The Green Death

069 – The Green Death
Doctor Who serial
Professor Jones and Jo amidst some mutant maggots.
Cast
Doctor Jon Pertwee (Third Doctor)
Companion Katy Manning (Jo Grant)
Others Nicholas Courtney — Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart Richard Franklin — Captain Mike Yates John Levene — Sergeant Benton Stewart Bevan — Professor Clifford Jones Jerome Willis — Stevens Mitzi McKenzie — Nancy Ben Howard — Hinks John Rolfe — Fell Tony Adams — Elgin Roy Skelton — James John Dearth — Voice of BOSS Richard Beale — Minister of Ecology Talfryn Thomas — Dave Roy Evans — Bert Mostyn Evans — Dai Evans John Scott Martin — Hughes Ray Handy — Milkman Terry Walsh, Brian Justice — Guards Jean Burgess — Cleaner
Production
Directed by	Michael E. Briant
Written by	Robert Sloman Barry Letts (uncredited)
Script editor	Terrance Dicks
Produced by	Barry Letts
Executive producer(s)	None
Incidental music composer	Dudley Simpson
Production code	TTT
Series	Season 10
Length	6 episodes, 25 minutes each
Originally broadcast	19 May–23 June 1973
Chronology
← Preceded by Followed by → Planet of the Daleks The Time Warrior

Doctor Who and the Green Death

Author	Malcolm Hulke
Cover artist	Peter Brookes
Series	Doctor Who book: Target novelisations
Release number	29
Publisher	Target Books
Publication date	21 August 1975
ISBN

The Green Death is the fifth and final serial of the tenth season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, first broadcast in six weekly parts from 19 May 1973 to 23 June 1973. It was the last to feature Katy Manning as companion Jo Grant in Doctor Who.

The Doctor is making adjustments to the TARDIS' coordinate programmer in preparation for a visit to Metebelis Three, when Jo reads in the paper about the mysterious death of a miner named Hughes in the abandoned coal mine in Llanfairfach in South Wales: The miner, doing a monthly inspection of the bottom of the mine shaft, emerged dead and glowing bright green. Jo takes this opportunity to meet the acclaimed local environmentalist and Nobel Prize winner Professor Clifford Jones; while Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart goes down to investigate the miner's death, taking Jo with him in his car. The Doctor agrees to follow the Brigadier, but is determined to go to Metebelis Three first.

The Brigadier's first port of call is the recently opened Global Chemicals oil plant, close to the abandoned mine. Its headman, Stevens, claims that the plant can "produce 25% more petrol and diesel fuel from a given quantity of crude oil"—but that the 'Stevens process' only produces a minimal amount of waste. Jones, in his environmentally friendly retreat the 'Wholeweal', (nicknamed the "Nuthutch" by the locals), is convinced that the oil-making process must create thousands of gallons of waste. He also believes that there is a link between Global Chemicals and Hughes' death—but his research is too demanding for him to go down the mine and investigate. Jo, who is on the environmentalist's side, heads for the mineshaft.

The Doctor reaches Metebelis Three, but it is far from the "blue paradise" he described: He is attacked by various unseen creatures, returning to the UNIT laboratory with only a small blue crystal to show for his misadventure. He then drives down to South Wales in his car, Bessie, and meets the Brigadier at Global Chemicals. The two then set off to go down the mine to investigate, despite Stevens' insistence that it should be sealed. Stevens summons his henchman, Hinks, and tells him in a strange emotionless voice "nobody must go down the mine". Hinks leaves and Stevens dons a pair of strange headphones.