C09S03 The Sea Devils
Synopsis
Arrested after the events at Devil's End, the Master has been incarcerated at a top-security prison on a remote island off the south coast of England. When the Doctor and Jo Grant pay a visit to their old enemy, they find him a reformed character. But can the spate of mysterious shipping accidents and garbled reports of sea monsters in the local area really be a coincidence? The Doctor soon finds himself pitted against the Sea Devils, an ancient race of reptiles intent on eliminating Mankind and reclaiming the Earth for themselves...
Cover notes
Malcolm Hulke's sequel to 1970's Doctor Who and the Silurians reworks the same ethical issues, and although The Sea Devils may lack the moral depth and bleak nature of its predecessor, it compensates with extensive location work, ambitious action sequences, and some enthusiastic support from the Royal Navy.
Replaying the ancient-reptiles-attempt-to-reclaim-Earth scenario repeats the intrinsic dilemma: which race is demonstrably more deserving of our sympathies, and can the Doctor broker a peace before it is too late... ? In one of the great iconic moments from the history of the series, the Sea Devils rise from the water and advance up the beach at the end of episode 3. Unfortunately, as a race they remain mostly mute, lacking intelligent motivation, and are ultimately portrayed as rather unsympathetic cannon fodder.
The generosity of the Navy affords the production a succession of impressive dramatic opportunities, both on land and at sea, and although UNIT are conspicuous by their absence, the cast of Navy characters and supporting extras more than compensate within the narrative.
Ultimately, it is the Master that rather seals the show, stirring up the inter-species aggression and exploiting human weakness. The prison visit grants a tantalising hint of his history with the Doctor, and he is by turns utterly charming, blithely deceitful, deliciously ironic and, in the closing moments, unexpectedly mischievous.
An action-packed yarn with sword-fights and submarines, mine fields and mind games, and featuring some intriguing insights into the Doctor's relationship with the Master, The Sea Devils is quintessential Pertwee.
Cast
| The Doctor | Jon Pertwee | listed as Doctor Who |
| Jo Grant | Katy Manning | |
| The Master | Roger Delgado | listed as Master |
| Captain Hart | Edwin Richfield | |
| Trenchard | Clive Morton | ep. 1,2,3,4 |
| Robbins | Royston Tickner | ep. 1 |
| Radio operator | Neil Seiler | ep. 1 |
| Clark | Declan Mulholland | ep. 1,2 |
| Hickman | Hugh Futcher | ep. 1 |
| 3rd Office Jane Blythe | June Murphy | |
| Leading Telegraphist Bowman | Alec Wallis | ep. 1,4,5,6 |
| Castle guard Wilson | Brian Justice | ep. 1 |
| Castle guard Barclay | Terry Walsh | ep. 1,3 |
| Sea Devil | Pat Gorman | ep. 1,2,4,5,6 |
| Chief Petty Officer Smedley | Eric Mason | ep. 2 |
| Commander Ridgeway | Donald Sumpter | ep. 3,4,5 |
| Lieutenant Commander Mitchell | David Griffin | ep. 3,4,5 |
| Leading Seaman Lovell | Christopher Wray | ep. 3,5 |
| Castle guard Drew | Stanley McGeagh | ep. 3,4 |
| Chief Petty Officer Summers | Colin Bell | ep. 4,5 |
| Lieutenant Commander Watts | Brian Vaughan | ep. 4 |
| Able Seaman Girton | Rex Rowland | ep. 5 |
| Walker | Martin Boddey | ep. 5,6 |
| Rear Admiral | Norman Atkyns | ep. 5 |
| Chief Sea Devil | Peter Forbes-Robertson | ep. 5,6 |
| Chief Petty Officer Myers | John Caesar | ep. 6 |
Crew
| Written by | Malcolm Hulke | |
| The BBC wish to acknowledge the help givin to them in the making of this programme by | The Royal Navy | |
| Title music | Ron Grainer and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop | |
| Incidental music | Malcolm Clarke and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop | |
| Special sounds by | Brian Hodgson | |
| Film Cameraman | Peter Sargent | |
| Film Editor | Martyn Day | |
| Visual effects | Peter Day | |
| Action by | HAVOC | ep. 6 |
| Costumes | Maggie Fletcher | listed ep. 1,6; probably all |
| Make-up | Sylvia James | listed ep. 1,6; probably all |
| Studio Lighting | Mike Jefferies | listed ep. 1,6; probably all |
| Sound | Tony Millier | listed ep. 1,6; probably all |
| Sound | Colin Dixon | ep. 6 |
| Script Editor | Terrance Dicks | |
| Designer | Tony Snoaden | |
| Producer | Barry Letts | |
| Director | Michael Briant |
DVD Extras
| Michael Briant Barry Letts Terrance Dicks |
commentary track | |
| Hello sailor! | The trials and tribulations faced during the making of this story are discussed by the cast and production team. | |
| 8mm film | An amateur cine film shot during location filming at the Royal Naval base by one of the sailors who appeared as an extra. With commentary from director Michael Briant, producer Barry Letts and script editor Terrance Dicks. | |
| Trailers and continuities | BBC1 trailers and continuity recreated from off-air audio recordings made during the story's original transmission in 1972. | |
| The Making of Doctor Who | ||
| Coming soon | A preview of The Time Meddler, the next Doctor Who DVD release. | |
| photo gallery | ||
| Radio Times listings |
Commentary
| serial code : | LLL |
| episode count : | 6 |
| initial broadcast date : | 1972-02-26 |
| DVD release date : | |
| DVD SE release date : | |
| BluRay release date : | |
| part of the Beneath the Surface boxset | |