Paul Whitsun-Jones (Marshal), James Mellor (Varan) [1-4], Garrick Hagon (Ky), Geoffrey Palmer (Administrator) [1], Christopher Coll (Stubbs) [1-5], Rick James (Cotton), Jonathan Sherwood (Varan’s Son) [1-2], George Pravda (Jaeger) [2-6], John Hollis (Sondergaard) [3-6], Sidney Johnson (Old Man) [3], Roy Pearce (Solos Guard) [4], David Arlen (Warrior Guard) [4], Damon Sanders (Solos Guard) [5], Martin Taylor (Skybase Guard) [5], John Scott Martin (Mutt) [5], Peter Howell (Investigator) [6]
CREW
Written by
Bob Baker and Dave Martin
Directed by
Christopher Barry
Produced by
Barry Letts
SYPNOSIS
What was happening to the people of Solos? Why are they gradually turning into Monsters? Hands that become claws, flesh that turns scale-like…
When The Doctor meets the Marshal and Jaeger, he realises that all is not as it appears to be. The Marshal has a sinister plan to gain control of this planet, and it’s up to The Doctor to save Solos from this mad earthman, as well as save the Solonians themselves?
NOTES
This story had working titles of, Independence and the Emergents.
This is not the only Doctor Who story with the title The The Mutants – the first episode of the first Dalek serial was also entitled The The Mutants by some, until the broadcast of this one.
Episode Six of this story is the first in the series’ history to bear an on-screen copyright date.
This is the Geoffrey Palmer’s second appearance in Doctor Who, he had previously appeared in Doctor Who and the Silurians. He would go on later to appeared in the revived Series episode Voyage of the Damned
Probably coincidentally, the opening scene of the story bears an uncanny resemblance to the Monty Python “It’s…” openings.
The Skybase has a segregated Transmat, with one chamber for Humans and one for Solonians.
Much as they did recently on Peladon, The Doctor and Jo make a hasty escape to the TARDIS when confronted with the risk of being found out as strangers, without the credentials needed to perform authoritative actions in a political environment. (The Curse of Peladon)
