"Doctor Who" The Talons of Weng-Chiang: Part One (1977)

Director:

David Maloney

Writer:

Robert Holmes (by)

TV Series:

"Doctor Who" (1963)

Original Air Date:

26 February 1977 (Season 14, Episode 21)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

Plot:

The Doctor and Leela land in Victorian London, and find themselves in the middle of missing girls, mutilated bodies, and vicious Chinese gangs. The Palace theater, presenting hypnotist Li H'sen Chang seems to be at the center of it all.

Plot Keywords:

Giant Rat | Female Warrior | Victorian Era | British | Incognito War Criminal

Cast

Tom Baker	...	Doctor Who
Louise Jameson	...	Leela
John Bennett	...	Li H'sen Chang
Christopher Benjamin	...	Henry Gordon Jago
Chris Gannon	...	Casey
Trevor Baxter	...	Professor Litefoot
Deep Roy	...	Mr. Sin
David McKail	...	Sergeant Kyle
Conrad Asquith	...	P.C. Quick
Alan Butler	...	Buller
Patsy Smart	...	Ghoul
Tony Then	...	Lee
John Wu	...	Coolie
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Charles Adey-Grey	...	Theatre Doorkeeper (uncredited)
Lisa Bergmayr	...	Riverside Ghouls (uncredited)
Jim Delaney	...	Station Policeman (uncredited)
James Haswell	...	Beat Policeman (uncredited)
Arnold Lee	...	Chimney Sweep (uncredited)
Bernard Price	...	(uncredited)
Richard Sheekey	...	Beat Policeman (uncredited)
Kevin Sullivan	...	Chimney Sweep (uncredited)
Colin Thomas	...	Station Policeman (uncredited)
Vincent Wong	...	Ho (uncredited)

Directed by
David Maloney

Writing credits
Robert Holmes		(by)

Produced by
Philip Hinchcliffe	....	producer

Film Editing by
David Lee

Production Design by
Roger Murray-Leach

Costume Design by
John Bloomfield

Makeup Department
Heather Stewart	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Christopher D'Oyly John	....	unit production manager (as Chris D'Oyly-John)

Sound Department
John Gatland	....	film recordist
Clive Gifford	....	studio sound
Vic Godrich	....	o.b. sound
Dick Mills	....	special sound

Visual Effects by
Michael John Harris	....	visual effects designer (as Michealjohn Harris)
Bernard Lodge	....	title sequence

Stunts
Stuart Fell	....	fight arranger

Camera and Electrical Department
Fred Hamilton	....	film cameraman
Mike Jefferies	....	studio lighting
John Mason	....	o.b. lighting

Music Department
Ron Grainer	....	composer: title music
Dudley Simpson	....	composer: incidental music

Other crew
Ros Anderson	....	production assistant
Linda Graeme	....	assistant floor manager (uncredited)
Robert Holmes	....	script editor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Distributors

• BBC Worldwide (1988) (UK) (TV)
• CBS/Fox (1990) (USA) (VHS)
• Playhouse Home Video (1990) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• BBC Radiophonic Workshop, The  title music

Runtime:

25 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Clink Street, Southwark, London, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

The portrayal of the Chinese in this story, the inclusion of some racial humour and the casting of white British actor John Bennett as Li H'sen Chang resulted in the serial being banned by some North American television stations.

Quotes:

Leela:These clothes are ridiculous. Why must I wear them?
The Doctor:Because you can't go walking around Victorian London in skins. You'd frighten the horses. Anyway, we don't want to be conspicuous, do we?

Movie Connections:

References The Wizard of Gore (1970)

Magic

A fully loaded 1977 "Doctor Who" classic featuring:

-The Doctor strolling through shadowy London streets wearing a Sherlock Holmes-inspired deerstalker cap.

-Leela out of her animal skin dress but still ready to rumble in ankle length Victorian-era garb.

-Also on board: a sinister magician in the service of his Phantom of the Opera-like master.

-Young wenches drained of their life energy to prolong the existence of a twisted time traveling scientist.

-A ventriloquist dummy that's actually a deadly organic/robotic hybrid (played by Deep Roy from "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" no less).

-GIANT KILLER RATS! Okay, maybe not very convincing ones. But still, Giant Killer Rats prowling through the sewers.

-A huge sculpted dragon (quite impressive in scale considering the limited budget) that shoots death rays from it's eyes,

-and all these elements revolving around the search for a crystal key that opens another TARDIS-like time travel conveyance.

-The absurdly over-played Weng-Chiang aside, this one features terrific performances. Of particular note is the chemistry between the supporting characters Mr. Jago and Prof. Lightfoot.

"Talons.." is a "Doctor Who" episode that neither time nor dated effects can diminish the enjoyment of.