Doctor Who: The Visitation (1982)

Date(s) of Broadcast: 15 February 1982 - 23 February 1982
Number of Episodes: 4
Average Episode Running Times: 25 mins
Format: colour
Sound: mono

PRODUCTION
Production Company: BBC
Producer: John Nathan-Turner

SCRIPT
Script: Eric Saward
Story Editor: Antony Root

DIRECTION
Director: Peter Moffatt

PHOTOGRAPHY
Studio Lighting: Henry Barber
Film Cameraman: Peter Chapman

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Film Editor: Ken Bilton

MUSIC
Title Music: Ron Grainer and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop
Title Music Arranger: Peter Howell
Incidental Music: Paddy Kingsland

SOUNDS
Studio Sound: Alan Machin
Special Sounds: Dick Mills

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: Carolyn Perry
Costumes: Odile Dicks-Mireaux

VISUAL EFFECTS
Visual Effects: Peter Wragg

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Designer: Ken Starkey

MISCELLANEOUS
Production Associate: Angela Smith
Production Assistant: Julia Randall
Assistant Floor Manager: Alison Symington

STUNTS
Stunts: Alan Chuntz, Stuart Fell

CAST
Peter Davison (The Doctor)
Janet Fielding (Tegan Jovanka)
Sarah Sutton (Nyssa)
Matthew Waterhouse (Adric)
Michael Robbins (Richard Mace)
Peter Van Dissel (android)
James Charlton (Miller)
Richard Hampton (villager)
John Savident (the squire (Sir John))
Anthony Calf (Charles)
John Baker (Ralph)
Valerie Fyfer (Elizabeth)
Michael Melia (chief Terileptil)
Neil West (poacher)
Eric Dodson (headman)
Jeff Wayne (scytheman - uncredited)
Michael Leader, David Summer (Terileptils - uncredited)
Don Paul (nightwatchman - uncredited)
Victor Cruxford, Tom Gandl, Charles Adey Gray, Keith Guest, Tom Knox, James Tye, Bill Whitehead (villagers - uncredited)

PLOT SUMMARY

A spacecraft has crash landed in the 17th century Earth and its alien inhabitants intend to wipe out all life by using plague infected rats. The Doctor encounters the grand actor Richard mace and has to foil the aliens.

A good sense of place, some excellent location work and a fine performance by Michael Robbins conspire to make this a good and well loved story. If only the villains had been memorable this could have been a classic.

UK
Television Distributor: BBC
Video Distributor: BBC Video

1982
February
15: UK - Part One television broadcast (on BBC1)
16: UK - Part Two television broadcast (on BBC1)
22: UK - Part Three television broadcast (on BBC1)
23: UK - Part Four television broadcast (on BBC1)

The Invasion of the Plague Men - working title
The Plague Rats - working title

BOOKS

Doctor Who: The Television Companion pp.412-415
credits, synopsis, review (by David J. Howe and Stephen James Walker)

OTHER SOURCES

screen
credits

KEYWORDS

aliens, time travel

Last Updated: 1 January, 2009