Fear Itself (TV story)

Fear Itself was the sixth episode of K9. It was written by Everett DeRoche and Graeme Farmer, directed by Karl Zwicky 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.

It featured K9's curiosity about emotions.

Synopsis
London is out of control. Riots erupt because of a strange, irrational fear that fills the air. The focal point of the paranoia is in an old junkyard where a strange alien consciousness is at work.

Plot
Darius is in a junkyard when he is approached by two strange vagrants. They say the junkyard belongs to them and tell him to leave, then lock him in a wardrobe. He grabs onto a bar in the wardrobe and finds himself holding on for his life over a bottomless pit. Back at the mansion, Gryffen and Starkey are frightened for no clear reason. They are not the only ones feeling this. There are news reports of mass stampedes and riots across London. Darius arrives at the mansion, frightened after his ordeal.

Darius is shocked to find the junkyard is on the news and the two vagrants are being interviewed. Drake interrupts the interview when they start talking about a monster. Darius says there is an alien in the hole. K9, Darius, Starkey and Jorjie go to the junkyard, only to find CCPCs patrolling it. K9 distracts the CCPCs by alerting them to a violation of Department Regulation 29d: use of unapproved sandwiches at a picnic.

When Drake arrives to find the CCPCS gone, they decide to hide in the wardrobe anyway. Darius refuses because of his earlier experience. They understand his fears when he again holds onto the bar and nearly falls. K9 saves him. Drake agrees with K9, asking them if they saw the alien. As they leave, Drake shouts to the alien, refusing to acknowledge his fear. Back at the mansion Gryffen shows the team news items about the spread of fear. Gryffen tells the team that Darius is claustrophobic.

At Department HQ, Drake tells June about the alien inside the wardrobe. Back at the mansion, Starkey and Jorjie try futilely to scare K9 to make him understand fear. At the junkyard, June finds nothing in the wardrobe. Drake insists there is an alien. When Starkey investigates the wardrobe, he determines, "Your own fear makes you see the hole". He is taken away by two CCPCs to a cell. He is met by Drake, who show signs of paranoia though still refusing to acknowledge his fear.

K9 decides they have go to the junkyard and prove the fear isn't real. K9 goes to the hole and finds nothing, but Starkey and Gryffen temporarily lose contact with K9. He sees a Jixen but registers no data; Starkey tries to convince him it's not real. Drake decides to arm a bomb and destroy the wardrobe. K9 believes the Jixen is not real and it vanishes. Starkey and Jorjie return to the mansion to warn Gryffen to tell K9 to get out, but they feel the explosion. K9 escapes. Drake tells the creature he has won and destroys the wardrobe with his mechanical hand.

K9 reveals he felt the bomb was coming and Jorjie congratulates him on experiencing a feeling. The team have a group hug.

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
 * Tramp 1 - Brian Vaughan
 * Tramp 2 - Nick Nelid
 * CCPC - Josh Norbido
 * CCPC - Dane Paltman
 * CCPC - Eugen Bekafigo
 * CCPC - Jason McNamara
 * Jixen - Tarek Beheiry

Crew

 * Writer - Everett DeRoche, Graeme Farmer
 * Director - Karl Zwicky
 * 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 producer - Mark Blythe
 * With special thanks - 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 - Russell Maggs
 * Casting - Faith Martin and associates
 * Episodic casting - Lisa Maloney
 * Drama/Dialogue coach - Peter Kent
 * Story Producer - Greg Walters
 * 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

Story notes
to be added

Ratings
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Myths
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Filming locations
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Production errors
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Continuity

 * A wooden box that is bigger on the inside in a London junkyard is reminiscent of the Doctor's TARDIS in 76 Totter's Lane. (TV: An Unearthly Child)
 * K9's greatest fear is the Jixen. (TV: Regenration, Liberation, The Bounty Hunter)
 * Alistair Gryffen refers to the Great Fire of London in September 1666. (TV: The Visitation)

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, scheduled for release in the UK on 11 June 2011.