Quotes
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"Well, you know how it is. You put things off for a day, the next thing you know it's a hundred years later." ~ The Fifth DoctorNyssa: We have an audio system, but nothing to listen to.
The 5th Doctor: And now we have nothing to look at. Couldn't be better. Peace and quiet is just what the doctor ordered.
"Well, for a moment it did. What you saw was an attempted temporal bonding. The molecular realignment of two basically incompatible lifeforms." ~ The Fifth Doctor
"Well, in theory, movement between dimensions is possible. In practice, less so. But the same was said about time travel, and that has long been a reality." ~ Councillor Thalia
"That's how it came through. What we saw was the gateway to the dimensions. The Arc of Infinity." ~ The Fifth Doctor
Damon: Commander Maxil, why are you treating the Doctor like a criminal?
Maxil: I'm simply following orders.
"The universe is rather a big place." ~ The Fifth Doctor
"Each and every time the Doctor returns to Gallifrey there's violence." ~ Cardinel Zorac
"There's no need for all the fire power." ~ The Fifth Doctor
Commander Maxil: [taking the Doctor to be executed] I have my orders.
The Fifth Doctor: You don't have to relish them so much.
"Executing me will not alter the fact there's a traitor at work on Gallifrey!" ~ The Fifth Doctor
The 5th Doctor: Excellent. Well, Damon, what news of my old companion Leela?
Damon: Er, she's, she's well, and very happy.
The 5th Doctor: I was so sorry to miss her wedding.
"Look, Damon, I know you've already risked a great deal for me but could I impose on you a little further? I need another space/time element for the TARDIS - preferably without a recall circuit." ~ The Fifth Doctor
Nyssa: So there is a traitor.
The 5th Doctor: Indeed. And a disaster in the making. Unless I'm mistaken, Gallifrey could lose control of the space-time Matrix.
Omega: I was not always as I am now, Doctor. Once I too had life, real existence in your dimension. Soon, with your help, I shall have it again.
The 5th Doctor: It would mean losing control of the Matrix to you. The price is too high.
"Only members of the High Council have access to bioscan circuits and you are a Councillor, Castellan. That was my dilemma." ~ Damon
"We know the creature controls the shift of the Arc of Infinity. So, what if the Arc were to be permanently located here, linked to the Matrix? (silence) Enormous power, way beyond the ability of anyone to control it, except those already at one with the Matrix." ~ Castellan
"What we are, we owe to you. Your return is all that matters." ~ Councillor Hedin, to Omega
"This is no alien creature, Doctor. It's one of us, a Time Lord, the first and greatest of our people. The one who sacrificed all to give us mastery of time and was shamefully abandoned in return." ~ Councillor Hedin
"Omega is insane. Once in control of the Matrix..." ~ The Fifth Doctor
The 5th Doctor: We'll start with the telephone directory.
Nyssa: You're dealing with a Time Lord, Doctor. You won't find answers in there.
The 5th Doctor: Won't we?
"Ah. Nyssa, money?" ~ The Fifth Doctor
"You're wrong, Doctor. I have life again. You destroyed my Tardis, but I shall build another. Expect me on Gallifrey soon." ~ Omega
The 5th Doctor: The magnetic shield is in accelerated decay now.
Nyssa: What'll happen?
The 5th Doctor: He'll revert to anti-matter.
"I've found it unwise to predict what the Doctor can or cannot do." ~ Castellan
"If I'm denied life, then all must parish." ~ Omega
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Trivia
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The working title for "Arc of Infinity" was The Time of Omega, and it was originally set in London.
Script writer Johnny Byrne originally submitted a storyline entitled "The Time Of Neman". This involved the Doctor suffering nightmares about his regeneration, which were actually a precursor to the arrival in our universe of an entity called the Avatar, who takes on the Doctor's form and goes to Amsterdam. Operating there as Neman (a name recycled from The Keeper Of Traken), the Avatar begins to take control of human minds, striving to create a form in which it will be able to permanently maintain its existence. The Doctor and Nyssa discover Neman's plot when they land in a future version of Amsterdam, which is populated by robot guards called Sweepers, the elderly Resisters, and barbaric Anarchs. Realizing that history has been altered, they travel back in time to present-day Amsterdam. There, the Doctor discovers that Time Lord regeneration is the mechanism by which the Avatar is made manifest. The Avatar is defeated when the Doctor relives his own recent regeneration.
Both Peter Davison and Eric Saward were baffled as to why the serial was set in Holland. Indeed, many in the production team were unhappy with Byrne's handling of the Amsterdam setting. Although the writer had tried to justify the location by including elements such as a fusion booster which only functions below sea level, it was felt that Byrne had not made Amsterdam sufficiently integral to the story. No obvious solution to this problem presented itself, however, and so no significant changes were made to Byrne's scripts.
One of the locations used for shooting in Amsterdam was Prinsengracht, the street that housed the attic Anne Frank and her family hid from the Nazis in.
Leonard Sachs (Borusa) was very keen to work on this story as he had not done any TV drama since 1976. Despite being the main guest star of the serial Sachs only has two lines in the opening installment.
According to Davison, Sachs had serious trouble remembering his lines. It was suggested that he be replaced by Bernard Archard, but JNT vetoed this. (Peter Cushing was also considered for the role of Borusa.)
The Lord President was originally nameless but at a late stage it was decided turn the character into Borusa, who had featured in two serials "The Deadly Assassin" and "The Invasion of Time".
In "The Ribos Operation", Romana told The Fourth Doctor that Borusa became President, following the events of the previous story "The Invasion of Time".
This would be the 2nd guest role for Michael Gough, who returned to the program after a 17 year absence. Gough played The Toymaker in 1966's "The Celestial Toymaker" opposite William Hartnell as The 1st Doctor.
Gough, who is best known for playing Alfred Pennyworth in Tim Burton's two Batman movies, was married to Anneke Wills at the time he appeared in "Toymaker", but had divorced the former companion by the time he appeared in this serial.
Ian Collier was cast as Omega/The Renegade because it was felt he looked like Peter Davison.
Tegan's appearance in Episode 2 marked her return to the TARDIS team after she left in the last episode of "Time Flight" in the previous season. Tegan is the first companion to have rejoined the Doctor on his travels after having departed (although other companions/recurring characters had previously left the Doctor's company then reappeared).
Filming in Amsterdam proved problematic. Crowd control proved to be a major issue throughout the shoot, with Dutch viewers recognizing Peter Davison from his role as Tristan Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small. John Nathan-Turner tried to assist Ron Jones in dealing with the onlookers, and indeed is visible in the transmitted episode shooing away a group of gawkers in the background of the scene in which the Doctor and Nyssa use a telephone box. At one point, Nathan-Turner's attempts at crowd control became dangerous when an elderly woman assumed he was a thief and attacked him. On another occasion, several members of the cast and crew decided to take a walk around Amsterdam. Unfamiliar with the city, they suddenly found themselves in its infamous red light district, where Janet Fielding was mistaken for a prostitute.
Assistant floor manager Lynn Richards recommended Colin Baker for the role of Commander Maxil, based on his performance in the Blakes 7 (1978) episode City at the Edge of the World. Although eager to appear in Doctor Who, Baker was disappointed at the thought that he could now never play the Doctor himself. Baker was originally a possible for The Castellan but was in the end cast as Commander Maxil.
He was frequently told to tone down his performance. Baker claimed that he played the role not as a supporting character, but as if he believed that he were the main character in his own story.
He further stated that John Nathan-Turner believed his performance was a little arch, and therefore gave him the nickname of Archie.
Every story during Season 20 featured a component of the story from the show's past. For this serial, it was Omega, who last faced the first three incarnations of the Doctor in the tenth anniversary story The Three Doctors.
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Links (Watch on DailyMotion.com)
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Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Doctor Who: Arc of Infinity (Story 124) DVD is available at Amazon.com.
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