The Ribos Operation
Encyclopedia
The Ribos Operation is a serial in the British
science fiction television series Doctor Who
, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from September 2 to September 23, 1978. This serial introduces Mary Tamm
as the companion
Romana
. After finishing his first year as producer of Doctor Who, Graham Williams was determined to try something different. In The Ribos Operation the Doctor embarked on a season-long quest with a single goal: to retrieve the six segments of the Key to Time.
is recruited by the White Guardian
to seek the six segments of the Key to Time, and given a new assistant, the Time Lady
Romana
. The quest for the first segment takes them to Ribos, a medieval planet that galactic confidence trick
ster Garron is trying to sell to the Graff Vynda-K.
recruits the Doctor
to collect the six hidden and disguised segments of the powerful Key to Time. He assigns him an assistant Time Lady
named Romanadvoratrelundar, whom the Doctor calls Romana
(despite Romana's preference for "Fred" when given a choice by the Doctor). He warns him that the Black Guardian
also seeks these segments, but for an evil purpose. The White Guardian provides them with a wand-like device, which can locate the pieces and remove their disguise. When inserted into the TARDIS
console, the locator reveals a segment to be on Cyrrenhis Minima, but then the signal moves to Ribos.
Ribos is an icy planet with late-medieval-type inhabitants who are unaware of alien cultures. A human from Earth named Garron tries to sell Ribos to an exiled tyrant called the Graff Vynda-K. The Graff is impressed by the planet's supposed quantity of jethrik, the rarest and most valued mineral in the galaxy. He believes the opportunity confirmed when he sees a piece of jethrik among the Ribos crown jewels
. This is all part of a ruse orchestrated by Garron; the jethrik was planted by Garron's assistant Unstoffe, who also (playing a native with an "honest face") spins a yarn to the Graff about a nearby lost mine. The locator points the Doctor and Romana to the same jethrik, which must be the disguised segment of the Key to Time.
The Graff Vynda-K provides a large sum of money, as a deposit for the planet, that is to be kept safely in the room with the crown jewels, watched by Ribos guards by day and a shrivenzale beast by night. Later, Unstoffe distracts the shrivenzale, recovers their piece of jethrik, and takes the money from the safe. The Graff learns of Garron's deception when he discovers a covert listening device
in his room. He takes Garron hostage with his "accomplices" the Doctor and Romana, and he starts the search for Unstoffe, who still has the money and the jethrik. Unstoffe hides with Binro, a homeless outcast who believes that Ribos is a planet orbiting a star, which Unstoffe confirms to be true. The Ribos guards summon a Seeker who locates Unstoffe's hideout. Using the listening device in the Graff's room, Garron warns Unstoffe about the Graff. Binro, thankful for Unstoffe's encouragement, leads him to the labyrinthine Catacombs
under the city.
The Graff and his men enter the Catacombs without the Ribos guards, who fear the place. K-9
helps the Doctor, Romana, and Garron to escape from the Graff's quarters and go to the Catacombs. The Ribos guards destroy the entrance to the Catacombs causing the ceiling to collapse on the Graff's men. Having recovered the money and the jethrik, the Graff gives his last surviving guard an explosive to kill himself with. The guard, actually the Doctor in disguise, swaps the explosive for the jethrik. The Graff walks off into the maze yelling like a madman before exploding.
After leaving the Catacombs, the Doctor, Romana, and K-9 dematerialise in the TARDIS. Garron and Unstoffe claim the Graff's deserted ship, while the Doctor and Romana reveal the first piece of the Key to Time.
(who had played Harry Sullivan
earlier in the Fourth Doctor era), was published by Target Books
in December 1979. Curiously, the novelisation features the Doctor opening the TARDIS doors by means of an old brass knob.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
science fiction television series Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from September 2 to September 23, 1978. This serial introduces Mary Tamm
Mary Tamm
Mary Tamm is an English actress. She is best known for being the first actress to play the character of Romana in the science fiction television series Doctor Who, opposite Tom Baker as the Doctor, from the 1978–1979 season known collectively as The Key to Time.-Early life:Mary Tamm was born in...
as the companion
Companion (Doctor Who)
In the long-running BBC television science fiction programme Doctor Who and related works, the term "companion" refers to a character who travels with, and shares the adventures of the Doctor. In most Doctor Who stories, the primary companion acts as both deuteragonist and audience surrogate...
Romana
Romana
Romana, short for Romanadvoratrelundar, is a fictional character in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
. After finishing his first year as producer of Doctor Who, Graham Williams was determined to try something different. In The Ribos Operation the Doctor embarked on a season-long quest with a single goal: to retrieve the six segments of the Key to Time.
Synopsis
The DoctorDoctor (Doctor Who)
The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and has also featured in two cinema feature films, a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....
is recruited by the White Guardian
White Guardian
The White Guardian is a character in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He was played by Cyril Luckham, with the exception of a vocal message in The Stones of Blood which was performed by Gerald Cross....
to seek the six segments of the Key to Time, and given a new assistant, the Time Lady
Time Lord
The Time Lords are an ancient extraterrestrial race and civilization of humanoids in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, of which the series' eponymous protagonist, the Doctor, is a member...
Romana
Romana
Romana, short for Romanadvoratrelundar, is a fictional character in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
. The quest for the first segment takes them to Ribos, a medieval planet that galactic confidence trick
Confidence trick
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group by gaining their confidence. A confidence artist is an individual working alone or in concert with others who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty and honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility,...
ster Garron is trying to sell to the Graff Vynda-K.
Plot
The White GuardianWhite Guardian
The White Guardian is a character in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He was played by Cyril Luckham, with the exception of a vocal message in The Stones of Blood which was performed by Gerald Cross....
recruits the Doctor
Doctor (Doctor Who)
The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and has also featured in two cinema feature films, a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....
to collect the six hidden and disguised segments of the powerful Key to Time. He assigns him an assistant Time Lady
Time Lord
The Time Lords are an ancient extraterrestrial race and civilization of humanoids in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, of which the series' eponymous protagonist, the Doctor, is a member...
named Romanadvoratrelundar, whom the Doctor calls Romana
Romana
Romana, short for Romanadvoratrelundar, is a fictional character in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
(despite Romana's preference for "Fred" when given a choice by the Doctor). He warns him that the Black Guardian
Black Guardian
The Black Guardian is a character in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He was played by Valentine Dyall....
also seeks these segments, but for an evil purpose. The White Guardian provides them with a wand-like device, which can locate the pieces and remove their disguise. When inserted into the TARDIS
TARDIS
The TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s...
console, the locator reveals a segment to be on Cyrrenhis Minima, but then the signal moves to Ribos.
Ribos is an icy planet with late-medieval-type inhabitants who are unaware of alien cultures. A human from Earth named Garron tries to sell Ribos to an exiled tyrant called the Graff Vynda-K. The Graff is impressed by the planet's supposed quantity of jethrik, the rarest and most valued mineral in the galaxy. He believes the opportunity confirmed when he sees a piece of jethrik among the Ribos crown jewels
Crown jewels
Crown jewels are jewels or artifacts of the reigning royal family of their respective country. They belong to monarchs and are passed to the next sovereign to symbolize the right to rule. They may include crowns, sceptres, orbs, swords, rings, and other objects...
. This is all part of a ruse orchestrated by Garron; the jethrik was planted by Garron's assistant Unstoffe, who also (playing a native with an "honest face") spins a yarn to the Graff about a nearby lost mine. The locator points the Doctor and Romana to the same jethrik, which must be the disguised segment of the Key to Time.
The Graff Vynda-K provides a large sum of money, as a deposit for the planet, that is to be kept safely in the room with the crown jewels, watched by Ribos guards by day and a shrivenzale beast by night. Later, Unstoffe distracts the shrivenzale, recovers their piece of jethrik, and takes the money from the safe. The Graff learns of Garron's deception when he discovers a covert listening device
Covert listening device
A covert listening device, more commonly known as a bug or a wire, is usually a combination of a miniature radio transmitter with a microphone. The use of bugs, called bugging, is a common technique in surveillance, espionage and in police investigations.A bug does not have to be a device...
in his room. He takes Garron hostage with his "accomplices" the Doctor and Romana, and he starts the search for Unstoffe, who still has the money and the jethrik. Unstoffe hides with Binro, a homeless outcast who believes that Ribos is a planet orbiting a star, which Unstoffe confirms to be true. The Ribos guards summon a Seeker who locates Unstoffe's hideout. Using the listening device in the Graff's room, Garron warns Unstoffe about the Graff. Binro, thankful for Unstoffe's encouragement, leads him to the labyrinthine Catacombs
Catacombs
Catacombs, human-made subterranean passageways for religious practice. Any chamber used as a burial place can be described as a catacomb, although the word is most commonly associated with the Roman empire...
under the city.
The Graff and his men enter the Catacombs without the Ribos guards, who fear the place. K-9
K-9 (Doctor Who)
K-9, or K9, is the name of several fictional robotic canines in the long-running British science fiction television series, Doctor Who, first appearing in 1977...
helps the Doctor, Romana, and Garron to escape from the Graff's quarters and go to the Catacombs. The Ribos guards destroy the entrance to the Catacombs causing the ceiling to collapse on the Graff's men. Having recovered the money and the jethrik, the Graff gives his last surviving guard an explosive to kill himself with. The guard, actually the Doctor in disguise, swaps the explosive for the jethrik. The Graff walks off into the maze yelling like a madman before exploding.
After leaving the Catacombs, the Doctor, Romana, and K-9 dematerialise in the TARDIS. Garron and Unstoffe claim the Graff's deserted ship, while the Doctor and Romana reveal the first piece of the Key to Time.
Continuity
- This is the first of six linked serials that comprise the whole of Season 16, known collectively as The Key to Time.
- The opening scene introduces the White GuardianWhite GuardianThe White Guardian is a character in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He was played by Cyril Luckham, with the exception of a vocal message in The Stones of Blood which was performed by Gerald Cross....
, played by Cyril LuckhamCyril LuckhamCyril Luckham was a British film, television and theatre actor.Luckham played the White Guardian in the long running science fiction television series Doctor Who. He appeared in The Ribos Operation, the first serial in The Key to Time season, and Enlightenment...
. His counterpart, the Black GuardianBlack GuardianThe Black Guardian is a character in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He was played by Valentine Dyall....
, would appear in The Armageddon FactorThe Armageddon FactorThe Armageddon Factor is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from 20 January to 24 February 1979...
, the last story of this season. Both Guardians would return to the series in Season 20, with the Black Guardian reappearing in Mawdryn UndeadMawdryn UndeadMawdryn Undead is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was originally broadcast in four twice weekly parts from 1 February to 9 February 1983...
and TerminusTerminus (Doctor Who)Terminus is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was originally broadcast in four twice-weekly parts from 15 to 23 February 1983...
, and both appearing in EnlightenmentEnlightenment (Doctor Who)Enlightenment is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was originally broadcast in four twice-weekly parts from March 1 to March 9, 1983...
. - The Doctor and Romana both reference Lord President Borusa.
- This story includes a rare instance of the Doctor acting directly to kill a human(oid) enemy, when the Doctor does a switch and leaves the murderous Graff holding his own explosive. See also The Brain of MorbiusThe Brain of MorbiusThe Brain of Morbius is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 3 January to 24 January 1976...
and The Two DoctorsThe Two DoctorsThe Two Doctors is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in three weekly parts from 16 February to 2 March 1985. It starred Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant as the Sixth Doctor and his companion Peri, respectively...
. - On the night before the last day of recording The Ribos Operation, Tom Baker was bitten on the left side of his upper lip by a Jack RussellJack Russell TerrierThe Jack Russell terrier is a small terrier that has its origins in fox hunting. It is principally white-bodied smooth, rough or broken-coated which is commonly confused with the Parson Russell terrier and the Russell terrier with the term "Jack Russell" commonly misapplied to other small white...
belonging to Paul Seed. Publicity photographs from late April show Baker with a plaster on that lip, and the wound had to be concealed with makeup, much to the actor's discomfort. It was partially explained on screen by having the Doctor bump his mouth directly onto the TARDIS console at the beginning of the next story. As a result of Baker's accident with the dog, several of his scenes had to be filmed from his right profile, to disguise the injury. - From this story until The Horns of NimonThe Horns of Nimon-Outside references:The plot of this serial incorporates aspects of the story of Theseus and the Minotaur - a fact the Doctor comments on at the end of the last episode...
The Doctor will wear an extra long scarf, which is the original scarf and the stunt scarf sewn together. - Romana states the Doctor's age is 759, the Doctor states 756 and Romana claims he has lost count. Romana states she is nearly 140.
- The Fifth DoctorFifth DoctorThe Fifth Doctor is the fifth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is portrayed by Peter Davison....
is also sent to search for the Key to Time in the Big Finish ProductionsBig Finish ProductionsBig Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
audio drama The Judgement of IsskarThe Judgement of IsskarThe Judgement of Isskar is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. -Plot:The Key to Time must be sought again, due to the Doctor's carelessness during its last assembling...
.
Production
- Working titles for this story include Operation and The Ribos File.
- The opening scene, with the White Guardian, was actually written by Anthony Read and Graham Williams, and not Robert Holmes.
Cast notes
- Elisabeth SladenElisabeth SladenElisabeth Clara Heath-Sladen was an English actress best known for her role as Sarah Jane Smith in the British television series Doctor Who. She was a regular cast member from 1973 to 1976, alongside both Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker, and reprised the role many times in subsequent decades, both on...
, who as Sarah Jane SmithSarah Jane SmithSarah Jane Smith is a fictional character played by Elisabeth Sladen in the long-running British BBC Television science-fiction series Doctor Who and its spin-offs K-9 and Company and The Sarah Jane Adventures....
was last seen in The Hand of FearThe Hand of FearThe Hand of Fear is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 2 October to 23 October 1976...
, was approached to return to the series as a replacement for LeelaLeela (Doctor Who)Leela is a fictional character played by Louise Jameson in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Leela was a companion of the Fourth Doctor and a regular in the programme from 1977 to 1978...
(who had left in The Invasion of TimeThe Invasion of TimeThe Invasion of Time is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from 4 February to 11 March 1978...
). When Sladen declined the offer, the character of Romana was created instead. - Prentis Hancock had previously appeared in the Doctor Who serials Spearhead from Space and Planet of the Daleks (with Jon Pertwee) and Planet of Evil.
In print
A novelisation of this serial, written by Ian MarterIan Marter
Ian Don Marter was an English actor and writer, perhaps best known for his role as Harry Sullivan in the BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, from December 1974 to September 1975 as a regular, with a one story return in November and December 1975...
(who had played Harry Sullivan
Harry Sullivan
Harry Sullivan is a fictional character from the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who and is a companion of the Fourth Doctor...
earlier in the Fourth Doctor era), was published by Target Books
Target Books
Target Books was a British publishing imprint, established in 1973 by Universal-Tandem Publishing Co Ltd, a paperback publishing company. The imprint was established as a children's imprint to complement the adult Tandem imprint, and became well known for their highly successful range of...
in December 1979. Curiously, the novelisation features the Doctor opening the TARDIS doors by means of an old brass knob.
VHS and DVD release
- This story was released on VHSVHSThe Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
in April 1995. - This serial, along with the rest of season sixteen, was released in North America as part of the Key to Time box set, as well as being marketed separately. The story was released in a restored limited edition on region 2 DVD on September 24, 2007. The DVD box set was reissued in November 2009.