Planet of Giants

Information

Writer: Louis Marks
Director: Mervyn Pinfield, Douglas Camfield
Script Editor: David Whitaker
Producer: Verity Lambert, Mervyn Pinfield (associate producer)
Executive Producer(s): None

Originally Broadcast: 31st October - 14th November 1964
Episodes: 3
Duration: 25 mins each episode
Production Code: J
Series: 2
Story Number: 9
Enemy: Forester
Setting: 1960s England

Synopsis

The main doors of the TARDIS open of their own accord just before it materialises, causing it to run out of control. On emerging, the travellers discover that the ship has been reduced in size and they are now only about an inch tall.
In this miniaturised state, they stumble across a plot by a ruthless businessman, Forester, and his misguided scientist colleague, Smithers, to launch a new insecticide named DN6 - a product so destructive that it would kill not only those insects harmful to agriculture but also those vital to it.
Forester is even willing to commit murder to ensure the success of his business, as civil servant Arnold Farrow discovers to his cost.
The criminals are eventually brought to justice when the Doctor and his friends - hampered by the fact that Barbara has herself been made ill by the insecticide - tamper with the telephone in Smithers' laboratory, thus fuelling the suspicions of the local exchange operator, Hilda Rowse, who sends her police constable husband Bert to investigate.

Cast

The Doctor - William Hartnell

Ian Chesterton - William Russell

Barbara Wright - Jacqueline Hill

Susan Foreman - Carole Ann Ford

Forester - Alan Tilvern

Arnold Farrow - Frank Crawshaw

Smithers - Reginald Barratt

Hilda Rowse - Rosemary Johnson

PC Bert Rowse - Fred Ferris

Story Notes

• The first television story since An Unearthly Child to be set in modern day England.
  
• All 3 episodes exist in 16mm telerecordings.
  
• Negative film prints of all 3 episodes were recovered in 1978.
  
• Arabic prints of all 3 episodes are also held by the BBC.
  
• The story went by the working title Death in the Afternoon.
  
• Originally filmed as a 4 part story it was later compressed to 3 episodes at the request of Donald Wilson, BBC Head of Serials. Episode 3 was originally entitled Crisis and episode 4 was entitled The Urge to Live. The material filmed for these 2 episodes has not been retained by the BBC and it appears unlikely that it will ever be recovered.
  
• The story was originally developed under the title The Miniscules which was originally intended to form episodes 2,3 and 4 of the show, following on from An Unearthly Child.
  
• The story was filmed as part of the first bloc of stories but a decision was made to hold it over as the opener for the second series.
  
• This story sees the debut of Dudley Simpson the shows most prolific creator of incidental music.
  

Preceded by: The Reign of Terror - Followed by: The Dalek Invasion of Earth