As interesting and innovative as season 7 was, with its obvious Quatermass influences, I don’t know if #DoctorWho could have continued as long as it did with that format. The pendulum inevitably had to swing back a bit to more kid-friendly adventures with monsters and chases.
And with that in mind, goodbye sensible intelligent scientist Liz and hello ditzy stumbling childlike Jo!
Interesting how at this stage the relationship between the Doctor and the Master is portrayed as just ‘occasional adversaries’.
No hint of the whole later backstory of childhood friends turned bitter mortal enemies duelling forever across all time and space. #DoctorWho
Barry Letts really liked experimenting with CSO, didn’t he? (Greenscreen for you under-40s!)
*Obligatory pisstake of Mrs Farrell’s CSO kitchen* #DoctorWho
The Mind Of Evil: what a surprise, it’s the Master again! Though to be fair, this probably was the one time this season that viewers may not have been expecting him.
Love seeing him as a proper Bond villain - fur-lined coat, cigars, chauffeur-driven limo, the works! #DoctorWho
The least foul-mouthed prisoners you’ll ever see on TV. Even in the middle of a riot there’s not a single utterance of a four-letter-word amongst them. 😆
Also very funny how Jo practically takes down the riot single-handedly. #DoctorWho
Lol at the Brigadier’s frustration when the Doctor ingratiates himself with the Chinese diplomats while he’s ignored.
I wish they’d continued these sort of comedy moments with the Brig’s character but *without* turning him into a complete buffoon, as they later do. #DoctorWho
As much as I admire Barry Letts for everything he did with #DoctorWho, there are stories like this that have a real “Oh, that’ll do…” feel to the production.
So many little moments that could be done better with just a little more care and attention given to them. #DoctorWho
The Axons threaten the Doctor and ensure his cooperation by… ageing Jo into an old woman!
And the Doctor reacts in horror as though it’s the most revolting thing he’s ever seen… For someone claiming to be thousands of years old he can be terribly ageist! 😆 #DoctorWho
At times Colony In Space looks like an ideological battle between Colony of the Hairy Hippies vs the Company of Balding Men with Dodgy Hairstyles.
No wonder Caldwell ends up siding with the hippies, as one of the few IMC guys with a moustache. 👨🏻 #DoctorWho
“Don’t bother trying to explain it to him Jo, *he* wouldn’t understand…”
The start of the Brigadier’s character declining into being portrayed as an idiot and the butt of the joke… 😕 #DoctorWho
I’ve usually found this one a bit dull but enjoyed it more this time round. I love the aesthetic of these futuristic Pertwees - 500 years in the future and everyone’s using chunky 70s technology. 😀
A tentative first step towards a return to outer space stories. #DoctorWho
When the Doctor’s apparently frozen to death, they put his ‘body’ on a table in the pub with paying customers nearby.
Imagine if they’d had TripAdvisor reviews back then: “Nice rustic pub. Good beer. Quaint little village. Frozen corpse on table put us right off though. (3/5 stars)”⭐️⭐️⭐️ #DoctorWho
The villagers really are a gullible bunch of prats to fall for the Doctor’s ‘magic’. I know they’ve seen the Master summon Bok, but even so.
And at the end he has a jolly dance around the maypole with them, the same people who wanted to burn him to death an hour ago! #DoctorWho
Love the scene where the Doctor cooly destroys every argument the Controller comes out with to justify his role in this society.
And bring back the Ogrons in the modern show! Make it happen, RTD. With no complications. #DoctorWho
I can’t take Peladon seriously in his ‘principal boy’ pantomime outfit. You expect him to start slapping his thigh any moment.
And really, you’re asking the audience to take the piss by having him loudly proclaim “There is no plot!” 😄 #DoctorWho
The Mutants:
No, I’m not going to say it. Everyone’s said it. It’s an obvious joke that’s been done a million times. I’m going to resist the temptation and will definitely not say that…
…THE OPENING SCENE IS LIKE THE “IT’S!” MAN FROM MONTY PYTHON!!
Goddamnit!
It may be unintentional, but the CSO fringing around characters when they’re in the cave helps add to the disjointed, surreal effect they were aiming for.
And I never noticed before that Sondergaard is not just bald, but also has no eyebrows… 👀 #DoctorWho
Barry and Terrance make a well-meaning but clumsy attempt to address early 70s feminism with the character of Ruth, who’s lumbered with dialogue where every second line of hers begins with:
“Men!”
or
“JUST because I’m a woman you assume…”
We detour into an Atlantean soap opera for the last couple of episodes, with the Master seducing the Queen. Blimey! #DoctorWho
🎵 BOM-CHICKA-WAH-WAH! 🎵
The Three Doctors:
Pat! 😃 Billy! 😃 Not much more to be said really.
Watching these in order and seeing these returns in context has so much more impact. Troughton’s return (and Pertwee’s reaction to him) is joyous. Always sad to see Hartnell’s condition though. 🙁 #DoctorWho
Fair play to Nick Courtney though, who makes the best of it and gets some comedy out of the situation.
Meanwhile in Frazier Hines’ absence Benton becomes a bit of a Jamie-substitute for the second Doctor. #DoctorWho
Gavin Winters
The Hand of Fear