5M. Shada (Six episodes)
Writer and Script Editor: Douglas Adams
Director: Pennant Roberts
Producer: Graham Williams
Designer: Victor Meredith
CAST:
THE DOCTOR: Tom Baker; ROMANA: Lalla Ward; PROFESSOR CHRONOTIS (SALYAVIN): Denis Carey;
SKAGRA: Christopher Neame; CHRIS PARSONS: Daniel Hill; CLAIRE KEIGHTLEY: Victoria Burgoyne;
SHIP: Shirley Dixon; WILKIN: Gerald Campion (1-3,6); CALDERA: Derek Pollitt (1,4);
PASSENGER: David Strong (1,4); THEMSELVES: St Johns Choristers (2+reprise3); VOICE OF THE KRARGS:
James Coombs (4); POLICE CONSTABLE: John Hallett (6); KRARGS: Harry Fielder, Lionel Sansby, James Muir,
Derek Suthern, Reg Woods
STORY:
The fourth Doctor and Romana visit Earth to visit an old Time Lord, Professor Chronotis, who left Gallifrey and became
an academic at St. Cedd's College in London. Being an academic means that Professor Chronotis is often visited students
wanting to borrow someof his books, which is he happy for them to do.
A scientist by the name of Skagra is trying to locate on particular book which Professor Chronotis has in his library:
The Worshipful and Ancient Law of Gallifrey. With the aid of a device, which resembles a floating grey sphere,
Skagra tries to steal the mind of Professor Chronotis and learn the location of the book.
The book, which had been borrowed by Chris Parsons, is the key to the ancient Time Lord prison planet Shada. Skagra's
intention is to find one particular inmate, Salyavin, whose mental powers could be exploited to project Skagra's mind
into every living creature in the Universe.
Arriving at Shada, Skagra finds Salyavin's cell empty. The Doctor, Romana. K-9, Chris Parsons and Claire Keightley arrive
at Shada in Chronotis's TARDIS. After a battle with the Krargs, servants of Skagra, Chronotis reveals that he is Salyavin.
He had escapedfrom Shada and lived on Earth.
After a battle of wills between the Doctor and Skagra, Skagra is defeated. Everyone returns to Earth where Chronotis
continues to live.
BLOOPERS:
Episode 2: When K-9 checks Chronotis's vital signs and proclaims him to be dead, you can clearly see Denis
Carey's chest rising and falling as he breathes.
Episode 2: Notice that when Professor Chronotis is being attacked by the sphere, he keeps alternating between
wearing and not wearing his eyeglasses - depending on the camera angle.
Episode 2: Romana calls Chris Parsons by his first name despite not having been told what it is yet.
Episode 3: Skagra takes Romana into the TARDIS, but he forgets the TARDIS key in the door, which remains there
as it dematerialises.
LOCATIONS:
Cambridge
WORKING TITLE:
Sunburst
NOTES:
This story was scheduled to conclude season seventeen, but a BBC strike meant that it was not completed and never
transmitted. The completed footage, which includes all the location work and some studio blocks, was preserved.
Because no end titles were produced for the story it is impossible to say which cast members would have been
uncredited
Two scenes from the story were used in The Five Doctors in 1983
In 1992 a BBC video of the story was released, produced by John Nathan-Turner. This featured added video effects, sound
effects (by Dick Mills), incidental music (by Keff McCulloch) and the missing material narrated by Tom Baker. Episode
credits as used above are for the story had it been finished and not this video version. The video also includes a copy
of the original script.
VIDEO:
Shada
