Doctor Who: The Talons of Weng Chiang [1977]

Date(s) of Broadcast: 26 February 1977 - 2 April 1977
Number of Episodes: 6
Average Episode Running Times: 25 mins
Format: colour
Sound: mono

PRODUCTION
Production Company: BBC
Production: Philip Hincliffe
Production Unit Manager: Chris D'Oyly-John

SCRIPT
Script: Robert Holmes
Story: The Foe From the Future by Robert Banks Stewart [uncredited]
Story Editors: Robert Holmes [uncredited]

DIRECTION
Director: David Maloney

PHOTOGRAPHY
Studio Lighting: Mike Jefferies
Film Camera: Fred Hamilton
Assistant Film Camera: Brian Hall [uncredited]
OB Lighting: John Masin
Grip: Stan Swetman [uncredited]
Film Operatives: Stan Cresswell, Bobby Gould [uncredited]

EDITING AND POST PRODUCTION
Film Editor: David Lee
Vision Mixer: Pat Mordecai [uncredited]

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

SOUND
Studio Sound: Clive Gifford
OB Sound: Vic Goodrich
Film Recordist: John Gatland
Assistant Film Recordist: Steve Diamond [uncredited]
Engineering Manager: John Sterling [uncredited]
Special Sound: Dick Mills

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: Heather Stewart
Costume Designer: John Bloomfield

VISUAL EFFECTS
Visual Effects: Michealjohn Harris
Title Sequence: Bernard Lodge

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Designer: Roger Murray-Leach

MISCELLANEOUS
Production Assistant: Ros Anderson
Assistant Floor Manager: Linda Graeme [uncredited]
Magic Advisors: Ali Bongo, Larry Barnes [uncredited]

LOCATIONS
Locations: Wapping, London; Victorian Repertory Theatre, London

STUNTS
Fight Arranger: Stuart Fell
Stunts: Alan Chuntz, Max Faulkner, Stuart Fell [uncredited]

CAST
Tom Baker [The Doctor]
Louise Jameson [Leela]
John Bennett [Li H'sen Chang]
Christopher Benjamin [Jago]
Chris Gannon [Casey]
Trevor Baxter [Professor Litefoot]
Deep Roy [Mr Sin]
David Mckail [Sgt Kyle]
Conrad Asquith [PC Quick]
Alan Butler [Buller]
Patsy Smart [hhoul]
Tony Then [Lee]
John Wu [coolie]
Charles Adey Gray [theatre doorkeeper (uncredited)]
Arnold Lee, Kevin Sullivan [chimney sweeps (uncredited)]
James Haswell, Richard Sheekey [beat policemen (uncredited)]
Jim Delaney, Colin THomas [station policemen (uncredited)]
Marie Anthony, Lisa Bergmayr [riverside ghouls (uncredited)]
Vincent Wong [Ho]
Michael Spice [Weng-Chiang / Magnus Greel]
Judith Lloyd [Teresa Hart]
Vaune Craig-Raymond [cleaner]
Penny Lister [singer (Lottie Randall)]
Stuart Fell [giant rat - uncredited]
Dudley Simpson [conductor - uncredited]
Terry Walsh [double for Baker - uncredited]
Debbie Cumming, Helen Simnet [young girls - uncredited]
Jimmy Ang, Dennis Chinn, Sabu Kimura, Arnold Lee, Fred Leown [coolies - uncredited]
Marie Anthony, Lisa Bergmayer, John Cannon, Chris Carrington, Jean Channon, David J. Graham, Charles Adey Gray, James Haswell, Bill Hughes, James Lloyd, Mary Maxtead, Ronald Musgrove, Bernard Price, Tony Randall, Richard Sheekey, Kevin Sullivan, Bob Williams, Hentley Young [extras]

Victorian London. An oriental magician stage makes young girls disappear. His ventriloquist dummy appears to have a life of its own. A Police pathologist works on bodies pulled from the Thames. A music hall proprietor is accosted. Murderous Dacoits attack without provocation. A giant rat lurks in the sewers. A mysterious masked figure haunts the underworld.

Often voted the all time best Doctor Who story, it is even better than that. Mixing the best of Sherlock Holmes, Phantom of the Opera, Fu Manchu and Doctor Who, this is one of the greatest rip roaring mystery adventures ever made.

UK
Television Distributor: BBC
Video Distributor: BBC Video

1977
February
26: UK - Part One television broadcast [on BBC1]

March
5: UK - Part Two television broadcast [on BBC1]
12: UK - Part Three television broadcast [on BBC1]
19: UK - Part Four television broadcast [on BBC1]
26: UK - Part Five television broadcast [on BBC1]

April
2: UK - Part Six television broadcast [on BBC1]

The Talons of Greel - working title

BOOKS

Doctor Who: The Television Companion pp.319-323
credits, synopsis, review [by David J. Howe and Stephen James Walker]

KEYWORDS

aliens, time travel

Last Updated: 21 April, 2008