Season 4, Episode 5 | 4 parts | First broadcast: 14 January – 4 February 1967 | Writer: Geoffrey Orme | Director: Julia Smith
Cast
- Patrick Troughton as the Doctor
- Anneke Wills as Polly
- Michael Craze as Ben Jackson
- Frazer Hines as Jamie McCrimmon
- Joseph Furst as Professor Zaroff
Summary
The TARDIS lands on a remote volcanic island where the crew discover the entrance to the lost city of Atlantis. There they find the megalomaniac scientist Professor Zaroff, who has ingratiated himself with the Atlanteans while secretly plotting to drain the entire ocean into the Earth’s molten core, an act that would raise Atlantis from the depths at the cost of annihilating the planet.
Interesting Facts
- Professor Zaroff’s melodramatic declaration “Nothing in ze world can stop me now!” became one of the most quoted lines of the Troughton era, often cited as a highlight of the show’s camp excess.
- Only Episodes 2 and 3 currently survive in the BBC archive; Episodes 1 and 4 have been recreated with animation.
- The story features Atlantean fish-people, elaborate underwater sets, and a fire-god cult, reflecting the show’s willingness to attempt ambitious, if not always successful, visual spectacle.
- It was the first story overseen by incoming script editor Gerry Davis working alongside producer Innes Lloyd’s new creative direction for the series.
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