Tom Baker
Season Twelve

Producer: Philip Hinchcliffe

4C. The Ark In Space

Writer: Robert Holmes
Director: Rodney Bennett
Designer: Roger Murray-Leach
Incidental Music: Dudley Simpson

TRANSMISSION DETAIL:

386. Part One                      25.01.75   5.35pm - 6.00pm   9.4M/27th
387. Part Two                      01.02.75   5.30pm - 5.55pm  13.6M/ 5th
388. Part Three                    08.02.75   5.30pm - 5.55pm  11.2M/17th
389. Part Four                     15.02.75   5.30pm - 5.55pm  10.2M/24th

REPEAT DETAILS:

     Edited Compilation      Wed   21.08.75   6.35pm - 7.45pm   8.2M/29th

CAST:

VOICES: Gladys Spencer (1,3), Peter Tuddenham (1); VIRA: Wendy Williams (2-4); NOAH (LASAR): Kenton Moore (2-4); LIBRI: Christopher Masters (2); ROGIN: Richardson Morgan (3-4); WIRRN OPERATORS: Stuart Fell (3-4), Nick Hobbs (4); LYCETT: John Gregg (3). UNCREDITED: DUNE: Brian Jacobs (1,3); WIRRN GRUB: Stuart Fell (2-3); BODIES IN PALLETTS: Richard Archer, Geoff Brighty, Rick Carroll, Sean Conney, Peter Duke, Jan Goram, Brian Jacobs, Tina Roach, Lynn Summer, Barry Summerford

STORY:

The TARDIS materialises on board a space station. Everything is fully automated, including defence systems, and the station seems to be deserted, until the Doctor and Harry find a room full of humans held in suspended animation - and also the body of a dead Wirrrn.

One of the bodies is missing, and when of the people are revived, the Doctor and Harry are accused. Meanwhile, Sarah laid down on a bench, and was teleported to the cryogenic facility.

Investigations by the Doctor find that the station has been invade by the Wirrrn. The Wirrrn had damaged the machinery that controlled the de-freeze process, hence the people failed to awaken at the right time.

The Wirrrn had been using the people as food, and the humnans' leader, Noah, was assimilated by the Wirrrn, and they had access to all his memories. The Doctor used this to convince Noah, who was now a Wirrrn himself, to take the Wirrn outside the space station. When the shuttlecraft's engines are fired the Wirrrn are destroyed.

The idea was for the people on board the space station to return to Earth when the solar flares had calmed down. The transporter was not functioning properly, and the Doctor offered to go down to Earth and fix the problem.

BLOOPERS:

Episode 1: Watch out for Liz Sladen's knickers. They appear when Harry and the Doctor lift Sarah onto a couch to recover from her fit of suffocation, and as she is lifted her dress flaps down at the back, showing a brief glimpse of her knickers. Liz Sladen later said that she regularly used to receive requests by post for those particular undies. And at one time simply despatched a brand new unworn pair by return of post to the lonely deviants in question!

STUDIOS:

Television Centre Studio 1, Television Centre Studio 3

NOTE:

Part Two of this story achieved the highest ever ratings position for Doctor Who - 5th

Tom Baker Season Twelve