5A. The Ribos Operation

  • Script Editor: Anthony Read;
  • Writer: Robert Holmes;
  • Produced by: Graham Williams;
  • Director: George Spenton-Foster;
  • Designer: Ken Ledsham;
  • Incidental Music: Dudley Simpson;

Programme Description

The Doctor is chosen for a very special mission - to retrieve and assemble the Key to Time - by none other than the White Guardian. The Doctor is also provided with a new companion, the Time Lady Romana, and warned that there is also a Black Guardian who will do all in his power to obtain the Key to Time.

The Doctor is also provided with a Tracer which will locate each of the segments, and it leads the TARDIS to the planet of Ribos, where two con-men are attempting to sell the planet to the Graff Vynda-K. To make the planet look more valuable the leader, Garron, plants a lump of Jethryk as bait, whilst Unstoffe pretends to be a local talking of a Jethryk mine.

The Graff Vynda-K discovers that Garron and Unstoffe are con-men, and pursue them into the catacombs, where the natives fear to tread. Several fights break out, and the Graff Vynda-K's men are all destroyed. The Doctor disguises himself as one, and the Vynda-K tries to use him to deliver a bomb, but the Doctor switches it back, and the Vynda-K is destroyed.

Romana uses the tracer and the Jethryk transforms into the first segment of the Key to Time.

Regular Cast

  • Voice of K-9: John Leeson;
  • Romana: Mary Tamm;

Guest Cast

  • Garron: Iain Cuthbertson;
  • Unstoffe: Nigel Plaskitt;
  • Graff Vynda-K: Paul Seed;
  • Sholakh: Robert Keegan;
  • Captain: Prentis Hancock;
  • Shrieves: Oliver Maguire, John Hamill (1-2);
  • The White Guardian: Cyril Luckham (1);
  • Binro the Heretic: Timothy Bateson (3-4);
  • The Seeker: Ann Tirard (3-4);

  • UNCREDITED CAST:
  • Walk-On Shrieves: Roy Brent, Yuri Gridneff, Barry Summerford, David Young;
  • Shrivenzale: Stuart Fell (1-2), Nick Wilkinson (1-2);
  • Krole: Pat Gorman;
  • Leviathans: ony Bell, Derek Chafer, Harry Fielder, Steven Ismay;

Transmissions

ChannelEpisodeTitleDateViewersPosition
BBC 1 480 Part One Sat 2 Sep 1978 217:45 - 18:10 8.3M 42nd
BBC 1 481 Part Two Sat 9 Sep 1978 918:20 - 18:45 8.1M 36th
BBC 1 482 Part Three Sat 16 Sep 1978 1618:30 - 18:55 7.9M 38th
BBC 1 483 Part Four Sat 23 Sep 1978 2318:20 - 18:45 8.2M 36th

Repeat Transmissions

This programme has not been repeated.

Locations

This programme has not been filmed on location or the locations are not known

Studios

  • Television Centre Studio 4;

Bloopers and Mistakes

This programme has no bloopers or mistakes. It's probably not perfect, just that they haven't been found or pointed out yet

Notes and Trivia

This story introduces the Key to Time quest that is continued through the season.

John Leeson's K-9 voice is not heard in Part Two.

The organ music heard in the story was played by Leslie Pearson.

Working Titles

The Galactic Con Man
The Ribos File
Operation
Web Hosting by Pipe Ten Contact Nigel Ellis

Bookmark and Share