Underworld (TV story)

Underworld was the penultimate story of Season 15, and the first over which script editor Anthony Read had complete creative control. Read had requested that writers Bob Baker and Dave Martin make the script explicitly allegorical of the ancient myth of Jason and the Quest for the Golden Fleece.

Beyond this, though, Underworld was unusual in number of regards. Perhaps most obviously, it was the serial that used by far the most colour separation overlay (CSO) in the programme's history. Rampant inflation had eaten away at the budget for the back half of the season, and using CSO in virtually every shot of Underworld was the only feasible way to preserve production of The Invasion of Time. It also advanced the mythos of the Time Lords, by explaining the origin of their non-interference policy. Ultimately, though, these novelties may not have impressed the average Doctor Who fan. According to one large, if unscientific, poll, Underworld was the worst adventure starring Tom Baker, and one of the five worst of all time.

Synopsis
The TARDIS arrives on a Minyan space craft, the R1C, commanded by a man named Jackson. Jackson and his crew are on a long quest to recover the Minyan race banks from a ship called the P7E which left their planet centuries ago. The Doctor helps to free the R1C after it becomes buried in a meteorite storm, but it then crashes into another newly-formed planet.

Inside the planet is a system of caves at the heart of which is the P7E. The P7E's computer, the Oracle, was programmed to protect the race banks but subsequently went insane and - with the aid of its servants, the Seers - imposed its rule upon the Minyan survivors and their descendants. It allows Jackson to take what appear to be the race banks, but they are actually imitations containing fission grenades.

The Doctor realises the deception and obtains the genuine race banks. He then tricks the Oracle's guards into taking the grenades back to their leader. The resulting explosion destroys the planet and the P7E and boosts the R1C off on a voyage to Minyos II, carrying with it the Minyan survivors.

Plot
to be added

Cast

 * The Doctor - Tom Baker
 * Leela - Louise Jameson
 * Voice of K9 - John Leeson
 * Jackson - James Maxwell
 * Herrick - Alan Lake
 * Orfe - Jonathan Newth
 * Tala - Imogen Bickford-Smith
 * Rask - James Marcus
 * Tarn - Godfrey James
 * Idmon - Jimmy Gardner
 * Idas - Norman Tipton
 * Guard Klimt - Jay Neill
 * Ankh - Frank Jarvis
 * Lakh - Richard Shaw
 * Naia - Stacey Tendeter
 * Voice of the Oracle - Christine Pollon

Crew

 * Assistant Floor Manager - Gary Downie
 * Costumes - Rupert Jarvis
 * Designer - Dick Coles
 * Film Editor - Richard Trevor
 * Incidental Music - Dudley Simpson
 * Make-Up - Cecile Hay-Arthur
 * Producer - Graham Williams
 * Production Assistant - Mike Cager
 * Production Unit Manager - John Nathan-Turner
 * Script Editor - Anthony Read
 * Special Sounds - Dick Mills
 * Studio Lighting - Mike Jefferies
 * Studio Sound - Richard Chubb
 * Theme Arrangement - Delia Derbyshire
 * Title Music - Ron Grainer
 * Visual Effects - Richard Conway

The Doctor

 * The Doctor has been to Aberdeen and Blackpool. In retrospect one wonders if this means he knew perfectly well where he'd left Sarah Jane Smith (as DW: School Reunion reveals he'd dropped her off in Aberdeen rather than South Croydon).

Races and species

 * The Minyans, when living on Minyos, accepted Time Lord technology, then kicked them out by force, went to war and destroyed their world, 100,000 years previously.
 * Minyans can regenerate thousands of times, with mechanical help, but retain the same persona each time.

Story notes

 * The Minyan spacecraft set turned out to be more expensive than anticipated thus almost all other scenes were created using CSO.
 * The story is a very obvious play on the story of Jason and the Argonauts as the names of various characters are quite similar: Jackson/Jason, Herrick/Heracles, Tala/Atalanta, Orfe/Orpheus, Minyos/Minos, R1C/Argossey, P7E/Persephone.
 * This story had a working title of Underground.
 * The DVD production notes point out that Part 2 ran short and needed to be extended by repeating shots, and using a reprise of part 1 lasting more than 90 seconds. Even so, it only runs about 22 minutes, several minutes less than the standard.

Ratings

 * Part 1 - 8.9 million viewers
 * Part 2 - 9.1 million viewers
 * Part 3 - 8.9 million viewers
 * Part 4 - 11.7 million viewers

Myths

 * Imogen Bickford-Smith was going to replace Louise Jameson as the Doctor's companion. Though an actual news story at the time, it was a complete fabrication of the actor's agent, who had gotten wind of Jameson's impending departure. Producer Graham Williams never considered retaining Bickford-Smith beyond Underworld.

Filming locations

 * BBC Television Centre (TC3 and TC4), Shepherd's Bush, London

Production errors

 * The green screen back projection used to create scenes within the caves works surprisingly well, except for a few occasions in which characters can be seen moving through supposedly solid rock, and during episode 2 there are a couple of moments where people's heads can be seen to "vanish".
 * In episode 1, Leela uses a ray gun to blast away a door. Tom Baker wasn't in the correct position when the camera started rolling again when the door was removed, so his body placement is seen to change instantly.

Continuity

 * Further information is revealed of Minyos in BFG: The Inquiry.
 * In DW: Mawdryn Undead there is seen another example of Time Lord technology allowing for perpetual regeneration.
 * This was the first story to show regeneration being applied by non-Time Lords. A key difference is that the Minyans' regeneration process does not result in complete physical change and new personalities, just a reversal of the aging process.
 * The Doctor mentions that he's gone through regeneration "two or three times" and remarks it's "not pleasant".
 * The Doctor refers to the Oracle as "another machine with megalomania; another insane object; another self-aggrandizing artefact." He has encountered several similary insane machines before, namely WOTAN (DW: The War Machines), BOSS (DW: The Green Death) and Xoanon (DW: The Face of Evil).

Timeline

 * This story occurs after DW: The Sun Makers
 * This story occurs before VD: People of the Trees

DVD releases

 * This story was first released on DVD in the UK on 29th March 2010 as part of the Myths And Legends Boxset. The one disc set includes a restored version of the story, as well as the following special features:
 * Commentary by Tom Baker (The Doctor), Louise Jameson (Leela) and Bob Baker (Co-Writer).
 * Into The Unknown
 * Underworld – In Studio
 * Coming Soon Trailer
 * Radio Times Billings
 * Production Subtitles
 * Photo Gallery


 * Editing for DVD release completed by Doctor Who Restoration Team.

Video releases

 * UK March 2002
 * US May 2003
 * Australia May 2002

Novelisation and its audiobook

 * Main article: Doctor Who and the Underworld

Novelised as Doctor Who and the Underworld by Terrance Dicks in 1980.