Vengeance on Varos (TV story)

Seeking the rare mineral Zeiton-7 to repair his TARDIS, the Doctor arrives on Varos, a world where political prisoners and their guards are both subjected to sadistic tortures and executions which the colony's inhabitants view and vote on through interactive television. Accused of being alien infiltrators helping the colony's rebel factions, the Doctor and Peri find themselves the latest unwilling subjects in this most extreme form of reality TV.

Synopsis
to be added

Plot
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Cast
The Doctor - Colin Baker

Peri - Nicola Bryant

Governor - Martin Jarvis

Sil - Nabil Shaban

Quillam - Nicholas Chagrin

Jondar - Jason Connery

Chief Officer - Forbes Collins

Arak - Stephen Yardley

Etta - Sheila Reid

Areta - Geraldine Alexander

Bax - Graham Cull

Maldak - Owen Teale

Rondel - Keith Skinner

Priest - Hugh Martin

Crew
Producer - John Nathan-Turner

Script Editor - Eric Saward

Writer - Philip Martin

Director - Ron Jones

Designer - Tony Snoaden

Costume - Anne Hardinge

Incidental Music - Jonathan Gibbs

Story Notes

 * A controversy persists regarding the scene where the two guards fall into the acid pit, as it looks as if the Doctor has pushed them in. A still on the Doctor Who Image Archive website seems to confirm that they do in fact fall in accidentally.


 * This was one of the stories cited by critics who complained the series had become too dark and violent.

Ratings

 * Episode 1 - 7.2m viewers
 * Episode 2 - 7.0m viewers

Statistics on Repeat and non UK Broadcasts

Myths

 * The original title of this story was "Song Of The Space Whale." ("Song" was in fact a completely different story by Pat Mills which was rejected in favor of this one.)

Influences
Public torture and execution as entertainment go back as far the Romans. The idea of television and manipulation of the media to control the masses has been used in many works of dystopian science fiction. The Sixth Doctor novel "Time of Your Life," the Seventh Doctor story "The Happiness Patrol," and the Ninth Doctor story, "Bad Wolf" all have themes and motifs very similar to those used in this story.

Location Filming
This entire epsiode was filmed in-studio.

Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors
to be added

Continuity

 * Sil returns in the Season 22 story, "Mindwarp."


 * Residual effects of her experiences on Varos cause Peri to once again assume birdlike features in the Virgin Missing Adventures novel, "State of Change."

DVD and Video Releases

 * DVD Release - Released on DVD as "Doctor Who: Vengeance on Varos" in 2001.


 * UK Release: October 2001 / US Release: March 2003
 * PAL Region 2 - BBCDVD1044
 * NTSC Region 1 - Warner DVD E1718


 * DVD Features:
 * Commentary by Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant and Nabil Shaban
 * Original BBC Trailers
 * 10 minutes of deleted and extended scenes
 * Out-takes
 * Behind-the-scenes footage
 * Continuity Announcements
 * Production Information Subtitles
 * Who's Who (Region 1 only)


 * Video Release - Released on video as "Doctor Who: Vengeance on Varos".


 * UK Release: February 1995 / US Release: June 1995
 * PAL - BBC Video BBCV4962
 * NTSC - CBS/FOX Video 8252
 * NTSC - Warner Video E1274

Target Novelisations
to be added