Production Code: XX
First Transmitted
1 - 25/01/1969 17:15
2 - 01/02/1969 17:15
3 - 08/02/1969 17:15
4 - 15/02/1969 17:15
5 - 22/02/1969 17:15
6 - 01/03/1969 17:15
Plot
The TARDIS brings the time travellers to Earth in the 21st Century, where they learn that human society is now reliant on T-Mat - a matter transmitting device that beams people and freight instantly to destinations all around the globe. The system, overseen by a Commander Radnor and his assistant Gia Kelly, is currently malfunctioning and the travellers agree to pilot an obsolete rocket, designed by an old-timer, Professor Daniel Eldred, to the Moon relay station to investigate.
They find the place overrun by Ice Warriors, who are preparing for an invasion attempt. To weaken Earth's resistance, the Warriors are using the T-Mat to send Martian seed pods to selected points on the planet's surface. These emit a fungus that draws oxygen from the surrounding atmosphere, making it lethal to humans but ideal for the Martians themselves.
The travellers manage to use the T-Mat to get back to Earth, where the Doctor discovers that the only thing effective in destroying the pods is water. At the local weather control bureau, having disposed of a Warrior left on guard there, he adjusts the instruments so as to cause a downpour, thus ending the threat of the pods.
He then returns to the Moon where, by a ruse, he is able to misdirect the Martian invasion fleet into orbit around the Sun, where it will be destroyed. The remaining Warriors are all killed.
Episode Endings
A technician, Locke, reports to Radnor from the Moon station, telling him that his colleague Osgood has been killed. He is able to say no more as the alien Slaar appears and destroys the video link device. Slaar summons his guard - an Ice Warrior - and orders him to kill Locke. The Ice Warrior fires and Locke dies.
The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe are approaching the Moon in Eldred's rocket when the homing beacon is deactivated. The Doctor tries frantically to reactivate it, while Jamie worriedly contemplates the fact that if he fails they will either crash or drift on endlessly through space.
A Martian seed pod arrives in the T-Mat cubicle on Earth and a technician, Brent, draws it to the attention of Radnor and Eldred. They go to examine the pod and, when Brent touches it, it starts to expand like a balloon being inflated...
With the help of a technician named Phipps, Zoe manages to slip unseen into the Moon station control room and turn up the heating thermostat to 'full on'. She is making her escape when an Ice Warrior turns and sees her. Phipps shouts a warning and is killed by the Ice Warrior, which then advances on Zoe...
The Doctor tries in vain to gain entry to the weather control bureau as the foam-like Martian fungus threatens to engulf the building. One of the seed pods starts to expand right in front of him and he desperately shields his face from its potentially lethal effects...
The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe enter the TARDIS and it dematerialises.
Roots
Apollo TV coverage.
Chaplin (the chase scene).
Dan Dare.
Captain Scarlet (Lunaville 7, Crater 101).
Star Trek.
The 1962 film of Day of the Triffids.
The Fly.
Marshall McLuhan.
Dialogue Triumphs
The Doctor : "You can't kill me... I'm a genius!"
Grand Marshal : "You have failed us, Slaar. We shall all die. We are being pulled into the orbit of the Sun..."
Slaar : "This is impossible..."
Ice Warrior : "The signal - there is no power."
Slaar : [To the Doctor] "You did this."
The Doctor : "Yes. That signal has been going no further than this control room."
Slaar : "But they were receiving my signal."
The Doctor : "Not yours - ours."
Continuity
The TARDIS controls aren't accurate enough for a trip from Earth to the moon. The Doctor and Zoe are expert enough at space flight to pilot a rocket. Zoe has total recall, and has never heard of the Ice Warriors.
The Ice Warriors carry sonic wrist mounted guns, which can melt as well as kill, and can withstand a vacuum (they walk across the moon's surface unaided). They're from Mars, a dying planet, and, the Doctor speculates, may be trying to colonise Earth as a new home. The Ice Warriors adapted to cold. They don't recognise the Doctor, and humans are unaware of them. They're bulletproof, and seem sadistic rather than noble.
Slaar, not named as an Ice Lord, is commanded by a Grand Marshal, with a spangly helmet, who doesn't hiss in his own spaceship. He leads an invasion fleet of ten ships in v-formation that requires a radio homing beam.
The seed pods are white and sperical, expanding and exploding at random to release a dust which becomes a foam. The active component is a molecule of five atoms that absorbs Oxygen. The fungus will make Earth's atmosphere similar to that of Mars [and is specially made. However, since it's vulnerable to rainfall, the fungus could be based on native Martian flora].
Location
Britain, the moon, and between, 21st century [probably some time after 2070, cf. The Moonbase].
Future History
Earth has given up rocket travel for the Travelmat Relay, which is relayed from the moon and is responsible for all travel, including public cubicles [after a period of exploration, Earth has only retained an interest in the moon], despite Eldred's development of ion jet rockets. His father was responsible for the first lunar passenger module.
Features of 21st century life are synthetic carbohydrates, speaking computers, weather control (based on Earth, see The Moonbase), satellite communications (which they still launch rockets for) and videophones. However, such things as ordinary guns, British knighthoods, and the UN Security Council remain. Petrol cars are only found in museums.
Trivia
Model sequences of the Earth and the Moon are used as a backdrop to the story title, writer and episode number captions at the start of each episode.
A prop previously seen as the TARDIS astral map, as introduced in season two's The Web Planet, appears as one of the exhibits in Eldred's museum of space flight.
Patrick Troughton makes no appearance in Episode Four as he was on holiday during the week when it was recorded. Tommy Laird doubled for him in shots where the Doctor's unconscious form is seen.
Zoe's leather outfit was primrose yellow in colour. Actress Wendy Padbury was allowed to keep it as an addition to her own wardrobe after recording of the story was completed.
Myth
Slaar is an Ice Lord. (He is never referred to as an 'Ice Lord' or even as a 'Lord', but is presented simply as the commander of the Martian forces. His superior is however identified as a Grand Marshal (misspelt 'Grand Marshall') on the closing credits.)
Technobabble
Slaar to the Grand Marshal: 'Use your retroactive rockets to change course.'
Goofs
In episode one, the Doctor leaves the TARDIS with his braces unclipped.
There are boom mike shadows several times in the museum in the first two episodes.
In episode four, why does Slaar insist on killing the Doctor by T-matting him into space, even though this will take ages to do?
His Ice Warrior helper does a bizarre dance when leaving the T-mat on Earth.
Patrick Troughton's sideburns appear and disappear depending on whether he is seen in a pre-filmed sequence or a studio scene.
In episode five, Eldred points to the Weather Control Bureau on the map, but it's clearly marked in the opposite corner.
We see Ice Warriors fainting at heat between 40-50° Centigrade, which would also have killed the humans present.
Zoe refers to Slaar as Slaar but nobody else knows or mentions his name.
Fashion Victim
The nappy uniforms of the T-mat staff.
The guards' silly helmets.
Cast & Crew
Cast
The Doctor - Patrick Troughton
Jamie - Frazer Hines
Zoe - Wendy Padbury
Brent - Ric Felgate
Computer Voice - John Witty
Eldred - Philip Ray
Fewsham - Terry Scully
Gia Kelly - Louise Pajo
Grand Marshall - Graham Leaman
Ice Warrior - Steve Peters Steve Peters was billed as 'Alien' in the Radio Times listing for Episode One so as not to spoil the surprise of the Ice Warriors being in the story.
Ice Warrior - Tony Harwood
Ice Warrior - Sonny Caldinez
Locke - Martin Cort
Osgood - Harry Towb
Phipps - Christopher Coll
Radnor - Ronald Leigh-Hunt
Security Guard - Derrick Slater
Sir James Gregson - Hugh Morton
Slaar - Alan Bennion
Crew
Director - Michael Ferguson
The Seeds of Death