The National Radiological Protection Board ( NRPB ) was a public authority in the UK created by the Radiological Protection Act 1970. Its statutory functions were to conduct research on radiological protection and provide advice and information on the subject to Government Departments and others. It was also authorized to provide technical services and charge for them. Originally NRPB dealt only with ionizing radiation , but its functions were extended in 1974 to non-ionizing radiation .
26-622: The Android Invasion is the fourth 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 22 November to 13 December 1975. The serial is set on the planet Oseidon and in England. In the serial, the alien race the Kraals plot to wipe out humanity with a virus to prepare the Earth for their invasion. The serial
52-752: A chairman and a maximum of nine other members, later increased to twelve, all appointed by Health Ministers. Throughout its existence, NRPB had 300 members of staff on average. They were located at the headquarters in Chilton near Oxford and at laboratories in Leeds and Glasgow . The Department of Health funded the difference between the cost of NRPB and its income by annual grant. Research on ionizing radiation included: plutonium exposure; internal dosimetry ; radioactive discharges; nuclear accidents and wastes ; radon hazards; medical x rays; epidemiology and molecular biology . Research on non-ionizing radiation included
78-598: A few miles from Didcot . Scenes outside the Space Defence Station were filmed at the National Radiological Protection Board at nearby Harwell . Nicholas Courtney was unavailable to play Lethbridge-Stewart, so his character was re-written as Colonel Faraday. Ian Marter would continue his acting career and go on to write several Doctor Who novelisations, an original novel featuring Harry and an unused screenplay, Doctor Who Meets Scratchman ,
104-721: A wide selection of publications. Members of staff contributed to major public inquiries about the nuclear industry in the UK and supported the UK response to the Chernobyl disaster . They also participated in the work of the International Commission on Radiological Protection ; the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection ; the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation ;
130-455: Is kept alive so Styggron can test the virus he intends to use on Earth. The Doctor escapes from the android but is recaptured and locked up with the real Sarah. The Doctor explains that the Kraal planet will soon be uninhabitable due to high levels of radiation, so the Kraal plan to eradicate humanity and take over Earth. The duplicated village was a training ground. Crayford explains that he is helping
156-521: Is that of artificial duplicate settings; Muir considered that the "fake" village of Devesham imitated scenarios seen in earlier television series such as Star Trek (" The Mark of Gideon ", 1969), UFO ("Reflections in the Water", 1971) and Space: 1999 (" One Moment of Humanity "). A novelisation of this serial, written by Terrance Dicks , was published by Target Books in November 1978. The novelisation
182-527: Is there with Crayford. The real Doctor enters the Station and meets Benton, who tells him where Harry and Faraday are. The Doctor contacts them by radio and urges them not to enter the rocket. The real Doctor explains the Kraal invasion to Faraday and Sullivan, but they have been replaced. The android Doctor enters and threatens the Doctor with a gun but he escapes. After dodging pursuit, the Doctor makes his way back to
208-900: The Nuclear Energy Agency ; and various committees of the Commission of the European Communities . The Health Protection Agency Act 2004 repealed the Radiological Protection Act. On 1 April 2005, NRPB became the Radiation Protection Division of the Health Protection Agency (HPA). Under the terms of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, the HPA was abolished, and responsibility for radiation protection functions
234-427: The Doctor and Sarah Jane meet a group of humanoid robots in white suits and opaque helmets, who shoot at them with their index fingers. The Doctor and Sarah Jane flee to a pub, where the villagers wait motionless until the clock strikes, when they suddenly come to life, acting normally. The Doctor finds his way to the local Space Defence Station and introduces himself to Senior Defence Astronaut Guy Crayford, who places
260-411: The Doctor in a cell. It is revealed that Crayford is working for Styggron, the leader of an alien race called the Kraal. Sarah frees the Doctor and they escape, but they become separated and Sarah is captured. Styggron tells Crayford to locate, but not seize, the Doctor. The Doctor returns to the village and encounters an android copy of Sarah Jane, sent to test his knowledge and abilities. The real Sarah
286-499: The Kraals because they rescued him and reconstructed his body, while Earth left him for dead. Sarah and the Doctor escape aboard Crayford's rocket and travel to Earth to warn the real defence station, while being followed by android duplicates of themselves. They land separately on Earth in their pods, and Sarah finds the TARDIS in the woods. When Crayford's rocket lands, Colonel Faraday and Harry Sullivan head there, not knowing that Styggron
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#1733092266060312-413: The Space Defence Station's control room, where he had given a technician instructions to prepare a device that would disable the androids. The android Doctor intervenes and holds the Doctor at gunpoint, preventing him from activating the device, but Crayford enters, saying that Styggron promised no killing. The real Doctor tells him that the Kraal did not reconstruct him, but merely brainwashed him. Realising
338-716: The UK. This serial was released as part of the Doctor Who DVD Files in Issue 126 on 30 October 2013. Doctor Who (season 13) The thirteenth season of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 30 August 1975 with the story Terror of the Zygons , and ended with The Seeds of Doom . This is the second series to feature the Fourth Doctor , played by Tom Baker , with Philip Hinchcliffe producing and Robert Holmes script editing. In September 2009, it
364-506: The Zygons having last appeared in Robot . John Levene makes his final appearance as Sergeant Benton in The Android Invasion after six years in the role. Terror of the Zygons was produced as part of the production schedule for Season 12 , but was held for transmission from the end of that season to the beginning of Season 13, to coincide with a move from the new season starting at
390-658: The beginning of the calendar year, to starting in late summer. Terror of the Zygons was also the last appearance of the Brigadier until Mawdryn Undead in Season 20 . The season took a transmission break of two weeks over the Christmas 1975 period, between the broadcasts of The Android Invasion and The Brain of Morbius . The entire season was broadcast from 30 August 1975 to 6 March 1976. All releases are for DVD National Radiological Protection Board The Board consisted of
416-489: The deepest or for that matter the most original of stories told in the series but it's a fun tale that breezes by at a good pace". He praised the location work and the androids and white robots. SFX reviewer Ian Berriman also criticised the far-fetched plot, but said that it was "as enjoyable as it is unlikely". The Android Invasion was reviewed favourably by John Kenneth Muir , who described it as "an atmosphere-laden suspense thriller", despite finding some deficiencies in
442-453: The direction, but wrote that the plot was too far-fetched. In 2010, Mark Braxton of Radio Times awarded it two stars out of five, writing that The Android Invasion was the weak link in the season. He criticised the plotting and use of UNIT, but was more positive towards the way the story played around with the android duplicates of characters. DVD Talk 's Ian Jane gave the serial three-and-a-half out of five stars, saying that it "may not be
468-1051: The last with Tom Baker. He died in 1986 from diabetes-related health complications. Only three Kraals are seen throughout the story. Styggron was played by Martin Friend. Marshal Chedaki was played by Roy Skelton . The silent Kraal underling that appears in one scene was played by the series' long time stuntman Stuart Fell . Milton Johns had appeared as Benik in The Enemy of the World (1967–68), also directed by Barry Letts. His next appearance in Doctor Who would be as Castellan Kelner in The Invasion of Time (1978). Kenneth Williams briefly mentioned viewing episode two of this story in his diaries, writing on 29 November 1975 " Doctor Who gets more and more silly." Paul Cornell , Martin Day , and Keith Topping gave
494-433: The physics and biology of exposure to ultraviolet sources , electricity supplies, and mobile phones . As well as a full range of technical services - from personnel dosimetry to radiation surveys - NRPB also engaged in projects such as: the safe transport of radioactive materials ; preparedness for nuclear emergencies; exposure to cosmic rays ; optimization of protection; improved radiation instruments; training courses;
520-481: The serial a negative review in The Discontinuity Guide (1995), writing that it was "stupid, tiresome and very irritating". In The Television Companion (1998), David J Howe and Stephen James Walker reported that the serial had a mixed reception. They wrote that the Kraals were "somewhat unoriginal but otherwise reasonable addition", with average effects and the actors making the most of it. They also praised
546-806: The storyline, which he referred to as an idiot plot . Muir praised the conceit of frightening, android duplicates of familiar people, and he traced influences from the films Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) and The Stepford Wives (1975). He also notes the similarity of the depiction of androids in Doctor Who to the Fembots that appeared the following year in The Bionic Woman television series ("Kill Oscar", 1976), with "faces filled with circuitry and round, lifeless orbs for eyes". Another familiar science-fiction device used in The Android Invasion
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#1733092266060572-401: The truth, Crayford rushes out, distracting the android long enough for the Doctor to make his move. In the struggle, the Doctor activates the device, which jams all the androids in mid-step. Meanwhile, Crayford attacks Styggron on his ship. The two grapple and Styggron shoots Crayford. The Doctor enters and defeats Styggron, using his reprogrammed duplicate android as a distraction. The story
598-469: Was directed by former series producer Barry Letts and written by Terry Nation — his first Doctor Who script for eleven years not to feature his creations, the Daleks . The serial marks the last appearances in the programme of both John Levene in his recurring role as Sergeant Benton , and also of Ian Marter , who makes a guest appearance as previous companion Harry Sullivan . In the village of Devesham,
624-599: Was influenced by the film Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), and would be the last Terry Nation script for Doctor Who for four years until his final script for the series, Destiny of the Daleks (1979). This was the first script by Nation since The Keys of Marinus (1964) that did not feature the Daleks. Location filming for the Kraal-replicated village of Devesham took place in East Hagbourne , Oxfordshire ,
650-564: Was later designated number 2 when Target opted to number the first seventy-three novelisations alphabetically; however no edition using the number was ever released. The Android Invasion was released on VHS in February 1995. The serial was released on DVD in the US on 9 January 2012 as a stand-alone, and again on 9 January 2012 alongside Invasion of the Dinosaurs , coupled as the "UNIT Files" box set in
676-511: Was ranked as readers' favourite season in Doctor Who Magazine issue 413. Tom Baker continued his role as The Fourth Doctor along with Sarah Jane Smith ( Elisabeth Sladen ). Harry Sullivan , played by Ian Marter , departed in Terror of the Zygons and reappeared in The Android Invasion as a guest star. Nicholas Courtney returned as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart in Terror of
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