Doctor Who/Battlefield

Battlefield
Season 26, Serial 1
Airdate	September 6, 1989
Production Number	7N
by	Ben Aaronovitch
Directed by	Michael Kerrigan
← 25x04 The Greatest Show in the Galaxy	26x02 → Ghost Light
Doctor Who — Season Twenty-Six

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Battlefield is the first serial of the twenty-sixth season of Doctor Who, and the one-hundred and fifty-sixth serial overall.

Part One: Sylvester McCoy (The Doctor), Sophie Aldred (Ace), Jean Marsh (Morgaine), Nicholas Courtney (Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart), James Ellis (Peter Warmsly), Angela Bruce (Brigadier Winifred Bambera), Christopher Bowen (Mordred), Marcus Gilbert (Ancelyn), Angela Douglas (Doris), Noel Collins (Pat Rowlinson), June Bland (Elizabeth Rowlinson), Ling Tai (Shou Yuing), Robert Jezek (Sergeant Zbrigniev), Alf Joint (Stunt Arranger)

Part Two: Sylvester McCoy (The Doctor), Sophie Aldred (Ace), Jean Marsh (Morgaine), Nicholas Courtney (Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart), James Ellis (Peter Warmsly), Christopher Bowen (Mordred), Angela Bruce (Brigadier Winifred Bambera), Marcus Gilbert (Ancelyn), Noel Collins (Pat Rowlinson), June Bland (Elizabeth Rowlinson), Ling Tai (Shou Yuing), Dorota Rae (Flight Lieutenant Lavel), Stefan Schwartz (Knight Commander)

Part Three: Sylvester McCoy (The Doctor), Sophie Aldred (Ace), Jean Marsh (Morgaine), Nicholas Courtney (Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart), James Ellis (Peter Warmsly), Angela Bruce (Brigadier Winifred Bambera), Christopher Bowen (Mordred), Marcus Gilbert (Ancelyn), Noel Collins (Pat Rowlinson), June Bland (Elizabeth Rowlinson), Ling Tai (Shou Yuing), Paul Tomany (Major Husak), Stefan Schwartz (Knight Commander), Dorota Rae (Flight Lieutenant Lavel), Alf Joint (Stunt Arranger)

Part Four: Sylvester McCoy (The Doctor), Sophie Aldred (Ace), Jean Marsh (Morgaine), Nicholas Courtney (Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart), Angela Bruce (Brigadier Winifred Bambera), Christopher Bowen (Mordred), Marcus Gilbert (Ancelyn), Marek Anton (The Destroyer), Angela Douglas (Doris), Ling Tai (Shou Yuing), Stefan Schwartz (Knight Commander), Alf Joint (Stunt Arranger)

Trivia

The Show

• This marks Nicholas Courtney's last appearance in the series (although the Brigadier would make a final appearance in "Death in Heaven"). It also currently remains the last proper appearance of Bessie, The Third Doctor's car. Fittingly, they both appear in this serial for the first time since The Five Doctors.

Behind the Scenes

• The Brigadier was originally going to die in this serial, but despite getting multiple approvals, Ben Aaronovitch couldn't bring himself to do it. He was also originally going to be promoted to General.

• During the scene in which Ace is trapped in the water tank, its glass cracked (which can be seen briefly in episode three), sending water across the studio towards the electrical equipment. McCoy noticed in time to alert the crew and used profanity to ensure no one assumed he was ad-libbing in character. Sophie Aldred was safely pulled out in time and the studio was hurriedly evacuated. It is believed that Aldred might have died if McCoy had not noticed and reacted in time. McCoy would recount that as the day he was the hero and instead of the Doctor.

• Nicholas Courtney was convinced that the series' end was near due to the BBC's apathy towards it and the dwindling viewing figures, so he turned down a role in a West End revival of Madame Butterfly to be in this serial.

• Due to a misunderstanding, it was discovered that the interior TARDIS walls had been junked following production on The Greatest Show in the Galaxy and so the sets were thrown out since they were no longer required. For the TARDIS scene, a quick makeshift job of the set had to be created and disguised with dark lighting.

Quotes

• The Destroyer: Ah, little man. What do you want of me?

The Brigadier: Get off my world!