“Spearhead From Space” EDWE 8

Now I should start by saying something. Parts two, three and four of my Time and the Rani review will be up very soon. When I’ve watched them but for now I will be reviewing the first 3rd Doctor story. Spearhead From Space.

Spearhead from Space is the first episode of a new series. It is as simple as that. You can add the plot and the Autons, but it is, in basics, a typical first episode and it sets the trend for other first episodes. That may sound like an insult, but it is done so well. We see how a new Doctor copes with humans, a new Doctor copes with his regeneration, and we get  a real introduction to what the Doctor, this 3rd Doctor, is like. He is fantastic.

The script is fantastically written by the best Doctor Who writer ever, Mr Robert Holmes. He was a superb writer, and this truly shows what he can do. The humour that is brought through, the reintroduction of UNIT and the introduction of Liz Shaw. The introduction of the Autons and the just generally brilliant writing. There are a few weak points, such as some scenes involving Scobie and also the factory, but the episode is on the whole, brilliant.

Let’s start with the Autons. These are fantastic Doctor Who monsters. They’re cleverly created and put into the script and they are written very well indeed. They are introduced like they’re out of a murder mystery, piecing together the puzzle that forms who they are and what they plan to do. And the scene where they come out from the shop windows, and the orange mist spreads into the air as they fire the gun, is brilliant.

Then we move onto UNIT. I love the UNIT scenes, and the Liz Shaw scenes. They are written brilliantly and they fit in perfectly with how they were created in The Invasion. The Doctor doesn’t quite fit in with them yet, but that fades away and they soon start to work together. We can see that UNIT are needed, we can see just how good they are. There’s no doubt about how good they are, and how good they are with the Doctor. We can see this is the way forward.

The funniest bit for me would have to be the wheelchair escape that the 3rd Doctor makes. The over the top running from Munro (Stop the Ambulance! Shoot at the tyres!") is a bit too much, but the plastic faces of the kidnappers and the evil ways of Channing are creepy and brilliant. Shame they had to ruin the scariness of the plastic faces and replace it with the dadadadadadadadadadada music. Fast paced, yes. Over the top, YES.

But overall, the episode is a real hit. The Doctor is absolutely fantastic, the episode is funny, clever, and chilling and the Autons and UNIT help to make this one of the classics in Doctor Who history. Maybe the bits with the factory bloke in the red tie who can’t drink tea properly are unnecessary, but the story is so good, the monsters so fitting, the episode so clever, funny and chilling it doesn’t matter. This is Doctor Who and it has all the components of it.

This and Tomb of the Cybermen are Doctor Who episodes everyone should watch.

SOMEONE (NOT ME) HAS MADE A MARVELLOUS NEXT TIME TRAILER FOR SPEARHEAD FROM SPACE AND YOU CAN SEE IT BELOW:

So what’s next time? Wait and see…

James