Doctor Who: The Horns of Nimon (1979 - 1980)

Date(s) of Broadcast: 22 December 1979 - 12 January 1980
Number of Episodes: 4
Average Episode Running Times: 25 mins
Format: colour
Sound: mono

PRODUCTION
Production Company: BBC
Production: Graham Williams
Production Unit Manager: John Nathan-Turner

SCRIPT
Script: Anthony Read
Story Editors: Douglas Adams

DIRECTION
Director: Kenny McBain

PHOTOGRAPHY
Studio Lighting: Nigel Wright

MUSIC
Title Music: Ron Grainer and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop
Title Music Arranger: Delia Derbyshire
Incidental Music: Dudley Simpson

SOUND
Studio Sound: John Hartshorn
Special Sound: Dick Mills

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: Christine Walmsley-Cotham
Costumes: June Hudson

VISUAL EFFECTS
Visual Effects: Peter Pegrum

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Designer: Graeme Story

MISCELLANEOUS
Production Assistant: Henry Foster
Assistant Floor Manager: Rosemary Chapman

CAST
Tom Baker (The Doctor)
Lalla Ward (Romana)
David Brierley (voice of K-9)
Graham Crowden (Soldeed)
Michael Osborne (Sorak)
Janet Ellis (Teka)
Simon Gipps-Kent (Seth)
Clifford Norgate (Nimon voice)
Robin Sherringham, Bob Appleby, Trevor St John Hacker (Nimon)
Malcolm Terris (co-pilot)
Bob Hornery (pilot)
John Bailey (Sezom)
Zena Daire, Nicholas Draek, Katy Jarret, Daniel Toabori. Rachel Wheeler (Anethians)
Gary Gold, Jane Foot, Debbi Thomson (Anethian corpses)
Paul Barton, Norman Bradley, David Glen, Terry Gurry, Joe Santo, Derek Suthern, Edmund Thomas (guards)
Robert Baker, Roy Brent, Derek Chafer, Jim Delaney, Eric French, Donald Groves, David Harris, Peter Jackson, Ray Lavender, Ronald Mayer, Roy Seeley, Trevor Wedlock (Skonnon elders)

PLOT SUMMARY

On the planet Skonnos, the people have been told that their empire will be restored to its previous glory if they make sacrifices to the alien Nimon and also supply it with radioactive hymetusite crystals that they ship in from the neighbouring planet of Aneth. The Doctor is repairing the TARDIS when the crew of a Skonnon craft abducts Romana. On Skonnos, The Doctor and Romana learn that the Nimon are a race of parasites and the one on Skonnos is planning to transport more of its race through a link created by the hymetusite crystals.

Often beratted as the worst story ever, it's actually not that bad - very silly certainly and with some very strange design decisions, but it was meant to have a Christmas pantomime feel and it succeeds in that respect. Everyone camps it up and Graham Crowden doesn't so much chew the scenery as devour it whole. It all looks a bit shoddy but that was par for the course at this stage. Approach in the right frame of mind and you might find it far less offensive than the memory suggests.

UK
Television Distributor: BBC
Video Distributor: BBC Video

1979
December
22: UK - Part One television broadcast (on BBC1)
29: UK - Part Two television broadcast (on BBC1)

1980
January
5: UK - Part Three television broadcast (on BBC1)
12: UK - Part Four television broadcast (on BBC1)

BOOKS

Doctor Who: The Television Companion pp.374-377
credits, synopsis, review (by David J. Howe and Stephen James Walker)

KEYWORDS

aliens, time travel

Last Updated: 15 October, 2008