The Ambassadors of Death: Episode 1
- Episode aired Mar 21, 1970
- TV-PG
- 25m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
610
YOUR RATING
While the Brigadier investigates a loss of contact with Mars Probe 7, the Doctor realises signals coming from the probe are of extra-terrestrial origin.While the Brigadier investigates a loss of contact with Mars Probe 7, the Doctor realises signals coming from the probe are of extra-terrestrial origin.While the Brigadier investigates a loss of contact with Mars Probe 7, the Doctor realises signals coming from the probe are of extra-terrestrial origin.
Alan Chuntz
- Thug
- (uncredited)
Max Diamond
- Technician
- (uncredited)
Pat Gorman
- Technician
- (uncredited)
David J. Grahame
- Control Room Technician
- (uncredited)
Billy Horrigan
- Collinson's Man
- (uncredited)
Eric Kent
- UNIT Soldier
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- David Whitaker
- Sydney Newman(uncredited)
- Trevor Ray(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIn an interview years later, Terrance Dicks recounted the experience of rewriting David Whitaker's story:
"One of the situations I inherited [as Doctor Who (1963) script editor] was Ambassadors of Death and the ongoing tangle with that. David Whitaker...had gone through four or five drafts and you come to a stage where you write so much it just gets worse. What was happening was that the need for the script was very urgent and I stormed into [producers] Peter [Bryant] and Derrick [Sherwin] and said, "Look, we've got five drafts of this. David's fed up with it, he doesn't know what to do. What we need to do is pay David in full and Mac [Hulke] and I will finish." And that's basically what we did. I made sure that David got a full script fee for all his episodes because he had been buggered about by the establishment and Mac and I took the bare bones of his story and almost did a "War Games" - wrote new scripts very quickly - and it shows. It had its moments though".
- GoofsEverything the aliens touch violently explodes, except the capsule, their prison, the gates and doors they open, and many other things that would be inconvenient to the plot.
- Quotes
The Doctor: [shouting down the lift] My dear fellow, I simply don't happen to have a pass!
[pause for inaudible query]
The Doctor: Because I don't believe in them, that's why!
- Crazy creditsThe opening credit sequence for all episodes of the story is split into two parts and the episode title is presented in two separate lines, the second "OF DEATH" part being larger and accompanied by a dramatic audio sting.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Mars Probe 7: Making the Ambassadors of Death (2012)
Featured review
Something took off from Mars.
A recovery probe is sent into space to recover a missing Mars Probe, but the recovery goes wrong, and a strange message is received on Earth.
Season seven, Jon Pertwee's first, I see as a true purple patch in the show's history, many look at Spearhead, Silurians and Inferno as out and out classics, they are, and whilst for many, Ambassadors isn't quite in that league, I'd argue it isn't that far off the pace. Pertwee needed no time at all to settle into the role, he's as good here and as much in character as he is in Planet of Spiders.
Liz is by far the most underrated companion, getting only one series, the character was considered too clever, but Caroline John was outstanding, formidable, and up to The Doctor. I loved the scenes of The Doctor and Liz hopping about in time.
It has a real sixties sci fi thriller vibe, with a mix of The Quatermass Experiment thrown in. Lots of action and gunfights, scenes that fans would get used to during Pertwee's time.
I think it's a very good start, great story, lots of action, plenty of sci fi, and most of all, lots of intrigue. 9/10
Season seven, Jon Pertwee's first, I see as a true purple patch in the show's history, many look at Spearhead, Silurians and Inferno as out and out classics, they are, and whilst for many, Ambassadors isn't quite in that league, I'd argue it isn't that far off the pace. Pertwee needed no time at all to settle into the role, he's as good here and as much in character as he is in Planet of Spiders.
Liz is by far the most underrated companion, getting only one series, the character was considered too clever, but Caroline John was outstanding, formidable, and up to The Doctor. I loved the scenes of The Doctor and Liz hopping about in time.
It has a real sixties sci fi thriller vibe, with a mix of The Quatermass Experiment thrown in. Lots of action and gunfights, scenes that fans would get used to during Pertwee's time.
I think it's a very good start, great story, lots of action, plenty of sci fi, and most of all, lots of intrigue. 9/10
helpful•31
- Sleepin_Dragon
- Oct 13, 2019
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- Filming locations
- TCC Condensers, Wales Farm Road, North Acton, London, England, UK(UNIT gun battle)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
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