The
villagers of Llanfairfach in Wales are delighted when the local Global
Chemicals unit gets a Government grant to build a full-scale refinery.
But the project is fiercely opposed by ecologist Professor Clifford Jones.
He has set up a commune in the valley dubbed Nuthutch by the locals. Professor
Jones feels that the refinery is a threat to the environment. A strange
death in some disused mines brings UNIT to the scene. The Doctor, who
has managed to get to Metebelis 3 and has found it very hostile, discovers
a swarm of giant green maggots and green slime - both fatal to touch -
which have come from waste pumped from the refinery. The director, Stevens,
refuses to discuss this with UNIT because he has been taken over by BOSS,
the giant computer behind Global Chemicals that has a will of its own.
The Doctor uses the only souvenir he brought back from Metebelis 3 - a
Blue Crystal to successfully counteract the hypnotic powers of BOSS. He
finally succeeds in stopping both the maggots and the maniac computer.
Jo Grant falls in love with Professor Jones and leaves UNIT to marry him.
The Doctor gives her the Blue Crystal.
.
.
The Doctor: Jon
Pertwee
Jo Grant:
Katy Manning
Brig. Lethbridge-Stewart: Nicholas
Courtney
Sergeant Benton:
John Levene
Captain Yates:
Richard Franklin
Guest Appearances:
Professor
Clifford Jones: Stewart Bevan
Stevens: Jerome Willis
Hughes: John Scott Martin
Rinks: Ben Howard
Elgin: Tony Adams
Dai Evens: Mostyn Evens
Milkman: Ray Handy
Dave: Talfryn Thomas
Bert: Roy Evens
Voice of ROSS: John Dearth
Fell: John Rolfe
Guards: Terry Welsh, Billie Horrigan,
Brian Justice, Alan Chuntz
Nancy: Mitzi McKenzie
Cleaner: Jean Burgess
James: Roy Skelton
Minister of Ecology:
Richard Beale
.
.
Producer: Barry
Letts.
Script Editor: Terrence
Dicks.
Writer: Robert
Sloman (with Barry Leas, uncredited).
Director: Michael
Briant.
Designer: John
Burrowes.
Costume: Barbara
Kidd.
Make up: Ann Rayment.
Visual Effects: Ron
Oates, Colin Mapson (episodes 1-6), Richard Conway (episodes 3-6).
Music : Dudley
Simpson.
.
.
Novelised
as "Doctor Who and the Green Death" by Malcolm Hulke
(0 42611543 0) first published by Tandem in 1975 with cover by Peter Brookes.
New edition in 1979 by W H Allen (now Virgin Publishing Ltd) with cover
by Alun Hood. Target library number 29.
Reissued in 1980 with cover art by Alun Hood as ahardback release. This
was the last book issued to feature interior illustrations.
|
.
a
Released
as "The Green Death" in UK August 1996 and Australia
&New Zealand (BBC catalogue #5816) Released in US & Canada 1997
(CBS/FOX catalogue # 8457, reclassified as WHV #E1349). Cover art by Colin
Howard.
|
This story
saw the departure of the popular Katy Manning from the series, which was
a major motivation in Jon Pertwee's decision to depart the show the following
year.
All six
episodes exist in color as PAL 2" videotape, as held by the Film
& Videotape Library when audited in 1978.
Studio
recording in studio TC3. (2-3, 16-17, 29-30 April
1973)
Ogilvie
Colliery, Deri, near Bargoed, Glamorgan. (12-15
March 1973)
Colliery Quarry, Deri,
near Bargoed, Glamorgan. (13
March 1973)
Troed-y-rhiw Jestyn, Deri,
near Bargoed, Glamorgan. (12
March 1973)
RCA International, Brynmawr, Powys. (12,
16, 19 March 1973)
Episode
1 - When Evans is on the phone to the mine,
look out for the arm in the bottom-right of the screen which gives him
his cue to speak.
Episode
2 -
After the lift brake fails, a close-up shot
of Katy Manning shows her miner's helmet lacking a lamp. But in the next
shot, the lamp magically reappears.
Episode
2 -
When the Brigadier phones Professor Jones
looking for cutting equipment to rescue Jo and Bert from the mine, Jones
suggests asking Global Chemicals instead, since he tried to borrow some
equipment from them "several weeks ago". But when the Brig is
talking to Stevens at Global Chemicals and mentions the Professor, Stevens
says he tried to borrow the equipment "yesterday".
Episode
2 -
In fight scene with the security guards, Jon Pertwee's stunt double is
wearing the wrong colour wig.
Episode
2 -
As Jo is leading Bert around a corner in
the mine (just after Bert has touched the green sludge), she knocks one
of the sloping support struts out of position.
Episode
2, 5, 6 -
The end credits background on these three
episodes is upside-down and backwards compared with the other episodes.
Episode
3 -
As the Doctor picks up the giant egg in the
mine, it makes various amusing squeaking sounds, betraying its real nature
as a slightly-disguised party balloon.
Episode
4 -
When Professor Jones is using the microscope in his lab, none of the lenses
on the microscope are actually in a position to be used – they're all
pointing away from the slide! This can most clearly be seen in the close-up,
when he's placing the fungus-covered slide onto the microscope stage.
Episode
4 -
Jon Pertwee mispronounces "chitinous" (i.e. pertaining to chitin,
the main constituent of insect exoskeletons) – the first syllable should
be pronounced 'kite', but he says it as 'chit'.
Episode
4 -
The credits for this episode list Brian Justice as playing "Yate's
Guard". So who's "Yate"??
Episode
5 -
As Benton jumps over the maggots in front
of the cave where Jo and Cliff are sheltering, and again when he carries
the unconscious Professor out, the "ground" distorts under his
weight – since it's just a built-up studio stage under which the maggot
operators are hiding.
Episode
5, 6 -
Mr. James collapses against the wall of Stevens' office after Captain
Yates frees him from his conditioning, and the wall wobbles visibly.
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