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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
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{{Infobox Doctor Who episode|number=132<ref>From the ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' series overview, in issue 407 (pp26-29). ''[[The Discontinuity Guide]]'', which counts the unbroadcast serial ''[[Shada]]'', lists this as story number 133. [[DVD region code|Region 1]] DVD [[Doctor Who DVD releases|releases]] follow ''The Discontinuity Guide'' numbering system.</ref>
{{Infobox Doctor Who episode
|image=[[File:Frontios,_Doctor_Who,_1984.png|275px]]
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| number = 132<ref>From the ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' series overview, in issue 407 (pp26-29). ''[[The Discontinuity Guide]]'', which counts the unbroadcast serial ''[[Shada (Doctor Who)|Shada]]'', lists this as story number 133. [[DVD region code#1|Region 1]] DVD [[Doctor Who DVD releases|releases]] follow ''The Discontinuity Guide'' numbering system.</ref>
|caption=“Let me show you how we smooth our walls, Doctor...”
|serial_name=Frontios
| serial_name = Frontios
|show=DW
| show = DW
|type=serial
| type = serial
| image =
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|doctor=[[Peter Davison]] ([[Fifth Doctor]])
| caption =
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|companion=[[Janet Fielding]] ([[Tegan Jovanka]])
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| doctor = [[Peter Davison]] – [[Fifth Doctor]]
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|companion2=[[Mark Strickson]] ([[Vislor Turlough]])
| companions =
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|guests=*[[Jeff Rawle]] — Plantagenet
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* [[Janet Fielding]] – [[Tegan Jovanka]]
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*[[Peter Gilmore]] — Brazen
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* [[Mark Strickson]] – [[Vislor Turlough]]
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*[[Lesley Dunlop]] — Norna
| guests =
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*[[William Lucas (actor)|William Lucas]] — Range
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*[[Jeff Rawle]] – Plantagenet
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*Maurice O'Connell — Cockerill
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*[[Peter Gilmore]] – Brazen
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*Raymond Murtagh — Retrograde
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*[[Lesley Dunlop]] – Norna
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*Richard Ashley — Orderly
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*[[William Lucas (actor)|William Lucas]] – Range
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*Alison Skilbeck — Deputy
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*Maurice O'Connell – Cockerill
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*John Gillett — The Gravis
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*Raymond Murtagh – Retrograde
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*William Bowen, George Campbell, Hedi Khursandi, Michael Malcolm, Stephen Speed — Tractators
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*Richard Ashley – Orderly
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|writer=[[Christopher H. Bidmead]]
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*Alison Skilbeck – Deputy
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|director=[[Ron Jones (television director)|Ron Jones]]
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*John Gillett – The Gravis
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|script_editor=[[Eric Saward]]
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*William Bowen, George Campbell, Hedi Khursandi, Michael Malcolm, Stephen Speed – Tractators
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|producer=[[John Nathan-Turner]]
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| director = [[Ron Jones (television director)|Ron Jones]]
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|executive_producer=None
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| writer = [[Christopher H. Bidmead]]
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|composer=[[Paddy Kingsland]]
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| script_editor = [[Eric Saward]]
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|production_code=6N
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| producer = [[John Nathan-Turner]]
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|series=[[Doctor Who (season 21)|Season 21]]
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| executive_producer = None
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|length=4 episodes, 25 minutes each
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| composer = [[Paddy Kingsland]]
|date=26 January&ndash;3 February 1984
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| production_code = 6N
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|preceding=''[[The Awakening (Doctor Who)|The Awakening]]''
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| series = [[Doctor Who (season 21)|Season 21]]
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|following=''[[Resurrection of the Daleks]]''
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| length = 4 episodes, 25 minutes each
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|}}
| started = {{Start date|1984|1|26|df=y}}
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'''''Frontios''''' is the third [[list of Doctor Who serials|serial]] of the [[Doctor Who (season 21)|21st season]] in the British [[science fiction television]] series ''[[Doctor Who]]'', which was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts from 26 January to 3 February 1984.
| ended = {{End date|1984|2|3|df=y}}
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| preceding = ''[[The Awakening (Doctor Who)|The Awakening]]''
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| following = ''[[Resurrection of the Daleks]]''
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}}
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'''''Frontios''''' is the third serial of the [[Doctor Who (season 21)|21st season]] of the British [[science fiction television]] series ''[[Doctor Who]]'', which was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts on [[BBC1]] from 26 January to 3 February 1984.

Set in the far future, the serial involves the alien Gravis (John Gillett) enslaving the last surviving humans to mine the planet for use as a spaceship for the Gravis.


==Plot==
==Plot==
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{{Plot|episode|date=June 2017}}
{{Long plot|episode|date=June 2017}}
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}}
The [[TARDIS]] lands in the far future, on the planet Frontios, where some of the last vestiges of humanity are struggling for survival. The planet is being attacked by meteorite showers orchestrated by an unknown enemy responsible for the disappearance of several prominent colonists, including the colony's leader, Captain Revere. After witnessing Revere being "eaten by the ground," Security Chief Brazen engages in a cover up. To the public, Captain Revere died of natural causes. After a state funeral, Revere's son, Plantagenet, assumes the leadership of the colony.
The [[TARDIS]] lands in the far future, on the planet Frontios, where some of the last vestiges of humanity are struggling for survival. The planet is being attacked by meteor showers orchestrated by an unknown enemy responsible for the disappearance of several prominent colonists, including the colony's leader, Captain Revere. After witnessing Revere being "eaten by the ground," Security Chief Brazen claims Revere died of natural causes. Revere's son, Plantagenet, assumes the leadership of the colony.


The TARDIS is mysteriously affected by a meteorite storm and dragged down to the planet by gravity. [[Doctor (Doctor Who)|The Doctor]], [[Tegan Jovanka|Tegan]] and [[Vislor Turlough|Turlough]] emerge, in the middle of the bombardment, to investigate. Despite his earlier reservations about getting involved, the Doctor violates the cardinal rule of the [[Time Lord]]s by helping the colonists who were injured by the meteorite bombardment by providing medical assistance.
The [[Fifth Doctor]], [[Tegan Jovanka|Tegan]] and [[Vislor Turlough|Turlough]] emerge in the middle of the bombardment and decide to help the colonists. Needing better light in the medical facility, the Doctor sends Tegan and Turlough to fetch equipment from the TARDIS. However, they find that the ship's inner door is stuck, preventing them from getting beyond the console room. Norna, Tegan and Turlough obtain an acid-battery from the research room to power the lights. On their way back, however, they are forced to render the Warnsman unconscious to avoid capture. Following a second bombardment, the TARDIS is seemingly destroyed; all that is left is the Doctor's [[hat stand]].


⚫
Plantagenet orders the execution of the Doctor, but Turlough intercedes. Plantagenet tries to attack the Doctor with a crowbar but suffers a heart attack. The Time Lord saves his life using the battery, yet Plantagenet is dragged into the ground.
Needing better light in the medical facility, the Doctor sends Tegan and Turlough to fetch a portable mu-field activator and five argon discharge globes from the TARDIS. However, once they arrive, they find that the ship's inner door is stuck, preventing them from getting beyond the console room. Norna, Tegan and Turlough obtain an acid-battery from the research room to power the lights. On their way back, however, they are forced to render the Warnsman unconscious to avoid capture. Another bombardment occurs and, in the Warnsman's absence, catches the colony unawares. When the skies clear, the TARDIS has gone, seemingly destroyed; all that is left is the Doctor's hat stand.

⚫
Plantagenet orders the execution of the Doctor, but Turlough intercedes, using the TARDIS hat stand as a weapon. Plantagenet tries to attack the Doctor with a crowbar but suffers a heart attack. The Time Lord manages to save his life using the battery, but Plantagenet is later dragged into the ground by some mysterious force.
[[File:Tractator (11028049444).jpg|thumb|left|A Tractator, on display at a Doctor Who exhibition]]
[[File:Tractator (11028049444).jpg|thumb|left|A Tractator, on display at a Doctor Who exhibition]]
The Doctor, Tegan and Turlough discover that the culprits are the Gravis and his Tractators, giant insects with incredible powers over gravity. Turlough briefly undergoes a sort of nervous breakdown due to the fact that the Tractators once attempted to invade his home world long ago; his mind contains a deep, horrific "race memory" of the event. The disappearing colonists were being used by the Tractators to run their mining machines. Plantagenet was kidnapped to replace Captain Revere, the current driver who is now brain dead. The Gravis intends to transform Frontios into an enormous spaceship. Once successful, he would be able to spread the terror of the Tractators across the galaxy. The Doctor, Turlough, Brazen and his guards rescue Plantagenet by knocking out the Gravis. However, Brazen gets caught by one of the mining machines and is killed while the others escape.
The Doctor, Tegan and Turlough discover that the culprits are the Gravis and his Tractators, giant insects with incredible powers over gravity. The disappeared colonists are being used to power the Gravis' machines. Turlough briefly undergoes a nervous breakdown because the Tractators once attempted to invade his home world long ago; his mind contains a deep, horrific "[[race memory]]" of the event. Plantagenet was kidnapped to replace Captain Revere, the current driver who is now brain dead. The Gravis intends to transform Frontios into an enormous spaceship and further spread the Tractators. The Doctor, Turlough, Brazen and his guards rescue Plantagenet by knocking out the Gravis, but Brazen is killed in the process.


Tegan wanders around in the tunnels and comes across bits of the TARDIS's inner walls. She is chased by the Gravis, who has now regained consciousness, and two of his Tractators. She inadvertently comes upon one of the TARDIS's inner doors and she opens it to find herself in the TARDIS console room, which has bits of rock wall mixed in with its normal walls. She also finds the Doctor, Turlough and Plantagenet hovering around the console. The Doctor ushers the Gravis in and then tricks him into reassembling the TARDIS by using his power over gravity. The Gravis pulls the TARDIS back into its normal dimension. Once fully assembled, the Gravis is effectively cut off from his fellow Tractators, which revert to a harmless state.
Tegan wanders around in the tunnels and comes across bits of the TARDIS's inner walls. She is chased by the Gravis, who has now regained consciousness, and two Tractators. She comes upon one of the TARDIS's inner doors and opens it, finding herself in the TARDIS console room, where the Doctor, Turlough and Plantagenet are congregated around the console. The Doctor ushers the Gravis in and then tricks him into reassembling the TARDIS by using his power over gravity. The Gravis pulls the TARDIS back into its normal dimension. Once fully assembled, the Gravis is effectively cut off from his fellow Tractators, which revert to a harmless state.

⚫
The Doctor and Tegan deposit the now-dormant Gravis on the uninhabited planet of Kolkokron. Returning to Frontios, the Doctor gives Plantagenet the hat stand as a farewell token and asks that his own involvement in the affair not be mentioned to anyone, especially the Time Lords. Once the TARDIS has left Frontios, its engines start making a worrisome noise. The Doctor appears to be helpless as the ship is being pulled towards the centre of the universe.

===Continuity===
{{needsattention|project=Doctor Who|type=plot|date=June 2017|
{{fiction trivia|episode|date=June 2017}}
}}
No explanation is given for [[Companion (Doctor Who)|companion]] [[Kamelion]]'s absence from this story. This story remains, to date, the sole appearance of the Tractators in the television series. However, on 6 March 1984, then ''Doctor Who'' script editor [[Eric Saward]] wrote to Bidmead a request that he write a sequel to ''Frontios'', which would have featured the return of the Tractators and the Doctor's nemesis, [[Master (Doctor Who)|the Master]]. This lost story is brought back to life (minus the Master) in the [[Big Finish Productions|Big Finish]] audio ''[[The Hollows of Time]]''.


⚫
After depositing the now-dormant Gravis on the uninhabited planet of Kolkokron and returning to Frontios, the Doctor gives Plantagenet the hat stand as a farewell token and asks that his own involvement in the affair not be mentioned to anyone, especially the Time Lords. Once the TARDIS has left Frontios, its engines start making a worrisome noise. The Doctor appears to be helpless as the ship is being pulled towards the centre of the universe.
The short story "Life After Queth" featured in ''[[Short Trips: Farewells]]'' details an adventure the Doctor, Tegan and the Gravis had on the way to Kolkokron. The Big Finish audio story ''[[Excelis Dawns]]'' details an adventure the Doctor had on the way back to Frontios.


==Production==
==Production==
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}}
}}


Script editor Eric Saward contacted writer [[Christopher H. Bidmead]] in July 1982 with a view to writing a script. Its original title was ''The Wanderer[s]''. The scripts were formally commissioned on 26 November 1982 under the title ''Frontious''. The scripts were delivered on 16 February 1983 and accepted three weeks later subject to some rewrites.<ref name="DVDnotes"/> The director was [[Ron Jones (television director)|Ron Jones]], who had directed three earlier Fifth Doctor stories. The designer assigned to the serial, Barrie Dobbins died before production (later revealed as suicide) and was replaced by David Buckingham.<ref name=Driven>Doctor Who ''Frontios'' - "Driven to Distraction". BBC DVD documentary</ref> He started on production on 8 July 1983, just six weeks before recording. Soon after this, another shock came to the production when actor [[Peter Arne]], who had been hired to play Mr Range, was murdered on 1 August 1983. This was just hours after he had attended a costume fitting for his character at the BBC. His murder was reported widely in the British media the following day, with many reports making mention of his upcoming part in ''Doctor Who''.<ref name="Driven"/> He was replaced by [[William Lucas (actor)|William Lucas]]. Other actors of note featured in ''Frontios'' included [[Peter Gilmore]] (as Brazen), who had found fame during the 1970s in the lead role of ''[[The Onedin Line]]''. [[Lesley Dunlop]], playing Norna, was widely experienced, despite her being just 27 and would go on to appear in ''Doctor Who'' again, in 1988's ''[[The Happiness Patrol]]''. [[Jeff Rawle]] had also found fame in the 1970s as ''[[Billy Liar]]'' and would later star in the ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'' story ''[[Mona Lisa's Revenge]]''. It was during rehearsals for this story that [[Colin Baker]] was announced as the new actor, as [[Peter Davison]] had by this time decided to leave the show. ''Frontios'' was filmed in two three-day recording blocks in the BBC Television Centre's Studio 6 from 24 August to 9 September 1983.
Script editor Eric Saward contacted writer [[Christopher H. Bidmead]] in July 1982 with a view to writing a script. Its original title was ''The Wanderer[s]''. The scripts were formally commissioned on 26 November 1982 under the title ''Frontious''. The scripts were delivered on 16 February 1983 and accepted three weeks later subject to some rewrites.<ref name="DVDnotes"/> The director was [[Ron Jones (television director)|Ron Jones]], who had directed three earlier Fifth Doctor stories. The designer assigned to the serial, Barrie Dobbins died before production (later revealed as suicide) and was replaced by David Buckingham.<ref name=Driven>Doctor Who ''Frontios'' - "Driven to Distraction". BBC DVD documentary</ref> He started on production on 8 July 1983, just six weeks before recording. Soon after this, another shock came to the production when actor [[Peter Arne]], who had been hired to play Mr Range, was murdered on 1 August 1983. This was just hours after he had attended a costume fitting for his character at the BBC. His murder was reported widely in the British media the following day, with many reports making mention of his upcoming part in ''Doctor Who''.<ref name="Driven"/> He was replaced by [[William Lucas (actor)|William Lucas]].<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/2012-03-04/frontios/ |title = Frontios ★★★}}</ref> Other actors of note featured in ''Frontios'' included [[Peter Gilmore]] (as Brazen), who had found fame during the 1970s in the lead role of ''[[The Onedin Line]]''. [[Lesley Dunlop]], playing Norna, was widely experienced, despite her being just 27 and went on to appear in ''Doctor Who'' again, in 1988's ''[[The Happiness Patrol]]''. [[Jeff Rawle]] had also found fame in the 1970s as the lead in ''[[Billy Liar (TV series)|Billy Liar]]'' and later starred in ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'' story ''[[Mona Lisa's Revenge]]''. It was during rehearsals for this story that [[Colin Baker]] was announced as the new actor, as [[Peter Davison]] had by this time decided to leave the show. ''Frontios'' was filmed in two three-day recording blocks in the BBC Television Centre's Studio 6 from 24 August to 9 September 1983.


Bidmead was instructed to include a monster in the script, something he was unhappy with since he felt that the ''Doctor Who'' monsters looked "cheap" and had limited dialogue. His two earlier stories, ''[[Logopolis]]'' and ''[[Castrovalva (Doctor Who)|Castrovalva]]'' featured no monsters. The Tractators were inspired by woodlice, which had infested his flat. Dancers were hired to wear the Tractator costumes with the idea that they would coil and twist their bodies in line with the idea of woodlice, but the costumes proved too restrictive for this. The dancers were hired from [[Pineapple Dance Studios|Pineapple Studios]]. One glitch in the continuity of the series occurs in this story, as companion [[Kamelion]] is missing when the TARDIS is destroyed. The writers of ''[[The Discontinuity Guide]]'' theorise that he is disguised as the hatstand.<ref>{{cite book |title=[[The Discontinuity Guide]] |last1=Cornell |first1=Paul |authorlink1=Paul Cornell |last2=Day |first2=Martin |authorlink2=Martin Day |last3=Topping |first3=Keith |authorlink3=Keith Topping |chapter=Frontios |chapterurl=http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/frontios/detail.shtml |year=1995 |publisher=[[Virgin Books]] |location=London |isbn=0-426-20442-5 |page=299 |format=reprinted on BBC ''Doctor Who'' website |accessdate=20 April 2009}}</ref>
Bidmead was instructed to include a monster in the script, something he was unhappy with since he felt that the ''Doctor Who'' monsters looked "cheap" and had limited dialogue. His two earlier stories, ''[[Logopolis]]'' and ''[[Castrovalva (Doctor Who)|Castrovalva]]'' featured no monsters. The Tractators were inspired by woodlice, which had infested his flat. Dancers were hired to wear the Tractator costumes with the idea that they would coil and twist their bodies in line with the idea of woodlice, but the costumes were too restrictive for this. The dancers were hired from [[Pineapple Dance Studios|Pineapple Studios]]. One glitch in the continuity of the series occurs in this story, as companion [[Kamelion]] is missing when the TARDIS is destroyed. The writers of ''[[The Discontinuity Guide]]'' theorise that he is disguised as the hatstand.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Discontinuity Guide |last1=Cornell |first1=Paul |author-link1=Paul Cornell |last2=Day |first2=Martin |author-link2=Martin Day (writer) |last3=Topping |first3=Keith |author-link3=Keith Topping |chapter=Frontios |chapter-url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/frontios/detail.shtml |year=1995 |publisher=[[Virgin Books]] |location=London |isbn=0-426-20442-5 |page=299 |access-date=20 April 2009|title-link=The Discontinuity Guide }}</ref>


Soon after the story was broadcast, Saward commissioned Bidmead to write a story for Season 23 featuring the Tractators and the Master. This was ultimately abandoned as the season was soon cancelled. ''Frontios'' proved to be his last televised story for ''Doctor Who''.
Soon after the story was broadcast, Saward commissioned Bidmead to write a story for Season 23 featuring the Tractators and the Master. This was ultimately abandoned as the series itself was soon put on hiatus. ''Frontios'' proved to be his last televised story for ''Doctor Who''.
<ref name=DVDnotes>Doctor Who ''Frontios'' BBC DVD. Production subtitles</ref>
<ref name=DVDnotes>Doctor Who ''Frontios'' BBC DVD. Production subtitles</ref>


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===Home media===
===Home media===
''Frontios'' was released on a double [[VHS]] set with ''[[The Awakening (Doctor Who)|The Awakening]]'' in March 1997. It was released on DVD in May 2011. This serial was also released as part of the [[Doctor Who DVD Files]] in Issue 100 on 31 October 2012.
''Frontios'' was released on a double [[VHS]] set with ''[[The Awakening (Doctor Who)|The Awakening]]'' in September 1997. It was released on DVD in May 2011. This serial was also released as part of the [[Doctor Who DVD Files]] in Issue 100 on 31 October 2012.


==References==
==References==
{{reflist|refs=
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name="AllRatings">{{cite web|title=Ratings Guide |url=http://guide.doctorwhonews.net/info.php?detail=ratings&type=date |website=Doctor Who News |accessdate=28 May 2017}}</ref>
<ref name="AllRatings">{{cite web|title=Ratings Guide |url=http://guide.doctorwhonews.net/info.php?detail=ratings&type=date |website=Doctor Who News |access-date=28 May 2017}}</ref>
}}
}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{wikiquote-inline|Fifth Doctor}}
{{stack|{{wikiquote|Fifth Doctor}}}}
*{{BBCCDW|id=frontios|title=Frontios}}
*{{BBCCDW|id=frontios|title=Frontios}}
*{{Brief | id=6n | title=Frontios}}
*{{Doctor Who RG | id=who_6n | title=Frontios}}
*[http://nzdwfc.tetrap.com/archive/tsv55/frontiosextended.html ''Extended Edit: Frontios''] in [http://nzdwfc.tetrap.com/ ''Time Space Visualiser'']
*[http://nzdwfc.tetrap.com/archive/tsv55/frontiosextended.html ''Extended Edit: Frontios''] in [http://nzdwfc.tetrap.com/ ''Time Space Visualiser'']
* [http://www.doctorwhoworld.co.uk/cs21ep3 ''Frontios''] at ''Doctor Who World''
* [http://www.doctorwhoworld.co.uk/cs21ep3 ''Frontios''] at ''Doctor Who World''


===Reviews===
===Reviews===
*{{OG review | id=6n | title=Frontios}}
*{{DWRG | id=frontios | title=Frontios}}
*[http://nzdwfc.tetrap.com/archive/tsv55/rev-frontios.html ''Frontios''] in [http://nzdwfc.tetrap.com/ ''Time Space Visualiser'']
*[http://nzdwfc.tetrap.com/archive/tsv55/rev-frontios.html ''Frontios''] in [http://nzdwfc.tetrap.com/ ''Time Space Visualiser'']


===Target novelisation===
===Target novelisation===
*{{OG review | id=6n-book | title=Frontios (novelisation)}}
*{{Isfdb title|id=10667|title=Frontios}}
*{{Isfdb title|id=10667|title=Frontios}}
*[http://www.personal.leeds.ac.uk/~ecl6nb/OnTarget/1984/frontios/84fronti.htm On Target—''Frontios'']


{{Doctor Who episodes|C21}}
{{Doctor Who episodes|C21}}
{{Fifth Doctor stories|selected=Television}}


[[Category:Doctor Who serials novelised by Christopher H. Bidmead]]
[[Category:Doctor Who serials novelised by Christopher H. Bidmead]]
[[Category:Fifth Doctor serials]]
[[Category:Fifth Doctor serials]]
[[Category:1984 British television episodes]]
[[Category:1984 British television episodes]]
[[Category:Television episodes set in the future]]

Latest revision as of 23:56, 29 September 2024

132[1] – Frontios
Doctor Who serial
Cast
Others
  • Jeff Rawle – Plantagenet
  • Peter Gilmore – Brazen
  • Lesley Dunlop – Norna
  • William Lucas – Range
  • Maurice O'Connell – Cockerill
  • Raymond Murtagh – Retrograde
  • Richard Ashley – Orderly
  • Alison Skilbeck – Deputy
  • John Gillett – The Gravis
  • William Bowen, George Campbell, Hedi Khursandi, Michael Malcolm, Stephen Speed – Tractators
Production
Directed byRon Jones
Written byChristopher H. Bidmead
Script editorEric Saward
Produced byJohn Nathan-Turner
Executive producer(s)None
Music byPaddy Kingsland
Production code6N
SeriesSeason 21
Running time4 episodes, 25 minutes each
First broadcast26 January 1984 (1984-01-26)
Last broadcast3 February 1984 (1984-02-03)
Chronology
← Preceded by
The Awakening 		Followed by →
Resurrection of the Daleks
List of episodes (1963–1989)

Frontios is the third serial of the 21st season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts on BBC1 from 26 January to 3 February 1984.

Set in the far future, the serial involves the alien Gravis (John Gillett) enslaving the last surviving humans to mine the planet for use as a spaceship for the Gravis.

Plot

[edit]

The TARDIS lands in the far future, on the planet Frontios, where some of the last vestiges of humanity are struggling for survival. The planet is being attacked by meteor showers orchestrated by an unknown enemy responsible for the disappearance of several prominent colonists, including the colony's leader, Captain Revere. After witnessing Revere being "eaten by the ground," Security Chief Brazen claims Revere died of natural causes. Revere's son, Plantagenet, assumes the leadership of the colony.

The Fifth Doctor, Tegan and Turlough emerge in the middle of the bombardment and decide to help the colonists. Needing better light in the medical facility, the Doctor sends Tegan and Turlough to fetch equipment from the TARDIS. However, they find that the ship's inner door is stuck, preventing them from getting beyond the console room. Norna, Tegan and Turlough obtain an acid-battery from the research room to power the lights. On their way back, however, they are forced to render the Warnsman unconscious to avoid capture. Following a second bombardment, the TARDIS is seemingly destroyed; all that is left is the Doctor's hat stand.

Plantagenet orders the execution of the Doctor, but Turlough intercedes. Plantagenet tries to attack the Doctor with a crowbar but suffers a heart attack. The Time Lord saves his life using the battery, yet Plantagenet is dragged into the ground.

A Tractator, on display at a Doctor Who exhibition

The Doctor, Tegan and Turlough discover that the culprits are the Gravis and his Tractators, giant insects with incredible powers over gravity. The disappeared colonists are being used to power the Gravis' machines. Turlough briefly undergoes a nervous breakdown because the Tractators once attempted to invade his home world long ago; his mind contains a deep, horrific "race memory" of the event. Plantagenet was kidnapped to replace Captain Revere, the current driver who is now brain dead. The Gravis intends to transform Frontios into an enormous spaceship and further spread the Tractators. The Doctor, Turlough, Brazen and his guards rescue Plantagenet by knocking out the Gravis, but Brazen is killed in the process.

Tegan wanders around in the tunnels and comes across bits of the TARDIS's inner walls. She is chased by the Gravis, who has now regained consciousness, and two Tractators. She comes upon one of the TARDIS's inner doors and opens it, finding herself in the TARDIS console room, where the Doctor, Turlough and Plantagenet are congregated around the console. The Doctor ushers the Gravis in and then tricks him into reassembling the TARDIS by using his power over gravity. The Gravis pulls the TARDIS back into its normal dimension. Once fully assembled, the Gravis is effectively cut off from his fellow Tractators, which revert to a harmless state.

After depositing the now-dormant Gravis on the uninhabited planet of Kolkokron and returning to Frontios, the Doctor gives Plantagenet the hat stand as a farewell token and asks that his own involvement in the affair not be mentioned to anyone, especially the Time Lords. Once the TARDIS has left Frontios, its engines start making a worrisome noise. The Doctor appears to be helpless as the ship is being pulled towards the centre of the universe.

Production

[edit]
EpisodeTitleRun timeOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions) [2]
1"Part One"24:3926 January 1984 (1984-01-26)8.0
2"Part Two"24:3527 January 1984 (1984-01-27)5.8
3"Part Three"24:302 February 1984 (1984-02-02)7.8
4"Part Four"24:263 February 1984 (1984-02-03)5.6

Script editor Eric Saward contacted writer Christopher H. Bidmead in July 1982 with a view to writing a script. Its original title was The Wanderer[s]. The scripts were formally commissioned on 26 November 1982 under the title Frontious. The scripts were delivered on 16 February 1983 and accepted three weeks later subject to some rewrites.[3] The director was Ron Jones, who had directed three earlier Fifth Doctor stories. The designer assigned to the serial, Barrie Dobbins died before production (later revealed as suicide) and was replaced by David Buckingham.[4] He started on production on 8 July 1983, just six weeks before recording. Soon after this, another shock came to the production when actor Peter Arne, who had been hired to play Mr Range, was murdered on 1 August 1983. This was just hours after he had attended a costume fitting for his character at the BBC. His murder was reported widely in the British media the following day, with many reports making mention of his upcoming part in Doctor Who.[4] He was replaced by William Lucas.[5] Other actors of note featured in Frontios included Peter Gilmore (as Brazen), who had found fame during the 1970s in the lead role of The Onedin Line. Lesley Dunlop, playing Norna, was widely experienced, despite her being just 27 and went on to appear in Doctor Who again, in 1988's The Happiness Patrol. Jeff Rawle had also found fame in the 1970s as the lead in Billy Liar and later starred in The Sarah Jane Adventures story Mona Lisa's Revenge. It was during rehearsals for this story that Colin Baker was announced as the new actor, as Peter Davison had by this time decided to leave the show. Frontios was filmed in two three-day recording blocks in the BBC Television Centre's Studio 6 from 24 August to 9 September 1983.

Bidmead was instructed to include a monster in the script, something he was unhappy with since he felt that the Doctor Who monsters looked "cheap" and had limited dialogue. His two earlier stories, Logopolis and Castrovalva featured no monsters. The Tractators were inspired by woodlice, which had infested his flat. Dancers were hired to wear the Tractator costumes with the idea that they would coil and twist their bodies in line with the idea of woodlice, but the costumes were too restrictive for this. The dancers were hired from Pineapple Studios. One glitch in the continuity of the series occurs in this story, as companion Kamelion is missing when the TARDIS is destroyed. The writers of The Discontinuity Guide theorise that he is disguised as the hatstand.[6]

Soon after the story was broadcast, Saward commissioned Bidmead to write a story for Season 23 featuring the Tractators and the Master. This was ultimately abandoned as the series itself was soon put on hiatus. Frontios proved to be his last televised story for Doctor Who. [3]

Commercial releases

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In print

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Frontios
AuthorChristopher H. Bidmead
Cover artistAndrew Skilleter
SeriesDoctor Who book:
Target novelisations
Release number
91
PublisherTarget Books
Publication date
10 December 1984
ISBN0-426-19780-1

The story was novelised by Bidmead and published by Target Books in December 1984. Bidmead includes many gruesome images of the Tractators technology including a hovering translation device. The cliffhanger that led into Resurrection of the Daleks is removed.

An unabridged reading of the novelisation by its author was released as a 4CD audiobook in April 2015.

Home media

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Frontios was released on a double VHS set with The Awakening in September 1997. It was released on DVD in May 2011. This serial was also released as part of the Doctor Who DVD Files in Issue 100 on 31 October 2012.

References

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  1. ^ From the Doctor Who Magazine series overview, in issue 407 (pp26-29). The Discontinuity Guide, which counts the unbroadcast serial Shada, lists this as story number 133. Region 1 DVD releases follow The Discontinuity Guide numbering system.
  2. ^ "Ratings Guide". Doctor Who News. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  3. ^ a b Doctor Who Frontios BBC DVD. Production subtitles
  4. ^ a b Doctor Who Frontios - "Driven to Distraction". BBC DVD documentary
  5. ^ "Frontios ★★★".
  6. ^ Cornell, Paul; Day, Martin; Topping, Keith (1995). "Frontios". The Discontinuity Guide. London: Virgin Books. p. 299. ISBN 0-426-20442-5. Retrieved 20 April 2009.
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Reviews

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Target novelisation

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