History Trivia / DoctorWhoS24E2ParadiseTowers

** Stephen Wyatt considered writing a SequelEpisode that would have revisited the Kangs, now sent away from the complex to attend a boarding school but instead to determined to find their male counterparts.

* YouLookFamiliar: Clive Merrison previously played [[Recap/DoctorWhoS5E1TheTombOfTheCybermen Jim Callum]].

** The original music score for the episode, by David Snell, was replaced at the last minute with one by Keff [=McCulloch=] (the DVD has Snell's unused score as an alternative audio track). Weirdly enough, both Creator/JohnNathanTurner and director Nicholas Mallett seem to have actually been okay with the Snell score, with script editor Creator/AndrewCartmel admitting in his book ''Script Doctor'' that he was the main driving force in getting it thrown out, as he felt that the show should have a more energetic style of music.

-->'''Andrew Cartmel''': Stephen (Wyatt)'s gag — which I wholeheartedly endorsed — was the idea that this guy was a total muscleman who fucks things up because he's incredibly stupid. He ends up being a victim. But when they cast it, they got Howard Cooke, who was cast by Nick Mallett. Nick didn't have the same vision for Pex, he was just concerned with getting a good actor who could do the business. So (Wyatt) was disappointed with that. It was a joke that was screwed up by the casting, but at least we ended up with a good actor.

-->'''Andrew Cartmel''': We needed a monster. And we went straight to John and said, "What about tentacles?" They could come out through the ventilation grilles". And he said, "Tentacles are difficult", spoken with the knowing manner of a man who's tried tentacles before.

** The original music score for the episode, by David Snell, was replaced at the last minute with one by Keff [=McCulloch=] (the DVD has Snell's unused score as an alternative audio track). Weirdly enough, both Creator/JohnNathanTurner and director Nicholas Mallett seem to have actually been okay with the Snell score, with script editor Andrew Cartmel admitting in his book ''Script Doctor'' that he was the main driving force in getting it thrown out, as he felt that the show should have a more energetic style of music.

* WriteWhatYouKnow: Stephen Wyatt was partially inspired by visiting friends who lived in tower blocks in London's East End. He noted how you'd get out of a lift and there would be no indication as to what floor you'd arrived on and local youths lept in and pressed all the buttons, so you could get out anywhere.

* InspirationForTheWork: Stephen Wyatt based his story in part on the J. G. Ballard novel ''High-Rise'', which depicts a luxury apartment building which descends into savagery.

* SelfAdaptation: The episode's writer, Stephen Wyatt wrote the novelization.

-->''Andrew Cartmel''': Stephen (Wyatt)'s gag — which I wholeheartedly endorsed — was the idea that this guy was a total muscleman who fucks things up because he's incredibly stupid. He ends up being a victim. But when they cast it, they got Howard Cooke, who was cast by Nick Mallett. Nick didn't have the same vision for Pex, he was just concerned with getting a good actor who could do the business. So (Wyatt) was disappointed with that. It was a joke that was screwed up by the casting, but at least we ended up with a good actor.

* AbilityOverAppearance: Pex was meant to be a huge musclebound man, but it didn't quite pan out that way, as Andrew Cartmel recalls:
-->Stephen (Wyatt)'s gag — which I wholeheartedly endorsed — was the idea that this guy was a total muscleman who fucks things up because he's incredibly stupid. He ends up being a victim. But when they cast it, they got Howard Cooke, who was cast by Nick Mallett. Nick didn't have the same vision for Pex, he was just concerned with getting a good actor who could do the business. So (Wyatt) was disappointed with that. It was a joke that was screwed up by the casting, but at least we ended up with a good actor.
* CreatorBacklash: Both Creator/JohnNathanTurner and Andrew Cartmel felt that Creator/RichardBriers' performance was too over-the-top.

** Pex was originally envisioned as a muscle-bound moron to parody such popular American heroes as Franchise/{{Rambo}}. Unfortunately, no British actors of appropriate age and build were available, and so JNT suggested turning the concept completely on its head, by casting a small, slender actor who was clearly not the physical specimen Pex made himself out to be.

* InspirationForTheWork: Stephen Wyatt was heavily inspired by ''Literature/HighRise''.

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-->Stephen (Wyatt)'s gag - which I wholeheartedly endorsed - was the idea that this guy was a total muscleman who fucks things up because he's incredibly stupid. He ends up being a victim. But when they cast it, they got Howard Cooke, who was cast by Nick Mallett. Nick didn't have the same vision for Pex, he was just concerned with getting a good actor who could do the business. So (Wyatt) was disappointed with that. It was a joke that was screwed up by the casting, but at least we ended up with a good actor.

* PropRecycling: The sharp-eyed might notice some of the barrels used as set dressing in the Kangs' lair still have the faded or painted-over remains of the [[Film/{{Aliens}} Weyland-Yutani logo]] visible on them - they're one of many old ''Film/{{Alien}}'' and ''Film/{{Aliens}}'' props used throughout the Eighties.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
** In the original script, a mutated creature living in the Paradise Towers pool. When Creator/JohnNathanTurner voiced concerns about how effectively this could be accomplished, it was changed to an aquatic version of the cleaners.

* WorkingTitle: ''The Paradise Tower''

* YouLookFamiliar: Clive Merrison previously played [[Recap/DoctorWhoS5E1TheTombOfTheCybermen Jim Callum]].

** The original music score for the episode, by David Snell, was replaced at the last minute with one by Keff [=McCulloch=]. Weirdly enough, both Creator/JohnNathanTurner and director Nicholas Mallett seem to have actually been okay with the Snell score, with script editor Andrew Cartmel admitting in his book ''Script Doctor'' that he was the main driving force in getting it thrown out, as he felt that the show should have a more energetic style of music.

* DawsonCasting: The Kangs are definitely meant to be younger than the actresses playing them. In an odd way, this adds to the general creepiness of the estate: none of these kids attend school, and the Doctor is the first parental figure they've had in perhaps a decade. Their immaturity is part of the point.

* PropRecycling: The sharp-eyed might notice some of the barrels used as set dressing in the Kang's lair still have the faded or painted-over remains of the [[Film/{{Aliens}} Weyland-Yutani logo]] visible on them - they're one of many old ''Film/{{Alien}}'' and ''Film/{{Aliens}}'' props used throughout the Eighties.

* PropRecycling: The sharp-eyed might notice some of the barrels used as set dressing in the Kang's lair still have the faded or painted-over remains of the [[Film/{{Aliens}} Weyland-Yutani logo]] visible on them - they're one of many old ''[[Film/{{Alien}}]]'' and ''[[Film/{{Aliens}}]]'' props used throughout the Eighties.

* RecycledProp: The sharp-eyed might notice some of the barrels used as set dressing in the Kang's lair still have the faded or painted-over remains of the [[Film/{{Aliens}} Weyland-Yutani logo]] visible on them - they're one of many old ''[[Film/{{Alien}}]]'' and ''[[Film/{{Aliens}}]]'' props used throughout the Eighties.

** The original music score for the episode, by David Snell, was replaced at the last minute with one by Keff [=McCulloch=]. Weirdly enough, both John Nathan-Turner and director Nicholas Mallett seem to have actually been okay with the Snell score, with script editor Andrew Cartmel admitting in his book ''Script Doctor'' that he was the main driving force in getting it thrown out, as he felt that the show should have a more energetic style of music.

* YouLookFamiliar: Clive Merrison previously played Jim Callum in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS5E1TheTombOfTheCybermen The Tomb of the Cybermen]]".