Doctor Who: Spearhead From Space (1970) - 50 YEARS ON...

Yesterday, 3rd January 2020, marked 50 years since the broadcast of Doctor Who: Spearhead From Space - Episode One, which marked not only the start of Who's seventh season, but also the debut of the Third Doctor, Jon Pertwee. It's a fondly-remembered classic serial from the series, and is one I first saw many years ago as an omnibus on VHS. I've since owned a free DVD courtesy of The Sun, the novelisation from Terrance Dicks (Doctor Who and the Auton Invasion), the special edition DVD and more recently the remastered Blu-ray release. I've seen Spearhead more times than I can count, but I particularly enjoyed revisiting it for its 50th anniversary, watching Episode One late last night, and the other three this morning. I know the plot beat-for-beat, and some shots are ingrained into my memory - although the Doctor being attacked by the Nestene Consciousness didn't look quite as scary as I remember it looking when I first saw it around fifteen years ago.

Spearhead is a bit of a warm cuddle of a story, best paired with a cup of tea, and if you have one, a scone too. There's a nice slow pace to the first three episodes, before the action kicks into gear in Episode Four. It can be probably be criticised for inconsistent pacing, but I do think that it mostly works. The show couldn't afford to do a large-scale alien invasion, so what we have in the brief sequences in Episode Four gives us a nice glimpse of the Auton's attack without over-stretching the budget. Nevertheless, the build-up works, as Spearhead is juggling several plot-threads and mysteries that gradually get resolved as the episodes unfold. Who is this new Doctor? Will the Brigadier accept his regeneration? Who or what is Channing? What's controlling the Autons? These questions all get satisfying answers, but the mysteries keep the story going.

Jon Pertwee is a delight to watch as the Doctor, playing the part completely straight, but with a twinkle in his eye that really comes to life in some of the story's more comical moments. He also works very well with Caroline John as Liz Shaw, one of the show's more underrated companions. Liz makes for a nice change of pace after Zoe, despite being another science genius. She is actually shown to be quite smart, and does understand some of the Doctor's mumbo-jumbo, but also has a sharp sense of humour, acting as a nice to foil to the Doctor and the Brigadier. And who can forget Nicholas Courtney as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart? His straight-man approach is always fun to watch, and its lovely to see his dynamic with Pertwee blossom throughout this serial. The Autons are a creepy creation from legendary Who scribe Robert Holmes, who also infuses the script with some lovely moments of character. And, thanks to being entirely shot on 16mm film, the whole thing looks fabulous on Blu-ray, showcasing the great design work, and some cinematic direction from Derek Martinus. It is like watching a low-budget film from the time at some points, and it does make me want to see a HD remaster of the omnibus edit from the old VHS copy.

Spearhead From Space is a lovely Doctor Who story, and whilst I have gone back-and-forth as to just how good it really is, I have to admit that I really enjoy it every time I watch it, and I loved revisiting it this time. If you haven't seen it, it's well worth a watch - especially now its on Britbox. 10/10