The Robots of Death
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| 090 - The Robots of Death | |
|---|---|
| Doctor | Tom Baker (Fourth Doctor) |
| Writer | Chris Boucher |
| Director | Michael E. Briant |
| Script editor | Robert Holmes |
| Producer | Philip Hinchcliffe |
| Executive producer(s) | None |
| Production code | 4R |
| Series | Season 14 |
| Length | 4 episodes, 25 mins each |
| Transmission date | January 29–February 19, 1977 |
| Preceded by | The Face of Evil |
| Followed by | The Talons of Weng-Chiang |
The Robots of Death is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from January 29 to February 19, 1977.
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[edit] Synopsis
In a remote desert on a distant planet, a vast mobile mining sandminer is on an extended expedition in search of rare and valuable ores. The vessel is commanded by a crew of indolent or avaricious human staff - many of whom have secrets to hide - but they are easily outnumbered by the elegant and efficient robots employed for varied duties. It is a happy partnership until the human crew start being murdered one by one...
[edit] Plot
The TARDIS materialises on a sandminer where a member of the crew has just been murdered. The Doctor and Leela are escorted to a room and locked in by a robot. The crew assume they are the murderers, especially when the Doctor escapes the room using the sonic screwdriver to have a look around. Leela wanders off and sees the body ready to be taken away by some robots, while the Doctor finds the TARDIS where it had been moved. The Doctor investigates a storage unit to discover another dead body. The door closes and the unit rapidly fills with sand, covering him and the body. The Doctor is saved only by the intervention of another robot. He is taken to be questioned, where he is accused of being the killer.
The Doctor convinces one of the crew members that the real killer is a robot. The only ones to believe him are Poul and a disguised 'D7' class robot, D84. They have been sent to investigate rumors of a robot revolution involving Taren Capel.
The Doctor soon discovers that Dask is Taren Capel, who is modifying the robots to kill the crew. The Doctor uses spare parts from damaged robots and creates a ultimate shut down device, which will destroy all robots on the sandminer. Unfortunately, this would include D84). With the use of helium the Doctor is able to change Dask's voice so the robots will not recognise him. He is then killed by SV7.
Both the Doctor and Leela leave the sand miner, the Doctor also reveals that he is immune to the effects of helium.
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[edit] Cast
- Doctor Who — Tom Baker
- Leela — Louise Jameson
- Uvanov — Russell Hunter
- Toos — Pamela Salem
- Dask — David Bailie
- Poul — David Collings
- Borg — Brian Croucher
- Zilda — Tania Rogers
- Chub — Rob Edwards
- Cass — Tariq Yunus
- D.84 — Gregory de Polnay
- S.V.7 — Miles Fothergill
- Robots — Mark Blackwell Baker, John Bleasdale, Mark Cooper, Peter Langtry, Jeremy Ranchev, Richard Seager
[edit] Cast notes
Features guest appearances by David Collings, Russell Hunter and Pamela Salem. See also Celebrity appearances in Doctor Who.
[edit] In print
| Doctor Who book | |
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| Doctor Who and the Robots of Death | |
|---|---|
| Series | Target novelisations |
| Release number | 53 |
| Writer | Terrance Dicks |
| Cover artist | John Geary |
| ISBN | 0 426 20061 6 |
| Release date | 24 May 1979 |
| Preceded by | Doctor Who and the Invisible Enemy |
| Followed by | Doctor Who and the Image of the Fendahl |
A novelisation of this serial, written by Terrance Dicks, was published by Target Books in May 1979.
[edit] Continuity
- This story reveals the Doctor's immunity to the vocal-altering effects of helium. It is not clarified whether this is due exclusively to Time Lord physiology (such as his respiratory bypass system), or to a technique he learned (like Venusian aikido).
- The BBC Books spin-off novel Corpse Marker by Chris Boucher is a sequel to this serial, as are the Kaldor City audio plays, although the latter do not feature the Doctor.
[edit] Outside references
- The treatment of robots in this serial has many intentional nods to Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics.
- The villain of the story is named Taran Capel, which is a reference to Karel Čapek, who is credited with first coining the word "robot".
[edit] DVD release
This story was released on DVD in the United Kingdom on November 13, 2000.
[edit] External links
- The Robots of Death episode guide on the BBC website
- The Robots of Death at Doctor Who: A Brief History Of Time (Travel)
- The Robots of Death at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
- Essay on The Robots of Death (contains spoilers)
[edit] Reviews
- The Robots of Death reviews at Outpost Gallifrey
- The Robots of Death reviews at The Doctor Who Ratings Guide
