Michael Ferguson

Doctor Who: The Claws of Axos (1971)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Doctor Who (Jon Pertwee) and Jo Grant (Katy Manning) holding hands running across a muddy floor.

Doctor Who (Jon Pertwee) and Jo Grant (Katy Manning) © BBC

Director: Michael Ferguson
Starring: Jon Pertwee, Nicholas Courtney, Roger Delgado, John Levene, Bernard Holley, Katy Manning
Production Company: BBC
Kent Locations Used: Dungeness

The Claws of Axos (1971) is a four-part serial from popular sci-fi show Doctor Who starring Jon Pertwee. The Doctor investigates claims by Axons, who are the occupants of a mysterious object that has landed on Earth, to have a miracle substance that would end world famine. When he discovers an old enemy is involved, The Doctor becomes suspicious and must work with the UNIT team to drive the Axons from Earth. 

Jon Pertwee (Worzel Gummidge, Jackanory) stars as the third Doctor alongside Nicholas Courtney (Then Churchill Said to Me, Incendiary), Roger Delgado (The Battle of the River Plate, The Road to Hong Kong), John Levene (Permission to Kill, CanniBallistic!), Bernard Holley (Travels with My Aunt, Z Cars) and Katy Manning (Oakie’s Outback Adventures, When Darkness Falls). 

The production visited Dungeness to film the scenes where the Axon ship lands and The Doctor and UNIT team go to investigate. Dungeness Power Station doubled as the “Nuton power complex” in the third and fourth episodes of The Claws of Axos.

Dungeness is in the Shepway district of Kent and has a beautiful shingle beach with a mixture of old and modern homes, two lighthouses, a historic railway station and a Power Station. Dungeness is a popular film location and has been used for productions such as The Poison Tree (2012) and The Inspector Lynley Mysteries (2006).

Doctor Who – The Claws of Axos (1971) first aired on BBC1 from Saturday 13th March to Saturday 3rd April 1971 and is now available to buy on DVD. 

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map.

Doctor Who – The Ambassadors of Death (1970)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Three people in space suits stand in front of a large orange planet in a starry sky. They are reaching out in front of them, towards John Pertwee as The Doctor. He looks startled. The Doctor wears a black coat, white shirt and large black bow tie.

Doctor Who – The Ambassadors of Death (1970) © BBC

Director: Michael Ferguson
Writer: David Whitaker
Starring: Jon Pertwee, Caroline John, Nicholas Courtney, William Dysart, John Abineri
Production Company: BBC
Kent Locations Used: Northfleet Quarry & LaFarge Cement Works

The Ambassadors of Death (1970) is the third serial in the seventh series of Doctor Who. When two astronauts on the Mars Probe Seven lose contact with Earth, the Doctor and United Nations Intelligence Taskforce (UNIT) must investigate. When the astronauts finally return, the Doctor suspects that they may, in fact,  be aliens and  is soon caught in a government conspiracy.

The serial was directed by Michael Ferguson (Doctor Who: The Claws of Axos (1971), The Sandbaggers) and written by David Whitaker (Doctor Who – The Enemy of the World (1968), Showtime). It stars John Pertwee (Doctor Who – Inferno (1970), Carry On Cleo) as the Doctor, Caroline John (Love Actually, P.R.O.B.E The Zero Imperative) as his companion Liz Shaw, Nicholas Courtney (Doctor Who – Mind of Evil (1971), Incendiary) as the Brigadier, William Dysart (The Last Shot You Hear, Edward the Seventh) as Reegan and John Abineri (The Last of the Mohicans, Robin of Sherwood) as General Charles Carrington.

Filming for the serial took place at the former Northfleet Quarry and Lafarge Cement Works. The Quarry doubles as the exterior of the Space Centre in Episodes 4, 6 & 7 of the serial, and the Cement Works feature in Episode 3, doubling as the Quarry where Reegan buries two dead workers in the shingle.

The site of the old Northfleet Works had been used for cement production since 1853, but was formerly opened under its new name in 1970 and later incorporated an existing quarry to the south. It is now no longer operational

Doctor Who – The Ambassadors of Death (1970) aired on BBC1 from Saturday 21st March 1970 to Saturday 2nd May 1970 and is currently available to purchase on DVD.

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map.