Season 21, Episode 7 | 4 parts | First broadcast: 22–30 March 1984 | Writer: Anthony Steven | Director: Peter Moffatt
Cast
- Colin Baker as the Doctor
- Nicola Bryant as Peri Brown
- Maurice Denham as Azmael
- Edwin Richfield as Mestor
- Kevin McNally as Hugo Lang
Summary
Fresh from a traumatic regeneration, the newly unstable Doctor’s mood swings grow so violent that he attempts to strangle Peri, prompting him to exile them both to the remote asteroid Titan 3. There they stumble into a scheme by the slug-like Mestor, ruler of the conquered planet Jaconda, who is coercing the Doctor’s old Time Lord tutor Azmael into a plan that will detonate Jaconda’s sun and scatter Gastropod eggs across the galaxy.
Interesting Facts
- This serial marks Colin Baker’s first full story as the Sixth Doctor, immediately following his regeneration in The Caves of Androzani.
- The new Doctor’s erratic, occasionally violent behavior was a deliberate choice meant to make him initially unlikeable before growing endearing over time, though the approach drew heavy criticism.
- It was placed at the very end of Season 21 so the incoming Doctor could be introduced as quickly as possible after Peter Davison’s departure.
- The story is consistently ranked among the lowest-rated serials in Doctor Who Magazine reader polls, standing in stark contrast to the acclaimed Caves of Androzani that preceded it.
No Responses