The Stones of Blood

] [cite web
url= http://www.shannonsullivan.com/drwho/serials/5c.html
title= The Stones of Blood
publisher = A Brief History of Time Travel
last = Sullivan
first = Shannon
date = 2007-08-07
accessdate = 2008-08-30]
*Working titles for this story included "The Nine Maidens" and "The Stones of Time".
*The exteriors of this story were filmed on location at the Rollright Stones, a real megalithic site in central England. An actual legend of the site states that it is impossible to count the stones. [http://www.rollrightstones.co.uk/history1.shtml] As the serial ends, the Doctor notes that the number of stones in the circle has changed (due to the removal of 3 Ogri and the addition of Cessair's imprisoned form) and suggests Dr. Rumford write a monograph about it.
*The fifteenth anniversary of the programme took place on 23 November 1978, five days after the broadcast of episode four. To commemorate this, Anthony Read asked David Fisher to write a new scene (expanded by Darrol Blake) featuring Romana and K-9 surprising the Doctor with a cake celebrating his 751st birthday (and a new, identical scarf). However, producer Graham Williams vetoed this idea as being too self-indulgent, and the scene was never shot. Blake had already ordered a cake, and this was eventually eaten by the cast and crew. This was also the 100th serial.
*This was the only story between "Frontier in Space" and the end of the series' initial run not to have the special sounds created by Dick Mills. Due to Mills suffering a brief illness, Elizabeth Parker provided the sound effects instead.
*The first episode cliff-hanger called for a scene in which Cessair, disguised as the Doctor, pushed Romana off the cliff. Baker objected to the scene, as he felt it was be very upsetting to children. Instead the scene was filmed so that the viewer never sees who pushed Romana.
*When the Doctor and Amelia are first chased by the Ogri, two crew-members are quite clearly visible in the doorway manipulating the creature. One appears in the right side of the doorway just after the Ogri enters, the other can be glimpsed behind the Ogri itself, pushing it forward. In addition, in part four a boom mike can bee seen at the top of the screen while Romana was searching Cessair's cabin.

Outside references

*In addition to Cessair posing as a goddess, both her real name and her assumed identity come from Celtic mythology. Cessair is a heroine in the mythology of Ireland, and Vivien Fay suggests Viviane and Morgan le Fay, both from Arthurian legend.
*The Doctor refers to the Ogri as Gog and Magog, and also links their name to the word ogre.
*When the Doctor says "Nobody home except us druids" he is referencing the popular Louis Jordan song "Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens."
*The Doctor claims to have met John Aubrey, who first suggested stone circles were connected to druids, saying Aubrey invented druidism as a joke.
*At one point, Amelia says "I'm an archaeologist, not an engineer." This seems to reference Doctor McCoy's popular "I'm a doctor, not a/n [insert profession here] " catchphrase in Star Trek.

In print

Doctorwhobook
title=Doctor Who and the Stones of Blood
series=Target novelisations
number=59
featuring=


writer=Terrance Dicks
publisher=Target Books
coverartist=Andrew Skilleter
isbn=0 426 20099 3
set_between=
pages=
date=20 March 1980
preceding=Doctor Who and the Invasion of Time
following=Doctor Who and the Androids of Tara|A novelisation of this serial, written by Terrance Dicks, was published by Target Books in March 1980.

Broadcast, VHS and DVD releases

*This story was released on VHS in May 1995. This release contained an extended cut of episode two, which featured a longer exchange between de Vries and his mistress before they were attacked by the Ogri. This scene had been removed from the UK broadcast of the story because of concerns about its presentation of adults consumed by terror. The scene is contained in full in the deleted scenes package on the later dvd release, which contains the episode as televised.
*This serial, along with the rest of season sixteen, was released in North America as part of the "Key to Time" box set which was released on region 2 DVD on September 24, 2007 [cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2007/05/18/44552.shtml|title = DVD News|publisher=BBC|date=18 May 2007] .
*The UK DVD release included a number of special features, including "Getting Blood from the Stones", a retrospective documentary including interviews with David Fisher, Darrol Blake, Mary Tamm, John Leeson, Susan Engel, Mat Irvine and others, produced by Ed Stradling. Other features included a look at Hammer Horror influences in the show, and "Stones Free", in which Mary Tamm returned to the Rollright Stones location [cite news|url=http://www.purpleville.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/rtwebsite/KeyToTime.htm|title = DVD News|publisher=Doctor Who Restoration Team|date=24 July 2007] .

References

External links

*BBCCDW|id=stonesofblood|title=The Stones of Blood
*Brief |id=5c | title=The Stones of Blood
*Doctor Who RG | id=who_5c | title=The Stones of Blood

Reviews

*OG review | id=5c | title=The Stones of Blood
*DWRG | id=ston | title=The Stones of Blood

Target novelisation

*DWRG | id=stonnov | title=Doctor Who and the Stones of Blood
* [http://www.personal.leeds.ac.uk/~ecl6nb/OnTarget/1980/stones/80stones.htm On Target — "Doctor Who and the Stones of Blood"]