Frontios (TV story)

Synopsis
...Frontios buries its own dead...

In the far reaches of the future, the Doctor's TARDIS crash-lands on the planet Frontios in the Veruna system, where the last remnants of humanity have fled the collision of Earth with the sun. Gruesome tales of a hungry earth stalk the struggling settlement, and a bombardment of meteors from an unseen enemy hold the future of humanity in a precarious balance. At a crucial point in history, with the future still unknown, the Doctor is unable to intervene for fear of violating the laws of Time itself. But when the TARDIS is destroyed in an attack on the colony, he may have no choice.

Plot
to be added

Cast

 * The Doctor - Peter Davison
 * Tegan Jovanka - Janet Fielding
 * Vislor Turlough - Mark Strickson
 * Brazen - Peter Gilmore
 * Norna - Lesley Dunlop
 * Range - William Lucas
 * Plantagenet - Jeff Rawle
 * Cockerill - Maurice O'Connell
 * Orderly - Richard Ashley
 * Gravis - John Gillett
 * Deputy - Alison Skilbeck
 * Retrograde - Raymond Murtagh
 * Captain Revere - John Beardmore

Crew

 * Script Editor - Eric Saward
 * Designer - David Buckingham
 * Assistant Floor Manager - Joanna Guritz, Ed Stevenson
 * Production Associate - June Collins
 * Costumes - Anushia Nieradzik
 * Make-Up - Jill Hagger
 * Visual Effects - Dave Havard
 * Production Assistant - Valerie Letley
 * Special Sounds - Dick Mills
 * Studio Sound - Martin Ridout
 * Studio Lighting - John Summers
 * Incidental Music - Paddy Kingsland
 * Producer - John Nathan-Turner
 * Theme Arrangement - Peter Howell
 * Title Music - Ron Grainer

Story Notes

 * For the first time, we see a solid reference to Turlough's home planet, which was attacked millenia ago by the Tractators.
 * The role of Range was originally supposed to be played by Peter Arne, a character actor perhaps best known for his roles in the films Victor/Victoria and Return of the Pink Panther, as well as several guest roles on The Avengers. Following a wardrobe test for the part, Arne returned to his flat where he was bludgeoned to death by an unknown assailant. William Lucas filled in for Arne. While a student Arne was in a relationship with, and who was later found floating dead in the Thames, remains a prime suspect, the identity and motive of Arne's killer is a mystery to this day.

Ratings

 * Part 1 - 8.0 million viewers
 * Part 2 - 5.8 million viewers
 * Part 3 - 7.8 millon viewers
 * Part 4 - 5.6 millon viewers

Myths

 * This story was originally intended to feature Richard Hurndall in a black and white flashback remembered by Peter Davison's Doctor after hitting his head on the TARDIS control console. (False)

Location Filming

 * None. The entire story was studio bound.

Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors
to be added

DVD and Video Releases

 * Released on video along side The Awakening. Not yet released on DVD.

Novelisation

 * Main article: Frontios (novelisation)


 * Novelised by Christopher H. Bidmead in 1984.