OO. The Ice Warriors

Season Five - 1967/1968

Story Editor: Peter Bryant
Writer: Brian Hayles
Produced by: Innes Lloyd
Director: Derek Martinus
Designer: Jeremy Davies
Incidental Music: Dudley Simpson

Synopsis

The TARDIS materialises on Earth during the second ice age. At the Britannicus Base, like bases around the world, a computer and an ioniser device are used to keep the ice flows at bay.

A giant creature has been discovered buried in the ice, termed an Ice Warrior by one of the scientists, and it is brought into the base. It thaws, and the creature reveals itself to be Varga, commander of a Martian spacecraft that landed on Earth centuries ago and was entombed in the ice.

More Ice Warriors are revived. With Mars now dead they plan to take over Earth, and with Earth in the grip of a second ice age the conditions are perfect for colonisation.

The ioniser cannot be used for fear of exploding the Ice Warrior's ships engines. The computer, to which the base are dependent, can offer no advice in the situation. One of the scientists who supports the Doctor decides to risk using the ioniser, and the resulting explosion is only minor, only destroying the Ice Warriors and their ship, and keeping the ice at bay.

Regular Cast

  • Jamie McCrimmon: Frazer Hines
  • Victoria Waterfield: Deborah Watling

Guest Cast

  • Leader Clent: Peter Barkworth
  • Senior Control Technician Jan Garrett: Wendy Gifford
  • Elric Penley: Peter Sallis
  • Commander Varga: Bernard Bresslaw
  • Stor: Angus Lennie (1-4)
  • Chief Scientist Arden: George Waring (1-3)
  • Securty Sergeant Walters: Malcolm Taylor (1,5-6)
  • Computer Voice: Roy Skelton (1-2,5)
  • Davis: Peter Diamond (1)
  • Zondal: Roger Jones (3-6)
  • Rintan: Tony Harwood (3-6)
  • Isbur: Michael Atwell (3-6)
  • Turoc: Sonny Caldinez (3-4)
Uncredited:
  • Control Room Operators: Monique Bryant, Alec Coleman, Kathy Fitzgibbon, Stan Hogan, Ann Jarvis
  • Technicians: Gary Dean, Frankie Dunn, James Holbrook, Donald Sinclair

Original broadcast on the BBC

Channel Title Date Viewers Rating
BBC 1 180. One Saturday, November 11, 1967 5:10 PM - 5:35 PM 6.7M 52%
BBC 1 181. Two Saturday, November 18, 1967 5:25 PM - 5:50 PM 7.1M 52%
BBC 1 182. Three Saturday, November 25, 1967 5:25 PM - 5:50 PM 7.4M 51%
BBC 1 183. Four Saturday, December 2, 1967 5:25 PM - 5:50 PM 7.3M 51%
BBC 1 184. Five Saturday, December 9, 1967 5:25 PM - 5:50 PM 8.0M 50%
BBC 1 185. Six Saturday, December 16, 1967 5:25 PM - 5:50 PM 7.5M 51%

Studios

  • Ealing Television Film Studios
  • Lime Grove Studio D

Notes

The story title, writer credit and episode number (with no episode prefix) are brought up over a sequence of ice crystals, accompanied by incidental music, the vocals for which are by Joanne Brown.