64-445: Earthshock is the sixth serial of the 19th season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who . It was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts on BBC1 from 8 to 16 March 1982. This serial marks the final regular appearance of Matthew Waterhouse as Adric and his death, with the final episode featuring unique silent credits in loving memory of the character. It
128-414: A "tragedy" that managed to make the audience care about him. In 2012, the magazine also listed the scene as the third best companion departure, calling it "a beautifully constructed death scene" despite the fact that the character was "loathed by fandom ". For Den of Geek in 2019, Andrew Blair wrote that Earthshock was "atypical Who with its short scenes, regular gunfights, and fast pace. Its success owed
192-458: A Transmat would cleanse her body of the toxin. Harry transmats down to Voga with Sarah, who regains consciousness and recovers instantly, and they are captured by Vogans. Amid fighting between rival Vogan factions, Harry and Sarah explain their story to Tyrum and win his trust. The Cybership docks with Nerva Beacon. Cybermen board the station and overpower the Doctor and the crew. The Cyberleader forces
256-454: A base for cataloguing Vogan geology, travelling there via a Transmat teleportation system. Nerva Beacon is now under quarantine due to an outbreak of an unidentified plague. In space, an unknown ship approaches Nerva. It is revealed that Voga is inhabited by a race of intelligent domed-headed beings who live beneath its surface in a network of caves. Vorus, leader of the Guardians of the mines,
320-434: A lot to Peter Grimwade's direction, but also negatively influenced Doctor Who for the next four years with misplaced attempts to bottle lightning twice." The Target novelisation of this serial, written by Ian Marter , was published by WH Allen in 1983. A second edition was published in 1992. An unabridged audio reading of the novelisation, read by Peter Davison, was released by AudioGo on 1 February 2012. Earthshock
384-417: A potholer who had died in the caves, three years earlier. The assistant floor manager suffered a severe attack of claustrophobia, another crew member fell ill, and an electrician suffered a broken leg when a ladder collapsed. During the scene when Sarah Jane rides one of the water skimmers, the boat went wild and Sladen was forced to jump off, treading water despite heavy boots until her rescue by Terry Walsh ,
448-454: A series of problems which the crew blamed on a curse. The curse apparently was brought about when the production staff found a small rock formation that the locals called "The Witch". Despite warnings, they proceeded to put a witch hat and cloak on it. Briant encountered an individual in spelunking gear, which the Wookey Hole staff had no knowledge of, whom Briant was convinced was the spirit of
512-665: Is also the first to feature the Cybermen since Revenge of the Cybermen in 1975. The serial is mainly set on Earth and a deep-space freighter in 2526. In the serial, the Cybermen plot to wipe out Earth, where a conference of multiple planets are planning to form a military pact to defeat the Cybermen in a war. As the TARDIS materialises in Earth's future, Adric argues with the Fifth Doctor about
576-451: Is credited due to Saward being the scriptwriter. The show moved from its traditional once-weekly Saturday broadcast to twice-weekly, primarily on Monday and Tuesday, although there were regional variations to the schedule. Black Orchid was the first purely historical story, with no science-fiction elements save for the TARDIS and its crew, since The Highlanders from Season 4 ; it was also
640-471: Is leading a revolt against the Vogan leader, Chief Councillor Tyrum. On board Nerva, a mysterious silver, snake-like creature attacks and kills Warner by injecting him with poison. The Doctor identifies it as a Cybermat , a cybernetic creature used by Cybermen , and that it has been responsible for the deaths aboard Nerva rather than a plague. He realises that Voga is the legendary Planet of Gold, an enemy world of
704-421: Is not aboard Nerva, as it is travelling back in time towards them. The trio discover that the space station is full of dead bodies. The time travellers come into contact with the surviving Nerva crew, led by Commander Stevenson. The space station is now operating as an orbital beacon, warning ships away from a drifting planetoid named Voga. Professor Kellman, a civilian planetary surveyor, has been using Nerva as
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#1732895436713768-488: The Daleks and Cybermen in the first season. The script was modified as production developed to incorporate Tom Baker 's style, and also had to be rewritten to modify how writer Gerry Davis had envisaged the new Doctor – as a more timid, reserved figure much in the manner of Patrick Troughton , which happened to be rather unlike Baker's portrayal. Rewrites by Robert Holmes made the Cybermen more emotional than writer Gerry Davis
832-648: The "planet of gold" Voga, thousands of years before The Ark in Space . In the serial, the Cybermen plot to destroy Voga, as the gold there is lethal to them. Following on from Genesis of the Daleks , the Fourth Doctor , Harry and Sarah use the Time Ring to return to Space Station Nerva. They arrive aboard the space station thousands of years before the events of The Ark in Space and The Sontaran Experiment . The TARDIS
896-445: The BBC archives) and the Fourth Doctor from part 3 of Revenge Of The Cybermen (1975). All the clips were presented in monochrome to preserve continuity, as the first two extracts were originally recorded in black and white. The exterior sequences seen in the first episode were shot on Thursday 29 October 1981 at Springwell Lock Quarry, near Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire. The Cyberscope prop
960-553: The BBC in 1973. He later told the Radio Times that the props master, not recognising Moore, had paid him two shillings and sixpence for the item: "I'd popped into the Beeb [BBC] for a cup of tea and spotted a notice about an upcoming "Doctor Who", so I thought the darlings would be so cash-strapped they'd need anything they could get their hands on. It wasn't MGM , after all. But I didn't expect to walk out with two and six!" The masks for
1024-461: The Cyber Leader decides it is time to take command of the freighter. They leave the sealed containers they stowed away in, and begin to march to the bridge. The ship's crew, along with help from Tegan, Scott, and Kyle, attempt to barricade their progress, but the Cybermen overpower them, killing Kyle and capturing Tegan, and soon the Cybermen control the bridge. Using Tegan to keep the Doctor in check,
1088-494: The Cybermen Revenge of the Cybermen is the fifth and final serial of the 12th season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who , which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 19 April to 10 May 1975. It was the first to feature the Cybermen since The Invasion (1968) and the last until Earthshock (1982). The serial is set on Space Station Nerva, now called Nerva Beacon, and
1152-423: The Cybermen one star out of five, calling the gold revelation "a ridiculous development" and said that the Cybermen returned with "an overall lapse of scripting, performance, design and direction". However, Mulkern felt that the location work for Voga allowed the story to "occasionally gleam with life". SFX reviewer Ian Berriman called the story a "blandly competent, meat-and-potatoes action-adventure fare". On
1216-411: The Cybermen are allergic to gold. Scott and his men are able to overpower the minimal guard left on the bridge, and Adric immediately starts working to try to undo the control lock. His first attempt causes the ship to jump back in time about 65 million years; the Doctor, monitoring this on the TARDIS, observes that is about the same time of the extinction of the dinosaurs . Adric's second attempt brings
1280-436: The Cybermen install a device that locks the controls of the freighter after setting it on warp-speed collision course with Earth, expecting the anti-matter engines will be powerful enough to destroy the Earth. The Cybermen then order the Doctor to take them to his TARDIS to escape, leaving behind Adric, Briggs, and other crewmen. Adric is able to pass the Doctor his gold Badge for Mathematical Excellence before they depart, knowing
1344-409: The Cybermen – Cybermen are vulnerable to gold dust as it can be used to clog their breathing apparatus and suffocate them. The Doctor deduces that Cybermen are planning a fresh attack on Voga. Kellman secretly contacts the unidentified spaceship, which is crewed by Cybermen. While the Doctor investigates Kellman, Sarah is attacked and poisoned by a Cybermat. The Doctor reasons that putting Sarah through
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#17328954367131408-435: The Cybermen, feeling that they did not hark back to their eerie emotionless roots and that when they got involved "the plot starts to bog down in its implausibilities". In 2012, Patrick Mulkern of Radio Times awarded it five stars out of five, praising the tension and describing it as "the most thrilling tale in years". He wrote "Saward's script and Grimwade's direction work in unison, delivering pace, momentum, atmosphere and
1472-502: The Doctor about the rocket. She finds the station overrun with Cybermen. Harry and Kellman are caught in a rock fall, which kills Kellman. The Doctor and Harry are reunited and try to attack the Cybermen with gold dust. The Cybermen are destroyed when Nerva crew member Lester sacrifices himself by detonating his explosive pack. On Nerva, the Cyberleader orders immediate detonation of the bombs, but Sarah intervenes, creating enough delay for
1536-455: The Doctor defeats them. He suspects the androids were guarding the hatch, and eventually opens it to reveal a powerful bomb that could destroy the planet. The Doctor and Adric defuse the bomb and trace its signal back to a freighter that is entering the Solar System. Scott and Kyle join the Doctor as they return to the TARDIS and travel to the freighter. The Doctor instructs the others to wait in
1600-436: The Doctor grinds Adric's gold badge on the Cyber Leader's chestplate, suffocating it and allowing them to disable the Cybermen. The Doctor finds the TARDIS' controls have been damaged, making it impossible to rescue Adric. On the bridge, Adric nears undoing the lock when a weakened Cyberman fires on him, missing him and striking the keyboard, preventing Adric from making any further attempts. The TARDIS crew watches helplessly as
1664-511: The Doctor to disarm his explosive pack. The Cybermen change to an alternative plan to load Nerva Beacon with more explosives and set it on a collision course with Voga. The Doctor Transmats back to Nerva in an attempt to stop the attack. The Doctor is forced by the Cyber-Leader to tie himself and Sarah up, where they will watch helplessly as Nerva crashes into Voga, while the Cybermen depart. On Voga, Vorus sees Nerva's collision course and launches
1728-451: The Doctor, Stevenson and Lester to strap on high-power explosives, and instructs them to beam down to Voga in the Transmat where the bombs will explode, destroying Voga. As the gold-rich environment is hostile to Cybermen, they cannot carry out the attack themselves. The bomb straps are booby-trapped, so they cannot remove the bombs until they have reached Voga's core. The captives beam down with
1792-506: The Master. David Banks makes the first of four appearances in the show as a Cyber-leader beginning in Earthshock . Antony Root served as script editor for Four to Doomsday and The Visitation , after which he was replaced by Eric Saward . Saward's work as script editor included the opening serial, Castrovalva , which was filmed later in the production run, and Earthshock , for which Root
1856-511: The Monsters", achieving viewing figures of 4.9 and 5.2 million respectively. The story came 17th in the 1997 Doctor Who Magazine annual best serial survey. Rob Hill ranked it at number two in "the top 10 Cybermen stories" for Den of Geek in 2010, beaten only by The Tomb of the Cybermen (1967). In 2018, The Daily Telegraph ranked Earthshock at number 22 in "the 56 greatest stories and episodes", arguing that "Peter Davison's first season
1920-499: The TARDIS and it dematerialises. Gerry Davis wrote the initial script, titling it Return of the Cybermen . Robert Holmes' rewrite added the Vogan elements and changed Return to Revenge . Producer Philip Hinchcliffe was new to the programme; this serial was commissioned by his predecessor Barry Letts . Letts and Holmes felt that with a new Doctor coming in and at that stage little idea of how he would be played, it would be best to play safe by using familiar big-name monsters such as
1984-476: The TARDIS while he and Adric explore the ship; they find a similar number of corpses in the cargo holds before they are caught by the ship's security and taken to Captain Briggs, where they try to explain their situation. Throughout this, the Doctor and the humans are unaware that they are being monitored by the Cybermen , who seek to destroy the Earth. With the bomb defused on Earth and the Doctor now interfering here,
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2048-611: The US, a novelisation was printed by Pinnacle Fiction in January 1989. An audiobook of the Target novelisation was released by BBC Audio on 3rd February 2022 read by Nicholas Briggs. This story was the very first Doctor Who serial to be commercially released on VHS in October 1983. It was initially released in an edited omnibus format, with the opening and closing titles of each episode removed. This omnibus
2112-479: The bombs, accompanied by two Cybermen. Kellman also transmats down to Voga, where it emerges that he is a double agent working for Vorus in a plan to lure the Cybermen to Nerva Beacon. Vorus then plans to destroy the station with a giant missile, the Sky Striker . Thinking the Doctor is still aboard Nerva Beacon, Harry joins Tyrum in attempting to stop the rocket launch, while Sarah transmats back up to Nerva to warn
2176-466: The cybermats and Harry's "bumbling buffoon" character. In a 2010 article for Den of Geek , while choosing Philip Hinchcliffe as the greatest producer of Doctor Who , Alex Westthorp cited Revenge of the Cybermen as the least successful story of his tenure. A novelisation of this serial, written by Terrance Dicks , was published by Target Books in May 1976. A Polish translation was published in 1994. In
2240-422: The eponymous shock." He praised the new look of the Cybermen, guest star Beryl Reid, and the way the story "pulls off the previously unimaginable feat of making us care about Adric". He acknowledged that critics had pointed out "plot holes and logic leaps", but said he was willing to "gloss over them". In 2010, SFX named Adric's death the twenty-ninth best "tearjerker" in science fiction and fantasy, calling it
2304-531: The first two-part serial since The Sontaran Experiment in Season 12 , and the first of a regular run of a two-parter every season until the change of format to 45 minute episodes in Season 22 . The entire season was broadcast from 4 January to 30 March 1982. For the first time in the series' history, episodes were not broadcast on Saturdays, but in a twice weekly format on Mondays and Tuesdays. All releases are for DVD unless otherwise indicated: Revenge of
2368-414: The freighter collides with Earth in a massive explosion, killing the dinosaurs and Adric in the process. The working title for this story was Sentinel . Although credited as script editor , Antony Root in fact did little or no work on Earthshock . He was credited to avoid Saward, who had by this time replaced him in the job, being credited as such on his own work, which contravened BBC regulations. This
2432-466: The incidental music for this serial, his final work for the series. Producer Philip Hinchcliffe asked the BBC Radiophonic Workshop to enhance the score, which was done by Peter Howell by adding some synthesiser cues to Blyton's score. This was Howell's debut on the series but it was uncredited. Howell would go on to arrange the 1980 Doctor Who theme music and provide incidental music for
2496-534: The innards of old television sets and trousers which, for the first time since The Moonbase , were not tucked into the Cyber-boots. Director Michael E. Briant opted to put the characters on the Nerva Beacon into contemporary clothing and have them use modern machine guns rather than attempt to depict the future through fashion. Another first appearance is a circular symbol containing interlocking spirals which
2560-452: The lack of attention and respect he receives compared to Nyssa or Tegan . They explore a series of caves and are caught by soldiers led by Lieutenant Scott; Professor Kyle, accompanying Scott, accuses the four of killing the rest of her archaeological team. The Doctor convinces them to help, and Kyle leads them to the bodies of her team, near where they find an odd metal hatch. The group is attacked by androids, killing some of Scott's men, but
2624-485: The other hand, Berriman was positive towards the camp appeal of the Cyber Leader, the Doctor being strapped to a bomb, and the "reliably brilliant" main cast. DVD Talk 's John Sinnot felt that not all of the story's criticism was warranted, and gave it three and a half out of five stars. Sinnot wrote that the Vogans were interesting and the Cybermen were "menacing" if not at their best. He still noted plot holes, and criticised
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2688-612: The plotting were not that noticeable. Howe and Walker called the first episode "a masterpiece of suspense and terror", praised the surprise return of the Cybermen, which they said were "more effective" than those in Revenge of the Cybermen (1975), and thought the way Adric was written out showed "the level of brilliance to which Doctor Who could still ascend if the production team put their minds to it". In Doctor Who: The Episode Guide , Mark Campbell awarded it eight out of ten, describing it as "a dynamically directed action story, much praised at
2752-608: The previous Doctors, save for Jon Pertwee who never had a Cyberman story (though they had been briefly glimpsed in two serials from his era). Levine's selected clips were: the First Doctor from episode 2 of The Tenth Planet (1966), the Second Doctor from episode 6 of The Wheel in Space (1968) (with dialogue from the Earthshock Cyber Leader referring to The Tomb of the Cybermen (1967), at that time missing from
2816-581: The principal actors playing the Vogans were specially moulded to their faces, but for the non-speaking artists the BBC had to cut costs. According to actor David Collings on the DVD commentary, who played Vorus, the masks for the extras were made using a facial mould of Dad's Army star Arnold Ridley . Originally, Cyber-costumes from the 1968 serial The Invasion were to have been used, but only two had survived, and in poor condition. This necessitated entirely new outfits, which included chest panels constructed from
2880-408: The programme's longtime stuntman . Both required precautionary vaccinations at a local hospital but were otherwise unhurt. The boat disappeared and was never seen again. The secret radio transmitter disguised as a clothes brush, used by Kellman, is the same prop that appears in the 1973 James Bond film Live and Let Die . The prop was handed over by Bond star Roger Moore when he visited
2944-525: The rocket just as he is shot by Tyrum. The Doctor unties himself and Sarah, and contacts Voga, instructing them to aim the rocket at the departing Cybership. The Cybership is destroyed, while the Doctor steers the space station away from Voga, narrowly missing an impact with the surface. Harry returns to Nerva Beacon via transmat and the TARDIS materialises on the station. The Doctor receives a message from Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart asking him to return to 20th-century Earth due to an emergency. They quickly board
3008-511: The serial in The Discontinuity Guide (1995), "Exciting and engaging early on, but a writer is not supposed to get so caught up in the excitement that things happen for no better reason than plot expediency. What we have is great... for a first draft." In The Television Companion (1998), David J. Howe and Stephen James Walker wrote "the story as a whole stands up very well and is highly entertaining". They felt that "deficiencies" in
3072-605: The serial was released on the Season 19 Blu-Ray boxset, including a new documentary, Earthshocked . In 2023 the serial was re-edited into a 90 minute 'omnibus' format and released as part of Tales of the TARDIS . It included newly filmed bookends with the Doctor and Tegan, as played by Peter Davison and Janet Fielding. Doctor Who (season 19) The nineteenth season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 4 January 1982 with Castrovalva , and ended with Time-Flight . John Nathan-Turner produced
3136-514: The series from The Leisure Hive (1980) to The Two Doctors (1985). Paul Cornell , Martin Day , and Keith Topping gave the serial a negative review in The Discontinuity Guide (1995), describing it as "a contradictory, tedious, and unimaginative mess", and considered the title to be "rubbish" too. In The Television Companion (1998), David J. Howe and Stephen James Walker said that
3200-488: The series, with two script editors: Anthony Root and Eric Saward . Season 19 saw the introduction of Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor . Tegan Jovanka ( Janet Fielding ), Nyssa ( Sarah Sutton ) and Adric ( Matthew Waterhouse ) were his companions. Adric is killed off in the climax of Earthshock ; a rare instance in the series of a companion dying. Anthony Ainley returns in Castrovalva and Time-Flight as
3264-413: The ship out of warp; though still on course to strike Earth, the impact would not be as devastating. Briggs, Scott, and the remaining crew use the opportunity to leave in escape pods. They try to convince Adric to come, but at the last moment, he returns, having another insight on defeating the lock. Scott relays their status to the TARDIS, and the Cyber Leader orders the Cybermen to kill the TARDIS crew, but
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#17328954367133328-402: The story was neither good nor bad, but was a "disappointing way to end the season". They praised the new look of the Cybermen, the direction, and some of the supporting characters but said, "a story with a weak script and a poor plot is always going to have a struggle to impress the viewer, and Revenge of the Cybermen is no exception." In 2010, Patrick Mulkern of Radio Times gave Revenge of
3392-623: The studio observation galleries closed for the duration of recording and turned down an offer from Radio Times to provide advance publicity of the Cybermen on their cover. The success of this convinced Nathan-Turner to continue to mine the series' past continuity for ideas and old enemies. After the success of using archive footage for the flashback sequence in Logopolis (1981), Producer John Nathan-Turner consulted with series continuity adviser Ian Levine and asked him to prepare another such montage for this story. Levine selected one clip from all of
3456-432: The time; although the plot has huge holes and the dialogue is often lousy." In 2011, The A.V. Club reviewer Christopher Bahn was positive towards how the serial characterised Adric, which set him up for his demise. Bahn praised the first episode for being "nicely tense and mysterious", but noted that it was separate from the rest of the story, which led to too many characters in the last three episodes. He also criticised
3520-601: Was a source of tensions between Nathan-Turner and Saward. Although this was his last job on Doctor Who as director, he would write three serials for the Davison era; Time-Flight (which follows on from Earthshock ), Mawdryn Undead and Planet of Fire . Peter Davison has stated that Earthshock is one of his three favourite serials from his time on the programme. The story was repeated on BBC One (not BBC Wales) as two 50min compilation episodes in 1982 on 9 August 1982 & 16 August 1982 at 7.20pm as part of "Doctor Who and
3584-569: Was also released on Betamax and Laserdisc . It was one of the very few Doctor Who releases on Video 2000 . It was later released in an unedited, episodic format in May 1999 in the United Kingdom only. The DVD of this story was released on 9 August 2010 as part of the Cybermen box set, along with the Seventh Doctor serial Silver Nemesis . It would later be released in the US as a standalone story on DVD in early November 2010. This serial
3648-619: Was built using parts the modelmaker ( Martin Bower ) had scavenged from the Nostromo set constructed for Ridley Scott 's science fiction film Alien (1979). Similarly, the digital readouts on the device flash up a random series of numbers, which were also seen on the monitors of the Nostromo set. Earthshock was Peter Grimwade's last work as a director on Doctor Who . According to an interview with Eric Saward in 1986, Nathan-Turner subsequently fell out with Grimwade and refused to use him again, which
3712-738: Was designed by Roger Murray-Leach for the Vogan costumes and interior sets. Leach later re-used this Vogan symbol for the 1976 serial The Deadly Assassin as a symbol of the Time Lords . It later became known as the Seal of Rassilon , the founder of Time Lord society. A Vogan costume was later reused for the Blake's 7 episode "Warlord", still sporting the "Seal of Rassilon". Kevin Stoney appeared in The Daleks' Master Plan and The Invasion (1968). Michael Wisher
3776-459: Was happy with. Davis was also unhappy with the story's title. The story was shot on the same set as The Ark in Space – representing a substantial cost saving – with location filming in Wookey Hole Caves . It was also shot in the production block immediately after Ark , which explains why the production code is out of broadcast sequence. The location filming at Wookey Hole was plagued by
3840-699: Was in The Ambassadors of Death , Terror of the Autons , Carnival of Monsters , Frontier in Space , Planet of the Daleks , Death to the Daleks , Genesis of the Daleks and Planet of Evil . Ronald Leigh-Hunt previously appeared in The Seeds of Death . William Marlowe appeared in The Mind of Evil . David Collings would later return in Mawdryn Undead and The Robots of Death . Carey Blyton composed
3904-515: Was re-released with new outer packaging. In 2013 it was released on DVD again as part of the "Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited 5-8" box set, alongside Vengeance on Varos , Remembrance of the Daleks and the TV movie . Alongside a documentary on the Fifth Doctor , the disc features the serial put together as a single feature in widescreen format with an introduction from then current show runner Steven Moffat , as well as its original version. In 2018
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#17328954367133968-853: Was released on VHS in the UK in 1992. A DVD was released on 18 August 2003 as part of the Doctor Who 40th Anniversary Celebration releases, representing the Peter Davison years. The DVD included a commentary with Davison, Fielding, Sutton & Waterhouse, and a documentary, Putting the Shock into Earthshock , which included interviews with Davison, Saward and David Banks, as well as various fan commentators including future Doctor Who television writers Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss , and Conservative MP (then Shadow Transport Secretary) Tim Collins . The Region 1 release followed on 7 September 2004. On 2 July 2007, this DVD
4032-409: Was the first Cyberman story since Revenge of the Cybermen (1975), as producer John Nathan-Turner wanted to bring back an old enemy, but resisted using the Daleks . Before the title was changed to Earthshock , Nathan-Turner was adamant about keeping the return of the Cybermen a secret. He instructed Eric Saward not to have any reference to the Cybermen in the story's title. Nathan-Turner even had
4096-445: Was unremarkable until Earthshock descended with a mighty thud". It continued, "Peter Grimwade's pacy direction keeps the action and tension levels high, and the Cybermen once again come across as a credible menace, backed by some appropriate marching music courtesy of Malcolm Clarke". The article concluded that it was "one of the most memorable stories of Eighties Doctor Who ". Paul Cornell , Martin Day , and Keith Topping wrote of
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