The Invisible Enemy Part One

The one where an alien entity possesses the Doctor...

The model work by Ian Scoones and Tony Harding in this episode is so good, a real step up for Doctor Who, which at this point in time was competing with some pretty solid opponents in the form of Gerry Anderson's UFO and Space: 1999. The way Scoones and Harding shoot the spaceship model, especially when it comes in to land on Titan, bursts with confidence and ambition and wouldn't be out of place in an episode of Thunderbirds. It's a pity there's a bit of a wobble sometimes when you see the ship in flight, but you can't have everything!

The visual effects are impressive all round in this episode, including the lightning cloud in space which traps the spaceship, and then the TARDIS. This really looks like Doctor Who has been given a bit more budget to do this, and it's paying dividends because it feels very "space opera" in a Frontier in Space kind of way (but better still).

One of the most jarring aspects of the episode is the fact the "old" TARDIS control room is back, not seen since Pyramids of Mars, having been superseded by the wooden redesign in Season 14. As much as I liked the wooden version, it never fully convinced me, and it felt more of a novelty than a permanent replacement, so I'm glad to see the original back. But oh dear, it's not back with a bang, more of a whimper. It looks so terribly cramped (the space between the console and the back wall is a real squeeze!), when it should have made its comeback as large, spacious, open, gleaming. Such a shame.

The interaction between Tom Baker and Louise Jameson continues to bristle, with Leela learning to write her name on a blackboard ("Lula"!), and the Doctor remonstrating with her for repeating everything he says, parrot-fashion. There's a lovely to-and-fro between them, and while you could never describe it as a warmth, there is a definite chemistry between the two performers.

The TARDIS is caught in space by some strange web-like substance which shoots lightning into the Doctor and Leela's minds via the console. Leela is apparently "rejected", but the Doctor falls faint, becoming the new host for whatever the Nucleus is. The webby entity has also attacked a spaceship travelling to Titan with a relief crew, who are possessed by the Nucleus and whose eyes have gone all feathery. A strange make-up choice by Maureen Winslade, but suitably bizarre. Only one man escaped the possession: Lowe, played by the ever dependable Michael Sheard, putting in his fourth of six TV performances.

The ambition in this episode is refreshing, but typical of writers Bob Baker and Dave Martin, who often come up with big sci-fi ideas and concepts, despite Doctor Who's budgetary limitations. Although The Invisible Enemy is pre-Star Wars (in the UK), pre-Buck Rogers and pre-Battlestar Galactica, it still feels like it's influenced by that emerging American B-movie aesthetic. Spaceships and space ports, alien entities, possession, ray guns and spacesuits. It's all very grand, perhaps influenced more by Star Trek than anything else.

Barry Newbery, a solidly dependable designer on Doctor Who since day one, turns in some predictably great sets. I love the two-tiered control room of the spacecraft, allowing director Derrick Goodwin to get some unusual camera angles looking down from above, while the Titan base sets - a merging of rockface and man-made walls - look spacious and convincing, with observation windows looking out to the surface. The stylised use of language, reverting to phonetics ("Imurjinsee eggsit"), is also a nice touch. All this is complemented by Brian Clemett's sensitive lighting, especially in the Titan base corridors, which are lit to enhance the lurking threat.

Most impressive of all is the work of Derrick Goodwin, helming his first and last Doctor Who, who matches the ambition of the sets, models and script with some very unusual camerawork. I love the tracking shot following Meeker, Silvey and Safran along the corridor towards the just-arrived TARDIS, a trick used again as the camera follows the Doctor and Meeker as they hunt down Leela toward the end of the episode. Goodwin is obviously trying really hard to conjure a particular atmosphere, even shooting upwards from below when Tom Baker first exits the TARDIS. It just adds a bit of flair to the production without wasting too much time, and I'm very impressed. It's a real pity Goodwin didn't do any more Doctor Who, rather than tumble into a world of situation comedy.

Tom Baker gets to show off his "possessed" acting again, which he does so convincingly, using stillness and those boggly staring eyes to portray the condition, while Louise Jameson gets her own strand when Leela goes off on her own, finds the almost-dead Lowe, and befriends him. It's great for Leela to have stuff to do on her own, although the parting exchange between her and the Doctor is wonderfully empowering for the companion. Leela points out that she is a hunter, to which the Doctor rather unkindly retorts: "You're a savage." This sparks Leela's inner fire: "Perhaps. I am not ashamed of what I am, and I tell you Doctor, I can smell danger." As much as the writers might try and write generic companions, it's great that Jameson strives hard to maintain the "real" Leela.

As Meeker breaks into the mess room and starts blasting at Lowe, Leela gets to throw her knife into his back, something she's done in every single one of her stories so far. I can't begin to imagine a character such as Leela being in Doctor Who nowadays, which is a sure sign of how much television, and society, has changed over the last four decades.

We end with the hairy-handed Doctor aiming a ray gun at the back of Leela, about to shoot (yet hesitating that little bit too long!). The Doctor is possessed by something called the Nucleus (feels very like The Web Planet's Animus at the moment), which intends to use Titan base to "breed and multiply". And as Leela has been rejected as a possible host, she must die. While it's a thrilling idea, we just know that the Doctor isn't going to kill his companion, so it's one of those silly cliffhangers that builds false jeopardy that nobody is convinced by.

But all in all, this is a highly impressive, intriguing and exciting first episode. Love it! Contact has been made.

First broadcast: October 1st, 1977

Steve's Scoreboard
The Good: Scoones and Harding's modelwork is excellent.
The Bad: The cramped new "old" TARDIS control room. Is the ship suddenly smaller on the inside?
Overall score for episode: ★★★★★★★★★☆

"Would you like a jelly baby?" tally: 08

NEXT TIME: Part Two...

My reviews of this story's other episodes: Part Two; Part Three; Part Four

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: https://doctorwhocastandcrew.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-invisible-enemy.html

The Invisible Enemy is available on BBC DVD as part of the K9 Tales box set. Find it on Amazon - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Doctor-Who-Tales-Invisible-Enemy/dp/B00153NOQS/