Season 4, Episode 8 | 6 parts | First broadcast: 8 April – 13 May 1967 | Writer: David Ellis and Malcolm Hulke | Director: Gerry Mill
Cast
- Patrick Troughton as the Doctor
- Anneke Wills as Polly
- Michael Craze as Ben Jackson
- Frazer Hines as Jamie McCrimmon
- Pauline Collins as Samantha Briggs
Summary
The TARDIS lands on the runway at Gatwick Airport, where Polly witnesses what looks like a murder near a mysterious charter airline. The Doctor uncovers a sinister operation by the alien Chameleons, who are abducting young holidaymakers and stealing their identities to move undetected among humans, forcing the Doctor and Jamie into a race against time to save the missing travellers.
Interesting Facts
- This serial marks the departure of original companions Ben and Polly, who are left behind in contemporary London roughly where and when they first joined the TARDIS.
- It is one of the few Doctor Who stories set in the show’s own present day during the 1960s, giving it an unusually grounded, contemporary feel for the era.
- Only Episodes 1 and 3 survive complete in the BBC archive; the missing episodes have been recreated with animation.
- Guest star Pauline Collins as Samantha Briggs made such an impression that producers reportedly considered her for a regular companion role before she declined.
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