Trivia / Doctor Who S14 E4 "The Face of Evil"

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• First Appearance: Of Leela.
• Reality Subtext: The Doctor's reluctance to take on Leela as his new companion mirrors the fact that Tom Baker really did want the Doctor to continue travelling alone for a while.
• Similarly Named Works: Despite what the title might have you believe, Xoanon does not wish to make the Doctor's face the GRRRRRRRRREATEST in Korodai. Though there is the risk that the Doctor might DIE.
• Throw It In!: When Leela gets an electric shock while brainwashed, Baker grasps hold of Louise Jameson's chest as he helps her to a seat. It could have been accidental on Baker's part (certainly not something the Doctor would do intentionally), and in any case Jameson never breaks character. They probably didn't want to reshoot the scene to undo the accidental grope, or it's possible none of the production crew spotted it at all.
• Wag the Director: You know the "deadly Jelly Baby" scene? That only happened because Tom Baker refused to go along with the original, scripted version which involved a brawl with a knife. Baker found the idea of the Doctor threatening someone with a knife to simply be too crude for the character. The end result seemed to be for the better, given how the Doctor's wielding of a menacing gelatinous fruit snack has now become a Signature Scene for Baker's tenure.
• What Could Have Been:
  • During the creation of Leela, Robert Holmes suggested that she could have powers thanks to her witch grandmother. Chris Boucher didn’t like it, instead having her have a sixth sense for danger.
  • Tomas was originally named Loke and originally had a more prominent role before it was decided to give Leela more focus.
• Working Title: The Day God Went Mad, The Tower of Imelo and Prime Directive.
• You Look Familiar: David Garfield, who played Neeva, played the alien Von Weich who headed the German troops held in the First World War zone in "The War Games". Leslie Schofield (Calib) also appeared in that serial as Leroy.

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