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Serial 5X: The Visitation
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| Plot |
| Production |
As Bidmead and Nathan-Turner encountered numerous difficulties in finding suitable stories for Season Nineteen, however, it was decided to proceed forward with Saward's submission. As a result, Saward composed a revised version in September and October under the title of Plague Rats, which proved more to Nathan-Turner's liking. Saward was formally commissioned on November 20th; the title was changed once more to The Visitation, to better conceal the adventure's plot twist. One addition requested by Nathan-Turner was that Saward include the destruction of the Doctor's sonic screwdriver in his scripts. Like K-9, Nathan-Turner believed that the sonic screwdriver -- a part of the series' mythos since 1968 -- had become too convenient a plot device for writers.
Shortly afterward, Bidmead left Doctor Who and suggested that Saward consider applying for the position. Before Saward could do so, however, Antony Root was given a three-month appointment to replace Bidmead. As work on The Visitation progressed, Root too came to believe Saward might make an effective addition to Doctor Who's production team, and recommended him to Nathan-Turner. As a result, when Root left the show for another temporary posting on Juliet Bravo in April 1981, Saward was contracted for a similar three-month stint as Doctor Who's script editor, with the proviso that Root -- or perhaps somebody else entirely -- may be brought on board at the end of that term. Saward effectively took over for Root at this point, although Root would later be credited as script editor on Saward's Earthshock, to avoid the undesirable appearance of a writer script editing his own material. As it transpired, Root would not return to Doctor Who; after Juliet Bravo he moved on to The Chinese detective and then left the BBC entirely for Euston Films. Since then, Root has worked at both Working Title (where he helped make the well-received Tales Of The City) and Thames Television, where he served as Head of Drama.
The director assigned to The Visitation was Peter Moffatt, who had last worked on State Of Decay a year earlier. Despite being scheduled for fourth in the season's transmission order, availability of scripts -- particularly difficulties with the intended season opener, Project Zeta Sigma -- prompted the decision to make The Visitation fourth. Fortunately, the production situation would be somewhat eased by the fact that work on the series would be halted for several weeks following the completion of The Visitation to allow star Peter Davison to record the second series of his sitcom Sink Or Swim.
Location work began on May 5th at Black Park near Iver. This saw the debut of the primary Terileptil costume, whose mask featured the first use in Doctor Who of animatronics to control the alien's lips and gills. Designed by Peter Wragg and constructed by Richard Gregory of Imagineering, the expensive outfit came as a result of Nathan-Turner's fear that Who monsters too often looked like pantomime horses when they spoke.
The first two days of filming were hampered by both weather and the sound of airplanes from nearby Heathrow. Ironically for a programme which had been so often plagued by labour strife, this latter problem was eased on the third and final day of taping when an air controllers strike effectively shut Heathrow down. Afterward, cast and crew travelled to the Tithe Barn in Hurley for one day's recording on May 8th. Production then moved to the studio, beginning with a two-day block from Wednesday the 20th and concluding with a three-day session from Wednesday, June 3rd.
Eric Saward novelised The Visitation himself for Target Books, for publication in August 1982. Artist David McAllister was commissioned to paint the cover, but the finished product was greeted with dismay by Davison, who disapproved of McAllister's likeness of him. When Nathan-Turner concurred, Target elected to instead use a photographic still on the cover, beginning a trend for Davison novelisations which would last for much of the actor's tenure on the show.
| Details |
| Episode | Date | Time | Duration | Viewers | Audience App. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15th February 1982 | 6.57pm | 24'11" | 9.1m (54th) | |
| 2 | 16th February 1982 | 7.06pm | 24'26" | 9.3m (48th) | |
| 3 | 22nd February 1982 | 6.58pm | 24'24" | 9.9m (41st) | |
| 4 | 23rd February 1982 | 7.05pm | 23'32" | 10.1m (40th) |
| Producer | John Nathan-Turner |
| Script Editor | Antony Root |
| Writer | Eric Saward |
| Director | Peter Moffatt |
| Designer | Ken Starkey |
| Costume | Odile Dicks-Mireaux |
| Incidental Music | Paddy Kingsland |
Principal Guest Cast: James Charlton (Miller), Michael Melia (Terileptil Leader), Michael Robbins (Richard Mace), Peter Van Dissel (Android).
Novelisation: The Visitation by Eric Saward (book 69), August 1982; photomontage cover; rerelease cover by Alister Pearson (1992).
Video Release: The Visitation/Black Orchid, episodic format, July 1994; two tapes; PAL (BBC Video cat.# 5349) and NTSC (Warners cat.# E1322) formats; cover by Pete Wallbank.
Rankings: 63rd (67.85%, Doctor Who Dynamic Rankings website, 22nd June 1999); 46th (73.56%, DWM 1997 Annual Survey).
| Sources |
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