Meglos
''Meglos'' is the second serial of the 18th season of the science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 27 September to 18 October 1980. In the serial, the Zolfa-Thuran plant Meglos steals a huge source of power on the planet Tigella known as the Dodecahedron. Plot The Prion star system contains two habitable planets which have supported civilisations: Zolfa-Thura, a desert world devoid seemingly of life structures bar five giant screens; and Tigella, a jungle world inhabited by the humanoid, white haired Tigellans. The structure of Tigellan society is based on two castes: the scientific Savants, led by the earnest Deedrix, and the religiously fanatical Deons, led by Lexa. The latter worship the Dodecahedron, a mysterious twelve-sided crystal which they see as a gift from the god Ti. The Savants, however, have utilised its power as an energy source for their entire civilisation. The planet’s leader, Zastor, mediat ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Doctor Who DVD Releases
This is a list of ''Doctor Who'' serials and episodes that have been released on DVD and Blu-ray. DVD Release Most ''Doctor Who'' DVDs have been released first in the United Kingdom with DVD region code#Region codes and countries, Region 2, and released later in Australia and New Zealand (DVD region code#Region codes and countries, Region 4) and in North America (DVD region code#Region codes and countries, Region 1). Aside from differences in the external packaging, special features and commentaries are mostly identical in all versions. All Region 1 releases prior to September 2005 included a "Who's Who" feature that identified key cast members and gave brief biographies and filmographies. The Region 1 releases of ''The Robots of Death'', ''The Ark in Space'', ''The Talons of Weng-Chiang'', and ''Pyramids of Mars'' also include a featurette with the syndicated Time Life introductions and closings narrated by Howard da Silva. There are also minor variations having to do wi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Doctor Who Season 18
The eighteenth season of British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' consisted of seven four-episode serials broadcast from 30 August 1980 with the serial ''The Leisure Hive'', to 21 March 1981 with the serial ''Logopolis''. The season is Tom Baker's final as the Fourth Doctor before his regeneration into the Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison), as well as Lalla Ward's as companion Romana II and John Leeson's as the voice of K9. For the second time (The first being during Season 4 and third being Season 21), the entire main cast changed over the course of a single season. The season also sees the debut of Matthew Waterhouse as Adric, Sarah Sutton as Nyssa, and Janet Fielding as Tegan Jovanka, the three of whom would remain regular companions into the Fifth Doctor's era, as well as the return of the Master, portrayed both by Geoffrey Beevers and Anthony Ainley. The season was the first to be produced by John Nathan-Turner, who would produce every season of the show u ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Paddy Kingsland
Paddy Kingsland (born 30 January 1947) is a composer of electronic music best known for his incidental music for science fiction series on BBC radio and television whilst working at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Educated at Eggar's Grammar School in Alton, Hampshire, he joined the BBC as a tape editor before moving on to become a studio manager for BBC Radio 1. In 1970 he joined the Radiophonic Workshop where he remained until 1981. His initial work was mostly signature tunes for BBC radio and TV programmes before going on to record incidental music for programmes including '' The Changes'', two versions of ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' (the second radio series and the TV adaptation), as well as several serials of ''Doctor Who''. His work on the latter series included incidental music for several serials in the early 1980s. Other well-known series which contained music composed by Paddy Kingsland are '' Around the World in 80 Days'' and '' Pole to Pole'', both travel ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jacqueline Hill
Grace Jacqueline Hill (17 December 1929 – 18 February 1993)Obituary cuttingsarchive.org; accessed 21 February 2016. was a British actress known for her role as Barbara Wright in the television series ''''. As the history teacher of [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Romana (Doctor Who)
Romana, short for Romanadvoratrelundar (), is a fictional character in the long-running British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. A Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey, she is a companion (Doctor Who), companion to the Fourth Doctor. As a Time Lord, Romana is able to Time Lord#Physical characteristics, regenerate, having had two on-screen incarnations with somewhat different personalities (dubbed #Romana I, Romana I and #Romana II, Romana II by fans). Romana I was played by Mary Tamm from 1978 to 1979. When Tamm chose not to sign on for a second season, the part was recast. Romana II was played by Lalla Ward from 1979 to 1981. A third incarnation of Romana has been depicted in some of the spin-off novels, and a fourth (performed by Juliet Landau) has been featured in several audio dramas released by Big Finish Productions in 2013 and 2014, and appeared again in early 2015. Romana is one of only two companions from the Doctor's hom ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Terence Dudley
Terence Dudley (28 September 1919 – 25 December 1988) was a British television director, producer and screenwriter who worked on many programmes for the BBC. Dudley produced the BBC science fiction series '' Doomwatch'' (1970–1972), and directed three of its episodes. He subsequently produced the series '' Survivors'' (1975–1977), also directing one episode, and wrote the script for the season three premiere episode, "Manhunt". His young son, Stephen, had a regular part in ''Doomwatch''. Dudley also directed eight early episodes of '' All Creatures Great and Small'', including the 1983 Christmas special. He began an association with ''Doctor Who'' when he directed '' Meglos'' (1980) for John Nathan-Turner. That same year, he was asked to become producer of ''Blake's 7'' after David Maloney was reassigned before it was known that a fourth season would be made. Dudley turned the offer down, as he no longer wished to work as a producer. The following year he embarked on a br ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Andrew McCulloch (writer)
Andrew McCulloch (born 1945), often credited as Andy McCulloch, is a Scottish television writer and actor. Biography Born on 27 October 1945 in Ayr, Scotland, Andrew McCulloch was educated at Bedford School and trained as an actor at the Central School of Speech and Drama. Career McCulloch's film credits include the 1969 version of ''David Copperfield'', where he played Ham Peggotty, '' Cry of the Banshee'' (1970), ''The Last Valley'' (1971), Roman Polanski's ''Macbeth'' (1971), '' Kidnapped'' (1973), '' Nothing But the Night'' (1973), '' The Land That Time Forgot'' (1974) and ''Cry Freedom'' (1987). His television credits include Colonel Leckie in the BBC series ''By the Sword Divided'' and parts in ''Taggart'', '' Softly, Softly: Task Force'', ''Messiah'' and the cult comedy ''Father Ted''. McCulloch's first television writing credit was for the ''Doctor Who'' story "Meglos" in 1980, penned with John Flanagan, with whom he retains a regular writing partnership. A second scr ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Fourth Doctor
The Fourth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Tom Baker. Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-old alien Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey who travels in time and space in the TARDIS, frequently with companions. At the end of life, the Doctor regenerates; as a result, the physical appearance and personality of the Doctor changes. Preceded in regeneration by the Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee), he is followed by the Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison). Baker portrays the Fourth Doctor as a whimsical and sometimes brooding individual whose enormous personal warmth is at times tempered by his capacity for righteous anger. His initial companions were the journalist Sarah Jane Smith ( Elisabeth Sladen), who had travelled with his previous incarnation, and Surgeon-Lieutenant Harry Sullivan ( Ian Marter) of UNIT. His later companions were the warrior Leela (Louise ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Full Circle (Doctor Who)
''Full Circle'' is the third serial of the 18th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 25 October to 15 November 1980. The serial involves the alien time traveller the Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) discovering the life cycle of three closely related species on the planet Alzarius—the humanoid Alzarians, the Marshmen, and the Marshspiders—coming "full circle". ''Full Circle'' is the first of three loosely connected serials set in another universe to the Doctor's own known as E-Space and introduces Matthew Waterhouse as the companion Adric. Plot En route to Gallifrey, the TARDIS passes through a strange phenomenon and ends up in an alternative universe called E-Space. The TARDIS lands on the lush forest planet of Alzarius, home to a small civilisation of humanoids who live in a grounded spaceship, the ''Starliner''. Originally from the planet Terradon, the ship crashed on Alzarius gener ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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The Leisure Hive
''The Leisure Hive'' is the first serial of the 18th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 30 August to 20 September 1980. It marks the return of John Leeson as the voice of K9. In the serial, a criminal organisation of alien Foamasi, called the West Lodge, attempt to buy the planet Argolis from the Argolin people there as a West Lodge base. Meanwhile, the young Argolin Pangol ( David Haig) seeks to start a war against the Foamasi, to whom his people had previously lost, with an army made of clones of himself. Plot The Fourth Doctor and Romana's holiday in Brighton ends abruptly when K9 chases a ball, takes in seawater, and explodes. They instead venture to the Leisure Hive of Argolis, a holiday complex and message of peace built by surviving Argolins after their devastating 20-minute war with the Foamasi forty years earlier. They arrive at a point of crisis: the Leisure Hive is ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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John Leeson
John Francis Christopher Ducker (born 16 March 1943), known professionally as John Leeson, is an English actor. He is known for portraying Bungle in ''Rainbow'' and voicing K9 in ''Doctor Who'' and spin-offs '' The Sarah Jane Adventures'' and '' K9''. Early career Leeson trained at Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and his varied stage and television career spans half a century. It includes work in both repertory and West End productions including Neil Simon's '' Plaza Suite'' (1969), ''Flint'' (1970) and ''Don't Start Without Me'' (1971), and character acting work across a wide range of television sitcoms and costume dramas from the 1970s onwards, including ''Dad's Army'', '' Sorry!'', '' Rings on Their Fingers'', adaptations of '' The Barretts of Wimpole Street'' and '' Vanity Fair'', '' Shadow of the Noose'', ''Crown Court'' and ''Longitude''. He also embarked on a parallel career in voiceover work, freelancing as a continuity announcer with BFBS Television in Germany, BBC ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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John Nathan-Turner
John Turner (12 August 1947 – 1 May 2002), known professionally as John Nathan-Turner, was an English television producer. He was the ninth producer of the long-running BBC science fiction series ''Doctor Who'' and the final producer of the series' first run on television (from 1980 until it was cancelled in 1989). He finished the role having become the longest-serving ''Doctor Who'' producer and cast Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy as the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Doctors, respectively. Early life Born John Turner in Birmingham, he adopted the double-barrelled stage name ''John Nathan-Turner'' to distinguish himself from the British actor John Turner. He was educated at King Edward VI School, at Aston in Birmingham, where he showed an early interest in acting and theatre. His earliest television acting work was as an extra in TV productions for ITV, including '' Crossroads'' and '' The Flying Swan''. Both shows were made in Birmingham (the former at ATV ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |