The Foamasi were a group of criminal reptiles that waged a war with the planet Argolis that lasted for just 20 minutes! The nuclear bombardment made the surface of Argolis uninhabitable, but the surviving Argolins built a Leisure Hive for tourists. Now the Foamasi (an anagram of Mafiosa, the Italian Mafia) want to buy the planet Argolis and so they have infiltrated the Leisure Hive using human disguises!

The Leisure Hive

★★★★☆

TX: 30/08/1980 – 20/09/1980

Written by David Fisher    Directed by Lovett Bickford

The Fourth Doctor and Romana decide to go on holiday to The Leisure Hive on the planet Argolis. Argolis was devastated by a nuclear war with the Foamasi, but the survivors have now built the Leisure Hive for tourists. However, the Foamasi have returned in disguise and they want to buy Argolis, the ultimate defeat for the Argolins! The Slitheen from Aliens of London/World War Three and Boom Town etc. were clearly based on the Foamasi, who also use human skin suit disguises. The Doctor and Romana examine the Tachyonics machines and other Argolin technology. The Doctor is accidentally aged by hundreds of years inside one of the time acceleration devices developed by the scientist Harding. Romana and the Doctor meet a Foamasi who tells them that Brock, a businessman trying to con the Argolins, is actually a Foamasi in disguise. Brock is confronted and the Foamasi capture him. Meanwhile, Mena’s son Pangol has gone mad and decides to use the Tachyonics machine to create an army of clones of himself. However, the Doctor interferes with the machine which causes it to clone him instead. Pangol tries to prevent the Foamasi ship from leaving, tantamount to a declaration of war! Mena takes Pangol inside the time acceleration machine which reverts Pangol back into a baby again. The Doctor tells Romana that he has removed the randomiser from the TARDIS console, so that when they leave they no longer have to live in fear that the Black Guardian might catch up with them (The Armageddon Factor).