The Pirate Planet (BBC) Doctor Who by Douglas Adams

The Pirate Planet

by Douglas Adams
64K

Sorry about the 64K but for the Tom Baker, Douglas Adams combination I figure you can suffer too. I did and it wasn't even painful.lol --------- R

The Pirate Planet is the second serial of the 16th season in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 30 September to 21 October 1978. It forms the second serial of the Key to Time story arc. It was written by Douglas Adams, and featured some of Adams' humour.

he Key to Time tracer points the Doctor and Romana to the cold and boring planet of Calufrax, but when they arrive they find an unusual civilisation that lives in perpetual prosperity. A strange band of people with mysterious powers known as the Mentiads are feared by the society, but the Doctor discovers that they are good people but with an unknown purpose. He instead fears the Captain, the planet's leader and benefactor. After meeting the Captain on the bridge he learns that they are actually on a hollowed-out planet named Zanak, which has been materialising around other planets to plunder their resources.

The Doctor claims to have   met Isaac Newton, and says he dropped the apple that made him discover gravity. Newton is said to have told the Doctor to get out of his tree, and the Doctor later explains gravity to him.
Broadcast and reception
Serial details by episode Episode    Broadcast date
(in millions)
"Part One"    30 September 1978    25:05    9.1
"Part Two"    7 October 1978    25:30    7.4
"Part Three"    14 October 1978    25:47    8.2
"Part Four"    21 October 1978    25:16    8.4
[1][2][3]

The story was repeated on BBC1 on four consecutive Thursdays from 12 July - 2 August, 1979, achieving viewing figures of 2.8, 4.0, 3.3 and 2.9 million respectively.[4]

Cast
Doctor

    Tom Baker (Fourth Doctor)

Companions

    Mary Tamm (Romana)
    John Leeson (Voice of K-9 Mk. II)

Others

    Bruce Purchase — The Pirate Captain
    Andrew Robertson — Mr Fibuli
    Rosalind Lloyd — Nurse
    David Warwick — Kimus
    David Sibley — Pralix
    Ralph Michael — Balaton
    Primi Townsend — Mula
    Clive Bennett – Citizen
    Bernard Finch – Mentiad
    Adam Kurakin – Guard

Production
Writer    Douglas Adams
Director    Pennant Roberts
Script editor    Anthony Read
Producer    Graham Williams
Executive producer(s)    None
Incidental music composer    Dudley Simpson
Production code    5B
Series    Season 16
Length    4 episodes, 25 minutes each
Date started    30 September 1978
Date ended    21 October 1978
Chronology
? Preceded by    Followed by ?
The Ribos Operation    The Stones of Blood

Text lifted from Wikipedia = Many Thanks
Story given to me by Bob Esdaile