 "The Curse of Fenric" is the final 'historical' story of the original run of the show and sees The Doctor and Ace arriving in England during World War II.
This story made use of period costuming and situations.
This story features guest appearances from Dinsdale Landen, as Dr Judson, and Nicholas Parsons as Reverend Wainwright - the vicar of St Judes.
Nicholas Parsons is better known as the host of Anglia TV's game show The Sale of the Century.
Anne Reid, who played Nurse Crane, returned to the show as Florence Finnegan in the 2007 Tenth Doctor story "Smith and Jones".
Marek Anton, who occupied the Destroyer costume in "Battlefield", is seen here in person as the Russian soldier Vershinin.
The baby - revealed to be Ace's mother - was played by Aaron Hanley - the son of the landlord and landlady of The Bush Hotel on Shepherd's Bush Green, a few minutes walk from The Doctor Who office and frequently visited by the production team. Aaron Hanley also appeared in the second episode, but uncredited.
Two of the Haemovores are played by Sylvester McCoy's sons: Sam and Joe Kent-Smith.
Actress Janet Henfrey was a school friend of Sophie Aldred's mother. Her character of Miss Hardaker in this story was modelled on the part she played, again as a school teacher, in two Dennis Potter dramas: "Stand Up, Nigel Barton" (1965) and The "Singing Detective" (1986). Sylvia Syms, who played the character Mrs Pritchard in "Ghost Light", was originally offered the part of Miss Hardaker.
Ian Briggs had contributed the 1987 story "Dragonfire", and wanted to try his hand at something more atmospheric, preferably with a period setting. Along with Script Editor Andrew Cartmel it was agreed that this story would be set during the Second World War on the coast of Britain. Ian Briggs wanted his interest in the dawn of the computer age, as well as vampire legends (particularly as popularised in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula) and Norse mythology. From the latter, he found his most notable influence in the wolf-monster Fenrir (also called Fenris or Fenrisulfr), who was mystically bound to a rock by the gods until the Ragnarok (literally, ‘the twilight of the gods’).
His initial storyline, titled "Wolf-Time" was commissioned in November 1988, and was retitled "The Wolves of Fenric" shortly afterwards.
Because the explanation of the term ‘wolves’ did not come until the fourth episode, and so the story’s title might therefore confuse viewers, it was decided to change it to "The Curse of Fenric", although some publicity material would continue to bear the earlier title.
This story was originally going to be titled The Wolves of Fenric (and before that, Wolf-Time). Fenric does refer to his servants as his "wolves" (and wolves have a strong link to Norse mythology). However, John Nathan-Turner felt that as the "wolves" connection was not revealed until quite late in the story, the title would not initially make sense to the audience.
This story was originally to be recorded second, after "Battlefield", and directed by Michael Kerrigan. However, actor Nicholas Courtney, who appeared in "Battlefield" as The Brigadier, would not be available until after the planned recording dates. Consequently, the two stories exchanged production slots and directors, with Nicholas Mallett - who had last worked on "Paradise Towers" two years earlier - taking over this story.
Unfortunately, this left Ian Briggs with a month less time to write his scripts than he originally believed, forcing him to complete work on the final two episodes far more quickly than normal. Minor but noteworthy changes at this stage were the elimination of any reference to Ragnarok, from Viking folk-lore. (at Andrew Cartmel's request, in order to avoid possible confusion with the Gods of Ragnarok that had appeared in Season Twenty Five's "The Greatest Show in the Galaxy") and a line of dialogue in part one indicating that Ace was not a virgin. (The latter was actually specified in the character outline Ian Briggs had written for Ace - whom he had created for "Dragonfire" - which specified that she had lost her virginity with the space pirate Sabalom Glitz). Also, The Doctor was originally to recite the names of his past companions (beginning with Susan) as the focus for his faith in the third episode.
This story was originally to be made, as with most Doctor Who stories, with a mixture of location and studio work. The scenes for the naval base exterior, the graveyard and the shore would be done on location followed by three days in the studio beginning in April 1989. However, after reading the script, director Nicholas Mallett believed that the entire story could be recorded during a single location shoot without any need for studio time at all – so making it more effective and realistic. It would also save money because the cast would not have to be booked for as long. Producer John Nathan-Turner agreed, and Ian Briggs performed some minor rewriting to take this into account.
Unfortunately, the weather played havoc with the production throughout the shoot. To compensate, Ian Briggs rewrote some sections, such as giving Ace lines of dialogue to verbally indicate the heat. The bad weather also put cast and crew well behind schedule, and John Nathan-Turner once again stepped in to direct a second camera unit to alleviate some of the pressure from Nicholas Mallett.
For the scene of the Haemovores rising up out of the water it was found that the costumes proved prone to trapping air, and thus became difficult to submerge. Ultimately, the actors were given rocks to hold onto to keep themselves underwater.
Amongst the extras playing Haemovores were Sylvester McCoy’s sons Sam and Joe Kent-Smith.
One major mishap occurred just prior to editing, when a videotape containing various close-up and insert shots was accidentally wiped. At that point, there was no way Nicholas Mallett could go back and re-record the material, and so he was forced to work without it. Amongst the losses were shots establishing that Haemovores leave behind a green blob when they are destroyed. Only a lone such remnant would have been seen in the gas chamber after the Ancient Haemovore attacks Fenric, implying that although the former had died, Fenric had found a way to escape.
After the first edits were compiled, "The Curse of Fenric" was found to exceed its allotted time spectacularly, especially in the fourth episode. At one point it was thought that the story could be re-edited into five episodes, but the total overrun of about twelve minutes was not really sufficient to warrant another instalment, and Ian Briggs was concerned that this would destroy the dramatic pacing of the story. In the end, several important scenes had to be removed or drastically trimmed, including the information about the British troops’ code from the first episode (explaining the extant reference to ‘the House Guests’ in the third episode), a scene of soldiers staking Haemovores on the church roof from episode three, and more of the confrontation between The Doctor and the Ancient Haemovore from episode four.
The precise date that this story is set in is never specified but it appears to be 1943, near the end of the Second World War. Also the Russian soldiers carry Simonov SKS rifles, which were developed during 1942.
Sylvester McCoy was given a new costume for Season Twenty Six, with a darker jacket, hatband, tie and handkerchief to reflect the gradual development of the Seventh Doctor’s personality. To surprise viewers with the revised outfit, it was decided The Doctor would begin the story wearing a duffel coat over his regular clothes - the belief at this time being that this story would be the first broadcast. Later however, it was pushed back to third in transmission order, meaning that his revised costume had already been seen in the first two stories.
The Doctor types his own letter of authorisation, and forges the signatures of the Head of the Secret Services and the P.M. He is ambidextrous, using two pens at the same time.
This story is the second in what some have called the "Ace Trilogy", a three-story arc that explores elements of Ace's past before she met The Doctor. This was not an intentional trilogy, since "The Curse of Fenric" was originally intended to start the season and be followed by "Battlefield", "Survival" and then "Ghost Light".
This story is notable for tying together elements mentioned in passing in previous stories. Specifically the story of Ace's journey to Iceworld and much of her origins, are solved in this story. The Doctor is heard stating that he knew of Fenric’s manipulation of Ace when he saw the chessboard in Lady Peinforte's house (see the 1988 story "Silver Nemesis"). Fenric responds ‘Before Cybermen, since Iceworld’. It was Fenric who created the time storm that took Ace to Iceworld (see the 1987 story "Dragonfire"). This tying together of plot threads was uncommon for the original run of the show, but became a recurring element when the show was revived in 2005, particularly with regards to season finales.
It is revealed that Ace’s relationship with her mother was poor. She also refers to her terror of the house in "Ghost Light". She secures her future by sending Kathleen and Audrey to London, to be looked after by her Nan at 17 Old Street, Streatham (Ace's paternal rather than maternal grandmother).
Like Ace, Luke Smith travels back in time in The Sarah Jane Adventures story "The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith" and meets his infant mother and young maternal grandmother. Their respective grandmothers dash off in automobiles to save their daughters, and both grandfathers’ deaths are revealed.
Ace is heard mentioning an old house in Perivale. This was originally intended as a foreshadowing of "Ghost Light" but the rearranging of the broadcast schedule for this season, however, altered it into an apparent reference to a past story.
When Ace dismisses Captain Sorin's admiration that she wears a Soviet star patch on her jacket, by telling him that it is a cheap copy she bought, he gives her a pin-on Red Army insignia from his own uniform to wear. That badge is still pinned to the her jacket in "Survival".
Fenric is the name given by Vikings to an ancient evil created at the dawn of time.
Fenric's flask was carried to England by the Vikings in the Ninth Century where a survivor of their expedition, Sundvik, settled and spawned generations of 'wolves' who carried Fenric's taint (genetic instructions).
As part of Fenric's plan, the Ancient One was ‘carried back tens of thousands of years in a time storm to Transylvania’. The Ancient One followed the flask in his search for Fenric to return him home. Thus making Earth's vampire legends due (in part) to the Ancient One.
Fenric met The Doctor in third century Constantinople and, defeated at chess, was banished to 'a shadow dimension' while its earthly essence was imprisoned in a flask for 17 centuries. The Doctor met the Ancient One in the far future.
The Doctor describes the haemovores as the species that mankind will evolve into, when the Earth is ‘rotting in chemical slime’ after ‘half a million years of industrial progress’. The Ancient Haemomovore’s sacrifice, stopping the gas seeping into the sea, prevents this time line from occurring. The Doctor, a traveller in alternative realities, has, however, seen this future.
The Doctor is heard to state that he does not know if he has any family. However, in the 1967 Second Doctor story "The Tomb of the Cybermen" he stated they slept within his mind.
The Haemovores can only be destroyed by faith and cannot be harmed by objects alone. The Doctor uses his faith in his past companions to repel the Haemovores’ attack on the church, reciting their names under his breath. Most of the names he chants are inaudible, but a few can be made out, including Susan, Barbara Wright, Vicki and Steven Taylor.
The vampires in this story are very different from the ones seen in the 1980 Fourth Doctor story "State of Decay": it is never stated that the Great Vampires came to Earth in their war with the Time Lords.
It has been revealed that Ian Briggs based the character of Dr Judson on Alan Turing. (The " Ultima machine" of this story is based on the real Enigma machine.) In an interview for the DVD release of this story, Ian Briggs states that since at that time it was not considered appropriate to depict a character's struggle with homosexuality in a family programme, he transformed Alan Turing's frustration at being unable to express his true sexual identity into Dr Judson's frustration at being crippled.
This story contains a number of errors. Namely: The Russians speak nothing but English after the first sequence, even to the point of death. It is also never explained how do the Russians expect to get away with the huge Ultima machine in their little dinghy; There wouldn't be any road signs like the one indicating the way to Maiden's Point as all such signposts were removed, especially in coastal areas, during the war, to hinder the enemy in the event of an invasion; Reverend Wainwright is heard quoting from the NIV (New International Version) of the Bible when, as an Anglican, he should be reading the AV (Authorised Version); The stack of bombs against the wall in the bomb factory is obviously just one giant moulded piece of set, as opposed to hundreds of individual bombs; Ace fights a pair of Haemovores on the roof of the church, during which the mask of one of the actors becomes dislodged from the neck of his costume. The Haemovores also drop out of character during the fight, emitting very human sounds of mask-muffled grunting as they are attacked (in contrast to the inhuman, post-production sounds of pain they otherwise make in this story); The baby, Audrey, holds a Super Ted doll throughout the story, a character who wouldn't exist until the 1980’s; The explosion that destroys Commander Millington's office hurls debris into the camera, bouncing off the lens and causing it to shake; Commander Millington's moustache is incorrect as Royal Navy officers were required to have either: a full beard and moustache or else to be clean shaven; The Doctor cleans his muddy hand very quickly in the fourth episode four; The English captain is surprisingly ready to join forces with the Russians he was trying to execute only hours before.
In addition to the broadcasted story, two further versions of this story exist: About six minutes of extended footage is seen on the 1991 VHS video release, as several episodes were found to overrun prior to transmission, and the 2003 DVD (released as part of the show’s Fortieth Anniversary Celebration) included a ‘Special Edition’ edited into a single movie-length feature with twelve minutes of unbroadcasted footage. This version has reworked special effects and music arranged by Mark Ayres based on notes written up by himself and the late Nicholas Mallett. It also has several scenes re-edited to produce a more coherent narrative.
This story was one of the first stories to be awarded its own individual soundtrack album, as Mark Ayres' score was released by Silva Screen Records in 1991. This album also included a new arrangement of The Doctor Who theme. Excerpts from the soundtrack also appeared on the 1994 release The Worlds of Doctor Who, also by Silva Screen.
Alister Pearson's artwork, which first appeared on the cover of the Target novelisation, was reused for the cover of the Silva Screen soundtrack CD. It shows Sylvester McCoy as the seventh Doctor, Sophie Aldred as Ace and the Ancient Haemovore along with various artefacts symbolic to the tale (Captain Sorin's red star badge, the Nazi flag, a logic diagram, the carved runes from the crypt, the poison gas marking and the green glow of the deadly gas, and, of course, the chess board). For the CD, there were several subtle alterations - a new colour portrait of Ace, the red star has gained a hammer and sickle, the church and the sign post for Maiden's point are additions, the runes aren't glowing and the green glow on The Doctor has disappeared.
An edition of the BBC children’s show Take Two featured an item on the making of this story. It was presented by Philip Schofield and examined the question of what frightens children.
"The Curse of Fenric" was the final Doctor Who work for both Nicholas Mallett and Ian Briggs. Nicholas Mallett continued to direct, having contributed to programmes including EastEnders, Lovejoy and The Bill. Ian Briggs has spent time both acting and writing, the latter for series such as Casualty and The Bill. Ian Briggs was also originally asked to write the fourth and concluding novel in the Timewyrm story arc which began Virgin Books’ The New Adventures range of original Doctor Who fiction in 1991. Ultimately, however, this did not come to pass.
The novelisation of this story, written by Ian Briggs that was published by Target Books in November 1990, features additional character information absent from the broadcasted story. In particular when Fenric kills Nurse Crane, it is revealed that she was a Russian agent and had led the soldiers to the installation. This may explain how Commander Millington knew that the Russians were going to steal the ULTIMA machine. ancestors.
The Target novelisation of this story also has an epilogue featuring an older Ace after she has had left The Doctor. This formed part of the basis for Ace's departure in the Virgin Books’ The New Adventures novel "Set Piece", written by Kate Orman, where Ace (now called Dorothee) chooses to stay in Paris to monitor a time rift and at some point has a relationship with one of Captain Sorin’s ancestors.
The Seventh Doctor and Ace return to World War II in the Big Finish Productions’ audio story "Colditz".
The Doctor meets Kathleen Dudman again when Ace is a baby in the short story "Ace of Hearts" by Mike Tucker and Robert Perry (in the collection Short Trips).
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The Firsts:
The first Doctor Who story to be awarded its own individual soundtrack album.
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(Position = 12 out of 159)
(Position = 30 out of 200)
(Position = 26 out of 241)
