Doctor Who: Planet of Giants [1964]

Date(s) of Broadcast: 31 October 1964 - 14 November 1964
Number of Episodes: 3
Average Episode Running Times: 25 mins
Format: black and white
Sound: mono

PRODUCTION
Production Company: BBC
Producer: Verity Lambert
Associate Producer: Mervyn Pinfield

SCRIPT
Script: Louis Marks
Story Editor: David Whitaker

DIRECTION
Director: Mervyn Pinfield, Douglas Camfield

PHOTOGRAPHY
Studio Lighting: Howard King

MUSIC
Title Music: Ron Grainer, The BBC Radiophonic Workshop
Title Music Arranger: Delia Derbyshire
Incidental Music: Dudley Simpson

SOUND
Studio Sound: Alan Fogg
Special Sound: Brian Hodgson

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: Jill Summers, Sonia Markham
Costumes: Daphne Dare

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Designer: Raymond P Cusick

MISCELLANEOUS
Production Assistant: Norman Stewart
Assistant Floor Manager: Valerie McCrimmon, Dawn Robertson

CAST
EPISODE 1: Planet of Giants
William Hartnell [The Doctor]
William Russell [Ian Chesterton]
Jacqueline Hill [Barbara Wright]
Carole Ann Ford [Susan]
Alan Tilvern [Forester]
Frank Cranshaw [Arnold Farrow]

EPISODE 2: Dangerous Journey
William Hartnell [The Doctor]
William Russell [Ian Chesterton]
Jacqueline Hill [Barbara Wright]
Carole Ann Ford [Susan]
Alan Tilvern [Forester]
Frank Cranshaw [Arnold Farrow]
Reginald Barratt [Professor Smithers]

EPISODE 3: Crisis
William Hartnell [The Doctor]
William Russell [Ian Chesterton]
Jacqueline Hill [Barbara Wright]
Carole Ann Ford [Susan]
Alan Tilvern [Forester]
Reginald Barratt [Professor Smithers]
Rosemary Johnson [Hilda Rowse]
Fred Ferris [Bert Rowse]

EPISODES

1. Planet Of Giants [31 October 1964]
2. Dangerous Journey [7 November 1964]
3. Crisis [14 November 1964]

A malfunction in the TARDIS' main doors causes the travellers to be miniaturised. They help to foil a plot by a ruthless businessman, Forester, to market a dangerous new insecticide named DN6. Barbara is infected with the substance and it's up to The Doctor, Susan and Ian to both bring Forester and his cronies to book and to save Barbara.

Raymond Cusick's sets are the real stars of this well made but lightweight romp that suffers from a mundane plot that - miniaturisation aside - would seem more at home in a police drama than in Doctor Who. After the time and space spanning adventures of season one, this was a rather staid beginning to the second series. Sadly, once the novelty of the wonderful sets and oversized props has worn off, a rather mediocre story is all that's left.

UK
Television Distributor: BBC
Video Distributor: BBC Video

1964
July
30: UK - studio filming takes place at Ealing.

August
13: UK - studio filming takes place at Ealing.
21: UK - studio filming takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio TC4.
28: UK - studio filming takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio TC4.

September
4: UK - studio filming takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio TC4.
11: UK - studio filming takes place at BBC Television Centre Studio TC4.

October
31: UK - Planet of Giants television broadcast [on BBC1]

November
7: UK - Dangerous Journey television broadcast [on BBC1]
14: UK - Crisis television broadcast [on BBC1]

The Miniscules - working title
Death In The Afternoon - working title for episode 3

BOOKS

Doctor Who Programme Guide pp.28-29
credits, synopsis [by Jean-Marc Lofficier]

Doctor Who The Discontinuity Guide pp.27-28
credits, trivia, review [by Paul Cornell, Martin Day and Keith Topping]

Doctor Who: The Handbook: The First Doctor pp.79-81
credits, synopsis, review [by David J. Howe, Mark Stammers, Stephen James Walker]

Doctor Who: The Television Companion pp.35-37
credits, synopsis, review [by David J. Howe and Stephen James Walker]

Pocket Essentials: Doctor Who p.15
credits, review [by Mark Campbell]

KEYWORDS

aliens, businessmen, insecticide, miniature humans, miniaturisation, police, time travel

Last Updated: 21 April, 2008