Snakedance (Doctor Who)
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Snakedance (Doctor Who)
''Snakedance'' is the second serial of the 20th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts on BBC1 from 18 to 26 January 1983. The serial is set on the planet Manussa 500 years after the serial ''Kinda'' (1982). In the serial, the Mara takes over the bodies of the Doctor's companion Tegan (Janet Fielding) and Lon (Martin Clunes), the ruler's son, while seeking to manifest itself by using a crystal. Plot The arrival of the TARDIS on Manussa triggers nightmares in Tegan, who dreams of a snake-shaped cave mouth. When she and The Fifth Doctor find the cave from her dream, Tegan runs away. Alone and confused, Tegan lapses under the control of the Mara once more. Manussa is in the grip of a festival of celebration of the banishment of the Mara from the civilisation five hundred years earlier. In the absence of the Federator, who rules over the three-planet Federation, his indolent son Lon is to have a ...
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Doctor Who Magazine
''Doctor Who Magazine'' (abbreviated as ''DWM'') is a magazine devoted to the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Launched in 1979 as ''Doctor Who Weekly'', the magazine became a monthly publication the following year. In 1990 it switched to a four-weekly schedule, publishing 13 issues a year, along with triannual deluxe Special Editions (2002–) and Bookazines (2013–). Regular issues include interviews, behind-the-scenes articles on television episodes and ''Doctor Who'' in other media, as well as producing its own comic strip. Its founding editor was Dez Skinn, and the longest-serving editor was Tom Spilsbury who served from 2007 to 2017. He was succeeded by Marcus Hearn, who took over from Spilsbury in July 2017. The incumbent editor is Jason Quinn, who took over from Hearn in September 2023. ''DWM'' is recognised by ''Guinness World Records'' as the longest running TV tie-in magazine, celebrating 40 years of continuous publication on 11 October 2019. ...
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Brian Grellis
Brian Grellis is a British actor, from Liverpool, best known for his role in the television series ''Z-Cars'' as Det. Sgt. Bowker. He was born on 12 July 1937, as Brian McGrellis, being billed as such in his first role, in the ''Edgar Wallace Mysteries''. Other TV credits include: '' Softly, Softly'', '' Pathfinders'', '' The Regiment'', ''Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?'', ''The Onedin Line'', '' The Good Life'', ''Last of the Summer Wine'', ''Survivors'', ''Enemy at the Door'', ''Doctor Who'' (in the serials ''Revenge of the Cybermen'', '' The Invisible Enemy'' and '' Snakedance''), ''The Gentle Touch'', ''Minder'', '' Bergerac'' and '' Threads''. Grellis is also known for his role as Phidian, the aide to Sir Hilary Bray in the 1969 James Bond film '' On Her Majesty's Secret Service''. Originally, this part was slated to be much larger, with a long chase scene involving Phidian after being revealed as a mole of the film's villain, but this was scrapped partway through film ...
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Mara (Doctor Who)
The Mara is a fictional character from the long-running British Science fiction on television, science-fiction television series Doctor Who, ''Doctor Who''. A Gestalt psychology, gestalt, formless entity, it preys upon beings using their dreams, and is capable of possessing others in order to accomplish its goals. The Mara can manifest in a physical form, often taking on the form of a snake. First appearing in the 1982 television serial Kinda (Doctor Who), ''Kinda'', the Mara would make one further appearance on television a year later in 1983's ''Snakedance''. Following this, it appeared in various pieces of spin-off media from the series, and additionally appeared in a short produced to commemorate the re-release of Doctor Who season 20, ''Doctor Who'' season 20, dubbed "The Passenger". The Mara was originally conceived by ''Kinda'''s writer Christopher Bailey (screenwriter), Christopher Bailey, who named it after the Buddhism, Buddhist demon Mara (demon), Mara. Bailey envision ...
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Kinda (Doctor Who)
''Kinda'' is the third serial of the 19th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts on BBC1 from 1 to 9 February 1982. In the serial, an alien being from another plane uses the dreams of the time-travelling air hostess Tegan Jovanka ( Janet Fielding) to reach the planet Deva Loka and takes over the body of the Kinda Aris ( Adrian Mills) to attack colonists on the planet. Plot An Earth colonisation survey expedition to the beautiful jungle planet Deva Loka is being depleted as members of the survey team disappear one by one. The three survivors are met by The Fifth Doctor and Adric. The team members have also imprisoned two members of the planet's native tribe, the Kinda. Sanders, the leader of the survey team, ventures into the jungle, leaving his deputy Hindle in charge. Hindle's will is enforced by means of the two Kinda hostages, who have forged a telepathic link with him. Hindle, who plans ...
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BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, primetime drama and entertainment, and live BBC Sport events. The channel was launched on 2 November 1936 under the name BBC Television Service, which was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution. It was renamed BBC TV in 1960 and used this name until the launch of the second BBC channel, BBC2, in 1964. The main channel then became known as BBC1. The channel adopted the current spelling of BBC One in 1997. The channel's annual budget for 2012–2013 was £1.14 billion. It is funded by the television licence fee together with the BBC's other domestic television stations and shows uninterrupted programming without commercial advertising. The television channel had the highest reach ...
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Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterrestrial being called the Doctor, part of a humanoid species called Time Lords. The Doctor travels in the universe and in time using a time travelling Spacecraft, spaceship called the TARDIS, which externally appears as a British police box. While travelling, the Doctor works to save lives and liberate oppressed peoples by combating List of Doctor Who villains, foes. The Doctor usually travels with Companion (Doctor Who), companions. Beginning with William Hartnell, List of actors who have played the Doctor, fourteen actors have headlined the series as the Doctor; the most recent being Ncuti Gatwa, who portrayed the Fifteenth Doctor from 2023 to 2025. The transition between actors is written into the plot of the series with the Regeneration ...
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Science Fiction Television
Science fiction first appeared in television programming in the late 1930s, during what is called the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary world not limited by the constraints of reality. Visual production process and methods The need to portray imaginary settings or characters with properties and abilities beyond the reach of current reality obliges producers to make extensive use of specialized techniques of television production. Through most of the 20th century, many of these techniques were expensive and involved a small number of dedicated craft practitioners, while the reusability of props, models, effects, or animation techniques made it easier to keep using them. The combination of high initial cost and lower maintenance cost pushed producers into building these techniques into the basic concept of a series, influencing all the artistic choices. By the late 199 ...
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Mawdryn Undead
''Mawdryn Undead'' is the third serial of the 20th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was originally broadcast in four twice weekly parts on BBC1 from 1 to 9 February 1983. The serial is set in an English boarding school and a spaceship above the Earth in 1977 and 1983. In the serial, the scientist Mawdryn ( David Collings), whose people on board the ship have been afflicted by a mutation that constantly causes their bodies to renew themselves, seeks to die using the regenerative abilities of the alien time traveller the Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison) to stop this process and allow them to die. ''Mawdryn Undead'' is the first of three loosely connected serials in which the Black Guardian ( Valentine Dyall) attempts to compel the alien Vislor Turlough ( Mark Strickson) to kill the Doctor, and it introduces Turlough as a regular character. Nicholas Courtney is reintroduced as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, who was last seen in the series in ...
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Arc Of Infinity
''Arc of Infinity'' is the first serial of the 20th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts on BBC1 from 3 to 12 January 1983. The serial is set in Amsterdam and on the planet Gallifrey. In the serial, the Time Lord traitor Hedin ( Michael Gough) seeks to bring the founder of the Time Lords Omega ( Ian Collier) out of the universe of antimatter by making him bond with the body of the Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison) in the universe of matter. Plot On Gallifrey, the Fifth Doctor's home planet, a Time Lord traitor steals the bio-data code of another Time Lord and provides it to the Renegade, a creature composed of antimatter. The High Council of the Time Lords issue a Warrant of Termination on the Doctor to ensure the Renegade can no longer bond with him. The Doctor is taken for execution, despite Nyssa's attempts to save him, and placed in a dispersal chamber. Unbeknownst to the High Council, The Do ...
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Doctor Who (season 20)
The twentieth season of British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' began on 3 January 1983 with the story ''Arc of Infinity'', and ended 16 March 1983 with '' The King's Demons''. A 20th Anniversary special, " The Five Doctors", followed in November 1983. John Nathan-Turner produced this series, with Eric Saward script editing. Casting Main cast * Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor * Sarah Sutton as Nyssa * Janet Fielding as Tegan Jovanka * Mark Strickson as Vislor Turlough * Gerald Flood as Voice of Kamelion * Richard Hurndall as the First Doctor * Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor * Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor * Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith * Carole Ann Ford as Susan Foreman * Nicholas Courtney as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart Peter Davison continues as the Doctor, accompanied by Tegan Jovanka ( Janet Fielding). While Nyssa (Sarah Sutton) leaves halfway through the season in '' Terminus'', Mark Strickson arrives as new companion ...
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Peter Howell (musician)
Peter Howell (born 1949) is a musician and composer. He is best known for his work on ''Doctor Who'' as a member of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Howell's musical career began in the late 1960s working with John Ferdinando in various psychedelic folk bands including Agincourt and Ithaca. Howell and Ferdinando recorded five albums before Howell became a member of the Radiophonic Workshop, with which he would remain associated until 1997. ''Doctor Who'' His work on ''Doctor Who'' began in 1975 when he provided some accompanying incidental music for '' Revenge of the Cybermen'' and special sound for '' Planet of Evil''. When John Nathan-Turner became producer of ''Doctor Who'' in 1980, he decided that the music needed to be updated and commissioned Howell to provide a new arrangement of the ''Doctor Who'' theme to accompany a new title sequence. Whereas the original arrangement of the theme (written by Ron Grainer) had been realised by Delia Derbyshire (and, originally, assist ...
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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 ...
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