Sunday, December 21, 2008

Series 17: Shada

Shada is an unaired serial of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was intended to be the final serial of the 1979-80 season (Season 17), but was never completed due to a strike at the BBC during filming. In 1992, its recorded footage was released on video using linking narration by Tom Baker to complete the story.

The story revolves around the lost planet Shada, on which the Time Lords built a prison for defeated would-be conquerors of the universe. Skagra, an up-and-coming would-be conqueror of the universe, needs the assistance of one of the prison's inmates, but finds that nobody knows where Shada is anymore except one aged Time Lord who has retired to Earth, where he is masquerading as a professor at St. Cedd's College, Cambridge (the story features some on-location filming in Cambridge, all of which was completed before the strike). Luckily for the fate of the universe, Skagra's attempt to force the information out of Professor Chronotis coincides with a visit by the professor's old friend the Doctor (and this is where the story really begins).

Shada is also the title of the remake, an audio play produced by Big Finish Productions and webcast 2 May - 6 June 2003 on BBCi. The audio play was also broadcast on digital radio station BBC 7, on 10 December 2005 (as a 2½-hour omnibus), and was repeated in six parts as the opening story to the Eighth Doctor's summer season which began on 16 July 2006

Cast
Doctor Tom Baker (Fourth Doctor)
Companions David Brierley (K-9 Mk. II)
Lalla Ward (Romana II)
Guest stars
Christopher Neame — Skagra
Denis Carey — Professor Chronotis
Daniel Hill — Chris Parsons
Victoria Burgoyne — Clare Keightley
Gerald Campion — Wilkin
Derek Pollitt — Dr Caldera
John Hallet — Police Constable
David Strong — Passenger
Shirley Dixon — Voice of the Ship
James Coombes — Voice of the Krargs
James Muir, Lionel Sansby, Derek Suthern, Reg Woods — Krargs

Production
Writer Douglas Adams
Director Pennant Roberts (original)
Script editor Douglas Adams
Producer Graham Williams (original)
John Nathan-Turner (video)

Executive producer(s) none
Production code 5M
Series Season 17
Length Never completed (original)
6 episodes, 25 minutes each (intended)
Originally broadcast Untelevised (original)

source: wikipedia

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