THE BRAIN OF MORBIUS

Written by Robin Bland (Terrance Dicks & Robert Holmes).

Directed by Christopher Barry.

Transmitted originally: 3 January 1976 to 24 January 1976.

"I am still here. I can see nothing, feel nothing. You have locked me into hell for all eternity. If this is all there is, I would rather die now... Trapped like this, like a sponge beneath the sea. Yet even a sponge has more life than I. Can you understand a thousandth of my agony? I, Morbius, who once led the High Council of the Time Lords, reduced to this - a condition where I envy a vegetable."

THE STORY

The TARDIS lands on Karn, a bleak and stormy world, on which reside both Solon, a fanatical scientist and the Sisterhood, guardians of the Sacred Flame, from which is prepared the Elixir of Life, shared by the Sisters with the Time Lords. The Flame is dying and Maren, the High Priestess believes the Doctor has been sent by the Time Lords to steal the remaining Elixir. The Doctor meanwhile discovers Solon, with the help of his servent Condo is using the remains of spaceship crash victims to create a new body for the still-living brain of the executed Time Lord criminal and ex-President, Morbius. When the Doctor arrives, Solon plans to use his head to complete his creation...

The Doctor is kidnapped by the Sisterhood, but saved from execution by Sarah, who is temporarily blinded as they escape. Solon, urged on by Morbius, creates a temporary casing and the evil Time Lord is recreated in a new monstrous body. The Doctor restores the Sacred Flame using a firework to unblock the chimney. Returning to Solon's citadel, the Doctor and Sarah are trapped in the cellar, and although they release cyanide fumes into the ventilation system to force Solon to free them, the scientist is overcome with the fumes. However, Morbius challenges the Doctor to a mental duel. The contest weakens both of them and the Morbius monster is forced over a cliff by the Sisterhood. The Elixir is then used to heal the Doctor.

CAST:

The Doctor (Tom Baker), Sarah-Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen), Solon (Philip Madoc), Maren (Cynthia Grenville), Ohica (Gilly Brown), Sisters (Sue Bishop, Janie Kells, Gabrielle Mowbray, Veronica Ridge), Condo (Colin Faye), Kriz (John Scott Martin), Voice of Morbius (Michael Spice), Monster (Stuart Fell).

FACTS:

Michael Spice, who provided the voice of Morbius also played another memorable villain, Weng Chiang aka Magnus Greel in 'The Talons of Weng Chiang'.

Kriz, an alien creaure killed by Condo in the first episode, after its spacecraft crashlands on Karn is a Solonian Mutant or 'Mutt' from the Season nine story 'The Mutants'.

The mind-bending competition between the Doctor and Morbius features images of the Doctor's past three incarnations as well as a number of photographs of production staff in various stock costumes. (You probably know who they all are, so I won't bother to list them).

OTHER FORMATS:

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