C01S05 The keys of Marinus

Synopsis

On a remote island of glass surrounded by a sea of acid, there is a machine that can remove evil from the minds of an entire population - the Conscience of Marinus.  Fearful of its immense power falling into the wrong hands, its sole guardian has scattered the machine's operating keys across the planet.

The TARDIS crew arrive to find the island under attack by the evil Voord.  Marinus' last line of defence - and its only hope - is the Conscience machine.  The Doctor and his companions must undertake a deadly quest to recover the Keys of Marinus...

Cover notes

The Keys of Marinus marked the point at which the Doctor Who production team turned their attention from launching the series to keeping it running week-in week-out.

Story editor David Whitaker had spent the latter half of 1963 putting together a selection of adventures sufficient for the series' initial set of fifty-two episodes.  However, a last-minute reshuffle of stories meant that Terry Nation's first Dalek tale was produced earlier in the run than originally planned.  The Daleks introduced elements of action and adventure, as well as evil alien monsters - a combination which proved popular with the programme's viewers.  Suddenly, more of the same was required - and quickly!  Who better to provide it than the creator of the Daleks?

Nation was skilled in producing scripts rapidly, and fired off The Keys of Marinus in just four weeks.  The story, consisting of several mini-adventures in vastly different settings, tested the technical skills of the production team to the full.

Nation's scripts also had to take account of William Hartnell's two-week holiday during the recording of the serial.  The Keys of Marinus thus gives prominence to the Doctor's companions, and demonstrates that, in its early days, Doctor Who was very much an ensemble piece.

Cast

Crew

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