Season 16, Episode 6 | 6 parts | First broadcast: 20 January – 24 February 1979 | Writer: Bob Baker and Dave Martin | Director: Michael Hayes
Cast
- Tom Baker as the Doctor
- Mary Tamm as Romana
- John Leeson as the voice of K9
- William Squire as the voice of the Black Guardian
- Ian Saynor as Marshal Merak
Summary
The search for the sixth and final segment of the Key to Time brings the Doctor and Romana to the war-torn worlds of Atrios and Zeos, locked in a devastating, mutually assured conflict being secretly manipulated from the shadows. As the Doctor and Romana race to locate the final segment before the ruthless Shadow, agent of the Black Guardian, can claim it first, the Doctor must decide what to do with the completed Key to Time and the terrible cosmic power it grants.
Interesting Facts
- This story concludes the entire Key to Time season-long arc, culminating in the Doctor’s decision to scatter the assembled Key rather than hand its power to the Guardians.
- It marks Mary Tamm’s final regular serial as Romana, who is written out to allow the character to regenerate into a new incarnation for the following season.
- The sixth segment of the Key to Time is ultimately revealed to be the Doctor himself, an unusually philosophical twist for the arc’s resolution.
- Extended production difficulties, including illness among the cast, contributed to the story running to six unusually stretched episodes.
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