The Seeds of Death: Episode Four (15 Feb. 1969)

The Ice Warriors' seed pods beginning materialising all over the globe while Slaar decides to kill the Doctor by T-matting him into space.

Director:

Michael Ferguson

Writer:

Brian Hayles (by)

Stars:

Patrick Troughton, Ric Felgate, Ronald Leigh-Hunt

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Patrick Troughton	...	Dr. Who (credit only)
Ric Felgate	...	Brent
Ronald Leigh-Hunt	...	Radnor
Philip Ray	...	Eldred
Terry Scully	...	Fewsham
Alan Bennion	...	Slaar
Wendy Padbury	...	Zoe Heriot
Louise Pajo	...	Gia Kelly
Christopher Coll	...	Phipps
Frazer Hines	...	Jamie McCrimmon
John Witty	...	Computer Voice (voice)
Derrick Slater	...	Security Guard
Sonny Caldinez	...	Ice Warrior
Tony Harwood	...	Ice Warrior
Steve Peters	...	Ice Warrior

Storyline

The Ice Warriors' seed pods beginning materialising all over the globe while Slaar decides to kill the Doctor by T-matting him into space.

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Plot Keywords:

hobo | kilt | scottish accent

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 February 1969 (UK)

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

25 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Trivia

This episode was watched by 7.1 million viewers on its original transmission.

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Goofs

Brent is still visibly breathing when he's taken off for autopsy.

User Reviews

Yet more of the same.

Doctor Who: The Seeds of Death: Episode Four starts as Grand Marshal Slaar (Alan Bennion) orders his seed pods T-Matted down to various cities on Earth, once there they expand, explode & release some sort of gas which soon causes an alien fungus to start growing all over the world at an alarming rate. Back in the Moonbase & Slaar orders Fewsham (Terry Scully) to T-Mat the Doctor (Patrick Troughton) into space & kill him, luckily Jamie (Frazer Hines) & Phipps (Christopher Coll) manage to rescue him from the T-Mat cubicle before this happens. Realising the Ice Warriors can't stand heat the remaining small group of survivors devise a plan to turn up the heating in the Moonbase, the only problem is that the controls are in the main control room which is guarded by Ice Warriors at all times...

Episode 26 from season 26 this Doctor Who adventure originally aired here in the UK during February 1969, directed by Michael Ferguson not that much has actually happened over it's four episodes so far. The script by Brian Hayles was rewritten by Terrance Dicks & as far as I can make out over four twenty five minute episodes the Ice Warriors have taken over the Moonbase, sent some pods to Earth using T-Mat & that's quite literally it! Sure there's plenty of padding here like the same dreary exposition which keeps getting repeated, the sabotage attempt by Osgood in Episode One to slow things down & the drawn out way the Doctor travelled to the Moon all of which just feels like filler. More credibility draining plot holes occur here, firstly why does Slaar insist on killing the Doctor by T-Matting him into outer space? Everyone else killed by him have been shot by ray guns, also Fewsham states that he needs to rewire the T-Mat system to do that which would at best surely delay & at worst jeopardise their plans which I would have thought were more important. Why didn't he just shoot the Doctor, the T-Mat was working perfectly so why risk it by having it all rewired again? Also why didn't Fewsham just rewire the T-Mat & lie so when an Ice Warrior is sent to Earth it's that which ends up floating in space! Slaar could never have found out & he would have single handedly saved Earth. I also find it highly improbable that a green seven foot tall slow moving Ice Warrior alien could lose an entire security division & just disappear in the middle of London! I guess I'm just thinking about it too much but the plot holes & the highly improbable things which happening left right & center are really starting to stack up.

During the filming of this episode Patrick Troughton was on holiday so he doesn't appear in it at all. There's a bizarre scene when the Ice Warrior is T-Matted to London & once there it does this odd little shuffle turning from side to side for no apparent reason, it looks really odd & unintentionally funny. The shots of the Ice Warrior walking in the park are quite nice as the camera looks up at it & only it's silhouette is visible against the bright sun in the background. The fungus stuff looks like washing up liquid bubbles & as such not entirely threatening.

The Seeds of Death: Episode Four is pretty much almost exactly the same as the previous three, Slaar orders Fewsham around a lot while a small group of survivors try to stop him & his Ice Warriors & that's more or less about it. The glaring plot holes don't help either.