn't really want to lose her, would persuade Miss Sladen to stay on for a few more classic tales in Season Fourteen.
I enjoyed The Seeds of Doom greatly as a six year old, what with its air of monster mayhem (I always thought the large Krynoid was nasty, if a bit wobbly, though!) amidst a story that wouldn't have been out of place in The Avengers. Our exuberant, action-packed Doctor was almost like John Steed, and Sarah almost like Emma Peel (if not in combat mode) as they took on the looney planet aficionado Harrison Chase (the superb Tony Beckley, who died far too young) and later Boycie icon John Challis as the mercenary Scorby. All of the story remains vivid from the time and its always fun to revisit it, especially with last year's Season Thirteen Collection release.
Great Frank Bellamy listings promo in the Radio Times.
The Krynoid pod soon takes control and absorbs its first human victim in the Antarctic.
The Doctor and Sarah travel to the Antarctica base to confront and help destroy the first Krynoid pod discovery.
"A pity. I could have had two pods!" The insane Harrison Chase (Tony Beckley, in a superb performance) is determined to lead a plant revolution against the Human vermin!
Chase is keen for the captured Sarah to be the second Krynoid pod's victim. But it all goes wrong thankfully, when the Doctor interferes.
The pod infected Keeler (Mark Jones), soon to become the ultimate threat to animal kind.
The second Krynoid lurks across the grounds of Chase's mansion.
Don't look behind you!
The Doctor and Sarah confront the beast in a classic publicity image.
Our heroes, with one of the UNIT troops and the soon dead mercenary Scorby (John Challis), witness the creature's expanse.
The Krynoid is ultimately destroyed by the firepower of the RAF!
Behind the scenes of the BBC model filming in 1976.
Elisabeth Sladen looking gorgeous on location.
The ever-reliable Douglas Camfield, in his final work for Who, and producer Phillip Hinchcliffe.
US Pinnacle Books release cover art by David Mann.
The first Krynoid is the cover star to the In-Vision fan coverage of the story from the 90's.
UK VHS cover art by Colin Howard.
The UK DVD release. Composition by Clayton Hickman.
UK DVD Files magazine release from the 2000's.
Doctor Who Magazine issue 443's memorable cover.
Target Books tribute art by Philip James Allison.
Original Target Books cover art by Chris Achilleos.
Get the BBC Audio adaptation of the Philip Hinchcliffe Target novel adaptation here:
Newly arrived on the stark desert world of Metebelis III, Sarah's courage is tested to the limit when she confronts one of the dangerous and powerful Spiders of that world, the creature planning to use the female human for its own purposes in garnering the much-wanted Great Crystal now located on Earth.
Another impressive posed publicity image taken for Planet of the Spiders.
Newly arrived at Gatwick Airport in 1966 with her TARDIS friends, it isn't long before Polly is separated from them and captured by the eerie Chameleon aliens, effectively used as part of their ongoing facade/secret mission to capture humans for their own purposes, during the intriguing Earth-based events of The Faceless Ones.
Great Target Book cover tribute art by Philip James Allison.
The Seventh Doctor has fallen foul of bizarre types of authority again, and this time he's suffering the full force of the deranged, possessed Chief Caretaker languishing within the dangerous and dilapidated Paradise Towers, as top-tier guest star Richard Briers hams thing up with relish, and it's all very enjoyable!
Having been prior humiliated and his plans thwarted by the Doctor over the Key to Time saga, there was no doubt that the evil, all-domineering force for evil that is the Black Guardian (played with relish by Valentine Dyall) would seek revenge on the Time Lord, finally catching up with him and laying his murderous traps, via his new reluctant acolyte Turlough, across three critical stories over Season Twenty.
Meeting his demise in the best Frankenstein's Monster tradition, the evil rebirth of the Time Lord megalomaniac Morbius is now at an end, as the mind/creature falls over a cliff within the spooky, lightening-lashed world of Karn, challenged by the fierce determination of the local Sisterhood witches. Great art by Tom Connell, a commission that appeared in one of the early UK DVD files magazines for the Classic Series.
My memories of The Brain of Morbius from its original transmission are near complete, especially the opening episode, many of the scenes with the Sisterhood of Karn, and the grisly moments that would make Mary Whitehouse boil over with rage, including Condo's brutal shooting and Morbius's brain glooping out of its container!
Heroes, villains and monsters galore, the colourful and exciting Jon Pertwee era of Doctor Who cemented the show's popularity with audiences for years to come, of which all are well showcased in this lovely image composition by Lee Johnson.
Now charged with enough crystalline energy absorption needed to reactivate both themselves and their massive ship, the two Kroton bio-robots are now planning the further enslavement, or destruction, of the weakened Gond populace that live in their thrall, in a memorable moment from The Krotons, the first repeated Patrick Troughton adventure (in 1981) on BBC TV since 1968!
The era of Rock 'n Roll meets the Doctor and Mel as they travel with other aliens to a unique holiday destination experience. All goes relatively well until the arrival of the brutal Gavrok and his Bannerman mercenaries, in pursuit of the mysterious fugitive, the Chimeron Queen, in the popular and nostalgic three-parter Delta and the Bannerman. Personally, I prefer the intriguing original title for the story: Flight of the Chimeron.
Great Lee Johnson art composition for Doctor Who - The Complete History.
The Sea Devils and Silurians have begin their attack on the troubled Sea Base Four of 2084, firstly by unleashing the aquatic terror they possess that is the Myrka, of which The Doctor and an injured Tegan are now isolated and trapped in its fierce company, during the Part Two cliffhanger to Warriors of the Deep.
"That thing's gonna kill us!"
The rushed to production story, and its 'pantomime horse' operated creature (which I originally thought looked good in close-up and some front side shots), proved a disappointment to many fans on its original transmission, and was most likely the story that initiated the ever malignant Michael Grade into wanting to cancel the show for good beyond 1985. Now, with the remastered, re-edited story as part of The Collection - Season 21 Blu-ray set, with its now more fearsome Myrka, we hope fans minds are more positively directed towards the story. And we hope Michael Grade has received a viewing copy too!
The all-new fearsome Mykra of the Warriors of the Deep - Special Edition, from 2026.
Great work by Chris Stephens Creations and the BBC team.
With the alien Kraal's plan of Earth conquest revealed via its specially created training ground recreation, the Doctor confronts an android version of his faithful companion Sarah Jane Smith, who soon shoots at the the escaping Time Lord. A memorable and spooky moment, developed by Phillip Hinchcliffe, from the fun Terry Nation duplicates yarn, The Android Invasion.
Stranded on the lost world of Dido, its once civilisation mysteriously deceased, the young Earth girl Vicki must survive within a crashed spaceship, looking after its injured pilot, Bennett, and dealing with the harsh, mysterious creature known as Koquillion that regularly visits and torments her. Maureen O'Brien would have an excellent introduction to the series as new companion Vicki within the effective David Whitaker written two-parter, The Rescue.
The original audio soundtrack for this story comes with crisply efficient linking narration from O'Brien, a natural choice to helm this LP given its importance as her character's introductory story. Now available (18th April, 2026) from Demon Records, it also includes an all-new, near ten minutes long interview with the actor on how she got the memorable part.
The Mummies return! Great art for the Target Book reprint by Andrew Skilleter.
The future of the cosmos is at stake as the Doctor faces his most fearsome adversary in this four part adventure. Returning to Unit HQ on Earth, the Tardis is thrown violently about by a mysterious force and Sarah and the Doctor arrive instead at an old priory in the year 1911. The owner, Marcus Scarman, has been excavating ancient tombs and is possessed by the spirit of Sutekh, bringer of the 'the gift of death to all mankind'. Sutekh has lain for thousands of years in his pyramid prison and Scarman and his robot mummies plan to relwese this ancient and evil power. Will Sutekh the all-powerful be freed from his bonds and destroy the world, or will the Doctor manage to bring about his destruction?
Original BBC VHS release synopsis.
Meticulously written by Robert Holmes, and directed in a non-flashy but highly effective way by Paddy Russell, Pyramids of Mars shines in all the right places as an All-Time Classic, enhanced by the more alien than ever Tom Baker at his charismatic best and Elisabeth Sladen never better as Sarah. As a five-year old, I found it terrifying to watch on its original transmission, especially the episode one cliffhanger with the arrival of the possessed Scarman in that scary black Eqyptian beetle outfit, swiftly burning Namin (Peter Mayock) to death (I literally ran to the door of the front room and watched through the cracks to see what happened next in episode two!), plus the ongoing pursuits of the inhuman Mummies out to crush their prey. And then there was Sutekh - who better to voice the chilling destroyer of the universe than Gabriel Woolf, joining Michael Wisher as Davros within the top tier of great actors to play Classic Who villains.
As to that niggling ongoing debate about how Sarah knew how to use a rifle in blowing up the pyramid rocket ? Well, it's obvious that Sergeant Benton taught her a few (offscreen) tricks during the previous UNIT/ Zygon encounter!
Trouble in the TARDIS as an alien apparition invades and the TARDIS makes a materialisation at the right place but the wrong time.
The Doctor and Sarah explore the missing Professor Scarman's residence (eventually the UNIT base of the 70's/80's) and discover that his passion for Egyptology has gotten the better of him!
The Doctor helps the wounded Dr. Warlock (Peter Copley), investigating the disappearance of Marcus Scarman, shot by the evil Sutekh's current human servant, Namin.
The Doctor investigates Lawrence Scarman's Marconiscope communications device.
The Doctor and Lawrence (Michael Sheard) confer on the radio wave signals from Mars sending out a terrifying warning - "Beware Sutekh"!
Sutekh's true servant (he needs no other!), Marcus Scarman, returns to his once home...
... and soon murders faithful to the end Namin (Peter Maycock).
The possessed Scarman (Bernard Archard) instructs its robot servitors on the creation of the weapon needed to destroy the Mars pyramid holding Sutekh as a powerless prisoner.
The Doctor investigates Sutekh's space/time tunnel. But beware!
Our heroes encounter a parallel future for Earth that is catastrophic if Sutekh is freed.
The Mummies brutally slay the poacher of the Scarman estate. Later, the possessed Marcus Scarman will kill his own brother.
The Mummies stand ready at the pyramid missile.
Sarah takes aim to detonate the explosive at the pyramid missile placed by the Doctor.
The evil Sutekh in his prison lair, chillingly voiced by Gabriel Woolf.
Though thwarting Sutekh's explosive plans, the Doctor soon becomes a plaything of Sutekh and must do his bidding.
The possessed Doctor returns and takes the captured party to Mars, to destroy the defensive systems still protecting Sutekh,
The Doctor and Sarah in a rehearsal shot.
Now released, the true visage of the vengeance-wreaking Sutekh.
The creature is thankfully banished to the end of time by a quick-thinking Doctor as the old priory soon burns to the ground.
Top Special Effects veteran Ian Scoones adjusts the TARDIS model in flight.
Again with the TARDIS.
Gabriel Woolf on playing Sutekh.
Original BBC edited UK VHS release from the eighties.
Target Books blue spine reprint art by Alister Pearson.
Original UK DVD cover release, composition by Clayton Hickman.
US DVD release cover from the nineties.
UK DVD partwork series cover of the 2000's.
Unique one-off poster magazine from the story, from Doctor Who Magazine.
A memorable cover to issue 176 of Doctor Who Magazine.
A super cover from Issue 348, October 2004, of Doctor Who Magazine.
Striking fan poster homage by Oliver Arkinstall-Jones.
Original Target cover art by Chris Achilleos adapted for the BBC Audio release.
Get the BBC Audio adaptation of the Target novel here:
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