M is for... Mykros

Mykros was a member of the ruling council of the planet Karfel, under their chairman the Maylin. This council merely acted as figureheads, as the real power lay with the reclusive Borad.

Mykros and fellow council member Vena - daughter of Maylin Renis - secretly supported efforts to return democracy to the planet. The young man attempted to discuss his concerns with Renis, but they were overheard by the Borad. He killed the Maylin and ordered Mykros' capture. He was to be thrown into the Timelash - a crude time tunnel from which no-one ever returned.

Trying to save him, Vena stole new Maylin Tekker's seal of office and fell into the Timelash with it. Tekker forced the newly arrived Doctor to pursue her in the TARDIS and retrieve it, as it was a vital component of the Borad's technology. 

Mykros was held prisoner for a time, but the Doctor soon him helped lead a revolt.

Once the Borad had been defeated, Mykros helped prevent a war with the neighbouring Bandrills, and assumed the role of Maylin himself.

Played by: Eric Deacon. Appearances: Timelash (1985). 

• Eric appeared in the Peter Greenaway film A Zed and Two Noughts the same year as his Doctor Who story. In this he starred alongside his brother Brian, portraying twins. (Brian starred in children's Aztec drama The Feathered Serpent alongside Patrick Troughton).

M is for... Myers, Miss

A member of the Fleshkind, who were engaged in a centuries-long war with the Metalkind in a distant galaxy. Her people developed a biological weapon in the form of a child. However, this was taken away from them and deposited on the doorstep of Sarah Jane Smith where it rapidly grew into a young girl. Sarah named her "Sky", as she had appeared just as if she had fallen from the sky. 

The child was traced to Earth and Miss Myers arrived to retrieve her. She gained mental control over a power station worker, as part of the plan to energise and activate the weapon. A member of the Metalkind arrived at the same time, determined to prevent the Fleshkind from using Sky against them.

The girl's destructive powers were neutralised, then the Metalkind captured Myers and teleported her off the planet.

Played by: Christine Stephen-Daly. Appearances: SJA 5.1 Sky (2011).

• Stephen-Daly was a regular on long-running medical soap Casualty.
• Another sci-fi role was as Lt Teeg in Farscape.

M is for... Mutos

Genetically maimed outcasts from both sides of the thousand year Thal-Kaled war on the planet Skaro. They were descendants of the victims of the chemical, biological and radioactive weapons used in the first decades of the wars - their genetic mutation being passed down the line. New Mutos were created as the conflict progressed. 

They were forced to scavenge in the wasteland between the Thal and Kaled cities, and regarded anyone not like them - "Norms" - as their enemies. The troops of the opposing armies used them as slave labour and killed those who could not be exploited - but resented wasting ammunition to do so.

One of their number - a man named Sevrin - saved Sarah Jane Smith when she became separated from the Doctor and Harry. A fellow Muto named Gerrill had wanted to kill her.

Sevrin and Sarah were captured by Thal soldiers and set to work loading a missile with toxic explosives. There were several other Mutos forcibly engaged in this.

After the war was brought to a close, with the Daleks ascendant, Sevrin helped some of his people join forces with the combined Thal-Kaled survivors.

Played by: Stephen Yardley (Sevrin), Jeremy Chandler (Gerrill). Appearances: Genesis of the Daleks (1975).

• Yardley returned to the series to play Arak in Vengeance on Varos.

M is for... Mutes

Black-clad servants of the Shadow, who was himself servant to the Black Guardian. They had skeletal features and wore monk-like hooded robes. As the name suggests, they never spoke, and appeared not to have any mouth. 

The Doctor and Romana encountered them on the Shadow's planet - an artificial construction in a fixed orbit between the twin planets of Atrios and Zeos. They travelled between these worlds via a secret transmat system. They abducted Princess Astra on one of their raids.

They were all wiped out when the Atrian Marshal launched a missile attack on Zeos, which was diverted to the Shadow's domain.

Appearances: The Armageddon Factor (1978).

• Writers Bob Baker and Dave Martin named these creatures after "mutants", but the design team took them literally and made them mouthless.
• BBC paperwork referred to actor Stephen Calcutt as "Super Mute", so presumably he's the one in the Doctor / Drax shrinking sequence.

Inspirations: Night Terrors

Night Terrors is written by Mark Gatiss, but it follows the Steven Moffat rule of twisting and corrupting some aspect of childhood to create a scary story which adults could relate to.

The series had attempted to do a creepy child story in the recent past - and fallen flat on its face over it, so why Moffat and Gatiss thought they could succeed where Fear Her had failed is anyone's guess.

Gatiss' story is pretty much a retread of the earlier story, with a creepy child capable of transporting others into the fantasy domain of their imagination. For Chloe it's into drawings in order to create friends, and for George it's into a dolls house as a way of disposing of the things he is scared of or feels threatened by.

It is a superior story, as it employs some striking imagery like the living peg dolls, and has a lot more atmosphere - but it's common knowledge that children have little interest in watching characters of their own age, and adults aren't bothered about watching dramas featuring children.

The "atmosphere" of this episode actually led to it being shifted in the running order of the sixth series. It was supposed to fall in the first half of the series - so technically this is the Flesh Avatar Amy we're watching. Thinking there were too many "dark" episodes in the Spring, Night Terrors was swapped - with the equally dark pirate story.

Gatiss wanted to do a ghost story for Doctor Who, having written the supernatural series Crooked House. This multi-generational story told of weird happenings at an old house, and one involved a haunting in an ordinary modern house built on the site after it had been demolished.

His initial idea was a story revolving around different phobias. A psychiatrist conference would be held at a remote country hotel, with experts in phobias attending.

However, this was too close to the story which Toby Whithouse was working on - the one that would become The God Complex.

Giving it further thought, Gatiss hit on the idea that the scariest place in the world is a child's bedroom, and the action evolved to a tower block setting - one rarely featuring in the series.

Knowing of some couples who were struggling to start a family, he thought of an alien "cuckoo in the nest" scenario. These birds lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, in the expectation that they will rear their young for them.

The forenames of the family members came from a family Gatiss knew personally, whilst the nasty landlord - Purcell - was named after a hated PE teacher.

The monster of the piece is the aforementioned peg doll, of which we get different types. Gatiss explained that he had always found dolls creepy - especially the more crudely-made ones which only marginally resembled real people.

One assumes that Gatiss was aware of the 'Arthur's Seat Dolls', found by schoolboys in Edinburgh in 1836. A number of tiny, crudely-made dolls were found, stored in miniature coffins were dug up on the distinctive hill overlooking the city - remnant of a volcanic plug. It has been claimed by some that the dolls represent the victims of the notorious West Port murders - better known as the exploits of resurrectionists Burke and Hare.

Creepy dolls had featured in Doctor Who in the past, in stories such as The Celestial Toymaker and Terror of the Autons. With their painted faces they often resemble that other common phobic source - clowns. The "Unhappy Valley" syndrome applies to both - something which looks almost human, but not quite, is found to be disquieting and eerie.

Even supposedly "nice" dolls - like the ones seen in children's series Play School or Bagpuss - can unsettle.

Fans of Forteana will be aware of the number of cursed objects which just happen to be dolls, with portraits ("false" faces, again) coming a close second.

The title comes from Pavor Nocturnas. This is a common sleep disorder in which sufferers can appear to be awake and engaging in odd behaviours including sleep-walking / eating, as well as suffering from sleep paralysis, night sweats and vivid nightmares. It tends to last only 10 minutes or so, but can be longer for small children. It affects 5 - 10% of preschool children.

The Doctor mentions some favourite fairy tales, related to Doctor Who: The Three Little Pigs becomes "The Three Little Sontarans"; The Emperor's New Clothes becomes "The Dalek Emperor's New Clothes"; and Snow White and the Seven Dwarves becomes "Snow White and the Seven Keys to Doomsday" - from the Terrance Dicks Dalek stage play from 1974.

Next time: The Doctor takes a back seat, so we get two Amy's and two Rory's instead. They're visiting a hospital where the staff can kill - but at least they do it with kindness...

Episode 113: The Dancing Floor

NB: This episode no longer exists in the archives, nor is there a full set of telesnaps. Representative images are therefore used to illustrate it.

Synopsis:

Steven and Dodo have been given another riddle to solve:

"Hunt the key that fits the door,

That leads out on the dancing floor,

Then escape the rhythmic beat,

Or you'll forever tap your feet"

The Toymaker is unfazed by the fact that his teams have been beaten twice by the Doctor's companions. From his dolls house he removes another two figures, whom he identifies as Mrs Wiggs and Sergeant Rugg. 

Steven and Dodo pass through the fake TARDIS and down a corridor to emerge in another large chamber, followed by the trio of ballerina dolls.

The room they find themselves in is a huge antique kitchen, cluttered with culinary bric-a-brac. Presiding over this is Mrs Wiggs - a Victorian cook. Her friend, Sergeant Rugg, is a member of the British Army of the Napoleonic era, and claims to have served under Wellington - "the Iron Duke". 

Also present is a kitchen boy named Cyril, who spends all of his time sleeping by the oven.

Dodo asks them about the riddle, and Mrs Wiggs claims that the only dancing floor she knows of lies beyond the next door. They find that it is locked.

It soon becomes clear that their new challenge is to hunt for the key - a version of "Hunt the Thimble".

Wiggs and Rugg claim not to know its location either, so whoever finds the key first is the winner.

Everyone scrambles around searching, but eventually one of the cook's pies is dropped on the floor and Dodo finds the key within. She and Steven unlock the door.

The Toymaker enters the kitchen and berates the cook and soldier, warning them not to fail him any further. He orders them to follow the Doctor's companions.

Beyond the door is a chamber with a raised floor, on which stand the three ballerina dolls. Behind them is the TARDIS. Steven is about to step onto the floor when Dodo urges caution - reminding him of the riddle.

When he moves forward, he finds himself dancing with one of the dolls - unable to resist.

He realises that he must force the dance towards the TARDIS in order to reach it. Dodo joins him, and Mrs Wiggs and the Sergeant follow suit to attempt to get to the TARDIS first.

Rugg is about to touch it when he is swept away by his partner, and the Doctor's companions achieve their goal. They dive inside, only to discover that it is another fake cabinet.

Again, Dodo and Steven argue about the nature of their opponents, having recognised the figures from their previous games. She still sees them as intelligent beings, whilst he thinks of them only as soulless creations of the Toymaker.

Behind them, the cook and the soldier dance off into the distance, like emotionless automatons.

The Toymaker disposes of the lifeless dolls and selects what will be the final opponent. He notes that the Doctor has only another 123 moves to go, before the Trilogic Game is completed.

Steven and Dodo have found their next riddle:

"Lady luck will show the way,

Win the game or here you'll stay"

They then meet their new opponent - Cyril, now in the form of a jovial schoolboy.  It becomes clear that he loves to play mischievous tricks on people, as he uses a concealed electric buzzer when shaking hands with Steven. To Dodo, however, he appears charming - even giving her a bag of his sweets.

He warns them that he is going to be their toughest foe yet...

Next episode: The Final Test

Data:

Written by: Brian Hayles

Recorded: Friday 1st April 1966 - Riverside Studio 1

First broadcast: 5:50pm, Saturday 16th April 1966

Ratings: 9.4 million / AI 44

Designer: John Wood

Director: Bill Sellars

Additional cast: Beryl Braham, Ann Harrison, Delia Lindon (Ballerina Dolls). 

Critique:

The game this week is "Hunt the Thimble", played against characters who are designed to mimic those in the "Happy Families" card game. However, there's no soldier character, so Rugg may be based on a child's lead soldier, whilst the game does feature Mrs Bun, the Baker's wife - the probable inspiration for Mrs Wiggs.

One short scene was pre-filmed at Ealing on Wednesday 2nd March. This featured Campbell Singer as Sergeant Rugg, and Carmen Silvera as Mrs Wiggs, dancing against black drapes. This would be used to show them vanishing off into a distant black void. Both wore padded costumes.

For both actors, this would be their final episode of the story.

April 1st is known as "April Fool's Day" - appropriate enough for the recording of an instalment of a story which has featured a literal Fool as well as other tricksters.

William Hartnell remained on holiday, the Doctor continuing to be mute and invisible as he played his game.

The episode made use of a choreographer. This was Norwegian dancer and actor Tutte Lemkow, who had appeared in the series three times prior to this story. The first of these had been playing the eye-patched Kuiju in Marco Polo, followed by Ibrahim in The Crusade and then Cyclops in The Myth Makers. This would be his final association with the programme.

Two pieces of music were provided by Dudley Simpson for the dancing - a waltz for the main action and a jauntier piece for when the dolls are first seen, dancing by themselves.

As mentioned last time, Gerry Davis had intended the final iteration of Cyril to be akin to the Artful Dodger, from Oliver Twist. However, a description of the character as looking like Billy Bunter was taken literally by costume designer Daphne Dare.

Bunter was created by Frank Richards - the pen name of writer Charles Hamilton. He is a rotund schoolboy (from Greyfriars School) who wears thick round glasses. He's obsessed with eating and playing jokes - especially where one gains him the other.

He first appeared in boys' paper The Magnet in 1908, drawn by C.H. Chapman. Gerald Champion, who would later appear as the porter in Shada) played the character on BBC TV between 1952 - 1961.

On screen, Peter Stephens actually claims that, despite being named Cyril in more than one form, his friends call him "Billy". 

This line does not feature in the script, so may well have been an ad-lib by the actor - one that would contribute to problems later on... 

Two main sets were required for the episode - the cluttered kitchen, full of antique kitchenalia and nursery room furniture, and the spartan ballroom, which comprised a relatively small triangular raised floor. The TARDIS prop had its lamp missing.

Stephens first appeared in studio as the kitchen boy. The script included Steven commenting on how all the Toyroom characters looked like each other.

With Hartnell absent, Michael Gough's Toymaker got to interact with his playthings for the first time. The script stressed how he should be cruel and menacing towards his creatures, whilst always being charming to his "guests".

As the latter part of the episode involved music and actors moving around, it was decided that they should pre-record some of their lines.

The back of the fake TARDIS fell away to reveal a short passage, at the end of which was Cyril. The actor had slipped away for his costume change during the dancing, but was still seen wearing the white cook's cap. He removed this and replaced it with a school cap - completing the Billy Bunter image.

As was the norm now for this story, the end credits began playing over an image of the Trilogic Game.

Shortly after broadcast, the BBC received a complaint from the Frank Richards estate regarding Cyril's closing appearance. Peter Stephens was dressed like Billy Bunter, acted like Billy Bunter, and even said that he gets called "Billy". This was clearly unauthorised use of the character.

The BBC argued that Cyril was merely impersonating a Bunter-like figure. 

It was agreed that the BBC would broadcast an apology the following week, as Cyril featured prominently throughout The Final Test.

It comes as a shock to listen to this episode for the very first time, as remarkably little happens. Half the running time is taken up with Rugg and Wiggs squabbling with each other, as everyone rifles the contents of the kitchen. There's no threat whatsoever - just people throwing things about. It sounds - and presumably looked - chaotic.

The latter part of the episode at least has the sinister living dolls, but it really does appear that Davis was struggling to fill the four episodes with sufficient incident.

Trivia:

• The ratings see a huge rise of nearly 1.5 million this week. The appreciation figure, on the other hand, drops to its lowest since the ill-advised Christmas Day episode, The Feast of Steven. It's little wonder when you listen to the episode now.
• The trio of actors playing the ballerinas had featured in the previous episode, but were only credited on this one.
• "Happy Families" was created by the games-maker John Jaques Jr, and made its debut at the Great Exhibition in 1851. It features 11 families, representing different trades and occupations, along with their wives, sons and daughters. Players have to collect sets of all four family members.
• "Hunt the Thimble" is also known as "Hide the Thimble".  It is recorded in 1830 in the US, when it was known as "Hot Buttered Beans". The seeker for the hidden item can be told if they are getting closer to their goal, or further away, by the other players saying "hot" or "cold".
• On the day of broadcast, a concerned viewer from London - B Williams - wrote to the Daily Mirror: "The atmosphere of terror, sadism and wickedness of Dr. Who makes it the most psychologically mixed-up show on TV. I shudder to think what its effect is on sensitive children. It should be screened at 10:50pm, not 5:50pm". Definitely written before they had seen this episode, then.
• A few days later, on Thursday 21st April, a young reader sent a letter to Radio Times telling of how they had made their own copy of the Trilogic Game.

The Art of... The Celestial Toymaker

The Celestial Toymaker was novelised by Gerry Davis, who had been Story Editor as well as writer of the final script as televised. Joining him is Alison Bingeman, who was his partner and protégé at the time.

The book was first published in November 1986, with cover art by Graham Potts - his only contribution to the range, though he also produced the cover for Peter Haining's 20th Anniversary book - Doctor Who: A Celebration. 

The books were avoiding the likenesses of the Doctors on their covers at this time (including that of the present TARDIS incumbent, thanks to issues with Colin Baker's agent).

The likeness to Michael Gough might never be described as "strong", but it's there, whilst the clowns are very well realised. This cover was actually voted best of the year by Doctor Who Monthly readers.

Response to the novel by fans was negative, and it is widely believed that Davis secured the commission purely so that Bingeman could write the book. She subsequently went on to become a writer on a number of big US TV shows.

A  reprint with new cover art by Alister Pearson followed in 1992, by which time it was acceptable to feature the relevant Doctor on the covers - now that the series was off the air. The Doctor ponders the Trilogic Game from a publicity shot from the opening episode, whilst the Toymaker derives from a profile portrait photograph of Gough.

The soundtrack - narrated by Peter Purves - was released in April 2001 with the usual photomontage cover. There's an eclectic mix of characters on display between the Doctor and the Toymaker. Whilst Joey and Clara might be expected, having featured prominently in publicity, the choice of the Joker, Knave and one of the ballerinas is a trifle odd.

In advance of the character's return in The Giggle as part of the 60th Anniversary celebrations, The Celestial Toymaker saw its soundtrack reissued on vinyl, courtesy of Demon Records, on 30th September 2022. It's a striking cover. The Toymaker presides over primary colourful building block / playing card imagery, with a number of Toyroom characters making an appearance.

The Giggle was also responsible for the story being selected as the latest missing adventure to get the animated treatment. The DVD / Blu-ray (above) and Steelbook (below) are due to be released in mid-June 2024. 

The animation style selected is that used for the third instalment of The Web of Fear, which met with almost universal derision. Reaction by those who saw the story previewed at the BFI in February 2024 is mixed. Some would prefer animation which honours the original story as broadcast, whilst others claim that this animation is appropriate to the surreal nature of the story, and the release is meant to attract a new audience anyway. Expect a review when it finally comes out.

If the vinyl cover is striking in a good way, the same could never be said of the DVD / Blu-ray cover. It's possibly the worst ever, with little or no effort gone into the design, when you consider the range of visual material which the story affords.