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.

Summary
To be added.

Cast & Characters

 * 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

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.

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.)

Location Filming
This entire epsiode was filmed in-studio.

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."

Quotes
To be added.

Story Arcs

 * Sil

Discontinuity
To be added.

More Info

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

Public 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