Plastic Mannequins Come to Life and Wreck Havoc: SPEAREAD FROM SPACE

The Doctor has been exiled to Earth by the Time Lords, and has been forced to regenerate into this third incarnation. He’s not the only alien to arrive on Earth: the Nestenes have arrived, and along with the deadly Autons, they plan to conquer the Earth.

Cast

Jon Pertwee (Doctor Who), Caroline John (Liz Shaw), Nicholas Courtney (Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart)

Hugh Burden (Channing), Hamilton Dyce (Major General Scobie), Talfryn Thomas (Mullins)

John Breslin (Captain Munro), Antony Webb (Dr Henderson), Helen Dorward (Nurse), Henry McCarthy (Dr Beavis)

John Woodnutt (Hibbert), Derek Smee (Ransome), Neil Wilson (Seeley), Betty Bowden (Meg)

George Lee (Corporal Forbes), Ellis Jones (Technician 1), Tessa Shaw (Unit Officer), Allan Mitchell (Wagstaffe)

Prentis Hancock (2nd Reporter), Clifford Cox (Sergeant), Edmund Bailey (Attendant), Iain Smith (UNIT Soldier)

UNCREDITED CAST: Derrick Sherwin (UNIT Carpark Attendant), Brian Nolan, Patrick Milner

Antonio de Maggio, Peter Kaukus, Brian Justice, John Spradsbury (UNIT Soldiers), Trevor Cuff, Hugh Wood

Dave Mobley, John Hughes, Alan Cooper, Vicky Maxine, June Jenson (Press), Robert McDonnell, Cicely

And coming down the pavement walkway, we have the latest fashion.

Cicely Cawthorne, Derek Medus (TV Crew)

David Dewhurst (UNIT Solider [Hawkins]

Victor Crocksford, Roy Brent (Auton Hospital Porters), Constance Carling (Auton Secretary), Gideon Kolb

Reg Lloyd, Alan Clements, Alfred Hurst, David Billa

Walter Goodman, Maurice Quick, Sandy Stein

Sonny Willis. Bill Matthews, Maurice Selwyn

Leonard Kingston, Anthony Maine, Sheila Knight

June Gray, Bernadette Barry, Joy Burnett, Lola Morrice

Cara Stevens, Claire Maine (Waxwork Visitors/Auton Replica), Dennis Hayward, Roger Houghton, Tom Segal

Keith Simmons, Kenneth Lindford, Roger Minnis (Autons/Display Mannequins)

Bob Williman, Hein Viljoen, Barry Ashton, Bob Williman, Arnold Chazen, Cy Town, Keith Ashley (Autons)

and various other uncredited cast members. More info in: Doctor Who The Complete History: Volume 15

Crew

Robert Holmes (Writer), Ron Grainer and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop (Title Music)

Dudley Simpson (Incidental Music), Brian Hodgson, the BBC Radiophonic Workshop (Special Sound)

John Horton (Special Effects), Christine Rawlins (Costumes), Cynthia Goodwin (Make-Up)

Stan Speel (Film Cameraman), Stan Speel, Robert McDonnell (Film Camera Team)

Derek Medus (Sound Recordist), WilliaM Symon, Adam Dawson (Film Editors), Terrance Dicks (Script Editor)

Paul Allen (Designer), Derrick Sherwin (Producer), Derek Martinus (Director)

UNCREDITED CREW: Delia Derbyshire (Theme Arrangment), Robin Squire (Assistant Script Editor)

Peter Grimwade (Production Assistant), Alan Whibley (Visual Effects Assistant)

Cicely Cawthorne (Director's Assistant)

Broadcast

EPISODE	DATE	TIME	VIEWING FIGURE	CHART POSITION	APPRECIATION INDEX
1	03/01/1970	5:15-5:40pm	8.3M	54th	54
2	10/01/1970	5:15-5:40pm	8.1M	57th	-
3	17/01/1970	5:15-5:40pm	8.3M	49th	-
4	24/01/1970	5:15-5:40pm	8.1M	51st	57

Connections in the Who-Niverse

Talfryn Thomas played the miner, Dave in another UNIT story The Green Death. John Woodnutt was a four-time Doctor Who veteran: the Draconian Emperor for Frontier in Space, Broton and Duke of Forgill for Terror of the Zygons and eventually Seron for The Keeper of Traken. George Lee (as well) appeared in another UNIT outing, The

He's behind you! Turn around you piece of plastic. Quickly!

Time Monster, he played the Farmworker. Prentis Hancock was also a four-time DW veteran: Vaber (Planet of the Daleks), Salamar (Planet of Evil) and the Shrieve Captain (The Ribos Operation). Extra Walter Goodman later played a Villager for The Dæmons, Joseph Chambers for Robot and the Android Farmer for The Android Invasion. Uncredited Bill Matthews landed the roles of Davis in Doctor Who and the Silurians and a Prison Officer for The Mind of Evil; he became an uncredited Draconian for Frontier in Space and uncredited Villager for Planet of the Spiders. Uncredited Maurice Quick returned to be Gold Usher for The Deadly Assassin and again to be an uncredited Priest for The Masque of Mandragora. Extra Auton actor Keith Ashley played more monsters in the show: a Dalek for Genesis of the Daleks and a Zygon for Terror of the Zygons, and an uncredited Krynoid for The Seeds of Doom; he can also be seen in the backgrounds for The Savages, The Underwater Menace, The War Games, The Mutants, The Android Invasion and The Masque of Mandragora amongst others.

Death, the Constant Companion

Corporal Forbes is the first casualty of the Auton invasion. The Auton Scout causes him to crash the UNIT Jeep he drives into a tree. The Seeley's Dog is presumably killed by the Auton Scout. Ransome is blasted by the Auton Scout (that guy again?) and his whole body is later destroyed. A Policeman and a Cyclist become the first victims of the Auton street attack; a couple of Passers-by are also killed. Hibbert, an unwilling ally of the Autons is killed when he attempts to stop the Nestenes. A gun battle between Autons and the Army see several Soldiers being killed in the process. The Auton duplicate of General Scobie is deactivated, as is Channing. The entire Auton attack force also revert to lifeless dummies upon the defeat of the Nestenes. Do the Autons count?

Episode Cliffhangers

(1) The Doctor is kidnapped by Channing and two Autons disguised as Hospital Porters; before they can push him into an ambulance The Doctor escapes into the nearby woods where he is shot by a UNIT soldier. The Doctor falls to the ground

The Autons are ready to attack, and bullets will not cut it!

(2) Ransome returns to Auto Plastics and breaks into his old workshop where a line of plastic dummies line the wall. As he looks around the room, one of the dummies springs to life, and silently approaches him

(3) General Scobie grants The Brigadier permission to storm Auto Plastics over the telephone and agrees to meet him. As he hangs up, someone rings the doorbell. Scobie opens his front door where an exact replica of himself advances on him

(4) The Nestenes have been defeated, and The Brigadier offers the now exiled Doctor a job to work for UNIT. The Doctor agrees, and tells The Brigadier to call him ‘John Smith’.

Fun Facts

The Doctor doesn't appear to like seafood

(1) Before the Jon Pertwee was cast as the Third Doctor, both Ron Moody and John Le Mesurier best known for Dad's Army were both considered. Ron Moody declined the part cus he didn't want to be associated with a 'kid's show' - he later regretted his decision; (2) Producer Derrick Sherwin came up with the idea of having mannequins/shop window dummies as monsters, when he walked alongside a shop window. Sherwin felt that a story about mannequins coming to life and replacing people could offer frightening imagery; (3) Joining the production office as an assistant script editor was Robin Squire who was a published author. Squire was given the opportunity to break into television writing, but sadly nothing came to pass. Squire also played the Auton Scout, and appeared in other Doctor Who serials as an extra. Squire eventually pitched a Doctor Who story; (4) There was originally going to be a montage of shots of chaos, mayhem and panic, after the Auton attack commenced; the montage never came to pass; (5) Jon Pertwee's first day filming on the show was on Saturday 13 September 1969. Jon Pertwee met Caroline John in a make-up room, and a close working relationship soon formed; (6) A couple of crewmembers appeared as extra during part one. Assistant film cameraman Robert McDonnell and sound recordist Derek Medus appeared in the hospital foyer scenes; (7) The UNIT Commissionaire was originally played by extra Jeff Brighty. He was 'fired' by Derrick Sherwin when he wasn't providing an 'adequate' performance. The producer told Brighty to take the uniform off, and he himself played the part; (8) The laboratory sets borrowed props from various Doctor Who serials: The Space Museum, The Wheel in Space and The Invasion

Recording Days

Production work lasted 35 days between Saturday 13 September - Saturday 22 November 1969. The entire production took place on location, with some minor studio work being carried out for models shots. The production team worked almost nonstop between 13-19 September, 8-17 and 20-28 October. There were three

The Auton capsule, and meteor lands on Earth.

production days between 29-31 October; however, where the produciton team worked remains unknown to this day. The final stretch of production work lasted from 3-5 and 7 November. Two studio days occurred on 19 and 22 November. The team went everywhere across London: the Favourite Dolls Factory stood in for the Plastics Factory, Hatchford Park School was used for the Hospital entrance and grounds, whilst BBC Wood Norton stood in for a number of scenes throughout the four episodes. A single day of recording was carried out at the famous Madame Tussauds which occurred on Wednesday 5 November 1969.

Verdict

Fast-paced, intelligently written, unintentionally humorous, excellent pacing and structure all add up to what is possibly the best possible introductory story for the Third Doctor. The sole purpose of Spearhead from Space is to set-up the earthbound/Doctor in exile formats which will dominate the show for the best part of the next 3 years. The serial does more: it mixes the surreal/uncanny and provides some haunting and frightening imagery where everyday objects become nightmarish monsters. There are also moments of overt horror, echoing the direction the show would take under the leadership and guidance of Philip Hinchcliffe

The Doctor is feeling a little lazy today. Come on, you have a planet to save - again.

The Autons themselves are similar to the likes of the Chameleons from The Faceless Ones; they suffer identity crises where, without a recognisable image, they revert to faceless dummies (perhaps a metaphor for the human-race?). The Autons and Nestenes also provide another frightening thought in which an exact facsimile double can replace anyone within society, and no one would be any the wiser. The moment when Major General Scobie opens his front door, only to stare back at himself, is a moment where the show firmly abandons its childish whimsical overtones, and firmly grounds the show on its new path. Yet we have another layer to the Autons, providing moments of unease during the Madame Tussauds scenes. Even Liz (a sceptic, and hard-core scientist), feels uneasy about the all-seeing eyes of lifeless mannequins, a feeling shared by the audience where one can never be too sure if they are being watched

The Autons are just one side to the well-remembered villains; less remembered is Channing, superbly played by Hugh Burden. Episode 1 introduces Channing as the silent partner of the alien invasion, remaining in the background, and not uttering a word; but by episode 4 he has displayed his hidden dark side, and becomes a force to be reckoned with. The direction is excellent, almost voyeuristic at times. The opening shot of Earth and the zooming in provides a moment where it is we the audience who are crashing down to Earth after enjoying countless adventures in space with The Doctor. There are a few jarring editing cuts and the cross-cutting conversation(s) between scenes that are happening simultaneously, but these are few and far between and thus forgivable. The action-sequences are particularly well-handled; everyone remembers the Auton attack from episode 4, which is possibly the best alien attack in the show’s entire history

Spearhead from Space is an excellent excuse to get The Doctor away from space-bound adventures, and firmly grounds Doctor Who as an action-packed series, where the show will continue to grow from strength-to-strength.*****