 Filmed primarily on location in Wales this story features another round of special guests including Don Henderson, Hugh Lloyd, Richard Davies, American stage and screen actor Stubby Kaye and comedian Ken Dodd.
This story was written by Malcolm Kohll, a young writer working within the BBC's Script Unit. Malcolm Kohll was invited to pitch ideas for Season Twenty Four, with producer John Nathan-Turner suggesting that he consider a story set in Wales in the recent past.
To save money, John Nathan-Turner had decided that the final six episodes of this season should comprise two three-part stories, both made by the same production team. One story would be made entirely on location and the other entirely in studio. This story became the season's location-only story while the story that became "Dragonfire" would be entirely studio-bound.
The bulk of the location recording was carried out in South Glamorgan, Wales, principally in the vicinity of the Majestic Holiday Camp on Barry Island. This holiday camp is no longer there, but the island was used again, this time as a stand-in for a bomb site in 1941 London, in the 2005 Ninth Doctor story "The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances".
This was the first and only story in the original run of the show to be extensively produced in Wales. Although the 1967 Second Doctor story "The Abominable Snowmen", the 1973 Third Doctor story "The Green Death" and the Twentieth Anniversary special "The Five Doctors" have scenes that were filmed in Wales (and in the case of "The Green Death" it was set in Wales as well). When the show returned in 2005, it would be primarily be produced in Wales, with a number of its earth-based stories also being set there (as well as the spinoff series, Torchwood).
Poor weather during the initial part of the two-week shoot, for this story, put the production team behind schedule, resulting in Producer John Nathan-Turner to act briefly as Second Unit Director. Fortunately, the weather improved immensely thereafter allowing recording to get back on track.
The only studio material necessary were the TARDIS sequences. These were recorded in August 1987 during the first day of the second studio session for the season’s final story, "Dragonfire".
Malcolm Kohll’s early ideas for this story was that the Americans had launched a satellite in advance of the Russian Sputnik, only to have it knocked out of orbit by the Nostalgia Tours ‘spacebus’. This would have set the proceedings firmly in 1957, but when it was realised that this story was running overlength, it was decided to cut this element from the storyline, along with additional background on the Bannermen (revealing that they had polluted their own planet to the point that it was rendered uninhabitable).
This story was therefore moved to be set in 1959 as the rock 'n roll music was becoming a prevalent aspect of the scripts. 1959 was chosen as far more rock music would be available for the production team to use.
Because the rights to use the original songs would be far too expensive, incidental music composer Keff McCulloch was asked to assemble a band to record cover versions of the tracks.
The songs featured in the story were: "Rock Around the Clock", "Singing the Blues", "Why Do Fools Fall in Love", "When the Red, Red Robin", "The Honeysuckle and the Bee", "Mr. Sandman", "Goodnight, Sweetheart", "That'll Be the Day", "Only You", "Lollipop", "Who's Sorry Now?" and "Happy Days Are Here Again".
The Lorells, the singing group seen and heard in this story, were actually incidental music composer Keff McCulloch and sisters Tracey and Jodie Wilson, the former later to be married to McCulloch. The vocalists are seen on screen only in the first episode. They are only heard in the second and third episodes as part of the story’s incidental music. David Kinder, who played Billy, also contributed vocals.
Bob Gabriel, a director on the BBC soap EastEnders, was originally due to direct this story when his work on the soap opera was completed, but did not take this job for reasons unknown. The job eventually went to Chris Clough, who had previously directed "Terror of the Vervoids" and "The Ultimate Foe" - that made up the final six episodes of The Trial of a Time Lord season-long storyline.
At the time this story was produced, Bonnie Langford, who played companion Melanie Bush, was considering leaving the show midway through the season. Because Producer John Nathan-Turner was aware that Bonnie Langford was due to leave the show, and because he was keen that there was at least one story featuring both Melanie and the new companion to provide better continuity within the programme, he asked Malcolm Kohll to include a potential female companion in his story. This character was Ray. At first Ray was intended to be Melanie’s replacement but when Bonnie Langford ultimately chose to stay, for the complete season, the idea of having Ray join the TARDIS was dropped. Elements of this character, however, later inspired the creation of Ace, who ultimately became Melanie’s replacement in the following story "Dragonfire" - the final story of Season Twenty Four. Coincidentally, Sophie Aldred auditioned for the role of Ray but she did not get it but got the part of Ace instead.
Ray was originally to have been played by Lynn Gardner, but the actress was injured during a driving lesson and had to be replaced at short notice by Sarah Griffiths. Lynn Gardner was given the role of an announcer in "Dragonfire" instead.
Four actresses were cast as Delta’s daughter: six-month-old Jessica McGough, four year-old Amy Osborn, nine year-old Laura Collins, and twelve year-old Carley Joseph.
Don Henderson, who played the part of Gavrok, was well known for his role as DS George Bulman in the 1976 television series The XYY Man and its spin offs, and latterly for his co-starring role as Frank Kane in the BBC drama The Paradise Club.
Keillor, the alien bounty hunter, is never referred to by name in the story’s dialogue. His name is given only in the closing credits.
Goronwy is, the tone of this script suggests, just a wonderful and charming old man, open to the wonders of the universe. He and The Doctor have enough instant rapport for The Doctor to hand him an alien baby without a second thought, as if the two of them are in the same business. At the end of this story Goronwy gives The Doctor a very secretive wink.
The Navarinos are squat, wrinkly purple creatures who can shapechange and time travel. They have a high metabolic rate, and seem to have a lot in common with Time Lords. They use a Transformation arch, taking on a Human appearance.
The Navarinos also feature in Virgin Books’ The New Adventures novel "Return of the Living Dad" written by Kate Orman.
Chimeron males and infants are green, their females humanoid. They have been nearly wiped out by the Bannermen in some undisclosed conflict.
This story made use of underlying darkness, a theme that would become more prevalent in the following two seasons. The persona of the Seventh Doctor also began to develop, with many of his witticisms displayed.
The final version of this story includes only one brief scene featuring The Doctor inside the TARDIS Console Room. The ‘first edit’ of the first episode, included on the 2009 DVD release of this story, includes an additional Console Room scene with Melanie (in which it was revealed The Doctor keeps petty cash in a jar secreted beneath the console!). According to the production notes commentary, the original script called for another Console Room scene with Burton and Ray, but this was cut as it would have meant that the two actors would have had to have been brought to London to film the scene.
In the second episode when Billy enters Delta’s room with flowers he is surprised to see the baby. In the original edit for the first episode Billy entered before the egg hatched and is surprised when he watches it hatching.
This story marks the first appearance of the Seventh Doctor’s distinctive question-mark handle umbrella. It was preferred by Sylvester McCoy in comparison to the question mark pullover.
The TARDIS is equipped with an Anti-gravity spiral.
The Bannermen use a sonic cone, which The Doctor says will destroy everyone when activated. It however, only kills Gavrok.
The motorbike ridden by Billy in this story is a Vincent, made by British manufacturer Vincent Motorcycles.
The guitar The Doctor is seen hugging at the end of the story is a Squier Stratocaster by Fender, although this model was not available at the time this story was set.
This story contains a number of errors. Namely: Sylvester McCoy can be seen wearing his glasses in some long shots of him riding the motor bike, but in the close ups he is not. He normally removed them before recording; Melanie seems to be very scared of the Bannermen despite not being told who they are.
Jerome Weismuller is seen wearing a New York Yankees baseball cap and jacket. However, nylon mesh ‘trucker hat’-style baseball caps would not have been available in 1959.
Working titles for this story included "The Flight of the Chimeron". The eventual title, "Delta and the Bannermen", is a reference to the 1980’s band Echo and the Bunnymen.
This was the first three-part story (that had traditional 25 minute episodes) since the 1964 First Doctor story "Planet of Giants" (1964). The 1985 Sixth Doctor story "The Two Doctors" had also had three 45-minute episodes but this nearly equalled the length of a 6-part story. Following "Delta and the Bannermen", the 3-parter would become a standard feature of the Seventh Doctor’s era.
A novelisation of this story, written by Malcolm Kohll, was published by Target Books in January 1989. In addition to a typographical error on the spine’s title (which purports the name of this novelisation to be ‘Delta and the Bannerman’), this novelisation contains an infamous typo which results in The Doctor ‘peeing over a shelf’. This novelisation was rereleased in 1991, with same cover art by Alister Pearson.
This story was released, on VHS, in March 2001. Rights issues to several music tracks however, prevented release of video in Australia and New Zealand and a delay in the USA and Canada. This also meant that some music on the video differs from the original broadcast.
Despite Andrew Cartmel being interested in working with Malcolm Kohll again, this story proved to be his only involvement with Doctor Who, although he was later contacted about the 1996 Eighth Doctor film "Doctor Who: The Movie" that was co-produced by the BBC and Universal Television.
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The Firsts:
The first appearance of the Seventh Doctor’s distinctive question-mark handle umbrella.
The first, and only story, in the original run of the show to be extensively produced in Wales.
The first three-part story (that had traditional 25 minute episodes) since the 1964 First Doctor story "Planet of Giants".
The first Doctor Who story to be written by Malcolm Kohll.
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(Position = 150 out of 159)
(Position = 180 out of 200)
