Ordinarily, you’d expect me to start this essay with something along the lines of “This is the perfect story to introduce your new Doctor” or similar, but the truth is I have fully another 4 stories to come which are the first our introductions to a new leading man1, so I don’t feel that I can make a claim so bold. If I did, though, it would probably be difficult to argue against it…
Much like when we discussed The Three Doctors, there’s a lot established here that carries forward into future stories. We have the first post-regeneration hangover, with Pertwee spending a large amount of time in his sickbed desperate for an alka seltzer2 – something we’ll see in Robot, Castrovalava, The Christmas Invasion…. We have the new Doctor checking out their face for the first time, initially unhappy but quickly coming round to appreciate it. We have the opportunistic costume choice – also seen in The Movie & The Eleventh Hour (but phased out in favour of the TARDIS wardrobe in the JNT era). And we have an alien menace that the Doctor must pull themselves round quick smart to deal with.3
Of course, it’s not just a new Doctor we’re introducing here. The vast majority of post-regeneration stories have a continuity element to help soften the blow of the new lead – usually the companion – but with Frazer & Padders calling it a day with Pat, it’s left to the Brigadier to fill that role – and after just one & a half stories, he’s hardly a household name. Yet. So we get a reintroduction to The Brig, who is characterised much better in his first & last regular seasons than the sitcom character that he becomes in the middle.
And then in comes the wonderful Liz Shaw.
I am a big, big fan of Liz. I will have another opportunity to talk about her in a story yet to come4, but I can’t not shout out to her here. Caroline John only has a limited number of stories to make an impression, and she does so right from the start. Liz here is smart & capable; she doesn’t suffer fools gladly, stands her ground and is just as important to the plot and its resolution as The Doctor is.
Our leading man hits the ground running as well. As the seasons go by, the Third Doctor becomes a dashing man of action with an arrogant streak the width of the channel; I much prefer his early performances, where the moments of charm are embedded into the character. He’s all charm in this story, talking to Liz in Delphon & working with the Brigadier rather than antagonising him as he will next year. Pertwee is a natural fit for The Doctor; if his predecessors have played the role as a kindly grandpa, Pertwee is much more a mischievous uncle here: he’s sprightly and fun to be around, but still undoubtedly in charge of everything.
This isn’t just a Pertwee story though, it’s also a Bob Holmes one – and it’s his first classic. No offence to The Krotons, I’m as much as a fan of that story as any other, but it’s not a patch on Spearhead. In fact he won’t write a better story until he becomes Script Editor himself. The things that we come to identify with a classic Holmes script – the double acts, the world building, the zingy insults – are missing for the most part, but he’s still given us a script that moves along at a pace without leaving us confused or bored. And he’s already starting to show an interest in the Time Lords, giving them two hearts – something that will last for decades to come. There’s certain lines of Doctor Who dialogue that I will always try to slip into my everyday life, and the 3rd Doctor’s first words – “Shoes…” – are one of them. It’s brilliant scripting.
But we’re not just introducing a new Doctor and companion here: we’re setting a whole new direction for the show. We’re IN COLOUR!! We’re Earthbound!! We’re a mix of the Avengers, The Sweeney & James Bond as we cry HAVOC & let slip the dogs of action!! It’s a bold, exciting, invigorating start to the new decade of Doctor Who that gives the flagging show a short in the arm & a kick up the arse that lasts for 5 years. This may be Derick Sherwin’s only effort at producing Doctor Who before his head is turned by the much more exciting world of, erm, detective shows, but he gives his successor Barry Letts a template to work with and a foundation to build on; the rest, as they say, is history…
As an introduction to a new Doctor, producer, decade and vision for the show, this is almost unbeatable. It relaunches the show & blasts it straight into the 70s with a punch of colour and pizazz. It does everything you want it to do, it does it very very well, it’s effortlessly rewatchable & endlessly entertaining. It’s a triumph, and a Top 60 Doctor Who Story of all time.
COMING TOMORROW: “Come to daddy. I mean mummy…”
Skies Full of Diamonds 