'Meglos' (4 Parts) Story Code '5Q' by John Flanagan and Andrew McCulloch

The planet Tigella is a jungle world covered in dense, vicious vegetation, which has forced the Tigellans to live underground; their race is split into two factions - the scientific Savants and the superstitious Deons. Concerned that their energy source, the Dodecahedron, is failing, their leader, Zastor, summons his old friend the Doctor to aid them in their time of crisis. Meanwhile, on the desert planet Zolfa-Thura, a band of space mercenaries led by Grugger rendezvous with the planet's last surviving inhabitant, Meglos, a giant sentient cactus. They have brought with them a kidnapped human, whose body Meglos takes over and uses to alter his appearance to that of the Doctor. He then traps the Time Lord's TARDIS in a Chronic Hysteresis, and, together with the Gaztaks, leaves for Tigella in order to steal the Dodecahedron. The Doctor and Romana manage to break free of the time loop by shifting it out of phase, and they arrive on Tigella. But Meglos has convinced Zastor that he is the Doctor, and when he is allowed to examine the Dodecahedron, he steals it by miniaturising the crystal. After the TARDIS arrives on Tigella, Romana is captured by the Gaztaks, and the Doctor is blamed by the Tigellans for the theft and sentenced to be crushed to death. Meglos returns to Zolfa-Thura, where he prepares to use the power of the Dodecahedron from his own destructive plans. The two Time Lords escape and travel in the TARDIS to Zolfa-Thura, where the Doctor impersonates Meglos in order to enter his base. As Meglos relinquishes his stolen body, the Doctor mis-sets the computers controlling the crystal, causing it to explode, destroying Meglos, his base and the Gaztaks. Without the crystal to power their city, the Tigellans begin the reclamation of the planet, while the Doctor and Romana leave to take the Earthman back home.

Tom Baker (Doctor Who), Lalla Ward (Romana), Voice of K9 (John Leeson), Bill Fraser (General Grugger), Frederick Treves (Lieutenant Brotadac), Edward Underdown (Zastor), Jacqueline Hill (Lexa), Colette Gleeson (Caris), Crawford Logan (Deedrix), Christopher Owen (Earthling), Simon Shaw (Tigellan Guard)

Produced by John Nathan-Turner
Directed by Terence Dudley

TX:
Part 1 - 27th September, 1980 @ 6.15pm - 6.40pm
Part 2 - 4th October, 1980 @ 6.15pm - 6.40pm
Part 3 - 11th October, 1980 @ 5.40pm - 6.05pm
Part 4 - 18th October, 1980 @ 5.45pm - 6.10pm

Notes:
*Featuring the Fourth Doctor, the Second Romana, and K-9 MKII

*Working titles: 'The Golden Pentagon', 'The Golden Pentagram', 'The Golden Pentangle', 'The Golden Star', 'The Last Zolfa Thuran' and 'The Last Sol-Fataran'