Season 14, Episode 5 | 4 parts | First broadcast: 29 January – 19 February 1977 | Writer: Chris Boucher | Director: Michael E. Briant
Cast
- Tom Baker as the Doctor
- Louise Jameson as Leela
- David Collings as Poul
- Russell Hunter as Uvanov
Summary
Materialising aboard a huge sandminer harvesting minerals across a desert world, the Doctor and Leela find themselves among a small human crew whose robot workforce, ordinarily reliable and inert, is being turned into silent killers by a hidden saboteur. As paranoia mounts and the crew is picked off one by one in a claustrophobic murder mystery, the Doctor must identify the culprit exploiting the robots’ unquestioning obedience before the entire crew succumbs to “robophobia” or worse.
Interesting Facts
- The story is widely praised for its Agatha Christie-inspired locked-room murder mystery structure, unusual for the series at the time.
- Its striking Art Deco-inspired robot and costume designs are often cited among the best visual work in classic Doctor Who.
- The concept of “robophobia,” an induced psychological fear of robots central to the plot, was an original creation for the story rather than drawn from established science fiction tropes.
- It remains one of the most consistently highly ranked serials of the entire Tom Baker era in fan and critical polls.
No Responses