Trivia / Doctor Who S17 E3 "The Creature from the Pit"

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• Corpsing: During the scene where the Doctor has to approach a monster that looks like a giant green penis and scrotum and "communicate" with it, Tom Baker, normally very good at keeping a straight face during such things, is clearly about to crack up and even has to hide his smile with his hand at one point.
• Creator Backlash:
  • Lalla Ward was unhappy with this story. It was the first one she filmed and she was still working out how to play Romana. The fact that the script was written for Mary Tamm's version didn't help. She even wears a white dress like hers. She loathed both her costume and her hair.
  • Director Christopher Barry described the shoot as the nadir of his career. He would never work on the show again, ending a job that spanned back to the show’s beginnings.
• The Other Darrin: David Brierly makes his debut as the voice of K-9 in this story, taking over from John Leeson.
• Wag the Director: Director Christopher Barry often argued with Tom Baker and Lalla Ward over their characters and dialogue. This would be the last story he directed.
• What Could Have Been:
  • David Fisher's original outline was focused on Adrasta's trying to take the TARDIS for herself. K-9 would eventually take Adrasta onto the TARDIS, returning her — suddenly defeated — at the story's conclusion.
  • The Doctor was going to be attacked by Hellyn, a former engineer of Adrasta.
  • In the fourth episode, a battalion from Tithonus (later spelt "Tythonus") arrive, threatening to destroy Chloris with a photon missile. Erato, the Doctor and a Tithonian would have to work together to disarm the missile in time.
  • In the original script, Lady Adrasta was Queen Adastra, whose name meant "to the stars" in Latin. This was changed by Douglas Adams.
  • Siân Phillips was offered the role of Lady Adastra.
• Working Title: The Creature in the Pit
• You Look Familiar: Eileen Way (Karela) also played the Old Mother.

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