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DOCTOR WHO
THE SEEDS OF DOOM

Written by
Robert Banks Stewart

Part Four

(Overlap from 'You can help me')

[INT. Keeler's lab]

(The DOCTOR leaps down through the skylight and knocks SCORBY over the head with a chair. SCORBY ends up in the fireplace. CHASE releases SARAH's arm amid the confusion. The DOCTOR picks up the gun.)
CHASE: What do you do for an encore, Doctor?
DOCTOR: I win.
(He grabs SARAH's arm and runs out, locking the door afterward. CHASE bangs on the door.)
CHASE: Open this door! Guards! Guards!
(SCORBY comes to and stands, dusting himself off.)
CHASE: Why am I surrounded by idiots! Guards!
(There is a tendril flailing about from within the pod. KEELER is the nearest person, and it attaches itself to him.)
KEELER: Argh! My arm! My arm!
CHASE: Keeler! (running to his side through the glass) It's happened.
GUARD: (entering) What's up?
SCORBY: The Doctor and the girl. Come on!
(He runs out of the room with the GUARD.)

[EXT. Gardens]

DOCTOR: (at a stone archway along a garden path) Get in there and hide. I'll be as quick as I can.
SARAH: You can't tackle them single-handed.
DOCTOR: Oh no, I've got a pistol.
SARAH: But you'd never use it.
DOCTOR: True, but they don't know that, do they?
(SARAH backs out of sight.)

[INT. Keeler's lab]

(KEELER is shaking, groaning, and already turning green. As an enraptured CHASE watches, he removes his white coat.)
CHASE: Amazing.
KEELER: My, my whole body's changing. Look at my arm. Get me to a hospital, please.
CHASE: Don't be ridiculous. We'll look after you here.
KEELER: Do something. You must do something.
CHASE: (taking KEELER's hand in his own gloved one) It's incredible. Absolutely unique.
KEELER: For pity's sake, help me.
(SCORBY follows the DOCTOR at a distance through the mansion. We then see HARGREAVES enter the lab.)
HARGREAVES: What's all this? Oh sir, I hear Mister Keeler i-
CHASE: Mister Keeler is not very well.
HARGREAVES: Mister Keeler!
CHASE: We must get him over to the cottage, where we can look after him properly.
HARGREAVES: What happened, sir?
CHASE: Don't ask questions. Just do it.

[EXT. Courtyard]

(As they manoeuvre KEELER out of the house, GUARDS run past SARAH's hiding place.)
CHASE: Bear up, Keeler.
(Guards can be heard shouting in the background.)

[INT. Keeler's lab]

DOCTOR: Nobody move.
(Recognising that he has no audience, he sets the gun down next to the door and steps over to the pod husk.)
SCORBY: (entering) How predictable. The criminal returns to the scene of the crime.
DOCTOR: I see the pod's burst. Was anyone in the way?
SCORBY: Yeah, Keeler. Very clumsy of him. Where's the girl?
DOCTOR: You're working for a madman, Scorby, you know that?
SCORBY: He pays well, and when it comes to money, Mister Chase and I are of the same religion.
DOCTOR: Franklin Adams, 1881 to 1960, American humourist.
SCORBY: The quotes are over, Doctor. Miss Smith'll never get out of this place alive, and neither will you. (picking up the Doctor's gun) Now, this way. And this time, don't try anything.
DOCTOR: You know-
SCORBY: Not anything!
(The DOCTOR leaves the room, and SCORBY follows. We cut to HARGREAVES unlocking a thatched cottage. He and CHASE support KEELER as they hustle him inside.)

[INT. Compost shed]

SCORBY: Turn around.
(SCORBY throws the DOCTOR down next to several rubbish bins.)
DOCTOR: Can't we talk this over, Scorby?
SCORBY: You're getting a bit unsteady on your feet, Doctor.
(He shoves the DOCTOR into the bins.)
DOCTOR: You're pushing your luck, Scorby.
SCORBY: Just take a seat, Doctor.
(He walks over to a hopper belonging to a crusher with conveyor belt.)
SCORBY: You see our little machine, Doctor?
DOCTOR: Looks as if it's got possibilities.
SCORBY: Oh yes, it has. Distinct possibilities. Did you know we made our own compost?
DOCTOR: Quite right - always put back in the soil what you take out.
SCORBY: Just what Mister Chase says. He never wastes anything that can be used to fertilise his plants. Anything.
DOCTOR: That's very commendable.
SCORBY: (taking the machine gun held by a GUARD and turning on the crusher, whose screws start to turn) It's got a very healthy appetite, Doctor. (to the GUARD) Tie him up.

[INT. Cottage]

(It is now dark out, and SARAH creeps away.
Meanwhile, KEELER lies in a bed in the cottage, where he is tied down. He now appears more plant than man.)
KEELER: What's happening? What have you done?
CHASE: It's for your own good. You mustn't move.
KEELER: You can't keep me here. I need medical attention! Look at me!
CHASE: The rate of increase is astonishing. Remarkable, Keeler. Protein absorption from the animal, of course.
KEELER: What animal?
CHASE: Your own body. We shall have to give you some food soon.
KEELER: Chase, stop behaving like a maniac and get me to hospital.
CHASE: Oh, don't be ridiculous. That would ruin everything. Together we could be on the verge of a great scientific discovery. We must observe the process carefully.
KEELER: Hargreaves, don't listen to him. This is murder.
HARGREAVES: I'm sure Mister Chase is right, sir, and it's for your own good.
CHASE: You're changing into a plant, Keeler. You're privileged. Think of it, a marvellous new species of plant. I shall need some equipment to monitor this experiment.
(He and HARGREAVES leave.)
KEELER: Chase!

[EXT. At the cottage]

(SARAH is watching from the side as the two men exit. She ducks out of sight as they speak.)
HARGREAVES: He might be right, sir. It could be dangerous.
CHASE: Everything will be all right, Hargreaves, just as long as we keep him in there.
HARGREAVES: Very good, sir.

[INT. Chase's botany lab]

SCORBY: Ah, there you are, Mister Chase. We've got the Doctor. I've locked him in the compost room.
CHASE: Good. No sign of the girl?
SCORBY: No, not yet. We've got all the exits covered. She won't get far.
(HARGREAVES sets down a microscope and goes to answer the telephone.)
HARGREAVES: General laboratory. What? Oh, hold on. It's for you, sir. Says it's urgent. Main gate.
CHASE: (into the telephone) Chase. Amelia Ducat? Why'd you let her past the main gate?

[INT. Gatehouse]

WATCHMAN: Sorry, sir. Miss Ducat insists on seeing you, says you owe her money. Well, that's what she says, sir.

[INT. Chase's botany lab]

CHASE: (sighing) Well, get rid of her. I'm in the middle of some very important work, and I can see no-one. Is that clear?

[INT. Gatehouse]

WATCHMAN: I've told her all about that, Mister Chase, but she's very, er, persistent. She's mentioned something about lawyers, sir.

[INT. Chase's botany lab]

CHASE: Lawyers? (covers the handset) Man's a fool. Why am I surrounded by idiots?
SCORBY: Wouldn't it be better to see her, Mister Chase, and avoid any fuss?
CHASE: It might, and it might not. (into the telephone) Have someone bring her up to the library.

[INT. Cottage]

(SARAH enters in the gloom. Hearing moaning from upstairs, she climbs the stairs.)
KEELER: Don't be frightened. (as she cries out) You should be glad. After all, it might have been you.
SARAH: Keeler? What have they done to you?
KEELER: Disgusting, isn't it? Aren't you scared?
SARAH: No, I'm not ... scared. Why are they keeping you here?
KEELER: Chase. Chase owns me body and soul. My body. This must be how Winlett changed. You saw him at the base, didn't you? What was it like? You've got to tell me. What-
SARAH: I'm going to find the Doctor. He knows more about this than anyone else. Now, do you know where he is?
KEELER: I might. Let me loose, and we'll go together.
SARAH: (shaking her head) I can't.
KEELER: I won't harm you.
SARAH: You mightn't mean to, but you would.
KEELER: You're as bad as Chase and the others. You want me to die! You want me to die! No! You want me to die!
(She hides in a cupboard just as HARGREAVES enters, bringing food. KEELER is grunting.)
HARGREAVES: Mister Keeler, try not to distress yourself. Mister Chase ordered this (pausing as he approaches) meal for you, sir. (KEELER seethes.)

[INT. Library]

(DUCAT is sitting by a roaring log fire, puffing on a cigarillo, when Chase enters.)
CHASE: Good evening, Miss Ducat.
DUCAT: Good evening, Mister Chase. I'm sorry to have insisted on seeing you at this hour.
CHASE: Not at all. It's a great pleasure, indeed an honour, to see you again.
DUCAT: I was visiting Lady Chandley nearby. Painting a rare hibiscus in her conservatory.
CHASE: Ah yes, the Venezuelan gobbo. I have several of the species.
DUCAT: Of course, your collection of plants is unrivalled. Even the short safari from the gate is simply packed with interest.
CHASE: What a shame you should come in the autumn. In high summer... ah.
DUCAT: Even so, I think I could set up my easel here to good purpose.
CHASE: At any other time I'd be very happy for you to do so, but just at the moment I have some very pressing business.
DUCAT: What a pity. Never mind. The real reason for my coming won't take up much of your time.
CHASE: Yes, it seems I neglected to pay you for a painting I had from you.
DUCAT: Yes.
CHASE: I offer you my humblest apologies.
DUCAT: Seven hundred and fifty guineas.
CHASE: Guineas?
DUCAT: Plus inflation. Shall we say a round thousand?
CHASE: Pounds.
DUCAT: Done.
CHASE: I'll write you a cheque now.
DUCAT: Magnificent house you have here, Mister Chase.
CHASE: Yes, it is rather fine, isn't it? Most of it was built during the Wars of the Roses. Charmingly named, but rather a bloodthirsty period in history, I always think.
(SCORBY enters.)
SCORBY: Do you want to start the (pausing as he sees DUCAT) recycling experiment, Mister Chase?
CHASE: No. I want to see it. I'll be right there.
(He tears the cheque from his book and hands it to DUCAT.)
CHASE: I apologise for the delay.
DUCAT: Thank you.
CHASE: Mister Scorby will see you out.
DUCAT: What is this recycling experiment? Sounds interesting.
CHASE: Yes. I'm afraid it's something we're keeping rather quiet about just for the moment. Within these grounds there are several private projects going on.
DUCAT: Oh.
SCORBY: This way, madam.
DUCAT: Goodbye.
(HARGREAVES leaves KEELER's room, and SARAH emerges not long after, making her way out. KEELER's breathing is laboured.)

[INT. Compost shed]

CHASE: (entering) So sorry to have kept you waiting.
DOCTOR: Not at all, not at all.
CHASE: I do hope you haven't been bored.
DOCTOR: Oh no, I've been watching your little toy. It's most efficient.
CHASE: Yes, isn't it. The trouble is keeping it stocked up.
(Chase turns off the machine at the wall.)
DOCTOR: Yes, at the moment it's working on an empty stomach. (He laughs lightly.)
CHASE: The next time it starts, we must give it something to bite on. You've noticed how lush the grounds are?
DOCTOR: Oh, yes, yes.
CHASE: This is the secret. We put everything into the grinder. Every scrap of food and gardening waste, lots of other things. Provided they're organic.
DOCTOR: I'm sure you're noted for your tidiness. How is Keeler?
CHASE: Dear Arnold. A brilliant researcher and a dedicated botanist. And now, properly nurtured, he can be of inestimable value to science.
DOCTOR: Nurtured. You don't mean to say you've been feeding him?

[INT. Corridor of the mansion]

(SARAH hears noises and ducks behind a suit of armour. SCORBY escorts DUCAT through a door.)
DUCAT: It is a fascinating house. The mixture of styles is charming. This corridor must be early sixteenth century, is it not?
SCORBY: I'm sorry, history isn't my strong point. Would you mind coming this way, please?
(He rounds a corner, where a GUARD addresses him.)
GUARD: We've covered the south and west sections. There's no sign of the girl.
SCORBY: (cutting him off) Yes, all right, thank you. (to DUCAT) Sorry - we're just doing a bit of a security exercise. Would you excuse me a moment? (to the GUARD) A word in your ear.
(SCORBY leads the guard away. Back around the corner...)
SARAH: Psst! Miss Ducat! Please.
DUCAT: (following SARAH to the side, behind the armour) My dear child, are you all right?
SARAH: That man Scorby mustn't see me. I'm trying to find the Doctor.
DUCAT: What's happening?
SARAH: Will you tell Sir Colin Thackeray at the World Ecology Bureau that we've found the pod but we're trapped here. Please?
(DUCAT steps out as SCORBY reappears.)
SCORBY: Were you talking to someone?
DUCAT: Talking?
SCORBY: I thought I heard voices.
DUCAT: (laughing) That must have been me. I'm always talking to myself. It's old age, you know. Happens to us all. Er, this is the way out, is it not?
SCORBY: Er, yeah, just go straight past...

[INT. Compost shed]

(The DOCTOR is now tied up on the conveyor belt, with his feet closest to the screws.)
CHASE: Right, get out. (the GUARD exits) I shall set the machine on automatic control, which means it will start up again in a few minutes' time. Your death will be agonising, Doctor, but mercifully quick.
DOCTOR: What can I say?
CHASE: Blood and bone contain the most valuable nitrogen elements. Just think. After shredding, your remains will pass automatically through my compost acceleration chamber and within twenty-five minutes you will be pumped into the garden to become part of nature's grand design.
DOCTOR: I still can't think of anything to say.

[EXT. Lane]

(DUCAT approaches a car parked on a quiet lane in the darkness. A man gets out and opens the door for her. Some dialogue cannot be heard here.)
DUCAT: Very kind. There we are.
THACKERAY: Well, what happened?
DUCAT: You were quite right, Sir Colin. The girl and the Doctor have run into trouble.
THACKERAY: And did Chase suspect anything?
DUCAT: I think not. The debt for my picture was a splendid excuse. (She chuckles.)
DUNBAR: You saw the Doctor?
DUCAT: No, but I saw Miss Smith. They've found the pod, but they're both trapped in the house.
THACKERAY: So Chase is behind this, after all?
DUCAT: Well, it would seem so. What are you going to do to help them?
THACKERAY: We'd better alert the Doctor's friends at UNIT. This is getting too big for us.
DUNBAR: No, wait. Let me go in alone.
THACKERAY: You'll never get past the gate.
DUNBAR: Yes, I will. They know me already.
THACKERAY: What...? What do you mean?
DUNBAR: (returning after starting to walk off) I've made a terrible mistake, Sir Colin. It's my duty to try and save the situation.
THACKERAY: I don't understand.
DUNBAR: Give me half an hour. If I'm not back by then, return to London and contact UNIT.

[INT. Keeler's room in the cottage]

HARGREAVES: (entering with another meal, looking down at it) Now, Mister Keeler-
(He sees and hears KEELER, with a sharp intake of breath. Then we see the man-plant, mostly plant. The plate falls to the floor, forgotten, as HARGREAVES runs from the room. Krynoid KEELER rises and makes short work of the ropes tying him to the bed.)

[INT. Compost shed]

(The DOCTOR's conveyor is moving him slowly forward.)
SARAH: (entering) Doctor!
DOCTOR: Quick, Sarah, the button!
(She operates controls at the wrong end of the panel on the wall, and we hear the motor increase in pitch.)
DOCTOR: Not that button, the other one!
(She presses the button on the left, stopping the conveyer belt. She enters the hopper, the back of which lowers.)
SARAH: (starting to untie him) Are you all right?
DOCTOR: Ah, Sarah.
SARAH: What?
DOCTOR: It would have been such a waste!

[INT. Chase's library]

DUNBAR: I warned you not to go too far. You must abandon the experiment, destroy that abomination.
CHASE: The search for knowledge knows no boundaries. This is the most valuable study in plant biology ever made. Nothing will stop me now. I will cultivate the Krynoid.
HARGREAVES: (entering, flustered) Mister Chase! Mister Chase, that thing in the cottage, it's a monster! It's breaking loose!
CHASE: What?
HARGREAVES: The ropes, they're not going to hold it!
DUNBAR: You mean that horror could be roaming around?
HARGREAVES: It could be in the grounds by now.
DUNBAR: I'm going for help. If that thing's free, it will kill us all.
CHASE: I would prefer it if you kept your mouth shut.
DUNBAR: No, it's all gone far enough. I'm going for help.
CHASE: You won't get past the guards!
DUNBAR: (showing a gun) We'll see. (He exits.)
CHASE: Scorby! Get Dunbar!

[INT. Cottage]

(SCORBY chases DUNBAR through the grounds.
Elsewhere on the estate, the DOCTOR and SARAH run into Keeler's room.)
SARAH: It's gone!
DOCTOR: Yes, but where?
(They are back downstairs, where the DOCTOR liberates a sword from over the fireplace. They leave.)

[EXT. Grounds]

(DUNBAR has come across the Krynoid, much bulkier than it was the last time we saw it. He fires at it, with no effect, apart from alerting the DOCTOR and SARAH. When DUNBAR turns to run, he falls. As SARAH grabs a hefty branch, SCORBY and his GUARDS also converge on the spot. DUNBAR screams in abject terror.
When the DOCTOR and SARAH reach DUNBAR, the Krynoid has risen to its full height before his body. The DOCTOR tentatively tries the sword on it. SARAH screams as the plant advances.)

The above notes, transcription, etc. by Anna Shefl

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