8 Comments

I think the idea of the ark/space station story ever being a 6-parter is a 'fan myth'. Goodness knows where you got the 'botanical section' bit from!

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I'll give you three guesses and the first two don't count

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Was it Jim?

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yes, yes it was

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It’s in the Season 12 script book, amongst other places; I haven’t been able to read the rediscovered script, unlike some people. :-p

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Re: Space South Africa. Wikipedia notes (with proper footnotes) – "Most of the actors playing the GalSec astronauts were South African. This was specified in the casting, as the writers, Bob Baker and Dave Martin, were interested in language change and reasoned that the multi-linguistic influences on South African English might resemble future developments of the English language."

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Tom has a stunt double because - in one of the most famous anecdotes of the era - he broke his collarbone slipping on a wet rock on location and could only do close ups. The question is, why not just get Ian Marter to do the fight and have Dr Who be the one who wrecks the Sontaran spaceship, not Harry?

The colonists are all South African because director Rodney Bennett thought it would convey an idea of them being white colonials. They have come back to Earth / Britain from far away, are unimpressed with it and evidence a kind of colonial pride.

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Not buying the Doctor ruining an invasion by telling them to piss off is interesting considering that Moffat had him do exactly that a few times later on - and with no justification other than "I'm the Doctor so basically run". Suppose it's part of the revival making the Doctor the Universe's Main Character instead of just one of its many denizens but it is jarring

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