The Faceless Ones

] [cite web
url= http://www.drwhoguide.com/who_2k.htm
title= PAGENAME
publisher = Doctor Who Reference Guide
author =
date =
accessdate = 2008-08-30] [cite web
url= http://www.shannonsullivan.com/drwho/serials/kk.html
title= PAGENAME
publisher = A Brief History of Time Travel
last = Sullivan
first = Shannon
date = 2005-05-08
accessdate = 2008-08-30] Working titles for this story include "The Chameleons".

This story had its origins in a planned Hartnell story by Hulke-Ellis called "The Big Store", in which aliens occupied mannequins in a busy department store, while waiting for human hosts to possess. The idea was adapted for the Troughton era and its setting changed to a metropolitan airport.

Filmed on location at London Gatwick Airport. Heathrow also accepted the production team's offer, but the team chose Gatwick as the cost was lower. "Doctor Who" did film at Heathrow for "Time-Flight" in 1982.

Pauline Collins was offered the chance to continue playing the character of Sam Briggs (who appears only in this story) as a new companion, but declined the offer. Collins guest-starred, years later, as Queen Victoria in "Tooth and Claw" (2006).

There is a fan myth that this was the first story to feature the Doctor's face in the opening credits (exact determination having been difficult due to the number of episodes missing from this era of the programme). In reality, it was "The Macra Terror" that saw the debut of the new title sequence. However, the revised arrangement of the theme music that accompanied this new sequence made its debut in Episode 2 of "The Faceless Ones".

Casting

*Bernard Kay appears as Inspector Crossland.
*Wanda Ventham and Donald Pickering would later star as husband and wife in "Time and the Rani".
*Christopher Tranchell would return as Leela's love interest Andred in "The Invasion of Time" and had previously appeared in the first Doctor serial "The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve" as Roger Colbert.

Missing episodes

Only Episodes one and three of this serial exist in the BBC archives.

In addition to the complete version, the archives hold an incomplete print of episode one, returned from ABC in Australia in the early 1980s. The Australian Film Censorship Board saw fit to remove the following scenes: Spencer killing Inspector Gascoigne with a Chameleon ray-gun; the alien arm emerging from the cupboard; and panning shots of the alien figure (seen only from behind) at the end of the episode.

Doctorwhobook
title=The Faceless Ones
series=Target novelisations
number=116
featuring=


writer=Terrance Dicks
publisher=Target Books
coverartist=Tony Masero
isbn=
set_between=
pages=
date=December 1986 (Hardback)21st May 1987 (Paperback)
preceding=The Mind Robber
following=The Space Museum|

Commercial releases

As with all missing episodes, off-air recordings of the soundtrack exist due to contemporary fan efforts. In February 2002 these were released on CD, accompanied by linking narration from Frazer Hines.

In 2003, Episodes one and three of this serial were the final "Doctor Who" episodes to be released on VHS by BBC Worldwide. In November 2004, they were included in the three-disc "Lost in Time" DVD set.

Episode one was released on a free DVD, included with The Sun as a promotional item. It was housed in a cardboard sleeve.

In print

A novelisation of this serial, written by Terrance Dicks, was published by Target Books in December 1986.

References

External links

*BBCCDW|id=facelessones|title=The Faceless Ones
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/photonovels/faceless/index.shtml Photonovel of "The Faceless Ones", on the BBC website]
*Brief |id=kk | title=The Faceless Ones
*Doctor Who RG | id=who_2k | title=The Faceless Ones
* [http://www.doctorwholocations.net/stories/facelessones Doctor Who Locations] - The Faceless Ones

Reviews

*OG review | id=kk | title=The Faceless Ones
*DWRG | id=facel | title=The Faceless Ones

Target novelisation

* [http://www.personal.leeds.ac.uk/~ecl6nb/OnTarget/1987/faceless/87facele.htm On Target — "The Faceless Ones"]