Terror of the Autons (TV story)

Terror of the Autons was the first story of Season 8. It was notable for being a "gentle reboot" of the Pertwee era, offering a number of elements which would remain prevalent for the next three seasons. It marked the debut of three new recurring characters, Jo Grant, Mike Yates and the Master. Furthermore, it was the first story in which Sgt. Benton's portrayer, John Levene, was given an annual contract, rather than employment as a day player. It also introduced what became UNIT's standard, green uniforms — the replacements for what Barry Letts disparagingly called the "chocolates" of Season 7 — and a new UNIT laboratory which would be used by the Third Doctor until the end of his exile.

It also featured the first return of the Autons since their debut in Season 7, and the first direct contact between the Doctor and his people since the end of Season 6. It was one of very few stories — and the first since The Tomb of the Cybermen — in which each new episode drew more viewers than the one that had preceded it. Finally, it was also the only televised Doctor Who story to be at least partially adapted as a non-parodic comic strip.

Synopsis
The Master arrives on Earth at a circus run by a man named Rossini and steals a dormant Nestene energy unit from a museum. He reactivates it using a radio telescope and uses his hypnotic abilities to take control of a small plastics firm run by the Farrel family, where he organises the production of deadly Auton dolls, chairs and daffodils.

Humanoid Auton dummies distribute the daffodils - designed to spray a suffocating plastic film over their victim's mouth and nose - by giving them away free to members of the public in a fake promotional campaign.

The Master plans to activate the flowers with a signal from the radio telescope, which he will then use to bring the main Nestene Consciousness to Earth. The Doctor manages to persuade the Master that the Nestenes will have no further use for him once they arrive. The two Time Lords then work together to send the Consciousness back into space.

Plot
to be added

Cast

 * The Doctor - Jon Pertwee
 * Jo Grant - Katy Manning
 * Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart - Nicholas Courtney
 * Sergeant Benton - John Levene
 * Captain Mike Yates - Richard Franklin
 * The Master - Roger Delgado
 * Rossini - John Baskcomb
 * Professor George Philips - Christopher Burgess
 * Museum Attendant - Dave Carter
 * Time Lord - David Garth
 * Auton Leader - Pat Gorman
 * Farrel Senior - Stephen Jack
 * Auton Voice - Hayden Jones
 * Mrs. Farrel - Barbara Leake
 * Policeman - Bill McGuirk
 * Radio Telescope Director - Frank Mills
 * Goodge - Andrew Staines
 * Telephone Mechanic - Norman Stanley
 * Strong Man - Roy Stewart
 * McDermott - Harry Towb
 * Brownrose - Dermot Tuohy
 * Auton Policeman - Terry Walsh
 * Rex Farrel - Michael Wisher

Crew

 * Film Cameraman - John Baker
 * Assistant Floor Manager - Bruce Best
 * Film Editor - Geoffrey Botterill
 * Circus Sequences provided by Robert Brothers
 * Script Editor - Terrance Dicks
 * Studio Sound - Colin Dixon
 * Title Music - Ron Grainer and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, arranged by Delia Derbyshire
 * Stunts - HAVOC stunt group
 * Visual Effects - Michealjohn Harris
 * Make-Up - Jan Harrison
 * Special Sounds - Brian Hodgson
 * Writer - Robert Holmes
 * Production Assistant - Nicholas John
 * Producer - Barry Letts
 * Director - Barry Letts (not credited)
 * Studio Lighting - Eric Monk
 * Incidental Music - Dudley Simpson
 * Costumes - Ken Trew
 * Designer - Ian Watson

Story Notes

 * This story had a working title of; The Spray of Death.
 * Although credited, Bill McGuirk (Policeman) does not actually appear in the story; his scenes having been cut prior to broadcast.

Ratings

 * Episode 1 - 7.3 million viewers
 * Episode 2 - 8.0 million viewers
 * Episode 3 - 8.1 million viewers
 * Episode 4 - 8.4 million viewers

Myths

 * The production team had initially envisioned the new regular villain for the series as a female character, possibly called the Controller, to be played by Susan Jameson. (The role was always envisioned as a male character called the Master, and Roger Delgado was the only actor considered for it.)

Filming Locations

 * St. Peter's Court, Chalfont St. Peter, Buckinghamshire
 * Hodgemoor Woods, Chalfont St. Giles, Buckinghamshire
 * Lee Valley Ice Centre, Leyton, London (Location of Rossini's circus)
 * Zouches Farm Relay Station, Caddington, Bedfordshire (Location used for exterior of Beacon Hill Research Establishment)
 * Church Lane car park, Chalfont St. Peter, Buckinghamshire
 * Queen's Wharf, Hammersmith, London (Exterior location of the Master's bomb exploding outside UNIT lab, in water)
 * Totternhoe Lime and Stone Co Ltd, Totternhoe, Dunstable (The quarry the Doctor and Jo are taken to)
 * Ecomold (formerly Thermo Plastics Ltd), Luton Road, Dunstable (Farrell's Plastics Factory)
 * BBC Television Centre (Studio 8 and 6), Shepherd's Bush, London

Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors

 * All elements of CSO have a lot of flaring/fuzzing around the edges of the CSOed image (a museum, the outside of a radio telescope, a lunchbox interior, a lab, the interior of two cars and the coach, a phone box, a kitchen, a quarry and everywhere the killer doll goes). Well you cannot expected a fairly new technique to be perfect
 * In episode one the Doctor could have got to the volatizer by hopping in through the open window (which is how the Master must have got out having set the trap).
 * The ease with which the Doctor manages to convince the Master to change sides at the end of the story is a little unconvincing. The Master is supposed to be a genuis and self-preservation is one of his greatest strengths. Surely he must have already considered the possibilty of the Nestene Consciousness turning on him prior to this.

Continuity

 * This is a sequel to Spearhead from Space.
 * The Nestene Consciousness appear again in PDA: Synthespians™, Business Unusual and DW: Rose.
 * Part of the Master and the Doctor's relationship is explored in MA: The Dark Path.
 * This is the only story in which Autons speak.

VHS Release

 * Released as a recolourised edition based on black and white and colour source material in the UK April 1993 and Australia/New Zealand June 1993 (BBC catalog #4957), US/Canada June 1995 (WHV catalog #E1276) in episodic format.
 * This release was part of the 30th Anniversary celebrations releases.

Novelisation

 * Main article: Doctor Who and the Terror of the Autons


 * Novelised as Doctor Who and the Terror of the Autons in 1974 by Terrance Dicks.