Doctor Who: Invasion of the Dinosaurs (1974)

Date(s) of Broadcast: 12 January 1974 - 16 February 1974
Number of Episodes: 6
Episode Running Times: 25 mins
Format: colour
Sound: mono

PRODUCTION
Production Company: BBC
Producer: Barry Letts

SCRIPT
Script: Malcolm Hulke
Story Editor: Terrance Dicks, Robert Holmes (uncredited)

DIRECTION
Director: Paddy Russell

PHOTOGRAPHY
Studio Lighting: Alan Horne
Film Camera: Keith Hopper

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Film Editor: Robert Rymer

MUSIC
Title Music: Ron Grainer and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop
Title Music Arranged By: Delia Derbyshire
Incidental Music: Dudley Simpson

SOUND
Studio Sound: Trevor Webster
Special Sounds: Dick Mills

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: Jean McMillan
Costumes: Barbara Kidd

VISUAL EFFECTS
Visual Effects: Clifford Culley

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Designer: Richard Morris

MISCELLANEOUS
Production Assistant: George Gallaccio
Assistant Floor Manager: John Wilcox

LOCATIONS
Locations: London, England, UK

CAST
Jon Pertwee (The Doctor)
Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah-Jane Smith)
Nicholas Courtney (Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart)
John Levene (Sergeant Benton)
Richard Franklin (Captain Mike Yates)
John Bennett (General Finch)
George Bryson (Private Ogden)
Ben Aris (Lt Shears)
Martin Taylor (Corporal Norton)
Dave Carter (Sgt Duffy)
John Caeser (R/T soldier)
Gordon Reid (Phillips)
Trevor Lawrence (Lodge)
Terry Walsh (first warehouse looter)
Noel Johnson (Charles Grover MP)
Peter Miles (Professor Whitaker)
Martin Karvis (butler)
James Marcus (peasant)
Pat Gorman (unit corporal)
Terence Wilton (Mark (John Crichton))
Carmen Silvera (Ruth (Lady Cullingford))
Brian Badcoe (Adam (Nigel Castle))
Colin Bell (Private Bryson)
Timothy Craven (Robinson)
Alan Bull (second warehouse looter - uncredited)
Ken Tracey (dispatch rider - uncredited)
Richard King (UNIT typist - uncredited)
Leslie Noyes (milk float looter - uncredited)
Martin Jarvis (reminder room voice - uncredited)
Peter Miles (voice of Grover's secretary - uncredited)
Geoff Brighty, Lyn Howard, Rory O'connor, Annette Peters, Judy Rodger, Barry Summerford, Ken Tracey (Golden Age men and women - uncredited)
Bruce Cox, Robin Dixon, Colin Hamilton, Ted Heath (army drivers - uncredited)
Leslie Bates, David Billa, John Cash, Ian Elliott, James Muir, Brian Nolan, Dennis Plenty, Louis Sanchez, Geoff Witherick (UNITsoldiers - uncredited)
Tim Blackstone, Ian Elliott, Ronald Gough, Steve Ismay, Pat Milnber, Kevin Moran, Roy Pearce, Cy Town, Kelly Varney, Nigel Winder (army soldiers - uncredited)
Leslie Nates, Mike Stevens (army corporals - uncredited)
Peter Dukes (extra - uncredited)

PLOT SUMMARY

The Doctor and Sarah Jane arrive back on Earth to find London deserted. The they come under attack by dinosaurs. A group of fanatical environmentalists want to clear London of people and are using dinosaurs to do it.

A far fetched plan indeed. To be fair to the writer the dinosaurs weren't his idea but producer Barry Letts' who added them when told by special effects that they could do realistic creatures. Whether they succeeded though must be up to the viewer. One can see why Letts felt the story needed something as it is another of Hulke's worthy parables that now seems simplistic.

UK
Television Distributor: BBC
Video Distributor: BBC Video

1974
January
12: UK - Part One first television broadcast (on BBC1)
19: UK - Part One first television broadcast (on BBC1)
26: UK - Part One first television broadcast (on BBC1)

February
2: UK - Part One first television broadcast (on BBC1)
9: UK - Part One first television broadcast (on BBC1)
16: UK - Part One first television broadcast (on BBC1)

Invasion - Part One title only

BOOKS

Doctor Who: The Television Companion pp.254-258
credits, synopsis, review (by David J. Howe and Stephen James Walker)

OTHER SOURCES

screen
credits

KEYWORDS

aliens, time travel

Last Updated: 1 January, 2009