Season 14, Episode 2 | 4 parts | First broadcast: 2–23 October 1976 | Writer: Bob Baker and Dave Martin | Director: Lennie Mayne
Cast
- Tom Baker as the Doctor
- Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith
- Judith Paris as Eldrad (female form)
- Stephen Thorne as Eldrad (male form)
- Glyn Houston as Professor Watson
Summary
A quarry explosion unearths a fossilised alien hand that takes possession of Sarah Jane, compelling her to carry its silicon ring fragment into a nearby nuclear power plant to begin the regeneration of its owner, Eldrad, a shape-shifting exile from the planet Kastria. As Eldrad’s regenerated form manipulates its way toward returning home, the Doctor follows Sarah Jane to Kastria to uncover the truth of Eldrad’s exile, only to find the alien’s claims of innocence may be a far more dangerous deception.
Interesting Facts
- This serial marks Elisabeth Sladen’s departure as Sarah Jane Smith, ending one of the show’s most beloved and longest-serving companion runs.
- Sarah Jane’s farewell scene, in which the Doctor is unexpectedly summoned back to Gallifrey and drops her off in what he believes is Croydon, was largely improvised for its warmth rather than scripted melodrama.
- Eldrad’s design, using different actors for the character’s female and male regenerated forms, allowed the story to explore ideas about identity, deception and gender before returning to that concept.
- The character of Sarah Jane Smith would go on to headline her own spin-off series decades after this story first aired, cementing her lasting popularity.
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