| 049 – The Space Pirates | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Doctor Who serial | |||
| Cast | |||
Others
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| Production | |||
| Directed by | Michael Hart | ||
| Written by | Robert Holmes | ||
| Script editor | Derrick Sherwin | ||
| Produced by | Peter Bryant | ||
| Executive producer(s) | None | ||
| Music by | Dudley Simpson | ||
| Production code | YY | ||
| Series | Season 6 | ||
| Running time | 6 episodes, 25 minutes each | ||
| Episode(s) missing | 5 episodes (1, 3–6) | ||
| First broadcast | 8 March 1969 | ||
| Last broadcast | 12 April 1969 | ||
| Chronology | |||
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The Space Pirates is the mostly missing sixth serial of the sixth season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which originally aired in six weekly parts from 8 March to 12 April 1969.
In this serial, the TARDIS materialises in Earth's future on a space beacon just before it is attacked by pirates, led by Caven (Dudley Foster). The travellers find themselves trapped in a sealed section of the beacon that is blown apart and flown to where the pirates will plunder it of the precious mineral argonite. They witness a conflict between the pirates and the Interstellar Space Corps, led by General Hermack (Jack May) and Major Warne (Donald Gee).
This is the second story written by Robert Holmes, one of the show's most successful scriptwriters, who would subsequently become the show's script editor during the Tom Baker era. Only one of the six episodes is held in the BBC archives; five remain missing. Chronologically, this is the last story to contain missing episodes, which makes episode six the last episode of Doctor Who to be completely missing.