The Ambassadors of Death

(Series 7, Episodes 12-18)

Summary: Doctor Who in 1970 was charmingly optimistic about manned space flight, launching rockets to Mars from Britain with the ease of setting off a firework.  Liz sits around doing nothing, the Doctor rocks a spacesuit, unapologetically bad villain Regan is chillingly ruthless for a teatime show and Ambassadors of Death turns out to be a somewhat misleading title.  And in case you’d forgotten what decade we’re in, there’s a prog rock soundtrack.

Watch it because: Joanna Ross – Control Room Assistant.  This is not just a control room assistant; this is an M&S control room assistant.

Original Air Date: 21 March – 2 May 1970.

Doctor: Jon Pertwee.

Companions: Liz Shaw (Caroline John).

Writer: David Whitaker.

Director: Michael Ferguson.

Producer: Barry Letts.

Available on DVD? Yes, although most of the original colour recordings were destroyed, so it flits between colour and black and white.

Doctor Who and the Silurians

(Series 7, Episodes 5-11)

Summary: Oh, Doctor Who, how far you’ve come: from wobbly cardboard sets to colour and extensive location filming with helicopters.  And yet, and yet, and yet.  Liz spends most of the story hanging around like a spare part, being patronised by men and hampered by her lady parts.  Officious shouty men take on aliens in frogsuits and lose their capacities when confronted by an exhibit from the Natural History Museum.  Amongst all the bellicosity, the Doctor attempts to play peacemaker.

Watch it because: The Doctor and the Brig’s newfound snarky bantz.

Original Air Date: 31 January – 14 March 1970.

Doctor: Jon Pertwee.

Companions: Liz Shaw (Caroline John).

Writer: Malcolm Hulke.

Director: Timothy Combe.

Producer: Barry Letts.

Available on DVD? Yes.

Spearhead from Space

(Series 7, Episodes 1-4)

Summary: Oh, my eyes – all this colour!  Exiled to Earth by the Time Lords, Jon Pertwee’s Third Doctor starts a trend in stealing clothes from hospitals and brings us Doctor Who’s very first steamy shower scene.  The newly minted Third Doctor is also a shoe fetishist and enjoys a good flirt with his eyebrows.  He’s got some competition from the Brigadier, though his flirting is conducted with a considerably stiffer upper lip.  The object of their amour is new companion Liz Shaw, a brilliantly sarcastic and sceptical scientist, brought in by UNIT to investigate some strange plastic meteorites that have fallen from the sky.  Life in plastic – it’s fantastic.

Watch it because: There’s always been something terrifying about shop window dummies…

Original Air Date: 3 – 24 January 1970.

Doctor: Jon Pertwee.

Companions: Liz Shaw (Caroline John).

Writer: Robert Holmes.

Director: Derek Martinus.

Producer: Derrick Sherwin.

Available on DVD? Yes.

The War Games

(Series 6, Episodes 35-44)

Summary: Horrible Histories meets the Crystal Maze as the TARDIS lands its crew in No Man’s Land, 1917, where there are Romans, Unionists, Russians and misogynist Mexicans.  (Alternative episode title: Battle of the Novelty Headwear.)  Jamie is very shouty, Zoe gets another chance to show off her mad memory skillz and, when he runs into another renegade Time Lord, the Doctor realises that the game might finally be up…  Farewell Jamie, farewell Zoe – farewell Patrick Troughton; may your recorder-playing be forgotten forever.

Watch it because: “I was bored!”

Original Air Date: 19 April – 21 June 1969.

Doctor: Patrick Troughton.

Companions: Jamie McCrimmon (Frazer Hines) and Zoe Heriot (Wendy Padbury).

Writer: Terrence Dicks & Malcolm Hulke.

Director: David Maloney.

Producer: Derrick Sherwin.

Available on DVD? Yes.

Coming Soon! Colour! The 1970s!  No more lost episodes!

Lost Episodes IX

The Space Pirates

(Series 6, 29-34)

Significant for: Being the last episode produced by Peter Bryant and the last lost episode – hurray!

The Seeds of Death

(Series 6, Episodes 23-28)

Summary: By jove – another moonbase!  The future really has let me down – where are my moonbases?  This time it’s the Ice Warriors having a pop at the moon.  The heavy breathing, lego-handed Martians are rubbish at hide and seek but love a good foam party.  The Doctor appears to have wandered in from a silent comedy, Zoe outsmarts everyone and Jamie mostly worries about stuff.  Everything is put right by a good old British rain shower.

Watch it because: Classic 60s space race sci-fi.

Original Air Date: 25 January – 1 March 1969.

Doctor: Patrick Troughton.

Companions: Jamie McCrimmon (Frazer Hines) and Zoe Heriot (Wendy Padbury).

Writer: Brian Hayles & Terrence Dicks.

Director: Michael Ferguson.

Producer: Peter Bryant.

Available on DVD? Yes.

The Krotons

(Series 6, Episodes 19-22)

Summary: Join us this week on Doctor Who where the titular Krotons have been designed by small children.  Like all good bad guys, they’re oppressing a primitive population.  The Doctor and Zoe have a nerd-off and Jamie overcompensates for his inferior brain power by starting fights.  Chemistry, Physics' unglamorous cousin, wins the day and the hereditary patriarchy is restored.  Thank goodness.

Watch it because: “Great jumping gobstoppers!” The Second Doctor at his bonkers best.

Original Air Date: 28 December 1968 – 18 January 1969.

Doctor: Patrick Troughton.

Companions: Jamie McCrimmon (Frazer Hines) and Zoe Heriot (Wendy Padbury).

Writer: Robert Holmes.

Director: David Maloney.

Producer: Peter Bryant.

Available on DVD? Yes.