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The Basics


Season: 12
Story Number: 75
Production Code: 4A
Number of Episodes: 4
Alternative Titles: "Giant Robot"
Production Dates: April - June 1974
Studio: Television Centre
Location: BBC Training Centre, Wood Norton, Hereford and Worcester
Writer: Terrance Dicks
Director: Christopher Barry
Producer: Barry Letts
Script Editor: Robert Holmes
Designer: Ian Rawnsley
Costumes: James Acheson
Make Up: Judy Clay
Incidental Music: Dudley Simpson
Regular Cast: Tom Baker (The Doctor), Nicholas Courtney (The Brigadier), John Levene (Sergeant Benton), Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith) and Ian Marter (Harry Sullivan )
Additional Cast: Patricia Maynard (Miss Winters), Michael Kilgarriff (Robot), Edward Burnham (Professor Kettlewell), Alec Linstead (Jellicoe), Timothy Craven (Short).
Villain: Miss Winters


The Episodes


Episodes Broadcast
(UK)
Duration Viewers
(millions)
In Archive
Episode One 28th Dec 1974 24'11" 10.8 PAL 2" colour videotape
Episode Two 4st Jan 1975 25'00" 10.7 PAL 2" colour videotape
Episode Three 11th Jan 1975 24'29" 10.1 PAL 2" colour videotape
Episode Four 18th Jan 1975 24'29" 9.0 PAL 2" colour videotape

Total Duration 1hr 38mins
Average Viewers (millions) 10.2


Notes



 This is the first Doctor Who story to have all its location scenes recorded on outside broadcast (OB) video rather than shot on film.

 This story was the first using the new title sequence featuring Tom Baker as The Doctor and, for the first time, the TARDIS's police box exterior. This new sequence was created by graphics designer Bernard Lodge.

 Despite Benton revealing in Part Two that he has been promoted to Warrant Officer, this is not reflected in the closing credits, which continue to give his rank as Sergeant.



Archives



 All episodes exist on PAL 2" colour videotape and are held in the BBC's Film and Videotape Library.



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The Plot



The Brigadier, Harry and The Doctor
The Brigadier, Harry and The Doctor
 Still unstable from his regeneration, The Doctor joins UNIT in an investigation into the theft of top secret plans and equipment from supposedly secure premises.

 Sarah-Jane decides to use the opportunity to investigate a top secret government Think-Tank, a body involved in developing emerging technologies, and inadvertently discovers that the raids have been carried out by a robot invented by scientist Professor Kettlewell who has been working for Think-Tank.

 It transpires that the robot has been reprogrammed on the orders of Miss Winters, the director of Think-Tank, and used to obtain plans and equipment for the construction of a disintegrator gun.

 With the help of Professor Kettlewell Sarah discovers that the Scientific Reform Society, of a which Miss Winters is a leading member, have managed to steal the computer codes controlling the nuclear weapons of the world's leading powers. In this way, the SRS hopes to hold the world to ransom unless its demands for a purer way of life are met.

 After Professor Kettlewell is accidentally killed by the robot, after he balks at Miss Winters' ruthlessness, the robot suffers an electronic mental breakdown and tries to activate the nuclear weapons and at the same time kidnaps Sarah. The Brigadier attempts to destroy it with the disintegrator gun, but this merely causes it to grow to gigantic proportions, following which it goes on the rampage.

 The Doctor, assisted by UNIT medical officer Harry Sullivan, destroys it with a metal virus described in Kettlewell's notes and in doing so manages to rescue Sarah. Back at UNIT The Doctor invites Harry to enter the TARDIS and, along with Sarah, they depart.



The Quote of the Story



 'There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes.'

The Doctor



Release Information


Format Title Release Date (UK) Code Number Cover Art Remarks
Video
VHS
Robot January 1992 BBCV 4714 Alister Pearson  
Video
DVD
Robot June 2007   Photo-montage  
Audio No Audio release.


In Print


Format Title Release Date (UK) Publisher Author Cover Art Remarks
Book
Novel
Doctor Who and the Giant Robot March 1975 Target No. 28 Terrance Dicks Peter Brookes ISBN 0-426-11279-2
Book
Script
Doctor Who and the Giant Robot 1979 Target No. 28 Terrance Dicks Jeff Cummins New cover reprint
Book
Novel
Junior Doctor Who and the Giant Robot December 1979 Target Terrance Dicks Harry Hunt Specially rewritten version for younger readers
Book
Script
Doctor Who and the Giant Robot April 1986 W H Allen Terrance Dicks Jeff Cummins Hardback Edition
Book
Novel
Robot May 1992 Target No. 28 Terrance Dicks Alistair Pearson New cover reprint
Doctor Who Magazine Archive: Issue 290
Doctor Who In-Vision Magazine: Issue 1

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The Photo Gallery



The Brigadier
The Brigadier
Tom Baker
The Fourth Doctor
Sergeant Benton
Sergeant Benton
 
Sarah Jane Smith
Sarah Jane Smith
Harry Sullivan
Harry Sullivan

Video - Robot
VHS Video Cover
Book - Robot
Original Target Book Cover
Book - Robot
1st Reprinted Target Book Cover
Video - Robot
DVD Cover
 
BBC VIDEO
Target
Target
BBC VIDEO

Junior Book - Robot
Junior Book Cover
Book - Robot
Hardback Book Cover
Book - Robot
2nd Reprinted Target Book Cover
 
Target
Target
Target


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