6N. Frontios
Writer: Christopher H. Bidmead
Director: Ron Jones
Designer: David Buckingham
Incidental Music: Paddy Kingsland
TRANSMISSION DETAILS:
609. Part One 26.01.84 6.40pm - 7.05pm 8.0M/ 58th/66%
610. Part Two 27.01.84 6.40pm - 7.05pm 5.8M/115th/69%
611. Part Three 02.02.84 6.40pm - 7.05pm 7.8M/ 59th/65%
612. Part Four 03.02.84 6.40pm - 7.05pm 5.6M/112th/65%
CAST:
CHIEF ORDERLY BRAZEN: Peter Gilmore; NORNA: Lesley Dunlop; CHIEF SCIENCE OFFICER RANGE: William Lucas;
PLANTAGENET: Jeff Rawle; COCKERILL: Maurice O'Connell; ORDERLY: Richard Ashley (1); THE GRAVIS:
John Gillett (2-4); TRACTATORS: (all 2-4) William Bowen, George Campbell, Heidi Khursandi, Michael Malcolm, Stephen
Speed; RETROGRADE: Raymond Murtagh (3-4); DEPUTY: Alison Skilbeck (3). UNCREDITED: PARAMEDIC: Judy Collins
(1); WARNSMEN: Jim Dowdall (1); RETROGRADES: Terence Brook, Peter Creasey. Steve Emerson, Anthony Freeman, James
Lyon, Mike Molloy; CAPTAIN REVERE: John Beardsmore (1,3,4); EXCAVATOR MACHINE OPERATORS: (all 3-4) Paul Andrew,
Salo Gardner, Llewellyn Williams; ORDERLIES: Richard Ashley, Rodney Cardiff, Daniel D'Arcey, John Greening, Chris Holmes,
Paul Lowther, Ian Marshall, Barry McKenna, Keith Norrish, Miles Ross, John Hamilton Russell, Richard Smythe; PARAMEDICS:
Kevin Goss, Linda Kent, Dominic Reyntiens; PATIENTS: Rita Daniels, Barbie Denham, Alan Forbes, Michael Jeffries, Jay
McGrath, Joe Phillips, Sue Somerset; COLONISTS: Terry Bradford, Peter Gates Fleming, Laurie Goode, Robert Goodman,
Caroline Haigh, Judith Jeffrey, Fernanda Monast, Robert Peters, Monica Ramone, Penny Rigden
STORY:
The TARDIS materialises in the far future, an period in time even the Doctor is unhappy about visiting as it is crucial it is
left alone. The Doctor, Tegan and Turlough find a struggling colony, lead by Plantagenet, is under attack from meteorite attacks.
At the same time colonists are disappearing, literally sucked into the earth. The Doctor unwittingly helps the colonists, and
ventures underground. Turlough recognises the creatures responsible, and also goes insane when he realises that the Tractators are
involved.
The Tractators have been burrowing underground, creating a network of almost perfectly smooth corridors, with the aim of
turning Frontios into a form of space vehicle. Turlough recalls that the way to render Tractators harmless is to separate them
from the Gravis.
The Tractators have managed to get into, and break up, the TARDIS. The Doctor tricks the Gravis into reassembling and freeing
the TARDIS and takes the Gravis to an uninhabited planet, rendering the Tractators harmless.
BLOOPERS:
Episodes 1 & 2: When Plantaganet is shot at the end of episode 1, he clutches the right side of his chest. When we see
him collapse in episode 2, he clutches his left side! Then, a few scenes later, when his shirt has been removed, we see that
the wound on his chest is placed very centrally.
Episodes 2 & 3: In episode 2, Tegan is being chased by Brazen and some guards, so she heads for the surface. She locks
the door by putting a rod through the two handles on the double doors. When the doors are being broken open in episode 3, the
rod is on the top of the handles, not through them.
Episode 4: In one scene aboard the still incomplete TARDIS, you can just barely see the central column of the console
rise to its 'up' position on the left side of the screen. Now, if none of the controls were operative, I don't see how the
column could move!
STUDIOS:
Television Centre Studio 6
WORKING TITLE:
The Hungry Earth
NOVELISATION:
Frontios
Christopher H. Bidmead
VIDEO:
The Awakening/
Frontios
