| Shakedown: Return of the Sontarans | |
|---|---|
 VHS Release cover | |
| Production | |
| Directed by | Kevin Davies |
| Written by | Terrance Dicks |
| Produced by | Mark Ayres Kevin Davies |
| Executive producer(s) | Gary Leigh |
| Music by | Mark Ayres |
| Running time | 1 episode, 55 mins. |
| First broadcast | 1 December 1994 (release date) |
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 (first introduced in the Third Doctor serial The Time Warrior, and appearing in several subsequent stories) and the Rutans (who were first mentioned in The Time Warrior, and appeared in the Fourth Doctor serial Horror of Fang Rock). 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.
Due to licensing restrictions, the character of the Doctor does not actually appear, nor do any other characters from the series. However several actors from the Doctor Who series do appear in different roles, including Carole Ann Ford, Sophie Aldred and Michael Wisher, alongside Blake's 7 alumni such as Jan Chappell and Brian Croucher.