71) INVASION OF THE DINOSAURS
12 January - 16 February 1974
Average Viewing Figure: 9.6M
Plot
Arriving in London, The Doctor and Sarah Jane discover Dinosaurs are terrorising the city
Cast
Jon Pertwee (The Doctor), Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith), Nicholas Courtney (Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart), John Bennett (General Finch)
Noel Johnson (Charles Grover MP), Peter Miles (Professor Whitaker), Martin Jarvis (Butler), Carmen Silvera (Ruth), Terence Wilton (Mark)
Brian Badcoe (Adam), Timothy Craven (Robinson), Richard Franklin (Captain Yates), John Levene (Sergeant Benton)
Ben Aris (Lieutenant Shears), Dave Carter (Sergeant Duffy), Martin Taylor (Corporal Norton), James Marcus (Peasant)
George Bryson (Private Ogden), John Caesar (R/T Soldier), Gordon Reid (Phillips), Trevor Lawrence (Lodge), Terry Walsh (Warehouse Looter)
Pat Gorman (UNIT Corporal), Colin Bell (Private Bryson)
Uncredited Cast
Richard King (UNIT Soldier Typist), Alan Bull (Second Warehouse Looter/Driver), Leslie Bates, Mike Stevens (Army Corporals)
Stuart Myers (Photographer), Ken Tracey (Despatch Rider), Brian Nolan, Geoff Whiterick, Dennis Plenty, David Billa, Ian Elliott, Peter Dukes
Leslie Bates, John Cash, James Muir (UNIT Soldiers), Barry Summerford, Ken Tracey, Rory O'Connor, Geoff Brighty (Golden Age Men)
Judy Roger, Annette Peters, Lyn Howard (Golden Age Woman)
Crew
Malcolm Hulke (Writer), Ron Grainer (Title Music), Bernard Lodge (Title Sequence), Dudley Simpson (Incidental Music)
Dick Mills (Special Sound), Keith Hopper (Film Cameraman), Andrew Boulton (Film Sound), Robert Rymer (Film Editor)
Clifford Culley (Visual Effects Designer), Barabra Kidd (Costume Designer), Jean McMillan (Make-Up), Alan Horne (Studio Lighting)
Trevor Webster (Studio Sound), Barry Stevens (Video Tape Editor), Terrance Dicks (Script Editor), Richard Morris (Designer)
Barry Letts (Producer), Paddy Russell (Director)
Uncredited Cast
Ian Wingrove, Rodney Fuller, Derek Meddings, Guy Lewin, Jim Allen, John Thye (Visual Effects Assistants), Alf Trustram (Armourer)
Roger Wood (Props Buyer), Michael Hamilton (Floor Assistant), John Wilcox (Assistant Floor Assistant), Brenda Loader (Director's Assistant)
George Gallaccio (Production Assistant), John Crump (Film Camera Assistant), John Hills-Harrop (Film Sound Assistant)
Tony Thorpe (Film Lighting), George Inger (Film Operative Manager), Albert Cush, Arthur Goldthorpe (Film Operatives)
Gordon Phillipson, Mike Pinchin (Grams Operators), Colin Reid (Camera Supevisor), Terry Wild (Technical Manager)
Michael Turner (Vision Mixer), Phil Nixon, Alan Holey (Inlay Operatives), Len Thurlow (Back Projection Operator)
Ashley Wilkinson (Design Assistant), Sid Lomax (Graphics), Kathy Ayerst (Costume Assisant), Martha Livesey (Make-Up Assistant)
Crew 18 (Camera Crew), Tessa Spendlove, Charles Irvine (Dressers)
Broadcast
Filming Locations
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Covent Garden Market; Albert Embankment; Houses of Parliament; Billingsgate Market; Trafalgar Square; Westminster Bridge, London
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Whitehall; Haymarket; Margaret Street; Outer Circle; Long Lane, Smithfield; Lindsay Street, Smithfield; Moorgate Station, London
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Arcade, Moorfields; New Union Street; Northfield's School, Ealing, London
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Central Electricity Generating Board Sub-Station, Elderberry Road, Ealing, London
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Pickfords Despositories, Brownlow Road, Ealing; Chamberlain Road, Ealing, London
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Southall Gas Works, Southall; The Straight, Southall; White Street, Southall, Middx
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Wimbledon Common, Wimbledon, London
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Kingston Meat Market, The Bittoms; GPO Sorting Office, Orchard Road, Kingston-Upon Thames
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Palmer Crescent; Wilmer Close, Kingston-Upon Thames
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Parkfields Road, Kingston
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Canbury Gardens; Lower Ham Road; South Lane, Kingston-Upon Thames
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Clayponds Avenue, Brentford; Riverside Drive, Ham, Middx
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Television Centre: Studio 4
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Television Centre: Studio 6
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Television Centre: Studio 8
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Pinewood: Stage G
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some filming locations remain unknown to this date
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Deaths
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Charles Grover MP [sent into the past and dies in the past]
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Professor Whitaker [sent into the past and dies in the past]
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Phillips [killed when his getaway car is crushed by a Dinosaur]
Production Days
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21 Days between Sunday 2 September - Tuesday 12 October 1973
Production Errors
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There are numerous problems with CSO shots with dinosaur models and the backgrounds. Some of the dinosaurs appear to float on screen
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The plot point about Sarah Jane being on a spaceship for three months is spoiled when the narrative cuts back to Earth, making it clear that she has not been on the ship for months but rather a few hours at most
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When the pterodactyl flies into the garage, the wires operating the puppet are visible
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The Tyrannosaur Rex has far too many fingers on each hand and the wires which control the jaw reflect light
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The Tyrannosaur Rex doesn't roar, but rather it says "roar!"
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During episode six, The Doctor is driving a Land Rover, and the Brigadier is clearly in the passenger seat. Then all of sudden the Brigadier is the one driving, and The Doctor is in the passenger seat
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The cut on Sarah's forehead appears on the wrong side of her head
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Martin Jarvis seems to bash his head when getting into the lift during the tub station scenes
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The metal shutters which make up a part of the underground sets, cause the walls to shake when they descend
Working Titles
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Bridgehead from Space - (storyline)
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Timescoop
Verdict
First we need to address the elephant (or rather dinosaur) in the room; the puppet effects are dire, the models are equally abysmal and the vocals are laughable, there-done. Now for the good, or almost-good stuff, because there’s a lot of it. Another strong contemporary Earth narrative pits The Doctor against another prehistoric race of reptiles who originated on Earth, and more human antagonists who have their own secret agendas. The scripts are commendable for fully refining themes from previous serials, and giving them a fresh angle. There are plenty of quiet moments to eke out the tension, the opening montage is superb, and several silent scenes of characters sneaking about perfectly drum up the tension.
The scripts do however have to deal with many ‘the beginning of the end’ troupes. The tightknit UNIT family is torn apart when Captain Yates turns traitor, but he’s still close to The Doctor. He has cold feet during episode three and saves The Doctor’s life, and rightly berates others for attempting to kill The Doctor. It’s a clever idea, building on events from The Green Death, but a missed opportunity to kill Yates off would have had a much bigger impact. The Doctor seems to distance himself from his close friends, and continually shows pure annoyance at being disturbed with the slightest of things; it’s unlike him, and foreshadows a changing with the times that is right around the corner.
Then there’s the whole spaceship and three months after leaving Earth ordeal: it’s a bizarre concept, but not entirely unsalvageable, one more rewrite would have provided a much stronger subplot which could have fooled the audience for much longer. The structure keeping the two plot-threads together is constantly strong, and the dialogue is once against solid, even though this is a weaker product in comparison to other Malcolm Hulke scripts. The finished product is there, the execution is sloppy, but entertaining.****