GGG. The Claws of Axos
Writers: Bob Baker and Dave Martin
Director: Michael Ferguson
Designer: Kenneth Sharp
Incidental Music by: Dudley Simpson
Action by: Havoc
TRANSMISSION DETAILS:
289. Episode One 13.03.1971 5.15pm - 5.40pm 7.3M/57th
290. Episode Two 20.03.1971 5.15pm - 5.40pm 8.0M/43rd
291. Episode Three 27.03.1971 5.15pm - 5.40pm 6.4M/70th
292. Episode Four 03.04.1971 5.15pm - 5.40pm 7.8M/49th
CAST:
HORATIO CHINN: Peter Bathurst; BILL FILER: Paul Grist; SIR GEORGE HARDIMAN:
Donald Hewlett; AXON MAN: Bernard Holley; DR WINSER: David Savile (1-2); FIRST
RADAR OPERATOR: Michael Walker (1-2); SECOND RADAR OPERATOR: David G March (1-2);
AXON WOMAN: Patricia Gordino (1-2); CORPORAL BELL: Fernanda Marlowe (1); PIGBIN
JOSH: Derek Ware (1); AXON BOY: John Hicks (1); AXON GIRL: Debbie Lee London (1);
CAPTAIN HARKER: Tim Piggot-Smith (2-3); THE MINISTER: Kenneth Benda (3);
TECHNICIAN: Royston Farrell (4). UNCREDITED: VOICE OF AXOS: Bernard Holley; NUTON
DRIVER: Nick Hobbs; CIVIL SERVANTS: George Howse (3), Pierce McAvoy (3); SECRETARY:
Gloria Walker (3); FAKE FILER: Derek Ware (3); AGED JO: Mildred Brown (3); DOUBLE FOR
AXON MAN: Nick Hobbs; DOUBLE FOR AXON WOMAN: Sue Crossland; DOUBLE FOR HARDIMAN: Jack
Cooper; AXON MONSTERS: Marc Boyle, Eden Fox, Peter Holmes, Clinton Morris, Stuart Myers,
Douglas Rae, Clive Roger, Steve Smart; HUMANOID AXONS: David Aldridge, Steve King, Roger
Minnice, Geoff Rightly; LABORATORY TECHNICIANS: Bill Barnsley, Victor Croxford, Peter Holmes,
Paul Phillips; UNIT SOLDIERS: Roy Brent, Bill Hughes, Pierce McAvoy, Douglas Rae, Clive Roger,
Michael Stainer; REGULAR ARMY SOLDIERS: George Howse, Pierce McAvoy, Steve Smart;
STUNTMEN: Bob Blaine, Jack Cooper, Steve Emmerson, Stuart Fell, Brian Gilmore, Reg Harding,
Emmet Hennessey, Brian Justice, Derek Martin
STORY:
An alient craft is detected by U.N.I.T. as it lands on Earth. The U.N.I.T. team, along with Hardiman and Winser from the nearby
Nunton complex, go to the site and welcome the gold skinned humanoid visitors. The aliens, Axons, say that their craft is
damaged at that they wish to use power from the complex to repair it. In return they offer Axonite; a substance that, amongst
other things, can cause animals to grow to large size bringing about an end to famine.
The Doctor is naturally suspicious, but Government officials allow the transfer of Axonite all around the globe. The Doctor
discovers that the Master has been helping the Axons and that the Axons, the craft and Axonite are all part of the same parasitic
form, with a plan to feed on the energy of the Earth.
The Doctor tricks the Axons into believing he was helping them, and he manages to trap the Axon craft in a never-ending time-loop,
but he may have allowed the Master to escape.
BLOOPERS:
Episode 3: Katy Manning's knickers make a guest appearance; It's when the Doctor drags Jo
away from the claws imprisoning her on the floor in the Axon ship while Axos is convulsing. Her dress
flies up at the back, showing her knickers briefly (the PAL version of this scene is converted back
from NTSC so is, unfortunately, poor quality).
Epispode 4: In one scene, Chromakey blue is visible through the windows in a jeep with nothing
superimposed.
Episode ?: In this story, they have a particle accelerator that accelerates particles to the
speed of light and beyond, and they even have an instrument that measures the effect, marked in "X
light"! (Doesn't relativity state that particles cannot be accelerated to the speed of light, let
alone beyond it, because at that point they would have to have infinite mass.)
Episode ?: Watch out for the very wobbly brick wall in the scene where the Brigadier and co.
are running into the lab just as the Doctor is accelerating the Axonite.
STUDIOS:
Television Centre Studio 3, Television Centre Studio 4
LOCATIONS:
Dungeness Power Station, Kent; Dungeness Beach, Kent
WORKING TITLES:
The Beautiful People, Vampire From Space (a title sequence using this title is thought to exsist)
NOTES:
The writer credit and episode number are brought up over a different pattern during the title sequence
(actually the rushing diamond pattern that is used for the end credits)
Episodes Two and Three only survive as film prints and NTSC recordings
NOVELISATION:
The Claws of Axos
Terrance Dicks
VIDEO:
The Claws of Axos
