431 The Masque of Mandragora: Part Four

EPISODE: The Masque of Mandragora: Part Four
OVERALL EPISODE NUMBER: 431
STORY NUMBER: 086
TRANSMITTED: Saturday 25 September 1976
WRITER: Louis Marks
DIRECTOR: Rodney Bennett
SCRIPT EDITOR: Robert Holmes
PRODUCER: Philip Hinchcliffe
RATINGS: 10.6 million viewers
FORMAT: DVD: Doctor Who - The Masque Of Mandragora

"All has happened as was foretold down the centuries. The waiting, the prayers, the sacrifices. Now, at last, the empire of Mandragora will encompass the Earth, for Demnos is only the servant of Mandragora, and Mandragora is a mighty master of all things. Let the power flood into you, brothers. Tomorrow night we shall witness the last prophecy. As it is written, Mandragora shall swallow the Moon!"

The Doctor escapes from the cavern and averts the execution of Sarah, Guiliano & Marco by bringing news of the Count's death. He has the Palace barricaded to stop the Mandragora controlled brotherhood from attacking. The Doctor calculates the timing of a lunar eclipse that will signal the brotherhood's attack. He approves of Guiliano's decision to continue holding the Masque to celebrate his accession to the Dukedom. The Doctor prepares by mounting an armoured breast plate under his coat and obtaining a length of wire. The Brotherhood gather round the palace as the Masque takes place. Returning to the temple the Doctor uses the wire to ground the chestplate and confronts Heironymous. The wire & chestplate protect the Doctor from the energy bolts that Heironymous fires at him and he starts to be drained from the confrontation. The Doctor's lion costume enters the ball but it removes it's mask revealing itself to be Mandragora energy. Heironymous enters and has everyone taken to the temple as the eclipse starts. There the cult is consumed by Mandragora leaving just "Heironymous" who is revealed to be the Doctor. With the Earth safe and Guiliano now in power, the Doctor and Sarah take their leave.

SARAH: Oh, poor Guiliano. He looked so wistful.
DOCTOR: Yes.
SARAH: Will he have any more trouble from Mandragora?
DOCTOR: No, he won't, but the Earth will. Their constellation will be in position to try again in about five hundred years.
SARAH: Five hundred years. That takes us to just about the end of the twentieth century.
DOCTOR: That's right. Now that was an interesting century.
SARAH: What do you mean, was?

Lets start with the good stuff: This episode looks very pretty thanks to designer Barry Newbery. You can see some of his set designs in The Barry Newbery Signature Collection from Telos publishing.

The costumes too look fabulous: future triple Oscar winner James Acheson is in charge here.

There's some lovely effects during it too: Heironymous' mask lit from behind is just superb!

The glowing ball under the hood we saw last episode and it looks no less impressive here. However it is part of the mess that's the ending of the episode. Did it make any sense at all? How the Doctor repels Mandragora is explained in an absurd piece of technobable before he does it:

DOCTOR: All right, listen. Negatively charged high energy particles follow magnetic lines of force, yes?
SARAH: Yes.
DOCTOR: Therefore, if I've guessed correctly about the nature of Helix energy, I should be able to drain it off.
SARAH: But what if you've guessed wrong?
DOCTOR: When did I ever guess wrong about anything?
SARAH: (sotto) Lots of times.

However I'm struggling to relate that to what he does with the wire. He appears to have somehow earthed the altar to drain the energy!

Then we get a load of costume confusion with one of the Brethren disguised as the Doctor: where did they get the Doctor's costume from? He took it with him to confront Heironymous. If it's the Doctor wearing it how does he do the trick with the energy ball for the head> I think we're meant to think it is The Doctor wearing it because you can see the purple hood visible, Heironymous is the only Brethren member wearing purple robes and we then find out the Doctor is disguised as Heironymous!

Some explanation of what and why things are happening would be nice! A big, big mess.

In this episode (briefly) is Stuart Fell as the Entertainer, Previous Doctor Who credits include The Curse of Peladon and The Monster of Peladon as Alpha Centauri, Planet of the Spiders as a tramp, The Ark in Space as a Wirrn, The Android Invasion as a Kraal, The Brain of Morbius as the Morbius Monster and the peasant with the pitchfork who gets fried by the Mandragora energy in episode 1. He'll be back in The Invasion of Time as a Sontaran and the State of Decay as Roga.

Appearing, briefly as the armourer is Derek Chafer. He first appeared in Doctor Who as a Saxon in episodes 2 & 4, The Meddling Monk & Checkmate, of The Time Meddler. He returns as a Greek Soldier in Temple of Secrets, Death of a Spy & Horse of Destruction, the first, third & fourth episodes of the Myth Makers, a Guard in Bell of Doom, The Massacre part 4, a Lynch Mob Member in Don't Shoot the Pianist & Johnny Ringo, the second & third episode of The Gunfighters, a Cyberman in The Moonbase episode 3 & 4, another Cyberman, and actually credited, in The Invasion episode 6, an Extra in The Space Pirates episode 4 & 5, a UNIT Soldier in Doctor Who and the Silurians episode 3, a Prisoner in The Mind of Evil episode four, a Guard in The Curse of Peladon episode one, an Exxilon in Death to the Daleks parts one to three and a Guard in The Monster of Peladon part one. This is his final Doctor Who appearance and the first time I've been able to identify him in a photo!

We have a lot of extras as Masquers in this episode. The on who appeared in Doctor Who the earliest is Jean Channon who was a Parisian Woman in War of God, The Massacre part 1, and an Extra in The Green Death episode one. She returns as a Passser By in The Talons of Weng-Chiang part two, an Extra (Passenger?) in Nightmare of Eden parts one to four, an Extra (almost certainly a Castrovalvan woman)in Castrovalva part three & four, a Dinner Guest in Snakedance part two, a Lazar in Terminus parts one to four and an Extra in Survival part one making her possibly the longest serving Doctor Who supporting artist. Nicholas Courtney, made his debut as Space Security Agent Bret Vyon 12 episodes earlier but had his final appearance as the Brigadier just 8 episodes earlier giving him a longer career by 4 episodes! Channon has a Blake's 7 to her name too appearing as a Zondawl Citizen in Warlord.

Kevin Moran had previously been a Draconian in Frontier in Space episode two and an Exxilon in Death to the Daleks part one to four, albeit as a corpse in the final episode, as well as an Ice Warrior in The Monster of Peladon part five. Barbara Bermel was a Villager in Planet of the Spiders: Part One and an Android Villager in The Android Invasion part one, She returns as a member of the Sevateem in The Face of Evil part one, a Rebel in tunnel in The Sun Makers part one, a Court Lady in The Androids of Tara part one and another Lazar in Terminus part one. She's got a Space: 1999 to her name appearing as Thulian in the superb Death's Other Dominion.

It's first Doctor Who appearances for Martin Grant, who's also a citizen in Full Circle: Part One, Sheila Vivian, another dinner guest in Snakedance: Part Two and Jill Goldstonwho's a Peasant in State of Decay as well as a Mutoid in Blake's 7: Animals (1981). It's an only Doctor who appearance for Martin Clarke, who's a Native in Blake's 7: Horizon and Eddie Sommer, a Helot in Blake's 7 Traitor and a Magrathean in the fourth episode of the TV version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Not returning to Doctor Who is writer Louis Marks. He'd first written for the show at the end of it's first recording block, penning Planet of the Giants bringing an idea to screen that had been knocking around since day 1. Years later he returned to write Day of the Daleks for the third Doctor, then Planet of Evil & Masque of Mandragora for the fourth Doctor. He died 17th September 2010 aged 82. And since it's his final appearance, I'll remind you one more time that he's not to be confused with Louis Marx, the toy company that made the 1960s Dalek toys!

Masque of Mandragora is one of the Doctor Who novels that I can remember reading from the library quite early on.... but I also owned a paperback copy quite early having bought it in a local news agent. It was the only Doctor Who book I ever saw in there. It's one of three stories adapted by Philip Hinchcliffe, the other two being the previous story The Seeds of Doom and the fifth Doctor Who the Keys of Marinus. It was released in December 1977. A video was released in August 1991 alongside the Three Doctors. The DVD was released on 8th February 2010.

430 The Masque of Mandragora: Part Three

EPISODE: The Masque of Mandragora: Part Three
OVERALL EPISODE NUMBER: 430
STORY NUMBER: 086
TRANSMITTED: Saturday 18 September 1976
WRITER: Louis Marks
DIRECTOR: Rodney Bennett
SCRIPT EDITOR: Robert Holmes
PRODUCER: Philip Hinchcliffe
RATINGS: 9.2 million viewers
FORMAT: DVD: Doctor Who - The Masque Of Mandragora

"You defile the sacred image of Demnos! Destroy him now!"

The Helix releases the Doctor and shows him the temple restored using it's power. The Doctor flees, finds Guiliano and together they hold off the Count's guards until they are chased away by the brethren allowing the Doctor & Guiliano to hide in the catacombs. The priest wished to sacrifice Sarah but Heironymous, the high priest, has other plans for her and exposes her to a potion which puts her under his hypnotic control before sending her to the Doctor. They find her in the catacombs and then find a route back to the palace. Sarah questions the Doctor as to how she can understand what Guiliano says. Marco is captured by the Duke's guards. Hieronymous tells the Duke that he has predicted the Count's death but is dismissed by the Count. Finding Marco missing, Guiliano tells The Doctor of the dignitaries & scientists invited to Saint Martino. The Doctor realises if they are killed then the world will be thrown into a new Dark Age and goes to confront who he believes head the cult of Demnos, followed by Sarah. The Count orders Heironymous thrown out of the city. The Doctor confronts Heironymous but Sarah arrives with a poison needle to kill the Doctor. The Doctor breaks her programming, but is seized by the counts guards who have come for Heironymous, who in turn escapes. Guiliano too is seized and thrown in the Count's dungeons with the Doctor, Sarah & Marco. Marco has been made to claim that Guiliano is a worshipper of Demnos. The Cult of Demnos gathers and is infused with the Mandragora Helix. The Doctor tell Federico that Heironymous is the head of the brethren, so he takes the Doctor and two armed men to the temple in disguise. Federico pulls Heironymous' mark away revealing not his face but a glowing ball of energy which slays him.

Once again I'm struggling with this story. It's just failing to hold my interest on screen. It's around this episode I usually drift off when we watch it as a four parter and, though I can't put my finger on why, I'm sure I probably would have done this time too! But watching it in 25 minute chunks has at least kept me awake!

The episode did keep pushing the Python button on me though:

FEDERICO: But your numbness has passed, I see. You're a fake, Hieronymous. A fraud, a charlatan, a marketplace soothsayer.

The list here started it and made me think Dead Parrot sketch

'E's not pinin'! 'E's passed on! This parrot is no more! He has ceased to be! 'E's expired and gone to meet 'is maker!

And then in the dungeon .....

FEDERICO: Scarlatti is enjoying his work?
ROSSINI: He's a craftsman.
FEDERICO: Nonetheless, these cries. I would prefer not to rouse the entire palace. Has he weakened yet?
ROSSINI: He is a stubborn ape, sire.
FEDERICO: I'll have a word with him myself. Sometimes the voice of reason is more effective than the burning iron.

FEDERICO: A simple confession, my young friend.
MARCO: Never.
FEDERICO: Come, Marco. You're of noble birth, a man of intelligence. Use your intelligence and save yourself pain.
MARCO: I shall not lie against the Duke. You can kill me first.
FEDERICO: No, but we may kill you afterwards. Scarlatti's enthusiasm is such that not all survive his attentions.
MARCO: You devils!
FEDERICO: Come now, Marco. Confess that Giuliano is a follower of Demnos and I will reward you well. Come, man, what is your answer?

.... I imeadiately thought Spannish Inquisiton!

Ximinez: Confess! Confess! Confess!
Biggles: It doesn't seem to be hurting her, my lord.
Ximinez: Have you got all the stuffing up one end?
Biggles: Yes, lord.
Ximinez: Hm! She is made of harder stuff! Cardinal Fang - fetch...the comfy chair!

However being reminded of Monty Python doesn't necessarily make for taking a Doctor Who story seriously

DOCTOR: Salvatore ambulando.
SARAH: What?
GIULIANO: It's Latin. The question is solved by walking.
SARAH: Latin? I don't even speak Italian. Hey, I never thought of that before. How is it I can understand you?
DOCTOR: Don't you worry about it. I'll explain it later. Come on.
SARAH: All right.

This episode goes to some lengths to try to explain why the Doctor & his companions can understand the language wherever they go. It's explained here as a telepathic gift provided by the Tardis to those that travel in her and as we've seen, Genesis of the Daleks for example, doesn't need the Tardis to be present.

SARAH: But how did you know I'd been drugged?
DOCTOR: Well, I've taken you to some strange places before and you've never asked how you understood the local language. It's a Time Lord's gift I allow you to share. But tonight when you asked me how you understood Italian, I realised your mind had been taken over.

The Doctor mentions in this episode that he's looking forward to meeting Leonardo da Vinci. Although he's not shown to meet the genius here, he seems to know him by the time of City of Death when he visits his workshop in order to graffiti the parchment the Mona Lisa is painted on.....

In addition to the cast members seen in the previous episodes we've got a few new Brothers this week. James Muir has the most credits: he'd been a Soldier in The Time Monster episode one and Invasion of the Dinosaurs part one, a Muto in Genesis of the Daleks part two & three and a Soldier in Terror of the Zygons part one. He's back as a Worker in The Sun Makers part one and a Technician in The Sun Makers part two, a Technician in The Pirate Planet part one & two, a Druid in The Stones of Blood part one, a Louvre Detective in City of Death part one, a Mandrel in Nightmare of Eden part one, a Foamasi in The Leisure Hive part one, a Gaztak in Meglos part one, a Tharil in Warriors' Gate part one and the Police Driver in Black Orchid part two, all without getting a single onscreen credit! He gets luckier in Blake's 7: after starting out as a Federation Trooper in Seek-Locate-Destroy he's credited as a Phibian in Orac before playing a Rebel in Pressure Point, a Monster in Dawn of the Gods, a Link in Rescue, a Helot in Traitor, a Pirate Guard in Assassin and one of the many Federation Troopers in Blake. As you can see he's something of a BBC regular around this time! His first contact with sci fi TV came in 1973's Moonbase 3 as a Technician in Castor and Pollux. Terry Sartain made his Doctor Who debut earlier as an Alien Technician / Union Recruit in The War Games episode three before playing a Warrior in The Mutants episode one, a UNIT Soldier in The Three Doctors episode one, an Earth Prison Guard / Draconian Guard at Embassy in Frontier in Space episode one, a Draconian in Frontier in Space episode two and an Exxilon in Death to the Daleks part two & three.He'll be back as a Gundan robot in Warriors' Gate part three and a Man in Market in Snakedance part one. In Blake's 7 he was a Crewman in Space Fall and a Hooded Figure in Cygnus Alpha. Clive Rogers appeared slightly earlier as a Space Guard in The Space Pirates episode 1 then a Sniper in The War Games episode two and a Resistance Man in The War Games episode five. He's back as a Mentiad in The Pirate Planet parts one, three & four.

429 The Masque of Mandragora: Part Two

EPISODE: The Masque of Mandragora: Part Two
OVERALL EPISODE NUMBER: 429
STORY NUMBER: 086
TRANSMITTED: Saturday 11 September 1976
WRITER: Louis Marks
DIRECTOR: Rodney Bennett
SCRIPT EDITOR: Robert Holmes
PRODUCER: Philip Hinchcliffe
RATINGS: 9.8 million viewers
FORMAT: DVD: Doctor Who - The Masque Of Mandragora

"When we landed on Earth, we brought back with us part of the Mandragora Helix. I don't know how it got in the Tardis, and now it's here in this temple!"

The Doctor trips his executioner up with his scarf and escapes. The priests of Demnos prepare their alter for sacrifice bringing the drugged Sarah to lie on it. The Doctor hides and finds himself in the catacombs that the Cult of Demnos use. He follows their high priest and rescues Sarah. As he leaves the chamber is invaded by the Mandragora Helix which restores the temple. Guiliano is brought the body of a guard killed by the Mandragora Helix. The golden masked High Priest is given instructions by the Helix for the advancement of it's plans. As he leaves the temple he removes the masks revealing himself to be the astrologer Hieronymous. The Doctor & Sarah are found and taken to Guiliano & Marco who explain his uncle's desire for the dukedom of Saint Martino. They show the Doctor the body who tells that the Mandragora Helix killed it and wonders why the Helix has come to this time & place. The count intercepts a list of dignitaries that the Duke has invited to his accession along with some noted scholars who they have given their patronage to. Hieronymous is ordered to predict Guiliano's imminent death and confers with the Mandragora Helix. The Doctor tries to explain the Mandragora Helix to Guiliano and thinks it might be trying to use cult of Demnos to oppose the scientific achievements of the Renaissance and take over the Earth. The Doctor goes back to the temple to investigate, but they are seen by the Count's spies. The Doctor finds his way to the main temple cavern where he is attacked by the Mandragora Helix. The Count's guards arrive attacking Guiliano. Sarah goes to find the the Doctor but is recaptured by the cult.....

Hmmm. A little slow moving perhaps in places but OK without really being anything special. Yes, the cut of Demnos do seem to be doing the Hokey Cokey when they're about to sacrifice Sarah!

What you do get highlighted in this episode are the wonderful location used in the production at Portmerion in North Wales. Portmerion was designed and built in the style of an Italian Village by Sir Clough William Ellis. Producer Philip Hinchcliffe had been there as a tour guide years before and thought it would make an excellent location for filming. It was only after the series was made that it was pointed out to him that Portmerion had been used in the production of The Prisoner nearly ten years earlier!

Two of the locations seen in the episode are immediately identifiable to me from The Prisoner: The green domed building is Number 2's residence while the location the Doctor is executed at is The Village's town hall. The Unmutual Location Guide has a Portmerion Gallery but rather unhelpfully doesn't identify where in the series the locations were used and what for instead pointing you towards one of their books! See Doctor Who Locations Portmerion Guide for how to do such a thing properly! The Masque Of Mandragora DVD has a Now & Then feature which extensively looks at the filming locations but once again doesn't make much of their commonality with The Prisoner.

The Titan Voice heard in this episode, and presumably the mocking laughter as the Tardis departs the Mangragora Helix in episode 1, is Peter Tuddenham who provided voices for The Ark in Space and Time and the Rani as well as Orac, Zen & Slave in Blake's 7.

Some lovely wide staring eyed acting from Norman Jones during this episode!

There's a pair of unnamed Pikeman in this episode: one of them, Peter Walshe, was Erak in The Sontaran Experiment.

The other, Jay Neill was a Guard in Enemy of the World episode 6 and a Policeman in The Silurians episode 3 and will be back in The Invisible Enemy and Guard Klimt in Underworld. Meanwhile George Ballantine, Federico's Manservant, returns in Snakedance: Part One as the Hawker.

428 The Masque of Mandragora: Part One

EPISODE: The Masque of Mandragora: Part One
OVERALL EPISODE NUMBER: 428
STORY NUMBER: 086
TRANSMITTED: Saturday 04 September 1976
WRITER: Louis Marks
DIRECTOR: Rodney Bennett
SCRIPT EDITOR: Robert Holmes
PRODUCER: Philip Hinchcliffe
RATINGS: 8.3 million viewers
FORMAT: DVD: Doctor Who - The Masque Of Mandragora

"You're already tall enough, Doctor. You will answer my questions civilly and promptly or your body will be lengthened on the rack!"

The Tardis is invaded by the Mandragora Helix which uses it to take it to late 15th century Italy. Giuliano has just succeeded his father Duke, who died exactly when astrologer Hieronymous predicted it. Hieronymous is working for Giuliano's uncle, Count Federico, who has poisoned his brother & seeks to kill the new Duke. Sarah is abducted by black robed cultists who knock the Doctor out. When he comes round he sees Mandragora energy which has escaped the Tardis and has gone on a rampage. Federico & Hieronymous bring Giuliano the prediction of his death. The Doctor searches for Sarah but guards take him captive. Sarah is taken to the hidden temple of the cult of Demnos where the high priest makes preparations to sacrifice here while the Doctor is taken to Federico who tries to interrogate him. Federico doesn't believe the Doctor's story and orders him executed, but Giuliano is intrigued by him. Sarah is drugged prior to sacrifice while the Doctor is taken to the executioner's block.

Ah Masque of Mandragora. Stuck between several much loved stories it's a bit ignored. I've always had a bit of a problem with it as a TV story: I've never managed to stay awake right the way through it while watching it in one go!

It starts off well though with a wander round the Tardis. I think this is one of the first times we've seen a mass of Tardis corridors. We saw some extra rooms in the early stories, especially in Edge of Destruction, but this really starts our exploration of the ship beyond the control room.

The boot cupboard is just a throwaway joke but it's done very well. Sadly the next time we go walkabout in the Tardis it won't look anywhere near as good as this!

The highlight is the magnificent Tardis secondary control room seen at the start of the story which has a very Jules Verne feel with lots of wood panelling plus some throwbacks to the show's past with the second Doctor's recorder and the third Doctor's shirt & jacket on display.

I spent an lot of Seeds of Doom commenting on the physical violence: here the Doctor uses his Venusian Akido to defend himself when attacked by the Cultists and that works much better for me than him punching people all the time.

Essentially this is a game of two halves: I love the stuff in the Tardis to start with and their encounter with the Mandragora energy, no problem. But by the time The Doctor arrives in Italy, over 9 minutes into the story, I've already seen enough of it by then to be bored by it! The setting is quickly established: peasants oppressed by an evil overlord vs the dawning of the age of reason:

GIULIANO: Well, there's this man in Florence who claims that by arranging ground glasses in a certain order, it's possible to see the Moon and the stars as large as your hand.
MARCO: Is that a good thing?
GIULIANO: Well of course it's a good thing. That way we can learn more about them, understand their mystery.
MARCO: What is there to know about the stars except how they move in the heavens, and we've known that for hundreds of years.
GIULIANO: That's the whole point, Marco. Perhaps the stars don't move as we think they move. That's what this man in Florence is saying. Maybe the stars don't move at all. Maybe it's we who move.

They are of course talking about Galileo Galilei.

Playing the villainous Count Federico is John Laurimore who's had a long TV Career generally avoiding science fiction apart from in 1976 when he was in this and Space 1999: Black Sun.

Hieronymous is played fabulously by Norman Jones who previously was Khrisong in The Abominable Snowmen and Major Baker in the Silurians.

Gareth Armstrong playing Giuliano, was also in Blake's 7 as Parton in Star One while his friend Marco is Tim Piggott-Smith who was Captain Harker in The Claws of Axos.

In amongst The Brothers is Brian Elliswho was the Prisoner in The Sontaran Experiment while their High Priest is Robert James who we heard as Lesterson in The Power of the Daleks.

Pat Gorman is credited as a Soldier and I'm pretty sure that it's him playing the guard that gets fried by the Mandragora Energy towards the end of the episode! He's hiding, uncredited, under a brothers hood for the rest of the story!

A couple of other familiar background names appear in this episode. The "forking peasant" (I laughed) is regular stuntman and occasional monster Stuart Fell, who's also a Guard here an returns in a credited role in episode 4!

Meanwhile the Executioner is regular stunt double for the third and fourth Doctors Terry Walsh, who I'm pretty convinced is the Doctor leaping onto the horse and riding away from earlier in the episode.

Make yourselves comfortable: there's a lot of extras in the crowd scenes and most of them have Doctor Who elsewhere on their CVs as well as here:

In amongst the hooded brothers we see, or rather don't cos they've all got their hoods up, both Keith Ashley & Cy Town who were inside Dalek shells in Genesis of the Daleks. Town fulfils that role, and others, several times while Ashley also appeared as a Zygon in Terror of the Zygons. Another Brother is Walter Henry who's been an Extra in Small Prophet, Quick Return, uncredited in Doctor Who and the Silurians episode 6 and a Primord in Inferno episode 6. He;s got a credit as Zukan's Technician in Warlord, the penultimate episode of Blake's 7 and has a recurring uncredited role as a Flying Squad detective five first season episode of The Sweeney: Ringer, Jackpot, Queen's Pawn, Jigsaw & Contact Breaker.

Appearing as a courtier here, and a brother later in the serial, is Roy Pearce. He started his Doctor Who career as a Guard in Bell of Doom, followed by a Soldier in Snow Camouflage / Engineer #2 in The Tenth Planet episode 3, a Chameleon in The Faceless Ones episode 1, the Cyberman in The War Games episode ten, uncredited in Doctor Who and the Silurians episode 6, a Villager in The Dæmons episode one & two, a Solos Guard in The Mutants episodes three, four, where he finally gets a credit, and five, plus an Exxilon in Death to the Daleks part one & two. He too has been in Blake's 7 as an Armed Crewman in Space Fall, a Federation Trooper in Time Squad and a Scientist in Project Avalon. Appearing just as a courtier in this episode we have Paul Barton, previously a UNIT Soldier in Doctor Who and the Silurians episode 3 and a Silurian in episodes 4, 5 & 7 of the same take. He'll return as a Skonnos Guard in The Horns of Nimon part one and a Rebel in State of Decay part one. He's got Moonbase 3 to his name appearing as a Technician in View of a Dead Planet.

Onto the Guards: First we have Peter Pocock who was a stunt double for Michael Craze in Tenth Planet 1 and a solider in episode 4 of the same story.
David Rolfe first appeared as an Exxilon in Death to the Daleks parts one to three before returning as a Guard in The Monster of Peladon part one and a Crew Member in Planet of Evil part one & two. He's got a Jeeves and Wooster to his name appearing as Butterfield in Sir Watkyn Bassett's Memoirs. David Wilde is on Doctor Who debut here: he's back as Digby in Black Orchid. Starting as a guard in this episode, before returning as a Courtier/Masquer in episode 4 is Ken Tracey: he was a Dispatch Rider / Golden Age Man in Invasion of the Dinosaurs, a Villager in Planet of the Spiders part one and a Kaled Prisoner in Genesis of the Daleks part two. He too has Moonbase 3 technician form from the episode Castor and Pollux.

On now to a bunch of Peasant villagers in this episode who return as brothers in episode 3: Christopher Holmes was previously a UNIT Soldier in Day of the Daleks episode, a Miner in The Monster of Peladon part three and an Extra in Genesis of the Daleks parts one & two before this. He'll be back as a Citizen in Full Circle part one and a Genius in Time and the Rani part four. He's got a lot of Blake's 7 to his name: Federation Trooper in The Way Back, Prisoner in Space Fall & Cygnus Alpha, a Mutoid in Duel & Project Avalon, a Star One Technician in Star One and a Hi-tech Patient in Powerplay. Clinton Morris prior Who form is just a Presidential Guard in Frontier in Space episode two and three but he gets some Blake's 7 too as Wallace in Space Fall as well as playiong a technician in Moonbase 3's Outsiders. Keith Norrish just has Genesis of the Daleks: Part Three as a Thal Officer to add to his Who CV buthis Blake's 7 includes a Federation Trooper in Bounty, a Salvage Man in Dawn of the Gods and a Guard in Moloch. He's one of a select number of Doctor Who actors to appear in Porridge where he's a Prison Officer in New Faces, Old Hands. Dennis Plenty first appeared in Doctor who as a Tavern customer in The Massacre: War of God and also appeared in a later episode of the same story as a Guard in Priest of Death. He was a Worker / Soldier in The War Machines episode 3, a Soldier in The War Machines episode 4, a Prison Guard in Frontier in Space episode two & three and an Exxilon in Death to the Daleks part two & three. He's appeared in not one but three episodes of Moonbase 3 as a Technician, presumably the same one, in Achilles Heel, Castor and Pollux & View of a Dead Planet and was also in two episodes of UFO: Identified as Lt. David Worth and Computer Affair as a SHADO Mobile 1 Personnel. He's also got a Fawlty Towers on his CV as a PC in A Touch of Class. Leslie Weekes was au Varga Plant in Mission to the Unknown, a UNIT Soldier in The Mind of Evil episode three and a Vogan in Revenge of the Cybermen part one. He's only got one Blake's 7 appearing as a scientist in Project Avalon.

It's frequently men we see as extras so it's somewhat of surprise to find a couple of female supporting artists here with recurrent Who form: Mary Rennie is a Peasant villager here and she returns in Snakedance: Part Three as a Woman Watching Show. Penny Lambirth, another Peasant villager, has a somewhat longer career with Doctor Who: she's a Masquer in part 4, a Ceremony Observer in Snakedance part four, a Crewmember in Resurrection of the Daleks part one, a Citizen in Planet of Fire part one and a Passer by in Attack of the Cybermen part one.

We briefly saw Michael Mulcaster as the Old Duke as he left this world: he was previously a Prisoner in Frontier in Space: Episode Three. His Priest was played by Maurice Quick who was an Auton VIP in Spearhead from Space: Episode 4 and we'll see again shortly as Gold Usher in The Deadly Assassin: Part One.