The Robots of Death
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| 090 - The Robots of Death | |
| Doctor | Tom Baker (Fourth Doctor) |
|---|---|
| Writer | Chris Boucher |
| Director | Michael E. Briant Peter Grimwade |
| Script Editor | Robert Holmes |
| Producer | Philip Hinchcliffe |
| Executive producer(s) | None |
| Production code | 4R |
| Series | Season 14 |
| Length | 4 episodes, 25 mins each |
| Transmission date | January 29–February 19, 1977 |
| Preceded by | The Face of Evil |
| Followed by | The Talons of Weng-Chiang |
The Robots of Death is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from January 29 to February 19, 1977.
Contents |
[edit] Synopsis
In a remote desert on a distant planet, a vast mobile mining sandminer is on an extended expedition in search of rare and valuable ores. The vessel is commanded by a crew of indolent or avaricious human staff - many of whom have secrets to hide - but they are easily outnumbered by the elegant and efficient robots employed for varied duties. It is a happy partnership until the human crew start being murdered one by one...
[edit] Plot
 |
This section is a stub. You can help by expanding it. |
[edit] Cast
- Doctor Who — Tom Baker
- Leela — Louise Jameson
- Uvanov — Russell Hunter
- Toos — Pamela Salem
- Dask — David Bailie
- Poul — David Collings
- Borg — Brian Croucher
- Zilda — Tania Rogers
- Chub — Rob Edwards
- Cass — Tariq Yunus
- D.84 — Gregory de Polnay
- S.V.7 — Miles Fothergill
- Robots — Mark Blackwell Baker, John Bleasdale, Mark Cooper, Peter Langtry, Jeremy Ranchev, Richard Seager
[edit] In print
A novelisation of this serial, written by Terrance Dicks, was published by Target Books in May 1979.
[edit] Notes
- The BBC Books spin-off novel Corpse Marker by Chris Boucher is a sequel to this serial, as are the Kaldor City audio plays, although the latter do not feature the Doctor.
- Features guest appearances by David Collings, Russell Hunter and Pamela Salem. See also Celebrity appearances in Doctor Who.
- This story was released on DVD in the United Kingdom on November 13, 2000.
- The treatment of robots in this serial has many intentional nods to Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics.
- The villain of the story is named Taran Capel, which is a reference to Karel Čapek, who is credited with first coining the word "robot".
[edit] External links
- The Robots of Death episode guide on the BBC website
- The Robots of Death at Doctor Who: A Brief History Of Time (Travel)
- The Robots of Death at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
- Essay on The Robots of Death (contains spoilers)
[edit] Reviews
- The Robots of Death reviews at Outpost Gallifrey
- The Robots of Death reviews at The Doctor Who Ratings Guide
[edit] Target novelisation
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