Silver Nemesis
| 150[1] – Silver Nemesis |
| Doctor Who serial |
The Cybermen from "Silver Nemesis" |
| Cast |
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|
|
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Others
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| Production |
| Writer |
Kevin Clarke |
| Director |
Chris Clough |
| Script editor |
Andrew Cartmel |
| Producer |
John Nathan-Turner |
| Executive producer(s) |
None |
| Production code |
7K |
| Series |
Season 25 |
| Length |
3 episodes, 25 minutes each |
| Originally broadcast |
23 November–7 December 1988 |
| Chronology |
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Silver Nemesis was the 25th anniversary serial of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast in the UK in three weekly parts from 23 November 1988, (the 25th anniversary) to 7 December 1988. Featuring Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh incarnation of the Doctor, Silver Nemesis reflected a darker turn in Doctor Who storylines, with the intention being to reveal the secrets of the Doctor. It is the 150th story of the series.
Synopsis
The Doctor and Ace visit England in 1988, where three rival factions—the Cybermen, a group of Neo-Nazis and a 17th century sorceress named Lady Peinforte—are attempting to gain control of a statue made of a living metal, validium, that was created by Rassilon as the ultimate defence for Gallifrey.
Production
Serial details by episode
| Episode |
Broadcast date |
Run time |
Viewership
(in millions) |
| "Part One" |
23 November 1988 (1988-11-23) |
24:31 |
6.1 |
| "Part Two" |
30 November 1988 (1988-11-30) |
24:12 |
5.2 |
| "Part Three" |
7 December 1988 (1988-12-07) |
24:36 |
5.2 |
| [2][3][4] |
- The working titles for this story included The Harbinger and Nemesis.[5]
- Writer Kevin Clarke discusses the development of the plot on the DVD. He points out that he had seen very little of Doctor Who and that he met the production team without any idea of what his proposed story would be about. He made up a story on the spot in front of producer John Nathan-Turner that the Doctor is literally God, though this was not realised on-screen. Clarke also appears twice in the serial itself, playing a tourist at Windsor. The Cybermen were added later at the request of Nathan-Turner, to tie in with the programme's silver anniversary.
Locations
- Permission was refused for filming at Windsor Castle so scenes set there were instead shot at Arundel Castle.[5] According to the DVD commentary several scenes were shot in woodland areas around Arundel Castle, notably the climax of Part Two, when the Doctor and Ace discuss the Cyber-threat while sitting near a fallen tree. The damaged and fallen trees, which can often be seen in these shots, were a result of the recent storm of 1987 that had caused widespread damage throughout southern England.
- Scenes at the Gas Works where The Doctor and Ace meet and combat the Cybermen were filmed on the site that later became The O2 (formerly the Millennium Dome).
Cast notes
- Fiona Walker had appeared in The Keys of Marinus in 1964 as Kala.
- Leslie French, who plays the Mathematician, had turned down the role of "The Doctor" in 1963. Thus his casting was another nod to the series beginnings in this Silver Anniversary story.[6]
- Anton Diffring took the role so that he could travel from his home in France to watch the Wimbledon tennis tournament. Silver Nemesis was his last work as an actor before his death in 1989.
- The production team tried to get Prince Edward involved in the show, but his office politely declined. The programme eventually went out with an Elizabeth II look-alike standing in for the prince instead.
Broadcast
Episodes two and three were the second and third respectively of the series ever to be premiered outside of the United Kingdom (the first being The Five Doctors), being shown as part of a compilation broadcast of the story on New Zealand's TVNZ, after part one had shown in the UK but prior to the other two being transmitted there.[5]
In print
A novelisation of this serial, written by Kevin Clarke, was published by Target Books in November 1989.
VHS and DVD releases
- On 3 May 1993 an extended version of this three-part serial was released on VHS. Apart from featuring footage not shown in the original broadcast, the video included a documentary looking back at the production of the adventure. This documentary is not included on the 2010 DVD release.
- The broadcast version of this serial was released on DVD as part of a box set with Revenge of the Cybermen on 9 August 2010.[7]
References
External links
- Fan reviews
- Target novelisation