Doctor Who (1963) s08e11 Episode Script
The Claws of Axos, Part One
Doctor Who Season 8 The claws of Axos 1 of 4 One million miles.
Mass variable.
If that's its course, we've discovered a comet.
Run another check.
It's altered its course.
- It can't have.
- Yes, it can, mate.
Say goodbye to your comet.
Whatever that is, it's on a collision course with Earth.
Nothing.
- Nothing at all.
- No.
Brigadier, as head of this committee of inquiry, I must remind you of the Defence Ministry ruling, Mr Chinn, as head of UNIT, I must remind you that we're not in the Ministry of Defence.
- Personnel must be properly screened - and scrupulously filed, as a basic security precaution, I insist upon a file for this Doctor What's his name? I'm sorry, Mr Chinn.
I'm personally responsible for the Doctor.
Typical, absolutely typical.
That's the kind of high-handed attitude one's come to expect from the UNIT.
Now, Brigadier, what about this Doctor? I gather he's not a British subject.
Then who is he and where does he come from? Good morning.
Oh, good morning.
I gather Washington think its time the Master was dealt with? Something like that.
And you're going to deal with him? Single handed? Yeah.
- No, no.
That was Errol Flynn.
- Who? Forget it.
My dear Mr Chinn, if I could leave, I would, if only to get away from people like you.
- Doctor! - And your petty obsessions.
''England for the English''.
Good heavens, man.
- I have a duty to my country.
- Not to the world? Good morning.
Oh, I'm sorry.
Has the conference started? No, not yet.
This is Bill Filer from Washington HQ.
- What is it? - No idea, sir.
There's no point in discussing the Master.
I keep telling you.
He's left Earth by now.
We can't be certain of that, Doctor.
We must keep on looking.
Master? Who is the Master? I have our report here, Brigadier.
It's classified, I'm afraid, sir.
- Then I insist upon staying.
- I'm sorry, sir, you have no clearance.
On the contrary, for the duration of this enquiry, - I've been guaranteed full access to - Not by us, sir.
This doesn't concern Washington.
I'm sorry, sir.
You are a security risk.
Yes, well UFO, sir, coming in fast.
UFO bearing two-zero-niner.
Velocity 20mps, decreasing - Hawai have tracking.
- What's the picture? - We're running ICBM checks, sir.
- ICBM? What ICBM? What's going on here? A UFO appears to be heading for Earth, Mr Chinn.
Shouldn't you be in touch with your ministry? Telephone.
Quickly, man.
Quick.
Captain Yates? Show Mr Chinn the direct line.
Direct line? - In there.
- Oh, yes.
This way, sir.
Course changing, two-zero-seven.
Two-zero-six.
- Well, Doctor, what is it? - I've no idea.
Two-zero-five.
Variable mass.
That's interesting.
Orbital flight path now.
- Is it going to hit us? - UFO entering atmosphere now.
- Compute target area.
- Check.
Yes.
Somewhere on the south-east coast, I should imagine.
- Brigadier.
- South Atlantic, moving north.
Bearing now zero-two-zero.
The Minister wants all these facilities linked up to strike force immediately.
I have full authority.
- Yates.
- All taken care of, sir.
Oh, good.
Flight path Green One cleared.
Yes, good.
Get me station command, will you? Yes, sir.
Chinn here, MOD.
You know I'm coordinating this operation, don't you? Well, be ready to destroy this thing the moment I give the word.
Oh, you are ready.
Good.
Well, stand by, then.
All set to destroy it, Brigadier? Whatever it is.
Just a precaution, Doctor.
I see.
Shoot first and think afterwards, is that it? Major nuclear powers deny missile launching, surveillance confirmed.
Estimated target area England, south-east coast.
There's a Met Office report.
Freak weather conditions across the area.
Explain.
Sudden snowstorms, dense fog.
UFO over airline flight path Green One.
All civil aircraft scattered.
ETA 60 seconds.
Repeat, 60 seconds.
Airborne interceptors closing.
Missile strike now.
Commit now.
Yes, Commander, now.
- Perfect sitting target.
- Hardly seems sporting, does it? Contact lost.
Contact lost.
- It's gone, sir.
- Destroyed? No, you don't understand.
It's disappeared, sir, and the missiles haven't reached it yet.
Don't you think you'd better abort? What goes up must come down again.
The warheads.
Abort, man.
Abort.
Abort mission.
Destruct.
Destruct.
Destruct.
- Well? - Still no trace of the UFO.
- It can't have disappeared.
- ITSN report total radar contact lost.
Well, Doctor.
Where's it gone? Gone? It hasn't gone anywhere, Brigadier.
It's just arriving.
We have to assume the thing is hostile.
It's landed by the national power complex.
Britain's power supply is menaced.
Brigadier, under the Emergency Powers Act All right, Mr Chinn.
All right.
Yates, all available personnel to the assembly area.
I'm treating this as a national emergency.
Yes, yes.
So am I.
Doctor? From now on, consider yourself under my orders.
Brigadier.
Where do you want me? Mr Filer, this is an internal matter, your presence is not necessary.
If you don't leave immediately, I shall have you arrested.
- Mr Chinn - No, no, no.
It's all right, Brigadier.
Well, goodbye, Mr Chinn.
Take care.
UFO objective confirmed as area north sector national power complex.
All vehicles, repeat, all vehicles RV this area.
Out.
Analysis pattern reveals locomotor facility normal, sensory receptors acute, intelligence atypical.
This specimen is valueless.
Absorb, process and eject.
Sir George, this is Lethbridge Stewart.
Brigadier, this is Winser, head of research.
I hope you're not contemplating an attack so close to the labs.
You realise this complex provides power for Britain.
An attack would be disastrous.
An attack? By whom, Sir George? We have no idea what we're up against.
We must take these precautions.
I've arranged for full artillery support.
Artillery? But your missiles couldn't find their target.
What chance Bazooka's? Sir George, Professor Winser, the Doctor is our scientific advisor.
Well, as far as I can gather from these primitive instruments that the device has buried itself deep underground, so there's not much that anybody can do even if it is a bomb.
- But you don't think it is? - Perhaps I could check the readings? Yes, please do.
Doctor, look.
You know, I would have said that that was a heartbeat.
Intelligent, aggressive, possibly dangerous.
Hold for further investigation.
Brigadier, something's coming through.
Well, let's hear it.
Axos calling Earth.
Fuel systems exhausted.
Request immediate assistance.
Immediate assistance.
Axos calling Earth, Axos calling Earth.
More of a cry for help than a threat, wouldn't you say? Brigadier, we can't wait any longer.
We must attack before they have time to reorganise their defenses.
Before you start annihilating the thing, why don't we just take a look at it? - I agree.
- Jo, I'm sorry.
Not this time.
- Captain Yates.
- Sir.
Stay here and act as liaison.
- Keep an eye on Miss Grant.
- Sir.
Sargeant Benton, check the perimeter guard.
Right, sir.
Axos calling Earth.
Request immediate assistance.
Axos calling Earth.
Right, gentlemen.
Shall we go in? It's no good going on at me, Jo.
You heard the Brigadier, he made it perfectly clear that.
- What is it? - Sir, We've found a body.
- Where? - By the north perimeter.
We found a car too, a big Yankee job.
- Come on then, you'd better show me.
- Right, sir.
No, Miss, I wouldn't go if I were you.
All right.
I'll stay here.
Attention.
Subject non-typical.
Investigate.
Investigate.
Analysis pattern indicates extraterrestrial.
Investigate.
Brigadier.
Brigadier.
Brigadier.
Are you all right, Doctor? Yes, I suppose so.
I must say, this place is full of surprises, isn't it? Let's see what else we can find.
Help.
Help.
- Help.
Help.
- Bill? Bill, is that you? Brigadier.
Brigadier.
Well, gentlemen.
There's your enemy.
Our worlds are uncountable, light years away on the far rim of the galaxy.
Our planetary system has been crippled by solar flare activity.
Axos is all that remains of our culture.
As you can see, our science, unlike yours, has taken an organic path.
This ship This ship was not built for our journey it was grown.
- What? - Yes, grown from a single cell.
Now its nutrient is all but exhausted.
- We would like to stay - Well until our nutrition and energy cycles have been fully replenished.
In return, according to your custom, we offer a gift, a payment.
Axonite.
Bill? Bill, where are you? Axonite is the source of all our growth technology.
Axonite can absorb, convert, transmit and programme all forms of energy.
Even radiation? Why, then, were you crippled by solar flare? It was already too late.
Perhaps you could explain just what it is, what it does.
My report, you understand? Axonite is, shall we say, the "Chameleon" of the elements.
It is a thinking molecule.
It uses the energy it absorbs not only to copy but to recreate and restructure any given substance.
And yet you still ran out of fuel? And the principle of Axonite? It would be simpler for me to demonstrate Axontite.
What's your name? Filer.
Bill Filer.
Who are you? What do you want? I'm your fellow captive, Filer.
I am the Master.
A painless lasonic injection of Axonite.
This is, I presume, one of your food animals? No, no, it isn't.
My apologies.
Assuming it were, you can see the possibilities for alleviating the world's food problems.
The process is, of course, reversible.
- It's incredible.
- Unlimited food.
- And unlimited power.
- We must have it.
Bill?
Mass variable.
If that's its course, we've discovered a comet.
Run another check.
It's altered its course.
- It can't have.
- Yes, it can, mate.
Say goodbye to your comet.
Whatever that is, it's on a collision course with Earth.
Nothing.
- Nothing at all.
- No.
Brigadier, as head of this committee of inquiry, I must remind you of the Defence Ministry ruling, Mr Chinn, as head of UNIT, I must remind you that we're not in the Ministry of Defence.
- Personnel must be properly screened - and scrupulously filed, as a basic security precaution, I insist upon a file for this Doctor What's his name? I'm sorry, Mr Chinn.
I'm personally responsible for the Doctor.
Typical, absolutely typical.
That's the kind of high-handed attitude one's come to expect from the UNIT.
Now, Brigadier, what about this Doctor? I gather he's not a British subject.
Then who is he and where does he come from? Good morning.
Oh, good morning.
I gather Washington think its time the Master was dealt with? Something like that.
And you're going to deal with him? Single handed? Yeah.
- No, no.
That was Errol Flynn.
- Who? Forget it.
My dear Mr Chinn, if I could leave, I would, if only to get away from people like you.
- Doctor! - And your petty obsessions.
''England for the English''.
Good heavens, man.
- I have a duty to my country.
- Not to the world? Good morning.
Oh, I'm sorry.
Has the conference started? No, not yet.
This is Bill Filer from Washington HQ.
- What is it? - No idea, sir.
There's no point in discussing the Master.
I keep telling you.
He's left Earth by now.
We can't be certain of that, Doctor.
We must keep on looking.
Master? Who is the Master? I have our report here, Brigadier.
It's classified, I'm afraid, sir.
- Then I insist upon staying.
- I'm sorry, sir, you have no clearance.
On the contrary, for the duration of this enquiry, - I've been guaranteed full access to - Not by us, sir.
This doesn't concern Washington.
I'm sorry, sir.
You are a security risk.
Yes, well UFO, sir, coming in fast.
UFO bearing two-zero-niner.
Velocity 20mps, decreasing - Hawai have tracking.
- What's the picture? - We're running ICBM checks, sir.
- ICBM? What ICBM? What's going on here? A UFO appears to be heading for Earth, Mr Chinn.
Shouldn't you be in touch with your ministry? Telephone.
Quickly, man.
Quick.
Captain Yates? Show Mr Chinn the direct line.
Direct line? - In there.
- Oh, yes.
This way, sir.
Course changing, two-zero-seven.
Two-zero-six.
- Well, Doctor, what is it? - I've no idea.
Two-zero-five.
Variable mass.
That's interesting.
Orbital flight path now.
- Is it going to hit us? - UFO entering atmosphere now.
- Compute target area.
- Check.
Yes.
Somewhere on the south-east coast, I should imagine.
- Brigadier.
- South Atlantic, moving north.
Bearing now zero-two-zero.
The Minister wants all these facilities linked up to strike force immediately.
I have full authority.
- Yates.
- All taken care of, sir.
Oh, good.
Flight path Green One cleared.
Yes, good.
Get me station command, will you? Yes, sir.
Chinn here, MOD.
You know I'm coordinating this operation, don't you? Well, be ready to destroy this thing the moment I give the word.
Oh, you are ready.
Good.
Well, stand by, then.
All set to destroy it, Brigadier? Whatever it is.
Just a precaution, Doctor.
I see.
Shoot first and think afterwards, is that it? Major nuclear powers deny missile launching, surveillance confirmed.
Estimated target area England, south-east coast.
There's a Met Office report.
Freak weather conditions across the area.
Explain.
Sudden snowstorms, dense fog.
UFO over airline flight path Green One.
All civil aircraft scattered.
ETA 60 seconds.
Repeat, 60 seconds.
Airborne interceptors closing.
Missile strike now.
Commit now.
Yes, Commander, now.
- Perfect sitting target.
- Hardly seems sporting, does it? Contact lost.
Contact lost.
- It's gone, sir.
- Destroyed? No, you don't understand.
It's disappeared, sir, and the missiles haven't reached it yet.
Don't you think you'd better abort? What goes up must come down again.
The warheads.
Abort, man.
Abort.
Abort mission.
Destruct.
Destruct.
Destruct.
- Well? - Still no trace of the UFO.
- It can't have disappeared.
- ITSN report total radar contact lost.
Well, Doctor.
Where's it gone? Gone? It hasn't gone anywhere, Brigadier.
It's just arriving.
We have to assume the thing is hostile.
It's landed by the national power complex.
Britain's power supply is menaced.
Brigadier, under the Emergency Powers Act All right, Mr Chinn.
All right.
Yates, all available personnel to the assembly area.
I'm treating this as a national emergency.
Yes, yes.
So am I.
Doctor? From now on, consider yourself under my orders.
Brigadier.
Where do you want me? Mr Filer, this is an internal matter, your presence is not necessary.
If you don't leave immediately, I shall have you arrested.
- Mr Chinn - No, no, no.
It's all right, Brigadier.
Well, goodbye, Mr Chinn.
Take care.
UFO objective confirmed as area north sector national power complex.
All vehicles, repeat, all vehicles RV this area.
Out.
Analysis pattern reveals locomotor facility normal, sensory receptors acute, intelligence atypical.
This specimen is valueless.
Absorb, process and eject.
Sir George, this is Lethbridge Stewart.
Brigadier, this is Winser, head of research.
I hope you're not contemplating an attack so close to the labs.
You realise this complex provides power for Britain.
An attack would be disastrous.
An attack? By whom, Sir George? We have no idea what we're up against.
We must take these precautions.
I've arranged for full artillery support.
Artillery? But your missiles couldn't find their target.
What chance Bazooka's? Sir George, Professor Winser, the Doctor is our scientific advisor.
Well, as far as I can gather from these primitive instruments that the device has buried itself deep underground, so there's not much that anybody can do even if it is a bomb.
- But you don't think it is? - Perhaps I could check the readings? Yes, please do.
Doctor, look.
You know, I would have said that that was a heartbeat.
Intelligent, aggressive, possibly dangerous.
Hold for further investigation.
Brigadier, something's coming through.
Well, let's hear it.
Axos calling Earth.
Fuel systems exhausted.
Request immediate assistance.
Immediate assistance.
Axos calling Earth, Axos calling Earth.
More of a cry for help than a threat, wouldn't you say? Brigadier, we can't wait any longer.
We must attack before they have time to reorganise their defenses.
Before you start annihilating the thing, why don't we just take a look at it? - I agree.
- Jo, I'm sorry.
Not this time.
- Captain Yates.
- Sir.
Stay here and act as liaison.
- Keep an eye on Miss Grant.
- Sir.
Sargeant Benton, check the perimeter guard.
Right, sir.
Axos calling Earth.
Request immediate assistance.
Axos calling Earth.
Right, gentlemen.
Shall we go in? It's no good going on at me, Jo.
You heard the Brigadier, he made it perfectly clear that.
- What is it? - Sir, We've found a body.
- Where? - By the north perimeter.
We found a car too, a big Yankee job.
- Come on then, you'd better show me.
- Right, sir.
No, Miss, I wouldn't go if I were you.
All right.
I'll stay here.
Attention.
Subject non-typical.
Investigate.
Investigate.
Analysis pattern indicates extraterrestrial.
Investigate.
Brigadier.
Brigadier.
Brigadier.
Are you all right, Doctor? Yes, I suppose so.
I must say, this place is full of surprises, isn't it? Let's see what else we can find.
Help.
Help.
- Help.
Help.
- Bill? Bill, is that you? Brigadier.
Brigadier.
Well, gentlemen.
There's your enemy.
Our worlds are uncountable, light years away on the far rim of the galaxy.
Our planetary system has been crippled by solar flare activity.
Axos is all that remains of our culture.
As you can see, our science, unlike yours, has taken an organic path.
This ship This ship was not built for our journey it was grown.
- What? - Yes, grown from a single cell.
Now its nutrient is all but exhausted.
- We would like to stay - Well until our nutrition and energy cycles have been fully replenished.
In return, according to your custom, we offer a gift, a payment.
Axonite.
Bill? Bill, where are you? Axonite is the source of all our growth technology.
Axonite can absorb, convert, transmit and programme all forms of energy.
Even radiation? Why, then, were you crippled by solar flare? It was already too late.
Perhaps you could explain just what it is, what it does.
My report, you understand? Axonite is, shall we say, the "Chameleon" of the elements.
It is a thinking molecule.
It uses the energy it absorbs not only to copy but to recreate and restructure any given substance.
And yet you still ran out of fuel? And the principle of Axonite? It would be simpler for me to demonstrate Axontite.
What's your name? Filer.
Bill Filer.
Who are you? What do you want? I'm your fellow captive, Filer.
I am the Master.
A painless lasonic injection of Axonite.
This is, I presume, one of your food animals? No, no, it isn't.
My apologies.
Assuming it were, you can see the possibilities for alleviating the world's food problems.
The process is, of course, reversible.
- It's incredible.
- Unlimited food.
- And unlimited power.
- We must have it.
Bill?