Trivia / Doctor Who S20 E4 "Terminus"

• Creator Backlash: Mark Strickson thought the leper colony idea was sick, while Peter Davison and Sarah Sutton thought it didn't go anywhere.
• Enforced Method Acting: Sarah Sutton cried real tears when she hugged Janet Fielding during her goodbye scene.
• Pop-Culture Urban Legends: It was rumoured that this story was supposed to see the return of the Ice Warriors. These turned out to be false.
• Throw It In!: Originally, the Doctor and Nyssa were supposed to shake hands as they parted, but Peter Davison and Sarah Sutton decided that she should kiss him on the cheek instead.
• Troubled Production:
  • The production was fraught with technical difficulties, including problems with costumes, delays due to electrical problems, and an mis-built set. This was coupled with the growing frustration from director Mary Ridge towards John Nathan-Turner’s callous attitude. Because of a scheduling dispute, she and the crew had lost a key day of shooting, and were racing against time to finish the story. Meanwhile, JNT was focused on minor details and writer Steve Gallagher clueless in how to extend episodes. The result was that some scenes had to be recorded on improperly-lit sets, production ran seriously late, and several scenes were taped hastily, much to Peter Davison's frustration.
  • Many scenes were rushed through with only one take and little to no rehearsal, as Ridge had never once exceeded her allotted shooting schedule in her career, and had no intention of losing that record. Which, unfortunately, she did anyway after the various other problems proved too much for to recover from, forcing the team to schedule another couple of days of filming the following week... right after Sarah Sutton's farewell party.
• Wag the Director: The pilot was supposed to be dressed with cobwebs. Peter Davison objected, mistakenly believing that he wasn’t dead but moving slow, and Mary Ridge ordered them removed.
• What Could Have Been:
  • Bernard Hill, Patrick Stewart and David Warner were considered for Valgard.
  • Ben Cross, Paul Darrow, Martin Jarvis and Simon Ward were considered for Eirak.

---