The Catacombs Episode Guide

The Rules of Luton

The Taybor Year 2 - Episode 7 The Mark of Archanon

Writer Charles Woodgrove
Director Val Guest

Belgium (Flemish) De Wetten van Luton 26 Oct 1977
Spain Las normas de Luton The rules of Luton31 Mar 1977
France/Canada Les directives de Luton The Rules Of Luton 5 Feb 1977
Germany Rühr nicht die Pflanze an! Don't touch the Plant! 9 Jul 1978
Italy Luton 23 Apr 1979
Japan Terror of the Plant Planet LUTON 1 Jun 1981
Poland Prawda planety Luton 20 Jan 1979
Portugal A Lei de Luton The Law Of Luton 15 Oct 1977
South AfricaDie Wette van Lutton The Laws of Luton2 Jun 1984
USA (New York) 14 Nov 1976
USA (San Francisco) 16 Oct 1976
UK (ATV) 21 Oct 1976
UK (LWT) 23 Oct 1976

A grim fight for survival takes place between Koenig and Maya and three weird aliens on a planet of living plants. ITC summary

Background

The Rules Of Luton

Sets

Int. Command Centre
Int. Eagle Pilot Section

Ext. Planet Surface: River and Woods area (Black Park location)
Ext. Planet Surface: Berry Bush area, ravine area, cliff and lower slopes area (Knowl Hill location)

SFX

The Rules Of Luton

Music

Science

The Rules Of Luton
The Rules Of Luton

The dinosaur bones are therapods, which are carnivores (eat other animals). They are therefore no threat to the plants. Their bones are white and scattered, showing scavenger animals have picked their flesh clean.

Continuity

Chronology:

892 days after leaving Earth orbit (Thu 21 Feb 2002). They have just passed through a 42 day space storm (approx. 850 days-start). The episode duration is less than 1 day.

Alpha Personnel:

0 fatalities.

Alpha Technology:

The Rules Of Luton

We see a colour commlock screen. It is also waterproof.

Eagles:

Eagle 1 (Koenig); 4 (replacement)

The Rules Of Luton

The refuelling arm is also in Space Warp and was a grab arm in The Exiles. The red pod is 2.5 inches/ 6cm long (it was sold in an internet auction for £255 in 2006).

Maya transformations:

Kestrel, lion, Rottweiler dog

The Rules Of Luton The Rules Of Luton The Rules Of Luton

Planets:

Luton

Aliens:

The Rules Of Luton

Luton plants; 3 different species of humanoid aliens. The aliens must be advanced enough to develop interstellar spaceflight. All are clothed: boots and gloves are obvious. Alien Invisible has a ragged scarf, Alien Transport's sleeve is seen, Alien Strong's boots are very visible. They are given "abilities" by the judges of Luton to match the Alphans- transport, invisibility and strength.

Cast:

Errors

Crossing the lake 1

Observations

The Rules Of Luton
The Rules Of Luton

According to Michael Richardson, the stock footage of the lion is from the 1958 movie Nor the Moon by Night, starring Patrick McGoohan (released in the US as Elephant Gun). Cinematography is by Harry Waxman. The location is Kruger National Park in South Africa.

David Jackson on his role:
They had this outfit for me which looked like a teddy bear and I had this big fight scene. I said 'It doesn't look very menacing. I mean, a teddy bear?' I said 'You've got this one alien who looks like a bird, like Osiris the god, and this other character. Why not make him the teddy bear, because he gets killed very quickly, and I could be... a lizard! So they got a lizard half mask for me, long, green and scaly, a long droopy moustache, long sort of patchy dark hair, and lots of black leather and crocodile skin!

I was given the power of speech by the gods of the planet, whom I also played. I said 'If the gods of the planet gave me this voice, I would still have vocal cords that were tuned to whatever a crocodile-like beast's might be tuned to, and it would be rather like a person from Japan trying to speak English. So, the words should come out in a sort of strangulation, trying to get through those strange vocal cords. And I played it like that.

Merchandise:

Links

External Links


Contents copyright Martin Willey