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The Auton trilogy is a series of direct-to-video spin-off productions based on the long running BBC science fiction series Doctor Who . The three films in the series are Auton (1997), Auton 2: Sentinel (1998; working title, Auton 2: The Rapture) and Auton 3 (1999; working title, Auton 3: Awakening). They were produced by the independent BBV company and are sequels to the Third Doctor stories Spearhead from Space and Terror of the Autons . All three films have been reissued on DVD.
All story elements relating to Doctor Who were licensed from their respective authors.
When a Nestene energy unit and several Autons are reactivated at a UNIT facility, a plot for world domination that predates mankind is set in motion.
Auton | |
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Directed by | Nicholas Briggs |
Written by | Nicholas Briggs |
Produced by | Bill Baggs |
Starring | Michael Wade Bryonie Pritchard George Telfer Verona Chard Reece Shearsmith |
Cinematography | Andy Bell |
Edited by | Bill Baggs |
Music by | Alistair Lock |
Production company | |
Release date |
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Running time | 57 minutes |
At a top secret UNIT facility known only as "the Warehouse", Dr Sally Arnold has been studying a Nestene energy unit with no results. As a last resort, she subjects the artifact to cosmic signals from UNIT's most powerful deep space scanning satellite. This causes a violent energy release that kills her assistant, Janice. The energy unit has disappeared.
A containment team, led by a psychic UNIT operative named Lockwood, has been dispatched. Among Lockwood's abilities is the ability to access all information from any computer mainframe in the world with his mind.
They soon learn that the Nestene energy unity has taken on a mobile form, and that there is an Auton copy of senior archivist Graham Winslet. The real Winslet is still alive, his mind being used by the Autons as a resource of information. The energy unit then merges with the Auton Winslet.
Several dormant Autons in the Warehouse come back to life and the building becomes a battlefield. They are eventually defeated with the weapon created by the Doctor and Liz Shaw in Spearhead from Space. The Auton Winslet then liquefies and escapes through a ventilation shaft.
Karen Davies wrote in the fanzine Celestial Toyroom that the story was "an enjoyable, but undemanding 57 minutes". In particular, Karen felt that the direction paused too often and the dialogue was not realistic enough. [1] In Doctor Who Magazine , Dave Owen would heavily praise Michael Wade's performance, stating that he was "so superciliously smug and patronizing that he demands your attention". [2]
Modern criticism has remained mostly positive. In the book Downtime - The Lost Years of Doctor Who, Dylan Rees stated that the film was "the most Doctor Who like of all BBV films. It is also the most B-movie in its direction." He would go on to praise the story and performances, but criticised the direction. [3]
A novelisation of this drama written by David Black was published in early 2022. [4] An audiobook of this novelisation read by Bill Baggs was released 10 September 2024.
Auton 2: Sentinel | |
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Directed by | Nicholas Briggs |
Written by | Nicholas Briggs |
Produced by | Bill Baggs |
Starring | Michael Wade Jo Castleton George Telfer Warren Howard |
Music by | Alistair Lock |
Production company | |
Release date |
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Running time | 57 minutes |
Two years after the Warehouse incident, a lorry transporting Autons from the Warehouse to another UNIT facility is hijacked by its own cargo. Meanwhile, Lockwood is troubled by extremely active dreams. UNIT learns that the transfer of the Autons was authorized by Lockwood. When he later remembers signing the transportation docket, it becomes evident that the Nestene Consciousness is using Lockwood's psychic abilities to their own ends.
UNIT's Internal Security Division launches an investigation on Lockwood, pairing him with another psychic operative named Natasha Alexander. While Lockwood's abilities are owed to an alien implant, Natasha claims to have been psychic since birth.
The escaped Autons are traced to Sentinel Island. There the Auton Winslet has installed himself as the local vicar. He has brainwashed most of the island's inhabitants and the Autons have killed those who resisted. They are using the combined mental energy of the church's congregation to awaken a Nestene creature buried beneath.
There are dormant Nestenes lying underground around the world. They were put in place before the development of the human race. Their locations have become known to humanity as holy sites and are connected by ley lines.
When Lockwood and Natasha arrive at the church, they succeed in reviving the Nestene. The Nestene attempts to awaken the others. Lockwood tries to defeat it, but instead absorbs the creature into his own mind.
Dylan Rees gave a positive review of the film in Downtime - The Lost Years of Doctor Who, calling it a "drama that perfectly straddles the divide between its Doctor Who origins and contemporary science fiction". [5]
Dave Owen also praised the story, as well as the CGI and music. [6]
Auton 3 | |
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Directed by | Bill Baggs Patricia Merrick |
Written by | Nicholas Briggs (as "Arthur Wallis") Paul Ebbs |
Starring | Michael Wade Jo Castleton George Telfer Graeme Du Fresne Bryonie Pritchard |
Release date |
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Lockwood and Natasha have returned from Sentinel Island, coming on shore in the town of Millhampton. Computers around the world are failing. They are being invaded by the Nestene Consciousness through Lockwood's implant.
Meanwhile, the entire population of Millhampton has disappeared. They have been absorbed into the mind of another revived Nestene below the city. The only survivor is the real Winslet, who is still being used by the Nestenes at the local psychiatric hospital.
Lockwood and Natasha are both being used by another psychic UNIT operative named Palmer to lead them to the heart of the Nestene activity. Palmer monitors their movements through a constant link with Natasha's mind.
Meanwhile, Natasha is used by the Nestenes to lure Lockwood to the hospital, which the Autons are using as the centre of their operation. There the Auton Winslet is trying to free the Nestene energy from Lockwood's mind so it can infect every computer in the world and revive all the dormant Nestene creatures. Lockwood resists by convincing himself that everything he sees is a dream.
When Dr. Arnold arrives, his resolve is broken. He is then forced to sacrifice his own life to destroy the Nestene plan.
Unlike the previous two films, Auton 3 received much more negative reviews from critics. Doctor Who Magazine heavily criticised the production, focusing on the writing and stated that it "shamelessly cribbed from The X-Files". [7] Modern criticism has also continued the negative trend, with Dylan Rees stating in the book Downtime - The Lost Years of Doctor Who that the film was "a mess from start to finish" and that the direction was stilted and poor. [8]
However, Dreamwatch would give the film a positive review, with Richard McGinlay stating that it was "powerfully realized and performed". [9]
BBV Productions is a UK-based video and audio production company founded in 1991, specialising in science fiction drama. The company has expanded to include publishing of novels and scripts associated with its productions.
Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, fully Brigadier Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, generally referred to simply as the Brigadier, is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, created by writers Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln and played by Nicholas Courtney. He is one of the founders of UNIT, an international organisation that defends Earth from alien threats, and serves as commander of the British contingent. Presented at first as reluctant to accept the continuing aid of the Doctor, over time the Brigadier became one of the Doctor's greatest friends and his principal ally in defending Earth.
The Autons are an artificial life form from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and adversaries of the Doctor. They were originally created by scriptwriter Robert Holmes for Jon Pertwee's first serial as the Doctor, Spearhead from Space (1970), and were the first monsters to be presented in colour on the series.
UNIT is a fictional military organisation from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-off series Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures. Operating under the auspices of the United Nations and initially led by Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, its purpose is to investigate and combat paranormal and extraterrestrial threats to Earth. Several UNIT personnel played a major role in the original Doctor Who series, and it was a regular feature from The Invasion (1968) until The Seeds of Doom (1976).
Spearhead from Space is the first serial of the seventh season in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 3 to 24 January 1970. It was the first Doctor Who serial to be produced in colour and the only one to be made entirely on 16 mm film.
Terror of the Autons is the first serial of the eighth season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 2 to 23 January 1971.
"Rose" is the first episode of the first series of the revived British science fiction television programme Doctor Who. The episode was directed by Keith Boak and written by Russell T Davies, who was also one of three executive producers. It was first broadcast in the UK on BBC One on 26 March 2005. "Rose" was the first Doctor Who episode to air since the Doctor Who television film in 1996.
Reeltime Pictures Ltd is a British film, television and video production company and a distributor of the films of other companies, founded in 1984 by Keith Barnfather.
Sergeant John Benton is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, played by John Levene. He was the senior NCO of the British contingent of UNIT, a fictional international organisation that defends Earth from alien threats, and is eventually promoted to the rank of Warrant Officer Class 1, holding the post of regimental sergeant major. He appeared semi-regularly on the programme from 1968 to 1975.
Captain Mike Yates is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, played by Richard Franklin. He was adjutant of the British contingent of UNIT, an international organization that defends Earth from alien threats.
Elizabeth "Liz" Shaw is a fictional character played by Caroline John in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-offs. A civilian member of UNIT, an international organisation that defends Earth from alien threats, she was the companion of the Third Doctor for the 1970 season. Liz appeared in 4 stories.
Doctor Who: Destiny of the Doctors is an action video game based on the BBC British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was released on 5 December 1997 by BBC Multimedia.
Downtime is a direct-to-video spin-off of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was produced by the independent production company Reeltime Pictures. It is a sequel to the Second Doctor serials The Abominable Snowmen (1967) and The Web of Fear (1968).
Shakedown: Return of the Sontarans is a film spin-off of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was released direct-to-video in 1995 and was produced by the independent production company Dreamwatch Media, a division of Dreamwatch magazine. Initially available only through mail order and specialty shops, it was subsequently released to retail by Reeltime Pictures in 1997. It features two races of aliens, the Sontarans and the Rutans. The Sontarans and Rutans were licensed from the estate of their creator Robert Holmes, although the appearance of the Sontarans had to be modified to avoid legal complications with the BBC, which owned the design of the creatures.
The Scales of Injustice is a Virgin Missing Adventures original novel written by Gary Russell based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Third Doctor, Liz Shaw and UNIT.
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Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, also known as Kate Stewart, is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. She was initially created by writer Marc Platt and was played by Beverley Cressman in the independent direct-to-video spin-offs Downtime (1995) and Dæmos Rising (2004). Kate was re-introduced by writer Chris Chibnall in the 2012 episode "The Power of Three" played by Jemma Redgrave, who continued to reprise the role in a recurring capacity through 2024. She will star as a lead character of the upcoming spin-off series The War Between the Land and the Sea, which is set to begin filming in September 2024.
Enemy of the Bane is the sixth and final serial of the second series of the British science fiction television series The Sarah Jane Adventures. It first aired in two weekly parts on the CBBC channel on 1 and 8 December 2008. This story was originally intended to be a crossover with the modern Doctor Who series; Russell T Davies, an executive producer of Doctor Who and creator of The Sarah Jane Adventures reveals in his non-fiction book Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale that former companion Martha Jones was intended to appear in the two-parter, but had to be replaced with classic series character Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart "at the last minute" due to Freema Agyeman's role in the ITV series Law & Order: UK, making this the last episode to have Courtney as the Brigadier prior to his death in 2011.
Cyberon is a direct-to-video unofficial spin-off of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was released direct-to-DVD and produced by the independent production company BBV. It featured the Cyberons, a species created to resemble popular Doctor Who monsters, the Cybermen. The main character of the film, Lauren Anderson, later featured in Zygon: When Being You Just Isn't Enough. Originally released on VHS, the film was not widely available on video. The story was released on DVD from online retailer Galaxy 4 in 2012.