role of Doctor Ben Vincent. Nagazumi was, at that time, the wife of veteran Space: 1999 director Ray Austin and had been featured in the previous Anderson live-action production, The Protectors. Other major changes would involve the relocation of MacDonald's clan. The original script had them living in a village, with the laird headquartered in a great house and the Alphans attempted immolation occurring in a wooden hut. Budget restrictions would see them moved into the cavern sets constructed for "The Metamorph". This episode would feature the first of several outdoor shoots for the second series. Both Martin Landau and Barbara Bain objected to leaving the confines of Pinewood Studios, so a studio paddock on the back lot became the Scottish Highlands. MacDonald and his clansmen would dress in costumes originally created for Roman Polanski's 1971 feature film version of Macbeth. Attentive viewers would note that Isla Blair, the actress portraying Carla, had appeared in the first-series episode "War Games" under heavy make-up as the female alien. The Alphans' test instrument was revamped from an Ariel satellite seen in "The Last Sunset". Actor Freddie Jones was casting director Lesley de Pettitt's first choice for the role of Charles Logan. Others considered were Ronnie Barker, Colin Blakely, T. P. McKenna, Clive Revill and Patrick Troughton. Other contenders for clan laird MacDonald were Peter Jeffrey and Nigel Davenport. The old crone (played by Peggy Page) who would manacle Koenig and company to the dungeon wall was added by director Tom Clegg. He gave her the backstory of having contracted and recovered from the Plague, thus making her the only clan member to not fear touching the presumably infected prisoners. The actual date for New Year's Day 1339 was 25 March as the Gregorian calendar (which defines the first day of each year as 1 January) was not observed in Scotland until 1600 (and 1752 in England). Novelisation The episode was adapted in the sixth Year Two Space: 1999 novel The Edge of the Infinite by Michael Butterworth published in 1977. This novel was not released in the United Kingdom and only as a limited edition in the United States and Germany. The original German-published novel Der Stahlplanet (The Steel Planet) would provide a sequel to this story as, after a course change, the Moon moves beyond the eclipsing star cluster and contact is re-established with Earth. The Alphans are ultimately transported home,