The Image of the Fendahl

“Doctor Who and Wanda Ventham”, “The Happy Wanda”, “A Fish Called Fendahl”

“The One with the Salty Climax” (USA), “Doctor Who and the Fendahleks” (pirate copies of the novel)

Doctor Who stops a big thing from doing something rotten. 

*** - It scores 8/10 on the gothic-o-meter so it must be worthy.

“Hello - I am your god” (Tom Baker’s standard greeting to new cast members rather offended Wanda Ventham who punched him in the calf)

"You must think my pants zip up at the back."

Tom Baker was in a grumpy mood during shooting and called everyone “cock”. The amount of force in each “cock” varied from person to person.

Some of the ceremonial costumes worn in this story came from Tom Baker’s personal collection.

American wits have produced a spoof version of this starring Barbie and her boyfriend. It is called – quake with mirth – “Image of the Ken Doll”. I hate puns when they aren’t mine.

Wanda Ventham was surprised on set by the “This Is Your Life” team. In the background, Tom Baker can be seen swearing eternal vengeance on Eamon Andrews and all his kind.

An important football match was taking place during the recording of episode three and John Motson’s voice can clearly be heard in the background.

A Big Finish sequel to this story was abandoned after the monster’s owners demanded huge fees to allow its use. They wanted fifty thousand pounds just for the right to put a picture of it on the cover of the CD. DWM led with the headline “Image Rights of the Fendahl”.

...is that anything which shows signs of life after twelve million years won't do you any good.

Si Hunt

“My one and only outing with the Elk and Bush Quiz Team (nick-named 'The Elk'n'Bush Quizzers') was to a local derby fixture against the Moose and Trumpet. We were ahead by six and a half marks to six marks when I was asked,

'Which actress is best remembered for being painted gold in the 1964 film...'

At this point I pressed my buzzer.

'Wanda Ventham' I answered correctly.

'That's wrong - the 'Moose and Trumpet Bombardiers' can steal a point'.

'Shirley Eaton' said that no good swine Winthrop Burberry.

'Correct' said the quiz "master".

'Don't be pathetically stupid' I quipped, 'even though you were subnormal enough to misread the date you surely can't be retarded enough to misread the answer as well.'

'The mark stands' insisted the chairman. He showed me his card. 'Happy now?'

I looked down and saw that it was the person writing the questions who had made the mistake and not the quiz host. I sent him a vague apology by return of post and, rather than return to my team and feel embarrassed, I announced to the audience that I had suffered a rectal implosion and had to seek immediate proctological attention.”

In 1999 the fan produced magazine "Twelve-million-year-old Human Skull Monthly" offered a free subscription to anyone who could write a five hundred word review of Image of the Fendahl without including certain clichéd words. The full list of banned words was -

Gothic

Fandor

Salt

Gold-painted

Leela

Snake

Salty

Very gothic

Skull

Quatermass

The prize was never awarded as the challenge is quite obviously completely impossible. Only one person tried and he was eliminated when someone noticed to that his piece was entitled "Gothic goings on in the salty Quatermass homage featuring Leela, a giant snake and a skull".