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Doctor Who and the Silurians
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Jon Pertwee
Doctor Who and the Silurians
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Synopsis


A Silurian
A Silurian
 Exiled to Earth and now working for UNIT as their scientific advisor, The Doctor is summoned to an underground research centre at Wenley Moor to investigate a series of inexplicable power losses.

 Initially suspecting sabotage, he soon discovers that the nearby cave system conceals a colony of an ancient reptilian race called the Silurians. Awaking from a hibernation which has lasted millions of years, they are now intent on reclaiming the Earth from Mankind…

Source: BBC DVD


General Information

Season: Seven
Production Code: BBB
Story Number: 52
Episode Numbers:258 - 264
Number of Episodes: 7
Percentage of Episodes Held:100%
Alternative Titles:"The Silurians" and "The Cave Monsters"
Working Titles:"The Monsters"
Production Dates: November 1969 - January 1970
Broadcast Started: 31 January 1970
Broadcast Finished: 14 March 1970
Colour Status: Colour and B&W
Studio: BBC Television Centre (TC1 and TC8)
Location: Marylebone and Shepherd's Bush (London), Sheephatch Farm (Tilford, Surrey), Hankley Common (Rushmoor, Surrey), Milford Chest Hospital (Milford, Surrey), High Street (Godalming), Hog's Back Transmitter Station (Guildford)
Writer:Malcolm Hulke
Director:Timothy Combe
Producer:Barry Letts
Script Editor:Terrance Dicks
Editors:Bill Huthbert and Sam Upton
Production Assistant:Chris D'Oyly John
Assistant Floor Manager:Sue Hedden
Designer:Barry Newbery
Costume Designer:Christine Rawlins
Make-Up Designers:Marion Richards and Teresa Wright
Cameraman:Fred Hamilton
Lighting:Ralph Walton
Visual Effects:Jim Ward
Incidental Music:Carey Blyton
Special Sounds (SFX Editor):Brian Hodgson
Studio Sounds:John Staple
Title Sequence:Bernard Lodge and Ben Palmer
Title Music:Ron Grainer and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Arranged by Delia Derbyshire
Number of Doctors: 1
The Doctor: Jon Pertwee (The Third Doctor)
Number of Companions: 2The Companions: Nicholas Courtney (The Brigadier) and Caroline John (Liz Shaw) Guest Cast: Fulton Mackay (Dr. Quinn), Paul Darrow (Captain Hawkins), Geoffrey Palmer (Masters) Additional Cast: Norman Jones (Major Baker), Peter Miles (Dr. Lawrence), Thomasine Heiner (Miss Dawson), Ian Cunningham (Dr. Meredith), Roy Branigan (Roberts), John Newman (Spencer), Bill Matthews (Davis), Nancie Jackson (Doris Squire), Gordon Richardson (Squire), Pat Gorman (Silurian), Paul Barton (Silurian), Simon Cain (Silurian), John Churchill (Silurian), Dave Carter (Silurian), Peter Halliday (Silurian Voices), Richard Steele (Sergeant Hart), Ian Talbot (Travis), Dave Carter (Old Silurian), Nigel Johns (Young Silurian), Harry Swift (Private Robins), Pat Gorman (Silurian Scientist), Alan Mason (Corporal Nutting), Derek Pollitt (Private Wright), Brendan Barry (Hospital Doctor)Setting: Wenley Moor (1970's) Villain: Silurians

The Episodes

No. Episodes Broadcast
(UK)
Duration Viewers
(Millions)
In Archive
258Episode 131 January 197024'15"8.8PAL D3 colour restoration and 16mm B&W film telerecording
259Episode 207 February 197023'08"7.3PAL D3 colour restoration and 16mm B&W film telerecording
260Episode 314 February 197023'16"7.5PAL D3 colour restoration and 16mm B&W film telerecording
261Episode 421 February 197025'00"8.2PAL D3 colour restoration and 16mm B&W film telerecording
262Episode 528 February 197023'58"7.5PAL D3 colour restoration and 16mm B&W film telerecording
263Episode 607 March 197024'15"7.2PAL D3 colour restoration and 16mm B&W film telerecording
264Episode 714 March 197022'55"7.5PAL D3 colour restoration and 16mm B&W film telerecording

Total Duration 2 Hours 47 Minutes


Audience Appreciation

Average Viewers (Millions) 7.7
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (1998)79.33%  (Position = 24 out of 159)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2003)446 Points (Position = 31 out of 159)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2009)78.70% Lower (Position = 45 out of 200)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2014)79.28% Higher (Position = 50 out of 241)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2023) Position = 10 out of 24


Archives


 All seven episodes exist in colour as PAL D3 restorations and the original 16mm Black and White film telerecordings.



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Notes


This story is renowned for being the debut for the Silurians.

This is the only story in the televised shows history that is officially entitled "Doctor Who and..." Although this was the style used on most Doctor Who scripts up until this story, the ‘Doctor Who and...’ prefix had always previously been omitted from the title given on-screen. To avoid a recurrence of this error in the future, the prefix was largely dropped from subsequent scripts. Despite being the only televised story to have the ‘Doctor Who and...’ prefix some stories during the early years ("The Savages", "The Highlanders", "The Underwater Menace", and "The Moonbase") were referred to in such a manner in the trailers for upcoming stories, and episode 5 of "The Chase" was also titled "The Death of Doctor Who" on-screen. A spinoff story is also officially known with the ‘Doctor Who and...’ prefix - the radio drama "Doctor Who and the Ghosts of N-Space" - as well as the first issues of many of the Target novelisations.

The actual title of this story is sometimes reduced to the original intended title "The Silurians".

Paul Darrow, later to become Kerr Avon in Blake's 7 plays Captain Hawkins. He would return to the show playing Tekker in the 1984 Sixth Doctor story "Timelash". Other familiar actors guest starring in this story include Fulton Mackay (now better known for his role as Mr Mackay in the classic BBC sitcom Porridge, plays Dr. Quinn) and Geoffrey Palmer who played Masters is best known as playing the part of Ben Parkinson in Butterflies and as Lionel in As Time Goes By". He would return to the show in the Third Doctor story "The Mutants" and in the Tenth Doctor story "Voyage of the Damned".

This story includes non-speaking cameo appearances by members of the production team, including Barry Letts, Terrance Dicks and, most prominently, Trevor Ray (who plays a ticket collector struck down by the Silurian virus), in the location scenes shot at Marylebone Station in London.

The Silurians' aquatic cousins, the Sea Devils, featured in their own story ("The Sea Devils") in 1972 during Season Nine; they and the Silurians later returned for the 1984 Fifth Doctor story "Warriors of the Deep".

Production on "The Silurians" began a week late due to the same industrial action which had forced "Spearhead From Space" to be recorded entirely on location.

Bessie, The Doctor's new car, debuts in this story. Suggested to Peter Bryant by both Jon Pertwee and assistant Script Editor Trevor Ray, Bessie was built in the style of an Edwardian roadster. During filming a fake license plate reading ‘WHO1’ was used. This was because this number plate number was already registered. Bessie’s actual number plate was the more mundane MTR5.

For the cave scenes it was initially planned to visit Wookey Hole in Somerset. However, it became clear that this would not be logistically feasible, and so the cave sequences were recorded in a studio. Unfortunately, this lead to additional difficulties when designer Barry Newbury discovered that the outside contractors, he had hired to build the cave set, had made the walls too flimsy to stand erect. As a result, it was decided to abandon the show's usual pattern of recording all the scenes for each episode in the same week. This was to enable all the cave scenes, regardless of the episode, to be filmed at the same time.

Another innovation for the recording of this story saw the show in studio on both a Sunday and the following Monday. It was felt that the usual one-week-one-episode pattern was inefficient; instead, it was thought that it might be better to record two instalments together on a biweekly basis. Since the sets could then be left up overnight thus reducing the amount of damage incurred from being taken down and then put back up.

This story included the first use of Colour Separation Overlay (CSO, also known as ChromaKey or Greenscreen), a new electronic effect at the time in which elements of the image from one camera replaced areas of the image from a second camera which were keyed to a specific colour (usually blue, green or, a little later, yellow). Tests for this technique had been held as far back as August in the previous year where it was realised that there could be enormous possibilities in its use in the show. Examples of this technique in this story include the creation of the cave background and the presentation of an image of Major Baker on a screen in the Silurians' underground base.

After the previous story, producer Derrick Sherwin was transferred to the television series Paul Temple, and the BBC intended for Barry Letts to become producer. However, Letts was committed to another production, and could not be released until after the location work on "The Silurians" was completed. Script editor Terrance Dicks and his assistant Trevor Ray shared the production responsibilities for the location work.

The unusual music in this story featured clarinets, recorders, cellos and horns and was conducted by Carey Blyton who would also contribute music for the 1974 story "Death to the Daleks" and the 1975 Fourth Doctor story "Revenge of the Cybermen".

This story marks the first time The Doctor is seen to be seriously at odds with his UNIT colleagues, although it was not the last.

The Doctor remarks in this story, ‘You know, I'm beginning to lose confidence for the first time in my life - and that covers several thousand years’. This comment adds to the many conflicting ages for The Doctor provided in the television show over the years.

During this story The Doctor is heard to state that he is thousands of years old, which is inconsistent with the Fourth Doctor's later statements of being about 750 years old, or the Second Doctor's statement of being only 450 years old soon after his regeneration (and there is no indication the Second incarnation lasted for thousands of years). The Doctor though may have been exaggerating, or basing his age upon the relative age of the Silurians. The Doctor’s age has never actually ever been confirmed due to the many different and conflicting references to it – possible an effect of being both a time traveller and an alien.

According to this story, the Moon was originally a small planet/huge meteoroid that ended up in orbit around Earth. However, it has been confirmed that actually the Moon is about as old as the Earth, and actually resulted from a planet-sized object hitting the Earth.

The term ‘Silurian’ is never actually used by the creatures themselves; only by the humans. Its use resulted in many letters from scientists and geologists who argued that it was impossible for a reptilian lifeform to have existed in the Silurian era. In the follow-up story "The Sea Devils", The Doctor admits that the name ‘Silurian’ is inaccurate and states they should more properly be called ‘Eocenes’ (which again is an unlikely candidate for the creatures' own era. It is agreed amongst fans that a more accurate name would have been ‘Cretaceans’ or ‘Maastrichtians’). However, the misnomer Silurian has stuck. For example, in "Warriors of the Deep" both they and the Sea Devils use ‘Silurian’ to refer to themselves (even when no humans are present) - presumably because the audience knows them as this. The Virgin Books' The New Adventures, beginning with "Love and War" refer to the creatures as ‘Earth Reptiles’ for the most part, although Ben Aaronovitch's "The Also People" they are referred to as ‘Indigenous Terrans’.

The Virgin Books' The New Adventures novel "Blood Heat" features an alternate universe where The Doctor died in captivity during the events of this serial and Earth was subsequently conquered by the Silurians. The Virgin Books' The Missing Adventures novel "The Scales of Injustice" is both a sequel to this story as well as a prequel to the events of "Warriors of the Deep". Other novels in both series, such as "The Also People" and "Happy Endings", reveal that at some point the Silurians will be revived and successfully integrated with human society. The Silurians also appear in the Big Finish Productions audio story "Bloodtide", which explains why they did not wake up from hibernation and what roll they played in human evolution.

Sadly the original 625-line PAL colour videotapes of this story were wiped by the BBC for reuse, although they retained the 16mm Black and White film recordings. However, all seven episodes currently exist as PAL D3 colour restorations. These were created in 1993, by an unofficial Doctor Who restoration team. They used original NTSC U-matic dubs, that were sent abroad prior to the wiping of the colour videotapes, and the Black and White film telerecordings. Some segments though had to be individually re-coloured with the aid of a computer due to their nonexistence in the NTSC print; additionally, two shots had to be slowed down to replace absent material. The re-colourised version was then released, on VHS video in July 1993.

This story was repeated on BBC Two in 1999, for which further restoration work was carried out to improve the colour.

In January 2008 a fresh restoration of the story was released on DVD as part of boxed set called "Beneath the Surface" along with "The Sea Devils" and "Warriors of the Deep".

A novelisation of this serial, written by Malcolm Hulke, was published by Target Books in January 1974 under the title "Doctor Who and the Cave Monsters". In this adaptation, the Silurians were given names like Morka, Okdel and K'to. The novelisation gives extensive background to the reptile culture, including a prologue featuring their hibernation beginning. Large parts of the novelisation are told from the reptiles' point of view and there is an extensive back story given to several characters including Quinn and Major Baker (for some reason, the character is called Major Barker in the novelisation). The novelisation avoids referring to the reptiles as Silurians (the word turns up as a UNIT password) but identifies the dinosaur in the caves as a tyrannosaurus rex.



First and Last

The Firsts:

 The first appearance of the Silurians.

 The first, and only, televised story to have 'Doctor Who and...' in its title.

 The first appearance of Bessie - The Doctor's yellow car.

 Barry Letts' first involvement in the show as Producer.

 The first Doctor Who story to be directed by Timothy Combe

 Marion Richards' first involvement in the show as Makeup Artist.

 Carey Blyton's first involvement in the show providing the incidental music.

 The first story to include the use of Colour Separation Overlay (CSO).


The Lasts (Subject to Future Stories):

 Barry Newbury's last involvement in the show as Designer.


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The Plot

WARNING: May Contain SpoilersHide Text
A Silurian
A Silurian

While working on his new car, Bessie, The Doctor, is summoned, along with Liz Shaw, by The Brigadier to help him investigate an underground atomic research centre housed in caves below Wenley Moor.

It seems there have been various unexplained problems at the centre which is under the control of its director, Doctor Charles Lawrence. These apparently unrelated problems include a high rate of personnel suffering from stress-related sickness and mysterious power losses which are endangering the research programme of a new type of nuclear reactor. In addition, a scientist, whilst pot-holing in some nearby caves, has been killed with wounds that look like giant claw marks. While his companion, Spencer, has been driven insane. The Doctor and Liz decide to visit Spencer in the sick bay and find that he has been traumatised to such an extent that he can only scrawl primitive cave drawings of reptilian creatures on the walls of his room.

The Doctor is curious as to what happened in the caves and so decides to investigate them himself. He is shocked though when he comes face-to-face with a live dinosaur. He is lucky to escape unscathed when a strange warbling sound seems to call the dinosaur away. The Doctor also finds a human-sized reptilian footprint in the mud. However, when The Doctor returns with The Brigadier and some UNIT troops so as to verify The Doctor's story, the footprint has somehow vanished. When exploring the caves further one of the UNIT troops spots something moving in the shadows and opens fire, apparently hitting something. He is soon joined by the others and they discover a trail of blood leading to where the caves emerge onto the open moor.

The Doctor, Liz and The Brigadier
The Doctor, Liz and The Brigadier

During the following morning, at a nearby farm, a farmer discovers a strange creature in his barn. When UNIT arrive to investigate they are unaware that the creature is still in the outbuilding. Liz, when she is left alone to take samples, is startled when she sees an upright reptile creature which then flees from the barn.

Unbeknown to The Doctor, UNIT and Doctor Charles Lawrence one of the scientists at the research centre, Doctor John Quinn, discovered the reptile creatures sometime ago. Realising that they are highly intelligent he has been assisting them so that he can gain their scientific knowledge for himself. The Doctor though becomes suspicious of the scientist and so searches his office, at the research centre, and finds a globe of the world as it was 200 million years ago. The Doctor therefore decides to make a visit to see Doctor John Quinn at his cottage. But when he arrives at the cottage he discovers that the scientist has been killed by the creature that had escaped from the barn.

Liz Shaw
Liz Shaw

Following a map found in Doctor John Quinn's cottage, The Doctor and Liz return to the cave system and discover a base containing a group of the intelligent reptiles, that The Doctor calls Silurians, who went into hibernation millions of years ago. Inside the Silurians’ base The Doctor sees a Silurian being revived from hibernation and realises that this is the reason for the power losses at the research centre.

On returning to the research centre The Doctor learns that The Brigadier plans to enter the caves in force with all his available UNIT troops. The Doctor is alarmed, as he knows that the presence of UNIT troops in the caves will only result in more deaths, and so returns to the Silurians’ base to try and achieve peace between the reptiles and humans. Before The Doctor can stop them the Silurians, on discovering the UNIT troops close to their underground base, trap the soldiers in a cave with no exit. The Doctor though is able to gain the trust of the old Silurian leader – who releases the UNIT troops just before the air runs out.

The Doctor then learns that the Silurians used to be the masters of Earth, long before the humans, but they went into hibernation when it was realised that a small planet threatened to crash into it. The planet though became the Moon and so the disaster predicted by the Silurians never happened, resulting in their extended period of hibernation. Realising that they are the rightful occupiers of Earth and not the humans, and that the Silurians have the ability, and clear intention, to destroy all humans, The Doctor offers to help them live in peace with humanity. The old Silurian leader realises that what The Doctor proposes makes sense and so agrees. But then a rebellious young Silurian seizes power, by killing the old Silurian leader, and releases a deadly virus that threatens to wipe out all of humanity.

Spencer
Spencer

Soon London is in the grip of the virus, thanks to a government official who returns to the capital after catching the virus during a visit to the research centre. The Doctor eventually finds a cure, but when the Silurians discover this they attack the base and kidnap him. On discovering that The Doctor has disappeared Liz manages to deduce what The Doctor’s cure is and arranges for it to be manufactured and distributed.

This though angers the young Silurian. With his plan thwarted the Silurians decide to retaliate by taking over the research centre and take control of the nuclear reactor with the intention to make the Earth uninhabitable for humans. They plan to use a molecular disperser to convert the research centre's energy to microwaves in order to disperse the Van Allen belt and thus destroy all life on the surface of the planet. In desperation The Doctor is forced into tricking the Silurians into returning to their hibernation units when he overloads the reactor, threatening to cause a huge nuclear explosion.

With the reactor back under control, and the Silurians back in hibernation, The Doctor tells the Brigadier that he proposes to revive the Silurians one-by-one and try again to reach a peaceful compromise between them and humanity. However, The Brigadier has other orders and has the Silurian base blown up, leaving The Doctor horrified and very annoyed with The Brigadier with this act of genocide.

 
Exploring the Silurian Base
Exploring the Silurian Base
Doctor John Quinn
Doctor John Quinn
The Doctor
The Doctor
A Silurian
A Silurian
 
The Doctor and Two Silurians
The Doctor and Two Silurians
The Brigadier is Worried
The Brigadier is Worried
Finding a Cure
Finding a Cure
The Brigadier and Liz Shaw
The Brigadier and Liz Shaw




Quote of the Story


 'My dear Miss Shaw, I never 'report myself' anywhere.. particularly not "forthwith".'

The Doctor



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Release Information

FormatTitleRelease Date (UK)Code NumberCover ArtRemarks
Video
VHS
Doctor Who and the SiluriansJuly 1993BBCV 4990Andrew SkilleterDouble cassette release
Audio
CD
Silurian Suite1998A suite of music was released on "Sherlock Holmes Meets Dr Who" arranged by Carey Blyton from Upbeat Classics
Audio
CD
Doctor Who and the SiluriansNovember 2006Photo-montageNarrated by Caroline John (Liz Shaw) Double CD Release Released as part of the "Monsters of Earth" tin box set
Audio
CD
Doctor Who and the SiluriansJanuary 2008Photo-montageNarrated by Caroline John (Liz Shaw) Double CD Release
Video
DVD
Doctor Who and the SiluriansJanuary 2008BBCDVD 2438(A)Photo-montagePart of the "Beneath the Surface" box set (BBCDVD 2438) along with "The Sea Devils" and "Warriors of the Deep"
Video
DVD
Doctor Who and the SiluriansSeptember 2013BBCDVD 3811Photo-montagePart of "The Monster Collection - The Silurians" boxset
Audio
CD
Classic TV Adventures - Collection OneApril 2017Photo-montagePart of the "Classic TV Adventures Collection One" Box Set Narrated by Caroline John (Liz Shaw)


In Print

FormatTitleRelease Date (UK)PublisherAuthorCover ArtRemarks
Novel
Novel
Doctor Who and the Cave MonstersJanuary 1974Target No. 9Malcolm HulkeChris AchilleosISBN: 0-426-10292-4
(1st Edition Target Cover)
Novel
Novel
Doctor Who and the Cave MonstersFebruary 1975Target No. 9Malcolm HulkeChris AchilleosISBN: 0-426-10292-4
(2nd Edition Target Cover)
Novel
Novel
Doctor Who and the Cave Monsters1979Target No. 9Malcolm HulkeChris AchilleosISBN: 0-426-11471-X (Green Logo Cover)
Novel
Novel
The SiluriansAugust 1992Target No. 9Malcolm HulkeAlister PearsonVirgin new cover reprint.
ISBN: 0-426-20382-8
CD
CD
Doctor Who and the Cave MonstersSeptember 2007Target No. 9Malcolm HulkeChris AchilleosAudio version of the Target Novel read by Caroline John (Liz Shaw).
Novel
Novel
Doctor Who and the Cave MonstersJuly 2011Target No. 9Malcolm HulkeChris AchilleosBBC reprint with introduction by Terrance Dicks. ISBN: 978-1-84990-194-9
Doctor Who CMS Magazine (An Adventure in Space and Time)Issue 52
Doctor Who Magazine - ArchiveIssue 91 (Released: August 1984)
Doctor Who Magazine - ArchiveIssue 222 (Released: February 1995)
Doctor Who Magazine - Time TeamIssue 322 (Released: October 2002)
Doctor Who Magazine - Time TeamIssue 323 (Released: November 2002)
Doctor Who DVD FilesVolume 65 (Released: June 2011)

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Photo Gallery


The Doctor and Companions

 
Jon Pertwee
The Third Doctor

   

Nicholas Courtney
The Brigadier
 
Caroline John
Liz Shaw
   




On Release

VHS Video Cover
VHS Video Cover

BBC
VIDEO
Sherlock Holmes Meets Dr. Who CD Cover
Sherlock Holmes Meets Dr. Who CD Cover

Upbeat Classics
AUDIO
Monsters of Earth CD Tin
Monsters of Earth CD Tin

BBC
AUDIO
Soundtrack CD Cover
Soundtrack CD Cover

BBC
AUDIO
   
DVD Cover
DVD Cover

BBC
VIDEO
The Monster Collection - The Silurians Cover
The Monster Collection - The Silurians Cover

BBC
VIDEO
Classic TV Adventures Collection One CD Cover
Classic TV Adventures Collection One CD Cover

BBC
AUDIO



In Print

Original Target Book Cover
Original Target Book Cover

Target
NOVEL
Original Target Book Cover (1975 Edition)
Original Target Book Cover (1975 Edition)

Target
NOVEL
Original Target Book Cover (Green Logo)
Original Target Book Cover (Green Logo)

Target
NOVEL
   
Reprinted Virgin Book Cover
Reprinted Virgin Book Cover

Virgin
NOVEL
Target Audio CD Cover
Target Audio CD Cover

BBC
CD
Reprinted BBC Book Cover
Reprinted BBC Book Cover

BBC
NOVEL
   


Magazines

Doctor Who CMS Magazine (An Adventure in Space and Time): Issue 52
Doctor Who CMS Magazine (An Adventure in Space and Time): Issue 52

CMS
Doctor Who Magazine - Archive: Issue 91
Doctor Who Magazine - Archive: Issue 91

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who Magazine - Archive: Issue 222
Doctor Who Magazine - Archive: Issue 222

Marvel Comics
   
Doctor Who Magazine - Time Team: Issue 322
Doctor Who Magazine - Time Team: Issue 322

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who Magazine - Time Team: Issue 323
Doctor Who Magazine - Time Team: Issue 323

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who DVD Files: Volume 65
Doctor Who DVD Files: Volume 65

GE Fabbri
   

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