Trivia / Doctor Who S18 E6 "The Keeper of Traken"

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• First Appearance: Of Nyssa.
• In Memoriam: The DVD adds one for Anthony Ainley after the credits of Episode 4.
• The Other Darrin: A twofer here: Geoffery Beevers takes over the role of the decaying Master, who had previously been portrayed by Peter Pratt in "The Deadly Assassin". However, Pratt himself had taken over the role from Roger Delgado (who last appeared as the Master in "Frontier in Space") due to the latter's death earlier in the decade; rather than pulling the usual regeneration card, Pratt's Master was written to be the exact same incarnation as Delgado's, but with an inhumanly severe bout of what is either gangrene or sixth-degree burns Depending on the Writer. Thus, Beevers ends up taking over the role of the Thirteenth Master from someone who had already taken over the role from someone who was already dead.
• Prop Recycling: The hooded robe worn by Geoffrey Beevers as the disfigured Master were those as worn by Peter Pratt in "The Deadly Assassin". However, on this occasion the rubber mask was traded out for prosthetic makeup and lip paint to allow Beevers to give the character more facial expression and enunciate his dialogue more clearly (the mask having infamously muffled Pratt's voice to the point of nigh-unintelligibility).
• What Could Have Been:
  • Judi Dench, Glenda Jackson, Joanna Lumley, Helen Mirren and Diana Rigg were considered for Kassia.
  • Johnny Byrne's original script was a conflict between the Greys and Blacks, led by Hellas and Zorca, respectively. Zorca summons a creature called Mogen, who turns out to be the last of a race of psychic empaths. Newly resurrected, Mogen wants to use Traken’s power source to take over the galaxy. Zorca also frames Adric for murder which would have lend into a cliffhanger where the Doctor, Adric and Hellas are about to be executed.
• You Look Familiar:
  • Geoffrey Beevers (the Master) had previously appeared as Private Johnson in "The Ambassadors of Death".
  • Denis Carey, who plays the Keeper, also played Professor Chronotis.
  • Margot Van der Burgh (Katura) previously appeared as Cameca.
  • John Woodnutt (Seron) also appeared in "Spearhead from Space", "Frontier in Space" and as Commander Broton in "Terror of the Zygons".

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