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The Macra Terror

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Synopsis

A Macra

When The Doctor. Polly and Ben visit a human colony that appears to be one big holiday camp they think they have come across a truly happy place. But a shadowy presence soon makes them realise that the surface contentment is carefully controlled. The colony’s inhabitants have been brainwashed by giant crab-like creatures - the Macra. Insidious propaganda, broadcast by the Controller, forces the humans to mine a gas that is essential for the Macra to survive - but fatal to them.

The colony must be saved - but how? The Doctor and his team are up against it, particularly when Ben falls under the influence of the Macra. Can he be rescued from their evil clutches? Can the gas pumping equipment be destroyed, getting rid of the Macra for good?

Source: BBC Audio

General Information

Season:

Four

Production Code:

Story Number:

Episode Numbers:

153 - 156

Number of Episodes:

Number of Incomplete/Missing Episodes:

Percentage of Episodes Held:

Working Titles:

"The Spidermen", "The Spidermen!", "The Insect-Men" and "The Macras"

Production Dates:

February - March 1967

Broadcast Started:

11 March 1967

Broadcast Finished:

01 April 1967

Colour Status:

B&W

Studio:

Ealing Television Film Studios and Lime Grove (Studio D)

Location:

Associated Portland Cement Company Quarry (Dunstable).

Writer:

Ian Stuart Black

Director:

John Davies

Producer:

Innes Lloyd

Story Editor:

Gerry Davis

Editor:

Eddie Wallstab

Production Assistant:

Chris D'Oyly John

Assistant Floor Manager:

Anne Faggetter

Designer:

Kenneth Sharp

Costume Designers:

Daphne Dare and Vanessa Clark

Make-Up Designers:

Gillian James and Jeanne Richmond

Cameraman:

Peter Hamilton

Lighting:

Frank Cresswell

Incidental Music:

Dudley Simpson

Special Sounds (SFX Editor):

Brian Hodgson

Studio Sounds:

Gordon Mackie and Hugh Barker

Title Sequence:

Bernard Lodge

Title Music:

Ron Grainer and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Arranged by Delia Derbyshire

Number of Doctors:

The Doctor:

Patrick Troughton (The Second Doctor)

Number of Companions:

The Companions:

Anneke Wills (Polly Wright), Michael Craze (Ben Jackson) and Frazer Hines (Jamie McCrimmon)

Additional Cast:

Peter Jeffrey (Pilot), Terence Lodge (Medok), Gertan Klauber (Ola), Graham Armitage (Barney), Ian Fairbairn (Questa), Jane Enshawe (Sunnaa), Sandra Bryant (Chicki), Karol Keyes (Chicki (episode 4)), Maureen Lane (Drum Majorette), Graham Leaman (Controller), Anthony Gardner (Alvis), Denis Goacher (Control Voice), Richard Beale (Broadcast and Propaganda Voice), Robert Jewell (Macra Operator), John Harvey (Officia), John Caesar (Guard), Steve Emerson (Guard), Danny Rae (Guard), Roger Jerome (Cheerleader), Terry Wright (Cheerleader), Ralph Carrigan (Cheerleader)

Setting:

An Earth colony on an unknown planet in the future.

Villain:

The Macra

The Episodes

No.	Episodes	Broadcast (UK)	Duration	Viewers (Millions)	In Archive
153	Episode 1	11 March 1967	22'58"	8.0	Missing
154	Episode 2	18 March 1967	23'21"	7.9	Missing
155	Episode 3	25 March 1967	23'24"	8.5	Missing
156	Episode 4	01 April 1967	24'41"	8.4	Missing

Total Duration

1 Hour 34 Minutes

Audience Appreciation

Average Viewers (Millions)

8.2

Doctor Who Magazine Poll (1998)	64.45% (Position = 102 out of 159)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2009)	64.24% (Position = 137 out of 200)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2014)	67.85% (Position = 150 out of 241)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2023)	Position = 12 out of 21

Archives

All four episodes lost. Several short clips from episodes 2 and 3 were recovered, in October 1996, from Australian censor cuts. In addition, 8mm footage shot off-television by a fan from episode 3 exists. Telesnaps (off-air camera photographs) from this story also exist.

Notes

This story introduces the alien race known as The Macra – they would not appear again in the show for 40 years. This was in the 2007 Tenth Doctor story "Gridlock". In their second appearance in the show seemingly, billions of years of evolution had reduced them to nothing more than vicious predators. They were able to survive on the gas fumes of the exhausts from the cars of the New New York Motorway, in the capital of New Earth - the colony which humans live on following the eventual demise of the Earth.

Terence Lodge (who played Medok) returned to Doctor Who to play Orum in the 1973 Third Doctor story "Carnival of Monsters" and then again, as Moss, in the Third Doctor's last story "Planet of the Spiders" in 1974.

Ian Fairbairn (who played Questa) returned to Doctor Who to play Gregory in the 1968 Second Doctor story "The Invasion". He then played Bromley in the 1970 Third Doctor story "Inferno" and then Doctor Chester in the 1976 Fourth Doctor story "The Seeds of Doom".

The character Chicki was played by two different actresses. Sandra Bryant, who took the role for Episode 1, asked to be released from her contract so that she could accept another, more attractive offer of work. This was agreed, and so for Episode 4 (the only other episode in which Chicki appears) the part was recast, going instead to Karol Keyes.

This story is the first to use a new title sequence incorporating an image of the Second Doctor’s face. Innes Lloyd had for some time been contemplating revamping the opening title sequence, which had not been changed since the show's debut in November 1963. The services of Bernard Lodge, who had designed the original version, were once again secured. The introduction of The Doctors face was due to Bernard Lodge recalling that during test filming in 1963, he had stood in front of the camera and his visage had become incorporated into the electronic effect. Then-producer Verity Lambert had feared that the technique was too scary and forbade its use at the time. Innes Lloyd, however, liked the concept and agreed that a photocaption of Patrick Troughton's face should be used for the new credits; this would become a hallmark of all future Doctor Who opening sequences until the show was re-launched in 2005. Innes Lodge and engineer Ben Palmer created the new titles in early December 1966. It was originally planned to introduce them with "The Underwater Menace" but it’s introduction was held back until this story".

Only one Macra constructed for this story. Consequently, when recording the scene, in episode 3, where Jamie McCrimmon appears to be menaced by two of the monsters, Director John Davies was forced to employ out-of-sequence recording. All the scenes involving the Macra moving from right to left were taped first, followed by those in which the other Macra moves from the left to the right. The whole story was cleverly filmed using several camera angles and trick photography (not to mention a Macra attached to the back of a van!).

Medok seems to have named the creatures 'Macra', or heard the name from rumour, but the word catches on. The creatures are variously called insects, crabs and huge bacteria, and we never learn anything of their origins or organisation. We are led to understand that the gas they depend on is like their own atmosphere.

Anneke Wills (who plays Polly Wright) wore hair extensions for the first few scenes of this story, as she was sporting a new, shorter hairstyle. A haircut for her character was written into the story, as part of Polly's refreshment regimen at the colony.

In 2019 an animated version of this story, with the original soundtrack, was released on DVD in both black and white and in colour. A reconstructed version was also included in this DVD using the telesnap images and the existing clips from episodes 2 and 3.

First and Last

The Firsts:

The first appearance of the Macra.

The first Doctor Who story to use a new title sequence incorporating an image of the Second Doctor’s face.

The first Doctor Who story to be directed by John Davies.

Story Images

Show Text

A Macra

Everyone is Happy

Meeting the Cononists

Medok is Captured

The Pilot and Medok

The Controller is Attacked by a Macra

Polly Investigates

Polly and Ben are Terrified

A Macra Attacks

Jamie is Attacked

The Doctor

Ben Saves the Colony

Quote of the Story

'This is an emergency! Control must be believed and obeyed! No-one in the colony believes in Macra! There is no such thing as Macra! Macra do not exist! There are no Macra!'

Control Voice

Release Information

Format	Title	Release Date (UK)	Code Number	Cover Art	Remarks
Tape	The Missing Stories - The Macra Terror	July 1992	ZBBC 1342	Photo-montage	Narrated by Colin Baker Edited version Double Cassette
CD	30 Years at the Radiophonic Workshop	1993	BBC CD 871	Photo-montage	Sound effects
VHS	The Missing Years	November 1998	BBCV 6766	Photo-montage	A 56 minute documentary presented by Frazer Hines (Jamie McCrimmon) and Deborah Watling (Victoria Waterfield) Includes variuos clips Released as part of The Ice Warriors Collection (BBCV 6387)
CD	Doctor Who at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop Volume One - The Early Years 1963-1969	June 2000	WMSF 6023-2		Music and sound effects
CD	The Macra Terror	August 2000		Photo-montage	Narrated by Colin Baker Unedited CD re-release of the 1992 BBC Radio Collection audio release Double CD Release
DVD	Doctor Who: Lost in Time	November 2004	BBCDVD 1353	Photo-montage	Includes surviving clips from episodes 2 and 3 and the 8mm off-air home movie footage from episode 3
CD	The Macra Terror	February 2012		Photo-montage	Part of the "Doctor Who: The Lost TV Episodes: Collection Four 1967" Box Set Narrated by Colin Baker
CD	The 50th Anniversary Collection	December 2013		Photo-montage	Original Television Soundtracks
DVD	The Macra Terror	March 2019	BBCDVD 4371	Photo-montage	Animated Version with Original Soundtrack
Blu-Ray	The Macra Terror	March 2019	BBCBD 0464	Photo-montage	Limited Edition Blu-Ray Steelbook boxed set containing black & white and colour versions of the animated episodes.

In Print

Format	Title	Release Date (UK)	Publisher	Author	Cover Art	Remarks
Novel	The Macra Terror	December 1987	Target No. 123	Ian Stuart Black	Tony Masero	ISBN: 0-426-20307-0
CD	The Macra Terror	August 2016	Target No. 123	Ian Stuart Black	Tony Masero	Audio version of the Target Novel read by Anneke Wills (Polly Wright).

Doctor Who CMS Magazine (An Adventure in Space and Time)	Issue 34
Doctor Who Monthly - Article/Feature	Issue 67 (Released: August 1982)
Doctor Who Magazine - Telesnap Archive	Issue 251 (Released: May 1997)
Doctor Who Magazine - Telesnap Archive	Issue 252 (Released: June 1997)
Doctor Who Magazine - Telesnap Archive	Issue 253 (Released: July 1997)
Doctor Who Magazine - Telesnap Archive	Issue 254 (Released: July 1997)
Doctor Who Magazine - Time Team	Issue 301 (Released: March 2001)
Doctor Who Magazine - Archive	Issue 308 (Released: September 2001)
Doctor Who Magazine - Missing In Action	Issue 491 (Released: November 2015)
Doctor Who Magazine - The Fact of Fiction	Issue 513 (Released: July 2017)

Photo Gallery

The Doctor and Companions

The Second Doctor

Polly Wright

Ben Jackson

Jamie McCrimmon

On Release

The Missing Stories Tape Cover

AUDIO

Sound Effects CD Cover

AUDIO

Missing Years VHS Video Cover

VIDEO

Audio - Volume 1: The Early Years

AUDIO

Soundtrack CD Cover

AUDIO

Lost In Time DVD Cover

VIDEO

The Lost TV Episodes: Collection Four CD Cover

AUDIO

The 50th Anniversary Collection Cover

AUDIO

DVD Cover

VIDEO

Blu-Ray Steelbook Cover

VIDEO

In Print

Target Book Cover

NOVEL

Target Audio CD Cover

Magazines

Doctor Who CMS Magazine (An Adventure in Space and Time): Issue 34

Doctor Who Monthly - Article/Feature: Issue 67

Doctor Who Magazine - Telesnap Archive: Issue 251

Doctor Who Magazine - Telesnap Archive: Issue 252

Doctor Who Magazine - Telesnap Archive: Issue 253

Doctor Who Magazine - Telesnap Archive: Issue 254

Doctor Who Magazine - Time Team: Issue 301

Doctor Who Magazine - Archive: Issue 308

Doctor Who Magazine - Missing In Action: Issue 491

Doctor Who Magazine - The Fact of Fiction: Issue 513

Who's Who

Who Me

Episodes of the
Second Doctor

Season 4

References

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