Sirens of Ceres (TV story)

Sirens of Ceres was the fifth episode of K9. It was written by Deborah Parsons, directed by Daniel Nettheim and featured John Leeson as K9 Mark 2, Keegan Joyce as Starkey, Philippa Coulthard as Jorjie Turner, Daniel Webber as Darius Pike and Robert Moloney as Alistair Gryffen.

K9's role was smaller as this episode focused on other characters, in particular Jorjie.

Synopsis
When Jorjie hits one of the robot police with a stone, her mother punishes her by sending her to the private school Magdalene Academy. But the Department are testing an alien mineral weapon, which they can use to control students in the academy.

Plot
Vibeka, an activist, is protesting CCPC violence when she is apprehended by two of them. K9, Starkey and Jorjie witness the arrest and Starkey records it to "publicise the violence". Jorjie decides to take action and despite Starkey's warning, she throws a stone at one of the CCPCs. The three run as Inspector Drake arrives and takes Vibeka away. Two CCPCs corner them and a third confiscates Starkey's recording. Drake orders the CCPCs to use an unknown device, the Inhibitor, into which the CCPC puts an alien substance. The device fails, destroying the CCPC and sending K9 flying. Drake is angered at this and crushes the top off his cane.

At Jorjie's house, June is shocked to learn that Jorjie threw a stone at a CCPC. She is even angrier that Jorjie dismisses her concerns by complaining of a headache. Jorjie says the CCPC was using a strange weapon.

Back at the mansion, Gryffen repairs K9, and lectures Starkey on his "tomfoolery." In the Department Mobile HQ, Drake suggests June send Jorjie to Magdalene Academy. Two weeks later. Jorjie arrives at the Academy, where she meets Vibeka, who warns Jorjie not to put on the bracelets worn by several of the students; they change people's behaviour. Jorjie takes her advice and doesn't join Melaina's study group. When she goes to the mansion and complains about the school, Starkey and Gryffen don't agree with her.

Gryffen analyses video playback of the explosion and finds the strange substance vaporises under pressure. K9 says the CCPCs used it to try to take control of him and it is an alien substance. When Jorjie returns to the academy, she finds Vibeka now wears a bracelet. She tells Starkey, who comes to Magdalene to investigate. Vibeka flirts with him.

Gryffen discovers the alien substance is cerulium. K9 describes the planet Ceres, and how lack of free will destroyed its civilisation. At the Academy the girls give Jorjie a bracelet and persuade her to wear it. She falls under its influence almost immediately and returns to the mansion, where she flirts with Darius while K9 identifies the bracelet as cerulium. Starkey tells her to take off the bracelet, but she refuses until K9 destroys it with his laser cannon.

The next day she returns to school with a fake bracelet, asking where she can get another one for her mother, June Turner. Drake realises that his plot is uncovered and the girls attack her, but K9 arrives and destroys all the bracelets. Melaina is the only one remaining. When Drake deactivates her, Jorjie reveals to the other students that she is a robot similar to the CCPC.

Cast

 * K9 Mark 2 - John Leeson
 * Starkey - Keegan Joyce
 * Jorjie Turner - Philippa Coulthard
 * Darius Pike - Daniel Webber
 * Professor Alistair Gryffen - Robert Moloney
 * June Turner - Robyn Moore
 * Drake - Connor Van Vuuren
 * Vibeka - Sophia Emerson-Bains
 * Melaina - Cathy Tucker
 * Hilena - Natalie Stephenson
 * Kalena - Britt Henderson
 * CCPC/School CCPC - Micheal Coglan
 * CCPC - Josh Norsend
 * CCPC - Manuel Saubie
 * CCPC - David Pawsey
 * Teacher - Catarina Hibbard

Crew

 * Writer - Deborah Parsons
 * Director - Daniel Nettheim
 * Producers - Penny Wall, Richard Stewart, Simon Barnes
 * Executive producers - Jim Howell, Grant Bradley, Steve Robbins
 * Associate producers - Bob Baker, Paul Tams
 * Supervising producer - Dale Bradley
 * Co-Executive producers - Mark Blythe, Sam Tromans
 * Line producer - Pam Collis
 * VFX Director - David Napier
 * Series Production Designer - Jon Dowding
 * Episodic Designer - Adam Head
 * New K9 Design by - Paul Tams, Alex Kubalsky
 * Series Director of Photography - Ben Nott
 * Episodic Director of Photography - Tony O'Loughlan
 * Music by - Christopher Elves
 * K9 theme music by - Michael Lira
 * Editor - Patrick Stewart
 * Casting - Faith Martin and associates
 * Episodic casting - Lisa Maloney
 * Drama/Dialogue coach - Peter Kent
 * Story Producer - Greg Walters
 * Script Editor - Anthony Morris
 * Script Adaption - Michaeley O'Brien
 * Production Accountant - Pru Donovan
 * 1st Assistant Director - Peter McLennan
 * Script Supervisor - Sue Ketchington
 * Costume Designer - Joanne Thompson
 * Makeup Designer - Sharon Robbins
 * Puppeteer - David Pawsey
 * Location Manager - Charles Boyle
 * Sound Recordist - Ian Grant
 * B Camera Operator - Dan Maxwell
 * Gaffer - Steve Monk
 * Key Grip - Billy Harmer
 * Special thanks to - Space Furniture, Shredox, J. Barbour & Sons Ltd, Heath Williams at Firefly Lighting, Videopro
 * Safety Supervisor/Stunt Coordinator - Danny Baldwin
 * Transport Manager - Alister Ward
 * Unit Manager - Graeme Suhr
 * Post Production Facility - Cutting Edge Australia
 * Head of Post Production - John Lee
 * Sound Design - Warren Pearson
 * Sound Mix - Ben Vlad
 * K9 Theme Music Recorded - Supersonic
 * The Postworks - Bob Blasdall
 * Marshalls and Dent Lawyers - Shaun Miller, Bryce Menzies
 * Completion Guarantor - First Australian Completion Bond Company Pty Ltd
 * Executive producer Network Ten Australia - Cherrie Bottger

Story notes

 * Gryffen repairs K9 for most of the episode, making this episode similar to his appearances in Doctor Who or The Sarah Jane Adventures. K9's role is brief and the story focuses on other characters.
 * This episode aired in the UK on the same day as the Doctor Who episode The Beast Below.

Ratings
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Myths
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Filming locations
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Production errors

 * On the professor's screen Cerulium is instead written Cerilium.

Continuity

 * Ceres was visited by the First Doctor with Vicki, and Steven, at a point in time where the Cerulian civilisation described by K9 was evidently long gone at the hands of the asteroid impact. By that point, a Cobalt Corporation mining base was established on the dwarf planet. (AUDIO: The Bounty of Ceres)

Home video releases
This episode is featured in the following DVD sets:
 * Series One complete box set, released in Australia on 29 September 2010.
 * A "vanilla" DVD called The Bounty Hunter, containing Regeneration, Liberation, The Korven, The Bounty Hunter, Sirens of Ceres and Fear Itself, released in Australia on 29 September 2010.
 * K9: Series 1: Volume 1, containing episodes 1–12, released in the UK on 31 January 2011 and in the US on 30 March 2011. ,
 * K9: Ultimate Collectors Edition, containing the full first series, was release in the UK on 11 June 2011.