I did not like any of the characters that I was supposed to route for in this story. They are colonialists. They have arrived a planet with other dominant, intelligent lifeforms and have decided that it is suitable for their own needs.

We've waited a long time for The Doctor to leave the comfort of Earth, it is a shame that Pertwee's first unearthly run resulted in this particular story. Its uncommon that I mostly dislike a Doctor Who story, but Colony in Space is going to be a rare victim.

I fully expected this story to follow an anti-colonialist narrative, a critique on the evils of the British empire. Instead we have 'primitives' (which the DVD extras informed me were intended to look like Aborigines or Native Americans) who are portrayed as if they should be grateful for the presence of these humans. The Doctor is keen to fight these creatures, rather than explore the possibility that they might wish to defend their right to their land. When the minors start making havoc, he doesn't care about its impact on the creatures who have lived on this planet for generations. I longed for The Doctor of Doctor Who and The Silurians who almost cried when the Silurians were wiped out on their indigenous planet.

This is not the only element which Colony in Space falls down on. Firstly, the setting looks dreadful, muddy and grey. Its generally boring looking story - where have all those wonderful sets gone? Surely Doctor Who's first alien planet in colour would be a prime opportunity to show how beautiful they could make the show. The future of the planet Earth must be grim for any human to feel an incentive to live on this planet.

Secondly, once you get past the time/ space travel element, the script shows a serious lack of invention. Another evil mining company, ran by nefarious business leaders led solely by the profit motive. Have we been here before? The Doctor is sent in to investigate, not by UNIT, instead by the Time Lords. Why does the show have to stick so vigorously to type?

To top it all off (and this is the first time its bothered me this season) The Master shows up AGAIN! They don't even leave his initial appearance in episode three a surprise, the Time Lords let us know he will be on the planet at the beginning of episode one! I felt The Master added nothing to the story, his presence in this new setting felt more contrived than ever.

I did like Jo Grant's realisation that The Doctor could really travel in space and time. It was a brilliant idea that after the best part of a year in his company, she might doubt his truthfulness over how the TARDIS is supposed to function. The fact that as far as the Brigadier is concerned the whole story lasted less than ten seconds is hilarious. The primitives taking away The Doctor's TARDIS was also pretty funny.

We finish the story and The Doctor is once again trapped on Earth, which feels like a bit of a shame.