Season 20, Episode 1 | 4 parts | First broadcast: 3–12 January 1983 | Writer: Johnny Byrne | Director: Ron Jones
Cast
- Peter Davison as the Doctor
- Sarah Sutton as Nyssa
- Janet Fielding as Tegan Jovanka
- Michael Gough as Hedin
- Colin Baker as Commander Maxil
Summary
Summoned back to Gallifrey after his bio-data extract is stolen from the Matrix, the Doctor finds himself condemned to execution as the antimatter creature Omega, last seen centuries ago, attempts to use the Doctor’s own biological data to cross back into the physical universe. Racing between Gallifrey and Amsterdam to stop Omega’s desperate bid at survival, the Doctor must clear his name before the Time Lords carry out the sentence themselves.
Interesting Facts
- This story marks the return of Omega, the rogue Time Lord antagonist last seen a decade earlier in The Three Doctors.
- Colin Baker appears here as the ruthless Commander Maxil, becoming the first actor to appear in the series before later being cast as the Doctor himself.
- Extensive location filming in Amsterdam was highly unusual and ambitious for the series’ budget at the time.
- It was part of Season 20’s wider theme of revisiting villains and concepts from the show’s twenty-year history for its anniversary year.
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