The Greatest Show in the Galaxy

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155 - The Greatest Show in the Galaxy
Doctor Sylvester McCoy (Seventh Doctor)
Writer Stephen Wyatt
Director Alan Wareing
Script editor Andrew Cartmel
Producer John Nathan-Turner
Executive producer(s) None
Production code 7J
Series Season 25
Length 4 episodes, 25 mins each
Transmission date December 14, 1988–January 4, 1989
Preceded by Silver Nemesis
Followed by Battlefield

The Greatest Show in the Galaxy is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from December 14, 1988 to January 4, 1989.

Contents

[edit] Synopsis

The TARDIS takes the Seventh Doctor and Ace to the famous Psychic Circus on the planet Segonax, but Ace finds the clowns a bit creepy and would much rather stay out in the sun, which may be a good idea. This is no ordinary circus and people come from planets far and wide to audition for the opportunity to take part. But there is a darker side to the show - who are the three members of the audience upon whose whims the performers' lives depend? And why is the Chief Clown driving a hearse and trying to capture the local youths? Come one, come all...

[edit] Plot

Ace doesn't like clowns, but she and the Seventh Doctor are off to the Psychic Circus
Ace doesn't like clowns, but she and the Seventh Doctor are off to the Psychic Circus
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The Seventh Doctor and Ace respond to an invitation to visit the mysterious Psychic Circus on the planet Segonax, despite Ace’s fear of clowns and reluctance to go. Other travellers have arrived on the wasteland world too – the fannish Whizz Kid; the motorcycling maniac Nord; tiresome bore and intergalactic explorer Captain Cook and his companion Mags, whom the Captain curiously refers to as a "unique specimen".

But all is not pleasant outside the circus tent. The clowns are all mechanised apart from the human Chief Clown, who travels around in a hearse and recaptures an errant robot repairman Bellboy when he tries to escape. His companion in flight, Flower Child, is killed by something mysterious aboard a disused hippie bus. It turns out to be a robot conductor which also attacks the Doctor, Captain, Ace and Mags. The Doctor destroys the killer robot, while Ace finds one of Flower Child’s earrings and pins it to her jacket as a keepsake. They venture on to the circus tent itself, where the Doctor learns from Morgana the ticket seller that the Circus was founded by hippies as part of their artistic expression. They both join the audience, noticing the only other observers are a small family of three – father, mother, daughter – who observe the central stage with stoic disdain. The Ringmaster soon appears and invites the Doctor to join the entertainment. He agrees and is taken backstage where Nord, the Captain and Mags are also being kept. It appears that audience members are expected to become part of the show. Nord is duped into performing first and when his act fails to amuse he is obliterated.

The Chief Clown meanwhile interrogates Ace as to where she got the earring, suspicious of the girl. She flees deeper into the circus and finds Bellboy strapped to a desk. She hides as the Chief Clown frees him and then ventures back to the main entrance where she sees Morgana and the Ringmaster arguing about the Circus. He does not share her ethical qualms about the means used to fill the Circus. Their argument is interrupted by the arrival of Whizz Kid, who is ushered into the ring. He too is obliterated when he fails to please.

The Doctor and Mags venture deeper into the Circus and find a vast well shaft which illustrates a pulse of energy at its core. A curious eye symbol can be found there which is also depicted at the heart of a crystal ball owned by Morgana, inspiring her to pledge her loyalty to the forces that control the circus. Ace has meanwhile met with Bellboy, who tells her more about the origins of the circus. One of the workers, Dead Beat, was once called Kingpin and brought them to Segonax in search of a great power which has now gone horribly wrong. The death of Flower Child was at the hands of a robot he built himself and he feels wracked with guilt. When the Chief Clown arrives to recapture him, Bellboy sets a reprogrammed clown on himself and it kills him.

The Doctor has meanwhile encountered Dead Beat and realised he is key to the situation. They find Ace too and together they visit the well again. Dead Beat has a medallion embossed with the image of the eye which is missing a piece and Ace and Dead Beat head off to the bus to try and find it. The Doctor returns to the circus proper and finds himself in the ring with Mags, but Captain Cook is one step ahead. In an effort to ensure a good show and thus save his own skin a little longer, the Captain engineers simulated moonlight is beamed into the ring and Mags begins to transform into a werewolf. Unfortunately for the Captain her chosen victim is him – but the whole macabre spectacle has delighted the trio in the crowd. The Doctor and a shaken Mags slip away, with the Family demanding more entertainment. The Ringmaster and Morgana are now tested in the ring and killed when they fail to entertain.

Ace and Dead Beat destroy the Bus Conductor and retrieve the missing jewel for the medallion. With it back in place, Dead Beat’s mind is restored and he becomes Kingpin once more. They return to the circus – disposing of the Chief Clown and his minions en route – to find the Doctor has become the next person in the ring, having responded to a challenge from the Family. When he enters the ring this time he realises that is a dimensional portal and that the Family are in fact the Gods of Ragnarok, who feed on entertainment and kill those who do not satisfy them. After an array of tricks and japes he holds off the Gods long enough for Ace and Kingpin to throw the medallion into the well. It reaches the Doctor through the dimensional portal and he uses it to repulse the power of the Gods. Thus it is they themselves who are the next victims of their own power. The Doctor returns to the Psychic Circus as it disintegrates and explodes, and flees with his friends. He and Ace depart while Kingpin and Mags elect to set up a new circus on another planet.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Cast notes

  • Director Alan Wareing provides the voice for the third God of Ragnarok in Part Four.
  • Dean Hollingsworth as the Bus Conductor is credited for Part Three, but does not appear.

[edit] Continuity

[edit] Production

  • This is the first story to feature music composed by Mark Ayres.
  • Owing to the discovery of asbestos at the BBC, which lead to the temporary closure of various television studios, this story nearly met the same fate as that of the uncompleted Shada. However, a tent was erected in the car park of Elstree Studios, enabling the crew to complete all sequences previously scheduled for the studio inside the tent.[1]
  • The character of Whizzkid was created as a parody of Doctor Who fans.[2]
  • Sylvester McCoy was coached in the magic tricks he performs in episode 4 by Geoffrey Durham, formerly known as the Great Soprendo.[2]

[edit] In print

The Target novelisation by Stephen Wyatt
The Target novelisation by Stephen Wyatt

A novelisation of this serial, written by Stephen Wyatt, was published by Target Books in December 1989, the same month the final episode of the original Doctor Who series was broadcast.

[edit] Broadcast and VHS release

This story was released on VHS in January of 2000.

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Greatest Show in the Galaxy at Doctor Who: A Brief History Of Time (Travel)
  2. ^ a b http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/greatestshow/analysis.shtml

[edit] External links

[edit] Reviews

[edit] Target novelisation

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