Twitter and Facebook are alight with rumours that Elisabeth Sladen has passed away.The Doctor Who star, who is best known as Sarah Jane Smith and also stars in the spin off CBBC show The Sarah Jane Adventures, is said to have passed away earlier today.Sources say the 63 year old star died because of complications arising from a battle with cancer.The actress was a regular on BBC’s Doctor Who with both Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker, and has reprised her role many times. She first joined the sci-fi show in 1973 and stayed on for three and a half seasons, before leaving in 1976.After numerous appearances through the 80s and 90s, Elisabeth returned in 2006, acting opposite the then Doctor David Tennant in an episode titled “School Reunion”.Following her successful appearance in the series, Sladen was then asked to front The Sarah Jane Adventures, written by Russell. T Davies for CBBC. The show ran for four series, with a fifth scheduled to air later in 2011.Sladen was amazing on screen and a real fan favourite, she was welcomed back for two episodes of Doctor Who’s 2008 series finale “The Stolen Earth” and “Journey’s End” and was credited in the title sequence of both episodes. She also had a cameo in the concluding part of The End of Time, Tennant’s last episode as the Doctor. This was her last appearance on the show.This has not yet been confirmed, so more news to follow.

Planet of the Spiders is a in the series , which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from May 4 to June 8, 1974. It was 's last serial as and marks the first, uncredited appearance of in the role. It also marks the last appearance of .

Contents

[]

[] Synopsis

Mysterious goings-on at a meditation retreat run by monks are linked to the blue planet , and a colony of monstrous, evolved spiders. The Doctor must reflect on his past and reconcile with his present to defeat a deadly and possibly fatal challenge...

[] Plot

Following the events of , was discharged from and is now attending a Tibetan meditation centre in rural . He is visited by and they witness some curious happenings at the centre, seemingly organised by a resident called Lupton, a middle aged former salesman, and his cronies. Mike and Sarah stumble across Lupton performing an incantation, which conjures up a giant spider into the middle of the basement room. It jumps on Lupton’s back and then disappears. The spider manifests itself in Lupton’s head, telling him to seek out and locate a certain blue crystal.

The has developed an interest in psychic ability, but his testing of a clairvoyant called Professor Clegg backfires when his subject has a heart attack. It is triggered when Clegg comes into contact with a blue crystal from Metebelis Three (sent back from the Amazon by ), which caused him to see the image of deadly spiders. Sarah returns from the retreat, having left Mike to watch things there, and she and the Doctor swap spider tales. Meanwhile Lupton has also arrived at UNIT HQ and steals the crystal from the Doctor’s laboratory. A multi-vehicle chase ensues which Lupton escapes by teleporting himself back to the monastery. Once there, the spider reveals that it is plotting against some of its sisters back on Metebelis Three. The spiders and the crystal originate from the same blue planet in the Acteon Galaxy, which was none too hospitable to the Doctor the last time he visited (during ).

The Doctor and Sarah now make for the monastery and tell the deputy abbot, Cho-Je, that something is very amiss. The crystal now strays again when it is taken by Tommy, the simple-minded handyman of the retreat, whose mind is opened and improved by the power of the crystal. Lupton is teleported to Metebelis Three, unconsciously allowing Sarah to follow him. She soon meets the human slave inhabitants of the planet, a generally dispirited bunch, other than the rebellious Arak, who flees to the mountains.

The planet is ruled by the Eight-Legs or giant spiders, and their Queen is the supreme ruler. They govern using guards chosen from among the planet's Two-Leg (human) population and their own phenomenal mental powers, amplified by the blue stones of the planet. The Doctor arrives on the planet and he makes contact with Arak, who explains that the Metebelians are the descendants of the crew of an earth space ship, which crashed hundreds of years before. A spider on board found its way to the Blue Mountains where, through the effect of the crystals, its progeny grew larger and larger and cleverer and cleverer. The Doctor works out that a “negative” stone can absorb and reject the power of the blue crystals and starts a revolt among the humans, but this is defeated and the Doctor ventures to the Blue Mountains. There he encounters the Great One, a giant spider which controls the world of Metebelis and desires power over other domains too. She knows the crystal is still on Earth and sends the Doctor there to get it for her. He flees back to Earth with Sarah – not knowing the Queen spider has now implanted itself in his companion's mind.

Tommy has given the crystal to the abbot, K’anpo Rinpoche, who is an elderly and the one-time hermit mentor of the Doctor. He now lives in peaceful exile on Earth. He tells the Doctor of Sarah's control and they work together to expel the Queen Spider. A fight breaks in the monastery between Lupton’s cronies and the Abbot’s men. The Abbot advises the Doctor to take the crystal to the Great One: the Doctor started this chain of events by removing the crystal in the first place, and it is up to him to put it back. He departs in the TARDIS with the crystal.

On Metebelis Three, Lupton has been killed by the spiders after falling out with the Spider Queen. When the TARDIS lands, the Doctor heads to the cave of the Great One and gives her the crystal, which she uses to complete a lattice that begins to magnify her mental powers. However, the forces unleashed are too strong for the Great One and the positive feedback kills her and the other spiders. A vast wave of deadly radiation floods the cave. The Doctor, now very weak, staggers back to the TARDIS and teleports away.

Three weeks later, and Sarah are in the Doctor's laboratory when the Doctor returns and promptly collapses, and the Doctor dies. The abbot K’anpo arrives in his new body, having regenerated into the form of Cho-Je, who was a sort of forward projection of his soul. He tells them that the Doctor will change too and before their eyes the Doctor starts to regenerate into the .

[] Cast notes

This story marks the final appearance of Richard Franklin as Captain Mike Yates. Franklin would reprise his role in (1983) and (1993), although on both occasions they were illusory versions of Yates. After his departure from the series, Franklin would go on to become a stage and television director.

Kismet Delgado, the widow of , who had played the during the Third Doctor's era, was one of the voices for the Spiders.

Gareth Hunt, who would go on to play Mike Gambit in , appears here as a human rebel on Metebelis III.

would later play Nimrod in .

[] Production

Serial details by episode

EpisodeBroadcast dateRun timeViewership (in millions)Archive

"Part One"

4 May 1974 (1974-05-04)

24'40"

10.1

PAL 2" colour videotape

"Part Two"

11 May 1974 (1974-05-11)

25'02"

8.9

PAL 2" colour videotape

"Part Three"

18 May 1974 (1974-05-18)

24'58"

8.8

PAL 2" colour videotape

"Part Four"

25 May 1974 (1974-05-25)

23'53"

8.2

PAL 2" colour videotape

"Part Five"

1 Jun 1974

24'01"

9.2

PAL 2" colour videotape

"Part Six"

8 Jun 1974

24'43"

8.9

PAL 2" colour videotape

The final story of Season 11 (to have been titled The Final Game) was originally intended to write out the character of , with the villainous sacrificing his life to save the Doctor's. Due to the death of actor , abandoned the project in favour of a new story, which eventually evolved into Planet of the Spiders. Coincidentally, Kismet Delgado, Roger's widow provided her voice to one of the spiders.

The train station Sarah Jane arrives at in Part One is , near .

[] Continuity

This story was the second and last appearance of the "".

The character of Surgeon-Lieutenant , the UNIT medical officer, is referred to by the Brigadier who calls for him when the Doctor falls into a daze after staring into the crystal. Sullivan would not actually appear on screen until , where he was played by .

The Spiders of Metebelis Three make further appearances in the short story "Return of the Spiders" by (in the collection ) and a brief appearance in the by . They also have a full encounter with the Eighth Doctor in the audios and by .

The novels and by has the time-travelling voodoo cult changing history so that the events of this story never happen and instead having the Third Doctor regenerating on a planet named Dust after being shot. A later novel in the series, by and , resolves this paradox and restores the Doctor's timeline to its previous state. The of the novels is unclear.

It is unclear how long it takes the Doctor to return to Earth in the TARDIS from Metebelis Three, although three weeks have passed for Sarah and the Brigadier. in the novel established that the TARDIS was lost in the time vortex for the equivalent of ten years. This is revealed during a sequence in cyberspace where agents of the alien race called the Hoothi are attempting to trap the in a virtual recreation of the worst moments of his life, of which this regeneration is the most painful for the Doctor to re-live.

This story includes the character of K'anpo Rimpoche, the previously unnamed hermit from the Doctor's childhood, first mentioned in . K'anpo has the power to travel through time without the use of a TARDIS, to make a corporeal projection of a potential future incarnation (Cho-Je) of himself, and to stimulate the regeneration process of another Time Lord. K'anpo was referenced again in the serial as the man who told the Doctor about the legends of the Great Vampires.

The Doctor regenerates due to radiation poisoning a second time when the allows himself to absorb a lethal dose of radiation to save his current companion in .

[] In print

book

Doctor Who and the Planet of the Spiders

Series

Release number

48

Writer

Publisher

Cover artist

ISBN

Release date

16 October 1975

A novelisation of this serial, written by , was published by in October 1975 as Doctor Who and the Planet of the Spiders. The novel's prologue shows and her husband Professor Jones in the Amazon jungle following the events of . is referred to as Doctor Sweatman.

[] Broadcast, VHS release & DVD Release

This story was repeated on BBC One as a 105-minute omnibus on 27 December 1974 at 14:46.

The serial was released on in April 1991 as a double pack.

It will be released on DVD in the UK on DVD on 18 April 2011. It will be released in the USA and Canada on 10 May 2011.

[] References

Shaun Lyon et al. (2007-03-31). . Outpost Gallifrey. . Retrieved 2008-08-30. []

. Doctor Who Reference Guide. . Retrieved 2008-08-30. 

Sullivan, Shannon (2007-08-07). . A Brief History of Time Travel. . Retrieved 2008-08-30. 

; (1996). "Planet of the Spiders (ZZZ)". Doctor Who The Handbook - The Third Doctor. London: . p. 162.  . 

. Doctor Who Online - Release Guide. 17 February 2011. . Retrieved 18 February 2011. 

Lambert, David (26 January 2011). . TVShowsOnDVD.com. para. 3. . Retrieved 27 January 2011.

INFO TO FOLLOW

info to follow

Plot

[] "Space"

Amy is trying to get the Doctor's attention while he fixes the TARDIS. She discovers that Rory is helping the Doctor by installing thermal couplings underneath the glass floor of the TARDIS. Rory and Amy then start a small argument, when the TARDIS suddenly shakes and the lights go out. The Doctor asks Rory if he dropped a thermal coupling, which Rory admits to and apologises for doing. Amy then apologises as well, and, at the Doctor's confusion, explains that Rory was looking up her skirt through the glass floor when he dropped the thermal coupling. The Doctor then notes that they have landed through "emergency materialisation" which should have landed the TARDIS in the safest space available. The lights come on, revealing another TARDIS inside the control room - the TARDIS has materialised inside itself. The Doctor experimentally walks through the door of the TARDIS inside the control room and instantly walks back into the control room through the door of the outer TARDIS. The Doctor tells Rory and Amy that they are trapped in a "space loop" and that nothing can enter or exit the TARDIS ever again. Despite the Doctor's words, another Amy walks through the TARDIS door.

[] "Time"

Continuing from the ending of "Space", the other Amy reveals that she is from a few moments in the future, and is able to come into the current outer TARDIS because "the exterior shell of the TARDIS has drifted forwards in time". The other Amy knows what to say and do because, from her perspective, she is repeating what she heard herself say earlier on. The Doctor sends the current Amy into the TARDIS within the current TARDIS, in order to "maintain the timeline". However, not long before the current Amy is gone when another pair of Rory and Amy walk in through the door of outer TARDIS, explaining that the Doctor, from their perspective, just sent them into the inner TARDIS. The current Doctor promptly sends the current Rory and now current Amy through the inner TARDIS. The Doctor then explains that he will set up a "controlled temporal implosion" in order to "reset the TARDIS", but in order to do so he must know which lever to use on the control panel. Moments after he speaks, another Doctor walks though the outer TARDIS door and tells him to use "the wibbly lever", which he quickly pulls, then steps into the inner TARDIS to tell his past self which lever to use. The inner TARDIS dematerialises while the outer TARDIS (being the same TARDIS) does the same, and the Doctor assures Amy and Rory that they are now back in "normal flight", and then advises Amy to "put some trousers on".

[] Continuity

The situation where a TARDIS materialised within a TARDIS in a recursive loop has occured before in previous episodes in the and 's era, "" and "". However, in both cases, it was the 's TARDIS that had joined with the Doctor's, whereas in "Space" and "Time", the same TARDIS materialised within itself.

In attempting to explain "conceptual space" to Rory, the Doctor used the analogy of the curve of a banana, the mentioning of which being a running joke since the episodes of the .

Amy's line "Ok kids. This is where it gets complicated" is similar to one she delivered in "".

[] Production

This is the third charity short produced since the program's return in 2005, the other two having been made for . The first, with an official title of only "", aired in 2005. The second, "" (also written by Moffat, and also featuring a and ), aired in 2007. An earlier charity short in aid of Comic Relief, , also written by Moffat, aired in 1999. This story also involved a within a time loop.

[] Broadcast and reception

The Guardian responded positively, noting it "manages brilliantly to nod to just about every Whovian in-joke, demographic and fetish within the span of two tiny instalments".

[] References

www.whostrology.com

Plot

The arrival of the on Manussa, formerly homeworld of both the Manussan Empire and Sumaran Empire, triggers nightmares in , who dreams of a snake-shaped cave mouth. It is evident to the that the is reasserting itself on her mind following her possession by the entity while on the Kinda planet of Deva Loka (). He attempts to calm her by taking her and in search of the cave but Tegan is too scared to enter when they find it, and runs away. Alone and confused Tegan lapses under the control of the Mara once more, revelling in horror and destruction. The emblem of the snake soon returns to her arm.

Manussa is in the grip of a festival of celebration of the banishment of the Mara from the civilisation five hundred years earlier. In the absence of the Federator, who rules over the three-planet Federation, his indolent son Lon is to have a major role in the celebration, supported by his mother the Lady Tanha and the archaeologist Ambril, who is an expert in the Sumaran period. Lon is intrigued with the notion that the Mara might one day return as prophesied, but Ambril is unconvinced and believes such talk is the product of cranks. When the Doctor tries to get Ambril to take the threat seriously he too is dismissed as a maverick, though the young deputy curator Chela is more sympathetic to the Doctor and gives him a small blue crystal called a Little Mind's Eye, which is used by the Snakedancers, a mystical cult, in their ceremonies to repel the Mara. The Doctor realises the small crystal and its large counterpart, the Great Mind's Eye, can be used as focal points for mental energy and can turn thought into matter. This, he determines, is how the Mara will transfer from Tegan's mind to corporeal existence. He realises that the Manussans must once have been a very advanced people who could use molecular engineering in a zero-gravity environment. They created the Great Mind's Eye without realising its full potential, and the crystal drew the fear, hatred, and evil from their minds, amplified it and fed it back to them. Thus the Mara was born into Manussa and the reign of the Sumaran Empire began.

Meanwhile Tegan makes contact with Lon and passes the snake mark of the Mara to him too. They visit the cave from Tegan's dream which contains a wall pattern which could accommodate the Great Crystal. Lon is sent back to the Palace while she causes more havoc and takes control of a showman, Dugdale, who is used for her pleasure. Lon meanwhile covers his arm and goes about trying to persuade Ambril to use the real Great crystal in the ceremony, placing it in a position in a wall carving that will evidently enable the Mara to return as the Doctor predicted. To persuade him to comply, Ambril is shown a secret cave of Sumaran archaeological treasures and warned they will all be destroyed if he does not help him. Ambril thus agrees to the change in format.

The Doctor and Nyssa have meanwhile been aided by Chela, who shares with them the journal of Dojjen, a snakedancer who was Ambril's predecessor. All three venture to the Palace to persuade the authorities to do something about the situation, but soon see Lon is in the grip of the Mara and orchestrating a very dangerous situation. All three escape and the Doctor now uses the Little Mind's Eye to contact Dojjen, who lives in sandy dunes beyond the city. They venture there and the Doctor communes with Dojjen by opening his mind after being bitten by a poisonous snake. He is told by the wise old snakedancer that the Mara may only be defeated by finding a still point in the mind. All three now head back to the city to prevent the ceremony of defeating the Mara using the real Great Crystal. The festivities are now at a peak, with a procession taking place which culminates in a ceremony at the cave. Lon plays the role of his ancestor Federator in rejecting the Mara. After a series of verbal challenges he seizes the real Great Crystal and places it in the appropriate place on the wall. Tegan and Dugdale arrive and she displays the Mara mark on her arm, which is now becoming flesh having fed on the fear in Dugdale's mind. With the crystal in place, the Mara is able to create itself in the cave, becoming a vast and deadly snake. However, the Doctor arrives in time and refuses to look at the snake or recognise its evil, relying instead on the still place he finds through mental commune with Dojjen via the Little Mind's Eye. This resistance interrupts the manifestation of the Mara and its three slaves are freed while the snake itself dies and rots. The Doctor comforts a distraught Tegan, sure that the Mara has at last been destroyed.

[] Cast notes

Features a guest appearance by Martin Clunes. See also . Brian Miller is the husband of who portrayed long-time companion . He later played Harry Sowersby in , an episode of .

previously played Sheprah in and Safran in .

[] Continuity

Every story during Season 20 had the Doctor face an enemy from the past. For this story, the enemy was the , who was featured in the previous season's story (1982).

In the redesigned TARDIS of the 1996 , one of the consoles displays different time eras such as the Era, Humanian Era and the Sumaron Era. The Sumaron era may be a reference to this episode.

[] Production

Serial details by episode

Episode Broadcast date Run time Viewership (in millions)

"Part One"

18 January 1983 (1983-01-18)

24:26

6.7

"Part Two"

19 January 1983 (1983-01-19)

24:35

7.7

"Part Three"

25 January 1983 (1983-01-25)

24:29

6.6

"Part Four"

26 January 1983 (1983-01-26)

24:29

7.4

In post-production, episode four of this story overran very badly. As a result, it had to be completely restructured. Originally the door for a third Mara adventure was to be left open, with closing scenes discussing the ultimate fate of the Great Crystal. Furthermore, a sequence in which the Doctor comforts Tegan had to be removed. The scene was reincorporated into the beginning of the subsequent serial, (1983).

The success of Kinda and this story prompted Script Editor to commission Bailey to write a third and final story to feature the Mara: May Time. However, the story was abandoned due to production problems.

This is one of the very few Doctor Who stories in which no one dies.

[] In print

book

Snakedance

Series

Release number

83

Writer

Publisher

Cover artist

ISBN

Release date

3 May 1984

A novelisation of this serial, written by , was published by in January 1984. It was the first of several to feature Peter Davison's image in the logo.

[] Broadcast and VHS release

This story was released on in December 1994.

This story was released on on 7 March 2011 along with in a special edition boxset entitled Mara Tales.

[] References

From the series overview, in issue 407 (pp26-29). , which counts the unbroadcast serial , lists this as story number 125. DVD follow The Discontinuity Guide numbering system.

Shaun Lyon et al. (31 March 2007). . Outpost Gallifrey. Archived from on 31 July 2008. . Retrieved 30 August 2008. 

. Doctor Who Reference Guide. . Retrieved 30 August 2008. 

Sullivan, Shannon (7 August 2007). . A Brief History of Time Travel. . Retrieved 30 August 2008. 

[] External links

at

at

at the

[] Reviews

reviews at

reviews at

[] Target novelisation

Jedi knights?!

How many Jedi Knights were in the UK 2001 Census?

Over 390,000 people answered “Jedi” in the 2001 census for England and Wales and 14,000 in Scotland (a lower proportion). This is more than the number of identifying Sikhs, and more than Jews and Buddhists combined. However, this did not mean that Jedi became an official religion- it doesn’t work like that!

Why answer Jedi?

Much of the public and media discussion focused on legitimate concerns with the census, which the “Jedi” answer could be disruptively used to promote. Some reasons people answered “Jedi” include:

concern about how ‘religion’ data might be used

concern about the inclusion of a question on religion at all

making a statement about privacy or annoyance with interference

a reaction against the apparent presumption of having a religion

making a point about the way people tend to legitimize religion based on its antiquity or number of adherents

Should I answer “Jedi”?

is that if you are not religious, answer “No religion”, because at some time or place, someone will refer only to the explicit “No religion” answers, from which you will be left out if you answered “Jedi”. If you want to write Jedi as a protest against anwering the question at all, see

Doctor    * Peter Davison (Fifth Doctor)Companions    * Matthew Waterhouse (Adric)    * Sarah Sutton (Nyssa)    * Janet Fielding (Tegan Jovanka)Others    * Richard Todd — Sanders    * Nerys Hughes — Todd    * Simon Rouse — Hindle    * Mary Morris — Panna    * Sarah Prince — Karuna    * Adrian Mills — Aris    * Lee Cornes — Trickster    * Jeff Stewart — Dukkha    * Anna Wing — Anatta    * Roger Milner — AnnicaProductionWriter     Christopher BaileyDirector     Peter GrimwadeScript editor     Eric SawardProducer     John Nathan-TurnerExecutive producer(s)     NoneProduction code     5YSeries     Season 19Length     4 episodes, 25 minutes eachOriginally broadcast     February 1–February 9, 1982Chronology← Preceded by     Followed by →Four to Doomsday     The VisitationKinda is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts from February 1 to February 9, 1982.Contents[hide]    * 1 Synopsis    * 2 Plot    * 3 Continuity    * 4 Production    * 5 Outside references    * 6 In print    * 7 Broadcast and VHS release    * 8 References    * 9 External links          o 9.1 Reviews          o 9.2 Target novelisation[edit] SynopsisAn idyllic paradise-like planet, Deva Loka, is not as it seems. Its inhabitants, the Kinda, are a gentle and seemingly primitive people. On the surface, a perfect place to colonise. But if it is so perfect, why are the colonisation team disappearing one by one? When Tegan sleeps near the Windchimes she is confronted by the true evil that threatens Deva Loka.[edit] PlotAn Earth colonisation survey expedition to the beautiful jungle planet Deva Loka is being depleted as members of the survey disappear one by one. Four have now gone, leaving the remainder in state of deep stress. The leader, Sanders, relies on bombast and rules; while his deputy, Hindle, is evidently close to breaking point. Only the scientific officer, Todd, seems to deal with the situation with equanimity. She does not see the native people, the Kinda, as a threat, but rather respects their culture and is intrigued by their power of telepathy. The social structure is also curious in that women seem dominant and are the only ones with the power of voice. The humans are holding two silent males hostage for "observation". Todd believes they are more advanced than they first appear, as they possess necklaces representative of the double helix of DNA, indicating a more advanced civilisation.Elsewhere in the jungle the TARDIS crew are also under stress, especially Nyssa of Traken, who has collapsed from exhaustion. The Fifth Doctor constructs a delta wave augmenter to enable her to rest in the TARDIS while he and Adric venture deeper into the jungle. They soon find an automated total survival suit (TSS) system which activates and marches them to the Dome, the colonists' base. Sanders is a welcoming but gruff presence, further undermining Hindle at regular intervals. At this point Sanders decides to venture out into the jungle in the TSS, leaving the highly strung Hindle in charge. His will is enforced by means of the two Kinda hostages, who have forged a telepathic link with him believing their souls to have been captured in his mirror. The Doctor, Todd and Adric are immediately placed under arrest as Hindle now evinces megalomania.Tegan faces a more metaphysical crisis. She has fallen asleep near the euphonious and soporific Windchimes, unaware of the danger of the dreaming of an unshared mind (one not engaged in telepathic activity with another humanoid). Her mind opens in a black void where she undergoes provocation and terror from a series of nightmarish characters, one of which taunts her: “You will agree to being me, sooner or later, this side of madness or the other". The spectres are a manifestation of the Mara, an evil being of the subconscious that longs for corporeal reality. Mentally tortured, she eventually agrees to become the Mara and a snake symbol passes to her own arm. When her mind returns to her body she is possessed by the Mara. In a scene reminiscent of the Book of Genesis she passes the snake symbol to the first Kinda she finds, a young man named Aris, who is the brother of one of the Kinda in the Dome. He too is transformed by evil and now finds the power of voice.Back at the Dome, Hindle has conceived a bizarre and immolatory plan to destroy the jungle, which he views as a threat. Adric plays along with this delusion. Hindle’s world soon starts to fall apart when first Adric 'betrays' him and then Sanders defies expectation and returns from the jungle. However Sanders is radically different from the martinet in earlier episodes. Panna, an aged female mystic of the tribe, presented him with a strange wooden box (the 'Box of Jhana') which when opened has regressed his mind back to childhood. Sanders still has the box and shows it to Hindle, who makes the Doctor open it.The Doctor and Todd see beyond the toy inside and instead share a vision from Panna and her young ward, Karuna, who invites them to cave. The shock of the situation (accompanied by strange phenomena) allows the Doctor and Todd to slip away into the jungle where they encounter Aris dominating a group of Kinda and seemingly fulfilling a tribal prophecy that “When the Not-We come, one will arise from among We, a male with Voice who must be obeyed.” Karuna soon finds the Doctor and Todd and takes them to meet Panna in the cave from the vision, with the wise woman realising the danger of the situation now Aris has voice. She places them in a trance like state and reveals that the Mara has gained dominion on Deva Loka. The Great Wheel which turns as civilisations rise and fall has turned again and the hour is near when chaos will reign, instigated by the Mara. The vision she shares is Panna’s last act: when it is finished, she is dead.In the Kinda world, multiple fathers are shared by children, just as multiple memories are held, and at Panna's death her life experience transfers to Karuna. She urges Todd and the Doctor to return to the Dome to prevent Aris leading an attack on it which will increase the chaos and hasten the collapse of the Kinda civilisation.Back at the Dome Hindle, Sanders and Adric remain in a state of unreality, with the former becoming ever more demented and unbalanced, and infantile. Adric eventually escapes, and attempts to pilot the TSS but is soon confronted by Aris and the Kinda. He panics, and Aris is wounded by the machine (which responds to the mental impulses of the operator) and the Kinda scatter.The Doctor and Todd find an emotionally wrecked Tegan near the Windchimes and conclude that she was the path of the Mara back into this world. They then find Adric and the party heads back to the Dome where Hindle has now completed the laying of explosives which will incinerate the jungle and the Dome itself: the ultimate self-defence. Todd persuades Hindle now to open the Box of Jhana, and the visions therein restore the mental balance of the two. The two enslaved Kinda are freed when the mirror entrapping them is shattered. The Doctor then realizes the only method of combating the Mara- he realises the one thing evil cannot face is itself and so organizes the construction of a large circle of mirrors (actually reflective solar panels) in a jungle clearing. Aris is trapped within it and the snake on his arm breaks free. The Mara swells to giant proportions but then is banished back from the corporeal world to the Dark Places of the Inside.With the threat of the Mara dissipated, and the personnel of the Dome back to more balanced selves, the Doctor, Adric and an exhausted Tegan decide to leave (as does Todd, who decides 'its all a bit green'). When they reach the TARDIS, Nyssa greets them, fully recovered.[edit] Continuity    * The Mara features again in the next season's serial Snakedance.    * Delta waves reappeared in the 2005 episode "The Parting of the Ways". Far from the brain wave-enhancing recuperation devices from Kinda, however, delta waves were described by Jack Harkness as being "waves of Van Cassadyne energy...your brain gets barbecued."    * A fairy like creature which is compared to a Mara features in the 2006 Torchwood episode Small Worlds, however there may be no connection between the two.    * In Time Crash (2007), the Tenth Doctor asks the temporally misplaced Fifth where (i.e. when) he is now – and speculatively references Tegan, Nyssa and the Mara from his own memories.    * In Turn Left (2008), the time beetle on Donna Noble's back is also revealed when faced with a circle of mirrors.[edit] ProductionSerial details by episode Episode     Broadcast date     Run time     Viewership(in millions)"Part One"     1 February 1982 (1982-02-01)     24:50     8.4"Part Two"     2 February 1982 (1982-02-02)     24:58     9.4"Part Three"     8 February 1982 (1982-02-08)     24:17     8.5"Part Four"     9 February 1982 (1982-02-09)     24:28     8.9[2][3][4]    * The working title for this story was The Kinda.    * This was the first story to feature Eric Saward as script editor.    * In the ancient language Sanskrit, "Deva Loka" means "Celestial Region".    * Nyssa makes only brief appearances at the start of episode 1, and at the end of 4, because the script had largely been developed at a time when only two companions for the Doctor were envisioned. When it was known a third companion would also be present, rather than write Nyssa into the entire storyline it was decided she would remain in the TARDIS throughout and be absent through most of the narrative. To account for this absence Nyssa was scripted to collapse at the end of the previous story, Four to Doomsday. In this story she remains in the Tardis, resting. Sarah Sutton's contract was amended to account for this two-episode absence.[4]    * For the scene in episode 2 in which the two Tegans talk to each other about which of them is real, John Nathan-Turner allowed Janet Fielding to write her own dialogue.[edit] Outside references    * Writer Christopher Bailey based this story heavily on Buddhist philosophy. He used many Buddhist words and ideas in writing Kinda; most of the Kinda and dream-sequence characters have names with Buddhist meanings, including Mara (temptation — also personified as a demon), Dukkha (pain), Panna (wisdom), Karuna (compassion), Anicca (impermanence) and Anatta (egolessness). Additionally, Jhana (also spelt Jana in the scripts) refers to meditation.    * This serial was examined closely in the 1983 media studies volume Doctor Who: The Unfolding Text by John Tulloch and Manuel Alvarado. This was the first major scholarly work dedicated to Doctor Who. Tulloch and Alvarado compare Kinda with Ursula K. Le Guin's 1976 novel The Word for World is Forest, which shares several themes with Kinda and may have been a template for its story. The Unfolding Text also examines the way "Kinda" incorporates Buddhist and Christian symbols and themes, as well as elements from the writings of Carl Jung.[5][edit] In printDoctor Who bookBook coverKindaSeries     Target novelisationsRelease number     84Writer     Terrance DicksPublisher     Target BooksISBN     0-426-19529-9Release date     15 March 1984Preceded by     Mawdryn UndeadFollowed by     SnakedanceA novelisation of this serial, written by Terrance Dicks, was published by Target Books in December 1983.In 1997 the novel was also issued by BBC Audio as an audio book, read by Peter Davison.[edit] Broadcast and VHS release    * The serial was repeated on BBC One over 22-25 August 1983, (Monday-Thursday) at 6.25pm. This story was released on VHS in October 1994 with a cover illustration by Colin Howard.    * This story is set to be released on DVD in 2011 along with Snakedance in a special edition boxset entitled Mara Tales. It will feature an audio commentary by Peter Davison, Matthew Waterhouse, Janet Fielding and Nerys Hughes.[6][edit] References   1. ^ From the Doctor Who Magazine series overview, in issue 407 (pp26-29). The Discontinuity Guide, which counts the unbroadcast serial Shada, lists this as story number 119. Region 1 DVD releases follow The Discontinuity Guide numbering system.   2. ^ Shaun Lyon et al. (2007-03-31). "Kinda". Outpost Gallifrey. Archived from the original on 2008-07-31. http://web.archive.org/web/20080731011611/http://www.gallifreyone.com/episode.php?id=5y. Retrieved 2008-08-30.    3. ^ "Kinda". Doctor Who Reference Guide. http://www.drwhoguide.com/who_5y.htm. Retrieved 2008-08-30.    4. ^ a b Sullivan, Shannon (2007-08-07). "Kinda". A Brief History of Time Travel. http://www.shannonsullivan.com/drwho/serials/5y.html. Retrieved 2008-10-04.    5. ^ Tulloch, John; and Alvarado, Manuel (1983). Doctor Who: The Unfolding Text. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-21480-4.    6. ^ Matthew Waterhouses' autobiography Blue Box Boy[edit] External links    * Kinda at BBC Online    * Kinda at Doctor Who: A Brief History Of Time (Travel)    * Kinda at the Doctor Who Reference Guide    * KI'n'DA - Cardiff Doctor Who group[edit] Reviews    * Kinda reviews at Outpost Gallifrey    * Kinda reviews at The Doctor Who Ratings Guide[edit] Target novelisation    * On Target — Kinda

William Nicholas Stone Courtney (16 December 1929 – 22 February 2011) was a , most famous for playing in the series .

Contents

[]

Early life

Courtney was born in , , the son of a British diplomat and educated in , and . He served his in the , leaving after 18 months as a private, not wanting to pursue a military career. He next joined the , and after two years began doing repertory theatre in . From there he moved to .

Prior to Doctor Who, Courtney made guest appearances in several cult television series, including (1962, 1967), (1968) and (1969) and as a racing driver in (1965).

Doctor Who

Director originally considered Courtney for the role of in (1965), a role that ultimately went to ,[] and kept him in mind for future casting. Courtney's first appearance in Doctor Who was in the 1965 serial , directed by Camfield, where he played Space Security Agent Bret Vyon opposite as . Camfield liked Courtney's performance, and when the director was assigned the 1968 serial , he cast Courtney as Captain Knight. However, when gave up the role of Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart to work elsewhere, Camfield recast Captain Knight and gave the part to Courtney instead.

Lethbridge-Stewart reappeared later that year in , promoted to and in charge of the British contingent of , an organization that protected the from invasion. It was in that recurring role that he is best known, appearing semi-regularly from 1970 to 1975. Courtney made return appearances in the series in 1983, and his last Doctor Who television appearance was in 1989 in the serial (although like many other former cast members, he returned to the role for the charity special ). Coincidentally, he appeared with in both his first and last regular Doctor Who television appearances.

Courtney has played Lethbridge-Stewart, either on television or in , alongside every subsequent Doctor up to and including , as well as substitute . He did not appear in the revived series. While he has acted with actor in the audio dramas and , Tennant was playing a different character, Colonel Ross Brimmicombe-Wood, on both occasions.

The character is referenced in the Series 4 episode "" and is said to be "stuck in Peru". Fifteen years after Dimensions in Time, Courtney returned as Lethbridge-Stewart (now, Sir Alistair), freshly returned from Peru, in "", a two-part story in the Doctor Who spin-off aired in December 2008, starring as . The story pitted Sir Alistair and Sarah Jane against Commander Kaagh and Mrs. Wormwood who try to wake Horath using the Tanguska Scroll. It was intended by the Sarah Jane Adventures production team that Courtney would reappear in the following year's so that Lethbridge-Stewart would meet the , but Courtney was recovering from a stroke and unable to take part.

After Doctor Who

Courtney continued to act extensively in theatre and television after his main Doctor Who appearances, guest-starring in such popular television programmes as (1984), (1980, episode "Matters Of Life And Death"), (1988) and (1986). In 1982 he was cast alongside in the -set comedy series but the series remained untransmitted for over a decade due to the outbreak of the . He also had a regular role in the comedy between 1989 and 1991. He has also appeared in the audio drama , based on a novel, broadcast on the station .

He also appeared in an episode of the long-running TV series alongside and as the character of 'Captain Dickie Chapman', a fellow prisoner-of-war (POW) in during World War II, in a sketch based on the original BBC TV series, .

In 1985, Nicholas played 'The Narrator' in . also starred in the production as Janet.

Courtney starred as Inspector Lionheart opposite fellow Doctor Who actor in the audio series , from Cosmic Hobo Productions. The first two Scarifyers adventures, The Nazad Conspiracy and The Devil of Denge Marsh, were broadcast on in 2007; the third, entitled For King and Country in 2008, and fourth, The Curse of the Black Comet, in 2010.

He regularly made personal appearances at and was also from 1997 the honorary president of the . His theatrical was former Doctor Who actress .

In 1998, Courtney released his , titled Five Rounds Rapid! () after an infamous line of dialogue the Brigadier had in the 1971 Who serial . He recorded his memoirs, subtitled A Soldier in Time for release on CD in 2002 by . An updated autobiography, Still Getting Away With It (), was published in 2005, with co-author Michael McManus. Until his death, he lived in London with his second wife, Karen.

In 2008 he appeared in the film , as the , alongside .

Death

Nicholas Courtney's death was reported by and early in the morning of 23 February 2011. The exact nature of his death was not given in these early reports. producers , with whom Courtney had worked on several releases in his continuing role as the Brigadier, confirmed the date of his death as 22 February 2011. The reported that he had "died in London at the age of 81". According to his official web site, he died following a long battle against illness. Doctor Who writer called him "a childhood hero and the sweetest of gentlemen". Former Doctor also paid tribute, having visited him on the Friday before his death. Baker wrote "We shall miss him terribly" in a newsletter on his website, in which he also indicated that Courtney had been battling cancer.

References

^ . (). 23 February 2011. . Retrieved 23 February 2011. 

^ Scott, Matthewman (2011-02-23). . . The Stage Newspaper Limited. . Retrieved 2011-02-23. 

Clapperton, Guy (November 2, 2006). . The Guardian. . Retrieved 28 December 2010. 

Alumni of the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art: Penelope Keith, Angela Lansbury, Paxton Whitehead, Eva Green, Ross Kemp, Terence Stamp. LLC Books. 2010.  . 

McManus, Michael (26th February 2011). . . . Retrieved 27th February 2011. 

Briggs, Nicholas (2011-02-23). . Big Finish website: News (). . Retrieved 23 February 2011. 

^ . BBC News (). 2011-02-23. . Retrieved 23 February 2011. 

External links

at the