Doctor Who: Spearhead From Space [1970]

Date(s) of Broadcast: 3 January 1970 - 24 January 1970
Number of Episodes: 4
Episode Running Times: 25 mins
Format: colour
Sound: mono

PRODUCTION
Production Company: BBC
Producer: Derrick Sherwin

SCRIPT
Script: Robert Holmes
Story Editor: Terrance Dicks

DIRECTION
Director: Derek Martinus

PHOTOGRAPHY
Film Camera: Stan Speel, Robert McDonnell

EDITING AND POST PRODUCTION
Film Editor: William Symon, Adam Dawson

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

SOUND
Special Sounds: Brian Hodgson

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: Cynthia Goodwin
Costumes: Christine Rawlins

VISUAL EFFECTS
Visual Effects: John Horton

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Designer: Paul Allen

MISCELLANEOUS
Production Assistant: Peter Grimwade
Assistant Floor Manager: Liam Foster

LOCATIONS
Locations: BBC Training Centre, Wood Norton, England, UK; Madame Tussauds, London, England, UK; Ealing High Street, London, England, UK; King's Cross Station cargo loading depot, London, England, UK; TCC Condensers, Wells Farm Road, Acton, London, England, UK

CAST

Episode 1
Jon Pertwee [Doctor Who]
Caroline John [Liz Shaw]
Nicholas Courtney [Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart]
Hugh Burden [Channing]
Neil Wilson [Seeley]
Talfryn Thomas [Mullins]
John Breslin [Captain Munro]
Antony Webb [Dr Henderson]
Helen Dorward [nurse]
George Lee [Corporal Forbes]
Tessa Shaw [UNIT officer]
Ellis Jones [technician]
Allan Mitchell [Wagstaffe]
Prentis Hancock [2nd reporter]

Episode 2
Jon Pertwee [Doctor Who]
Caroline John [Liz Shaw]
Nicholas Courtney [Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart]
Hugh Burden [Channing]
Neil Wilson [Seeley]
John Breslin [Captain Munro]
Antony Webb [Dr Henderson]
George Lee [Corporal Forbes]
Hamilton Dyce [Major General Scobie]
Henry McCarthy [Dr Beavis]
John Woodnutt [Hibbert]
Derek Smee [Ransome]
Betty Bowden [Meg]

Episode 3
Jon Pertwee [Doctor Who]
Caroline John [Liz Shaw]
Nicholas Courtney [Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart]
Hugh Burden [Channing]
Neil Wilson [Seeley]
John Breslin [Captain Munro]
Hamilton Dyce [Major General Scobie]
John Woodnutt [Hibbert]
Derek Smee [Ransome]
Betty Bowden [Meg]
Clifford Cox [sergeant]

Episode 4
Jon Pertwee [Doctor Who]
Caroline John [Liz Shaw]
Nicholas Courtney [Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart]
Hugh Burden [Channing]
John Breslin [Captain Munro]
Hamilton Dyce [Major General Scobie]
John Woodnutt [Hibbert]
Edmund Bailey [attendant]

UNCREDITED CAST
Derrick Sherwin [unit car park attendant]
Ellis Jones [voice Of Dr Lomax]
Geoffrey Brightly, Ronald Mayer, Ivan Orton [Autons]
Christine Bradley, Constance Carling, Denis MacTighe, Brian Nolan, Lindy Russell, Rosemary Turner, Robert Windman [factory workers]
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 [UNIT soldiers]
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 [extras]

Recovering from his regeneration and exile on Earth, The Doctor is confined to a hospital near where mysterious meteorites are being sought by soldiers from UNIT. As he recovers, The Doctor is reunited with Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, teams up with his new assistant, UNIT scientist Dr Elizabeth Shaw and finds that the meteorites house elements of the Nestene intelligence, a disembodied alien consciousness that plans to conquer the Earth by manipulating plastic, specifically their army of plastic automata, the Autons.

As Doctor debuts go, this one has yet to be beaten and it remains of the very best stories the show ever produced. It manages to introduce a new Doctor, a new concept and usher in a new era of colour with remarkable confidence. Jon Pertwee slipped into the role like he was born to play it and the introduction of UNIT as a regular feature was a welcome decision. It also marked a new maturity for Who as the show took a turn for the nastier - the monochrome quaintness of the Troughton era was swept aside by an altogether darker and more adult oriented approach. A cracking start to a new season and a new era.

UK
Television Distributor: BBC
Video Distributor: BBC Video

1969
September
13: UK - exterior location filming begins
19: UK - exterior location filming ends

October
8: UK - interior location filming begins
10: UK - interior location filming ends
12: UK - interior location filming resumes
17: UK - interior location filming ends
20: UK - interior location filming resumes
23: UK - interior location filming ends
29: UK - interior location filming resumes
31: UK - interior location filming pauses

November
3: UK - interior location filming resumes
7: UK - interior location filming pauses
22: UK - interior location filming ends [one day of shooting]

1970
January
3: UK - episode 1 television broadcast [on BBC1]
10: UK - episode 2 television broadcast [on BBC1]
17: UK - episode 3 television broadcast [on BBC1]
24: UK - episode 4 television broadcast [on BBC1]

1971
July
9: UK - episode 1 television broadcast [on BBC1]
16: UK - episode 2 television broadcast [on BBC1]
23: UK - episode 3 television broadcast [on BBC1]
30: UK - episode 4 television broadcast [on BBC1]

2002
February
9: UK - omnibus edition television broadcast [on UK Gold]

Facsimile - working title

SEE ALSO
Invasion [1966]

BOOKS

Doctor Who: The Handbook: The Third Doctor pp.48-53
credits, synopsis, review [by David J. Howe, Mark Stammers, Stephen James Walker]

Doctor Who: The Television Companion pp.182-185
credits, synopsis, review [by David J. Howe and Stephen James Walker]

OTHER SOURCES

screen
credits

KEYWORDS

alien invasions, aliens, doctors, hospitals, journalists, meteorites

Last Updated: 21 April, 2008