Season 6, Episode 6 | 6 parts | First broadcast: 8 March – 12 April 1969 | Writer: Robert Holmes | Director: Michael Hart
Cast
- Patrick Troughton as the Doctor
- Frazer Hines as Jamie McCrimmon
- Wendy Padbury as Zoe Heriot
- Gordon Gostelow as Milo Clancey
Summary
The TARDIS arrives amid a wave of attacks on space beacons carrying valuable argonite ore, orchestrated by a ruthless band of space pirates led by the calculating Caven. As the Doctor and his companions become entangled with a grizzled independent miner, Milo Clancey, and the pursuing Space Corps, they must untangle who is truly responsible before the pirates’ scheme claims more victims.
Interesting Facts
- This is the only surviving Doctor Who serial where a majority of the episodes remain lost; only Episode 2 exists in the BBC archive, with the rest known solely through audio recordings and photographs.
- It marks a rare Second Doctor story in which the regular TARDIS crew is largely sidelined for long stretches in favour of the guest ensemble cast.
- Writer Robert Holmes drew on a distinctly American “space Western” tone for the story, particularly through the character of prospector Milo Clancey.
- The story’s technical model work for spacecraft and beacons was considered ambitious for the era’s limited effects budget.
No Responses