Two Autons disguised as policemen were sent to intercept the Third Doctor at the International circus, and to take him and Jo Grant to a quarry to kill them.
History[]
The Doctor saw through the Autons' disguises and caused the police car to crash when they reached the quarry. The police car's passenger door was blocked in the crash and the Auton tried to shoot the Doctor and Jo as they ran. The Auton policemen managed to get out of the car and started to search for their escaped prisoners.
The Brigadier, Captain Mike Yates and another UNIT soldier arrived in the Brigadier's car and also started to search for the Doctor and Jo. The Autons shot the soldier and, as a last resort, Mike Yates rammed the car into the Auton, causing it to fall down a steep slope. The Doctor, Jo, the Brigadier and Yates managed to escape in the car.
The two Autons returned to the Master without the bodies of the Doctor and Jo. Both Autons collapsed when the Doctor threw the Nestenes back into space. (TV: Terror of the Autons)
Behind the scenes[]
- Terry Walsh was uncredited on-screen for episode two, but credited as "Policeman" in Radio Times (to avoid giving away the episode ending); and billed as "Auton Policeman" for episode three.
- In his work of modern British history, State of Emergency, Dominic Sandbrook notes that the inclusion of Auton policemen was deemed so controversial and scary for children that Terror of the Autons was debated in the House of Lords.
