Review :: Spearhead from Space & The Dawn of the Third Doctor

Spearhead from Space started airing January 3rd, 1970.

     A rather large storm system wandered somewhat aimlessly & somewhat north-easterly across Kansas overnight, at times bringing rainfall that made the word "torrential" seem more like "sprinkler". Either because of this or some rather unappreciated cosmic joke, I was awake at around 6 o'clock this morning, either unable to sleep or afraid if I did sleep it'd be late afternoon before I stumbled Imhotep-like from the bedroom back to the regularly scheduled, already-in-progress day. It seemed like the perfect time to watch some classic Doctor Who.
     I'd been wanting to watch a Third Doctor serial for awhile & had asked around for thoughts on a good introduction, to which I was instructed to go ahead & just start at the most obvious place, the beginning, so that I might appreciate the evolution of the character. It was a terribly logical argument & since I'm not a necessarily clever person, I couldn't even think of where to start trying to construct a rebuttal; I opted to take the advice & start with the Third Doctor's very first adventure, the start of series 7 of the classic run. I couldn't believe how many "firsts" I came to discover were associated with this fantastic serial but before I get into that, let's do a brief plot fly-by:
     The previous serial, the 10-part Series 6 finale The War Games, ended with the Second Doctor being put on trial by the Time Lords for stealing the TARDIS & breaking the rule of non-interference, his punishment being exiled to Earth & having a regeneration forced upon him. Spearhead from Space (comprised of the first four episodes of Series 7) picks up with the TARDIS appearing on Earth & fresh-off-the-regeneration-line Third Doctor stumbling out. At the same time, strange meteorites have been seen falling in the same area, prompting the appearance of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart & UNIT to investigate. The meteorites are power units for a disembodied alien species known as The Nestene Consciousness (which has an affinity for plastic & can animate humanoid facsimiles, called Autons, made from it) that has taken over a local toy factory. With the help of UNIT & a new companion, Dr. Liz Shaw, the Third Doctor manages to stop The Nestene Consciousness' plot, then choosing to take a position as "scientific adviser" assisting UNIT.

The Third Doctor vs. The Nestene Consciousness.

     Not only was Spearhead from Space my first Third Doctor serial, it had an impressive number of other "firsts" as well. It was the first story of series 7 & the first to feature the great Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor, as well as the first introduction of companion Liz Shaw. It was the first time of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart & UNIT had been featured in a story since The Invasion (the third serial of Series 6) & their first appearance as series regulars. Mentioned for the first time was the knowledge that the Doctor had two hearts, that his blood was not identifiable with any human blood & that he could willfully enter into a coma; although, since we knew he was an alien, I imagine the blood thing wasn't too much of a surprise. This was the first appearance of The Nestene Consciousness & the Autons, whom Russel T. Davies used to re-introduce the series in 2005. It's also the first story to feature both a different Doctor & different companion than were in the previous story, a situation that wouldn't happen again till The Eleventh Hour, the first story of Series 5 of the reboot, which introduced The Eleventh Doctor & Amelia Pond.
     Spearhead from Space was the first Doctor Who serial to be in color & the only story to be shot entirely on 16mm film, due to a strike by BBC employees demanding more pay for operating the more sophisticated color videocameras. This helped, many years later, in adapting the film to new media & Spearhead from Space was the first classic era serial to appear on Blu-ray. Credits-wise, this serial displayed a brand new title sequence & a brand new logo as well as the being the first time an actor was credited as "Doctor Who" as opposed to "Dr. Who".
     It was, for all intents & purposes, a practical reboot of the show, along the lines of the transition between the Tennant & the Smith eras.
     The advice given to me was 100% the best possible advice I could have gotten as this was a phenomenal introduction to The Third Doctor, being a very engaging & well-paced adventure. Pertwee may not look the sort but he is a solid physical comedian & can cornball with the straightest face imaginable, all while duded up like a traveling high-class magician.
     I know that production value & a strange retro-phobia seem to keep some contemporary Doctor Who from investigating the classic era of the show, but I couldn't stress amount of indefinable grooviness one will encounter if they choose to do so. If you haven't yet, then I recommend picking a Doctor & starting at their first adventure. Heck, do this alternately for each Doctor; I've mentioned before my affinity for watching Doctor Who out of sequence & stand by my claim that it's, subjectively at least, the most enjoyable method of experiencing the show.
     My final assessment of Spearhead from Space? Great story & a perfect example for the best parts of both Doctor Who & 1970s science fiction television.