Wikipedia

Terror of the Zygons

Terror of the Zygons is the first serial of the thirteenth season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 30 August to 20 September 1975. The serial was written by Robert Banks Stewart and directed by Douglas Camfield.

080 – Terror of the Zygons
Doctor Who serial
Cast
Others
Production
Directed byDouglas Camfield
Written byRobert Banks Stewart
Script editorRobert Holmes
Produced byPhilip Hinchcliffe
Music byGeoffrey Burgon
Production code4F[2]
SeriesSeason 13
Running time4 episodes, 25 minutes each
First broadcast30 August 1975 (1975-08-30)
Last broadcast20 September 1975 (1975-09-20)
Chronology
← Preceded by
Revenge of the Cybermen 		Followed by →
Planet of Evil
List of episodes (1963–1989)

The serial stars Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor alongside Elizabeth Sladen and Ian Marter as companions Sarah Jane Smith and Harry Sullivan, with the episode featuring Marter's and Nicholas Courtney's (as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart) final regular appearances. The serial is the first appearance of the Zygons, and is set in and around Loch Ness and in London. In the serial, the alien shapeshifters the Zygons plot to use their cyborg sea monster the Skarasen to take over the Earth, after they discover their home planet was destroyed.

The serial received a novelisation written by Terrance Dicks, and several DVD releases. Terror of the Zygons was met with generally positive reviews. The episode's soundtrack, composed by Geoffrey Burgon, was released on 24 January 2000.

Plot

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The Fourth Doctor, Sarah Jane Smith and Harry Sullivan arrive in Scotland, where Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart and UNIT are investigating the destruction of oil rigs. The survivors' assertion that the rigs were destroyed by a huge sea creature is corroborated by giant tooth marks in the wreckage.

Harry is captured by the Zygons, a shapeshifting alien race hiding in their submerged spacecraft. Their leader, Broton, tells Harry that their spaceship had sustained damage and landed on Earth centuries ago to await rescue, but when they discovered that their home planet had been destroyed in a stellar explosion, they decided instead to conquer the Earth and terraform it to suit their physiology. To achieve this goal, they have captured several humans to use as "body prints" to infiltrate key leadership positions, including the influential Duke of Forgill who serves as head of the Scotland Energy Commission. They had also brought an embryonic sea creature called the Skarasen to Earth and augmented it with cyborg technology until it has reached giant proportions. The Zygons are directing it with a signalling device to attack the rigs as part of their larger plan.

Whilst investigating the Skarasen and the Loch Ness Monster, Sarah Jane stumbles upon a secret passageway at the Duke of Forgill's mansion, which leads her to the Zygons' spacecraft. Whilst searching the ship, she locates and frees Harry, who reveals the Zygon stratagem. With their presence discovered, Broton accelerates the Zygons' plan. The Doctor sneaks aboard the ship, frees the remaining humans, and causes the ship to self-destruct, killing the Zygon crew.

Among the rescued humans, the Duke warns that he was scheduled to attend the first international energy conference in London that day, at which several high-level dignitaries will be in attendance. With the conference located in a building near the Thames, the Doctor fears that Broton will lure the Skarasen to attack the conference. Before the Doctor can stop him, Broton activates the signalling device but is killed by the Brigadier; the Doctor recovers the device just as the Skarasen surfaces. The Doctor throws the device into the Thames; the creature eats it and returns to Loch Ness.

The group returns to Scotland to close up the investigation, and the Brigadier reports that the Cabinet will cover up the incident. The Doctor offers them all a return trip back to London via the TARDIS, but the Brigadier and Harry decline.

Production

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Development

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The Zygons, as they appear at the Doctor Who Experience

Terror of the Zygons was commissioned in April 1975 under the working title The Loch, changed later to The Secrets of the Loch.[3] The serial was the first serial that Robert Banks Stewart wrote for the programme. He set the serial in his native country Scotland, and adapted elements of the Loch Ness Monster myth.[4] Stewart subsequently wrote the finale of the season, The Seeds of Doom (1976).[5][6] The serial is set 10 years after its release in 1985.[7]

When Robert Holmes became head writer on the programme he begun to slowly phase out UNIT a process which he intended to complete at the end of season 12, which Terror of the Zygons was the intended finale for, by ending the TARDIS crew's continuous adventures and delivering Harry Sullivan back to Earth.[8][1] However, Stewart could not complete the script in time so the serial was held back and became the first story of season 13, with a reduced order of four episodes instead of the original six.[3][8] When Nicholas Courtney learned of Holmes' plan he suggested that his character should be killed off.[8]

Filming

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The episode was directed by Douglas Camfield.[9] Camfield previously directed The Invasion (1967) which introduced UNIT; reportedly Camfield disliked the new costumes used for UNIT and preferred the ones used in The Invasion.[10] Filming had to be rescheduled due to budget cuts. These cuts forced Courtney to exit a theater role.[11] Location filming took place in March 1975.[1] According to Tom Baker, due to rain the filming of the episode was delayed by two days. Baker also stated that due to budgetary constraints, location filming in Scotland was not possible.[12] Instead, location filming for Terror of the Zygons was shot in West Sussex, including at Climping beach, South Ambersham in the South Downs, and at the Hall Aggregates Quarry in Storrington. Studio filming took place the following month.[1]

Casting

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John Woodnutt had previously appeared alongside Jon Pertwee's Third Doctor as Hibbert in Spearhead from Space and the Draconian Emperor in Frontier in Space.[13][14] He would go on to play Consul Seron in the penultimate Fourth Doctor serial, The Keeper of Traken.[15] Angus Lennie previously played Storr in The Ice Warriors.[16] This was Nicolas Courtney's last regular appearance in the series. The Brigadier would next be seen in Mawdryn Undead, almost eight years later.[17] The Zygons would not return until the 50th anniversary special, "The Day of the Doctor".[18]

Release and reception

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Ratings

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EpisodeTitleRun timeOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions) [19]		Appreciation Index [19]
1"Part One"21:4130 August 1975 (1975-08-30)8.459
2"Part Two"25:086 September 1975 (1975-09-06)6.1—
3"Part Three"24:0913 September 1975 (1975-09-13)8.254
4"Part Four"25:2220 September 1975 (1975-09-20)7.2—

Terror of the Zygons was released on BBC1 in four weekly parts from 30 August to 20 September 1975. "Part One" was released to an audience of 8.4 million viewers making it the highest viewed episode. It was followed by the lowest viewed, "Part Two", with only 6.1 million. Parts three and four were viewed by 8.2 and 7.2 million viewers respectively. Audience Appreciation Index were taken for the first and third episodes, they scored ratings of 59 and 54. [20]

Critical reception

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In The Television Companion (1998), David J. Howe and Stephen James Walker wrote that Terror of the Zygons gave a stereotypical portrayal of the Scottish and showed how much the show had changed since abandoning its regular UNIT premise. They felt that the story gave UNIT its "dignity and believability" and praised the conception of the Zygons, though they noted that the shapeshifting concept was not original. Despite classifying the Skarasen as the "major weakness", they wrote that "the story remains a strong one".[21] In 2010, Mark Braxton of the Radio Times praised the "exquisitely horrible" design of the Zygons and the cliffhanger of the first episode where a Zygon attacks Sarah. He also was positive towards guest actor John Woodnutt and the incidental music, calling the whole production "a class act", aside from the Loch Ness Monster.[1] DVD Talk's John Sinnott gave the story four-and-a-half out of five stars, praising the cast and the design of the Zygons.[22]

Ian Berriman of SFX felt that it was "churlish" to criticise the Loch Ness Monster effect when the story "gets so much right, including first-class direction, pitch-perfect performances and a hauntingly eerie, folky score". He also was positive towards the design of the Zygons and their spaceship, though he found their scheme farfetched.[23] Christopher Bahn, reviewing the story for The A.V. Club, described it as "fun" but noted that it could be formulaic instead of trying to be "ground-breaking"; he criticised the scene in the second episode in which Broton tells Harry everything about the Zygons, which did not leave much surprise for the later episodes. Nevertheless, he praised the cast, the action sequences, and the Zygons, which he described as a "wonderfully surreal triumph of Doctor Who visual design", though otherwise they functioned as a typical monster-of-the-week.[24]

Reviewing the serial in 1999, literary critic John Kenneth Muir acclaimed Terror of the Zygons as "a riveting and horrifying adventure", singling out the fleshy Zygon costumes for particular praise. He drew parallels with a number of historic Doctor Who serials, noting that the Zygon story drew on some familiar Doctor Who ingredients, including alien invasion (The Invasion), "body snatchers" (The Faceless Ones), an oil rig setting (Fury from the Deep), biomechanical technology (The Claws of Axos) and the revelation of an ancient Earth legend to be alien in origin (The Dæmons). However, he was disparaging of the use of a glove puppet to represent the Loch Ness Monster, comparing it to "the Invasion of the Dinosaurs debacle".[25]

Commercial releases

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In print

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Doctor Who and the Loch Ness Monster
AuthorTerrance Dicks
Cover artistChris Achilleos
SeriesDoctor Who book:
Target novelisations
Release number
40
PublisherTarget Books
Publication date
15 January 1976
ISBN0-426-11041-2

A novelisation of this serial, written by Terrance Dicks, was published by Target Books in January 1976 under the title Doctor Who and the Loch Ness Monster.[9]

Home media

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Terror of the Zygons was first released in Australia on VHS in April 1987.[26] It was later released in the United Kingdom on VHS in November 1988.[27] It was first released in complete and unedited episodic format on LaserDisc in 1997. A new VHS release, also in episodic format, was released in August 1999 in the United Kingdom, and released in 2000 in the United States and Canada.[28]

The serial was released on DVD on 30 September 2013.[29] It features a director's cut version of Part One, with a previously unseen and newly restored 1 min 40-second opening scene featuring the Doctor, Sarah and Harry arriving in the TARDIS, which has materialised invisibly due to a faulty fusion plate. The restored scene was recoloured by Stuart Humphryes.[28] The DVD release also included several promotional items including interviews, advertisements for the serial, and Bakers appearance on Disney Time.[28]

A single-disc version (with no extras) of the DVD formed part of the Fourth Doctor Time Capsule, released on 29 July 2013.[30]

Soundtrack

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Doctor Who: Terror of the Zygons
Soundtrack album by
Geoffrey Burgon
Released24 January 2000
GenreSoundtrack
Length78:25
LabelBBC Music
ProducerMark Ayres
Doctor Who soundtrack chronology
Original Soundtrack Recording
(1997) 		Terror of the Zygons
(2000) 		Doctor Who at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop Volume 1: The Early Years 1963–1969
(2000)

Geoffrey Burgon's music for his Doctor Who serials Terror of the Zygons and The Seeds of Doom were released on CD by BBC Music on 24 January 2000. The CD was sourced from the composer's own copies of the score, recorded at a low speed, resulting in lower fidelity.[31][32]

Track listing

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All music is composed by Geoffrey Burgon, unless otherwise noted.

No.TitleStoryLength
1."Doctor Who Opening Title Theme" (Ron Grainer, realised by Delia Derbyshire)various0:32
2."The Destruction of Charlie Rig"Terror of the Zygons0:41
3."A Landing in Scotland"Terror of the Zygons1:22
4."Murder and Mystery on Tulloch Moor"Terror of the Zygons3:28
5."Wreckage"Terror of the Zygons1:18
6."The Zygons Attack"Terror of the Zygons0:51
7."Decompression"Terror of the Zygons1:09
8."The Zygons' Ultimate Weapon"Terror of the Zygons1:24
9."Trance"Terror of the Zygons0:50
10."False Harry"Terror of the Zygons3:59
11."Monster on the Moor"Terror of the Zygons3:27
12."Death at the Inn"/"Hunt for a Zygon"Terror of the Zygons2:18
13."The Secret of Forgill Castle"Terror of the Zygons1:44
14."Ascent and Descent"Terror of the Zygons1:28
15."A Call from the Prime Minister"Terror of the Zygons0:26
16."To London"/"Death of Broton"Terror of the Zygons2:55
17."The Monster Goes Home"Terror of the Zygons1:10
18."Return Ticket"Terror of the Zygons0:23
19."Antarctica: The First pod"The Seeds of Doom2:20
20."It's Growing!"The Seeds of Doom1:02
21."Harrison Chase"The Seeds of Doom0:42
22."The Pod Opens"The Seeds of Doom1:12
23."The Galactic Weed"The Seeds of Doom2:00
24."The Creature Attacks"The Seeds of Doom0:39
25."A Plan for Murder"/"Hunt in the Snow"The Seeds of Doom2:47
26."Sabotage"The Seeds of Doom1:40
27."Chase Receives the Second Pod"The Seeds of Doom1:08
28."The Chauffeur Takes a Detour"The Seeds of Doom1:28
29."A Visit to Harrison Chase"The Seeds of Doom2:11
30."The Hymn of the Plants"/"Floriana Requiem"The Seeds of Doom1:22
31."Escape and Recapture"The Seeds of Doom2:37
32."The Second Pod Bursts"The Seeds of Doom0:51
33."Keeler's Transformation Begins"The Seeds of Doom0:56
34."The Composter"The Seeds of Doom1:05
35."The Nurturing of Keeler"The Seeds of Doom4:33
36."Get Dunbar!"/"Krynoid on the Loose"The Seeds of Doom2:54
37."Amelia Ducat's Theme"The Seeds of Doom0:45
38."Molotov Cocktail"The Seeds of Doom1:26
39."The Plants Must Win"The Seeds of Doom2:28
40."The Plants Attack"The Seeds of Doom2:54
41."Laser Fire"The Seeds of Doom1:26
42."Trapped"The Seeds of Doom2:13
43."The Final Assault"The Seeds of Doom3:51
44."Doctor Who Closing Title Theme" (Ron Grainer realised by Delia Derbyshire)various0:55
Total length:76:50

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Braxton, Mark (28 June 2010). "Terror of the Zygons ★★★★★". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
  2. ^ Lofficier 1994, p. 94.
  3. ^ a b Barns 2004, p. 29.
  4. ^ "Bergerac writer Robert Banks Stewart dies aged 84". BBC News. 15 January 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  5. ^ Jeffery, Morgan (15 January 2016). "Bergerac creator Robert Banks Stewart dies, aged 84". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 18 October 2017. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  6. ^ Lofficier 1994, p. 102.
  7. ^ Barns 2004, p. 25.
  8. ^ a b c Ainsworth 2015, pp. 103–104.
  9. ^ a b Lofficier 1994, p. 98.
  10. ^ Ainsworth 2015, p. 111.
  11. ^ Ainsworth 2015, p. 110.
  12. ^ Baker, Tom. "TERROR OF THE ZYGONS". Tom Baker Offical. Archived from the original on 19 May 2024. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  13. ^ Mulkern, Patrick (13 September 2009). "Spearhead from Space ★★★★★". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 15 October 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  14. ^ Mulkern, Patrick (24 March 2023). "The secrets of 1970s Doctor Who revealed in newly discovered photos". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 8 July 2024. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  15. ^ Mulkern, Patrick (13 April 2011). "The Keeper of Traken ★★★★". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 27 January 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  16. ^ "Terror of the Zygons – Details". BBC. Archived from the original on 9 December 2019. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  17. ^ Knight, Lewis (2 December 2023). "Doctor Who companions in order: From Susan Foreman to Ruby Sunday". Radio Times. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  18. ^ Jeffery, Morgan (2 April 2013). "'Doctor Who' 50th to feature the Zygons". Digital Spy. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  19. ^ a b Ainsworth 2015, p. 124.
  20. ^ Ainsworth 2015, p. 123-124.
  21. ^ Howe, David J & Walker, Stephen James (1998). Doctor Who: The Television Companion (1st ed.). London: BBC Books. ISBN 978-0-563-40588-7. Archived from the original on 9 December 2019. Retrieved 25 December 2019.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  22. ^ Sinnott, John (19 November 2013). "Doctor Who – Terror of the Zygons". DVD Talk. Archived from the original on 28 April 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  23. ^ Berriman, Ian (30 September 2013). "Doctor Who: Terror of the Zygons Review". SFX. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  24. ^ Bahn, Christopher (7 December 2013). "Doctor Who (Classic): "Terror Of The Zygons"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
  25. ^ Muir, John Kenneth (1999). "Season 13: Terror of the Zygons". A Critical History of Doctor Who on Television. McFarland. p. 234. ISBN 9780786437160.
  26. ^ Ainsworth 2015, p. 126.
  27. ^ BBC Enterprises Ltd, Doctor Who: Terror of the Zygons VHS Cover (1988) (UK), retrieved 22 July 2024 – via Internet Archive
  28. ^ a b c Ainsworth 2015, pp. 127–128.
  29. ^ Camfield, Douglas (30 September 2013). Doctor Who – Terror of the Zygons. 2entertain. Archived from the original on 20 September 2019. Retrieved 14 May 2024 – via Amazon.co.uk.
  30. ^ Jeffery, Morgan (9 July 2013). "Doctor Who: Fourth Doctor box set reveal". Digital Spy. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  31. ^ Doctor Who: Terror of the Zygons (CD Booklet). BBC Music. 2000. WMSF 6020-2.
  32. ^ Ainsworth 2015, p. 128.

Bibliography

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Wikiquote has quotations related to Fourth Doctor.

Target novelisation

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