Fear Itself (TV story)

Fear Itself was the sixth episode of Series 1 of K9 and featured K9's curiosity about emotions.

Synopsis
London is out of control, riots are erupting due to an irrational fear that fills the air. The focus of the paranoia is based in a old junkyard where a strange, alien consciousness is at work. K9 discovers the emotion of fear for himself in his bid to thwart the unknown and finally Drake shows he has a weakness and will go to any lengths to find his fears, including releasing a massive bomb.

Plot
Darius is in a junkyard to find a device when he is approached by two strange vagrants who say the junkyard belongs to them and tell Darius to leave. They decide to lock Darius in a wardrobe. He grabs on to a bar in the wardrobe he suddenly finds himself holding on for his life as there is a bottomless pit below. Back at the mansion Gryffen and Starkey are feeling frightened for an unknown reason. They find out they are not the only ones feeling this as they monitor news reports of mass stampedes and riots across London. Darius arrives at the mansion, terrified after his ordeal.

When they ask him where he was, Darius is shocked to find that the junkyard is on the news and the two vagrants are being interviewed. Drake suddenly interrupts the interview when they start talking about a monster; Darius determines that there is an alien in the hole. K9, Darius, Starkey and Jorjie go to the junkyard only to find that CCPCs are patrolling it. K9 manages to distract the CCPCs by alerting them to a violation of Department Regulation 29d (The use of unapproved sandwiches at a picnic).

Although the CCPCs are gone when Drake arrives, they decide to hide in the wardrobe. Darius refuses because of his earlier experience. They realise his fears when he once again holds on to the bar and nearly falls. They try to hold on him but they can't hold on much longer. K9 manages to save him. Drake agrees with K9, asking them if they saw the alien. As they leave, Drake shouts out to the alien, refusing to acknowledge his fear. Back at the mansion Gryffen shows the team events concerning the spread of fear. Gryffen reveals to the team that Darius is Claustrophobic.

At Department HQ Drake tells June of the alien in the wardrobe. Back at the mansion Starkey and Jorjie futilely try to scare K9 in order to make him understand fear. At the junkyard June finds nothing in the wardrobe. Drake insists there is an alien. When Starkey investigates the wardrobe he determines that "Your own fear makes you see the hole". he is taken away by two CCPCs. He is taken to a cell where he is met by Drake, who starts to show signs of paranoia and persists in refusing to acknowledge his fear.

K9 decides that they have go to the junkyard and prove the fear isn't real. K9 goes to the hole and finds nothing, but both Starkey and Gryffen temporarily lose contact with K9. He sees a Jixen but registers no data; Starkey tries to convince him it's not real. Drake decides to arm a bomb and destroy the wardrobe. K9 manages to believe the Jixen is not real and it vanishes. Starkey and Jorjie go back to the mansion and warn Gryffen to tell K9 to get out, but they feel the force of the explosion. However K9 manages to escape. Drake tells the creature he has won and destroys the wardrobe with his mechanical hand.

K9 reveals he felt the bomb was coming, and Jorjie congratulates him on experiencing a feeling. The team all has a group hug.

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
 * Drake - Connor Van Vuuren
 * Tramp 1 - Brian Vaughan
 * Tramp 2 - Nick Nelid
 * CCPC - Josh Norbido
 * CCPC - Dane Paltman
 * CCPC - Eugen Bekafigo
 * CCPC - Jason McNamara
 * Jixen - Tarek Beheiry

Production crew

 * Writer - Everett DeRoche, Graeme Farmer
 * Director - Karl Zwicky
 * 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 producer - Mark Blythe
 * With special thanks - 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 - Russell Maggs
 * 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
to be added

Ratings
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Myths
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Filming locations
to be added

Production errors
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Continuity

 * A wooden box that is bigger on the inside in a London junkyard is reminiscent of the appearance of the Doctor's TARDIS in DW: An Unearthly Child.
 * A Jixen last appeared in K9TV: The Bounty Hunter.
 * Alistair Gryffen refers to the Great Fire of London in 1666. Unbeknownst to him, it was caused by the overloading of a Terileptil weapon. The resulting explosion destroyed the building located in Pudding Lane. The Fifth Doctor and his companions Adric, Nyssa and Tegan Jovanka left the scene while Richard Mace attempted to put the fire out. (DW: The Visitation) Earlier in his personal timeline, the Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith had been accused of starting the fire. (DW: Pyramids of Mars, ST: The Republican's Story)

Home video releases

 * This episode is featured in the Series One complete boxset which is due to be released in Australia in 29th September 2010, UK release is unknown.
 * This episode is featured in a "vanilla" DVD called The Bounty Hunter along with Regeneration, Liberation, The Korven. The Bounty Hunter and Sirens of Ceres, which is due to be released in Australia in 29th September 2010, UK release is unknown.