Doctor Who (1963) s07e03 Episode Script

Doctor Who Transcript Project Doctor Who Season 7 Spearhead from Space 3 of 4 It seems awfully deserted.
We're turning over to automation, General.
It means we can keep staff down to a minimum.
Splendid.
Don't get machines going on strike, eh? Your car is waiting for you, General.
Well, goodbye, Mr.
Channing.
I hope the replica turns out well.
It's been a most interesting afternoon.
Goodbye, sir.
It was very good of you to come down here, General.
- I know how busy you must be.
- My pleasure, gentlemen.
Oh, by the way, any chance of seeing the model you're making of me, before it's sent to Madame Tussaud's? Yes, we'll arrange that.
How did you know it was Ransome? I saw him.
And he was detected.
That is his brain print.
What will you do? Send an Auton.
But it will kill him! It is necessary, Hibbert.
He saw the security area and all this.
Think! Think.
Then you see that it is necessary.
Yes, necessary.
How will it find him? Please, please, please, help me.
Just seen more of them soldiers coming through the village.
Still looking for them thunderballs, I bet.
They're saying they found one.
That's how that poor fellow got killed.
Killed? Who got killed? The soldier who was driving.
They reckon his neck was broke clean through.
Accident or something? - According to the army.
- Well then.
Well, drove right off the road, he did.
Something must've made him do that.
I've never known a woman as fanciful as you, Meg.
Then, why are the soldiers still here, then? Constable Wilkes said that poor boy's face was terrible to look at.
Something must have frightened him dreadful afore he died.
Come on, come on.
Try and drink some.
No eyes, no hair.
- The stairs.
- What? Men creatures! Made in the factory! Sergeant, I want this man sent to HQ, right away.
- Are you getting a reading? - No.
Oh, well that's it.
I can't think of anything else we can try.
Well, don't worry, my dear.
We've done our best.
I can't understand it.
We've tried a dozen different methods of analysis and haven't identified a single element.
Yes, what results can you expect with this primitive equipment? Primitive? We've got lasers, spectographs, micron probes Yes, yes, yes, yes, I know all that.
But what we really need is a - is a lateral molecular rectifier.
- What on earth's that? Not on Earth unfortunately.
But I think I have one in the TARDIS.
In there? Yes.
Well, I'm sure I have one somewhere.
But I'm sure I used one some time in the past, or was it the future? Doctor, you really do have scientific equipment in there? My dear Liz, I have an entire laboratory.
- Yes, yes, I'm sure you have.
- No, no, no, it's true.
Well, you think that the TARDIS isn't big enough, don't you? That's because you keep looking at it simply as a police box.
- Well, it is only a police box! - No, no.
Not once you get inside it, it isn't.
You see, Liz, the TARDIS is dimensionally transcendental.
- I see.
- Yes.
Well it would take far too long to try and explain that to you.
The important thing is that we've got to get this material analysed.
And you could do that with your equipment? Child's play.
The only trouble is Lethbridge-Stewart has taken away the key and I can't get inside.
Well, I suppose it is your property.
Yes.
Of course there is always the possibility that you might be able to persuade him to part with it.
We've drawn a very tight cordon round the area, sir.
So if anybody has taken it, they're not going to get far.
Right, sir, I will.
- Here.
- What are you doing? Civilian here, sir.
Wants to know how much reward for finding a thunderball.
What's your name? Seeley, sir, Sam Seeley.
And where do you live, Mr.
Seeley? Local, sir.
Brook Cottage.
All right, so, you've got something to tell us about these meteorites? Me, sir? You asked if there was a reward for finding one.
That's right.
- So you know where to find one? - I never said that, sir.
Then, why are you interested in a reward? Well, in case I might happen come across one like.
Where you out the day those meteorites landed? Meteorites? Don't know about that.
Thunderballs I calls them.
So you were out? Well, I might have been.
Then again, I might not.
Did you see any of them land? Mr.
Seeley, I want the truth.
The Autons have lost Ransome.
- He is beyond their range.
- Suppose he goes to UNIT? Do you think they will believe him? They might come here.
Then you will deal with them.
Soon it will be the final phase of the plan.
But there's still one energy unit missing.
The swarm leader.
We will find it.
Well, what about Ransome? Is he safe now? Unless he returns to the area.
If he does, the Autons will track him down and destroy him.
Well, the face was smooth, shiny, it was plastic.
Made in the factory.
Why do you say that? Well, just before this, this thing came after me, I passed a whole line of them.
They were all exactly the same.
It's quite a story, Mr.
Ransome.
Yes? Can I have a word with you, Brigadier? Not now, I'm busy.
This is rather important.
You see, the Doctor thinks Miss Shaw, your work in this laboratory is part of one big exercise.
You'll have to be patient.
You say this creature was armed? It took off its hand, and there was a sort of tube and the whole of the arm appeared to be hollow.
Well, you should see the hole it blasted in the wall.
- Then there was an explosion? - Yes, I suppose so.
Not loud, but it it was more like a sort of "swoosh" that a rocket makes.
And this didn't attract anybody's attention? Well, I didn't see a living soul in that part of the factory.
They seem to have sacked all the workers.
It's completely automated now.
How long have you been away in America, Mr.
Ransome? Six months.
None of this was in evidence before you left? New production lines, changing over to automation? - Not steps that occur overnight, are they? - I agree with you, sir, but it's happened.
The key.
I'm afraid he's going to be awfully cross with you.
Well, if you're quick, he mightn't even miss it.
Hey, it didn't turn when the Brigadier tried to open it.
Well, that's because the lock has a metabolism detector.
Miss Shaw, where's that key? You've given it to him.
He needed some equipment.
Equipment? I had no idea you could be so gullible.
That's an excuse.
We shan't see him again.
- What do you mean? - Listen! He's going.
Just testing.
I wanted to see if the controls Doctor, you tricked me.
Yes.
The temptation was too strong, my dear.
It's just that I couldn't bear the thought of being tied to one planet and one time.
I'm sorry.
It won't happen again.
It won't? Give me the key, Doctor.
Must I? Well, the TARDIS no longer works, as you saw.
Well, will you give me your word not to try to escape again? I couldn't escape now if I wanted to.
- They've trapped me here.
- Who have? That mean, despicable, underhanded lot.
They've changed the dematerialisation code.
- The what? - The demater It doesn't matter, you wouldn't understand anyway.
Well, there's a great deal that I don't understand.
But one thing I did understand, Doctor, was that you promised your help.
Yes, well, I've tried to help you the best way I can, but I need more evidence, more to go on.
Well, I think I might be able to help you.
Sam? What made you go back to the factory? Well, I wanted to try to talk to George on his own.
And I wanted to get a look at that security area.
You think he's afraid of somebody? I don't know, but but this other man who came in Did you find out who the other man was? Yes, his name's Channing.
Now, he seemed to have some sort of mental hold over George, almost as if he was hypnotised.
Do you know, Brigadier, a think perhaps a visit to that plastics factory would be in order, don't you? If I don't get home soon, I'm gonna be in terrible trouble wi'missus! - Let me go, sir.
- Don't worry, Mr.
Seeley, we'll let your wife know where you are.
- Now, about the meteorites.
- Look, sir, it's a mistake.
I haven't seen nothing.
If you tell us where it is, you can go home.
Worth a bit of money, I reckon.
So you do know where there is one? I might.
Seeley, I'm not going to bargain with you.
You tell me everything you know, and tell me quick.
It's less than two miles away.
Aren't you going to arrange to collect it? That is being done.
Suppose it stops signalling again? We're nearly there.
Through the trees, across the road, the swarm leader is held in that small building.
In a trunk? Couldn't think of no other place to hide it.
Don't you realise these things might be dangerous? This man, sir.
He's found one of the meteorites.
- Where is it? - At his house, sir.
I was about to take a party and collect it.
Right.
We'll go in my car.
- You know the way, Munro? - Yes, sir.
Mr.
Ransome, would you mind staying here? Brigadier, I think we'll come with you, if you don't mind.
Good, might be as well.
Sergeant, put Seeley in the truck and keep an eye on him.
Be quiet, Barney.
Stop that row Barney, what are y'at? Sam, is that you? Sam, what do you reckon you're playing at? Who are you? What do you want? You get away! My husband's about, you know! You saw me load it.
Get out of here or I'll blow a hole in you.
Get back! I'm not joking.
Get back! No, you get back.
No.
The signal is muffled.
Search! We must find it.
We must find it.
Mrs.
Seeley? Mrs.
Seeley? Check the Get a platoon out here, fast! Recall! Recall! What's happening? Channing? UNIT, too many.
Recall! Recall! Channing? There were too many.
What? The swarm leader has been taken by UNIT soldiers.
- How do you know that? - I know.
Why didn't the Auton destroy them? Because I recalled it.
It is too soon for a major battle.
We must delay UNIT.
Ransome has returned to the area.
We shall also deal with him.
- How is she? - All right, as far as I can tell.
I think we ought to get her to hospital though.
Right.
I'll lay on an ambulance.
You know, this really is most interesting.
We must examine it in the laboratory.
What do you make of it? Well, I was right about the shape, wasn't I? The signal must have been muffled by the metal of that trunk.
- It's most interesting.
- Suppose it explodes, like the other one.
There's no reason why it should as long as we treat it gently.
- Unless, of course - Unless what? It has a built-in destruct impulse.
In that case, we'll just have to risk it.
Doctor, suppose that thing comes back for it? Destroy! Total destruction! The creature got away into the woods, sir.
Munro, I want a cordon round that plastics factory.
- Very good, sir.
- That creature, robot or whatever it was, obviously came from there.
Mr.
Ransome described something very like it.
Yes, and until we know a bit more about these things, I think we should move very cautiously.
But he couldn't just have walked out, sir.
I've had a guard on the front of the tent all the time.
Never mind about the front.
What about the back? That's how he got away.
- He must have cut his way out.
- No, he didn't cut his way out, but somebody cut their way in.
This canvas has been ripped from the outside.
So they took him from under our very noses? If Mr.
Ransome is anywhere, he'll be at that plastics factory.
So I suggest that we go there immediately.
What an extraordinary story! What made him say such a thing? We have to check on it, Mr.
Hibbert.
However extraordinary it may be.
I'd like to hear him tell this story in front of me.
He was coming with us but, unfortunately, he disappeared.
He was a brilliant young man, in many ways.
Then, why did you dismiss him? He had some wild scheme for making electronic dolls.
The design was quite impractical.
He was very unpleasant when I turned him down.
So you feel he told this story just to cause you trouble? I'm afraid so.
It must have been praying on his mind.
What exactly are you making here? Plastic dolls of course.
But our new line is display mannequins for shops.
We send them all over the country.
And can these "mannequins" actually move? Well, they're flexible, of course.
That's why we've captured the market.
But I can assure you, they can't move on their own.
So Ransome may have been simply making trouble? I can't think of another explanation.
Yes, well, I've think we've seen all we can possibly see here.
- I'm sorry if we've been a nuisance.
- Not at all.
I'll see you out.
It was the man who led the raid on the hospital.
- I recognised him from his photograph.
- And what will you do now? I've put a call through to General Scobie.
If I can get his authority, I'll surround the place and raid it.
Here, come over here, you two.
- Look at this.
- Have you got something? - And what does that thing do? - It measures mental activity.
It's fascinating, isn't it? You meanthere's some form of intelligence inside that globe? Yes.
You know, it's as I suspected.
This globe is only a container.
I wonder whether we can communicate with it? Yes? - Your call to General Scobie, sir.
- Good.
What's that, Stewart? Auto Plastics? Yes, I was there about two hours, why? I wondered if you'd noticed anything irregular, sir? We've had some rather strange reports about that factory.
Nothing at all.
No, perfectly normal.
Yes, pleasant couple of fellows, I thought.
Right.
I see.
Well, that sounds pretty serious.
Yes, I'll come and see you straight away.
I'll give you all the support you need.
Well, goodbye, Stewart.
No, no!