The Keys of Marinus (TV story)

Summary
The planet Marinus is under threat from the evil Voord. The only hope of stopping them is to recover the keys to a machine known as the Conscience of Marinus, which have been hidden around the planet.

The First Doctor, Susan, Ian and Barbara are forced to search for the keys, transported round the planet by the elderly Arbitan, keeper of the Conscience. On their travels they face numerous dangers, eventually recovering all the keys. However, Arbitan has been killed by the evil Yartek, leader of the Voords. Ian fools him by giving him a fake key, and the machine explodes, killing Yartek and putting an end to the Voord threat.

Cast & Characters

 * Dr. Who - William Hartnell
 * Ian Chesterton - William Russell
 * Barbara Wright - Jacqueline Hill
 * Susan Foreman - Carole Ann Ford
 * Arbitan - George Coulouris
 * Voord - Martin Cort
 * Voord - Peter Stenson
 * Voord - Gordon Wales
 * Altos - Robin Phillips
 * Sabetha - Katherina Schofield
 * Voice of Morpho - Heron Carvic
 * Warrior - Martin Cort
 * Darrius - Edmund Warwick
 * Vasor - Francis de Wolff
 * Ice Soldier - Michael Allaby
 * Ice Soldier - Alan James
 * Ice Soldier - Peter Stenson
 * Ice Soldier - Anthony Verner
 * Tarron - Henley Thomas
 * Larn - Michael Allaby
 * Senior Judge - Raf de la Torre
 * First Judge - Alan James
 * Second Judge - Peter Stenson
 * Kala - Fiona Walker
 * Aydan - Martin Cort
 * Eyesen - Donald Pickering
 * Guard - Alan James
 * Yartek - Stephen Dartnell

Uncredited Cast

Crew

 * Writer - Terry Nation
 * Director - John Gorrie
 * Producer - Verity Lambert
 * Script Editor - David Whitaker
 * Designer - Raymond Cusick
 * Assistant Floor Manager - Timothy Combe
 * Associate Producer - Mervyn Pinfield
 * Costumes - Daphne Dare
 * Incidental Music - Norman Kay
 * Make-Up - Jill Summers
 * Production Assistant - David Conroy
 * Production Assistant - Penny Joy
 * Special Sound - Brian Hodgson
 * Studio Lighting - Peter Murray
 * Studio Sound - Jack Brummitt
 * Studio Sound - Tony Milton
 * Theme Arrangement - Delia Derbyshire
 * Title Music - Ron Grainer

Influences

 * The Labours of Hercules
 * Fireball XL5 'The Hypnotic Sphere'

Ratings

 * The Sea of Death - 9.9m viewers
 * The Velvet Web - 9.4m viewers
 * The Screaming Jungle - 9.9m viewers
 * The Snows of Terror - 10.4m viewers
 * Sentence of Death - 7.9m viewers
 * The Keys of Marinus - 6.9m viewers

Myths

 * Yartek's race are known as the Voord. (Although they are referred to as the Voord in some of the dialogue, the term most often used is Voords and this is the name that appears in the closing credits)

Location Filming
This story was filmed at both Lime Grove Studio D, Ealing Television Film Studios

Continuity

 * While in the screaming jungle Susan comments that she has heard the noise before. This was most likely during her visit to the planet Esto which is inhabited by telepathic plants that screech when anyone stands between them and disrupts their communication - The Sensorites
 * Ian wears the costume he wore in Marco Polo throughout this story
 * The Doctor claims to have met Pyrrho the founder of scepticism
 * It is revealled in No Future that the The Monk was once an advisor to the Voords

Discontinuity

 * The radiation counter is on the opposite side of the console to its location in The Daleks (However the TARDIS does seem to move controls around, adding new ones and taking others away)
 * A studio technicians foot can be seen as the Doctor enters the pyramid
 * It is clear that the Voord falling to his death is a cardboard cut-out
 * While walking around the TARDIS forcefield, Susan can be seen walking in front of Ian and into the barrier with no ill effects
 * Despite arriving in Morphoton only seconds before the others Barbara is able to change clothes, meet the city leader, learn the cities history and be generally treated as an honoured guest
 * In epsiode 2 while Susan is sleeping a camera can be seen casting a shadow on her

Quotes
To be added

Story Arcs
None

Similar stories
To be added

More Info

 * Story Synopsis
 * Story Transcript
 * Story Novelization
 * Story Statistics
 * Story in the Media

Public Releases

 * DVD Release - This story has not yet been released on DVD
 * Video Release - Released as Doctor Who: The Keys of Marinus


 * UK Release: March 1999 / US Release: July 1999
 * PAL - BBC Video BBCV6671 (2 tapes)
 * NTSC - CBS/FOX Video 14263 (2 tapes)
 * NTSC - Warner Video E1383 (2 tapes)