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Sylvester McCoy
Paradise Towers
Seventh Doctor Logo


Synopsis


A Robot Cleaner
A Robot Cleaner
 Built towards the end of the twenty-first century, Paradise Towers is a massive housing block, stretching up towards the sky. With its beautiful decor, smart apartments, fantastic facilities and high standards of maintenance, it is hardly surprising that the architect, Kroagnon, won many professional awards.

 Mel wants to go swimming and as the TARDIS pool has been jettisoned due to a leak, Paradise Towers seems to fit the bill. However, when she and The Doctor arrive, instead of the bright squares and charming cloisters the brochure promised, they find dark, rat-infested corridors full of uncontrollable cleaning machines, undisciplined street gangs and over-worked and belligerent caretakers, some of whom are disappearing in mysterious circumstances.

 What has caused such terrible decay? How could such perfect accommodation have become so run down and dangerous? And why do the street-wise Kangs, apathetic caretakers, sinister Rezzies and Pex - the self-appointed warrior who puts the world of Paradise Towers to rights - all fear whatever terrible force dwells in the basement? Only the unpredictable Chief Caretaker knows what is down there - and the real secret behind the disappearances...

Source: BBC VHS Video


General Information

Season: Twenty Four
Production Code: 7E
Story Number: 145
Episode Numbers:658 - 661
Number of Episodes: 4
Percentage of Episodes Held:100%
Working Titles:"Paradise Tower" and "The Paradise Tower"
Production Dates: May - June 1987
Broadcast Started: 05 October 1987
Broadcast Finished: 26 October 1987
Colour Status: Colour
Studio: BBC Television Centre (TC1 and TC8)
Location: Elmswell House (Nightingales Lane, Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire)
Writer:Stephen Wyatt
Director:Nicholas Mallett
Producer:John Nathan-Turner
Script Editor:Andrew Cartmel
Production Assistant:Frances Graham
Production Associate:Anne Faggetter
Assistant Floor Manager:Val McCrimmon
Designer:Martin Collins
Costume Designer:Janet Tharby
Make-Up Designer:Shaunna Harrison
Cameramen:Alastair Mitchell and David Hunter
Lighting:Henry Barber
Visual Effects:Simon Taylor
Incidental Music:Keff McCulloch
Special Sounds (SFX Editor):Dick Mills
Studio Sounds:Brian Clark
Title Sequence:Oliver Elmes
Title Music:Ron Grainer and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Arranged by Keff McCulloch
Number of Doctors: 1
The Doctor: Sylvester McCoy (The Seventh Doctor)
Number of Companions: 1The Companion: Bonnie Langford (Melanie Bush) Guest Cast: Richard Briers (Chief Caretaker) Additional Cast: Howard Cooke (Pex), Clive Merrison (Deputy Chief), Brenda Bruce (Tilda), Elizabeth Spriggs (Tabby), Julie Brennon (Fire Escape), Judy Cornwell (Maddy), Annabel Yuresha (Bin Liner), Catherine Cusack (Blue Kang Leader), Joseph Young (Young Caretaker), Astra Sheridan (Yellow Kang), Simon Coady (Video Commentary)Setting: Paradise Towers (21st century) Villains:Chief Caretaker, Kroagnon and Tabby and Tilda

The Episodes

No. Episodes Broadcast
(UK)
Duration Viewers
(Millions)
In Archive
658Part 105 October 198724'33"4.5PAL 1" colour videotape
659Part 212 October 198724'39"5.2PAL 1" colour videotape
660Part 319 October 198724'30"5.0PAL 1" colour videotape
661Part 426 October 198724'21"5.0PAL 1" colour videotape

Total Duration 1 Hour 38 Minutes


Audience Appreciation

Average Viewers (Millions) 4.9
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (1998)49.55%  (Position = 152 out of 159)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2009)47.96% Lower (Position = 193 out of 200)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2014)54.38% Higher (Position = 230 out of 241)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2023) Position = 10 out of 12


Archives


 All four episodes exist as PAL 1" colour videotapes. A 71-edit scratch print of all episodes also exists.



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Notes


This story was the second to feature Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor and features many special guest appearances, including famed actor Richard Briers and actresses Brenda Bruce, Elizabeth Spriggs and Judy Cornwell.

As well as playing the part of the Chief Caretaker Richard Briers provided the voice of Kroagnon. He though was not credited for this. Richard Briers is more famous for playing the part of Tom Good in the classic comedy The Good Life. He later appeared, as Henry Parker, in the Torchwood episode "A Day in the Death".

Brenda Bruce (who played the part of Tilda), Elizabeth Spriggs (who played the part of Tabby) and Judy Cornwell (who played the part of Maddy) have all appeared in a large number of television shows, before and after appearing in this story, playing many different characters. Elizabeth Spriggs later appeared as the Fat Lady in the film Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone while Judy Cornwell went on to play the part of Daisy in the classic comedy Keeping up Appearances.

Clive Merrison, who played the part of the Deputy Chief, previously played Jim Callum in the 1967 Second Doctor story "The Tomb of the Cybermen".

Julie Brennon, who played Fire Escape, was at the time married to Mark Strickson, who played the Fifth Doctor’s companion Vislor Turlough.

Nisha Nayar, an un-credited extra playing one of the Red Kangs, later appeared in a more substantial speaking part as the Female Programmer in the 2005 Ninth Doctor story "Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways". This made her the second performer to appear in both the original run and the revived series of Doctor Who.

The writer chosen for this story was a young writer called Stephen Wyatt - whose work to date had mainly been in the theatre, but had recently been commissioned to write a dark comedy entitled Claws for BBC Radio. This was Stephen Wyatt’s first of two Doctor stories. His second being "The Greatest Show in the Galaxy" in 1987.

By the time Stephen Wyatt had submitted a storyline Andrew Cartmel had joined the production office as the new Script Editor (after Eric Saward had left halfway through the previous season leaving Producer John Nathan-Turner to carry out these additional duties until a replacement Script Editor could be found). Andrew Cartmel however, was unimpressed by Stephen Wyatt’s offering. Andrew Cartmel was familiar with Claws, however, and suggested that Stephen Wyatt develop something more along those lines.

With the assistance of Andrew Cartmel, Stephen Wyatt based his revised storyline on the JG Ballard novel "High-Rise" - which is a parable on middle-class existence about a skyscraper whose tenants descend into pseudo-tribal warfare - as inspiration.

Like Pip and Jane Baker, who wrote the preceding story "Time and The Rani", Stephen Wyatt was, at first, burdened by the fact that Sylvester McCoy had not yet been cast as the Seventh Doctor. Fortunately, when this announcement finally did come, Stephen Wyatt had already seen some of Sylvester McCoy’s theatrical performances, which aided him in writing for the new Doctor.

The director assigned to this story was Nicholas Mallett, who had previously handled "The Mysterious Planet" - the title that has been given to the first four episodes of The Trial of a Time Lord, the season-long storyline that constituted Season Twenty Three.

The role of Pex, originally envisioned by Stephen Wyatt, was as a muscle-bound moron to parody the popular American hero of Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo. However, when it proved difficult to locate a British actor, of the appropriate age and build, John Nathan-Turner suggested that this concept should completely be turned on its head, by casting a small, slender actor who was clearly not the physical specimen Pex made himself out to be. With this in mind, the part of Pex went to actor Howard Cooke.

Because Andrew Cartmel was uncertain about the absence of a traditional Doctor Who ‘monster’ in Stephen Wyatt’s scripts the role of the cleaning robots was added along with a mutated creature living in the swimming pool. Due to concerns as to how effectively this could be accomplished, the mutated creature was changed to an aquatic version of the cleaners.

The pool scenes were filmed at Elmswell House in Buckinghamshire and Bonnie Langford was stunt doubled in the pool by Ellie Bertram.

By the time this story was recorded John Nathan-Turner had essentially abandoned his 1980 decree that all incidental music was to be composed in-house by the BBC’s Radiophonic Workshop. Therefore freelance musician David Snell was commissioned to provide the score for this story. David Snell’s composition however, was deemed to be too dull and repetitive and so was rejected. Instead Keff McCullough, who had provided the score for "Time and The Rani", was hired at the last minute to put together a replacement score.

It is revealed that the TARDIS swimming pool was leaking and had been jettisoned. It was last seen in the 1978 Fourth Doctor story "The Invasion of Time".

As well as the supposedly fantastic swimming pool in Paradise Towers there is, according to The Doctor, also a spectacular pool on the planet Griophos, although it is for the exclusive use of the Gulmeri, flesh eating octopi.

The Doctor informs Melanie that Paradise Towers was designed by Kroagnon, otherwise known as the Great Architect, who won many awards in the 21st century. Kroagnon was also responsible for Golden Dream Park, The Bridge of Perpetual Motion and Miracle City.

The caretakers’ unusual salute is formed by raising the horizontal palms of their hands to rest on their top lips.

The Doctor is heard describing an antique phone as a splendid piece of ‘audioarchitectonicalmetrasynchosity’.

The Doctor is once again called an ‘Old One’ by locals, as he was in the 1986 Sixth Doctor story "The Mysterious Planet".

The TARDIS is seen covered in graffiti again in the 2005 Ninth Doctor story "Aliens of London/World War Three".

Unusually this story suffered one edit after its original BBC transmission. BBC1 Controller Michael Grade decided afterwards that a scene in episode three, which a thrown knife becomes embedded into the wall of Tilda and Tabby’s apartment, was too violent, despite the absence of any complaints from the public. Therefore this episode was re-edited to remove the ‘offending’ sequence for the purpose of repeats and international sales.

A novelisation of this story, written by Stephen Wyatt, was published by Target Books in December 1988. This novelisation reveals that the Blue Kang Leader is named Drinking Fountain.



First and Last

The Firsts:

 The first Doctor Who story to be written by Stephen Wyatt.


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Story Images

Show Text
Melanie and The Doctor
Melanie and The Doctor
The Doctor and the Red Kangs
The Doctor and the Red Kangs
Captured by the Caretakers
Captured by the Caretakers
The Chief Caretaker
The Chief Caretaker
 
Meeting Bin Liner
Meeting Bin Liner
Melanie Taking Tea
Melanie Taking Tea
Maddy with The Chief Caretaker
Maddy with The Chief Caretaker
A Robot Cleaner
A Robot Cleaner
 
The Doctor and The Chief Caretaker
The Doctor and The Chief Caretaker
Melanie in Trouble in the Pool
Melanie in Trouble in the Pool
The Doctor is Caught
The Doctor is Caught
Pex and Melanie
Pex and Melanie




Quote of the Story


 'No need to tell me, I know who you are. We have been waiting for this momentous visit for so many years. You were the man who brought Paradise Towers to life, the visionary who dreamed up its pools and lifts and squares, and now you have returned to your creation. You will make all those dilapidated lifts rise and fall as they have never done before! All signs of wall-scrawl will disappear from the corridors of Paradise Towers! The floors will gleam, the windows will shine and all will be made as new! Fellow caretakers, you know who this is? This is the great architect, returned to Paradise Towers! Bid him welcome! All hail the great architect, all hail!'

Chief Caretaker



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Release Information

FormatTitleRelease Date (UK)Code NumberCover ArtRemarks
Audio
LP
The Doctor Who 25th Anniversary Album1988REC 707Music score
Audio
Tape
The Doctor Who 25th Anniversary Album1988ZCF 707Music score
Audio
CD
The Doctor Who 25th Anniversary Album1988Music score
Audio
CD
Music From Doctor Who1988CD 579Music score
Audio
CD
30 Years at the Radiophonic Workshop1993BBC CD 871Photo-montageSound effects
Video
VHS
Paradise TowersOctober 1995BBCV 5686Colin Howard
Audio
CD
Evolution - The Music From Dr WhoDecember 2001Music score
Video
DVD
Paradise TowersJuly 2011BBCDVD 3002
Video
Blu-Ray
Doctor Who: The Collection - Season 24 (Limited Edition)June 2021BBCBD 0520Photo-montageBlu-Ray Limited Edition boxed set containing 4 specially restored stories
Video
Blu-Ray
Doctor Who: The Collection - Season 24 (Standard Edition)Febuary 2023BBCBD 0565Photo-montageBlu-Ray Standard Edition boxed set containing 4 specially restored stories


In Print

FormatTitleRelease Date (UK)PublisherAuthorCover ArtRemarks
Novel
Novel
Paradise TowersDecember 1988Target No. 134Stephen WyattAlister PearsonISBN: 0-426-20330-5
Novel
Novel
Paradise TowersOctober 1991Target No. 134Stephen WyattAlister PearsonVirgin new cover reprint.
ISBN: 0-426-20330-5
CD
CD
Paradise TowersApril 2012Target No. 134Stephen WyattAlister PearsonAudio version of the Target Novel read by Bonnie Langford (Melanie Bush).
Doctor Who CMS Magazine (In Vision)Issue 92 (Released: October 2000)
Doctor Who Magazine - PreviewIssue 129 (Released: October 1987)
Doctor Who Magazine - After ImageIssue 133 (Released: February 1988)
Doctor Who Magazine - ArchiveIssue 326 (Released: February 2003)
Doctor Who Magazine - Time TeamIssue 402 (Released: December 2008)
Doctor Who Magazine - The Fact of FictionIssue 431 (Released: March 2011)
Doctor Who DVD FilesVolume 106 (Released: January 2013)

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Photo Gallery


The Doctor and Companion

 
Sylvester McCoy
The Seventh Doctor

   

 
Bonnie Langford
Melanie Bush
 
   




On Release

Audio LP - Doctor Who the 25th Anniversary Album
Audio LP - Doctor Who the 25th Anniversary Album

BBC
AUDIO
Audio Tape - Doctor Who the 25th Anniversary Album
Audio Tape - Doctor Who the 25th Anniversary Album

BBC
AUDIO
Doctor Who the 25th Anniversary Album CD Cover
Doctor Who the 25th Anniversary Album CD Cover

BBC
AUDIO
Music From Doctor Who CD Cover
Music From Doctor Who CD Cover

Sanctury Records
AUDIO
   
Sound Effects CD Cover
Sound Effects CD Cover

BBC
AUDIO
VHS Video Cover
VHS Video Cover

BBC
VIDEO
Evolution CD Cover
Evolution CD Cover

Prestige Records
AUDIO
DVD Cover
DVD Cover

BBC
VIDEO
   
The Collection Season 24 Limited Edition Blu-Ray Cover
The Collection Season 24 Limited Edition Blu-Ray Cover

BBC
VIDEO
The Collection Season 24 Standard Edition Blu-Ray Cover
The Collection Season 24 Standard Edition Blu-Ray Cover

BBC
VIDEO



In Print

Target Book Cover
Target Book Cover

Target
NOVEL
Reprinted Virgin Book Cover
Reprinted Virgin Book Cover

Virgin
NOVEL
Target Audio CD Cover
Target Audio CD Cover

BBC
CD
   


Magazines

Doctor Who CMS Magazine (In Vision): Issue 92
Doctor Who CMS Magazine (In Vision): Issue 92

CMS
Doctor Who Magazine - Preview: Issue 129
Doctor Who Magazine - Preview: Issue 129

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who Magazine - After Image: Issue 133
Doctor Who Magazine - After Image: Issue 133

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who Magazine - Archive: Issue 326
Doctor Who Magazine - Archive: Issue 326

Marvel Comics
   
Doctor Who Magazine - Time Team: Issue 402
Doctor Who Magazine - Time Team: Issue 402

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who Magazine - The Fact of Fiction: Issue 431
Doctor Who Magazine - The Fact of Fiction: Issue 431

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who DVD Files: Volume 106
Doctor Who DVD Files: Volume 106

GE Fabbri


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