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Doctor Who: The Silurians
Starring: Jon Pertwee
Exiled to Earth and now working for UNIT as their scientific advisor, the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) is summoned to an underground research center at Wenley Moor to investigate a series of inexplicable power losses. Available in color for the first time!
Item Number: 14672
- Format:
- DVD Fullscreen
- Region:
- 1 - More Details
- Run time:
- About 2 3/4 hours
- Originally Aired On:
- PBS
- Number of Discs:
- 2
- Closed Captions / Subtitles:
- This Product contains Closed Captions.
- Special Features:
Commentary by actors Caroline John (Liz), Nicholas Courtney (The Brigadier), Peter Miles (Lawrence) and Geoffrey Palmer (Masters), director Timothy Combe, producer Barry Letts, and script editor Terrance Dicks
What Lies Beneath Cast and crew explore how the socio-political climate of the late sixties shaped this story
Going Underground Making Of
Now and Then Location featurette
Musical Scales Retrospective on an era of musical experimentation in Doctor Who
Color Silurian Overlay Featurette showing how the story was restored to full color for DVD release
Isolated Music
Radio Times Listings (DVD-ROM PC/Mac)
Photo Gallery
Production Notes Subtitle Option
Digitally remastered picture and sound quality
Exiled to Earth and now working for UNIT as their scientific advisor, the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) is summoned to an underground research center at Wenley Moor to investigate a series of inexplicable power losses. There, the Doctor and Liz (Caroline John, Love Actually) meet Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney, Yes, Prime Minister). Initially suspecting sabotage, the Doctor soon discovers the nearby cave system conceals a colony of an ancient race called the Silurians. Awaking from millions of years of hibernation, the Silurians are now planning to reclaim the Earth from humankind. Extras include commentary by Geoffrey Palmer (As Time Goes By) in his Doctor Who debut, plus several "making-of" featurettes.
Summoned by the Brigadier to an underground research centre at Wenley Moor, the Doctor and Liz Shaw learn from its director, Dr Lawrence, that work on a new type of nuclear reactor is being hampered by inexplicable power losses and by an unusually high incidence of stress-related illness amongst staff.
Investigating a nearby cave system, the Doctor discovers it is the base of a group of intelligent reptiles, termed Silurians, who went into hibernation millions of years ago but have now been revived by power from the research centre.
The Doctor strives for peace between reptiles and humans and manages to gain the trust of the old Silurian leader, but then a rebellious young Silurian seizes power and releases a deadly virus that threatens to wipe out humanity.
The Doctor finds an antidote, but the Silurians retaliate by taking over the research centre and preparing to destroy the Van Allen Belt, a natural barrier shielding the Earth from solar radiation harmful to humans but beneficial to reptiles. The creatures are tricked into returning to their caves when the Doctor overloads the reactor, threatening to cause a nuclear explosion. The Brigadier, to the Time Lord's disgust, then has the Silurian base blown up.
| The Doctor | --- | Jon Pertwee |
| Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart | --- | Nicholas Courtney |
| Liz Shaw | --- | Caroline John |
| Captain Hawkins | --- | Paul Darrow |
| Corporal Nutting | --- | Alan Mason |
| Davis | --- | Bill Matthews |
| Doris Squire | --- | Nancie Jackson |
| Dr. Lawrence | --- | Peter Miles |
| Dr. Meredith | --- | Ian Cunningham |
| Dr. Quinn | --- | Fulton Mackay |
| Hospital Doctor | --- | Brendan Barry |
| Major Baker | --- | Norman Jones |
| Masters | --- | Geoffrey Palmer |
| Miss Dawson | --- | Thomasine Heiner |
| Old Silurian | --- | Dave Carter |
| Private Robins | --- | Harry Swift |
| Private Wright | --- | David Pollitt |
| Roberts | --- | Roy Branigan |
| Sergeant Hart | --- | Richard Steele |
| Silurian | --- | Pat Gorman |
| Silurian | --- | Paul Barton |
| Silurian | --- | Simon Cain |
| Silurian | --- | John Churchill |
| Silurian | --- | Dave Carter |
| Silurian Scientist | --- | Pat Gorman |
| Silurian Voices | --- | Peter Halliday |
| Spencer | --- | John Newman |
| Squire | --- | Gordon Richardson |
| Travis | --- | Ian Talbot |
| Young Silurian | --- | Nigel Johns |
Directed by Timothy Combe
Costumes by Christine Rawlins
Film Editing by Bill Huthbert
Incidental Music by Carey Blyton
Produced by Barry Letts
Script Editing by Terrance Dicks
Title Music by Ron Grainer and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, arranged by Delia Derbyshire
Written by Malcolm Hulke
The Doctor's yellow-liveried vintage car, nicknamed Bessie, makes its first appearance.
Well-known comedy actor Geoffrey Palmer appears as Masters.
There are non-speaking cameo appearances by members of the production team, including Barry Letts, Terrance Dicks and, most prominently, Trevor Ray (who plays a ticket collector struck down by the Silurian virus), in the location scenes shot at Marylebone Station in London.
