Captain Yates' R/T Radio (Cloven Hoof Bar)

Captain Yates' portable R/T radio, used during critical UNIT operations at the Cloven Hoof Bar. In one instance, Yates successfully transmits to Greyhound Two amid a debate about occult texts, drawing attention from Sergeant Benton and Jo Grant. In another, the radio fails during the Doctor's Daemon briefing, producing dead static and underscoring the group's isolation amid the Master's plot. The device serves as a tangible link to UNIT's operational capabilities, highlighting both their effectiveness and vulnerabilities in supernatural crises.

4 appearances

Purpose

Transmit operational updates to Greyhound Two

Significance

Interrupts the Doctor's explanation, shifts focus from ideological clash to real-time UNIT coordination, and highlights tension between immediate threats and broader missions

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

4 moments

S8E23 · The Daemons Part 3

Doctor Rejects Supernatural Evidence

Captain Yates’ R/T device interrupts the debate, its beeping radio transmission serving as a stark reminder of UNIT’s operational reality. The device is a symbol of the military’s need for action and coordination, cutting through the theoretical discussion to ground the team in the immediate crisis. Yates’ use of the R/T to communicate with Greyhound Two highlights the urgency of the situation and the practical constraints the team faces, reinforcing the stakes of the debate.

Before: Carried by Captain Yates, ready for use in the field.

After: Activated and used to communicate with Greyhound Two, its role in the scene fulfilled as a tool of operational necessity.

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S8E23 · The Daemons Part 3

Doctor dismisses supernatural explanations

Captain Yates pulls out his compact R/T (radio transmitter) device amid the smoky Cloven Hoof Bar debate. The radio beeps, cutting through the Doctor’s explanation and forcing him to acknowledge the urgency of the situation. Yates keys the microphone, transmitting to Greyhound Two, and the crackling radio draws Benton’s glance and Jo’s attention. The R/T serves as a stark reminder of UNIT’s operational demands and the real-world consequences of the group’s indecision. Its interruption underscores the tension between the Doctor’s intellectual approach and the immediate need for action, grounding the philosophical debate in the practical realities of the mission.

Before: In Yates’ possession, carried as part of his standard UNIT equipment.

After: Activated and used to transmit a message, reinforcing Yates’ role as the voice of urgency and operational necessity.

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S8E23 · The Daemons Part 3

Doctor reveals Daemon’s invisible threat

Captain Yates' R/T device is pulled out and activated in the smoky Cloven Hoof bar, its static-filled beep cutting through the Doctor's scientific dismissal of Miss Hawthorne's occult texts. The radio serves as a symbol of UNIT's logistical efforts and the team's isolation, as Yates attempts to establish communication with Greyhound Two. The failed transmission underscores the urgency and tension of the situation, highlighting the team's struggle to coordinate their response to the Daemon threat.

Before: In Yates' possession, fully functional but potentially unreliable due to the Daemon's interference.

After: Still in Yates' possession, but the failed transmission indicates ongoing communication difficulties.

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S8E23 · The Daemons Part 3

Ordinary life interrupts cosmic stakes

Captain Yates’ R/T (radio-transmitter) device is a critical but frustrating tool in this moment. As Yates attempts to establish communication with Greyhound Two, the device emits a beeping sound, but the transmission fails, leaving the team isolated. The R/T symbolizes the tension between human technology and the supernatural forces at play—its failure underscores the team’s vulnerability and the limitations of their usual operational tools in the face of the Daemon threat. The object’s role here is to highlight the fragility of UNIT’s communication systems and the urgency of their situation.

Before: Functional but unreliable; Yates holds it in his hand, ready to use, but it has not yet been tested in this scene.

After: Malfunctioning; the attempted transmission to Greyhound Two fails, leaving the device beeping uselessly.

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