Spearhead from Space Episode 4

The one where the shop window dummies come to life...

There's something I can't get my head around. Why all the shenanigans around the Madame Tussauds Waxworks? It's pretty unlikely that a commercial enterprise like Tussauds would feature an entire tableau of "top civil servants", but I can get over that by rationalising that they have a special exhibition on or something (it still won't do much for visitor numbers, though!).

What I can't fathom is why General Scobie - the real General Scobie - is positioned in the waxworks while his plastic facsimile goes about his business in the outside world. All of the other plastic dummies are just that - plastic facsimiles - so why has Channing chosen to put Scobie on display at Madame Tussauds? And how is he made to stay that still and plasticky, apparently alive but not conscious? Where are all the other "top civil servants" who have had plastic facsimiles made of them? Will they be placed in the waxworks display too?

I suspect it's just a neat idea Robert Holmes had which he couldn't resist using, but on the face of it, I can't see how it makes sense. There are a few moments like that in this episode, such as the scene in which the Doctor refers to Autons, despite the fact he has no way of knowing that's what they're called.

Something else I don't get is why the Nestenes (and by the way, there's absolutely no mention of the "Nestene Consciousness" in this story) don't just send one big energy unit to Earth rather than a shower of 50 or more of them. With so many mini energy units scattered about and vulnerable to theft, surely it'd be much better to send one great big "meteorite" so no gathering has to be done after landfall? A huge meteorite may well wipe out much of the population the Nestenes intend on destroying in the long run anyway.

Then there's Channing. Who or what is he exactly? I presume he is a plastic facsimile of the real Channing, controlled by the Nestenes, but does that make him an Auton or a Nestene (which we learn can take on any form)? If he's an advanced Auton, then whatever happened to the real Channing? When Channing is killed, he reverts to a plastic template Auton, and oozes green snotty goo, whereas the regular Autons don't. It's like he's an amalgamation of both Auton slave and Nestene host.

The Nestene creature itself leaves a lot to be desired after three episodes of build-up, looking exactly like what it is - a plastic carrier bag smeared with green paint. The Nestenes apparently take on the optimum form necessary for whatever planet they are colonising, but I'm not sure how practical a big green octopus thing is. I mean, surely there are better forms to take on, such as a giant gorilla, a giant snake, or even a tiger? The green rubber tentacles which attack the Doctor at the end are laughably pantomime, and would have looked much better in black and white just six months prior! As for Pertwee's awful boggle-eyed gurning... Bad. Really bad.

The highlight of this episode is the famous High Street massacre, where the shop window dummy Autons come to life at dawn and wreak havoc on the streets. That slow pan along the empty street, coming to rest on the dummies before they spring into life with a classic Dudley Simpson sting is exhilarating stuff, and as they stride along the street shooting down all in their path, you have to applaud director Derek Martinus's vision. These scenes could too easily have looked comical, but there's something about the way the shots are edited - rapidly, uncompromisingly - that makes it all so convincing. Martinus focuses on fleeing pedestrians' running feet, and we see innocent members of the public tumble to the ground, fall off their bicycles, and cut down at a bus stop. We're also told that Autons have activated across the country and have attacked police stations, army barracks and communications centres. The far-reaching effect of the invasion is palpable.

A little side-step... The High Street massacre scenes make you realise how rare it is to see urban locations in classic Doctor Who. Whatever happened to all those high street stores we can spot? Lilley & Skinner was the UK's biggest shoe brand during the Great War, but by 1969 they had become part of the British Shoe Corporation (a subsidiary of Sears), and in the 1990s was broken up and absorbed into Stead & Simpson. Bentalls was the UK's largest department store outside London at this time, and the Ealing branch we see in Spearhead from Space was sold to the Beales group in 2001. We also spy a Tesco (founded 1919 - you might have seen them) and a Currys (founded 1884, now Currys PC World), but the clothing store the Autons break out of is John Sanders Ltd, founded in Ealing in 1865. Although the store is still going strong today, it has moved to Ruislip; the Ealing building was sold to Marks & Spencer in 1990.

The climactic shoot-out between UNIT/ the Army and the Autons is really well filmed, using the same location we saw UNIT battle the Cybermen in The Invasion (the same steps and double doors are used). When the UNIT party arrives at Auto Plastics, there's a scene where the Doctor uses a small explosive to open the gate to let the troops in, welcoming them in with a flourish of his red-lined cape. Was there ever a more perfect scene to sum up the Third Doctor? Our new hero is well and truly here!

The Nestenes are finally defeated by one of the Doctor's eccentric lash-ups, an electro-shock device which repels the Nestenes back into space. Surely this was the perfect job for his sonic screwdriver, but I suppose it's better to see the Doctor invent a special machine to defeat the aliens rather than just point his sonic and be done with it (a lesson some 21st century writers could learn from).

The Brigadier fears the Nestenes will attempt a second invasion, which is basically Robert Holmes pitching a sequel for Season 8 (he gets it too!). The Doctor is now Earthbound, his TARDIS incapable of leaving this planet or time, and so in the meantime he becomes UNIT's scientific adviser. He has no need of a salary, but does yearn for his own vintage car, similar to the one he stole from Dr Beavis. He also requests continued help from Liz, which means he is directly responsible for her staying on at UNIT rather than returning to her work at Cambridge. It'll be good to have her round, because her friction with the Brigadier is amusing, and she works well as the Doctor's more than capable assistant.

Then there's that last line, where the Doctor claims his real name is Dr John Smith, and Pertwee particularly emphasises the "John" with a knowing twinkle. Although we have much to learn about this new Doctor, apart from the fact he likes flash clothes and cars, and has a rather old-fashioned turn of phrase, he seems wonderfully personable, and much more likeable than the Second Doctor was by this stage.

Spearhead from Space is a beautifully directed and edited opening story which is slow to get going but boasts some stunning sequences and a top-notch guest cast. There are some inconsistencies and holes that bug me a little (whatever happens to Sam Seeley, for instance?), but overall it has a heady, Quatermass-esque atmosphere and lashings of scares. Perfect Doctor Who!

First broadcast: January 24th, 1970

Steve's Scoreboard
The Good: The Auton High Street Massacre.
The Bad: Why is Scobie placed in among the facsimiles at Madame Tussauds? It doesn't make any sense!
Overall score for episode: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ (story average: 8.5 out of 10)

"Now listen to me" tally: 1 - We get our first one 9mins 35secs into episode 4, where the Doctor demands: "Now listen to me, Hibbert!" (the Brigadier also gets one in a bit later when confronting Scobie's men).

NEXT TIME: Doctor Who and the Silurians...

My reviews of this story's other episodes: Episode 1; Episode 2; Episode 3

Find out birth/death dates, career information, and facts and trivia about this story's cast and crew at the Doctor Who Cast & Crew site: http://doctorwhocastandcrew.blogspot.com/2014/04/spearhead-from-space.html

Spearhead from Space is available on BBC DVD as part of the Mannequin Mania box set. Find it on Amazon - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Doctor-Who-Mannequin-Mania-Spearhead/dp/B004P9MROY/.