Meglos (TV story)

Synopsis
The Doctor is invited to visit the planet Tigella by its leader, Zastor, who has become concerned about disputes between his people's two opposing factions, the religious Deons and the scientist Savants.

The TARDIS is intercepted by the megalomaniacal xerophyte Meglos, last survivor of the planet Zolfa-Thura, and trapped in a chronic hysteresis - a time loop - but the Doctor and Romana manage to free it.

Meglos, using the body of a kidnapped Earthling, transforms himself into a duplicate of the Doctor and steals the Tigellans' power source - a mysterious dodecahedron. He plans to use this to power an apocalyptic device with which he intends to destroy Tigella.

The Doctor, although hindered by the activities of a group of Gaztak mercenaries hired by Meglos, ultimately brings about the xerophyte's destruction by tampering with the dodecahedron's controlling computers.

Plot
to be added

Cast

 * The Doctor - Tom Baker
 * Romana - Lalla Ward
 * K9 Mk2 - John Leeson
 * Meglos - Tom Baker
 * Lexa - Jacqueline Hill
 * Zastor - Edward Underdown
 * General Grugger - Bill Fraser
 * Earthling - Christopher Owen
 * Lieutenant Brotadac - Frederick Treves
 * Caris - Colette Gleeson
 * Deedrix - Crawford Logan
 * Tigellan Guard - Simon Shaw

Crew

 * Assistant Floor Manager - Val McCrimmon, Karen Loxton
 * Costumes - June Hudson
 * Designer - Philip Lindley
 * Executive Producer - Barry Letts
 * Incidental Music - Paddy Kingsland, Peter Howell
 * Make-Up - Cecile Hay-Arthur
 * Producer - John Nathan-Turner
 * Production Assistant - Marilyn Gold
 * Production Unit Manager - Angela Smith
 * Script Editor - Christopher H. Bidmead
 * Special Sounds - Dick Mills
 * Studio Lighting - Bert Postlethwaite
 * Studio Sound - John Holmes
 * Theme Arrangement - Peter Howell
 * Title Music - Ron Grainer
 * Visual Effects - Steven Drewett

Story Notes

 * Jacqueline Hill previously played Barbara Wright.
 * The working titles for Meglos were: The Golden Pentangle, The Golden Pentagram, The Golden Star, The Last Sol-Fataran and The Last Zolfa-Thuran.
 * The end title's music of each of the episodes has been reduced by 2 or 1 octaves.

Ratings

 * Part 1 - 5.0 million viewers
 * Part 2 - 4.2 million viewers
 * Part 3 - 4.7 million viewers
 * Part 4 - 4.7 million viewers

Myths
to be added

Location Filming
to be added

Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors
to be added

Continuity

 * The Gaztaks appear in PDA: Warmonger.

DVD, Video and Other Releases
to be added

Novelisation

 * Main article: Meglos (novelisation)


 * Novelised by Terrance Dicks in 1983.