Terror of the Autons

055 – Terror of the Autons
Doctor Who serial
The Doctor and his new assistant, Jo Grant, along with new UNIT Captain Mike Yates
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 Roger Delgado – The Master David Garth – Time Lord Michael Wisher – Rex Farrel Stephen Jack – Farrel Snr. Barbara Leake – Mrs. Farrel Harry Towb – McDermott Christopher Burgess – Professor Phillips Frank Mills – Radio Telescope Director Andrew Staines – Goodge Dermot Tuohy – Brownrose John Baskcomb – Rossini Roy Stewart – Strong Man Dave Carter – Museum Attendant Bill McGuirk – Policeman Pat Gorman – Auton Leader Terry Walsh – Auton Policeman Hayden Jones – Auton Voice Norman Stanley - Telephone Mechanic
Production
Directed by	Barry Letts (uncredited)
Written by	Robert Holmes
Script editor	Terrance Dicks
Produced by	Barry Letts
Incidental music composer	Dudley Simpson
Production code	EEE
Series	Season 8
Length	4 episodes, 25 minutes each
Date started	2 January 1971
Date ended	23 January 1971
Chronology
← Preceded by Followed by → Inferno The Mind of Evil
List of Doctor Who serials

Doctor Who and the Terror of the Autons

Author	Terrance Dicks
Cover artist	Peter Brookes
Series	Doctor Who book: Target novelisations
Release number	63
Publisher	Target Books
Publication date	15 May 1975
ISBN

Terror of the Autons is the first serial of the eighth season in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, broadcast in four weekly parts from 2 to 23 January 1971. It introduced three new characters: the Third Doctor's new companion, Jo Grant (played by Katy Manning); his archenemy, the Master (Roger Delgado); and Captain Mike Yates (Richard Franklin).

The Master arrives on Earth and steals the sole surviving Nestene energy unit from the National Space Museum. He then hijacks the Beacon Hill radio telescope, which he uses as a bridgehead to channel energy into the surviving Nestene unit, and kidnaps Professor Phillips, one of the Ministry of Technology's research scientists. Reports of the theft and the sabotage at the radio telescope facility bring the Doctor, his new assistant Jo Grant and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart to investigate. At Beacon Hill the Doctor encounters a fellow Time Lord, who warns him that his old enemy, the Master, is on Earth and will certainly try to kill him. The Doctor then identifies and successfully neutralises the boobytrap which the Master has left behind at the radio telescope.

Meanwhile, posing as Colonel Masters, a new customer, the Master takes over Farrel Autoplastics, a nearby plastics factory, to build Autons. Jo, investigating the factory, is discovered by the Master, who hypnotises her and wipes her memory of their meeting. He sends her back to UNIT with a booby-trap, a box ostensibly containing the stolen energy unit. The Doctor realises she has been hypnotised and disposes of the bomb.

UNIT trace the missing Professor Phillips to Rossini's Circus at Tarminster. The Doctor visits the Circus, where he is captured by Rossini, but freed by Jo, who has followed him there against orders. The Doctor removes something from the Master's TARDIS but is attacked by Rossini and his men. Rescued by two policemen, the Doctor becomes suspicious and unmasks one of the officers as an Auton.