Doctor Who: The Pirate Planet (USA shop)

Starring Tom Baker and Mary Tamm

Directed by: Pennant Roberts
Produced by: Graham Williams
Written by: Douglas Adams

Summary

As the Doctor, Romana and K9 head for the planet Calufrax in search of the second segment of the Key to Time, they are in for a surprise when the TARDIS brings them to Zanak, an entirely different planet occupying the same space coordinates. Did Romana take a wrong turn when she navigated by the book? No, the tracer registers that the segment is near. Nothing is as it seems in this story by Douglas Adams (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy). The populace of Zanak lead affluent lives, thanks to the mysterious mechanizations of the Captain. He regularly announces a new age of prosperity, and most of the people accept the extraordinary turn in their fortune without further examination. Little do they imagine that their benefactor – hidden on a forbidden mountaintop – is a roaring space pirate whose best friend is Polyphase Avitron, a cyber-parrot that brings death to anyone who displeases its master. All these elements will come together to reveal the greatest crime in the galaxy and the second segment of the Key to Time as well.

Extras

• Audio Commentary 1 by actors Tom Baker (The Doctor), Mary Tamm (Romana) and script editor Anthony Read
• Audio Commentary 2 by actor Bruce Purchase (The Pirate Captain) and director Pennant Roberts
• Parrot Fashion “Making Of” documentary featuring an archive interview with writer Douglas Adams, Mary Tamm, John Leeson (K-9), Bruce Purchase and Rosalind Lloyd (Xanxia) (30 mins)
• Film Inserts, Deleted Scenes and Outtakes (14 mins)
• Weird Science 1970s educational film spoof looks at some of the science seen in the Key to Time season (17 mins)
• Continuities (3 mins)
• Photo Gallery (7 mins)
• Production Note Option
• DVD-ROM PC / Mac feature Radio Times billings
• Digitally remastered picture and sound quality