 "The Green Death" is the final story of Season Ten and saw the departure of Katy Manning, who played popular companion Jo Grant. This story actually includes the only farewell scene between the Third Doctor and one of his companions. Liz Shaw's actual departure was never seen on screen and Sarah Jane Smith remained a companion beyond The Doctor's third incarnation, departing from the TARDIS crew during The Doctor's fourth incarnation.
After leaving the show Katy Manning worked mainly in theatre before moving to Australia with her two children in 1982. She has still maintained her connection with Doctor Who, appearing in the video "Lust in Space" and providing the voice of erratic Time Lady Iris Wildthyme in several audio dramas from Big Finish Productions in this range of audio stories. Katy Manning however, returned to the role of Jo Grant in the 2008 Big Finish Productions Companion Chronicles audio story "The Doll of Death" and then in the 2009 free download story "The Mists of Time".
The departure of Katy Manning marked the beginning of the end for the so-called UNIT family, which had been together since the start of Season Eight two and a half years earlier. Coupled with the death of Roger Delgado (who played The Master) and the announced departure of producer Barry Letts, her departure became a major motivation in Jon Pertwee's decision to also leave the show the following year.
This story was co-written by Producer Barry Letts. However, he received no on-screen credit, as writer, as BBC regulations at the time prevented any person from being credited for more than one production role.
The director assigned to this story was Michael Briant, who had last worked on "The Sea Devils" the previous year.
The role of Clifford Jones was played by Stewart Bevan - then Katy Manning's real-life boyfriend.
Tony Adams (better known for his role as Adam Chance in Crossroads), played Elgin. Unfortunately he was taken ill during the recording of the final two episodes and so Roy Skelton was brought in to play a new character called Mr James who was given the lines originally written for Elgin.
Fight Arranger Terry Walsh is also seen as an uncredited Guard in episodes one, two and six.
This main setting for this story was Llanfairfach in Wales in February 1972 – a calendar is visible on the Global Chemicals security gate, which is for a 29 day month, with the first and last days being a Tuesday. The only relevant leap year February that this can refer to is February 1972. Unless of course it is an old calendar.
This story has been much criticised due to the look of the maggot creatures and the stereotypical portrayal of the Welsh occupants.
The Doctor finally gets to visit Metebelis 3. This was a running theme during
Season Ten which he first indicated an intention to do in "Carnival of Monsters", is finally realised – but 'the famous blue planet of the Acteon group' does not turn out to be exactly the way The Doctor described it in previous stories.
The consequences of The Doctor's journey to Metebelis 3, and the blue crystal he obtained there which he then gave as a wedding present to Jo and Clifford - are followed up in "Planet of the Spiders".
This story gave Jon Pertwee the opportunity to engage in a bit of creative costuming as both a cleaning woman and a Welsh milkman.
Sets from the Gerry Anderson series UFO were used to create BOSS. BOSS was also mentioned in passing in the Virgin Books' The New Adventures novel "Original Sin", written by Andy Lane.
Look out for the scene where The Doctor temporarily stumps BOSS by asking ‘If I were to tell you that the next thing I say would be true, but the last thing I said was a lie, would you believe me?’ This is a variation on a line from the Star Trek episode "I, Mudd". The question is an example of the liar paradox, which dates back to at least the fourth century BC. In a twist on the concept though, BOSS initially dismisses the question as nonsense before being goaded into trying to answer it by The Doctor.
Supposedly to save time during recording the title sequence film over which the closing credits were superimposed, for episodes two, five and six, was played backwards and upside-down.
This story marks the final appearance of the howlaround title sequence introduced in 1970. It also is the last appearance of the logo introduced in "Spearhead From Space" until the 1996 television movie "Doctor Who: The Movie". The 1996 version of this logo has been used for marketing purposes by the BBC since that time, and is still used for merchandise relating to the pre-2005 stories.
A novelisation of this story, written by Malcolm Hulke, was published by Target Books in August 1975. The company Global Chemicals had to be changed to Panorama Chemicals because a real Global Chemicals was found to exist. Malcolm Hulke tells the story from several points of view including the possessed Stevens, the psychotic Hinks and even a hungry maggot. This was the last book to feature interior illustrations.
The story was repeated on BBC One as an omnibus over Christmas 1973. It was repeated again, in its original episodic format, on BBC Two in 1993 and again, as 3 compilation episodes, as part of ‘1973 Week’ on BBC Four in 2006.
The Green Death came out on VHS in October 1996 as a two-tape set. On the back of the VHS box, BBC Video presented this story's release as a tribute to Jon Pertwee, who died a few months earlier in May 1996, aged 76. The United Kingdom release, rushed in memory of the death of Jon Pertwee, featured a unique logo/titling scheme on the cover that was not used again for any subsequent Doctor Who VHS releases afterward.
The DVD release of this story, in May 2004, features a fictitious documentary, "Global Conspiracy", starring Mark Gatiss as investigative reporter Terry Scanlon, following up the events surrounding the incident at Global Chemicals. Several actors from "The Green Death" briefly reprise their roles, and it is revealed that Stevens and BOSS survived.
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The Firsts:
The first time The Doctor visits Metebelis 3 - the famous blue planet of the Acteon group.
The first time The Doctor engages in a bit of creative costuming - as both a cleaning woman and a Welsh milkman.
The first (and only) farewell scene between the Third Doctor and one of his companions.
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(Position = 36 out of 159)
(Position = 39 out of 200)
