55-558: The Silurians and Sea Devils are two fictional related ancient species created by Malcolm Hulke for the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who . The Silurians are a race of scientifically advanced reptilian humanoids from the dawn of man which first appeared in Doctor Who in Hulke's 1970 serial Doctor Who and the Silurians . The two species will foreground
110-517: A pejorative term for aquatic Earth Reptiles, albeit widely used. In 2018, the notion of a pre-human intelligent reptilian or amphibious species was explored by the real-life scientists Adam Frank and Gavin Schmidt , who dubbed the concept the " Silurian hypothesis ". Drawing on the ideas of the Quatermass serials, producer Peter Bryant and producer and script editor Derrick Sherwin decided that for
165-877: A 1964 radio documentary and a 1973 op-ed piece in The Observer . He lived with his mother, Marian, until her death in 1943 in Cumberland. In 1945 he was conscripted into the Royal Navy . Impressed by the Russian prisoners of War whom he met in Norway and by the Red Army 's defeat of the Nazis on the Eastern Front , Hulke joined the Communist Party of Great Britain in 1945 and worked briefly as
220-553: A Silurian and a Sea Devil appear in a cave on Mars in Scarlet Traces: The Great Game written by Ian Edginton and drawn by Matt "D'Israeli" Booker . Silurians and Sea Devils are referenced in the second volume of Alan Moore 's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen where they were connected to the creature from the Black Lagoon ; League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is set in a fictional universe which reconciles
275-533: A forbidden breeding program, sabotaging the Silurian stasis chambers to escape punishment for his actions. In the audio drama The Poison Seas (2003), from the Bernice Summerfield series of adventures, Summerfield travels to the planet Chosan sometime in the future to assist a colony of Earth Reptiles (Sea Devils) under threat there. In UNIT: The Coup (2004), the Silurians attempt to finally make peace with
330-402: A friend and lodger at the rooming house Hulke managed and whom Hulke recruited as a co-writer when he learned of his desire to break into television. Newman moved to BBC Television to become its Head of Drama and, in 1964, asked Hulke to write a six part story for a new series Newman had created, Doctor Who . The story, "The Hidden Planet", was about a twin planet of Earth that was hidden on
385-437: A hidden city of Silurians (here, 'Eocenes') in an Egyptian archaeological dig, who seek peaceful coexistence with humans; this comic strip is based on the premise of the television spin-off special K9 and Company . In the story arc "Final Genesis" (1993), an alternate universe is depicted wherein Silurians made peace with humanity and the two races live in harmony; UNIT is renamed URIC, the 'United Races Intelligence Command'. In
440-405: A shopping mall in 1973. Gerry Davis preferred an airport setting. The story was replaced by The Faceless Ones . Starring Patrick Troughton : Starring Jon Pertwee : Hulke also wrote a pilot for a planned radio series starring Peter Cushing as Dr. Who in the late 1960s. Titled Journey into Time , it was produced but the recording was never broadcast and the tapes are now lost. After
495-496: A short study of his work, Doctor Who and the Communist: Malcolm Hulke and his career in television , written by Michael Herbert. In January 2023 Michael Herbert contributed a chapter on Malcolm Hulke to an anthology of writing on television series in the 1970s, Survival TV , edited by Rodney Marshall. Michael Herbert is working on a full length biography of Hulke. Hulke was involved with the socialist Unity Theatre in
550-612: A trilogy of stories (continuing with Logopolis and Castrovalva ) involving the character. For the same story, Byrne created the character of Nyssa , who would later become a companion to the Fifth Doctor . Byrne's second story, Arc of Infinity (1983), featured the Time Lord villain Omega , who had first appeared in The Three Doctors a decade earlier. His final screened story
605-569: A typist in the party's headquarters. He left the party in 1951, objecting to the Soviet Union 's hostility to Yugoslavia and its line on the Korean War , but soon rejoined, and appears to have remained a member of the party until the early 1960s. His politics remained firmly on the left , and this was reflected in his writings, which often explored anti-authoritarian, environmental, and humanist themes. In January 2015, Five Leaves Press published
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#1732845375398660-460: A wealth of additional background detail and character depth. He wrote an influential screenwriting manual, Writing for television in the 70s in 1974, and an updated version, Writing for Television , which was released posthumously in 1981. Hulke died of cancer on 6 July 1979, aged 54. The Hidden Planet Hulke had submitted this story in January 1964 as a six-part adventure story, and would see
715-561: A younger Silurian who becomes the new leader, intent on a far more aggressive policy. To that end, the Silurians then attempt to reclaim the planet from humanity by releasing a deadly virus and attempting to disperse the Van Allen radiation belt . Both plans were thwarted by the Doctor. Despite the Doctor's best efforts to broker a peaceful solution, the Silurians are still determined to exterminate humanity, only to have their base destroyed by UNIT on
770-452: Is a Silurian Ark searching for a new planet with a cargo of dinosaurs , the Silurian colony on board having been ejected from the ship by Solomon ( David Bradley ) prior to the episode. The ship is shown to have reached a planet named Siluria with its dinosaurs at the episode's conclusion. In " The Time of the Doctor " (2013), many Silurian Arks are seen among the ships gathered round Trenzalore. Sea Devils made their first modern appearance in
825-618: Is then introduced in " A Good Man Goes to War " (2011) as a Silurian detective in the Victorian era, who befriended the Doctor after a brief rampage on the London Underground. She lives with her human wife Jenny Flint ( Catrin Stewart ), and after "A Good Man", also employs the Sontaran Strax ( Dan Starkey ) as her butler. The "Paternoster Gang", as the three are known, sometimes including
880-500: The Doctor Who Magazine comic strip cycle "The Cybermen" (1994–1996), the cyborg race of Cybermen discover Silurians and Sea Devils living on their own planet Mondas during an unspecified time in the past; in Doctor Who , Mondas is Earth's former "twin planet". The strip also portrays Golgoth, a primordial humanoid reptile god-figure, who resembles a Sea Devil and may have some link to the Silurians. Madame Vastra co-stars in
935-727: The Doctor Who Magazine comic strip "The Crystal Throne" (2014). Silurians also feature in the Big Finish Productions audio play Bloodtide (2001), in which the Sixth Doctor intervenes when Charles Darwin and the HMS Beagle expedition encounter a rogue Silurian group in the Galápagos Islands . The audio drama reveals that the leader of this group had been responsible for creating humanity's prehistoric ancestors via
990-665: The Patrick Troughton serials The Faceless Ones (1967) and The War Games (1969), to write a serial for this new season. Hulke saw limitations with this earthbound format – he believed there would be two types of stories, one featuring mad scientists and the other alien invasions. Terrance Dicks claims credit for thinking of the idea of creatures that had been there all along; however, other sources give Hulke credit for deliberately thinking his way outside his earlier preconceptions. While planning stories for Doctor Who ' s ninth season , Dicks and Letts decided to revive
1045-738: The 1950s and 1960s, serving as its production manager in the mid-1950s, and wrote a booklet in 1961 celebrating the theatre's 25th anniversary. Hulke met writer Eric Paice at Unity and the two wrote as a team for television, beginning in the late 1950s with "This Day in Fear", which was produced by BBC Television in 1958 as part of its Television Playwright anthology series. The pair then wrote four plays for ABC 's Armchair Theatre , produced by future Doctor Who creator Sydney Newman . Hulke and Paice also co-wrote two B-movie screenplays, Life in Danger , released in 1959 by Butcher's Films , and The Man in
1100-609: The 2022 special " Legend of the Sea Devils ", a Thirteenth Doctor ( Jodie Whittaker ) story. Unlike the Silurians, their appearance and design are mostly unchanged from the original series. They are expected to return in the upcoming spin-off series The War Between the Land the Sea . All of the Silurian stories on television prior to 2010 were novelised . Doctor Who and the Cave-Monsters (1974),
1155-622: The Back Seat , released in June 1961 by Independent Artists Studio . In 1960, Newman commissioned Hulke and Paice to write a children's science fiction serials for ABC – Target Luna . Its success led to Newman hiring them to write three more series: Pathfinders in Space , Pathfinders to Mars , and Pathfinders to Venus . Newman went on to hire Hulke to write a total of nine episodes of The Avengers , four of which he co-wrote with Terrance Dicks ,
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#17328453753981210-499: The Blessing (an ancient phenomenon beneath the Earth's surface) could be out of "Silurian mythology". A Silurian doctor named Malohkeh ( Richard Hope ) is seen attending to Winston Churchill ( Ian McNeice ) in " The Wedding of River Song " (2011) in an aborted timeline. Hope plays another Silurian in " Dinosaurs on a Spaceship " (2012), seen briefly on a computer screen. The titular spaceship
1265-548: The Darians ", and " The Testament of Arkadia ". For series two, he wrote " The Metamorph ", " The Immunity Syndrome ", and " The Dorcons ". Byrne is also known for his contributions to the British science-fiction TV series Doctor Who . The first of his three scripted and screened stories was The Keeper of Traken (1981), which resurrected the Master and served as the first instalment in
1320-505: The Deep novelisation, the novel The Scales of Injustice (1996) mentions that Icthar's shelter awoke forty years before the events of Doctor Who and the Silurians , and that the shelter is located on the other side of the world to the British Isles. In The Scales of Injustice , the power-hungry Silurian Auggi plans to eradicate humanity, beginning with an invasion fleet of Silurian hybrids on
1375-516: The Doctor and his companions land on a parallel planet like Earth, but has clover leaves looking all the same. Women were the dominant race of the planet, whereas men struggle for their own rights. The story was rejected by story editor David Whitaker on 2 February 1964. The story was resubmitted for Season 2 of the program, as a five-part serial. It was also rejected again by script editor Dennis Spooner in April 1965. Britain 408 A.D . This story
1430-686: The Doctor to destroy their base. It is revealed, however, that there were many colonies still in hibernation around the world. The land-based Silurians and the "Sea Devils" next appeared, together, in " Warriors of the Deep " (1984), where they attempt again to reclaim Earth from the humans. Set in the year 2084 during a prolonged " cold war " between factions of humanity, the serial describes the Sea Devils as being elite warriors; they sport bulletproof samurai-style armour. The Fifth Doctor ( Peter Davison ) tries in vain to prevent any bloodshed against either species; he tells companions Tegan Jovanka ( Janet Fielding ) and Vislor Turlough ( Mark Strickson ) to give
1485-475: The Doctor, appear again in " The Snowmen " (2012) and its three short prequels in 2012–2013, " The Crimson Horror ", " The Name of the Doctor " (both 2013), and " Deep Breath " (2014). In "The Crimson Horror", Vastra claims to be from 65 million years ago. Silurians are mentioned in the 2011 Torchwood: Miracle Day episode " The Blood Line " (2011); Captain Jack Harkness ( John Barrowman ) briefly muses that
1540-676: The Kent coast. UNIT successfully fights off this fleet. The Third Doctor also learns about the Silurians' battle cruisers and Myrka weapon in this book, both of which appear in Warriors of the Deep . Silurians have also made many minor appearances in the Virgin New Adventures series of novels. By the 26th century, the time of human archaeologist Bernice Summerfield , the term "Earth Reptile" has become popularly used to describe Silurians following their peaceful integration with human society, such as in
1595-509: The Silurian concept, this time with the twist of these new Silurians originating in the sea. Originally dubbed "Sea Silurians", they were rechristened "Sea Devils" for dramatic effect as Hulke's storyline was edited. Johnny Byrne , writer of the Peter Davison serial Warriors of the Deep (1984), notes that the Myrka creature was created to absolve the Silurians from the guilt of genocide, using
1650-580: The Silurians ; according to this book, the Silurians were only sealed away, not destroyed. In Seventh Doctor Virgin New Adventures novel Blood Heat (1993), Silurians of an alternate reality have conquered Earth after the Third Doctor was killed in their initial appearance, with the Seventh Doctor eventually forcing the humans and Silurians of this world into a truce. Contradicting the Warriors of
1705-461: The Silurians oxygen to keep them safe from the hexachromite gas he released into the base's atmosphere. The last surviving Silurian in the episode, however, is killed by Turlough, leaving the Doctor despondent. Silurians are reintroduced to the series, following its cancellation and revival, in the 2010 two-part story, " The Hungry Earth " and " Cold Blood ", in which Silurians are awoken in 2020 by an underground drilling operation. These Silurians lack
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1760-509: The creature as a weapon of last resort. In their first appearance in Doctor Who and the Silurians (1970), a group of Silurians are awakened from hibernation by the energy from a nearby nuclear power research center in Derbyshire. The Third Doctor ( Jon Pertwee ) initially manages to negotiate an honourable compromise with the colony's leader. Unfortunately, the colony's leader is murdered by
1815-571: The exploits of different fictional characters in one continuity. A 2018 journal article published in the International Journal of Astrobiology , in which the authors discuss the hypothetical possibility of detecting evidence of ancient industrial civilizations in Earth's geologic record, makes reference to the " Silurian hypothesis " in its title. This list does not include Madame Vastra who has her own list . Malcolm Hulke Malcolm Ainsworth Hulke (21 November 1924 – 6 July 1979)
1870-406: The final appearance of both races prior to the show's cancellation in 1989. Following the show's revival in 2005, heavily redesigned Silurans were reintroduced to the series in 2010, and have recurred frequently since then. The Sea Devils were reintroduced in 2022, with their designs mostly unchanged. Working under producer Terrance Dicks , Hulke came up with the idea of the Silurians to accommodate
1925-658: The human race and the remnants of a technological reptilian race that ruled Earth in prehistoric times. Hulke avoids casting either side as heroes or monsters. He was a friend and mentor to Terrance Dicks , with whom he collaborated in 1962 on The Avengers episode "The Mauritius Penny", which was Dicks' first television credit; The War Games , Dicks' first Doctor Who script, and on the non-fiction book The Making of Doctor Who . He also contributed to Target Books ' range of Doctor Who novelisations, adapting many of his scripts before his death, as well as 1973's The Green Death . Hulke's novelisations were noted for providing
1980-483: The humans, though the general public believes it to be a stunt involving men in rubber suits. In UNIT: The Wasting (2005), Silurians aid UNIT in finding a cure for a deadly plague. In 2017, the Silurians appear in the Seventh Doctor audio The Silurian Candidate , where the Silurian Triad of 2088 attempt to infiltrate a crucial peace conference by brainwashing one of the participants so that he will kill himself and
2035-567: The novel Eternity Weeps (1997). A Silurian short story , "Cold War", also features in the anthology Short Trips: Steel Skies (2003). Additionally, while not appearing in The Wheel of Ice (2012), they are mentioned; apparently, the Arkive attempted to lure them to Saturn , but they went into hibernation before this is possible. Madame Vastra also co-stars in the novella Devil in the Smoke (2012) and
2090-681: The novel Groupie (1969, co-written with Jenny Fabian), the BBC " Wednesday Play " Season of the Witch (1971), and the scripts for the films Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall (1972, co-written with original author Spike Milligan and Norman Cohen ), and Rosie Is My Relative (1976). He was script editor of the TV series All Creatures Great and Small (1976, 1978, 1985, 1988–1990), writing 29 episodes, and also produced scripts for One by One (1987). Byrne
2145-439: The novel Silhouette (2014). The Silurians also make a number of appearance in comic books. Comic book story "Twilight of the Silurians" (1980) is set during the species' last days pre-hibernation, where Silurians observe captive "ape-men" in their zoological research station, millions of years ago. The comic book "City of Devils" (1983) features two Doctor Who companions, journalist Sarah Jane Smith and robot dog K-9 uncover
2200-419: The novelisation of Doctor Who and the Silurians , adds a prologue that features the beginning of the Silurians' hibernation; the novelisation avoids referring to the reptiles as Silurians. Terrance Dicks ' novelisation of Warriors of the Deep (1984) describes Icthar, the sole survivor of the Silurian Triad, as a survivor of the Silurian colony in the caves near the nuclear research facility from Doctor Who and
2255-494: The orders of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart ( Nicholas Courtney ) to preempt this open threat. In The Sea Devils (1972), an amphibious variety of Silurians are awakened from their hibernation by a renegade Time Lord known as the Master ( Roger Delgado ), who persuades them to reclaim the planet from the human race. Despite the Third Doctor's efforts to convince them otherwise, the Sea Devils eventually decide to go to war, forcing
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2310-602: The other major leader in a manner that would trigger a nuclear war, but the Doctor is able to avert this plan, and instead proposes a new plan where the Silurian colonies will come out of suspended animation millennia in the future after Earth recovers from being ravaged by solar flares (as referenced in The Ark in Space ), colonies gradually 'waking up' so that humanity and Silurians will essentially rebuild Earth without either side possessing numerical superiority. Silurians also appear outside Doctor Who -related media. A cave drawing of
2365-518: The other side of the Sun. Hulke's story was not produced but he went on to write for the series, beginning in 1967. In addition to the Pathfinders series, Doctor Who , and The Avengers , Hulke contributed scripts to a number of television series in the 1960s and 1970s including The Protectors , GS5 , The Flying Swan , Danger Man , Crossroads , football soap United! , Gideon's Way , and
2420-399: The plot of the upcoming Doctor Who spin-off series The War Between the Land and the Sea (est. 2025) by Russell T Davies . The ancient amphibious Sea Devils, who are cousins to the Silurians, were subsequently introduced in a sequel to Doctor Who and the Silurians tiled simply The Sea Devils (1972). Both species then reappeared in the 1984 serial Warriors of the Deep , which was
2475-430: The race being active again 64 years later in "Warriors of the Deep". In " The Pandorica Opens " (2010), some Silurians appear in A.D. 102 alongside various alien enemies of the Doctor (including alien Daleks , Cybermen , Sontarans , Judoon and other species) to imprison the Doctor in the mythical "Pandorica" in order, as they see it, to save the universe from him. Recurring character Madame Vastra ( Neve McIntosh )
2530-500: The script was re-discovered, a fan-made recording was released in 2020. Johnny Byrne (writer) John Christopher Byrne (27 November 1935 – 2 April 2008) was an Irish television screenwriter and script editor . He travelled extensively in his youth as a travelling poet. During the 1960s he worked as a literary editor , and wrote short stories that were published in Science Fantasy magazine. Byrne's other works include
2585-609: The second season (1976–77). However, hoping to make a greater impact on the American market, the producers desired a consultant from the United States, and the job was subsequently given to Fred Freiberger . Byrne's scripts for series one of Space: 1999 were " Matter of Life and Death " (based on a draft by Art Wallace ), " Another Time, Another Place ", " Force of Life ", " Voyager's Return " (based on an idea by Joe Gannon), " End of Eternity ", " The Troubled Spirit ", " Mission of
2640-502: The series' seventh season , the show's protagonist the Doctor should be restricted to contemporary Earth and work alongside the UNIT organisation, featured prominently in the sixth season 's serial The Invasion . Producer Barry Letts and script editor Terrance Dicks , inheriting this new vision for the series, also wanted their stories for the seventh season to have a serious, deeper subtext. They approached Malcolm Hulke , co-writer of
2695-702: The show's need for more imaginative science fiction storylines during a period when its title character, the Doctor , was confined to present-day Earth. This was necessitated by BBC budget cuts and the growing expense of producing expansive futuristic and alien sets after the show began airing in colour . Within the series, the name "Silurian" is considered an example of a misnomer ; the Silurians were named as such for their supposed origins in Earth's " Silurian " period 419 million years ago. The creatures have also been referred to by other names, which have been said to be more scientific, including " Eocenes " and "Earth Reptiles". The term "Sea Devil", similarly, appears to be
2750-459: The third eye of their 1970–1984 counterparts, and wear masks. Having misinterpreted the drilling as a deliberate attack, the Silurians take hostages. After a protracted conflict, the Eleventh Doctor ( Matt Smith ) leaves behind Tony Mack ( Robert Pugh ) and Nasreen Chaudhry ( Meera Syal ) in the Silurian city to act as ambassadors to the human race when they re-awaken in a thousand years, despite
2805-773: Was Warriors of the Deep (1984), which saw the return of monsters the Silurians and the Sea Devils . In 1991, Byrne wrote the final draft script for an unmade Doctor Who movie called Doctor Who: Last of the Time Lords . Byrne left Ireland for the United Kingdom in 1956. For a time, he worked as a teacher of English as a foreign language in various cities in Europe. In 1975 he married Sandy Carrington-Mail, with whom he had three sons. Byrne died in 2008, aged 72. He last resided, and
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#17328453753982860-455: Was a British television writer and author of the industry "bible" Writing for Television in the 70s . He is remembered chiefly for his work on the science fiction series Doctor Who although he contributed to many popular television series of the era. Known as "Mac" throughout his life, Hulke was born out of wedlock in 1924 and never knew his father. He later discussed the social stigma of illegitimacy and his personal experiences of it in
2915-493: Was script editor for Spyder's Web . His scripts for Doctor Who were known for avoiding black-and-white characterisation and simplistic plotting. Military figures are usually presented unfavourably – Invasion of the Dinosaurs and The Ambassadors of Death both have a general as the ultimate villain. One of his best-known contributions to the series is Doctor Who and the Silurians . This story depicts an encounter between
2970-534: Was submitted for Season Two, but was replaced by The Romans . The People Who Couldn't Remember Co-written with David Ellis , According to some fan theories, this story was to be a six-part serial. Not much is known about it. This was rejected by script editor Gerry Davis on 15 June 1966. The Big Store Co-written with David Ellis, this four-part serial was submitted in November 1966. Only drafts for Episode One were completed. The story would be set in
3025-457: Was the creator of the TV drama series Heartbeat (which was loosely based on the Constable books by Nicholas Rhea), writing 23 episodes for 17 series between 1992 and 2005. He also created and wrote for Noah's Ark (1997–98). Byrne was the most prolific scriptwriter for the first series of Space: 1999 (1973–75), and was initially assigned the role of creative consultant for
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