Angel of the North (TV story)

Synopsis
Gryffen is taken by Thorne in a special Virtual Reality encasement suit to the crash site of the Fallen Angel, the spaceship that the Space-Time Manipulator was taken from. In the frozen wastes of his native Canada, Gryffen faces his own demons and, once again, the dreaded Korven. K9 and Starkey try to rescue Gryffen from this most evil of alien menaces. Gryffen finds the STM's missing dimensional stabilizer unit that he needs to control it properly. However with it comes a mystery...

Plot
In a base in the frozen wastes of Canada, a Department inspector is called by a technician. The technician can't get a piece of machinery to come apart and it won't budge. The inspector tells him he's on his way. The technician reaches through some slime and experiences a strange distortion. He looks up and screams. At Gryffen's house, Gryffen is at the STM when the distortion happens. Gryffen asks K9 what's going on. K9 investigates and says he's finding it difficult to keep still. He asks if 48 north by 120 means anything to Gryffen. Gryffen says that's where the Fallen Angel crashed; something is happening up there which is affecting the STM and K9. Gryffen thinks that after all this time the ship has been quiet and not a thing came from it, it's as if something has been awakened or some element has been activated.

Gryffen decides it is the temporal stabiliser, the missing element and the reason he hasn't been able to master the STM. He tries to conquer his agoraphobia. He takes several steps outside but when his fingertips get off the door he goes back in. Darius comes and helps him up. Gryffen says he was going for a walk. Darius is shocked that he tried to go outside. Gryffen agrees it was ridiculous.

Later, Gryffen contacts June and tells her he needs to get to the fallen angel; he believes the temporal stabiliser is still lodged in there and if he gets it he'll finally be able to get the STM working accurately. He was thinking about the travelsuit that she once told him about. She says the travelsuit is still at an experimental stage and it's a very hazardous journey. Thorne, who is working behind June, leaves. Later, Thorne tells Lomax about the conversation and is ordered to assist him in every way possible. Thorne brings Gryffen the virtual reality encasement suit. He says he and June have agreed to assist Gryffen on his trip to the fallen angel; the suit is to help him get over his phobia. Thorne assures Gryffen that it's perfectly safe and that the encasement suit passed the highest level security tests. K9 is not confident.

Gryffen puts on his suit. Thorne says he will be travelling with him along with a small security team and that he'll see to it personally he's safe and sound. A CCPC grabs Gryffen's arm as they go out, When Thorne smiles at K9 and Darius, Darius becomes suspicious. As they leave the house, Gryffen panics and protests as the two CCPCs pull him out. K9 wakes Starkey up and the three argue about the matter. June arrives, asking where Gryffen is. She is told about the situation.

Thorne, Gryffen and the CCPCs arrive at the crash site where Gryffen admires a piece of wreckage. Meanwhile, back at Gryffen's house, Jorjie has arrived and asks about Gryffen and Thorne's trip. K9 isn't entirely sure but has an uneasy feeling about it and decides it's time to travel there.

Gryffen finds a helmet, Thorne tells him to get on with his work. Gryffen finds the stabiliser in a puddle of slime. Thorne tells him to bring it out and they'll go. As Thorne and the CCPCs leave, Gryffen spots something of interest: empty pods. Thorne says there is nothing in them. Gryffen says that the "nothings" have escaped and whatever they are, they are loose in the tunnels.

K9 tells the team he will need them all to operate the STM in unison. They finish setting all the instruments and powering it up. Starkey tells Jorjie to hold the instrument he's on. He goes down stairs and joins K9; they are transported to Canada. Starkey spots the site in the distance and they move towards it. The CCPCs take Gryffen away. He drops the stabiliser. As they take Gryffen out, Gryffen demands to know what was in the pods. Thorne says it's not for him to question and he's a scientist being paid to do whatever scientists do. Thorne orders a Canadian CCPC to get a squadron and scour the tunnels.

K9 and Starkey arrive at the base and go through the tunnels. They are met by a Korven. The Korven takes aim, but is shot by K9 before he can fire. Gryffen tells Thorne he hasn't got the stabiliser and he must have dropped it when the CCPCs manhandled him. A CCPC tells Thorne something is coming their way. They meet Starkey and K9, who tell Gryffen there are Korven here. Gryffen realise that the Korven was in the pods and the ship and the STM are Korven technology. K9 notes there are over one hundred Korven in this area alone. Thorne decides that they should all leave. Gryffen tells K9 and Starkey they have to go back for the stabiliser. When they arrive at the site, K9 gives Gryffen and Starkey a diversion by flying around the CCPCs making various animal sounds. Gryffen d grabs the stabiliser but is met by a CCPC. He throws it to Starkey. K9 and Starkey leave as the CCPCs chase Gryffen, who runs down a corridor where he meets a Korven. It fires at him but he evades the shot. Gryffen spots a door and goes outside. The Korven and the CCPCs start a battle.

With only minutes left, K9 shows Starkey the way out.They meet Gryffen at the transportation spot and head home, leaving Thorne and the CCPCs confused.

As Gryffen goes to the STM K9 strongly advises against activating the STM with that device; the Korven are even more dangerous than the Jixen, more dangerous than any alien he has encountered and could have only come to Earth to further their aggression. K9 warns that they want to rule time and space and if they had the missing piece they may open up a floodgate and allow the Korven to enter. Gryffen s sets K9's enhancement code as a secure key. Starkey asks what K9's enhancement code doing in a piece of Korven technology. K9 says he has no answers. Gryffen says that until they find out, the stabiliser is out of operation. The team are happy that K9 is stuck here with them for a long time.

Cast

 * K9 Mark 2 - John Leeson
 * Starkey - Keegan Joyce
 * Jorjie Turner - Philippa Coulthard
 * Darius Pike - Daniel Webber
 * Professor Alistair Gryffen - Robert Moloney
 * June Turner - Robyn Moore
 * Thorne - Jared Robinsen
 * Lomax - Peter Kent
 * Canadian Department Inspector 1 - Craig Lee
 * Canadian Department Inspector 2 - Emma Gibbs
 * Korven - Matthew Reimer
 * CCPC - Josh Norbido
 * CCPC - Jason McNamara
 * CCPC - Eugen Bekafigo
 * CCPC - Manuel Savoie
 * CCPC - Tyler Rostedt

Production crew

 * Writer - Bob Baker
 * Director - James Bogle
 * Producers - Penny Wall, Richard Stewart, Simon Barnes
 * Executive producers - Jim Howell, Grant Bradley, Steve Robbins
 * Associate producers - Bob Baker, Paul Tams
 * Supervising producer - Dale Bradley
 * Co-Executive producers - Mark Blythe, Sam Tromans
 * Line producer - Pam Collis
 * VFX Director - David Napier
 * Series Production Designer - Jon Dowding
 * Episodic Designer - Adam Head
 * New K9 Design by - Paul Tams, Alex Kubalsky
 * Series Director of Photography - Ben Nott
 * Episodic Director of Photography - Tony O'Loughlan
 * Music by - Christopher Elves
 * K9 theme music by - Michael Lira
 * Editor - Patrick Stewart
 * Casting - Faith Martin and associates
 * Episodic casting - Lisa Maloney
 * Drama/Dialogue coach - Peter Kent
 * Story Producer - Greg Walters
 * Script Adaption - Michaeley O'Brien
 * Production Accountant - Pru Donovan
 * 1st Assistant Director - Peter McLennan
 * Script Supervisor - Sue Ketchington
 * Costume Designer - Joanne Thompson
 * Makeup Designer - Sharon Robbins
 * Puppeteer - David Pawsey
 * Location Manager - Charles Boyle
 * Sound Recordist - Ian Grant
 * B Camera Operator - Dan Maxwell
 * Gaffer - Steve Monk
 * Key Grip - Billy Harmer
 * Special thanks to - Space Furniture, Shredox, J. Barbour & Sons Ltd, Heath Williams at Firefly Lighting, Videopro
 * Safety Supervisor/Stunt Coordinator - Danny Baldwin
 * Transport Manager - Alister Ward
 * Unit Manager - Graeme Suhr
 * Post Production Facility - Cutting Edge Australia
 * Head of Post Production - John Lee
 * Sound Design - Warren Pearson

Story notes

 * After Mind Snap, which was co-written by Paul Tams, this episode is K9 co-creator Bob Baker's first solo script for the series and his first solo Doctor Who related TV story since Nightmare of Eden.
 * Unlike other episodes, where at the start the credits for the main cast, writer and director are in the bottom centre, the credits are located at the middle right.

Ratings
to be added

Myths
to be added

Filming locations
to be added

Production errors
to be added

Continuity

 * The Korven previously appeared in K9TV: The Korven.
 * K9 says the Korven are even more dangerous than the Jixen. (K9TV: Liberation)

Home video releases
This episode is featured in the Series One complete box set.