As a strange force takes hold of the TARDIS, the Doctor and his friends find themselves grounded on the inhospitable planet of Frontios, where the last survivors of the human race scratch out a desperate existence far away from their long dead homeworld.
The colonists are gripped by fear and paranoia as the planet is battered by attacks from space and they watch as the bodies of their dead are sucked into the ground. But the Doctor only appreciates the true gravity of the situation when he finds that the TARDIS has been destroyed...
Original VHS video release synopsis - 1997.
Having prior helped define the character of the Fifth Doctor with his opening story, alongside the old man trapped in a young man's body motif that star Peter Davison would enjoy developing further in his final season (and particularly here), with the welcome return of his half-frame glasses), former Who script editor Christopher H. Bidmead returns with a knockout science fiction adventure mixing high- concept with atmospheric monster scares in Frontios, a tale I thoroughly enjoyed upon original transmission and had prior eagerly awaited since first seeing early sneak peek footage for it during January 1984. For me the story was superbly realized, the crashed starship and colony under attack from missile bombardments, were, I thought, effectively handled - all the production and costume design synched well and created an air of believable realism in the genre, with director Ron Jones finally coming into his own with a great script and characters to sink his teeth into. And again, there's a wonderful supporting guest cast who help bring it all to life, especially Lesley Dunlop and William Lucas, whilst companions Tegan and Turlough (who gets to reveal some of his people's intriguing backstory) also had lots to do within the adventure and were never left out of things.
As for the prime enemies of the story, the Tractators (based on an idea of the writer observing a colony of woodlice on the floor of his flat), despite their ultimate lack of on-screen fast movement, prove a fine idea and a chilling adversary, using creepy powers (and effective video effects) that can literally suck people under the ground. Their leader, the Gravis (well voiced by John Gillet), is equally formidable, operating from their equally well-conceived underground realm from which they make their great plans to infest the universe.
Sadly, with all this great work over three prior episodes (also featuring memorable cliffhangers and a great pipe synthesized score from Paddy Kingsland), the rushed ending to the story, featuring the previously 'destroyed' TARDIS reformed so as to separate the Gravis creature from its colony, feels anti-climactic, in a way that stops the story from reaching the all-time classic status it deserves, though the lead-in to Resurrection of the Daleks is ominously effective. Frontios is the last story in which fans and viewers get to enjoy the superb TARDIS trio of the Doctor, Tegan and Turlough, working beautifully as a team before their season break-up begins. They overall couldn't have had a better tale to go out on.
The Doctor and his companions arrive on the bleak world of Frontios, where the last humans' colony world is constantly under attack from an unknown menace.
The Doctor tends to the wounded, as Mister Range (William Range) outlines the tragic history of the Earth colony, now on the brink of extinction.
The Doctor and Norna (Lesley Dunlop) converse with a patient (Barbie Denham). In a first for the eighties series, the Doctor is worried that his intervention with the colony at this transient stage of their existence will incur the potential wrath of the Time Lords.
Colony leader Plantagenet (Jeff Rawle) and Deputy Brazen (Peter Gilmour) believe the Doctor and friends to be part of the alien invaders.
Our heroes swift exit plans lead to a shocking discovery!
The TARDIS has seemingly been destroyed. Making the most of this idea producer John Nathan-Turner launched a brief press gimmick that the TARDIS was going to be indefinitely removed from the series. Colourised image by Deborah Brown.
About to explore the secret caverns beneath the wrecked colony ship.
Norna and Turlough before they begin a terrifying expedition.
Captured by the Tractators, in a memorable Part Two cliffhanger.
Exploring the realm of the Tractators, the Doctor and Tegan have some fine scenes together.
A Tractator and their leader, the Gravis.
Tegan and Turlough meet their underground foes.
Young leader Plantagenet (Jeff Rawle) has been captured.
Awaiting his fate.
Former colony leader Captain Revere (John Beardman), now a 'tool' of the Tractators!
Plantagenet is to be the next driver of the Tractators' excavating machine, also made from human parts.
The Doctor uses the Gravis's immense power to reconfigure and combine the outer-plasmic shell and interior of the TARDIS, before ultimately trapping it from its colony.
Upon leaving Frontios, our TARDIS travellers are soon caught in a time corridor, heading towards a mysterious foe at the centre of the universe...
The memorable cover showcasing the story, for Doctor Who Magazine issue 86, March 1984.
Original Radio Times transmission listings.
Original Target Books adaptation art by Andrew Skilleter.
Original UK VHS release sleeve art by Colin Howard.
A great publicity image used for the cover of Doctor Who Magazine Issue 220 - 1994. Davison enjoyed working on the story, and especially with guest star Lesley Dunlop.
The memorable In-Vision cover. Art by Brian Hudd.
US DVD release composition art by Lee Binding.
Great fan art cover tribute by Philip James Allison.
Get the BBC Audiobooks Target Books adaptation here:
The classic Target Books cover art by the much-missed Chris Achilleos.
No touch pod! The Doctor's grave warning to a British scientific team following their unusual discovery within the perilous Antarctic wastes, does, of course, go unheeded. Planet Earth, and especially humanity, is soon in peril from the dreaded planet life carnivore known as the Krynoid, in the all-time classic gem of horror and action beloved by fans that is The Seeds of Doom!
A return to a troubled realm for the Doctor. Photo composition art by Lee Johnson for the Doctor Who - The Complete History partwork series.
The TARDIS brings the Doctor and Sarah to the medieval planet Peladon, some half a century after the Time Lord's first visit. now under the benign influence of the Galactic Federation, the Pel nobles enjoy new riches and new technology.
But the Federation is at war with Galaxy Five, and Peladon has taken on a new tactical importance; it is rich in the rare mineral trisilicate, which is vital to the war effort. the Pel miners, however, are in revolt. For too long they have been overworked and taken for granted by the Federation and the Pel royalty. They believe that Federation machinery has awoken the spirit of the legendary Aggedor, who is now slaughtering aliens and unbelievers. As open rebellion erupts, the Federation sends in a hard-line military taskforce - Commander Azaxyr and his ice warriors
The Doctor and Sarah must not only act as peace-keepers between the warring fractions but also discover the truth behind the 'spirit'. They soon learn that the Galactic Federation has been infiltrated by traitors and spies, determined to destroy the alliance from within...
Official BBC Video VHS story synopsis sleeve notes - November 1995.
With the original The Curse of Peladon having been so well received by the public it was a no-brainer to the Who production team that they should attempt a sequel with Pertwee's final season, and one that would make further use of the prior story's already created sets, costumes and monsters from 1971/72, especially the impressive Ice Warriors costume and their new Ice Lord leader. The end result - The Monster of Peladon - is sadly not quite as good sequel-wise, primarily because the story is just too long at six episodes (especially linked to the plotting of the Pel miners' struggles, characters who look visually bizarre to general audiences with their unique afro hair styles) when a tight-to-the-bone four-parter would have been much more effective and welcome. Still, it's great to see the formidable Ice Warriors return once more before disappearing from Classic Whodom forever, and especially back to their original bad guys status. Tom Baker look-a-like Donald Gee, as mining expert Eckersley, is a solid stand-out with his character's shades of grey attitude that gets darker as the story goes on, whilst Alpha Centaur is as dizzyingly delightful as ever (thanks to Ysanne Churchman's voicing, clearly relishing such a fun role). And the ferocious but cute Aggedor (once more inhabited by stuntman Nick Hobbs) makes an appealing final impression on younger viewers. It's the monster scenes in the story that I primarily remember the most from the story's original transmission, notably the moments where the captured Doctor and Sarah are pushed into the pit to encounter Aggedor, and the arrival of the Ice Warriors with their subsequent subterranean conflicts against the resident miners.
Pertwee and a group of set visitors to the BBC meet Aggedor!
The then recently opened Gatwick Airport is the setting for an unusual and eerie alien mystery set on modern day Earth, July 1966, featuring the aeroplanes-full kidnapping of human students by the mystery Chameleon species. It's also an adventure that will see-in the sad departure of popular Hartnell/Troughton eras companions able seaman Ben Jackson and his favourite 'duchess', Polly.
A genuine fan favourite which also made a fine realisation into animated form, The Faceless Ones certainly made their mark then and now, as captured in this very effective art for the cover of the excellent fan magazine An Adventure in Space & Time, by Andrew Martin.
Support your local sheriff, or in this case your local 'Doctor', as the First Incarnation and his 'rootin'-tootin'' companions Steven and Dodo find themselves immersed in the problems and dangers leading to the infamous and legendary Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. A great piece by veteran Who artist Daryl Joyce celebrating the fan-popular comedy drama, The Gunfighters.
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