Season 6, Episode 4 | 4 parts | First broadcast: 28 December 1968 – 18 January 1969 | Writer: Robert Holmes | Director: David Maloney
Cast
- Patrick Troughton as the Doctor
- Frazer Hines as Jamie McCrimmon
- Wendy Padbury as Zoe Heriot
- James Copeland as Selris
Summary
On a distant planet, the subjugated Gond people live under the unseen rule of the crystalline Krotons, who periodically select their brightest young minds for supposed “honour,” only to secretly harvest their mental energy to sustain themselves. The Doctor and his companions help the Gonds uncover the deception and challenge the Krotons’ control before more of their people can be taken.
Interesting Facts
- This was Robert Holmes’s first script for Doctor Who; he would go on to become one of the series’ most celebrated and prolific writers.
- All four episodes of the serial survive complete in the BBC archive.
- The Krotons’ distinctive, angular appearance and stilted vocal delivery reflect the era’s ambition to create memorable monsters despite a limited budget.
- The story’s theme of a society kept subservient through a rigged “honour” system reflects Holmes’s recurring interest in exposing exploitative power structures.
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