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67) FRONTIER IN SPACE

24 February - 31 March 1973

Average Viewing Figure: 8M

Plot

Arriving in the year 2540, The Doctor and Jo are caught in the middle of a war between The Human Race and Draconians

Cast

Jon Pertwee (The Doctor), Katy Manning (Jo Grant), Roger Delgado (The Master), Vera Fusek (President of Earth)

Michael Hawkins (General Williams), John Woodnutt (Draconian Emperor), Peter Birrel (Draconian Prince), Ray Lonnen (Gardiner)

Barry Ashton (Kemp), John Rees (Hardy), James Culliford (Stewart), Louis Mahoney (Newscaster), Roy Pattison (Draconian Space Pilot)

Lawrence Davidson (Draconian First Secretary), Timothy Craven (Cell Guard), Harold Goldblatt (Professor Dale), Madhav Sharma (Patel)

Dennis Bowen (Prison Governor), Richard Shaw (Cross), Luan Peters (Sheila), Caroline Hunt (Technician), Karol Hagar (Secretary)

Laurence Harrington (Lunar Guard), Bill Wilde (Draconian Captain), Ian Frost (Draconian Messenger), Clifford Elkin (Earth Cruiser Captain)

Ramsey Williams (Congressman Brook), Stanley Price (Pilot of Space Ship), Stephen Thorne (First Ogron), Michael Kilgarriff (Second Guard)

Rick Lester (Third Ogron), John Scott Martin, Murphy Grumbar, Cy Town (Daleks), Michael Wisher (Dalek Voices)

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Uncredited Cast

Bill Burridge, Ken Wade, Ray Millar, Terry Sartain, Kevin Moran, Andy Devine, Les Bates, Bill Matthews, Stuart Myers (Draconians)

James Griffin, Dennis Plenty, Terry Denville, David Bila, Emmett Hennessey, Wolfgang Van Jurgen (Earth Guards), Maurice Purvis

Steve Kelly, Geoff Todd, Maurice Bush, Bruce Wells, Chris Stevens (Ogrons), Dennis Plenty, Terry Denville, Geoff Witherick

Emmett Hennessey, George Ribitt, Derek Hunt, David Billa, Brian Nolan, Ian Yardley (Prison Guards), Leslie Bates, Steve Tierney

Laurence Held, Gary Dean (Lunar Guards), John Moore, Jean St. Louis, Nelly Griffiths, Dana Michie, Nancy Gabrielee, John Hughman

George McFarlane, Fred Looker,  Monika, Michael Mulcaster, David Layton (Prisoners), Bill Matthews, Andy Devine (Draconian Guards)

Ken Wade Steve Tierney, Richard King, Rodney Cardiff (Draconian Emperor Guards), John Scott Martin (Mutant), Pat Gorman (Sea Devil)

Geoff Witherick, Leslie Bates, David Waterman, Richard King, Steve Tierney (Williams' Earth Guards),  John Bradburn (Ogron Eater)

Crew

Malcolm Hulke (Writer), Ron Grainer (Title Music), Dudley Simpson (Incidental Music), Dick Mills (Special Sound)

Bernard Wilkie, Rhys Jones (Visual Effects Designers), Ralph Walton (Lighting), Brian Hiles (Sound), Barbara Kidd (Costume Designer)

Sandra Shepherd (Make-Up), John Friedlander (Masks), Terrance Dicks (Script Editor), Cynthia Kljuco (Designer)

Barry Letts (Producer), Paul Bernard (Director)

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Uncredited Crew

Tommy Dawson, Ron Bristow (Technical Managers), Mike Turner, Shirley Coward (Vision Mixers), Christopher Moss (Floor Assistant)

Sarah Newman (Production Secretary), Ruth Hyde (Props Buyer), George Bayton (Music Copyist), Gordon Phillipson (Grams)

Ray Angel (Post-Production Sound)​

Broadcast

Filming Locations

  • Bray Studios

  • Hayward Gallery, Belvedere Road, London

  • Beachfields Quarry, Redhill, Surrey

  • Fitzroy Park, Highgate, London

  • Ealing Film Studios: Stage 3A

  • Television Centre: Studio 3

  • Television Centre: Studio 4

Deaths

  • Ogrons [killed in many ways]

  • Prison Guards [killed by Ogrons]

  • Ogron [eaten by the Ogron Eater]

Production Days

  • 23 Days between Monday 13 August 1972 - Monday 22 January 1973

Production Errors

  1. Jo's tights continually change colour from scene to scene, and sometimes she isn't wearing them at all 

  2. The strings supporting Jon Pertwee whilst he performs The Doctor's escape from The Master prison transport ship are visible. Strings are also visible during The Doctor's spacewalk later on in the narrative 

  3. When The Doctor rolls back on a chair to escape the Draconians, it is obvious that Jon Pertwee did not perform in the scene, but rather a stunt double with a wig 

  4. A studio technician can be seen inside the airlock as The Doctor performs his space-walk in episode four

  5. If The Master's device makes one see their greatest fear, why does Jo see a Sea Devil and a Mutant? Surely someone like Azal would have been a much perfect fit

  6. After knocked to the floor, Jo clearly has The Master's gun in her hand as she helps The Doctor. The gun disappears in the following shot when Jo helps The Doctor into the Tardis 

  7. Where exactly did The Master go?​​​

Working Titles

  • Frontiers in Space

Verdict

An epic space-opera narrative filled with impressive model shots, a big-sized cast, a variety of locations and plenty of space travel scenes to keep things fresh and on its toes. This is the first time where we see an intergalactic war story where two mighty empires are battling it out until the bitter end. It is clear that there is tremendous effort from everyone involved who are all trying to create two and a half hours of entertainment. There is very little padding which allows the story to move in a linear manner without the need to stop and catch its breath every five minutes. The cross fade to The Doctor arriving on the moon is the only exception but hey what could Hulke have written in between? Little pieces of magic like this shows just how resourceful the show can be. There is some repetitious material with constant escapes plans which fail, bickering back and forth, interrogations but the continuous change of environment and setting make these sets back forgivable. Hulke has written a great script full of twists and surprises and Daleks’ reveal is a great addition to the story. The show reach such a climax that the resolution is very rushed. The Master just disappears, and The Doctor’s injury is confused and muddled. Aside from that Hulke has provided a great script and makes for good entertainment anytime. ****

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