The Seeds of Death (TV story)

The Seeds of Death was the fifth story in season 6 of Doctor Who. It was the second appearance of the Ice Warriors. They had been chosen for a reappearance shortly after broadcast of The Ice Warriors. The monsters had been popular and it was hoped this would justify the high costs of their costumes. Of visual interest was director Michael Ferguson's use of point-of-view and angled shots.

At the time it was written, Frazer Hines was considering leaving the show. He finally signed on for the season, apparently at Patrick Troughton's request. This meant Brian Hayles had trouble writing the script, a problem made worse when he was asked to leave the Doctor out of part four. He failed to complete the script and Terrance Dicks rewrote much of the story. He brought in the Martian fleet and removed a sub-plot in which Gia Kelly was hypnotised.

Synopsis
The TARDIS lands in a space museum on Earth in the late 21st century, where the Second Doctor, Jamie and Zoe learn that contact has been lost between Earth and the Moon. In this era, instant travel — T-Mat — has revolutionised the Earth. Its people have lost interest in space travel. The Doctor and his companions travel to the Moon in an old-style rocket and reach the Moonbase, control centre for T-Mat, only to find a squad of Ice Warriors have commandeered the base and plan to use the T-Mat network to their advantage.

Episode 1
At the T-Mat Control Centre, Miss Kelly, the manager of the Centre, is infuriated by one of her subordinates. Few sham is in charge of the Moon Centre and is delaying traffic to Moscow through his ineptitude. Osgood arrives to release Fewsham, enters a T-Mat booth and disappears. On the Moon, Osgood berates Fewsham for his sloppy work. As Fewsham leaves for Earth the alarm to the outer door air locks sounds and screaming is heard inside the base. They open the door to reveal panic. Osgood orders everyone to stay still as a creature moves towards them. One man breaks ranks and runs. He is killed by the creature.

The delay at the Moon Centre is noticed on Earth. No contact can be made.

Osgood refuses to co-operate with the creatures but is given no choice. He is led over to the machine and begins to operate it. The machine begins to smoke. Osgood announces, with a smirk, that the circuits have overloaded. Osgood is killed.

Kelly desperately seeks the cause for the lack of communication from Moon Centre but there is no damage anywhere. Kelly's superior Radnor is putting pressure on her to sort it out. The TARDIS lands. The Doctor turns on the scanner to see a rocket outside. He redirects it and sees a space helmet bearing the legend CCCP. Initially the Doctor is confused as the rocket comes from the 21st century whereas the space helmet is from the 1960s. He turns the scanner again to reveal a machine designed by Leonardo Da Vinci. He realised that they are in a museum. They go out to explore. As they look around Zoe operates a video about the T-Mat. The T-Mat is a way of providing instantaneous travel from any point through means of dematerialisation and dematerialisation that is faster than light. They look up from this video to find a man pointing a gun at them.

The creatures at Moon Centre are putting pressure on Fewsham. He says the only person that can help now is Kelly on Earth but there is no way to get there or contact her. The creature says he will destroy them all. Desperately Fewsham remembers the emergency T-Mat link however discovers that that is damaged too. The creatures say they want it repaired by the time they get back. Locke, an engineer, argues with Fewsham who is trying to fix the T-Mat. He argues that he is allowing the aliens means of getting to Earth - but Fewsham is fixated on survival. Kelly has figured out that the issue must be at Moon Centre. Radnor is losing patience with Kelly as he himself is now under government pressure. Kelly states that with T-Mat down there is no way to get to Earth other than by rocket which are all scrapped now. Radnor realises that this isn't quite true.

The armed man questions the Doctor and his colleagues as to why they are here. He says he is Professor Eldred and that people come to his museum only to laugh at him, trespass or steal. The Doctor doesn't understand why such a collection would be spurned. Eldred states that ever since the advent of T-Mat that rockets are a thing of the past and that nobody travels for adventure anymore. Eldred and the Doctor get caught up talking about rockets and Eldred states he used to be a designer of rockets for the government. Fewsham is trying to get Locke to help him fix the emergency T-Mat but Locke decides to fix the video link instead. Fewsham objects.

At the museum the alarm at the main door goes off and Radnor and Kelly enters. Initially Eldred assumes the Doctor and his colleagues are spies working for Radnor but when he doesn't recognise them Eldred backs down. Radnor and Eldred used to work together but Radnor gave up designing rockets when the T-Mat system was in it's infancy. Radnor states that he knows that Eldred has been building his own rocket for an unauthorised space flight. Eldred expects to get into trouble for this but is shocked to hear that the government will no subsidise the building of this as long as he goes to the Moon. Radnor wants to know how long it would take. Eldred refuses to comply.

Locke fixes the video link and sends an emergency message to the T-Mat Control Centre. The emergency message is put through to the museum. Locke states that there is an emergency and that Osgood is dead but is cut off. At the Moon Centre an Ice Warrior has pulled the back out of the video link and kills Locke.

Episode 2
In the aftermath of Locke's murder another engineer, named Phipps, escapes. Fewsham defends himself to the Ice Warriors saying he had no idea of Locke and Phipps' plan. The Ice Warriors order him to fix the Emergency T-Mat.

Radnor, Kelly and the Doctor try and convince Eldred to let them use his rocket. He rejects saying it is only partially prepared. Radnor offers any assistance he desires but Eldred still rejects. Eldred is seemingly disappointed that he himself cannot go. The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe want to help but cannot - their TARDIS not being accurate enough for such journeys. Instead the Doctor offers himself and his colleagues as crew for the mission. Eldred still declines. A call is out through for Radnor. The world is going into panic over the lack of T-Mat. Radnor tried to convince Eldred that he can remedy all this. Radnor sends for his men. The rocket will be used even without Eldred's consent.

The Ice Warriors are still searching for Phipps. They approach the Solar Energy Store Room. Phipps is hiding inside. An Ice Warrior enters, looks round, doesn't see Phipps and leaves.

Kelly is dubious about the credentials of the Doctor and his colleagues. Radnor assures her that in the briefing the Doctor and Zoe had more knowledge on space travel than Eldred. Kelly questions Jamie's involvement. Radnor asks the Doctor if Jamie should go but Jamie kicks up a fuss. Eldred points out that they only have enough fuel for a one way journey and will have to refuel on the moon. Furthermore they only have food and water enough for three days. Kelly wants to go with the Doctor and Zoe but Radnor blocks her.

An Ice Warrior watches over Fewsham. He is nearly finished. The Ice Warrior states that Earth is there's for the taking very soon.

In the Solar Energy Store Room, Phipps is putting some equipment together. He unearths the Solar Power Line.

Kelly, Radnor and Eldred prepare the launch. The Doctor's principle objective is to re-establish video contact with Earth so Kelly can help fix the T-Mat. They are three minutes away from launch.

Inside the rocket the crew prepare Jamie for the effects of G-force.

As the launch edges closer Eldred is very concerned. The rocket launches. Eldred marvels at the sight. This soon slips into panic when the video link between the rocket and launch control is dead. They try a video link.

The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe do not answer immediately as they have yet to activate Automatic Gravity Control. As soon as they do Zoe radios in. There is concern as the communication circuits have blown and are smoking.

Fewsham has finished. An Ice Warrior orders him to activate the link but on receive only.

T-Mat control contact Kelly and Radnor to state that they now know the issue is on the Moon but are shocked when they see that there is now an activation between the Earth and the Moon. Kelly goes to join them. Radnor objects but Kelly blocks him saying that she will go over his head if necessary.

Phipps has completed his machine and activates the Solar Power Line.

Fewsham is sat disconsolate as the T-Mat glows and receives Kelly and two other employees. He tells her that Osgood contracted space madness, killed Locke and went out into space with no suit on. Fewsham says he sedated Phipps because of his panic. Kelly sets about fixing the T-Mat. The Ice Warriors watch on. They decide to continue to seek out Phipps.

Phipps has constructed a primitive radio. He tries to contact Earth. There is no response. He tinkers with it and tries again; still no response.

In the rocket they have now lost all communication with Earth. They decide to try and lock on to the homing beam that will help them to land on the Moon. Jamie is worried that this might not work but the Doctor assures him it is controlled by solar power so will not be affected. They activate it and start to receive the beam.

Phipps tries communicating again but an Ice Warrior approaches him from behind. Just as it reaches out it's hand, Phipps flicks a switch which turns his machine into a weapon, evaporating the Ice Warrior. He flicks it back and tries contacting him again. Behind him the light indicating the activation of the homing beam is now off.

The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe panic now they have no homing beam. They will either crash or drift through space.

Episode 3
Phipps attempts to contact Earth again; to no avail.

Zoe figures out that within five months and ten days their rocket will be sucked into the Sun; Jamie points out that that is irrelevant as they only have food and water enough for three days. The Doctor picks up Phipps' signal and contacts him. Phipps tells the Doctor of the invasion.

Kelly gets the T-Mat working again and is about to head back to Earth when her and her team are ambushed by Ice Warriors. One of the engineers makes a run for it and is killed. The other tries to attack an Ice Warrior and is also killed.

The team on the rocket are waiting until the ship is on the right side of the Moon so as to contact Phipps again. They discuss the manner of the alien invading the Moon. Phipps described them as biped, reptilian and wielding a sonic device. Jamie and the Doctor decide it must be the Ice Warriors seeking a new home on Earth. Phipps' signal returns. The Doctor asks for his help in landing. Phipps refuses saying that it is too dangerous; instead the Doctor should contact Earth or return to inform them. When the Doctor states he can do neither of those things Phipps complies. The Doctor tells Phipps he intends to adapt the homing equipment to track his radio signal. By the time this has been done and Zoe has calculated the approach trajectory there is only 17.5 seconds until they need to land. The crew adopt landing positions. As they begin their descent the signal dies. The Doctor tries to land manually.

In the Solar Energy Store Room, Phipps tinkers with his equipment.

The Doctor successfully locks back on to the radio signal and the rocket lands. Zoe and Jamie are to remain on the rocket and refuel while the Doctor sets off to find Phipps. Jamie is tasked with keeping an eye on the refuelling while Zoe goes to look at the motors.

Fewsham informs the Ice Warriors that all cities are now operational from the Moon. Kelly tries to stop Fewsham. Kelly questions the Ice Warriors as to their plan; if they use T-Mat they will be met with the resistance of all the armies in the world. The Ice Warriors inform her there will be no resistance. Fewsham asks what the date of himself and Kelly will be. He is told that they will remain alive whilst they are useful. Kelly says she will never help them.

The Doctor has made his way to the Solar Energy Store Room- where he is nearly attacked with a spanner by Phipps. The Doctor tries to get as much information as he can from Phipps. He learns that there aren't many Ice Warriors but they are deadly. The Doctor states his plan. He is to destroy T-Mat. He contacts Jamie and says he will bring Phipps back to the rocket once he has destroyed T-Mat.

Jamie informs Zoe of the Doctor's plan. Zoe tells Jamie that the rocket motors aren't functioning and that they will need T-Mat to return to Earth. They try and contact the Doctor but there is no response. They set off to find him.

Phipps and the Doctor make their way to the centre of the Moonbase. They encounter an Ice Warrior accompanying Kelly. The Ice Warrior pulls it's weapon on Phipps and the Doctor who run. Kelly escapes too. The Doctor is pursued relentlessly by the Ice Warriors and is eventually trapped. He orders that he is taken to their leader as he is a genius and can be useful. The Ice Warriors comply.

Jamie and Zoe sneak through the corridors of the Moonbase. They hear a noise and hide. It is an Ice Warrior. Once they think they have eluded it, it turns and approaches them. They run and hide. It has pursued them but passes them by this time. They continue their search for the Doctor.

The Ice Warriors are giving their orders to Fewsham. He is to prepare the T-Mat to deliver a cargo to Ottowa, Oslo, Stockholm and Hamburg. The plan is interrupted by the Ice Warriors returning the Doctor. The leader dismisses the two other Ice Warriors and orders them to find Kelly. The leader of the Ice Warriors questions the Doctor and asks him how he got on the ship. The Doctor evades answering but Fewsham says there is no such thing as rocket travel anymore so he must have been here the whole time. The Doctor plays on this and asks how they can be sure of this and that Earth could be preparing a whole fleet of rockets to attack the Ice Warriors. The Doctor asks what the Ice Warriors' plan is as there are too few of them to conquer Earth. The Ice Warrior ignores him but orders another Ice Warrior to prepare the seeds and then orders that all the humans are to be guarded. The Doctor asks Fewsham why he is helping the Ice Warriors before informing him sternly that he is going to help him now.

Jamie, Zoe, Phipps and Kelly have all met up in the Solar Energy Store Room where the latter have informed the former of the Doctor's capture. Jamie talks about his previous encounter with the Ice Warriors and that their weakness is heat. Kelly says that the heating systems is at the centre of the Moonbase where many Ice Warriors are guarding. Phipps comes up with a plan to use the maintenance tunnels. The grate of the tunnel is rusted closed and may take some time to remove. Jamie implores him to hurry as time is something the Doctor doesn't have a lot of.

The Doctor and Fewsham have hatched a plan but Fewsham is reluctant to execute it. Eventually he goes along with it. He acts as a decoy to distract the Ice Warrior guarding them whilst the Doctor goes to investigate the seeds. He is caught by another Ice Warrior who orders him to open the case. He removes what appears to be a seed pod. It swells in the Doctor's hands and bursts knocking the Doctor to the ground unconscious.

Zoe sees an Ice Warrior approaching the Solar Energy Store Room. Jamie uses a crowbar to jam the floor closed but the Ice Warrior is forcing his way in. Phipps and Kelly desperately try to switch the radio into it's weapon state whilst Jamie holds the door closed. Jamie lets the alien in and it is destroyed.

An Ice Warrior takes one of the seed pods and puts it in the T-Mat cubicle. Fewsham is ordered to prepare transport to London.

Radnor and Eldred are told that big cities are on the point of starvation due to the lack of T-Mat deliveries.

Fewsham is ordered to activate the transport. The seed pod disappears.

The seed pod appears in London. Radnor's joy at the T-Mat working again is replaced with puzzlement at the sight of the seed pod. An engineer goes to pick the seed pod up and it begins to swell.

Episode 4
The seed pod burst causing all three men to stagger back. The engineer closest to it has been killed. Radnor orders the air conditioning to be set to expel and orders an immediate autopsy of the engineer. When questioned as to what could have happened, Eldred says it reminds him of the way some plants reproduce and spread their seeds.

The Ice Warriors are sending out the pods to Ottowa, Oslo and Hamburg.

In the Solar Energy Store Room Kelly is attempting to fix the weapon whilst waiting for Jamie and Phipps to return from the vent.

Jamie and Phipps emerge from the vent by the centre of the Moonbase. They see Fewsham and the Ice Warriors transmitting the seed pods. They worry as to the whereabouts of the Doctor.

Radnor and Eldred receive news of seed pods in sixteen more cities causing six more deaths. Eldred wonders if there is a pattern to where the seed pods are appearing. Radnor receives the autopsy report back and it is revealed the engineer died of instant oxygen starvation - a contradiction in terms. Eldred worries that the gas that caused this is now out in the air in London.

Outside in a park a foam is forming.

The Ice Warriors have finished dispelling their pods. Fewsham asks after the Doctor. The Ice Warriors ask if he is still alive and Fewsham says he is. The Ice Warriors say that this is unusual. They order Fewsham to drag the Doctor to the T-Mat capsule.

All this is watched by Jamie and Phipps through the grille.

The Ice Warriors order Fewsham to send the Doctor between the Moon and the Earth.

Jamie and Phipps move round to the tunnel alongside the T-Mat cubicle.

Fewsham says he can't kill the Doctor. The Ice Warriors point out his sending of the seed pods has killed his whole species. Fewsham refuses but the Ice Warriors threaten him with his life. He says it will need reprogramming.

Jamie and Phipps have made it to the side of the cubicle.

The Ice Warrior hurries Fewsham.

Jamie and Phipps remove the grille between the tunnel and the cubicle only to find another.

Fewsham says he is almost ready. The Ice Warriors tell him to operate the T-Mat. He refuses but they force him. Fewsham turns to see the Doctor gone and loses his mind. The Ice Warriors tell him to prepare to dispatch to London. The Ice Warrior leader approaches another and reminds him of his mission. Fewsham says he needs to reprogramme the T-Mat again.

The Doctor was saved by Jamie who heads off back to the Solar Energy Store Room with him. Phipps heads off to the heating controls on the next level up. Two Ice Warriors are guarding it. He slowly removes the grate but finds he can't fit through the vent.

The foam in the park has now taken over a large area and is spitting and fizzing.

Radnor has received the autopsy reports of all killed by the gas - they all died of immediate oxygen starvation too. He receives a report of vegetable life attacking people in parks, of foam covering acres of land in minutes and wind spreading the foam. As this report is read out an Ice Warrior appears in the T-Mat capsule and rages terror over the control centre, slaughtering all the guards who try and shoot it.

In the Moonbase the leader of the Ice Warriors steps up the search for the missing humans.

Phipps has returned to the Solar Energy Store Room and says there is no way he can reach the heating controls. Zoe says she will do it. Jamie tries to block such a dangerous mission but Kelly sanctions it. Zoe and Phipps head off.

The Ice Warrior on Earth makes his way through the foam.

Radnor and Eldred puzzle over where the creature could be going and what it's purpose might be.

The Ice Warrior comes across some men spraying the seeds. As the foam covers them, the Ice Warrior kills them.

Phipps and Zoe have got lost in the tunnel system. Phipps starts to crack up.

An eyewitness reports to Radnor and Eldred about the whereabouts of the Ice Warrior but is killed immediately. Radnor orders all men to trail the creature. Eldred says it is madness and that he is only threatening more of his men. Eldred realises that all of the cities where the seed pods have appeared are in the Northern Hemisphere and therefore experiencing Winter.

Meanwhile the Ice Warrior is making his way through the park with great purpose.

Phipps still can't remember which way to go. Zoe reveals she can picture the map that the Doctor showed her and leads the way. Phipps is sceptical but they get to the centre of the Moonbase. An Ice Warrior is guarding the controls.

Back in the Solar Energy Store Room Kelly and Jamie worry about the whereabouts of Zoe and Phipps when they are interrupted by an Ice Warrior. They hide and when the Ice Warrior is in the line of fire of the weapon Kelly operates it...but nothing happens. The Ice Warrior starts to leave but turns and approaches the table where the Doctor is laying with a sheet covering him.

Fewsham is complaining to the Ice Warriors but sees Phipps and Zoe undoing the grille. He acts acts as a decoy to the Ice Warriors leading them over to the T-Mat capsule so he can fix it. Zoe sneaks in and reaches the heating controls. She cannot move it initially but soon turns it. The heat begins to rise. The Ice Warrior turns. Phipps calls out to warn Zoe. The Ice Warrior kills him and starts to approach Zoe.

Episode 5
Fewsham grapples with the Ice Warrior long enough for it to fall to the ground, the heat level unbearable. Soon after, the Doctor wakes up, and Fewsham gets the T-Mat working again. The Doctor, Jamie, Zoe, and Miss Kelly transport back to London, but Fewsham remains, fearing the consequences of his earlier actions if he returns to Earth. Sir James Gregson from the United Nations arrives at Earth Control for the latest concerning the T-Mat crisis, but his presence does little to help the situation. While the Ice Warrior at the weather station alters the controls to make the planet as dry as possible, Slaar turns the heating back down on the Moonbase. He informs Fewsham that a fleet of invading ships from Mars will soon arrive on the Moon, so his next task is to connect a homing device for the incoming ships. In an act of redemption, Fewsham activates the video link so that the Ice Warrior's homing signal can be overheard on Earth, but although he is successful, the Ice Warriors kill him when they find out. The Doctor examines a seed pod under laboratory conditions, and learns that they are reconfiguring the atmosphere of Earth to match that of Mars. Fortunately, he also finds out that the fungus can be destroyed by water. Jamie and Zoe go to the weather control bureau to tell them to make it rain, but there they encounter the Ice Warrior and discover the controls have been damaged by it. The Doctor later dashes there to help them, but is overwhelmed by fungus before he can enter.

Episode 6
Jamie and Zoe let the Doctor into the weather control bureau just in time, and the Doctor rigs up a portable version of Phipps solar energy weapon from parts in the storage locker to kill the Ice Warrior. At T-Mat Control, Radnor, Miss Kelly, and Eldred work on a satellite which duplicates the Ice Warriors homing signal, which is to be used to draw the ships off course, sending them spiralling towards the Sun. After the Doctor repairs the weather controls to cause heavy rainfall to extinguish the fungus, he T-Mats up to the Moonbase with his solar weapon to destroy Slaar's homing device, so that the Martian ships follow only the wrong signal. He is caught before he can disable the signal, but is able to limit its range enough for it to be rendered useless, sending the Ice Warriors' invasion fleet to its doom. The invaders defeated, the Doctor and his companions return to the TARDIS and depart for their next adventure.

Cast

 * Dr. Who - Patrick Troughton
 * Jamie McCrimmon - Frazer Hines
 * Zoe Heriot - Wendy Padbury
 * Slaar - Alan Bennion
 * Gia Kelly - Louise Pajo
 * Computer Voice - John Witty
 * Brent - Ric Felgate
 * Osgood - Harry Towb
 * Radnor - Ronald Leigh-Hunt
 * Fewsham - Terry Scully
 * Phipps - Christopher Coll
 * Locke - Martin Cort
 * Eldred - Philip Ray
 * Ice Warriors - Steve Peters, Tony Harwood, Sonny Caldinez
 * Security Guard - Derrick Slater
 * Sir James Gregson - Hugh Morton
 * Grand Marshall - Graham Leaman

Uncredited cast

 * Harvey - Alan Chuntz
 * Double for Dr. Who - Tom Laird
 * Technicians - Pat Gorman, Eric Kent, Royston Farrell, Edward Cogdell, Monique Briant, Ron Conrad
 * Weather control operator - Peter Whitaker (all DWM 274)

Credited

 * Title Music - Ron Grainer and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop
 * Special Sound - Brian Hodgson
 * Incidental Music - Dudley Simpson
 * Visual Effects Designed by - Bill King (Trading Post)
 * Costumes - Bobi Bartlett
 * Make-Up - Sylvia James
 * Lighting - Fred Wright
 * Sound - Bryan Forgham
 * Film Cameraman - Peter Hall
 * Film Editor - Martyn Day
 * Script Editor - Terrance Dicks
 * Designer - Paul Allen
 * Producer - Peter Bryant
 * Director - Michael Ferguson

Uncredited

 * Assistant Floor Manager - Trina Cornwell
 * Production Assistant - Fiona Cumming

Story notes

 * The working title for this story was The Lords of the Red Planet.
 * After the opening titles a specially filmed model sequence was used as a background for the story title and episode number, showing a scene of the Earth and Moon. The camera pans across the foreground object then zooms into the background object — Earth or Moon — on which the episode begins. The exception is in episode three where the panning stops between the Earth and the Moon, as this instalment begins in cislunar space.
 * This is the only story to feature footage of an Ice Warrior on location, where in episode four an Ice Warrior was filmed on Hampstead Heath in London. Previously, the Ice Warriors appeared only in studio.
 * To keep the return of the Ice Warriors a surprise, Steve Peters was credited as 'Alien' in Radio Times for episode one.
 * Episode five marks 100 episodes since Jamie McCrimmon's first appearance. As of 2014, Jamie is the only companion to appear - or at least be considered a current companion if he doesn't physically appear - in more than 100 episodes.
 * The footage of the rocket in episode five is stock footage of Mariner 4, a mission launched in 1964 to map the surface of Mars. Notably enough, the images taken by it were sufficient to dispel belief in intelligent life on the planet.
 * The footage of the rocket launch in episode six is also library footage, from a Soviet launch in 1948 of a R-1 missile, a short-range copy of the German V-2.

Ratings

 * Episode one - 6.6 million viewers
 * Episode two - 6.8 million viewers
 * Episode three - 7.5 million viewers
 * Episode four - 7.1 million viewers
 * Episode five - 7.6 million viewers
 * Episode six - 7.7 million viewers

Myths

 * Slaar is an Ice Lord. (He is never referred to as an 'Ice Lord' or even as a 'Lord', but is presented simply as the commander of the Martian forces. His superior is however identified as a Grand Marshal — misspelt 'Grand Marshall' — on the closing credits.)

Filming locations

 * Hampstead Heath, London
 * Ealing Television Film Studios (Stage 2), Ealing Green, Ealing
 * Lime Grove Studios (Studio D), Lime Grove, London

Production errors

 * When Zoe turns up the heating, an Ice Warrior falls down dead right in front of her. When it does this, the front and rear sections of the shell costume just slightly break apart.
 * Zoe calls Slaar by his name, despite no one else but the Grand Marshall calling Slaar that (she says it first, as well).
 * Zoe's outfit changes for no apparent reason during episode two.
 * In episode four, Phipps lifts Zoe up to high to get out of the air duct and Wendy Padbury (Zoe) hits her head.
 * As Zoe opens the door to the Solar Energy Storeroom to glance around for Ice Warriors, one can be seen right outside, the actor obviously waiting for his cue. The cut to the exterior view shows Zoe seeing a Warrior far down the corridor.
 * When the rocket lands on the moon, the smoke from the rockets goes upward — something smoke only does in an atmosphere.
 * Eldred points to the Weather Control Station on the map, but it is clearly marked in the opposite corner.
 * When the Ice Warrior T-mats down, it smashes the doors off the T-mat cubicle. When the Doctor and his companions T-mat down not much later, the cubicle is intact.
 * There are boom mike shadows several times in the museum in episodes one and two.
 * Patrick Troughton's sideburns appear and disappear depending on whether he is seen in a pre-filmed sequence or a studio scene.
 * When the TARDIS dematerialises at the end of episode six, several small changes occur to the set.
 * In episode one, the Doctor leaves the TARDIS with his braces unclipped.
 * When Brent dies at the beginning of episode four his body moves, and when he is taken away for an autopsy, his arm moves up of his own free will, rather than a guard picking it up.

Continuity

 * The Doctor previously met the Ice Warriors. (TV: The Ice Warriors)
 * In PROSE: Eternity Weeps, T-Mat is used to get to the moon.
 * PROSE: Transit mentions T-Mat in reference to the Stunnel project.
 * When waking dazedly, the Doctor mentions Victoria Waterfield.
 * By the 23rd century, humanity believed that the last of the Ice Warriors were killed when their invasion fleet spiralled into the Sun. A documentary on the incident was produced and broadcast on the History Channel. (AUDIO: Deimos)

Behind the scenes

 * In The Brilliant Book 2012, the Doctor says that the T-Mat caused the end of "the First Great and Bountiful Space Race".

Home video and audio releases
This is the only Second Doctor story not be released on audio in any form.

DVD releases
This story was released as Doctor Who: The Seeds of Death in a two disc set.

Released:
 * Region 2 - 17 February 2003


 * PAL - BBC DVD BBCDVD1151


 * Region 4 - 5 May 2003
 * Region 1 - 2 March 2004


 * NTSC - Warner Video E1924

Contents:
 * Commentary by actors Frazer Hines and Wendy Padbury, director Michael Ferguson and script editor Terrance Dicks
 * Sssowing the Ssseedsss - Featurette on the Ice Warriors, featuring Alan Bennion, Sonny Caldinez, Bernard Bresslaw, and Sylvia James.
 * The Last Daleks - Original 8mm footage of the filming of the lost classic The Evil of the Daleks, with commentary by Michaeljohn Harris and Peter Day
 * New Zealand Censor Clips - Newly discovered footage from the missing episodes of The Web of Fear and The Wheel in Space
 * TARDIS-Cam #6
 * Photo Gallery
 * Production Subtitles
 * Easter Egg (Footage from commentary)

Notes: Editing for the DVD release was completed by the Doctor Who Restoration Team. On this release the VidFIRE effect was mistakenly applied to the entire story rather than just the sequences recorded in-studio. This was corrected in the subsequent Special Edition release.

Special Edition release
It was also released as Doctor Who: The Seeds of Death: Special Edition.

Released:


 * UK 28 March 2011 Region 2
 * Australia 5 May 2011 Region 4
 * TBA - Region 1

Special Features:
 * Lords of the Red Planet documentary
 * Monster Masterclass featurette
 * Monsters Who Came Back For More documentary
 * Off-air audio recording of BBC trailer for serial
 * All previous bonus features (with the exception of the New Zealand clips, which were featured on Lost in Time, and The Last Dalek, which was moved to the special edition of Resurrection of the Daleks).

Notes:
 * This edition is only available in the UK and Australia as part of the Revisitations 2 box set.

Digital releases

 * On 4 November 2013, this story was released in standard definition in iTunes stores (Australia, Canada, France, Germany, UK and US) as part of the Doctor Who: The Classic Series collection Doctor Who: The Best of The Second Doctor, which additionally includes The Ice Warriors, The Tomb of the Cybermen and The Krotons.
 * This story was released in BBC Store, opened for UK residents on 5 November 2015.

Doctor Who DVD Files release
It was released as issue 115 of Doctor Who DVD Files.

VHS releases
This story was released as Doctor Who: The Seeds of Death.

Released:
 * First Release (VHS / Betamax):
 * UK July 1985


 * PAL - BBC Video BBCV2019


 * Second Release (VHS only):
 * UK July 1987


 * PAL - BBC Video BBCV4072


 * US March 1990


 * NTSC - Warner Video E1112

Note: All versions were edited into compilation form. The video cover of the first release in 1985 had made no indication that the story was not colour, and so a small blue sticker reading THE ORIGINAL BLACK AND WHITE RECORDING was hastily added to the bottom right-hand corner of the rear sleeve.