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Doctor Who: The Macra Terror: In this lost episode of the classic series recreated with animation, The Doctor and his companions discover a sinister secret at a seemingly happy Earth colony.
- (159)
- 2019-03-18
- Animation, Sci-Fi
- 96
The Macra Terror is the completely missing seventh serial of the fourth season in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 11 March to 1 April 1967.
- Overview
- Synopsis
- Plot
- Cast
- Crew
- Worldbuilding
- Story notes
- Continuity
- Home video and audio releases
was the seventh serial of season 4 of Doctor Who.
It was the first story to feature the lead actor's face in the opening title sequence, a tradition that carried on to the final episode of the classic series and returned with The Snowmen in the revived format and remained until Twice Upon a Time (barring Death in Heaven and Sleep No More).
When the Second Doctor, Ben, Polly and Jamie visit a human colony that appears to be one big holiday camp, they think they have come across a truly happy place. Yet 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.
Episode 1
A drum majorette and a futuristic band rehearse for a festival performance. The Pilot of the colony compliments Barney, the band's leader, but their idyllic conversation is disrupted when Medok, another colony member, bursts through half-crazed and escapes outside. Ola, the Chief of Police and several guards pursue him. Ola explains that Medok has "refused treatment". The Pilot is suddenly deadly serious; Medok must not get away. In the wilderness outside the colony, Medok takes cover in rocks to hide from the oncoming guards. As they pass him, the TARDIS materialises, and the Doctor, Ben, Polly and Jamie tentatively step out, wary of the huge claw they saw on the time scanner. Medok attacks, but Ben and Jamie subdue him as Ola and the guards arrive. They tie up Medok. Ola thanks them for apprehending their convict and welcomes the strangers, inviting them to meet their Pilot, who will want to thank them for their help. As the music chimes, signalling a work-shift change, the Pilot offers his gratitude to the strangers. He sends them to the Refreshing Department. Jamie hangs back, suspicious, but follows with Polly. As they arrive, a picture of a man appears on a large screen and a friendly, commanding voice welcomes them. The Pilot explains this is the colony's Controller, then takes his leave as Barney offers the four travellers the hospitality of the Department: shampoos, clothes cleaning, beauty treatments etc. As Ola roughly accompanies Medok back into the colony, Medok's old friend Questa sees him. Questa has heard he's been seeing things. Medok corrects him: there are things, horrible creatures coming out at night. The Controller announces a reception to welcome the strangers. Questa asks Medok to join in like he used to. As Medok spews more dangerous talk, Ola drags him away. At the prison, the Doctor manages to break into Medok's cell and talk to him. He's curious about what Medok has seen, but Medok is suspicious of this stranger. He mentions creatures he has seen at night that crawl over the ground. Medok takes his chance, pushes the Doctor and escapes. An alarm bell sounds and the Doctor explains his actions to the Pilot and Ola. Ola wants to send the Doctor to "work in the pits", but the Doctor is saved by his ignorance of colony laws and the fact that he caught Medok in the first place. He casually mentions people crawling over the colony to Ola, who warns him his talk might end him up in the hospital "for correction." The Pilot is eager for the strangers to learn more about the colony. He tells Ola to bring them to the Labour Centre. En route, they pass though a construction area where new homes are being built. The Doctor spots Medok hiding in the site but says nothing. At the Labour Centre, the Controller informs the work force of the escaped prisoner. The travellers ask about the work being done, but the answers are vague: they tap and refine gas, but can't describe what they use the gas for. Suddenly two workers stagger in with "gas sickness." Ola and Questa brush it off, saying the work must be done. Polly is surprised and doubtful, then notices the Doctor is gone. The Doctor has slipped away to find Medok back at the construction site and questions him more about the creatures he's seen — giant insects with huge claws. Others have seen them too, but they get locked up in the hospital. Another alarm sounds and Medok sends the Doctor back. The others are relieved to find the Doctor, as curfew is announced. Barney shows the travellers to their sleeping cubicles in the Refreshing Department but, as soon as it is quiet, the Doctor slips out to find Medok again. As he does, the Controller informs the colony that all people seen out of their sleeping compartments risk their lives. As Ola and the guards patrol, the Doctor evades them and finds Medok. They hole themselves up in a half-completed house. They seem surrounded, but the Doctor finds an escape hatch. While he helps Medok escape, Medok spots one of the crab-like creatures below them.
Episode 2
Medok is excited to have seen the creature with the Doctor, thinking he can prove he wasn't "seeing things." His shouts bring Ola and the guards to them, and Ola completely dismisses their claims. He brings the Doctor before the Pilot. The Pilot sees the Doctor individually. While the Doctor is impressed with the colony's technology, especially a piece of equipment that allows him to see the whole of the colony, the Pilot questions him about his "crime". The Doctor starts to explain why he believes Medok, but Ola interrupts to report that Medok swears the Doctor was trying to make him give himself up. The Doctor is released back to the Refreshing Department, and Medok returns to the hospital for another round of treatment. The Controller commands that the strangers be given "the advantage of high-powered adaption" within their "deep sleep" to prevent any further criticism from them, making them more like other obedient colony members. The Pilot sets about this process. Jamie, Ben and Polly are already being brainwashed in their sleep. Jamie sleeps fitfully, and the thinking patterns do not take hold. He awakes and tries to alert Ben to voices he thinks he hears, but Ben argues him down, quoting passages from the brainwashing and saying that they will need to work in the morning. The Doctor arrives at Polly's cubicle and overhears her brainwashing. He shorts the circuits controlling this, which wakes Polly up. He makes her promise to disregard anything she may have dreamt about and ensure she always makes decisions carefully. The Doctor rushes off to Ben and Jamie's room and disconnects the machinery, but Ben is angered, saying it is an insult to the colony. He gets into a scuffle with Jamie but eventually leaves and reports the Doctor's crimes to Ola. The Doctor and Jamie are taken away. At the hospital, the Pilot is lamenting that Medok's treatment is failing and he'll probably have to be sent to the pits for life. Meanwhile, Polly angrily leaves the cubicles after arguing with Ben and runs to the construction site to avoid him. Ben follows and captures her, violently dragging her back towards the cubicles. Polly spots something in the distance and screams. She describes it as a creature like a large crab with huge claws. Ben sees nothing and is dubious until he spots something himself. A huge claw grabs Polly, and Ben fights it off. After a while, the creature retreats. After the release of Polly, they soon find themselves surrounded by Macra, but their nimble legs let them escape back to the colony. The Pilot confronts the Doctor about his actions, but the Doctor is proud of them. Seeing the Pilot also has a nerve circuit attached to his rest cubicle, the Doctor fuses that, too. Ben and Polly are also brought before the Pilot. Polly tells their harrowing tale, asking Ben for confirmation. Ben denies seeing any creatures, much to the consternation of Polly. The Doctor is convinced Ben has been brought under the evil influences at the heart of the colony. He and Jamie ask pointed questions regarding the Controller which start to get even the Pilot thinking about the true motives of his leader. This eventually forces the "Controller" to appear in person. An old, dishevelled man appears on the screen. He can barely speak and does not have the voice of the Controller; however, he is clearly a much older version of the man portrayed as the Controller on screen. The man is suddenly grabbed by a claw, and yells at the creature to get back and he'll obey, but to no avail, and he is dragged away out of camera shot. Polly then screams that the Macra are in control.
Episode 3
The Doctor, Jamie and Polly are condemned to pit labour in the "danger gang". The Controller orders the Pilot to forget what he saw on the screen. The Pilot orders Ben to keep an eye on his friends. The three prisoners are brought to the pithead, where Officia is in charge. He recalls their shift leader, who turns out to be Medok. Medok demands they have a supervisor, and the Doctor and Polly squabble over who should go. Jamie casually suggests that the Doctor may be more "useful" up top. Jamie and Polly are given masks and sent down. While the Doctor studies the controls, he spots Ben and talks with him. Ben is completely under control, and the Doctor comments that this is very unlike him and that he should keep out of Jamie's way as he will be less forgiving. There is soon a gas strike and the workers connect a large cable to stop a leak which causes one of their team to collapse. Medok tells Polly and Jamie that the gas is lethal and no-one knows what it's used for. Meanwhile, the Doctor is working out some calculations on the wall and is very pleased with his work. The Pilot finds him and accuses him of stealing a secret formula, but the Doctor insists he has worked it out on his own. The Pilot orders that he erase his work so that no one sees it. The workers probe for more gas. Jamie finds a door, and Polly comments that it's very new and strong. Officia meddles in some of Medok's work, and gas erupts in his face. Jamie uses the opportunity to steal Officia's keys. Ben sees this and helps Officia out of the shaft. Jamie and Polly worry that Ben saw the theft. Jamie uses the keys to enter the strong door, but Polly is called back by Medok to work. An alarm sounds and, when Polly tells Medok that Jamie has escaped, he follows him, leaving Polly. Up top, Officia realises his keys are gone, and Ben suggests he must have dropped them. When Officia leaves, Ben confesses to the Doctor that he knows Jamie took the keys but doesn't know why he didn't tell Officia. The Doctor says this is because he is recovering, but Ben leaves to tell the Pilot. While Medok searches for Jamie, he is attacked by a Macra. The Controller forbids the guards to be allowed into the old shaft (where Jamie and Medok have gone). Jamie discovers Medok dead, then finds a very still Macra in front of him. He throws a piece of rock at the inert creature. It opens its eyes briefly but remains chiefly inactive. The Doctor, now joined by Polly, is trying to analyse the gas and is not having success. Ben cannot find the Pilot, but when the Pilot is not in his office, his conditioning continues to break down, especially when another worker mentions the word "friends". The Controller orders gas diverted into the old shaft, intriguing the Doctor. The Doctor suggests that maybe the gas isn't to kill. He theorises it is to keep something else alive. The Doctor tries desperately to figure out how to help Jamie. As Jamie coughs and splutters, the Macra comes to life and moves towards him. He flees but is soon met by a second terrifying creature.
•Dr. Who - Patrick Troughton
•Ben Jackson - Michael Craze
•Polly - Anneke Wills
•Jamie McCrimmon - Frazer Hines
•Pilot - Peter Jeffrey
•Medok - Terence Lodge
•Assistant Floor Manager - Anne Faggetter
•Costumes - Daphne Dare, Vanessa Clark
•Designer - Kenneth Sharp
•Film Cameraman - Peter Hamilton
•Film Editor - Eddie Wallstab
•Incidental Music - Dudley Simpson
•The ancestors of the colony came from Earth many centuries ago.
•The song "Chromophone Band" is playing when the Doctor and his companions arrive at the colony and when the Macra are defeated.
•Working titles for this story were The Spidermen, The Insect-Men and The Macras.
•This story is the first to use a new title sequence incorporating an image of Patrick Troughton's face, designed by Bernard Lodge and realised by Ben Palmer. A new arrangement of the theme tune was also produced by Delia Derbyshire with assistance from Dick Mills for the title sequence. Due to a production error, it was not used until the following story's second episode.
•This story takes place almost immediately after The Moonbase — the TARDIS crew witnessed the Macra claw on the time scanner in the previous serial.
•Sandra Bryant, who played Chicki in episode one, asked to be released from her contract so she could accept another, more attractive offer of work. This was agreed to by Innes Lloyd and so, in an unusual move, the role was recast for episode four (the only other episode in which Chicki appears), going instead to Karol Keyes.
•Director John Davies recalled in the DVD commentary on the animated version that the only brief Innes Lloyd gave him for this story was "make it frightening".
•Richard Beale is credited as "Broadcast Voice" for episodes one and three. For episode two, he is billed as "Broadcast and Propaganda Voice" on-screen and as "Broadcast and Propaganda Voices" in Radio Times.
•The Doctor would later encounter the Macra in his tenth (TV: Gridlock) and twelfth (COMIC: Surfshock) incarnations.
•Bishop may have dealt with "the Macra case" in or before 2157. (PROSE: Lucifer Rising)
Audio releases
•The soundtrack of this story was released on cassette, with linking narration by Colin Baker, on 6 July 1992. The same narration by Baker was used with a higher-quality, remastered version of the soundtrack on the first CD release, 7 August 2000. It was also included on the DVD and Blu-ray animated release as a special feature. •A new linking narration by Anneke Wills was recorded and released with the soundtrack in the box set The Lost TV Episodes - Collection Four, released on 2 February 2012.
DVD releases
•All four episodes of this story are missing from the BBC archive. However, some clips of moments removed by the Australian censors as being too violent for Antipodean broadcast survive. These are available on the Lost in Time DVD box set. •The animated version, for the first time featuring a Black & White and a Colour version of the story, was released on DVD in the UK on 25 March 2019, Australia in April 2019 and again in February 2020 and North America on 12 November 2019. Additionally a Blu-ray and Steelbook edition was released in the UK and a Blu-ray edition released in Austalia, simultaneously with their respective DVD releases.
Digital releases
•The animated version of the story is available for streaming through Tubi (US) for free as part of Season 4 of Classic Doctor Who in November 2023 for the 60th anniversary. Though episodes 1-3 are in black and white while the fourth episode is in colour.
Buy Doctor Who: The Macra Terror: Season 1 on Google Play, then watch on your PC, Android, or iOS devices. Download to watch offline and even view it on a big screen using Chromecast.
- (6)
- 1
- TV-PG
In December 2018. The Doctor, Ben, Polly and Jamie, concerned about an image they've seen on the TARDIS scanner of a giant menacing claw, arrive on an unnamed planet in Earth's colonial future. They are greeted by Medok, a half-crazed colonist, who is promptly arrested by Ola, the Chief of Police.
Doctor Who: The Macra Terror. Seasons Years Top-rated. 2019. Top-rated. S1.E1 ∙ Episode #1.1. Sun, Mar 24, 2019. The Doctor discovers an ideal community, but why is there a rebel in their midst? 7.3/10 (35) Rate. Top-rated. S1.E2 ∙ Episode #1.2. Sun, Mar 24, 2019. One of the Doctor's party turns traitor. 7.4/10 (34) Rate. Top-rated.
Buy Doctor Who - The Macra Terror on Google Play, then watch on your PC, Android, or iOS devices. Download to watch offline and even view it on a big screen using Chromecast.
