Arc of Infinity (TV story)

Arc of Infinity was the first story of Season 20 and was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts from 3 January to 12 January, 1983. Janet Fielding returned as companion Tegan Jovanka in this serial, rejoining the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa on their travels.

Synopsis
Shielded by a collapsed Q star, lurks a malevolent presence, an alien consisting of pure anti-matter. Its intention? To bond with a Time Lord and so cross over into this dimension through the Arc of Infinity &mdash; the gateway to all dimensions. The chosen Time Lord is the Doctor. To avert disaster, he is recalled to Gallifrey before the collision of matter and anti-matter leads to the destruction of all dimensions.

Plot
On Gallifrey a Time Lord traitor is at work stealing the bio-data extract of another Time Lord and killing a technician who stumbles across the crime. The traitor provides the bio-data to a creature known as the Renegade, which is composed of anti-matter and uses the bio-data to invade the TARDIS and then the Doctor's metabolism. His companion, Nyssa, helps him recover. The Renegade is shielded in this attempt by the Arc of Infinity, a curious curve between the dimensions containing quad radiation which can shield anti-matter. The Doctor decides to head to Gallifrey to track down the supplier of his bio-data, conscious that unless the creature trying to cross universes is stopped that its incursion could cause a fatal chain reaction to our universe.

The High Council of the Time Lords is also taking the matter seriously and has decreed that the Doctor’s TARDIS should be recalled for the same reason. The Chancellery Guard under the over-zealous Commander Maxil seizes the Doctor and Nyssa. He stuns the Doctor to ensure his delivery to the High Council. When the Doctor is brought before the High Council the new Lord President, Borusa, is inscrutable while Chancellor Thalia and Cardinal Zorac are openly hostile; only his old friend Councillor Hedin seems pleased to see him. The President stresses the gravity of the situation since the Renegade poses such a threat to the Universe, and the High Council has had no alternative but to issue a Warrant of Termination on the Doctor to ensure the Renegade can no longer bond with him. The Doctor is taken away protesting, sure his bio-data has been compromised and stolen from within the High Council. Fortunately an old friend, Damon, who is another technician in the records section, provides him with the proof he needs that a member of the High Council did indeed steal his bio-data extract. The Doctor is soon taken for execution, despite Nyssa’s attempts to save him, and placed in a dispersal chamber. Sentence is carried out.

The supposed death of the Doctor, however, has not solved the situation. Unbeknownst to the High Council, his mind has been taken into the Time Lord living repository of knowledge, the Matrix, while his body is hidden behind a force shield in the termination cubicle. The Renegade, who demands an opportunity to return to the Universe it once inhabited, contacts him. The truth of the aborted execution is discovered by the wily Castellan, who tells first Nyssa and Damon that the Doctor is alive; and then the High Council.

Meanwhile in Amsterdam, Netherlands the Doctor’s former companion Tegan Jovanka arrives looking for her cousin Robin Stuart. She is greeted by his friend Colin Frazer who explains that Robin has disappeared while they were crashing in the crypt of the Frankendael mansion. When neither of them can persuade the police to take an interest they decide to investigate the crypt themselves. They find a hypnotised Robin working for a curious birdlike creature, an Ergon, which is armed with a deadly weapon. The weapon is in fact a matter-converter/transporter, and they are transported into a TARDIS hidden at the Frankendael and belonging to the Renegade. Their minds scanned, revealing to the Renegade that Tegan knows the Doctor. The Renegade uses Tegan as bait to force the Doctor to obey him, also releasing Robin from his slavery as a reward. The Doctor is returned to normal space on Gallifrey where he makes for the High Council Chamber. Lord President Borusa has fallen under suspicion of being a traitor because the Castellan reveals it was his codes that were used to transmit the bio-data. The truth, however, is that Councillor Hedin is the Time Lord in league with the Renegade. He is in awe of his master - the mighty Omega, first of the Time Lords and pioneer of time travel (see "The Three Doctors"). Hedin wishes to release Omega from his exile in a universe of anti-matter, not realising the great Time Lord has been driven mad by his years of solitary confinement. The Castellan kills Hedin, but this does not prevent Omega using the Arc of Infinity to seize total control of the Matrix and, therefore, the organisation of Gallifrey.

Fortunately the Doctor and Nyssa manage to slip away and return to the TARDIS. They use scant knowledge provided by Tegan to determine that Omega has established its base in Amsterdam on Earth, and head there immediately, desperately trying to find the Frankendael crypt she described. After a lengthy hunt they find the lair defended by the Ergon, and Nyssa disposes of it with its own matter-converter gun. They reach Omega’s TARDIS at the point at which both the ship is destroyed and Omega makes full transference to Earth using the Arc of Infinity. When he peels his decayed mask away he reveals the features of the Doctor. Omega heads off into Amsterdam with the Doctor and Nyssa in hot pursuit. Within a short time the Doctor’s prediction of an unstable transfer begins to come true: Omega’s flesh decays and it is clear his new body is not permanent. When the Doctor and Nyssa catch up with him it is a painful task for the Doctor to use the Ergon’s anti-matter converter on Omega, expelling him back to his own universe of anti-matter. The Time Lord High Council on Gallifrey detects the end of the threat.

Once Tegan has checked on her cousin’s progress in hospital, she decides to rejoin the TARDIS crew. This time it is as a willing traveller. The Doctor, Tegan and Nyssa depart Amsterdam.

Cast

 * The Doctor - Peter Davison
 * Tegan - Janet Fielding
 * Nyssa - Sarah Sutton
 * President Borusa — Leonard Sachs
 * Chancellor Thalia — Elspet Gray
 * Councillor Hedin — Michael Gough
 * The Castellan — Paul Jerricho
 * Cardinal Zorac — Max Harvey
 * Commander Maxil — Colin Baker
 * Omega/The Renegade — Ian Collier/Peter Davison
 * Damon — Neil Daglish
 * Talor — John D. Collins
 * Colin Frazer — Alastair Cumming
 * Robin Stuart — Andrew Boxer
 * Hotel Receptionists — Maya Woolfe, Guy Groen
 * The Ergon — Malcolm Harvey
 * Walk-ons - Terry Phillips, Kevin O'Brien, Barbie Denham, Glenn Bexfield, Charis Andrews

Cast notes

 * Features a guest appearance by Michael Gough (who had previously played the malevolent Celestial Toymaker in the story of the same name)..
 * Colin Baker (who would later succeed Peter Davison as the Sixth Doctor) appeared in the serial as Commander Maxil. It was his performance in this role (which, according to Baker, producer John Nathan-Turner repeatedly told him to "tone down") that first brought him to the attention of the production office. Baker reprised the role of Maxil as an uncredited cameo in the 2006 Big Finish Productions audio play "Gallifrey: Appropriation."
 * John Horsley was a contender for the role of President Borusa.

Crew

 * Assistant Floor Manager - Lynn Richards
 * Costumes - Dee Robson
 * Designer - Marjorie Pratt
 * Film Cameraman - Fintan Sheehan
 * Film Editor - Bernard Ashby
 * Incidental Music - Roger Limb
 * Make-Up - Frances Needham
 * Production Assistant - Diana Brookes
 * Production Associate - June Collins
 * Special Sounds - Dick Mills
 * Studio Lighting - Don Babbage
 * Studio Sound - Trevor Webster
 * Title Music - Ron Grainer and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, arranged by Peter Howell
 * Visual Effects - Chris Lawson
 * Writer - Johnny Byrne
 * Script Editor - Eric Saward
 * Director - Ron Jones
 * Producer - John Nathan-Turner

Story Notes

 * The working titles for this story were The Time Of Neman and The Time Of Omega.
 * For Parts One and Two, the character of Omega was credited as "The Renegade" on the end credits.

Ratings

 * Episode 1 -	7.2 million
 * Episode 2 -	7.3 million
 * Episode 3 -	6.9 million
 * Episode 4 -	7.2 million

Myths

 * Pierce Brosnan auditioned for the role of Maxil. This is reported at A Brief History of Time (Travel). Filming for this story began in May of 1982, very close to when Remington Steele first began production, - close enough to make the truth of this rumor somewhat doubtful.

Location Filming

 * Location shooting was done in Amsterdam in May of 1982.

Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors

 * "The Invasion of Time" indicated that the Fourth Doctor's memory of his tenure as President was wiped after he used the Demat Gun to defeat the Sontarans. Yet in this and later stories, the Doctor has full memory of these events. Perhaps the Fourth Doctor was faking amnesia to escape having to stay on Gallifrey and fulfill his presidential duties?


 * The Doctor knows and uses the President's special security clearance code, obviously entrusted to him during his brief term in office. Wouldn't this code be changed each time a new president is inaugurated?

Continuity

 * Every story during Season 20 featured an adversary from the past. For this serial, it was Omega, who last faced the first three incarnations of the Doctor in the 10th anniversary story "The Three Doctors" (1973).
 * Tegan is the first companion to have rejoined the Doctor on his travels, after having departed.
 * This episode's Castellan, played by Paul Jerrico, would return in "The Five Doctors" (1983).
 * The Matrix was first introduced in "The Deadly Assassin."

DVD and Video Releases
This story was first released in VHS episodic format in March 1994, with a cover design by Pete Wallbank. It has not yet been released on DVD.

Target Novelisations
A novelisation of this serial, written by Terrance Dicks, was published by Target Books in October 1983, ISBN 0426193423. It was number 80 in the series of Doctor Who novelisations from Target.