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The Key To Time
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| Production Notes | |||
Doctor Who
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Directed by George Spenton-Foster Pennant Robers Darrol Blake Michael Hayes & Norman Stewart Produced by Graham Williams |
Original Airdate
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| Cover Blurb | |
| The Ribos Operation: Having left Leela on Gallifrey, the Doctor and K9 Mark II don’t remain footloose for long. The TARDIS is soon intercepted by the White Guardian. The White Guardian sets the Doctor on an urgent mission to locate the six segments of the Key to Time, which are well disguised and hidden in odd corners of time and space. Once assembled, the Key will allow the White Guardian to restore balance to a universe descending into evil and chaos. |
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| The Pirate Planet: As the Doctor, Romana and K9 head for the planet Calufrax in search of the second segment of the Key to Time, they are in for a surprise when the TARDIS brings them to Zanak, an entirely different planet occupying the same space coordinates. Did Romana take a wrong turn when she navigated by the book? No, the tracer registers that the segment is near. |
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The Stones of Blood: The search for the third segment of the Key to
Time leads the Doctor and Romana to the English countryside and an ancient
stone circle called the Nine Travelers. There they meet Professor Amelia
Rumford and her friend Vivien Fay, who are conducting a new survey of the
stones. Curiously, the number of stones has not been consistent in the
historical sources the professor has researched. |
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| The Androids of Tara: Getting the fourth segment of the Key to Time is the easiest part of the trip to the planet Tara, whose idyllic atmosphere lulls the Doctor into a mood to go fishing and leave the segment-tracing to Romana. She locates it after a short walk on a beautiful day, but her luck changes when she meets the courtly Count Grendel. |
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| The Power of Kroll: The search for the fifth segment of the Key to Time brings the Doctor and Romana to the swampy terrain of the third moon of the planet Delta Magna. Almost immediately, they become separated. The Doctor draws fire when he is mistaken for Rohm-Dutt, a notorious gunrunner wanted for supplying firearms to the Swampies, an aboriginal people who were displaced to the marshy moon when human colonists took possession of Delta Magna. A small team from Delta Magna are now developing a refinery in the Swampies’ promised territory, but the Swampies are confident that, properly armed, they can drive the humans away. |
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| The Armageddon Factor: The last stretch of the quest for the Key to Time brings the Doctor and Romana to the planet Atrios in the last days of a nuclear war with its neighboring planet Zeos. The Atrian ruler, Princess Astra, presses for peace, but the Marshal insists that his forces can win the war. Those near the Marshal fear that his judgment is suffering from the strain of command. He has taken to making most of his decisions following meditations before a strange black mirror. The Princess has disappeared, and the Marshal now rules unopposed. Have the Doctor and Romana arrived too late to complete their mission before Atrios is destroyed? |
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| DVD Features |
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Disc One |
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An impressive 60 minute documentary highlighting the tenure of Doctor Who producer Graham Williams, and in particular, the Key to Time season. Interviews include the late Graham Williams (producer), Tom Baker (4th Doctor), Louise Jameson (Leela), Mary Tamm (Romana #1), Lalla Ward (Romana #2), and John Leeson (voice of K-9). Also contributing are Graham Williams' widow, Jackie Williams, script editors Anthony Read and the late Douglas Adams, as well as directors Pennant Roberts, Ken Grieve, Darrol Blake, Michael Hayes, and Christopher Barry. |
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A 20 minute featurette specifically highlighting the making of this story. |
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Original continuity announcements from the 1978 transmission of the story. |
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An original trailer created for the 1978 season. |
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Lots of trivia and tidbits of Whovian detail are provided. The text appears intermittently along the bottom of the screen and is written by members of the Doctor Who Restoration Team. |
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Commentary is provided by Tom Baker (4th Doctor) and Mary Tamm (Romana). The two actors seem to enjoy their time reminiscing about the story. This is the identical commentary included on the bare bones 2002 release. |
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Color stills showing many publicity stills from the production of this story. Many of the pictures are rare or even never before seen. |
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Accessible from any computer with a DVD drive, a PDF of some of the original Radio Times press clippings. |
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There is one egg on this disc. Scroll down to see further details. For a full list of known Easter Eggs and screen grabs of them click HERE. |
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Disc Two |
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A 30 minute documentary on the making of "The Pirate Planet". Included are interviews with writer Douglas Adams as well as Mary Tamm (Romana), Bruce Purchase (The Captain), John Leeson (voice of K-9), Rosalind Lloyd (Queen Xanxia), and Primi Townsend (Mula). |
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A spoof in the style of 1970's children's science shows. This featurette looks into the science of "The Key to Time". |
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Original continuity announcements from the 1978 transmission of the story. |
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Some footage was included in the original 2002 release, but this version is expanded out to 13 minutes worth of footage. |
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Lots of trivia and tidbits of Whovian detail are provided. The text appears intermittently along the bottom of the screen and is written by members of the Doctor Who Restoration Team. |
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The first option is to listen to
the
commentary included with the original 2002 release. The participants on this commentary are
Pennant Roberts (director) and Bruce Purchase (the Captain). The second option is for an all new commentary by Tom Baker (4th Doctor), Mary Tamm (Romana), and Anthony Read (script editor). |
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Color stills showing many publicity stills from the production of this story. Many of the pictures are rare or even never before seen. |
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Accessible from any computer with a DVD drive, a PDF of some of the original Radio Times press clippings. |
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None on this disc. For a full list of known Easter Eggs and screen grabs of them click HERE. |
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Disc Three |
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This 26 minute featurette details the making of "The Stones of Blood". Included are interviews with writer David Fisher as well as Mary Tamm (Romana), Susan Engel (Vivian Fey), John Leeson (voice of K-9), Darrol Blake (director), Anthony Read (script editor), and Mat Irvine (visual effects). |
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A look at the influence of the Hammer Horror film genre on Doctor Who during the 1970's. Interviews include Tom Baker (4th Doctor), Terrance Dicks (writer and script editor), and Anthony Read (script editor). |
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Actress Mary Tamm (Romana) visits the stone circle site used for "The Stones of Blood" and discusses the history of ancient stone circles in England. |
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Two minutes worth of footage excised from episode 2. |
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Mat Irvine highlights some of the model work done for this story during a segment of "The Model World of Robert Symes". |
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During the show's 15th anniversary, Blue Peter ran a six minute segment celebrating the event. |
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The BBC1 newsmagazine show interviewed Tom Baker (4th Doctor), Mary Tamm (Romana), and Carole Ann Ford (Susan) to mark the show's 15th anniversary. |
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Original continuity announcements from the 1978 transmission of the story. |
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Lots of trivia and tidbits of Whovian detail are provided. The text appears intermittently along the bottom of the screen and is written by members of the Doctor Who Restoration Team. |
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|
The first option is to listen to
the
commentary included with the original 2002 release. The participants on this commentary are
Mary Tamm (Romana) and Darrol Blake (director). The second option is for an all new commentary by Tom Baker (4th Doctor), Mary Tamm (Romana), Susan Engel (Vivian Fey), and David Fisher (writer). |
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Color stills showing many publicity stills from the production of this story. Many of the pictures are rare or even never before seen. |
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Accessible from any computer with a DVD drive, a PDF of some of the original Radio Times press clippings. |
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None on this disc. For a full list of known Easter Eggs and screen grabs of them click HERE. |
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Disc Four |
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This documentary highlights the making of "The Androids of Tara". Interviews include writer David Fisher as well as Mary Tamm (Romana), Paul Lavers (Farrah), Neville Jason (Prince Reynart), Anthony Read (script editor), and director Michael Hayes. |
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A recurring featurette that highlights some of the location work done, this time narrated by Paul Lavers (Farrah). |
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An 11 minute overview of the use of "doubles" throughout Doctor Who's history. |
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Lots of trivia and tidbits of Whovian detail are provided. The text appears intermittently along the bottom of the screen and is written by members of the Doctor Who Restoration Team. |
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The commentary included here is identical to the original 2002 release. Commentary is provided by Tom Baker (4th Doctor), Mary Tamm (Romana) and Michael Hayes (director). |
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Photographs showing many publicity stills from the production of this story. Many of the pictures are rare or even never before seen. |
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Accessible from any computer with a DVD drive, a PDF of some of the original Radio Times press clippings. |
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None on this disc. For a full list of known Easter Eggs and screen grabs of them click HERE. |
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Disc Five |
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This featurette offers a rare glimpse into the behind the scenes filming of this story. Eleven minutes of black and white, time coded material are offered up here. |
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A brief 10 minute documentary featuring Mary Tamm (Romana) discussing her single season with the program. |
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This time the spotlight is on recurring character actor Philip Madoc and his many associations with Doctor Who throughout the years. |
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A BBC news program that visited the marshy Doctor Who locations as filming was taking place back in 1978. |
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Original continuity announcements from the 1978 transmission of the story. |
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|
Lots of trivia and tidbits of Whovian detail are provided. The text appears intermittently along the bottom of the screen and is written by members of the Doctor Who Restoration Team. |
|
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|
The commentary included here is identical to the original 2002 release. Commentary is provided by Tom Baker (4th Doctor) and John Leeson (voice of K-9) who both offer up an entertaining 90 minutes. |
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Photographs showing many publicity stills from the production of this story. Many of the pictures are rare or even never before seen. |
|
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|
Accessible from any computer with a DVD drive, a PDF of some of the original Radio Times press clippings. |
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None on this disc. For a full list of known Easter Eggs and screen grabs of them click HERE. |
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Disc Six |
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The first option is to listen to
the
commentary included with the original 2002 release. The participants on this commentary are
Mary Tamm (Romana),
John Woodvine (the Marshal),
and
Michael Hayes (director). The second option is for an all new commentary by Tom Baker (4th Doctor), Mary Tamm (Romana), and John Leeson (voice of K-9). |
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Accessible from any computer with a DVD drive, a PDF of the 1979 Doctor Who Annual. |
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None on this disc. For a full list of known Easter Eggs and screen grabs of them click HERE. |
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Disc
Seven |
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A 15 minute look into the making of "The Armageddon Factor". Interviews include Mary Tamm (Romana #1), Lalla Ward (Princess Astra/Romana #2), David Harries (Shapp), and Barry Jackson (Drax). Also included are writers Bob Baker and Dave Martin, Michael Hays (director), Richard McManan-Smith (designer), and Anthony Read (script editor). |
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A very brief 2 minute clip taken from time-coded black and white production recordings. |
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An interview with prolific Doctor Who director Michael Hayes. |
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A brief history of other rogue Time Lords seen throughout the long history of the series. |
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An original 1978 interview done with Tom Baker. |
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A brief interview with Dick Mills and Brian Hodgson of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop discussing the role the RW played in Doctor Who sounds effects and music. |
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An even briefer snippet, once again with Dick Mills, discussing Doctor Who music and sound effects at the BBC RW. |
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A one minute specially recorded clip filmed in 1978, with Tom Baker (4th Doctor) and companion Mary Tamm (Romana) wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. Recorded as part of an annual (and internal) BBC Christmas tape that year. |
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Original continuity announcements from the 1978 transmission of the story. |
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Tom Baker reading several short
stories written by notable science fiction authors for the 1978
series. Included are...
The Photograph by Nigel Kneale |
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Lots of trivia and tidbits of Whovian detail are provided. The text appears intermittently along the bottom of the screen and is written by members of the Doctor Who Restoration Team. |
|
|
|
|
Color stills showing many publicity stills from the production of this story. Many of the pictures are rare or even never before seen. |
|
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|
|
Accessible from any computer with a DVD drive, a PDF of some of the original Radio Times press clippings. |
|
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|
There is one egg on this disc. Scroll down for further details. For a full list of known Easter Eggs and screen grabs of them click HERE. |
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Easter Egg |
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#1. SCHEDULE
CHANGE
Disc One - "The Ribos Operation" |
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#1.
TEMPORARY FAULT - 1978 Disc Seven - "The Armageddon Factor" |
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| Additional Notes |
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