5Q. Meglos

TRANSMISSION DETAILS:

530. Part One                      27.09.80   6.15pm - 6.40pm   5.0M/105th/61%
531. Part Two                      04.10.80   6.15pm - 6.40pm   4.2M/139th/64%
532. Part Three                    11.10.80   5.45pm - 6.05pm   4.7M/129th/---
533. Part Four                     18.10.80   5.40pm - 6.05pm   4.7M/127th/63%

GENERAL GRUGGER: Bill Fraser; LT. BROTADAC: Frederick Treves; ZASTOR: Edward Underdown; LEXA: Jacqueline Hill; CARIS: Colette Gleeson; DEEDRIX: Crawford Logan; EARTHLING: Christopher Owen; TIGELLAN GUARD: Simon Shaw. :UNCREDITED: MEGLOS: Tom Baker, Christopher Owen; GAZTACS: Tony Allef, Bruce Callender, Hi Ching, John Holland, James Muir, Ranjit Nakara; TIGELLANS: Michael Gordon Browne, Harry Fielder, Pater Gates Fleming, Laurie Goode, Geoff Whitestone; CEREMONIAL GUARDS: Michael Brydon (4), David Cleeve (4); SAVANTS: (all 2) Howard Barnes, David Cole, Stephen Kane, John Laing; LEXA'S DEONS: (all 1,3,4) Terence Creasey, Ray Knight, Chris Marks, Eddie Sommer; DEON ELDERS: (all 1,3,4) Lewis Hooper, Sylvia Mariott, Stephen Nagy

STORY:

The Doctor is invited by the leader of Tigella, Zastor, to visit the planet because there is concern between the religious Deons and the scientific Savants. TheTARDIS is intercepted by Meglos, the megalomaniacal last survivor from the planet Zolfa-Thura.

The TARDIS is trapped in a time loop, although the Doctor manages to break free. Meglos uses the stolen body of an Earthling and transforms himself into a duplicate of the Doctor.

Disguised as the Doctor Meglos steals the Tigellans' power source - a mysterious dodecahedron. Meglos plans to use the dodecahedrom to power an apocalyptic device which would be used to destroy Tigella.

The Doctor is hindered by the Gaztak, hired by mercenaries, but manages to succeed in tampering with the dodecahedron, and the resulting explosion destroys Meglos.

STUDIOS: Television Centre Studio 3, Television Centre Studio 6

WORKING TITLES: The Golden Pentangle, The Last Zolpha-Thuran

NOTES: This story is notable for the appearance of Jacqueline Hill, some seventeen years after she played Barbara Wright .

NOVELISATION: Meglos Terrance Dicks