The Tenth Planet

"Bye bye Billy, Billy Bye bye", "The Death of Doctor Who", "Attack of the Cybermen"

"The One where the Face Changes" (USA), "The Last Doctor Who Story Ever" (William Hartnell)

Doctor Who beats the Cybermen for the first time but then falls over and gets up as Patrick Troughton

*** - Historically more important than it is interesting

"I've changed my mind - I dah-don't want to leave" (Billy H meets Patrick for the first time)

"These old pants are wearing a bit thin"

The regeneration was achieved by means of special effects - William Hartnell continued to exist as a separate person for several more years

The unique Cyber voices were considered such a success that they were replaced by incomprehensible buzzing for the next eight years.

The story was set in 1986, two years after George Orwell’s credibility-free novel 1984. Rumours that Cybermen destroyed the Challenger Space Shuttle have never been disproved.

The accordions worn by the Cyberpersons were fully functional and the actors were entertained with music during recording breaks.

The cast and crew had a collection and bought William Hartnell a clock upon his retirement. The inscription read “To Doctor Who, all the best”. Underneath was a footnote explaining “No black, foreign or gay people contributed to the purchase of this clock”. Heather Hartnell sold it at auction for eight pounds.

The BBC audience research report showed that people viewed this serial as “notable” – opinions varying from “extremely notable” to “barely notable”. The regeneration was described as “Dr Who gaining some new steam”

It was the end of an era.

Si Hunt

Albanian Video

"I remember a particularly droll practical pleasantry that we played on the select audience at a seminar I gave during a convention. The small but enthralled audience were listening agog to my lecture on Story DD and its impact on world politics. I was half way through an explanation of the subtle differences between the fictional political map of 1986 and the actuality of the 1986 political situation (my main point, if I can summarise, being that a planet didn't appear in the real 1986 and try to drain all the Earth's energies, thus freeing our political leaders to do other things) when I clasped my chest and fell backwards behind my lectern. A small but determined round of applause from the audience signalled the respect they had for my giving of my last breath for their education. Suddenly, by use of a trap door which had been especially widened, Ian Devine replaced me behind the lectern and stood before the throng, dressed in a large clone of my sensible outfit and looking bemused. "That old body of mine had worn a bit thin" he quipped and got a smattering of ironic laughter. "Don't be pathetically stupid" I shouted from beneath the stage. I popped back up through the trap door and took my colleague to task. "We agreed the script in advance. Richly comic conceits that I spent five months carefully scripting are no place for your ad libs. You are no better than Tom Baker." I stormed off the stage to a shower of cat calls and drinks cans as the proles were clearly unhappy at my lecture being cut short thanks to Ian Devine's absurd and shameless persuit of cheap laughter."

Tell me the Mondasians didn't start with something like this

Cutler tried to destroy Mondas with dance music??