The Catacombs The Production Guide
Scripts
by Martin Willey

click for larger image (158k)

Martin Landau doodled on his script covers.

A script was typically 60 to 70 pages. Scripts were A4 white paper within thin card covers, punched with two holes and bound with a metal paper fastener. The card covers were coloured, the colour changing by script. The first page was a title page, with series and episode title, copyright (to Group 3 Productions in Year 1, Gerry Anderson Productions in Year 2), and telephone ("Iver 654160"). The second page was a cast list (at least all speaking parts), and the third page a set list.

The script comprised a prologue (or "hook"), acts one to four, and an epilogue. Each scene was numbered sequentially. Often, but not always, a close up of the Big Screen was a separate scene number. Unusually Jesse Lasky and Pat Silver broke scenes in The Full Circle into camera angles, which explains the vast number of scenes, double a normal episode.

Initially the writer would produce a 10-15 story outline. There was usually a "first draft" and a "final shooting script". A "final draft" may be produced, and for Death's Other Dominion and The Infernal Machine the "final draft" was actually the shooting script. Occasionally a "final shooting script" was rewritten before filming, so there was a second "final shooting script" (The Last Sunset), or it is an "amended shooting script" (A Matter Of Balance).

Scripts were still revised before, during and even after filming. There may be one or more pages of "line amendments", which list page numbers, scenes and a normally short change (sometimes just deleting single lines of dialogue). Other script pages were retyped and reissued, normally with a date. Initially these substitute pages may be plain white, but to allow people to keep track of changes these would be issued on coloured paper. The first revisions were on pink paper, the second on blue paper, and later ones on yellow paper.

Exceptionally, new script pages may be written after filming, revising previously shot material and adding new scenes. Notable examples are Missing Link, The Last Enemy and The Beta Cloud.

Year One scripts

Screen Episode Title Script Title
(Revised Titles)
Title page and dates
(revisions)
Scenes Pages
Zero G Unknown
The Void Ahead First Draft Copy. Undated 71
The Void Ahead Temporary Final. Undated 82
The Void Ahead Undated 155 83
Breakaway Turning Point 5 Nov 1973 156 71
Breakaway Breakaway Final Shooting Script 71
unfilmed A Breath Of Death 2nd draft/working draft 66
Matter Of Life And Death Siren Planet revised 69
Matter Of Life And Death Matter Of Life And Death "Amended Yellow Pages"
8th January 1974
Revised pages: 17.12.73, 27.12.73, 11/1/74
90 75
Black Sun Black Sun Nov 1973 Unnumbered 70
Black Sun Black Sun 5th Dec 1973 134 69
Black Sun Black Sun Final Shooting Script 21 jan 74
Amendments 24 jan 74
134 66
Ring Around The Moon Ring Around The Moon 14 Dec 73
green pg amdmnts 17 jan 74
196 76
Ring Around The Moon Ring Around The Moon 8 Feb 1974 196 76
Earthbound Earthbound Undated 97 69
Another Time, Another Place Another Time, Another Place Final Shooting Script 20 mar 74
blue pg amdmnts 25 March, 1 April
83 (85) 51 (53)
Missing Link Missing Link Final Shooting Script 5 apr 74
Pink page amendments 3 may 74
Green page amendment p37 undated
Additional shooting script 4 July 74 (4 pages)
99 60
Guardian of Piri Nobody's Perfect final storyline 9 apr 74 11
Guardian of Piri Guardian of Piri 29 apr 74
amended pages 6 may 74
2 Pink page amendments 9 may 74
Yellow page amendments 16 may 74
Green page amendments 22 may 74
151 64
Force Of Life Force Of Life 15 May 74 65 49
Force Of Life Force Of Life (Working title) 21 May 74
Blue page revisions 24 May 74, 28 May 74
97 "59/60"
Alpha Child Alpha Child Final shooting script 19 jun 74
blue pg amdmnts 1 jul
142 60
The Last Sunset The Last Sunset Final shooting script 16 Jul 74 183 63
The Last Sunset The Last Sunset Final shooting script 21 Jul 74
blue pages 22 Jul 74
pink pg amdmnts 23 Jul
183 63
Voyager's Return Voyager's Return Final shooting script 29 jul 74
Blue Page Amendments 31 jul 74
Pink page amendments 4 aug 74, 16 aug 74
Yellow page amendment 6 aug 74
147 65
Collision Course Collision Course Final shooting script 13 aug 74 132 62
Death's Other Dominion Death's Other Dominion final draft 23 aug 74 100 68
Death's Other Dominion Death's Other Dominion final shooting script 28 aug 74
Line amendments 6 sept 74
pink page amendments 6 sept 74
102 68
The Full Circle The Full Circle Final shooting script 17 sept 74
Pink page line amendments and pages 23 sept 74
343 60
End Of Eternity End Of Eternity Final shooting script 2 oct 74
apparently a draft version of below, title page is identical
79 with no epilogue 53 with no epilogue
End Of Eternity End Of Eternity Final shooting script 2 oct 74
Pink page amendments, line amendments 4 oct 74, 7 and 8 Oct
Blue page amendments 7 oct 74
80 (85) 54 (55)
War Games War Games Fourth draft, 11 Oct 74 ? ?
War Games War Games (No title page) 185 64
War Games War Games Final shooting script 15 oct 74
amended pages 23 oct 74, 24 oct 74
186 64
The Last Enemy The Second Sex
(The Other Enemy, The Last Enemy)
Final shooting script 25 oct 74
pink page amendments 4 nov 74
blue page amendments 7 nov 74, 13 nov 74, 14 nov 74
(8 nov 74)
326 68
The Last Enemy Revised Additional Material for The Last Enemy
suggested new title "Crossfire"
18 feb 75
Pink page amendments (undated)
70 24
The Troubled Spirit The Troubled Spirit Final shooting script 11 nov 74 65 54
Space Brain Space Brain Final shooting script 25 nov 74 ? ?
Space Brain Space Brain Final shooting script 1 dec 74
Pink pages 4 dec 74, 9 dec 74
Blue pages 10 dec 74
133 65
Space Brain Space Brain Additional Material 25 feb 75
n/a 20
The Infernal Machine The Infernal Machine final draft 11 dec 74 82 59
Mission Of The Darians Mission Of The Darians Final shooting script 7 jan 75 76 56
Dragon's Domain Web "Sequence of events" (undated) - 15
Dragon's Domain Dragon's Domain Third draft 14 jan 75 110 65
Dragon's Domain Dragon's Domain Final shooting script 21 jan 75
pink page amendments 24 jab 1975
blue pages 29 jan 1975 yellow pages 30 jan 1975
110 61
The Testament Of Arkadia The Testament Of Arkadia Final shooting script 5 feb 75 135 71
The Metamorph The Biological Soul Script lost
The Exiles The Exiles Fanderson has a copy
The Immunity Syndrome The Face Of Eden first draft 24 Oct 75 76
Children Of The Gods Script lost

Year Two scripts

Screen Episode Title Script Title
(Revised Titles)
Title page date
(revisions)
Scenes Pages
The Metamorph The Biological Computer 22 Dec 1975 unnumbered unnumbered
The Metamorph The Biological Computer revised draft 5 jan 76 192 68
The Metamorph The Metamorph
Formerly The Biological Computer
Final shooting script 19 jan 76 (pink)
Blue page amendments 26 jan 76, 27 jan 76
192 71
The Exiles The Exiles Final shooting script 8 jan 76
Pink pages 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 feb 76
117 64
One Moment Of Humanity One Second Of Humanity Final shooting script 12 feb 76
Line amendments 19 feb 76 (pink)
Pink pages 19, 24, 25 feb 76
Yellow pages 26 feb 76
63 53
Journey To Where Journey To Where Final shooting script 18 feb 76
Pink pages and line amendments 2, 4 march 76
Blue pages and line amendments 11, 17, 18 march 76
Yellow pages 22, 25 mar 76
116 66
All That Glisters All That Glisters Revised draft 9 feb 76 ? ?
All That Glisters All That Glisters Final shooting script 9 mar 76
Pink pages and line amendments 12 march 76
Blue pages and line amendments 16 march 76
Yellow pages and line amendments 17 mar 76
129 64
The Taybor The Taybor Final shooting script 31 mar 76 115 60
The Rules Of Luton The Rules Of Luton
Double Up Koenig script
15 apr 76
Pink pages 23 apr 76
blue pages 26 apr 76
Yellow pages 28 apr 76
123 60
The Mark Of Archanon The Mark Of Archanon
Double Up Helena script
Final shooting script 12 apr 76
Amended pages 14 apr 76
Pink line amendments, pink pages 21 apr 76
Line amendments (blue) 26 apr 76
Blue pages 26, 27, 28 apr 76
87
(85B)
75
(74)
Brian The Brain Brian The Brain Final shooting script 5 may 76
amendments 11 may 76
139 73
New Adam, New Eve New Adam, New Eve Final shooting script 29 apr 76
Pink pages 26 May 76
136 70
The A B Chrysalis The Chrysalis A-B-C
Double Up Koenig script
Final shooting script 18 may 76
Pink pages 11 june 76
Blue pages 17 june 76
Yellow pages 30 june 76
183 69
Catacombs Of The Moon The Catacombs Of The Moon
Double Up Helena script
Final shooting script 18 may 76
Pink pages 26 may 76
Blue pages 9 june 76
Yellow pages 14 june 76
89 57
Seed Of Destruction Seed Of Destruction Final shooting script 25 may 76
Pink pages 28 june 76
Blue pages 6 july 76
Yellow pages 7 July 76
103 59
The Beta Cloud The Beta Cloud
Double Up Helena script
Final shooting script 11 jun 76
Pink pages 15 jul 76
Blue pages 26 jul 76
129 64
The Beta Cloud Additional Shooting - The Beta Cloud 1 Sept 1976 Unnumbered p1-3, x-xiv
The Beta Cloud Final Additional Shooting Script - The Beta Cloud 16 Sept 1976 113A 21a
Space Warp Space Warp
Double Up Helena script
Final shooting script 13 jul 76
(27 jul 76)
216 69
A Matter Of Balance A Matter Of Balance
Double Up Koenig script
final shooting script 7 jun 76 94 74
A Matter Of Balance A Matter Of Balance
Double Up Koenig script
amended shooting script 20 jul 76
Pink pages 30 jul 76
Blue pages 5 aug 76
Yellow page 9 aug 76
94 67
The Bringers Of Wonder The Bringers Of Wonder Final shooting script 23 jun 76
Pink line amendments and pages undated, 12, 13 Aug 76
4 Blue page amendments 25 Aug 1976
236 128
The Lambda Factor The Lambda Factor Final shooting script 6 aug 76
(2,15,27,28,29 sept, 5 oct 76)
68 69
The Seance Spectre The Mutiny Final shooting script 16 sept 76
Pink pages 1, 4 oct 76
Blue pages 6, 7 oct 76
183 70
Dorzak Dorzak
Double Up Helena script
Final shooting script 4 aug 76
Pink pages 29 oct 76
Blue pages, Line amendments 3 nov 76
72 67
Devil's Planet Devil's Moon
Double Up Koenig script
Final shooting script 9 sept 76
Pink pages 18 oct 76
180 78
The Immunity Syndrome The Immunity Syndrome first draft 4 Mar 76 unnumbered 68
The Immunity Syndrome The Immunity Syndrome Final shooting script 11 oct 76
Pink pages 10 nov 76
Blue pages 18 nov 76
161 73
The Dorcons The Return Of The Dorcons Final shooting script 19 oct 76 153 70
The Dorcons The Dorcons
Revised shooting script 17 nov 76
Pink pages, line amendments 30 nov 76
Blue page 3 dec 76
153 70

Page & Scene number exclude any insertions and deletions.