The Seeds of Death

] [cite web
url= http://www.drwhoguide.com/who_2x.htm
title= PAGENAME
publisher = Doctor Who Reference Guide
author =
date =
accessdate = 2008-08-31] [cite web
url= http://www.shannonsullivan.com/drwho/serials/xx.html
title= PAGENAME
publisher = A Brief History of Time Travel
last = Sullivan
first = Shannon
date = 2005-05-12
accessdate = 2008-08-31] The working title of this story was "The Lords of the Red Planet".

Although Brian Hayles is solely credited as the story's author, series script editor Terrance Dicks rewrote Episodes 3 through 6 of the script, partially as he considered Hayles's original ending lackluster and unworkable but also because originally Jamie McCrimmon was to have been replaced by a new companion called Nik by this story, but then actor Frazer Hines postponed his departure. Dicks was co-credited on the sleeve of the VHS release for his writing duties on the serial.

Patrick Troughton does not appear in Episode 4 as he was on holiday when it was being recorded. A double stands in for him in some shots where the Doctor is seen unconscious on the floor.

Casting

*This story is the first story to feature Alan Bennion in the role of an Ice Lord, this one named Slaar. Bennion would return as the Ice Lords Izlyr in "The Curse of Peladon" (1972) and Azaxyr in "The Monster of Peladon" (1974).
*Sonny Caldinez, who played Slaar's second in command, is the only actor to appear as an Ice Warrior in all four televised "Doctor Who" stories to feature the Ice Warriors. Caldinez also appeared in "The Evil of the Daleks" as Kemel.
*Ronald Leigh-Hunt played Commander Radnor in this story. Leigh-Hunt would play Commander Stevenson in "Revenge of the Cybermen" (1975).
*Steve Peters, who played an Ice Warrior, was billed simply as "Alien" in the "Radio Times" listing for episode one, so as not to spoil the surprise of the Ice Warriors' appearance.

Doctorwhobook
title=The Seeds of Death
series=Target novelisations
number=112
featuring=


writer=Terrence Dicks
publisher=Target Books
coverartist=Tony Masero
isbn=
set_between=
pages=
date=July 1986 (Hardback)4th December 1986 (Paperback)
preceding=The Celestial Toymaker
following=Black Orchid|

Commercial releases

Episode 5 of "The Seeds of Death" exists both as a 16 mm film print and a 35 mm broadcast print.

"The Seeds of Death" was released on VHS and Betamax in 1985 in an omnibus format (the first BBC Video release not to feature Tom Baker as the Doctor). The story was one of three omnibus releases that never had an episodic VHS re-release (the other two being The Time Warrior and The Talons of Weng-Chiang).

In February 2003, an unedited remastered, VidFIREd version was released on Region 2 DVD. The story was chosen to represent the Patrick Troughton era as part of the "Doctor Who" 40th Anniversary releases.

In print

A novelisation of this serial, written by Dicks, was published by Target Books in July 1986.

References

External links

*BBCCDW|id=seedsofdeath|title=The Seeds of Death
*Brief |id=xx | title=The Seeds of Death
*Doctor Who RG | id=who_2x | title=The Seeds of Death
* [http://www.doctorwholocations.net/stories/seedsofdeath Doctor Who Locations] - The Seeds of Death

Reviews

*OG review | id=xx | title=The Seeds of Death
*DWRG | id=seedde | title=The Seeds of Death

Target novelisation

* [http://www.personal.leeds.ac.uk/~ecl6nb/OnTarget/1986/seeds/86seeds.htm On Target — "The Seeds of Death"]