4S. Doctor Who - The Talons Of Weng-Chiang (Season Fourteen)

Script Editor: Robert Holmes; Writer: Robert Holmes; Produced by: Philip Hinchcliffe; Director: David Maloney; Designer: Roger Murray-Leach; Incidental Music: Dudley Simpson; Medical Advisors: Ali Bongo and Larry Barnes (both 1,4 - uncredited); Fight Arranger: Stuart Fell (1,3,6);

Programme Description

The Doctor and Leela visit Earth at the end of the nineteenth century. A series of murders have been committed by a Chinese Tong of the Black Scorpion led by Weng-Chiang.

The Doctor makes friends with a police pathologist, Professor George Litefoot. A hair sample taken from one of the dead bodies appears to have come from a giant rat. Investigations by the Doctor in the sewer show there are indeed giant rats.

The trail leads to the Palace Theatre where the Doctor finds Li H'Sen Chang, who has been procuring young women for his master, Weng-Chiang. Weng-Chiang is in fact Magnus Greel, a war criminal from the 51st century. The journey back through time had weakened his molecular structure and he needed the life-force of the young women to stay alive.

Greel had returned to London to obtain his time cabinet which was in the possession of Litefoot, using the Peking Homunculus to infiltrate Litefoot's house and retrieve the Time Cabinet. The Doctor manages to trap Greel, who falls back into the life-force extraction machine and disintegrates.


Regular Cast

Leela: Louise Jameson;

Cast

Henry Gordon Jago: Christopher Benjamin; Professor George Litefoot: Trevor Baxter; Mr. Sin (The Peking Homunculus): Deep Roy; Li H'Sen Chang: John Bennett (1-5); Casey: Chris Gannon (1-4); Ho: Vincent Wong (1 (uncredited),5,6); Sergeant Kyle: David McKail (1-2); PC Quick: Conrad Asquith (1-2); Lee: Tony Then (1); Joseph Buller: Alan Butler (1); Coolie: John Wu (1); Ghoul: Patsy Smart (1); Weng Chaing (Magnus Greel): Michael Spice (2-6); Teresa Hart: Judith Lloyd (3); Cleaner: Vanue Craig-Raymond (3); Singer (Lottie Randall): Penny Lister (4);
Uncredited:
Giant Rat:
Stuart Fell (1-4); Conductor: Dudley Simpson (1,4); Double for the Doctor: Terry Walsh (3); Young Girls: (all 5-6) Debbie Cumming, Helen Simnet; Coolies: Jimmy Ang (5-6), Dennis Chin (1, 5-6), Sabu Kimura (5-6), Arnold Lee (5-6), Fred Leown (1, 5-6); Exras: (all 1) 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; Stuntmen: Alan Chuntz (1), Max Faulkner (1, 2, 4), Stuart Fell (4-6);

Transmissions

Ep.TitleDateViewersPosition
448.Part One (BBC 1) Sat 26/02/1977 18:30 - 18:55 11.2M16th
449.Part Two (BBC 1) Sat 05/03/1977 18:35 - 19:00 9.8M28th
450.Part Three (BBC 1) Sat 12/03/1977 18:30 - 18:55 10.2M22nd
451.Part Four (BBC 1) Sat 19/03/1977 18:30 - 18:55 11.4M21st
452.Part Five (BBC 1) Sat 26/03/1977 18:30 - 18:55 10.1M8th
453.Part Six (BBC 1) Sat 02/04/1977 18:30 - 18:55 9.3M32nd

Repeat Transmissions

This programme has not been repeated

Bloopers

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

Locations

St. Chaplain's Hospital, Northampton; The Royal Theatre, Northampton;

Studios

Television Centre Studio 1;

Notes / Trivia

There is nothing to add about this programme

Working Titles

The Talons of Greel

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