The Green Death was the fifth and final serial ofseason 10 ofDoctor Who. It was the final regular appearance ofKaty Manning asJo Grant, who departed the Doctor's company in the closing scene of episode six.

It also bore witness to a series of traumatic events forCaptainMike Yates and made him doubt his faith in humanity, which deeply upset him. His inability to deal with his doubts later led him to a path ofrebellion.

The story came about throughBarry Letts andTerrance Dicks' concern about the environment. Letts, in particular, had been roused by an article entitled “A Blueprint For Survival”, published byEdward Goldsmith inThe Ecologist.

This story was the first TV story to be set inWales; only one other story in the original series,Delta and the Bannermen, would be set there, before the 2005 revival and spin-offTorchwood would be based there on a production and, in the case of the latter, story basis.

Synopsis[[edit] |[edit source]]

When adead man is found glowing bright green at an abandoned coal mine,UNIT and theThird Doctor travel to the SouthWales town ofLlanfairfach. Convinced that pollutants from the nearbyGlobal Chemicals are responsible, the Doctor faces opposition from the company directorStevens, the mysteriousBOSS and deadlygiant maggots...

Plot[[edit] |[edit source]]

Episode one[[edit] |[edit source]]

In the Glamorgan countyLlanfairfach, a colliery remains inactive after the post-industrial closure of its mining operations. A miner,Ted Hughes, visits one of the underground tunnels for inspection. He is scared by a green substance which has infected him during his stay beneath the surface, and he darts for the lift. Meanwhile, aRange Rover arrives at a crowd of deposed workers formerly employed at the mining facility. A man steps out and addresses several miners. His company is introducing a new process that will greatly expedite their production of oil after theNational Coal Board had to close down the pit because of coal's dwindling industrial promises. The workers cheer vigorously but are met with the sickened remarks from a band of protesters. One of them is a prolific troublemaker in these parts —ProfessorClifford Jones, who believes the men are being exploited for their manpower. The workers are far from rapport toward his unpleasant words and start jeering at him to shut up. Instead, all voices are unanimously silenced by the sound of a warning whistle bellowing without stop. The miners know this means there is trouble at the pit, rushing off where an emergency awaits. The same mining worker has emerged from the shafts, collapsed dead with his hand wrenched firmly on the valve to blow the whistle. His flesh has been contaminated by a phosphorescent green substance.

The Welsh mining village of Llanfairfach is of little interest to theThird Doctor, who would rather take a challenging visit to the blue planet ofMetebelis III than a trip to SouthWales. However,Jo Grant reads a startling newspaper article about a corporate facility that is gearing up to cause a huge amount of pollution. She is keen to go to the village to meet the acclaimed environmentalist andNobel Prize winner Professor Clifford Jones.

Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart arrives and tries to assign a murder investigation mission to the Doctor and Jo, but the Doctor firmly tells him no repeatedly, as he wants to be off toMetebelis III. Jo pleads her case with the Brigadier over the events she wants to deal with firsthand, but Jo is not impressed with the Brigadier's siding with the corporate giant. She passionately protests that she would even quitUNIT if it interfered with her ability to go there firsthand. Luckily, Lethbridge-Stewart's mission was to visit the facility — he is intrigued enough by the death of a bright green miner to drive her down. The miner was found in a disused mine, and the main source of employment in the village is now theGlobal Chemicals petroleum factory. Its boss,Stevens, promises prosperity for all, but Professor Jones and the other environmentalists at his "Nuthutch" are unconvinced. In light of the protests, Stevens accepts the Brigadier's offer of additional security at his factory.

"Nobody must go down the mine... Nobody."

Stevens, however, is told by a voice "Nobody must go down the mine..." and zones out, muttering these words to himself when he speaks to his employeeHinks. When Hinks leaves the office, Stevens unsheathes a pair of large headphones and plugs them into a machine. An unusual sound begins whirring into his head.

Jo discovers the Nut Hutch, where Professor Jones is engaged in eco-friendly exploits, but is taken aback by a strange fellow in the laboratory who welcomes his guest with eccentricities, micromanagement, and a patronising attitude toward her. Annoyed with this person, she gives him a what-for, causing the man to lighten up and calm Jo down so she stops bumping into things inside an already crowded room. He shows Jo a new type offungus thatNancy has been developing,Saliota Orbis. It is supposed to be a safe alternative to protein-rich meats. Jo figures out this man is really Professor Jones, and gets on well with him.

Professor Jones detracts the operations Global Chemicals is running, noting that "it's still using up the oil and doubling the atmospheric pollution." He suggests cleaner alternatives that harness the energy with which the sun provides them, such as wind power and water power. Jones explains the Nuthutch has natural heating tapped from the river, through a heat pump working onelectricity generated by awindmill. Jo learns the logic behind his use of alternative technology: no waste orpollution.

Jones goes on to hypothesise that Steven's oil manufacturing process "must be based on Bateson's polymerisation, and that means thousands of gallons of waste. Aye, a thick sludge you can't break down in any way, like a liquid plastic. And what properties that would have, heaven alone knows." The professor wants to know what they're doing with that waste, thinking it was possibly connected to Hughes' death. Jo figures Global Chemicals could be pumping the waste down the old mine workings and suggests the two of them should go explore it. Jones doesn't seem to get the picture, and Jo insists they visit the mine now. Unfortunately, Jones's abrasiveness gets the better of her when he calls her a child and says he has work to do. She storms out of his workshop, slamming the door on her way out.

Unbeknownst to the Doctor and Lethbridge-Stewart, Jo decides to venture down to the mine by herself, accompanied by a friendly miner calledBert. The Brigadier still arrives to investigate the death, suspicious aboutElgin's testimonial regarding their outstandingly clean and efficient oil production. He begins to grow weary after patching several calls to UNIT headquarters with no reply. The Doctor has weathered a violent excursion on Metebelis III, which is inhabited by hostile lifeforms, and returns in the TARDIS with a torn jacket and dirt on his face. He finally answers the call after arriving back at UNIT and rushes to Global Chemicals inBessie, suited up in new clothes.

Once the Brigadier has explained the situation to his colleague, the Doctor orders that no-one should go down the mine until he has personally inspected it. However, Jo has already gone down with Bert to aid another miner with her first-aid skills. The man who went down before them wasDai Evans, wanting to figure out what killed the miner who died pulling the emergency whistle for the shaft and was found glowing green. Now, he is starting to glow in the same way as the miner Hughes and has called for help, but collapsed soon after.

The Brigadier and the Doctor notice the mine shaft lowering mechanisms spinning from outside and bolt into the facility to stop the descent, upset that it's Jo who has gone down before him. Even when the Doctor demands thatDave, the shaft operator, raises Jo and Bert back up, Dave can't get the brakes to work. One of the Global Chemicals employees cuts the lift cable and they plummet towards the bottom of the mineshaft...

Episode two[[edit] |[edit source]]

The Doctor jams the lift machinery with a wrench in the nick of time. Jo and Bert are not harmed, but they are stranded in the mine. There, they findDai Evans, one of the other miners, glowing bright green and terribly ill. It seems there is some serious pollution at work in the mine, and they head off to find a way out. For anybody to get down to the mine to help them, cutting equipment is needed to cut the cables jamming the lift. Global Chemicals say they don't have any such equipment, but a staff member,Elgin, knows this is not true. When Jones hears about Jo's predicament, he comes to the mine to help.

"I'm quite spry for my age, actually."

The Doctor sneaks into Global Chemicals to steal the equipment, but he is caught. One guard sees him as a bit old for a threat, but the Doctor jests, "I'm quite spry for my age, actually." It doesn't take him much effort to knock the guns out of his hands and properly throw several guards to the ground with hisVenusian aikido, not fazed by their use of a baton. He takes the upper hand until four more arrive, this time armed with rifles, and fence him in. Fortunately, Stevens chooses to overlook the incident. By chance, the Brigadier finds somebody with cutting equipment in a garage, allowing the Doctor and a few mine workers to go down into the mine shaft. Things get worse when Bert finds a slick of green slime and touches it. He too seems to contract "the green death". By the time the Doctor finds Dai, the miner is dead, and theTime Lord becomes very worried for Jo's safety. Increasingly ill, Bert waits behind while Jo looks for a way out alone. The Doctor catches up with Bert and finds Jo near a vast lake of green slime filled withgiant maggots. When they try to go back, the tunnel caves in and more maggots emerge from the rubble.

Episode three[[edit] |[edit source]]

The Doctor and Jo are trapped between a cave-in and the pool of maggots. They escape by wheeling a mine cart through the maggots, but they are still trapped in the mine.

Back at Global Chemicals, Stevens is behaving very curiously. He is using strange headphones to listen to calming messages, and when one of his employees,Ralph Fell, looks helpful to the environmentalists, he is somehow reconditioned with the same headphones and shortly afterward kills himself. Elgin saves the Doctor and Jo from drowning in the green slime when he helps them out of a shaft that links the mine and the factory complex — proving the link between the two. The Brigadier's plan to investigate Global Chemicals further is cut short when he is ordered by thePrime Minister himself to let Stevens get on with it. Stevens evidently enjoysCabinet support for his factory and its new plastic production process.

The Doctor, Jo and the Brigadier end the day with a nourishing meal of fungus at the Nut Hutch, but the frivolity is cut short when the Doctor is called to the telephone. He comes back to tell everyone that the call was from the hospital: Bert too has died. As the Doctor leaves, a maggot egg he brought back from the mine hatches, and the maggot inside creeps up on Jo, the girl none the wiser.

Episode four[[edit] |[edit source]]

The Doctor disguised as a milkman to infiltrateGlobal Chemicals.

The maggot kills Hinks, who had come to destroy the egg, and escapes before any analysis can be made of it, leaving the Doctor and Jones to analyse the trail of green slime it left behind.

The Brigadier receives orders to seal the mine with explosives and clear the area using UNIT troops. The Doctor realises that this will only make the situation worse, but his plea to Stevens to allow an investigation is ignored. As the Doctor expected, the maggots simply burrow through and are now a threat above ground. Not to be intimidated by Stevens, the Brigadier sendsCaptain Yates into Global Chemicals, undercover as a Ministry official.

The Doctor uses a milk truck and the improbable disguise of a substitute milkman (telling the guard that he is the father of the regular milkman, who has been taken ill) to get through the gates and move freely. Meanwhile, Jo has alienated Cliff, with whom she is falling in love, by ruining one of his slides by accidentally knocking a jar of brown fungus. Determined to make amends, Jo heads to the sealed mine in search of a maggot for Cliff to run some tests on. The Doctor, now disguised as a cleaning lady, meets with Yates and learns that Stevens takes his instructions from the top floor of the complex, and heads there to find out who is in charge. TheBOSS, or Biomorphic Organisational Systems Supervisor, turns out to be a supercomputer with its own megalomaniac personality.

Episode five[[edit] |[edit source]]

The Doctor speaks with BOSS and finds out that it runs the company, controls Stevens and other key staff members, and is responsible for the polluting chemical process. The Doctor employs the liar paradox, a conundrum which will keep BOSS busy trying to find a solution, while he escapes. Unfortunately, he runs into Stevens and some guards before he can do so. He rejects the brain-washing technique that Stevens subjects him to, but Mike Yates is more susceptible and is converted into one of the computer's slaves.

After the Doctor escapes, Mike is sent to the Nut Hutch to kill the Doctor. His conditioning is deep and only broken by the Doctor's use of theblue crystal he brought from Metebelis III. Meanwhile, Jones has worked out that the fungus Jo spilt on the slides is actually a curative and then sets off to stop her, but they are both caught in an RAF bombing raid intended to kill the maggots. Cliff is also infected with a maggot and begins to turn green — before he was able to share his knowledge of the cure. In a delirious state in bed at the Nut Hutch, Cliff utters the word "serendipity". Yates re-enters Global Chemicals, pretending to still be under BOSS's control. He uses the blue crystal to break the conditioning of an employee named James, who reveals that the Boss plans a takeover at four o'clock that afternoon. However, before James can reveal any more, he experiences a severe pain, collapses and dies. Stevens enters, and tells Yates he just can't depend on anyone...

Episode six[[edit] |[edit source]]

Maggots!

Sergeant Benton brings an empty maggot chrysalis to the Nuthatch, revealing that the maggots are about to change into something else. The Doctor discovers that another maggot had died after eating Cliff's fungus, meaning that it is deadly to them. The Doctor and Benton drive around the slag heaps and the mine, liberally scattering the fungus which kills all the maggots, and disposing of a deadly giant fly which attacks them. Returning to the Nuthatch, the Doctor discovers Cliff's cure and uses it to restore him to full health. The Doctor then returns to Global Chemicals to confront BOSS. The computer plans to link up with others and effect a corporate takeover of the human race. However, Stevens — whose conditioning has been partially broken by the Doctor using the blue crystal — tells him to get out while he triggers an explosion which apparently destroys himself, the computer, and the company headquarters.

Against the setting sun, the Doctor departs in Bessie, alone.

The menace defeated, UNIT troops and environmentalists gather at the Nut Hutch for a celebration made all the more special when Jo and Cliff announce they are getting married and then plan to travel theAmazon looking for a rare fungus; and that theUnited Nations (after Jo contacted her uncle) have decided to fund Wholeweal's research: jobs will return to Llanfairfach after all. The Doctor offers his blessing to the couple and gives Jo the blue crystal as a wedding present, asking them to save him some wedding cake. However, as the party starts to get into full swing, the Doctor quietly slips away, noticed only by Jo, who understands why.

The Doctor, who is visibly upset by the departure of his good friend, gets intoBessie and, after one final look back at the cottage, sadly drives away. Jo and Cliff kiss, enjoying a tender embrace, while the heartbroken Doctor drives off into the sunset, smiling sadly.

Cast[[edit] |[edit source]]

• Dr. Who -Jon Pertwee
• Jo Grant -Katy Manning
• Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart -Nicholas Courtney
• Sergeant Benton -John Levene
• Captain Mike Yates -Richard Franklin
• Cliff Jones -Stewart Bevan
• Stevens -Jerome Willis
• Elgin -Tony Adams
• Hinks -Ben Howard
• Dai Evans -Mostyn Evans
• Dave -Talfryn Thomas
• Bert -Roy Evans
• Nancy -Mitzi McKenzie
• Milkman -Ray Handy
• Hughes -John Scott Martin
• Fell -John Rolfe
• Voice ofBOSS -John Dearth
• Minister of Ecology -Richard Beale
• Cleaner -Jean Burgess
• Yates' Guard -Brian Justice
• Guard -Terry Walsh
• James -Roy Skelton

Uncredited cast[[edit] |[edit source]]

• Stuntman/ Security Guards -Billie Horrigan,Alan Chuntz(credited in Radio Times for episode two)
• Wholewealers-Alison Daumler,Keith Norrish,Robert Birmingham,Pat Gorman
• Hilda -Jean Channon
• Jessie -Jessica Stanley-Clarke
• Ministers -Brychan Powell,Evan Ross
• Security Guards -Pat Gorman,Leslie Bates,Dennis Plenty,Steven Ismay
• Villagers -Reg Cranfield,Sonny Willis
• Miners -Frank Seton,David Waterman
• Stevens -Leslie Bates
• Betts -David Billa
• Mechanical Voice/ UNIT Radio Voices -John Dearth (allDWM 320)

Crew[[edit] |[edit source]]

• Assistant Floor Manager -Karilyn Collier
• Costumes -Barbara Kidd
• Designer -John Burrowes
• Fight Arranger -Terry Walsh
• Film Cameraman -Bill Matthews,Ken Lowe
• Film Editor -Alastair Mackay
• Film Sound -Simon Wilson
• Incidental Music -Dudley Simpson
• Make-Up -Ann Rayment
• Producer -Barry Letts
• Production Assistant -John Harris,Michael McDermott
• Script Editor -Terrance Dicks
• Special Sounds -Dick Mills
• Studio Lighting -Mike Jefferies
• Studio Sound -Richard Chubb
• Theme Arrangement -Delia Derbyshire
• Title Music -Ron Grainer
• Visual Effects Designer -Ron Oates

Uncredited crew[[edit] |[edit source]]

• Visual Effects Assistants -Colin Mapson,Richard Conway (DWM 320)

Worldbuilding[[edit] |[edit source]]

• BOSS mentions the composerWagner and the "Ninth Symphony".
• The National Coal Board ofCardiff authorises permissions to inspect coal mines.
• TheThird Doctor's sonic screwdriver can emit a high frequency noise that stuns creatures with sensitive hearing.
• Dicks helps with the explosives.

Food and Beverages[[edit] |[edit source]]

• The party scene at the end of episode six marks one of the few times the Doctor is shown consuming what is presumablyalcohol on screen. He also drinks elderberrywine in episode three, and asks for a bottle to take with him.

Notes[[edit] |[edit source]]

• This is the last story to use the logo introduced inSpearhead from Space^[+]Loading...["Spearhead from Space (TV story)"] until the1996 movie. It was used from then as the default logo forDoctor Who until the programme's return to television in 2005. Variations of this logo continue to be used for merchandise and materials promoting the classic series, as well as for the franchise as a whole during the show's fiftieth year.
• This is the last story to have its individual segments titled as "Episode -". After this story they were titled as "Part -", with the sole exception ofDestiny of the Daleks.
• This isKaty Manning's final story. However, she reprised her role thirty-seven years later inThe Sarah Jane Adventures storyDeath of the Doctor. In that episode, she shows disappointment that the Doctor is now travelling with a married couple in the TARDIS, saying that she only left the Doctor because she got married, suggesting that she would have continued to travel with the Doctor if he had allowed her to bring Professor Jones.
• Stewart Bevan (Cliff Jones) wasKaty Manning's real-life boyfriend at the time of shooting.Michael E. Briant was reluctant to invite Bevan to audition, fearing the on-set ramifications — especially considering how upsetJon Pertwee had become when he learned that Manning was leaving. However, Bevan ultimately proved to be the only suitable choice for the role.
• The opening scene of the serial, in which Stevens stands before some miners and brandishes a piece of paper while proclaiming "wealth in our time", is a mimicry ofNeville Chamberlain's "peace for our time" speech, regarding the 1938 Munich Agreement.
• During the party to celebrate Jo and Cliff's engagement, during which the Doctor slips away, the music heard in the background is an instrumental track by the Electric Banana, which was an alias for the famed (and infamous) British bandPretty Things.
• The Brigadier takes a phone call from the Prime Minister, who is never seen fully on-screen and named as "Jeremy". This was a joke by the production team intended to suggest that theLiberal Party, then led byJeremy Thorpe, could win the next General Election; Thorpe, of course, was never Prime Minister.
• Although credited for episode one,Mitzi McKenzie (Nancy) does not actually appear, as her material was not filmed due to her unavailability at short notice.
• Billie Horrigan andAlan Chuntz (Security Guards) are uncredited on-screen for episode two, but credited inRadio Times.
• Terry Walsh (Guard) is uncredited on-screen for episode two, but credited inRadio Times. He is credited as "Security Guard" inRadio Times for episode four.
• The credit for Brian Justice on episode four incorrectly reads "Yate's Guard", instead of the grammatically correct "Yates's Guard" which appears inRadio Times.
• For episodes two, five and six, the title sequence film over which the closing credits were superimposed was played backwards and upside-down (a result of the film being played backwards through the telecine machine to save time during recording).
• The function (and lines) of Elgin is taken up by James, as played byRoy Skelton, in episode five. Tony Adams, who played Elgin, was taken ill with peritonitis during production and had to be taken to hospital. The scene had to be hastily rewritten so as not to involve Elgin.
• TheRadio Times programme listing for the 90-minute compilation repeat of the story on Thursday 27 December 1973 was accompanied by two black-and-white photographs with comic strip-style speech balloons: the first was a close-up of the Doctor saying "THE MAGGOTS ARE ALL OVER THE PLACE!"; and the second was of Cliff and Jo encountering a giant maggot, with Cliff saying "... COME ON LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!", which was actually a publicity shot taken as part of aRadioTimes photo-shoot for a special publication to celebrateDoctor Who's 10th anniversary and not a deleted scene from the story itself. The accompanying caption read: "The full story of the battle againstThe Green Death at 4.0. But Dr. Who has survived many trials in his many times. What and when was the first story? It all began in November, 1963, when the first Dr. Who metAn Unearthly Child."(original published text) The omnibus edition ofThe Green Death was not retained by the BBC Archives, with the 625 line PAL colour videotape being erased for reuse around late May/early June 1974.
• For the scene in which the Doctor and Benton are attacked by the giant fly,Michael Briant took inspiration from an ideaHugh David came up with for the opening scene ofFury from the Deep (on which Briant served as a production assistant) and wanted to have the fly suspended from a helicopter. But adverse weather conditions on the day of filming meant that and only one or two successful shots were obtained and so Briant had to useCSO for the majority of the scene.
• It was briefly thought that Yates' role in the latter stages of the serial might be given to Benton instead, but this idea was not pursued.
• Robert Sloman claimed that the slightly stereotypical portrayal of the Welsh were there because of his bad experience of playingrugby against Welsh teams when he lived in the West Country.
• Global Chemicals was originally named Universal Chemicals. It was then United Chemicals, until it was discovered that a real company with that name existed.
• Ralph Fell was originally named Charles, but this had to be changed to avoid confusion with a real-life petroleum company executive.
• A Wholeweal member nicknamed "Face" was excised from the script and the relevant dialogue instead allocated to Nancy.
• The reference to the Prime Minister as "Jeremy" came atBarry Letts' instigation — partly to avoid offendingEdward Heath, and partly because the producer hoped thatJeremy Thorpe, the leader ofthe Liberal Party, would win the nextUK General Election.
• John Levene ad-libbed Benton's reference to two UNIT soldiers as "Dicks" and "Betts" in honour of the production team. 
• Originally,Mitzi McKenzie was intended to appear as Nancy in the scene where Jo met Clifford Jones, but the material had to be rewritten at the last minute when she proved unavailable.
• Amongst the members of Wholeweal, Jessie was played by a real flautist namedJessica Stanley-Clarke. She was also a member of the prog-rock bandMarsupilami, who had once toured withDeep Purple; later known as Jekka McVicar, she became a well-known expert on organic gardening.
• Michael E. Briant said that the maggots look effective because they were created in a variety of different ways. According toRobert Sloman, some were so effective that the crew avoided them.
• Stevens was named after Jocelyn Stevens, formerlyRobert Sloman's superior in the newspaper industry.
• The serial was repeated onBBC Four, as part of its "1973" season in2006. Episodes One & Two on3 April, Episodes Three & Four on4 April and Episodes Five & Six on5 April.
• Barry Letts hoped to develop a narrative which demonstrated the importance of balancing industrial development and environmental concerns, rather than just serving as an anti-capitalist tract. He andTerrance Dicks were also aware that the scripts could not be overtly political, lest the series be accused of fomenting opposition toEdward Heath's government.
• Robert Sloman drew upon the environmental activism ofGreenpeace, which had recently been formed inCanada, as well as the Biotechnic Research And Development (BRAD) community in Wales.
• Clifford Jones was written as a younger version of the Doctor, as this was the only type of person for whom the production team could envisage Jo leaving UNIT for.

Ratings[[edit] |[edit source]]

• Episode one - 9.2 million viewers
• Episode two - 7.2 million viewers
• Episode three - 7.8 million viewers
• Episode four - 6.8 million viewers
• Episode five - 8.3 million viewers
• Episode six - 7.0 million viewers

Myths[[edit] |[edit source]]

• Katy Manning left the series because of the death ofRoger Delgado (the Master).Delgado died June 1973 -after Manning's final episode was filmed (April 1973).
• Some of the giant maggots were created from inflated condoms.According to directorMichael E. Briant on the DVD documentaryThe One With the Maggots, they weren't; they were actually party balloons.
• The script contained a scene where the Doctor unsuccessfully tried to get the brainwashed Global Chemicals employees to evacuate the factory before it exploded, which was deleted because it was deemed too much like a similar scene fromColony in Space.No such scene was ever in the script. There was, however, such a scene in the story's novelisation - which, coincidentally, was written byColony in Space writerMalcolm Hulke.

Filming locations[[edit] |[edit source]]

• Ogilvie Colliery, Deri, near Bargoed, Glamorgan
• Troed-y-Rhiw Jestyn, Deri, near Bargoed, Glamorgan
• Colliery Quarry, Deri, near Bargoed, Glamorgan
• RCA International factory, Brynmawr, Powys
• BBC Television Centre (Studio 3), Shepherd's Bush,London

Production errors[[edit] |[edit source]]

• In episode one, when the infected Dai Evans is calling for help on the telephone in the mine, a hand (possibly that of directorMichael Briant) appears to the bottom right of the screen, giving Mostyn Evans his cue to start speaking.
• In episode two, when the Doctor and Davis board the pit lift to be lowered into the mine, the lift’s ‘door’ is a piece of wire fencing Davis lifts into place, which then rests on built-in hinges. However, when they arrive at the bottom of the mine, the lift’s ‘door’ has inexplicably changed to a permanent-standing double picket gate.
• In episode five, the Doctor escapes from Global Chemicals during the day. When Yates is caught it's dark (as seen through the compound's windows), but the next scene, on the slag heap, is in daylight again.
• The CSO used in episode three results in the bottom of the mine cart vanishing.
• When Jo is helping Bert around a corner, she knocks a support strut out of position.
• When Jo sits up in the cable car, her helmet doesn't have a lamp, but it suddenly gains one in the medium shot.
• When the Doctor picks up the giant fly egg in the mine, it squeaks, revealing it to be a painted balloon.
• When characters look through Professor Jones's microscope, the objective is rotated so that none of the lenses actually point at the slide.
• When Yates breaks James's conditioning, the ladder falls against the wall, which visibly shakes.
• When Benton rescues Cliff and Jo, the ground shakes and flexes.
• In the climax, not one but two heavy consoles move as Stevens frantically operates the controls.
• In episode one,Katy Manning accidentally knocks off the triangular crucible holder from the Bunsen burner as she walks through Jones's laboratory, appearing to hit it with the sleeve of her coat unintentionally.
• Certain shots of the TARDIS reveal that it is simply a prop, as the back windows can be faintly seen.
• In episode six, BOSS asked Stevens how "Captain Yates" managed to break through their therapy, but to both of them he was known as "Mr. Yates" so BOSS should not have called him "Captain".

Continuity[[edit] |[edit source]]

• The Doctor once again disguises himself as a woman. (COMIC:Undercover)
• The Doctor's journey to Metebelis III and taking of the crystal have unexpected consequences. (TV:Planet of the Spiders)
• Years later, Jo is still married to Clifford Jones, having children and grand-children. (TV:Death of the Doctor)
• Jo Grant reappears inPROSE:Genocide,AUDIO:Find and Replace andTV:Death of the Doctor on television.
• BOSS is mentioned in passing inPROSE:Original Sin.
• The Doctor meets a parallel version of Jo Grant (and UNIT) inPROSE:Blood Heat.
• While driving Bessie over to Global Chemicals, the Doctor appears to be using hersuper drive, as he flies down a road at an alarmingly high speed and easily overtakes a slower vehicle. (TV:The Time Monster)
• The Brigadier and the Minister of Ecology debate about the interpretation of theThird Enabling Act (TV:The Time Monster) to solve the jurisdiction controversy about Global Chemicals.
• Jo comments that Wholeweal's backing by the United Nations was only the second time she had ever asked her uncle for anything, to which the Doctor responds by remarking "and look where the first time got you." (TV:Terror of the Autons)

Home video and audio releases[[edit] |[edit source]]

DVD releases[[edit] |[edit source]]

This story was released asDoctor Who: The Green Death.

Released:

• Region 2 -10 May2004

PAL -BBC DVD BBCDVD1142

• Region 4 -5 August 2004
• Region 1 -1 March2005

NTSC -Warner Video E2156

Contents:

• Stewart Bevan Interview - An interview with the actor about the story.
• Robert Sloman Interview - An interview with the writer about the writing of the story.
• Global Conspiracy? - A short sketch about what went on in 1973.
• Visual Effects -Colin Mapson talks about the effect in the story and how to build aGiant Maggot.
• Photo Gallery
• Production Subtitles
• Easter Egg
• Commentary:Katy Manning,Barry Letts, andTerrance Dicks

Notes:

• Editing for the DVD release was completed by theDoctor Who Restoration Team.

• 

  Region 2 cover

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  Region 1 cover

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  Region 4 cover

Special Edition[[edit] |[edit source]]

As with many pre-2006 releases,The Green Death: Special Edition was released on 5 August 2013.

Special Features[[edit] |[edit source]]

• Commentary with actor Katy Manning (Jo Grant), producer Barry Letts and script editor Terrance Dicks
• Bonus Commentary with actorsRichard Franklin (Captain Yates) andMitzi McKenzie (Nancy), moderated byToby Hadoke (episodes 3-5); with actress Katy Manning and writerRussell T Davies (episode 6)
• The One With the Maggots - Making of documentary
• Global Conspiracy? - Spoof investigative report
• Visual Effects - Colin Mapson interview
• Robert Sloman Interview - An interview with the story's writer
• Stewart Bevan Interview - An interview with the actor who played ProfessorClifford Jones
• Wales Today
• Doctor Forever - The Unquiet Dead
• What Katy Did Next
• The Sarah Jane Adventures -Death of the Doctor - Optional commentary with actress Katy Manning and series creator Russell T Davies
• Radio Times Listings (DVD-ROM)
• Production Information Subtitles
• Photo Gallery
• Coming Soon Trailer -The Ice Warriors
• Easter Eggs:
  • Continuity announcements for original broadcast and 1994 repeat airing. To access this hidden feature, press left atVisual Effects on Disc Two to reveal a hiddenDoctor Who logo.
  • Global Conspiracy? outtake. To access this hidden feature, press left at Photo Gallery on Disc Two to reveal a hiddenDoctor Who logo.

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  Region 2 cover

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  Region 1 cover

• 

  Region 4 cover

Doctor Who DVD Files[[edit] |[edit source]]

It was released asissue 48 ofDoctor Who DVD Files.

Digital releases[[edit] |[edit source]]

This story is available:

• iniTunes stores (Australia,Canada,France,Germany,UK andUS) as part of theDoctor Who: The Classic Series collectionDoctor Who: The Best of The Third Doctor, which additionally includes the storiesSpearhead from Space, The Three Doctors andPlanet of the Spiders;
• in non-continental iTunes stores (Australia, Canada, UK and US) as a stand-alone season ofDoctor Who: The Classic Series;
• onAmazon Video (UK) as "Season 69" ofDoctor Who (Classic) series;
• for streaming throughBritBox as part of Season 10 ofClassic Doctor Who.

• 

  The Green Death iTunes cover

• 

  Best of Third Doctor collection iTunes cover

Video releases[[edit] |[edit source]]

Released asDoctor Who: The Green Death, the two-cassette video release was rushed out in memory ofJon Pertwee, who had passed away earlier in the year.

Released:

• UK August 1996

PAL -BBC Video BBCV5816

• US April 1997

NTSC -Warner Video E1349

• 

  UK VHS cover

• 

  Australian VHS cover

• 

  US VHS cover

External links[[edit] |[edit source]]

• The Green Death at theBBC's official site
• The Green Death atRadioTimes
• The Green Death atBroaDWcast
• The Green Death at theInternet Archive of Doctor Who Reference Guide
• The Green Death atShannon Sullivan's A Brief History of Time (Travel)
• The Green Death atThe Locations Guide