Written by Robert Holmes, Sydney Newman, and Donald Wilson
Directed by Derek Martinus

Doctor Who is a British science fiction television series which has been around off and on since 1963. The main character is just known as “The Doctor” and is a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey. This means he travels through time to various places. One of his favorite places to visit is Earth. Typically, he has a companion traveling with him, usually female, sometimes male, sometimes one of each. He travels in a time machine known as a “Tardis” which is disguised as a British Police booth.

A Time Lord can regenerate if fatally wounded, which has accounted for all the different actors who have played The Doctor throughout the years. In this episode, the Doctor is portrayed by Jon Pertwee. This was the first episode after he regenerated into the third Doctor.

The Doctor during this time was sent to live in exile on Earth. His work there was alongside the likes of Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart (portrayed by Nicholas Courtney) at an organization known as UNIT, designed to protect Earth from extra-terrestrial threats.

In Spearhead From Space, the Brigadier brings in a new scientist named Liz Shaw to UNIT (portrayed by Carolyn John). Coincidentally, there have been reports of meteorites falling to earth in the same area of Essex. A policebox turns up and the Brigadier orders it to be guarded at all costs, while he races to the hospital to see if the man found unconscious beside it is who he thinks it is.

The hospital is already in an uproar as we see it is the Doctor who has returned to Earth. Unfortunately, the Brigadier doesn’t recognize him as the Doctor has regenerated since the two last met. The Doctor manages to make an escape from the hospital in quite a hilarious and spectacular fashion. Unfortunately, his freedom is short-lived, and his condition upon his return continues to mystify physicians at the hospital.

Meanwhile, the “meteors” actually turn out to be living energy. There are beings that have taken over a doll factory, which looks like a cross between the plastic dolls manufactured there and human beings. These beings, to be known as Autons, will go on to be recurring villains in the series. Here they are seeking out the energy balls for their own purpose.

The Doctor finally makes his escape and locates the Brigadier due to a homing device on the TARDIS, which the Brigadier had brought back to UNIT Headquarters. Together, they must all find a way to stop the Autons.

Spearhead From Space is good on so many levels. It marks the first episode for Pertwee as the Doctor, as well as a new companion in Liz Shaw. Normally, when a new character is brought in, the first episode is slow as the characters are developed. Here, the action starts right away and the characters get some development which is a terrific balance. Pertwee seems comfortable in the role right off the bat, which is surprising considering how much is now known about his difficulty with the techno-babble of the series. He’s a much better actor than people give him credit for.

The new setting for the Doctor, as an exile to Earth as a criminal, makes this different than the adventures of other Doctors in the series. They travel all over the universe while the Doctor of the Pertwee area is earthbound. This gives time for his two companions, Liz and the Brigadier, to develop along with him and it works quite well. It’s also beneficial to Spearhead From Space in that there’s no rush to tell us everything about them.

The story with the Autons is great. They are a frightening villain who will turn up again two more times. Their human allies are motivated by their own selfish desires. The acting by the characters, who are the humans who have become Autons, is good and works well. There’s enough similarity for them to be convincing, while the audience can sit there and wonder how those around them don’t see what we do.

The DVD has a good selection of extras, including commentary by Nicholas Courtney and Carolyn John. It’s worth checking out and watching it a second time just for the commentary.

Spearhead From Space is a great start to the story of the third Doctor. Pertwee is already making the character his own with a strong beginning, the new companions aren’t obvious but are given room to grow in their relationship with him. The story here is excellent, incorporating a terrific story with the regeneration of the Doctor, rather than having his regeneration be the focus of the story-arc.



SPECIAL FEATURES:

• Actors Commentary with Carolyn John and Nicholas Courtney
• BBC Trailers
• Information Text
• Who’s Who
• Photo Gallery
• UNIT Recruiting Film