Spearhead from Space (TV story)
Spearhead From Space was the first story of Season 7 of Doctor Who, and was the first story to feature Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor. The story also introduced a new companion, Liz Shaw (Caroline John), and launched a multi-year story arc that saw the Doctor exiled on Earth and working for UNIT as its scientific advisor. Nicholas Courtney, as The Brigadier, becomes a regular -- the first time the series had introduced a character who was not (immediately, at least) considered a companion (although he would come to be considered thus in the future).
Spearhead from Space was the first Doctor Who story of the 1970s (although it was produced in 1969), to be produced in colour, and has the distinction of being the only Doctor Who story (the 1996 TV movie notwithstanding) to be entirely shot in colour on film (the 2005-present revival series is videotaped, with the tapes processed to simulate film).
Synopsis
Exiled to Earth in the late 20th Century and forbidden to continue travelling by his own people the Time Lords, the newly regenerated Doctor arrives in Oxley Woods alongside a shower of mysterious meteorites. Investigating these unusual occurrences is the newly-formed United Nations Intelligence Taskforce (UNIT for short.)
Led by Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, UNIT are soon called into action when people and meteorites start going missing.
Most puzzling of all is the attempted kidnapping of a strange hospital patient: a man with two hearts, who insists that he knows the Brigadier.
The new Doctor soon joins forces with his old friend, UNIT and the recently recruited Doctor Elizabeth Shaw, but time is running out. Irregular things are happening at a nearby plastics factory, while faceless creatures lurk in the woods. The Nestenes have arrived, and want to conquer the Earth...
Plot
Episode one
It is the late 20th century, and on Earth at a nearby tracking station, a man is scanning the screen and calls for his friend quickly. She comes in, and he shows her what looks like a meteorite storm. The meteorites appear to be flying in formation. In Oxley Woods, a local poacher, Sam Seeley, sees the meteorites falling to the ground, and runs for shelter. As he comes out, he finds one of the meteorites pulsing with energy.
The TARDIS materialises in Oxley Woods, and the newly regenerated Doctor emerges and collapses to the ground. Meanwhile at UNIT, a car arrives. Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart interviews Doctor Elizabeth Shaw of Cambridge University for the position of UNIT scientific advisor. She is rather dubious at the prospect, and openly derisive of the Brigadier's claim that Earth has interacted with alien races.
The Brigadier mentions a mysterious man known only as "the Doctor" who had aided UNIT in the past, but is now nowhere to be found. The Doctor has been discovered by a UNIT patrol and brought to Ashbridge Cottage Hospital. Captain Monroe telephones the Brigadier and tells him the Doctor is in the hospital. He then tells him about the police box, and the Brigadier tells him he wants it to be guarded.
At the hospital, Doctor Henderson discovers the Doctor's blood supply is different and that he has two hearts. Doctor Henderson telephones Doctor Lomax, and Doctor Lomax tells him the Doctor has alien blood. He explains to Doctor Lomax that he took the blood sample himself and even though the Doctor's blood is different, he still has to look after him. He puts the telephone down and leaves. A porter called Mullins telephones the press and tells them about the "man from space" in the hospital. Meanwhile in Oxley Woods, Sam Seeley has returned for the meteorite.
Suddenly, he hears voices, and looks through the trees to see 3 soldiers. At the hospital, the Doctor wakes up, and leans over the side of his bed, looking for his shoes, but the nurse puts him back into his bed. Doctor Henderson comes in. The nurse tells him the Doctor tried to get out of bed, but she soon discovers he has fallen asleep again.
A car pulls up outside the hospital, and the Brigadier and Liz Shaw step out of it. Inside the hospital, the lobby is overrun with the press who are asking a soldier about the hospital's mysterious patient who appears to have two hearts. Among the press is a mysterious gentleman named Channing. The Brigadier and Liz Shaw enter, and the press ask the Brigadier about the "man from space." He tells them he knows nothing about a "man from space". They also ask him about the meteorites, but the Brigadier tells them he is busy, and will talk to them later. The Brigadier and Liz enter the room, and introduce themselves to Doctor Henderson. He tells the Brigadier and Liz that the Doctor's blood is different to anybody else's, and it can't be identified.
The Brigadier is alerted to the Doctor's presence. Liz asks the Brigadier if he knows him, but having changed his appearance, he doesn't recognise him and that he has never seen him before in his life. The Doctor awakens and recognises the Brigadier, however. He borrows a little mirror from Liz and realises he has changed his appearance. He then falls asleep again. The Brigadier orders the Doctor to wake up, but Doctor Henderson tells him he needs to rest. So instead, the Brigadier tells his assistant Monroe to take the Doctor to UNIT HQ, and also tells him to look for the meteorites. Doctor Henderson offers the Brigadier the way out. A man from the press called James Stevens sees the Brigadier leaving, and tells his friend Jimmy he must have left from the back door. Jimmy asks Mullins when he and the press can be let in, but Mullins tells them they will have to wait.
James goes to telephone the office, but then discovers Channing in a telephone box. He asks which newspaper he is on, but Jimmy says he does not know. Mullins comes over and says Channing must have come in with them. James kindly asks Channing if he could use the telephone box so Channing crossly leaves. Meanwhile, Sam Seeley is leaving Oxley Woods, but he is stopped by a UNIT soldier. The soldier tells him the woods are restricted. He then discovers that Sam is a poacher. He asks him if he saw the patrols and Sam says they didn't see him. He tells Sam Seeley to leave and not to come back into the woods until they are derestricted. He asks the soldier about the thunderballs (the meteorites) and tells him he knows where to find one of them. He asks Sam if he knew where one landed, and Sam says he was just asking. The soldier then tells him to push off, so Sam does.
At the hospital, the Doctor wakes up, and leans over the side of his bed again looking for his shoes, but the nurse tells him he's not going anywhere. Doctor Henderson enters again, and the nurse tells him the Doctor's pulse has settled down. Doctor Henderson asks the Doctor how he's feeling but the Doctor just says: "Shoes." The nurse tells Doctor Henderson that he is worrying about his shoes, and that he thinks someone has stolen them. Doctor Henderson asks where they might be, and the nurse tells him they are probably in his locker. Doctor Henderson takes them out and gives them to the Doctor who snatches them out of his hands, and hugs them. The nurse remarks that the Doctor has been behaving very oddly, so Doctor Henderson tells he will take the Doctor's blood pressure again.
The Doctor wakes up, finds the TARDIS key in his shoe, and attempts to leave. But as he gets out of his bed, Channing's associates appear. They knock Doctor Henderson out and put tape over the Doctor's mouth. They then put him in a wheelchair and kidnap him. Doctor Henderson wakes up and discovers he has gone, and chases after him but is stopped by a UNIT soldier. Outside the hospital, Channing's associates move the Doctor and his wheelchair into the ambulance, but the Doctor escapes in his wheelchair. The ambulance drives off, but a UNIT soldier shoots the tyres and it stops. The Doctor meanwhile leaves his wheelchair and returns to the TARDIS on foot. Manroe and another soldier find the Doctor's wheelchair and start searching for him. The Doctor reaches Oxley Woods but as he crashes through the trees, he is shot down by a UNIT soldier guarding the TARDIS, and collapses once again.
Episode Two
The soldiers go over to where the Doctor collapsed. The Doctor is returned to the hospital, and the Brigadier questions Doctor Henderson about how the Doctor collapsed, and Doctor Henderson says the Doctor could have been shot. Before the Brigadier leaves the hospital, Doctor Henderson shows him the TARDIS key, and says the Doctor must have been really hanging onto it. The Brigadier tells Manroe to take the police box to UNIT Headquarters. Manroe shows him the broken up meteorite and says it was destroyed when it hit the ground. He then shows him a picture of Channing. At a nearby plastics factory called Auto Plastics, John Ransome is visiting the manager, George Hibbert.
Ransome argues with Hibbert and asks him what is inside his old workshop, but Hibbert tells he would be better to stay away from his workshop and the factory. Just then, Channing appears in the room, and watches Ransome leave the factory. He then encounters Hibbert and hypnotises him. Meanwhile, Sam Seeley has removed the meteorite from an old trunk in the garden shed and is taking a look at it. Just then, his wife Meg Seeley comes into the garden. Sam hurriedly pushes the meteorite out of sight into the shed. Meg inspects the trunk to make sure Sam isn't hiding stolen goods in it. After seeing that it's empty, she tells Sam she won't have the dirty old trunk in the house. After she goes back in the house, Sam again hides the meteorite in the trunk. At UNIT, Liz Shaw tells the Brigadier that he will be able to open the police box with the key. The Brigadier welcomes General Scobie inside and introduces him to Liz. He asks what the police box is doing inside the lab, and with an ironic look, Liz tells him it is a spaceship.
At the hospital, the Doctor heads into the bathroom to have a shower. He then finds a black hat and coat and escapes from the hospital in a car. Meanwhile, Manroe and some soldiers have found another meteorite. In Oxley Woods, a plastic creature known as an Auton tracks down the signal from the meteorite. At UNIT, the Brigadier tries to open the TARDIS again, but Liz tells him he has the wrong key. As a soldier drives off to UNIT, he is distracted by the Auton and the UNIT truck crashes into a tree. The Auton takes the meteorite back to UNIT. At Ransome's old workshop, Hibbert tells Channing that General Scobie will soon be on his way. Meanwhile, the Doctor reaches UNIT and orders the UNIT commissionaire that he wants to see the Brigadier at once.
The commissionare tells the Brigadier the Doctor has arrived. The Doctor enters the lab and meets the Brigadier. He shows him a watch that acts as a direction finder to the TARDIS. The Doctor says that he will try testing on the TARDIS, but the Brigadier tells him to stay where he is, as he has a lot of questions to ask the Doctor, but the Doctor tells him he has lost his memory. The Brigadier asks the Doctor hows he is he to know the Doctor is not an impostor, but the Doctor tells him that only he himself knows that. The Doctor looks at himself in a mirror and thinks he looks very smart. He then introduces himself to Liz Shaw, and the Brigadier tells him he was involved in the meteorite show that took place just yesterday.
The Doctor investigates the broken bits of the meteorite, and finds them rather exciting. The Brigadier asks the Doctor if he would enjoy helping UNIT out, and the Doctor asks him if he will give him the key to the TARDIS, and the Brigadier replies: "Possibly". The Doctor then asks him how many meteorites came down and the Brigadier says there were 50 of them. The Doctor then asks him if there were any fragments, and the Brigadier says there was one which caused an accident and disappeared. The Doctor finds the Brigadier's question obvious, and tells him that when the soldiers went to look for them, they had been collected and taken somewhere.
Meanwhile, Ransome has returned to the Auto Plastics factory. He climbs over a high wall, and enters the factory grounds. In Hibbert's office, General Scobie is with Hibbert and Channing who are showing him a plastic dummy, and kindly offer him the way out. Outside, Ransome is in the factory grounds. He enters the factory, climbs up the staircase and breaks into his old workshop to find it full of new modern electronic equipment and a line of blue coated Autons. As he inspects a strange computer-like device, he hears a noise from behind him. He turns around and is horrified to see an Auton step down from a plinth and stop in front of him.
Episode three
The Auton takes the cover off its hand, showing a small nozzle. It tries to shoot Ransome with an energy bolt, but he gets out of the way. He escapes from his workshop, and runs down the fire escape next to the factory with the Auton chasing him. Outside the factory, the Auton prepares to shoot Ransome again, but it sees Channing coming and reenters the building. General Scobie is saying goodbye to Channing and Hibbert. Channing tells him that once the model of him has made, he can take a look at it. Meanwhile, Ransome climbs over the factory wall and goes to UNIT. He runs out into Oxley Woods, and collapses.
Inside a UNIT tent, he wakes up, has a warm cup of tea, and tells the soldiers about the Auton that he encountered in his workshop. The swarm leader Auton is sent to retrive the meteorite that Sam Seeley found. Manroe questions Sam Seely about the meteoites and he tells him that he calls them: " thunderballs." Channing discovers the Auton lost Ransome. Hibbert says there is one meteoite missing, the swarm leader, but Channing tells him the Autons will find it. In the Brigadier's office, Ransome is telling him about the Auton as well. In the laboratory, the Doctor tries a test take off on the TARDIS, but he only produces a lot of smoke before realising that his TARDIS has been disabled by the Time Lords, and he is trapped on Earth. Back in the UNIT tent, Manroe orders Sam Seely to find the meteorite at once.
At Brook Cottage, Meg Seeley is opening a trunk in the shed and inside is the meteorite – the swarm leader. Suddenly, she hears a strange noise coming from inside the house. She enters the house and encounters an Auton, which has broken in and is knocking things over in its search for the swarm leader. Meg runs outside into the garden and gets Sam's shotgun out of the shed. When the creature emerges into the garden, Meg loads the gun, aims it and warns the Auton that if it doesn't leave, "I'll blow a hole in you!" The Auton ignores the warning, and keeps advancing. Meg opens fire, but the blast has no effect on the Auton. The creature knocks Meg aside and goes into the shed. When UNIT arrive at the cottage, they enter the living room looking for Sam Seeley. They run out into the garden and find the Auton, and Meg lying unconscious.
The soldiers and the Brigadier shoot at the Auton; it escapes, but is forced to leave the swarm leader behind. In Channing's workshop, Channing tells Hibbert the swarm leader has been taken by some UNIT soldiers. Hibbert asks why the Auton didn't kill the soldiers and Channing tells him he recalled it. He then tells Hibbert UNIT must be delayed. Suddenly, he discovers Ransome is in the area and he orders him to be destroyed.
At Brook Cottage, Liz puts a blanket over Meg Seeley while the Brigadier goes to telephone for an ambulance. The Doctor investigates the meteorite and tells Liz the signal for it must have been muffled by the metal from the trunk it was in. Liz tells him to be careful with it as it might explode, but the Doctor tells her it will be alright as long as they treat it gently. Liz is worried that the swarm leader will return for it. Meanwhile, the swarm leader finds Ransome in the UNIT tent, and then under Channing's orders "Destroy! Total destruction!" kills him by shooting him. There is a flash of light and Ransome explodes.
The Brigadier wonders where Ransome is, and asks a soldier, but the Doctor says Ransome must be at the plastics factory. The Doctor meets Hibbert in his office, and tells him about Ransome and the Autons. Afterwards, Hibbert kindly offers them out. At UNIT HQ, the Brigadier telephones his regular army contact General Scobie to ask for support in investigating Auto Plastics. Scobie agrees to meet the Brigadier but hangs up as there is a knock at his front door. He walks over to the door and opens it to reveal an exact replica of himself. It walks in throught the doorway, turns around and advances towards Scobie.
Episode Four
At UNIT, the Doctor and Liz are investigating the meteorite, and the Doctor says that inside it, it contains a brain. Just then the buzzer sounds and the Brigadier picks up the telephone. It is General Scobie's repilca. He tells the Brigadier the factory is locked and that he has some important work to do at the moment. Before the Brigadier can argue with him, he hangs up, so the Brigadier crossly puts the phone down. He tells the Doctor the replica of General Scobie must have been made by Madame Tussauds, a waxworks in London. The next morning, the Doctor and Liz visit Madame Tussauds, and discover hundreds of dummy replicas of important people replicas. The Doctor discovers that all the replicas are made of plastic. He investigates a model of General Scobie and discovers a watch on his wrist. He realises it is the real General Scobie, because the Autons have turned him into a dummy. The Doctor telephones the Brigadier, but Captain Manroe tells him he is not in.
The Doctor then tells Manroe he willl call him later. In the factory workshop, Channing shows Hibbert a tank containing a body of an alien called the Nestene Consciousness. He tells Hibbert that the meteorites have created a body for the creature. Hibbert says the swarm leader has vanished, but Channing tells him they have the help of General Scobie's replica. He also says that tonight, the Autons will be activated. In the Doctor's lab, General Scobies' replica is with Captain Manroe, and orders him to give him the last meteorite. Meanwhile at the waxworks, Hibbert turns off the lights and leaves the room. The Doctor enters the dark room with a torch. Liz is frightened, but the Doctor tells her there is nothing to be scared of.
Just then, the Doctor and Liz hide behind a curtain, and Channing and Hibbert enter the room. From behind the curtain, the Doctor and Liz watch as the dummies leave the room. The Doctor meets Hibbert and tells him about the Auton that killed Ransome. Hibbert tells the Doctor he had to kill Ransome because Channing told him to, but the Doctor hypnotises him to believe that Channing is controlling his mind and that he is Hibbert's enemy. Hibbert says that Channing is his partner. The Doctor tells Hibbert he has to escape from Channing and asks him to come to UNIT so he can help him. But just then, Channing enters the room again and finds Hibbert standing around, so Hibbert leaves the room.
The Doctor and Liz tell the Brigadier that Channing and Hibbert have left the waxworks, and tell him he has to move against the factory quickly. In Channing's workshop, General Scobie's replica tells Channing that if the Doctor and UNIT move against him, he will stop them. Channing takes the meteorite and puts it under a pipe. It sucks the meteorite into the Nestene's
body. Channing tells Scobie's replica that in the morning, the Autons will be activated. In the lab, the Doctor is building a device to destroy the Autons.
At dawn the Autons are activated. They break out of a shopping centre and kill lots of people. Back in the lab, the Brigadier tells the Doctor that the invasion of the Autons has started. The Doctor shows him the weapon that will destroy the Autons. The Brigadier tells the Doctor his headquarter staff can help the Doctor destroy the Autons. In Channing's workshop, Hibbert, who is now free of Channing's control, uses a metal pipe to open the tank containing the Nestene, but breaks a small button on the tank. Channing enters and stops Hibbert and tells him he should not have left the factory grounds but Hibbert tells him that he has been controlling his mind. Channing tells him that he is part of the Nestenes.
The Nestenes have conanising other planets for a thousand years, and now they will conanise Earth. Meanwhile, the Doctor and the soldiers leave UNIT and head for the factory. Channing tells Hibbert there is nothing he can do. Hibbert attempts to kill Channing and the Autons by hitting the tank with the pipe but an Auton sees what he is doing so it shoots him with an energy bolt and he dies. Channing gives his orders to the Auton: "Destroy! Total destruction!" and Hibbert explodes.
The Doctor and the soldiers reach the plastics factory. The Doctor opens the door, and everyone enters the factory grounds. Just then, General Scobie's replica arrives with his men, and tells the Brigadier that he and his men are under arrest. The Doctor points his device at General Scobies' replica and kills him. A soldier tells the Doctor he has ki
lled General Scobie, but the Doctor tells him he was never really alive.
Meanwhile, the real General Scobie finds himself in the waxworks. The Doctor and Liz enter the factory and the Doctor attacks a passing Auton. An army of Autons enter the grounds. The soldiers attack them but they discover the creatures can not be destroyed by gunfire. The Doctor and Liz enter Channing's workshop. The Doctor discovers the Nestene's body and tells Channing that with his device, he can destroy him and the Autons, but Channing says that: "No one can destroy the Nestenes!" and turns up the tank to full power.
The Doctor discovers that the Nestene Consciousness has created a monstrous tentacled body for itself. He tries to destroy it with his weapon, but discovers it is not working. The creature roars in anger, and wraps it's tentacles around his mouth. As the Doctor struggles with the creature's tentacles, Liz finds the trouble: it is a loose connection. She repairs it and uses the Doctor's machine to shut the Nestene Consciousness down and send it back into space. Without the motive power of the Consciousness, the Autons have no more power and they collapse. Liz is glad to see the Doctor is ok, but then she discovers Channing. He has been revealed to be no more than a sophisticated Auton, and has likewise been deactivated.
At UNIT HQ, the Doctor tells Liz he has to return the hat and coat, because he borrowed them from the hospital and he has to return the car as well. The Brigadier floats the offer to the Doctor to let him work on a means to escape Earth while meanwhile helping UNIT stop future alien invasions. The Doctor, with misgivings, agrees, and Liz also agrees to become his new assistant. The Brigadier goes to prepare the paperwork and asks the Doctor what his name is. "Smith", says the Doctor. "Doctor John Smith".
Cast
- The Doctor - Jon Pertwee
- Liz Shaw - Caroline John
- Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart - Nicholas Courtney
- Channing - Hugh Burden
- Sam Seeley - Neil Wilson
- Mullins - Talfryn Thomas
- Captain Jimmy Manroe - John Breslin
- Doctor Henderson - Antony Webb
- Nurse - Helen Dorward
- Corporal Forbes - George Lee
- UNIT Officer - Tessa Shaw
- Technician - Ellis Jones
- Michael Wagstaffe - Allan Mitchell
- 2nd Reporter - Prentis Hancock
- Major General Scobie - Hamilton Dyce
- Doctor Beavis - Henry McCarthy
- George Hibbert - John Woodnutt
- John Ransome - Derek Smee
- Meg Seeley - Betty Bowden
- Sergeant - Clifford Cox
- Attendant - Edmund Bailey
Uncredited
- UNIT Commissionaire - Derrick Sherwin
- General Scobie's Replica - Hamilton Dyce
- UNIT Soldiers- Roy Brent, Alan Cooper, Victoria Croxford, Trevor Cuff, Antonio De Maggio, Dave Dewhurst, Rachel Hipwood, Michael Horsburgh, John Hughes, Marie Johnson, June Johnson, Arthur Judd, Vicky Maxine, Patrick Milner, Dave Mobley, Robert Needham, Iain Smith, Hugh Wood
- Voice of Doctor Lomax - Ellis Jones
- Auto Plastics- Constance Carling, Christine Bradley, Denis MacTighe, Brian Nolan, Lindy Russell, Rosemary Turner, Robert Windman
- Extras - Barry Ashton, Keith Ashley, Bernadette Barry, David Billa, Joy Burnett, Arnold Chazen, Alan Clements, Diana Collins, Fred Davis, Gary Dean, Grace Dola, Michael Earl, Walter Goodman, Alan Granville, June Gray, Michael Harrison, Denis Haywood, Roger Houghton, Derek Hunt, Alfred Hurst, Brian Justice, Vi Kane, Peter Kaukus, Barry Kennington, Leonard Kingston, Sheila Knight, Gideon Kolb, Doris Lang, Kenneth Lindford, Norman Littlejohn, Reg Lloyd, Anthony Maine, Claire Maine. Bill Matthews, David Melbourne, Roger Minnis, Lola Morrice, Robert Murphy, Lesley Pates, Maurice Quick, Henry Rainer, Laurence Ross, Christopher Rushton, Tom Segal, Maurice Selwin, Keith Simon, John Spradbury, Sandy Stel, Cara Stevens, Cy Town, Hein Viljoen, Sonny Willis
Crew
- Assistant Floor Manager - Liam Foster
- Costumes - Christine Rawlins
- Designer - Paul Allen
- Film Cameraman - Stan Speel, Robert McDonnell
- Film Editor - William Symon, Adam Dawson
- Incidental Music - Dudley Simpson
- Make-Up - Cynthia Goodwin
- Producer - Derrick Sherwin
- Production Assistant - Peter Grimwade
- Script Editor - Terrance Dicks
- Special Sounds - Brian Hodgson
- Theme Arrangement - Delia Derbyshire
- Title Music - Ron Grainer
- Visual Effects - John Horton
References
- The Doctor can communicate with his eyebrows in the language of the planet Delphon.
- The Time Lords have changed the dematerialisation codes for the TARDIS.
- UNIT have monitoring stations and a London HQ.
- The Doctor uses the name John Smith, first used in The Wheel in Space.
- This episode contains a lot of new information about the Doctor's physiology. We discover the Doctor has a binary vascular system, that his blood type isn't comparable to any human one, and that he can willfully go into a coma. This is also the first time that we see regeneration as a difficult physical process, with lingering effects.
- Unlike the Fourth, Fifth and Seventh Doctors (DW: Robot, Castrovalva, Time and the Rani), the Third Doctor immediately recognises people he's known in his previous body. In this instance, he recognises Lethbridge-Stewart the first time he sees him. On the whole, the Third Doctor endures the effects of regeneration in much the same way that the Tenth Doctor did (DW: The Christmas Invasion).
- The rationale the Brigadier gives Liz for aliens suddenly being interested in Earth is used, almost word-for-word, by the Tenth Doctor, when he tries to explain to Prime Minster Harriet Jones why the Sycorax won't be the last aliens to visit Earth. (DW: The Christmas Invasion)
Story notes
- This is the first story featuring Jon Pertwee as the Doctor, as well as the first appearance of companion Liz Shaw. It is also the first apperance of the villain known as the Nestene Consciousness and its servants the Autons.
- There is a new title sequence designed by Bernard Lodge (who designed the previous title sequence).
- Though the title sequence that debuted in this story remained the same over the next few years, it was only in the this story that the title of the story zoomed towards the screen, this was only repeated for The Ambassadors of Death (However unlike this story, only part of the story's title-"The Ambassadors"-zoomed towards the screen while the other words-"of Death"-appeared in full size when a 'sting' sound was heard)
- There are scenes featuring real waxworks shot at Madame Tussaud's in London.
- This story had the working title of Facsimile.
- Due to a scene-shifters' strike, this story is completely shot on film and almost completely on location. Discounting the 1996 TV movie, it is the only Doctor Who story in franchise history to be shot completely on film; the 2005-present revival is actually shot on videotape, which is digitally remastered to look like film.
- The actor playing the Doctor is credited for the first time as 'Doctor Who' in the closing credits as opposed to 'Dr. Who' which had been the norm since 1963. This form of credit would continue until the end of the Tom Baker era in 1981, after which the credit became the correct form, 'The Doctor'.
- Among the props seen on the Doctor's workbench is the Morok freezing machine from The Space Museum (which was recycled previously as an x-ray laser in The Wheel in Space), and a control panel from one of Tobias Vaughn's machines, from The Invasion, in addition to which one of the original studio models of Cyber Ship from The Invasion would later appear as a large piece of lab equipment in this story.
- This was the first of two times a new incarnation fought the Autons; also, this was the first of three times the Autons appeared in a season opener. The Daleks are the only other adversary to have started three seasons/series'.
- This serial first establishes that the Doctor has two hearts. Before this, it was only suggested that he only had one.
Ratings
- Episode 1 - 8.4 million viewers
- Episode 2 - 8.1 million viewers
- Episode 3 - 8.3 million viewers
- Episode 4 - 8.1 million viewers
Myths
to be added
Filming locations
- Location filming took pace at the BBC facility of Wood Norton near Evesham and in the nearby pub in Radford.
- Madame Tussauds in London
- Kings Cross Station (Underground Car Park shots)
- Ealing, London (specifically Ealing High Street, Ealing Broadway, and Lancaster Road - the Auton attack starts in the Shop window of John Sanders' Department Store in Ealing Broadway: a Marks & Spencers Store now stands on the site)
- Favourite Dolls Factory, Holloway, London (Auto Plastics Factory)
- Royal Horticultural Society Gardens, Wisley, Surrey (where the TARDIS first materialises)
- Hatchford Park, Hatchford, Surrey (= "Ashbridge Cottage Hospital")
Production errors
- The TARDIS materialisation in Episode one has a disjointed cut from model footage to location footage.
- At the start of episode two the Doctor clutches his head before being shot.
- At the start of Episode Three, there are three errors: The Auton takes the cover off its hand, Ransome turns around quickly, and he has a different gasping noise.
- The freshly regenerated Doctor has a visible tattoo on one arm (which can be seen during the shower sequence).This was the mark made by the Time Lords to signify the Doctor was an exile. (NA: Christmas on a Rational Planet)
- In episode 4 in the little cottage when the woman walks in to find an Auton it cuts to the Auton and then back to the woman when she screams. Then to an extreme close up of the Auton. Look carefully and you can see that its right eye blinks.
- In the beginning of episode one, the Doctor almost pulls the TARDIS's doors off when he faints.
- During the conference in Episode One between the Brigadier and Liz Shaw, listen carefully to the Brigadier's voice following the line "Aren't you being a bit alarmist?" His reply "Since UNIT was formed there have been two attempts to invade this planet" is in a different voice (that sounds suspiciously like Jon Pertwee doing a post-production impression of Nicholas Courtney).
Continuity
- This story appears to continue on immediately from DW: The War Games, in which we last see the Doctor apparently beginning his transformation and being sent to Earth to begin his exile.
- The Autons and the Nestenes reappear in: DW: Terror of the Autons, PDA: Synthespians™, PDA: Business Unusual, DW: Rose, DW: The Pandorica Opens and DW: The Big Bang.
- UNIT last appeared in DW: The Invasion
- The Doctor's exile lasts until DW: The Three Doctors.
- The freshly regenerated Doctor has a visible tattoo on one arm (which can be seen during the shower sequence). NA: Christmas on a Rational Planet suggests that this tattoo was applied to the Doctor by the Time Lords to mark him as an exile or criminal.
- When asked by Liz what discipline he is a doctor of, the Doctor replies "Practically everything." He reportedly gives a similar response (off-screen) during his tenth incarnation. (DW: Utopia)
- The Doctor mentions the Delphon language which only uses eyebrow movement. This language is mentioned again by the Tenth Doctor in DW: Planet of the Dead.
- In an alternative timeline, the Doctor's exile on Earth did not begin until 1997. Consequently, he was unable to act as UNIT's scientific advisor, meaning that UNIT were forced to fend for themselves in the numerous alien incursions of the 1970s. In this instance, the Autons were defeated through the "plastic purges," which had a severe effect on the British economy. (BFDWU: Sympathy for the Devil)
Timeline
For the Doctor
- This story occurs after: TVC: The Night Walkers
- This story occurs before: TVC: The Arkwood Experiments
For the Brigadier
- This story occurs after: DW: The Invasion
- This story occurs before: DW: The Arkwood Experiments
Home video and audio releases
DVD release
Released as Doctor Who: Spearhead from Space, this release was slipped into the DVD schedule by BBC Worldwide so that a second DVD could be released in 2000. In the event, the DVD was delayed till the following year.
Released:
- Region 2 29 January 2001
- PAL - BBC DVD BBCDVD1033
- Region 4 15 April 2002
- Region 1 11 September 2001
- NTSC - Warner Video E1120
Contents:
- UNIT Recruitment Film
- Trailer
- Photo Gallery
- Production Subtitles
- Easter Egg (Test Footage for the titles sequence.)
- Commentary: Nicholas Courtney and Caroline John
Rear Credits:
- Starring Jon Pertwee
- By Robert Holmes
- Produced by Derrick Sherwin
- Directed by Derek Martinus
- Incidental Music composed by Dudley Simpson
Notes:
- The Fleetwood Mac song Oh Well - Part One was removed from the 2001 DVD release due to music licensing issues - becoming the first of several stories (others include DW: The Chase and Remembrance of the Daleks) to require reediting to remove certain pieces of music.
- Editing for DVD release completed by Doctor Who Restoration Team.
- 3a-dvd.jpg
Region 2 DVD cover
Region 4 DVD cover
Region 1 DVD cover
Special Edition re-release
Released as Doctor Who: Spearhead from Space: Special Edition.
Released:
Contents:
- Commentary by Derrick Sherwin and Terrance Dicks.
- "Down to Earth" documentary
- "Regenerations - From Black and White to Color" documentary
- Radio Times Listings - PDF
- All previous special features
Notes:
- This will be released as part of a boxset called Mannequin Mania, which also includes the first DVD release of Terror of the Autons. The Fleetwood Mac song Oh Well Part One will appear on the DVD, having been removed from the previous releases of the story (except the 1995 VHS release).[1]
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Region 2 Box Set
Region 2 cover
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Region 4 Box Set
VHS releases
Released as Doctor Who: Spearhead from Space.
Released:
Notes: Released in an edited movie-format, with the Fleetwood Mac song Oh Well - Part One removed.
- Second Release:
- PAL - BBC Video BBCV5509
Notes: Released unedited.
1987 release (BBCV 4073)
1987 Cover
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1995 Cover
1990 AUS VHS cover
Novelisation and its audiobook
- Main article: Doctor Who and the Auton Invasion
- This story was novelised as Doctor Who and the Auton Invasion in 1974 by Terrance Dicks. This was the first original release in the Target Books novelisation line (the first three books were reprints of earlier publications). The Target novelisations line continued into the 1990s.
- In 2008 BBC released The Auton Invasion in an audiobook read by Caroline John (Liz Shaw).
Unofficial prequel
In the mid-1990s, production began on a fan film entitled Devious, which takes place prior to Spearhead from Space and featured Jon Pertwee as the Doctor. Pertwee died soon after filming his scenes and as of 2009 the film remains a work in progress. Although not authorised by the BBC, a 12-minute excerpt from the film was included on the BBC Video DVD release of DW: The War Games in 2009.
External links
- Spearhead from Space at the BBC's official site
- Spearhead from Space at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
- Spearhead from Space at Shannon Sullivan's A Brief History of Time (Travel)
- Spearhead from Space at The Locations Guide
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