Doctor Who (1963) s08e01 Episode Script

Doctor Who Season 8 Terror of the Autons 1 of 4 Original air date: 1971/01/02 Who the heck are you? Well? I am usually referred to as the Master.
Is that so? Universally.
Well I am Luigi Rossini, internationally, and conjurers I don't need.
Okay? Unfortunately I need you, Lew Russell.
What did you call me? Lew Russell, it happens to be your real name.
Now listen Mister, get of my pitch while you're still safe.
Why? You insolent primitive.
So you it want the 'ard way do you? Right! Hey you.
What do you think you're doing? "I don't want to set the world on fire.
" Not today, thank you.
- Doctor? I - I said not today, thank you.
Oh no! Oh no! It's all right.
I've dealt with it.
Dealt with it? You've ruined it.
But your bench was on fire.
Three months delicate work and look at it, you ham fisted bung-vender! But this whole place might have gone up in flames.
My dear young lady.
Steady-state micro welding always creates more smoke than fire.
- Steady-state micro welding? - Yes.
An advanced engineering technique pioneered by the Lammerdenes.
A remarkably gifted race, they have nine opposable digits.
- Nine what? - Nine opposable digits.
Yes, well, never mind.
Look, I said I don't want any tea today, thank you.
I'm not the tea lady.
Then what the blazes are you doing in here? - I've come… - Don't you know this area is strictly out of bounds to everybody, except the tea lady and the Brigadier's personal staff? I'm your new assistant.
Oh no! The Brigadier sent me along to introduce myself, Doctor.
Josephine Grant.
How do you do Miss Grant? But I really don't think you're suitable.
I'm a fully qualified agent, you know, cryptology, safe breaking, explosives Fire fighting? Yes well, I’m sorry my dear but what I really need is a scientist.
I took general science at A-Level.
Yes, I'm sure you did, but even so… I'm sorry I ruined your experiments.
That's all right.
Look Miss Grant, I've got a great deal of work to do.
You must excuse me.
The Brigadier wanted me to show you this report.
Something was stolen for the Natural Space Museum.
It was on loan from this H.
Q.
What was? A translucent polyhedron, eight and a half inches in diameter.
Well, that's the Nestene energy unit.
It should never have left this building.
Apparently they wanted it for a special display.
- The Brigadier signed the authorisation.
- The Brigadier's an idiot.
I knew I should have destroyed that thing, but somehow it would have felt like murder.
- You mean it was alive? - Yes, in a way.
Yes, that container held a form of alien intelligence.
But you've just got to be joking.
There's precious little to joke about, Miss Grant.
That thing is appallingly dangerous.
- But who would want to steal it? - Exactly.
Who and why? I told her again last night.
Elsie.
"Cut out the hard boiled eggs" I said.
Quite apart from their effects on my digestion, they're aesthetically boring.
- Here you are.
- Thank you Goodge.
- Be anything else? - No, not for the moment.
By the way, talking of eggs, I want a four hour scan below the hydrogen line tomorrow.
All right.
I'll give you the precise wave-length later.
Goodge.
What the blazes is happening? Goodge, do you hear me? The shaft angling has gone crazy.
Are you there, man? Check the feed back control.
Goodge.
What the devil do you think you're playing at? You've been agitating for a new assistant ever since Miss Shaw went back to Cambridge.
Liz was a highly qualified scientist.
I want someone with the same qualifications.
Nonsense.
What you need, Doctor, as Miss Shaw so often remarked is someone to pass you your test tubes and to tell you how brilliant you are.
Miss Grant will fulfil that function admirably.
Well, what's that girl doing here anyway? UNIT's no place for trainees.
No.
I couldn't agree more Doctor, but Miss Grant was very keen to join us… and she happens to have relatives in high places.
So you tried to palm her off onto me? Well it won't work Brigadier.
I'll have a properly qualified assistant or none at all.
Very well Doctor.
I'll reassign her.
Good.
But I think you should break the news to her yourself.
- Well now, wait a minute - Hola Doc, I - Good morning, Sir.
- Good morning, Miss Grant I've checked all incoming reports.
Still nothing on the stolen meteorite.
Thank you.
And I've chased those electronic spares you wanted.
They promised delivery tomorrow, without fail.
Er, Miss Grant.
I, erm, I er… Well I don't… This is, er a bit difficult for me to say, but… Thank you Jo.
I can see you're going to be of great help to me.
Thank you, Doctor.
Report from one of the field sections, Sir.
Captain Yates.
Some kind of sabotage at a Radio Telescope.
Two of the scientists have disappeared.
Let me see that.
We'd better get down there right away.
The director's expecting you, Sir.
- Is that where the sabotage took place? - No, Sir.
It seems to have happened in the control cabin in the top of that tower.
Well that's where you'll find me then.
No, Miss Grant.
You stay here with the Brigadier.
Director? Miss Josephine Grant and Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart of UNIT.
Good morning.
Oh dear.
Don't go away Doctor.
My co-ordinates seem to have slipped a little.
Still, not bad after 29,000 light years.
I do hope you can spare a moment or two Doctor.
Sarcasm always was a weak point with you, wasn't it? May I say that I think you look quite ridiculous in those clothes.
- I am travelling incognito.
- Why? We Time Lords don't care to be conspicuous.
Some of us, that is Now look, if you've come down merely to be rude I came to warn you.
An old acquaintance has arrived on this planet.
One of our people? The Master.
That Jackanapes.
All he ever does is cause trouble.
He'll certainly try to kill you, Doctor.
The tribunal thought that you ought to be made aware of your danger.
How very kind of them! You are incorrigibly meddlesome Doctor.
But we've always felt that your hearts are in the right places.
But be careful.
The Master has learnt a great deal since you last met him.
I refuse to be worried by a renegade like the Master.
He's an unimaginative plodder.
His degree in cosmic science was of a higher class than yours.
Yes, well, yes, well I was a late developer.
Would you call that little surprise unimaginative? What? Look through the door.
But be careful.
That' a volatiser.
- If that thing should fall - It will explode.
And will probably destroy this Research Centre completely.
You see, he's rigged it up so it opening the door will make it fall.
Ha! Such an amusing idea.
Then you'd better think of a witty way of dealing with it.
Now wait.
Oh, good luck! - Any luck? - Keep back.
What's that? - A bomb.
- A bomb! Is it defused? It is now.
Where on earth did you find it? I'm so sorry.
This is the Director.
How do you do? I hope you realise that the police have already investigated this matter.
Where's Lethbridge Stewart? He and Miss Grant are questioning the staff.
A fat lot of use that'll do.
After all, it's hardly an international matter, is it? I understand you've lost a couple of scientists.
Yes, Professor Philips and his assistant Goodge.
Goodge must have left in quite a hurry.
Yes.
Yes he must.
Oh no! What's wrong? Look for yourself.
It's Goodge.
I'm very glad that you could see me at a short notice, Mr Farrel.
Well, your telephone call was pretty intriguing, Colonel.
- Do sit down.
- Thank you.
We do have a little spare capacity at the moment.
I would say more than a little, considering that your plant has been working at less than half volume for over a year.
I see you've done you homework, Colonel.
Well, I admit I was interested when you mentioned a steady repeat order.
The people I represent, Mr.
Farrel, can never have too much plastic.
What is a Nestene? Ask Captain Yates.
He had the job of clearing up the mess last time.
Well, what is a Nestene? A Nestene? It's a bit difficult to describe exactly.
A Nestene is a ruthlessly aggressive intelligent alien life form.
Well, what do they look like? Well I expect myself their basic form is analogous to a Kethlapod.
What's a Kethlapod? An Octopus.
I thought you took an A-Level in science.
I didn't say I passed.
An octopus.
They manifest themselves as a disembodied, mutually telepathic intelligence.
But if they're disembodied, how can they hurt us? They make themselves bodies when they need them.
You mean like Frankenstein? No.
They have a natural affinity for plastic.
Now, if you've quite finished asking questions? Sorry.
Just forget I'm here.
At least we should be ready for them this time.
Too late, Captain.
They're here already.
What? The Radio Telescope is their bridge head.
They used that to contain energy into that surviving Nestene unit.
Brigadier, look, that unit must be discovered within the next hour.
Yes, I'm well aware of the urgency of the situation, Doctor.
If we had some idea where its been taken.
Well try the plastics factories, man.
Yes, I'll set up a search straight away.
Yates.
Right, sir.
Can I help sir, please? Very well Miss Grant.
I'll start by making out some lists.
You will obey me and no one else.
Do you understand? I shall obey, I shall obey, I shall obey.
And you're convinced this man is working with the Nestenes? I should think by now he's calling himself their commander in chief.
Vanity's his weakness.
There you are.
It should be cooked by now.
This device of his.
Is it very powerful? I should say roughly equal to a fifteen megaton bomb.
Really? Well the research boys will be glad to get their hands on this.
Too late Brigadier.
I've boiled out the contents.
The weapons that you have on earth are quite nasty enough as it is.
Now the computer.
This way.
What are you going to do? I wish to alter the masterplan.
But that would change our whole production lines.
Naturally.
My father would never dream of… Mr Farrel, don't worry about him.
You are under a new firm now.
Hello.
Who went to the Radio Telescope Station? Myself, the Brigadier and The Doctor.
As I thought.
Curiosity is his weakness.
Well, I should have to see that it is satisfied.
You will return to UNIT with a negative report.
You found nothing suspicious.
Everything was in order.
Yes.
Everything is in order.
When you leave this room you will have no memory of meeting me, - only Mr Farrel.
- Only Mr.
Farrel.
Your instructions are already implanted.
You will obey them without a further word from me.
I shall obey.
Good.
- Yes, what is it Sergeant? - Excuse me, sir, I just had a call from the civil police.
They found Philips car abandoned.
- Where? - In a field about nine miles away from the research station and they say there's a zinc box in the boot, with UNIT markings.
- The energy unit? - I've told them not to touch it, Doctor.
What do you think, Doctor? - I still am.
- What? Thinking.
I think you'd better go home.
Look, I know all our customers and there isn't a Colonel Masters amongst them.
You're quite wrong, James.
He's taking over our entire production at the moment.
Entire? Here look, I'll tell you what, Rex.
You look through those orders, yes? and you show me this chap.
Go on.
All right.
I don't understand.
There should be a card for him.
Look Rex, I think you ought to take a couple of days off.
I'll ring your father and he can come May I remind you, Mr.
McDermott, that my father is retired.
I'm running this place now.
Your father built this place up from nothing.
Sure I remember when I was a wee lad, he… All right, all right, all right.
Let's not go over all that again.
Look, I'm sorry Rex, but I especially promised your father There's no need to bring father into it.
Look.
I'll go and fetch him.
He's only down in the lab.
Who? Colonel Masters of course.
He'll explain everything.
Sylvia? Get me Mr.
Farrel Senior, please.
No.
Don't be frightened Farrel.
The Autons are my servants.
Why do you come here? That's not an issue padlock, is it? No.
I'll try and find some keys.
I can open it.
Keys for every occasion, eh? Doctor.
We've got the box down here.
Good.
I'll be right down.
Stop her.
That's a bomb.
I've got to open it.
I've got to.