The Underwater Menace

] [cite web
url= http://www.drwhoguide.com/who_2g.htm
title= PAGENAME
publisher = Doctor Who Reference Guide
author =
date =
accessdate = 2008-08-30] [cite web
url= http://www.shannonsullivan.com/drwho/serials/gg.html
title= PAGENAME
publisher = A Brief History of Time Travel
last = Sullivan
first = Shannon
date = 2006-05-10
accessdate = 2008-08-30] Working titles for this story include "Doctor Who Under the Sea" and "The Fish People".

The history of this script is particularly troubled. After its commission, it was dropped from the production schedule, partly because of concerns that it would require a higher budget than was available. A new script by William Emms, "The Imps", was commissioned to replace it; Emms, however, subsequently fell ill. When it was realized that it was unlikely that Emms would be able to complete changes to the script, which was due to begin filming in a month, the original script, now titled "The Underwater Menace", was brought back into the schedule. A further complication arose because Frazier Hines was brought on as a regular member of the cast barely a month before the story was due to start filming, and his character, Jamie, had to be worked into the script. Because of all of these problems, the individual episodes were filmed just a week before they were due to be broadcast.

The story is frequently criticized for its poor production values, which were due to a combination of last-minute production and an ambitious script. Location filming for episodes one and four took place at the Dorset quarry of Winspit, the same location used in the later story "Destiny of the Daleks".

Doctorwhobook
title=The Underwater Menace
series=Target novelisations
number=129
featuring=


writer=Nigel Robinson
publisher=Target Books
coverartist=Alister Pearson
isbn=0 426 20326 7
set_between=
pages=
date=21st July 1988
preceding=Vengeance on Varos
following=The Wheel in Space|

Commercial releases

Episode three is the earliest surviving Patrick Troughton episode and was released on VHS in 1998, along with the documentary "The Missing Years" (see "Lost in Time"). The episode and documentary were later included on the "Lost in Time" DVD set; several brief surviving film clips were also included.

As with all missing episodes, off-air recordings of the soundtrack exist due to contemporary fan efforts. In February 2005 these were released on CD, accompanied by linking narration from Anneke Wills.

In print

A novelisation of this serial, written by Nigel Robinson, was published by Target Books in February 1988.

References

External links

*BBCCDW|id=underwatermenace|title=The Underwater Menace
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/photonovels/underwater_menace/ Photonovel of "The Underwater Menace" on the BBC website]
*Brief |id=gg | title=The Underwater Menace
*Doctor Who RG | id=who_2g | title=The Underwater Menace
* [http://www.doctorwholocations.net/stories/underwatermenace Doctor Who Locations] - The Underwater Menace

Reviews

*OG review | id=gg | title=The Underwater Menace
*DWRG | id=underwa | title=The Underwater Menace

Target novelisation

* [http://www.personal.leeds.ac.uk/~ecl6nb/OnTarget/1988/underwat/88underw.htm On Target — "The Underwater Menace"]